Chapter 325: Chapter 324: Willing to Work Like a Dog and Horse (Seeking Subscriptions)
The event happened so suddenly that when Yan Hao reacted, he found his body completely immobile. He couldn’t even move a single finger.
He realized something was terribly wrong and quickly tried to use his Instant Teleportation Item to leave.
But to his shock, the Instant Teleportation Item didn’t work.
In desperation, he could only look at Xie Ming with a pleading expression and said anxiously, "Brother Xie, what are you doing? We’re on the same side! We are supposed to deal with Hua Jun together, Brother Xie!"
"Yan Hao, at this point, you’re still pretending to be stupid," the bearded man mocked, "Didn’t you hear what Brother said earlier? We’re on the same side with you? Why don’t you look in a mirror?"
"That’s right, we were never on the same path, not before and definitely not now."
"Yan Hao, stop pretending. Just now, you tried to use an Instant Teleportation Item to leave, didn’t you? Don’t think we didn’t see that. But it’s a pity that Brother had anticipated your move and bound you in advance. Even if you grew wings now, you wouldn’t escape."
As the few of them kept talking, Yan Hao’s face grew paler.
On the other side, Hua Jun’s face grew more excited.
Because he realized that today, he might not have to die after all?
"Xie, Brother Xie, what are you...?"
He said softly.
"Chairman Hua, it’s a long story; let’s detoxify you first,"
Xie Ming turned around, a cheerful smile on his face. He took out a small bottle from his pocket and placed it under Hua Jun’s nose.
Hua Jun took a few deep breaths and immediately felt sensation return to his body.
"You, you all!"
Yan Hao glared angrily at Xie Ming and the others. If he still hadn’t figured it out at this moment, his previous life would have been wasted.
But why?
His mind was filled with confusion.
Currently, Hua Jun was definitely a dead man, and after killing him, they could go and kill that Chairman Li. Their enemies were in the open while they were hidden in the shadows; the odds of success were high. And after they killed Chairman Li, wouldn’t the entire Anshan City still be under Xie Ming’s control?
How could he alone contend with them?
But Xie Ming helped detoxify Hua Jun? Were they idiots?
"Chairman Hua, here’s what happened,"
Xie Ming said with a smile. "Last night, this guy suddenly called me, saying there was a change in Anshan City, that the defense force was weak, and he wanted us to come back. At first, I thought it was too good to be true. But after listening to him, I understood."
He glanced coldly at Yan Hao and said, "Turns out, he was unsatisfied with Chairman Hua’s actions and lacked the strength himself. So he thought of us, hoping we’d fight you to the death so he could reap the benefits."
"It’s not true,"
Yan Hao desperately tried to explain. "Brother Xie, believe me, I never meant that, Brother Xie."
"Shut up!"
The bearded man slapped him.
"And then?"
Hua Jun asked, looking intrigued.
"Initially, I didn’t intend to get involved since we’d been away from Anshan City for so long. There was no need. But after hearing about Chairman Li’s deeds, I changed my mind,"
Xie Ming took a deep breath and looked outside. "Chairman Li took away Yan Hao and his brother’s lands, not for personal gain, but for the ordinary people. This made us brothers admire him greatly."
"Yes, yes, Chairman Li is truly noble, a role model for us all,"
"After hearing about Chairman Li’s deeds, our admiration for him was like a river flowing endlessly, like the Yellow River flooding uncontrollably."
"However, not everyone could understand Chairman Li’s good intentions. Some even tried to undermine him. Since we knew, how could we do nothing? That would make us no different from the Fierce Beasts outside!"
The few of them chimed in one after another.
After speaking, they thought they might have exaggerated a bit.
Fortunately, Xie Ming’s voice rose again, "We originally planned to come over with recordings to expose Yan Hao’s true colors. Unexpectedly, he plotted against Chairman Hua and made us accomplices. So we played along, waiting for Chairman Li to arrive with solid evidence before taking action. We apologize for scaring you, Chairman Hua. Please pardon us."
Upon hearing this, Hua Jun understood and bowed, "I see. If it weren’t for Brother Xie today, I, Hua Jun, would have died at this scoundrel’s hands."
"Oh, Chairman Hua, there’s no need to be so polite,"
Xie Ming quickly helped him up.
They exchanged a smile.
Hua Jun wasn’t a fool.
If Xie Ming and the others wanted to take down Yan Hao, they could have done so earlier after learning about his plot.
But they waited until he was in danger before stepping in.
It was likely because they needed something.
Of course, considering they saved his life, he could overlook their minor schemes.
