Chapter 539: I Am the Pride of the Wealthy Family!
"Instructor Lin? Which Instructor Lin?" Zhu Hongming asked subconsciously.
Just as Fei Xiang was about to speak, Jiang Weiguo had already walked up to Lin Mu. He smiled and said, "Instructor Lin, I am Jiang Weiguo. I came here specifically to see you."
"After all, Handong Province has produced a young talent like you. As the top leader, it’s an honor for me as well." Jiang Weiguo chuckled, chatting warmly with Lin Mu.
This scene struck the onlookers like a bolt from the blue. This was the top leader of Handong Province, here to personally meet Lin Mu. What an incredible honor!
Meanwhile, Xie Dingtian and the others watched Zhu Hongming with smug smiles, eager to see how the old scoundrel would get himself out of this mess.
"Governor Jiang, could you be mistaken?" Zhu Hongming’s expression shifted. "What instructor? This boy is nothing but a fraud!"
Taking the identification from Zhu Tao’s hand, Zhu Hongming said, "Look! This ID is forged! He’s not an instructor at all!"
"Hmm?" Jiang Weiguo looked at Zhu Hongming in bewilderment. "Are you the one who’s mistaken? This identification is real. Doesn’t it state right here that Colonel Lin Mu is the General Instructor of the Southeast Military Academy?"
Zhu Hongming opened the ID booklet and on the next page, he saw Lin Mu’s position clearly listed.
*General Instructor of the Southeast Military Academy!*
The seven bright red characters seared his eyes like the blinding sun.
"I personally handed that identification to Instructor Lin," Guan Xinhe spoke up, his gaze sweeping coldly over Zhu Hongming. "Are you suggesting that I forged it?"
"GACK!" Zhu Hongming felt as if his throat were clogged, his face flushing beet red. The identification in his hand suddenly felt as heavy as a mountain.
"I..." Zhu Hongming’s legs went weak, and his mind roared as if he were trapped in a nightmare.
He had just questioned a General Instructor of a military academy? And insulted him? It’s over. It’s completely over!
"What’s the matter? Scared now?" Lin Mu said with a smirk. "What happened to all that arrogance from before?"
Drenched in sweat, Zhu Hongming stammered, his voice trembling, "In... Instructor Lin, I was wrong about this."
Fear gripped Zhu Hongming. If Lin Mu pursues this, the Zhu family is finished. Even Zhu Tao will be dragged down because of me.
Just then, Fei Xiang and the others also sensed something was wrong. "Instructor Lin, did the Zhu family offend you?"
As if on cue, Jiang Weiguo spoke up, his expression instantly turning grim. "Zhu Hongming, you dare to offend Instructor Lin? Do you have a death wish?"
Normally, even as the top leader, Jiang Weiguo wouldn’t dare to speak so recklessly. After all, being caught making such threats would not end well. But now, someone had dared to question the identity of an instructor that Handong Province had finally produced. If word of this got out, his own time as the top leader would be over. What a disgrace!
"Governor Jiang, this is all a misunderstanding!" Zhu Hongming’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees, his eyes wide with terror. He stammered, "I didn’t know! I truly had no idea that Instructor Lin would... would..."
He wanted to say that Instructor Lin had targeted his grandson and shown him no respect, but he swallowed the words before they could escape. Saying that now would only bring a catastrophic disaster upon the Zhu family.
He had already grievously offended Lin Mu. He thought he could use his grandson Zhu Tao’s status to crush Lin Mu completely, but he never expected the top leader of Handong Province himself to show up. And judging by Guan Xinhe’s uniform, his military rank was clearly not low.
Xie Dingtian, Zheng Mingye, and the others were silently ecstatic. They had bet on the right horse!
Even now, Zheng Mingye, Li Dajiao, and the others were still in shock, finding it hard to believe. But the truth was laid bare right before them. Their president was the General Instructor of the Southeast Military Academy! That status is just too incredible!
