Chapter 77 Pain...

Yang Changfeng truly had no intention of extorting anyone, but some people simply needed a lesson; not everything was theirs to meddle in, a truth many failed to grasp.

For now, he let the matter rest. Someone would soon come forward, and terms could be negotiated—but they must be negotiated. His immediate priority was to strike while the iron was hot and diminish Wang Hu’s influence to its lowest point. This person wasn’t a major threat, but keeping him around, always popping up to cause trouble, was intolerable.

“Where’s Wang Hu?” Yang Changfeng barked, grabbing a security guard who was fleeing in panic.

The hostess quickly answered, “He hasn’t left yet; he’s probably still in his office.”

Yang Changfeng ignored the guard but ordered him to bring the surveillance tapes from the monitoring room.

“Tell the duty staff I won’t make things hard for them. If Wang Hu deleted the footage, that’s fine—I’ll find someone to recover it. If they can’t do even that, then they can either disappear for good or brace themselves for a beating,” Yang Changfeng declared, paying no heed to the police still present, his voice laced with threat.

No one dared provoke him now. The precinct chief immediately led his people in retreat. Staying would only result in more trouble—who wanted to be caught up in complaints of brawls here?

Pretending not to hear a word, the chief hurried away, needing to report to the city bureau.

Many were dumbfounded. Chen Aijia’s actions were excessive—she had filed official complaints with the city bureau against every police station and even the precinct itself, citing “organized crime” and “extortion.” Not just the public security system, but other departments too received legal notices from her lawyer team almost simultaneously. If these departments remained indifferent, Chen Aijia threatened to call a press conference and reveal all evidence of their unlawful conduct.

How could she be so bold, to accuse so many departments at once?

Tax, fire safety, finance—even organizations like the women’s federation that had “inspected” their work—almost every government entity in the district, and some city departments and named officials, found themselves accused by Chen Aijia.

This was all-out war.

The leadership in Jiangzhou was stunned. They didn’t fear the threats or bribes of these economic groups, but dreaded the possibility that someone in their own departments might have been compromised. If it came to a scorched-earth battle, no one could stop it. The media, heavily influenced by capital, would spread any negative impact far and wide, and the first to suffer would be the officials themselves.

The old saying goes: If the upper beam is straight, the lower beam won’t be crooked. If wealthy and powerful economic groups decided to go all in, it would be a pitched battle against the officials. In the end, both sides would lose—money was all the businesspeople stood to sacrifice, but the officials risked their entire careers, even their descendants might suffer.

They had to be appeased—at all costs.

Learning that Chen Aijia had begun contacting media across the country, some leaders in Jiangzhou could scarcely sit still. Someone even called Sun Zhaoxing, hoping he would mediate.

No one wanted mutual destruction, not yet—not while there was still room for negotiation.

Sun Zhaoxing sneered inwardly, though he maintained a friendly facade. He responded only to what he wished, ignoring the rest.

But when he called his father, Sun Zhaoxing laid it out clearly: “I think I can intervene personally. After all, I know some of the people involved, and the other party is my classmate. But for overall reconciliation, it may require someone trusted by the big boss.”

The elder Sun, a man of high rank who held part of the nation’s fate in his hands, was gratified; his rebellious son had not acted impulsively this time.

“This will ultimately fall to you. The young lady has been pushed to the brink; if we step in, it’s not proper. Don’t worry, the core won’t mind such minor matters. Wait for my call; you’ll have an answer in two or three days,” the old man instructed. “Don’t rush. By the way, how are you preparing for tonight’s race? Are you confident?”

It wasn’t a matter for a man of his stature, but his son was one of the main figures—he had only one son, after all.

Sun Zhaoxing snorted, “I hear that Andre Ivanov isn’t just a street racer—he’s got connections. And he actually knows that kid. Don’t tell me you haven’t checked his background. What does he do?”

“Go ahead and befriend him boldly; it’ll do you no harm. I can’t tell you where he’s from—deep red-level secrecy. Guess for yourself.” The old man hung up, feeling reassured.

So it was that kid—no wonder he was so arrogant. His son’s luck wasn’t bad; befriending that young man meant he’d have no worries about safety when traveling.

A joke: with the world’s top soldier as a friend, who would dare threaten Sun Zhaoxing?

Clearly, Leader Sun knew what Yang Changfeng had done, and understood his temperament. As for anything more, what was there to worry about?

Yang Changfeng exited the elevator. Those blocking Wang Hu’s door parted into two lines, leaving a path in the middle.

Wang Hu sat upright before the office door, fully aware that today’s beating was inevitable.

The man surnamed Yang seemed to know no other methods—he cared nothing for rules. He simply beat people, and did so painfully. It wasn’t the usual way things were handled in their circles, but no one could do anything about it. He couldn’t win a fight—what else could he do?

Yang Changfeng smiled serenely, appearing in good spirits.

There were a few others in the office—Wang Hu’s most trusted men.

“I’ll give you two minutes. You can beat up these fence-sitters first if you wish,” Yang Changfeng perched himself on the desk and chair, smiling at Wang Hu.

Wang Hu snorted, “No need. Say what you want.”

Yang Changfeng raised his hand and slapped Wang Hu’s face without a second thought, feeling no discomfort at all.

Wang Hu had used his social resources to attack him—this was a struggle. Yang Changfeng retaliated with a beating—also a struggle. Wang Hu’s offensive had failed; now he had to accept the consequences. That was the rule.

No need to pity Wang Hu—he couldn’t fight back simply because he couldn’t win.

“You’ve got some dignity, still hoping to reclaim authority and have these men as your accomplices?” Yang Changfeng flicked Wang Hu’s collar and shook his head, “You’ll have no such chance. From now on, your initiative is gone. I’ve waited a long time for you to show up in front of my car with guns and ammunition. Otherwise, I’d have no reason to finish you off—after all, we live in a society governed by law.”

Wang Hu was deeply humiliated. To be beaten in front of so many—he considered it unbearable.

Yet the reality was that the man not only struck him, but he dared not strike back.

His confidants trembled, recalling the five experts from before. If their interests weren’t so closely tied to Wang Hu, they would have fled the moment Yang Changfeng returned.