Yan Hao’s face turned even uglier after finishing listening.
He knew that his chances of surviving today were slim, so he gave up and glared fiercely at Xie Ming, "Xie Ming, you’re a traitor. I trusted you so much, and you betrayed me!"
"We’re the traitors?"
Xie Ming sneered. "Come on, Yan Hao, stop flattering yourself. Who doesn’t know what kind of people you and your brother Yan Ming are? When we first built Anshan City together, Yan Ming killed and drove away how many people to seize the position of City Lord? If anyone’s a traitor, it’s him."
"Xie Ming, don’t you dare insult my brother!"
Yan Hao growled through gritted teeth.
"Heh,"
Xie Ming scoffed, cupping his hands towards Hua Jun, "Chairman Hua, this guy has evil intentions. If we let him go, who knows what he’ll come up with next time? It’s better to kill him here and prevent future troubles."
As his words fell, Yan Hao’s face turned from furious to fearful and finally to a look of pleading.
"Brother Hua, I’ve realized my mistake. Please let me go."
He teared up, snot running down, "I swear, if I scheme again in the future, let me be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
"Ha,"
The bearded man laughed coldly, "Swearing might work these days, but what use is skill then?"
"Exactly. Chairman Hua has given you not one, but several chances before. You didn’t cherish them. You brought this upon yourself."
"Chairman Hua, give the order."
They all looked at Hua Jun, as if awaiting his command.
After a moment of hesitation, Hua Jun nodded, "Then I’ll trouble Brother Xie."
"No problem,"
Xie Ming smiled, a glint of murder in his eyes.
The wooden bars around Yan Hao’s body tightened like pythons strangling their prey, creaking loudly as they squeezed inwards.
"No! Stop!"
Yan Hao screamed hysterically.
The Protective Shield around his body was weakening, on the verge of breaking.
Unfortunately, no one paid him any attention, all their eyes watching him as if he were already a dead man.
"Brother Hua, please save me,"
Yan Hao cried, tearing his heart out.
"Sigh."
Hua Jun sighed lightly, "Yan Hao, you’re an adult; you should understand that adults have to face the consequences of their actions. Don’t worry, death is only momentary and won’t hurt much."
"Crack!"
Under the pressure of hundreds of wooden bars, the Protective Shield finally shattered.
Then, the sound of bones breaking and muscles tearing filled the air as Yan Hao’s body twisted into a grotesque shape, his face a mask of pain.
Xie Ming’s clenched right fist slowly opened, and the wooden bars scattered. With a thud, Yan Hao’s body hit the ground, blood quickly staining the carpet.
Hua Jun shook his head.
He felt a bit lucky.
If Xie Ming and the others hadn’t sided with him, the twisted corpse on the ground would be his.
"Brother Xie, I will never forget your great kindness today. If there’s anything I can help with, please let me know."
The bearded man and the others immediately looked at Xie Ming.
"Hey,"
Xie Ming waved his hand, "It was just a small favor. I’m sure if the situation were reversed, Chairman Hua would do the same."
"Yes, yes, no need to be so polite, Chairman Hua,"
"Just a small favor," they said, laughing.
Hua Jun wasn’t fooled; he knew they were just being polite.
"Brother Xie," he said seriously, "There’s no need to be so polite with me. If there’s anything I can help with, just say the word."
"Well,"
Xie Ming looked at the others.
"Brother, since Chairman Hua said so, why don’t you speak up?"
"Yes, brother, tell him."
"Alright."
Xie Ming cleared his throat, "Chairman Hua, to be honest, we greatly admire Chairman Li’s actions. We’ve heard that Anshan City is currently in need of people, so we wish to join the Anshan City Awakened Association and serve diligently."
As his words fell, all their hearts were in their throats.
They had done everything they could; the rest was up to fate.
"So that’s it,"
Hua Jun was overjoyed, "I couldn’t be happier if you joined our branch. But,"
His smile froze, "With your extraordinary abilities, you’ll need the Chairman’s approval to join."
"Of course, of course,"
They exchanged looks and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Could I trouble Chairman Hua to introduce us?"
"Naturally."
Hua Jun agreed without hesitation, "But the Chairman is hard to pin down. Let me make a call. Please wait a moment."
"No problem, thank you, Chairman Hua."
"You’re welcome."
Hua Jun took out his phone, "Brother Xie, don’t worry. The Chairman isn’t as difficult as rumors suggest. You’ve helped us greatly today and with your skills, the Chairman won’t refuse your entry."
"That’s the best outcome,"
Xie Ming and the others said, still feeling anxious.