"Telling me is useless!" Jiang Weiguo said coldly. "I’ll have people investigate your case. As for whether Instructor Lin decides to let you off the hook, that’s your problem!"
At this, Zhu Hongming’s face grew even paler. He bowed repeatedly to Lin Mu. "Instructor Lin, I know I was wrong! Please... please be magnanimous and spare the Zhu family just this once."
"Spare you? How?" Lin Mu sneered. "A moment ago, you were threatening to kill me. You said I’d have to bear the consequences, that I’d have to cut off my own arms and legs and kneel in apology. Did you not consider this outcome back then?"
"Hmph. You dare threaten a military academy instructor?" Guan Xinhe suddenly drew his pistol and pressed the muzzle to Zhu Hongming’s head. "Believe it or not," he said viciously, "I could execute you on the spot!"
"No! Don’t!" Zhu Hongming dropped to the ground, begging loudly for his life. "Instructor Lin, I know I was wrong! I’m begging you, please, just treat me like a fart in the wind and let me go!"
"What do you say?" Lin Mu asked, turning to Zhu Tao with a faint smile.
Zhu Tao couldn’t help but shudder.
Lin Mu’s identity was terrifying. He wasn’t just a colonel; he was the General Instructor of a military academy. A figure with that kind of real power carried far more weight than an ordinary colonel. What’s more, he was so young.
Regret washed over Zhu Tao as well. He had only taken leave to come home and pay respects to his late father. He never imagined something like this would happen.
Thinking this, Zhu Tao lowered his head and said, "The nation has its laws. If they have done wrong, they must accept the punishment they deserve."
"Very good," Lin Mu nodded, looking at Zhu Hongming. "Did you hear that?"
Zhu Hongming trembled. He glanced at Zhu Qi beside him, a ruthless glint in his eyes. Then, he picked up a steel pipe from the ground and violently smashed it down on his own hand.
CRACK! The bone in his arm snapped, and the sheer agony almost made Zhu Hongming pass out.
A chill ran down the spines of everyone watching. That Zhu Hongming... he’s truly ruthless.
"Instructor Lin, this old fool was blind to have offended you. I have now broken one of my own hands. Is this apology satisfactory?" Zhu Hongming was drenched in cold sweat, his face deathly pale. The excruciating pain of a broken bone was more than most people could bear, especially a man of his advanced age. But to appease Lin Mu, he had gone through with it.
Lin Mu remained silent. No one else dared to even breathe too loudly.
Zhu Hongming glanced at Zhu Qi again, his eyes suddenly turning bloodshot. In the next instant, he lunged forward and seized Zhu Qi by the throat.
"Grandfather... what are you doing?" Zhu Tao cried out, shocked to see his grandfather attacking Zhu Qi. The others were equally stunned.
Fei Xiang moved to intervene.
"Stay back!" Zhu Hongming roared, his expression contorted into a ferocious snarl.
"Grand... Grandfather... you..." Zhu Qi gasped, struggling to breathe as he was held by the throat, his eyes filled with terror.
CRACK! With his face twitching, Zhu Hongming gave a sharp twist of his hand, snapping Zhu Qi’s neck.
"Instructor Lin, this all started because of this little bastard. He was the one who offended you because he didn’t know his place. Is this explanation satisfactory?"
"They say even the most venomous tiger won’t eat its own cubs. To think you would strike down your own grandson... I have to say, I’m surprised." Lin Mu shook his head slightly. He stomped his foot lightly on the ground, and an ice spike shot up from below, instantly impaling Zhu Hongming.
An expression of utter disbelief spread across Zhu Hongming’s face as he stared at Lin Mu. The onlookers, who had just seen an ice spike materialize from thin air, were so terrified their legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
"I never told you to kill your grandson," Lin Mu said with a mocking sneer. "Your Zhu family thinks it’s as powerful as a preeminent clan? I, Lin Mu, am a preeminent clan unto myself!"