"Awoo——"
As the lights of the Hailinglong Association went out, a howl that resembled both a wolf and a dog reverberated through the floors and corridors of the Hailinglong. After the howl, A Bai ran towards the parking lot according to the original plan.
"......."
On the seventh floor of Hailinglong, a young man in a dark red shirt was seated behind a boss chair.
The howl from outside and the change in lighting reflected in his gold-rimmed glasses. After a brief silence, Lin Hao unbuttoned his cufflinks, slowly rolled up his sleeves, stood up from the boss chair, and said:
"Gentlemen..... before we set sail, we might need to settle a matter first."
"That stupid dog seems to have come knocking again."
Lin Hao, looking to be only twenty-six or seven, listened to the noisy sounds from the club, and even the lenses of his glasses couldn't hide the sinister fierceness in his eyes.
In this lavish office, with a dark red carpet laid extensively, the dim yellow light shone on a large, dark mahogany desk and bookshelf, reflecting a color reminiscent of dried blood.
Across from Lin Hao, six people sat in total.
Every time a ship sets sail, aside from the basic major smuggling, trustworthy confidants are also needed for cargo coordination and inspection to ensure those underlings don't sneak any officially banned contraband into the goods.
Facing Tu Song A Bai's repeated provocation, Lin Hao felt an uncontrollable anger rising.
"Ah Xiang! Immediately notify the soil side...."
"Zhi——"
Before Lin Hao could finish, a five-meter long old mahogany desk had an albino large hedgehog lying on its back in a velvet nest, making a noise like a mouse.
The large hedgehog was snow-white, with only a circle of golden fringe at the junction of its back spines and belly fur.
The Golden Hedgehog lay lazily, its two long legs extended outside the little nest, leisurely picking up the fruit next to it and stuffing it into its mouth.
Lin Hao was briefly taken aback, quickly picking up a speaker box next to him and placing it by the Golden Hedgehog, saying: "Grandma, you speak."
"Zhi zhi zhi."
The Golden Hedgehog glanced at Lin Hao, faced the speaker box, and after saying a few words, the box emitted a lazy, steady, mature woman's voice after a short translation:
"Ah Hao, you need to be steady in doing things, don't let any weakness show. Have you forgotten the uncle you recently visited, who was sentenced to six years?"
"But! Grandma, that stupid dog....." Lin Hao, burning with frustration, wanted to argue.
But amidst a string of "zhi zhi" sounds, Lin Hao could only reluctantly swallow his words.
"It's just some financial loss, don't let this turn into a public spectacle, especially in these sensitive times. The officials are far from blind; they just feel it's not worth it and that we can take advantage across the shore to expose those truly seeking to transport contraband."
"This is a gift, not something owed." After chastising and advising, the lazy mature woman's voice continued:
"Take me over there once. Oh, and take out the fireworks from the warehouse and set them off to make up for the sudden power outage for the customers, ahaha..."
The Golden Hedgehog, through the speaker, seemed amused by the idea, letting out a series of sultry laughs full of mature feminine allure.
Lin Hao took a deep breath, respectfully held up a meter-long board with both hands, placing the ten-plus kilo Golden Hedgehog along with its nest and snacks on the board.
Lin Hao, with arms held up, gave a signal to the six people in front of him at the desk; two hurriedly opened the door, taking the chairman's exclusive elevator downstairs, while the other four followed the grandmother's instructions without question.
They were long accustomed to the boss following the Golden Hedgehog in everything.
Or, rather, the real [Captain] of the Shuangxi County Hao Village gang was the Golden Hedgehog.
An ever-changing boss, an unyielding chairman.
If not for Lin Hao's father, who was desperate with hunger in his youth and went fishing by the creek, there would have been no meeting with the grandmother Golden Hedgehog, nor would there be the Hailinglong village-led entertainment industry group.
Allegedly, it was Lin Hao's impoverished father who, seeing the grandmother hedgehog, was so desperate that he attempted to bite her.
Not being killed by the grandmother, she felt he was strong and took him as a steed.
