Chapter 230: Chapter 220: Isn’t this what you should be doing?
Xiao Lin followed Li Nan at a leisurely pace. Li Nan never expected anyone to be trailing him. With so many members of the Poison Dragon Gang, even someone at his level had Cheng Fei and Cheng Zhi with him. It was beyond his imagination that Xiao Lin was targeting him.
As Li Nan got further away from the other gang members, he suddenly felt a wave of danger. Leaping forward suddenly, he heard a swishing sound three meters away.
This caught Xiao Lin by surprise, as his thrown broken branch was intercepted by someone. To be intercepted in such an environment and remain unaware of it meant the opponent was definitely a formidable martial artist, an exceptionally strong expert. Yanjing City indeed lived up to its reputation as a place full of hidden talents.
Li Nan was utterly unaware that someone had saved him from Xiao Lin’s attack. After narrowly escaping, he realized someone in the shadows was following him and ran desperately towards more crowded areas, not daring to remain alone.
Xiao Lin, having faced an interception from this expert, dared not act with negligence anymore. To silently intercept his attack, even though his thoughts were on tracking Li Nan, he was still aware of his surroundings. To intercept his attack right under his nose without revealing one’s presence indicated an opponent at least of the same caliber, possibly even stronger.
Thus, Xiao Lin couldn’t afford to be careless nor pursue Li Nan further. He hadn’t anticipated the Poison Dragon Gang to have such experts, which puzzled him as to why Liang Feng had managed to escape earlier.
Xiao Lin calmed down, focused entirely on sensing any movements around him, and suddenly detected a faint killing intent on his left side. Yet, as he turned his gaze to the left to feel it out, the faint killing intent disappeared.
Xiao Lin’s expression became serious. The opponent’s skills and sense were superb, making him unable to determine whether the opponent was still present or not. He could only wait silently, hoping for the opponent to reveal a flaw.
However, after about ten minutes, there was no sound or movement. Xiao Lin realized the opponent hadn’t left and dared not make any hasty moves. In encounters between masters, even a slight distraction could lead to total defeat.
Xiao Lin knew the opponent was aware of his hiding place. Any slight movement or flaw would be seized upon by the opponent, leading to certain death.
Xiao Lin dared not make any move, and the surroundings seemed equally still.
Aside from the sound of wind rustling leaves, there was no other movement.
Suddenly, a wave of killing intent emanated from a large tree on the left, followed by a flash of white light shooting from the tree, speeding towards Xiao Lin.
At the moment Xiao Lin sensed the killing intent, he fired his broken branch like a meteor. Then, in a sudden motion, he shot towards the large tree at a swift and cunning angle.
The broken branch and the flash of white light both missed their targets and embedded themselves in the trees behind both individuals. Xiao Lin’s movements were incredibly fast, yet the opponent was no slouch, choosing not to attack as Xiao Lin flew towards the tree, knowing that any attack would merely give Xiao Lin time to close the distance without being hurt.
When Xiao Lin reached the tree, the opponent had already left without leaving any trace or clue, the place empty.
"Such masterful skills and decisive actions!" Xiao Lin realized the opponent had already departed. In such a primitive forest, coupled with unfamiliarity with the area, Xiao Lin knew he had no real means to pursue, especially not against such a master. Even in open plains, he might not be able to catch up.
In the temple courtyard, Wu Shuang, along with the members of the Special Police Force, captured nearly thirty members of the Poison Dragon Gang, marking a significant victory. Compared to the previous gang crackdown in the city two days ago, this loss for the Poison Dragon Gang was far greater because half of those captured were from their escort squad.
These individuals were not comparable to the disciples previously captured. Although escort disciples no longer engaged in fighting or territory grabbing, the Poison Dragon Gang’s legitimate businesses were mainly handled by these escort squad members. Any gang in the underworld, upon reaching a certain level, would realize that transitioning to legitimate activities was easier. Once the initial capital accumulation was complete, they tended to shift to legitimate ventures. In Yanjing City, the most successful gang was naturally the Liger Gang, which even established Liger City.
After counting the members of the Poison Dragon Gang, Wu Shuang finally remembered why she had come here, and asked the officer beside her, "Did you see Xiao Lin?"
As for Xiao Lin, most of the SWAT team members knew him well. In these police operations, when was he ever absent? Even Lin Zhifang, the soon-to-be-appointed chief, listened to him, not to mention the others. Upon hearing Wu Shuang’s question, the SWAT team member replied, "Uh, I haven’t seen him. Is Mr. Xiao here too?"