Of course, whether these rumors are true or not, A Mao and A Du dared not ask Lin Hao or the village elders.
In any case.
Even if grandma wanted to wear a bikini, and the right style couldn't be found in the market, they'd just kidnap a tailor, hold a gun to his head, and force him to make it.
...
"Ding——"
Under the protection of A Mao and A Du, Lin Hao, carrying the cutting board and grandma with both arms, arrived at the backdoor parking lot reserved for grandma's exclusive use.
When the elevator doors opened, Lin Hao stepped out, turned around, and saw a majestic White Wolf standing outside the glass curtain wall. Its white fur fluttered in the night wind blowing over the river, as it gazed sharply at the Hailinglong Club.
Besides the White Wolf, the entire parking lot was filled with various dogs, some even blocking the entrances and exits.
"Damn beast!"
Lin Hao quickly scanned the area and cursed inwardly.
Today, it seems this matter cannot be resolved peacefully.
What used to be a chance encounter has now turned serious, as the White Wolf has discovered grandma's residence....
If it's not dealt with, their Hailinglong Entertainment City will never find peace, and it might even attract those people from the Security Bureau.
"Zizi..."
The Golden Hedgehog sat slumped in a velvet nest at a 45-degree angle, with a light smile on its face. Its small tender feet crossed casually, and as it raised a hand, A Du quickly stepped forward to light a cigarette specially customized for grandma.
With humor in its eyes, the Golden Hedgehog began to mock the dogs it had previously encountered but were driven to flee.
At this moment, the speaker started to emit sound:
"Yohoho~ Isn't this the dog that fled with its tail between its legs last time? What's the matter? Are you missing grandma's loving injection, wanting a dose of that prickly affection shot into your body again?"
"Woof——"
A Bai let out a sound akin to a smirk, with tones resembling a cold chuckle, and said, "Woof woof woof——"
Old Witch, don't get too cocky now. I'm not alone today!
"Clang clang clang——"
However, just when the Golden Hedgehog grandma was pondering the meaning behind A Bai's words, four crisp echoes resounded in the parking lot.
"Grandma... it's an ambush! There's an ambush in Hailinglong! There's a Fortune Fox up here throwing trash cans at people!" Someone, face flushed as if run over by something, rushed to the window from the third or sixth-floor monitoring room, shouting in horror towards the parking lot.
But he hadn't finished speaking, not even managing to mention the Fortune Fox deleting the surveillance.
In the parking lot below, the three people, two Spirit Beasts, and the dogs saw a slender white paw extending from the window, resembling a human hand. It clutched the person's hair, dragging him back into the monitoring room.
"Clang——"
The sharp sound of a head against a metal trash can reverberated loudly and ominously throughout the parking lot.
"Eek!"
The little fox stood atop the trash can, standing on two legs and leaning against the windowsill, gazing over the parking lot scenery. It nodded to A Bai and said:
"I've deleted all the surveillance we could. Now let's teach these youngsters a lesson, then we can clock out."
"Little one! Don't speak too soon." The Golden Hedgehog glanced back, chuckling as its muscles writhed, launching a spine as tough as alloy towards the sixth-floor monitoring room.
Ansheng was startled, spotting a flash of white coming straight for him. He quickly crouched and hid behind the windowsill cover.
"Zzz——"
The white spine pierced directly into the wall, penetrating the dry-hung marble slab and the surface concrete. Seeing the spine embedded in the concrete, Ansheng couldn't help but inhale sharply.
Then, with curiosity, he stretched out a paw to touch the spine on the windowsill, causing it to wobble and emit a metallic humming sound akin to a sword.
"Damn!"
With eyes wide, Ansheng looked at the spine and instinctively gazed back at the myriad spines on the Golden Hedgehog's back:
"Are you like Gatling from the animal kingdom?"
He knew hedgehogs had spines.
To this end, considering it would be difficult to grab a hedgehog, Ansheng had prepared a metal trash can, intending to use it to hit the hedgehog directly on the head.
But no one had told him that a hedgehog could shoot its spines like bullets!