This task was only fully understood by Wu Shuang; the others knew only how to carry out the mission and wouldn’t inquire about matters beyond it, which was why the SWAT team member asked this question.
Wu Shuang just nodded and continued with her work. She didn’t dare to call Xiao Lin, even though she was very dissatisfied with his way of doing things. Every time, he would start something, but never help to finish it, which was quite intolerable to Wu Shuang. Especially since, in almost every case, Wu Shuang had to clean up after Xiao Lin.
And most importantly, Xiao Lin had never thanked her, nor even asked about it afterwards, as if he was completely indifferent, although the Yanjing Bureau had been working overtime for days because of him. Would this time be like the previous ones, where he simply abandoned the situation?
Wu Shuang felt unjustly treated, her anger spilling over onto the captured Poison Dragon Gang members. Seeing that the situation was almost under control and nothing seemed amiss, she was just about to order the gang’s return when Xiao Lin suddenly appeared.
After waiting for a while, Xiao Lin finally confirmed that the other party had left North Mountain. Only then did he remember that Wu Shuang was over at the temple with the SWAT team. He wondered what her results were tonight and whether they caught any big fish from the Poison Dragon Gang. Noticing the way they entered the temple tonight, Cheng Fei and Cheng Zhi were of the same level. He wasn’t sure if Wu Shuang managed to catch either of them. Besides, Xiao Lin had something he wanted to tell Wu Shuang, so he decided to return.
Seeing Xiao Lin appear before her, Wu Shuang’s simmering anger flared up again. She hadn’t seen a man so irresponsible—every task ending unfinished. Before Xiao Lin could approach, Wu Shuang ran over and started a tirade: "What’s wrong with you? Every time you start something but never finish. Everyone at the bureau has been working for days and nights because of you, and now we’re pulled to North Mountain because of another call. Why do you always cause trouble?"
In the eyes of others, whether family or colleagues, Wu Shuang was already considered quite troublesome, but she hadn’t thought that Xiao Lin could cause even more chaos. They’d known each other for just a week, and he had already involved her in matters that ordinary people wouldn’t encounter in a lifetime.
Xiao Lin was taken aback, looking at Wu Shuang. He wondered, he hadn’t done anything to anger her today. How come she was putting him on the spot the moment they met? Where did this anger come from?
"Uh, did you eat something bad? Aren’t these things what you police should be doing?" Xiao Lin thought for a moment and calmly said.
His words left Wu Shuang speechless; after all, he wasn’t wrong, these were indeed tasks for the police. Still, for some reason, Wu Shuang felt angry, and she couldn’t help but retort, "Yes, you’re right. These tasks are for police, but don’t you think you’re causing too much trouble?" Though there was still an accusatory tone, Wu Shuang’s words were less harsh than before, almost acknowledging Xiao Lin’s viewpoint.
Xiao Lin didn’t mind Wu Shuang’s little temper and directly moved to the main issue: "How many did you catch tonight? Any big fish?"
"None!" Wu Shuang said somewhat petulantly. In fact, those caught from the Poison Dragon Gang this time were each nearly a big fish compared to others they’ve apprehended before. Wu Shuang recognized a few, who were independent members within the gang and had become legitimate businessmen after cleaning up, with nearly twenty running their own businesses in dining, entertainment, and more.
Xiao Lin frowned but didn’t delve deeper. Since they hadn’t caught them, it was fine. He told Wu Shuang, "Alright, then. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going!" Saying this, he turned to leave.
Wu Shuang wouldn’t have it. She hadn’t expected this time to be similar to the others. Though she had vented her anger at Xiao Lin earlier, this time Xiao Lin actually came back to inquire. Who would have thought he’d leave again, coldly saying, "Are you always causing trouble without finishing?"
Turning back, Xiao Lin became a bit angry. When had he ever not finished things? He coldly asked, "Can you give a few examples?" However, as he looked at Wu Shuang’s eyes, he finally noticed something seemed off, though he couldn’t pinpoint what.
"Aren’t there enough examples? Yanjing Bureau has been frantically busy because of you for days. Have you ever inquired about it?" Wu Shuang couldn’t contain her anger. Normally, given Wu Shuang’s loathing for evil, she should have been satisfied with the bureau’s efforts to restore order in Yanjing’s underworld. Yet, seeing Xiao Lin incited her anger uncontrollably.(To be continued. If you liked this work, feel free to visit Qidian () to vote for recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)