Chapter Sixty: How Much Does He Owe You?

"Step aside," Bai Chuan said coldly. "Otherwise, I won't hesitate to use force."

Shen Qingdai extended a slender, gloved finger and traced it lightly across his chest, a playful, seductive smile curling her lips. "And what sort of force might Mr. Bai be planning to use?"

Bai Chuan reached out to grab her hand, but Shen Qingdai deftly dodged, retreating two steps. She then tore a corner of her dress and turned to Uncle Yun. "Call the police. Someone's trying to lay hands on me in the middle of the night."

"Yes, miss."

Uncle Yun promptly pulled out his phone and dialed the Federal Police.

With a sweet smile, Shen Qingdai announced, "My lawyer will be in touch with you soon. I intend to press charges for trespassing in my office and for attempted assault."

She surveyed Bai Chuan's thin, malnourished frame, thinking he didn't seem so formidable after all.

Bai Chuan's eyes darkened, and he shoved Shen Qingdai aside, striding toward Uncle Yun.

"Aren't your people supposed to care about evidence?" Shen Qingdai spoke slowly, her voice tinged with mockery.

Bai Chuan produced the recording of the conversation between Uncle Yun and Xiao Jingshan.

"Did you hear that clearly? Shall I play it again? We now suspect that Xiao Jingshan's death was orchestrated by him."

Frowning, Shen Qingdai sat back down on the sofa. She hadn't expected there would be a recording as evidence. She shot Uncle Yun a covert glare and then said, "A recording like this proves nothing. There are all kinds of programs that can—what are you doing?"

Ignoring her words, Bai Chuan seized Uncle Yun by the hair and slammed his head to the floor, then began to viciously kick his face over and over.

As he beat Uncle Yun, Bai Chuan's gaze locked intensely onto Shen Qingdai. "You want to use force? Go ahead—let's see you try."

No matter what kind of monsters or demons they were, the moment they acted, revealing their demonic aura or wicked presence, he would kill them on the spot, without any need for further procedures.

Damn the protocols of Bureau Thirty-Six!

Shen Qingdai hadn't anticipated Bai Chuan would resort to such violence. The organizations similar to Bureau Thirty-Six she had dealt with before all adhered strictly to rules and regulations.

Such organizations wielded enormous power, but they were also heavily constrained. In history, there had been many who abused their positions, killing under the pretense that their victims belonged to evil cults, which had led to the creation of numerous regulations to restrain their authority.

Watching Bai Chuan savagely beat Uncle Yun, Shen Qingdai fell silent.

Bai Chuan continued until he was sweating.

Uncle Yun was left beaten and bloodied, his face swollen and bleeding, barely clinging to consciousness.

Bai Chuan exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

"Take a break," Hu Xiong suggested nearby.

"Keep going," Shen Qingdai glanced at the ornate clock on the wall. "It's only been half an hour—tired already?"

"Hmm?"

Uncle Yun, who had secretly rejoiced when Bai Chuan seemed ready to pause, gritted his teeth when he heard Shen Qingdai. He closed his eyes. Bear it—so long as Fifth Miss is pleased, this level of beating won’t kill him anyway.

Bai Chuan had never encountered such a request before.

When he had finished taking his revenge, Shen Qingdai sipped her coffee and smiled. "Mr. Bai, I hear you're rather familiar with a certain detective agency—visit them often, don't you? Is that detective a friend of yours?"

"However you beat him today, tomorrow I’ll return it, blow for blow, to that detective."

Shen Qingdai had already obtained dossiers on these Bureau Thirty-Six agents before they arrived. She had been particularly curious about Bai Chuan and had ordered an investigation into his recent activities.

"You’re welcome to try," Bai Chuan said coldly. Did she dare threaten him?

Hu Xiong, standing nearby, began to feel pangs of pity for Li Changqing. These two could butt heads all they liked, but it was others who would suffer.

Of course, Hu Xiong also sensed something amiss. The girl clearly knew who they were, yet showed not a hint of fear. Ordinary lesser demons or cultists, upon hearing the name Bureau Thirty-Six, would be terrified.

Just who were these two?

"Uncle Yun, go with them and cooperate with the investigation. They won't be able to hold you for long."

Uncle Yun bowed respectfully. "Yes, Fifth Miss."

Soon, the Federal Police arrived. After Hu Xiong produced his credentials, the officers promptly left—the affairs of Bureau Thirty-Six were not their concern.

Once they had taken Uncle Yun away, Shen Qingdai sat on the sofa, a faint smile on her lips. "The Changqing Detective Agency... It seems Huang Chao was also involved with them before his disappearance. I suppose I'll pay them a visit tomorrow."

...

Early the next morning—

"Ah," Li Changqing yawned, reading the Southern Lin Morning News.

"Reportedly, two pop stars held a joint press conference to apologize after their fans brawled, winning praise from all quarters for their sense of responsibility..."

"A certain celebrity was photographed meeting a young model late at night. The paparazzi demanded two million Lang coins. The star reported the extortion, and the paparazzi were convicted of blackmail..."

"There was a major car accident last night. According to eyewitnesses, the driver had been drinking heavily before crashing into a utility pole. The deceased was a manager at the Linjiang docks..."

Li Changqing was unfamiliar with the celebrities in the entertainment section, but the report of the accident caught his attention.

Linjiang docks?

He reread the article carefully, but it offered few details.

"Li Changqing! Have you taken your medicine?"

"I have, just now—look."

"You haven’t brushed your teeth yet, have you? Your breath stinks!"

"How can a ghost even smell bad breath?"

As they bantered, a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?"

"Kelly? Don’t you have a key?"

Li Changqing peered through the peephole. It wasn’t Kelly.

He opened the door, and there stood a beautiful woman in a crimson robe, her hair adorned with intricate ornaments, hands gloved in white lace.

It was the same woman he’d seen shopping yesterday.

Shen Qingdai was equally surprised—it was the man who’d kept a ghost, the one from yesterday.

"And you are?" Li Changqing asked, curious—was a client really arriving so early in the morning?

"Good morning. My name is Shen Qingdai, the new owner of the Linjiang docks. I heard you met with Huang Chao before he disappeared, so I’d like to ask you a few questions, if that’s convenient?"

Shen Qingdai had originally intended to seize this detective, haul him back to the docks, have him beaten for half an hour, and send the footage to Bai Chuan. But she decided it wouldn’t hurt to inquire about Huang Chao first.

"Please, come in." Li Changqing felt a jolt of alarm. The new owner of Linjiang docks?

Huang Chao was a demon—Li Changqing had no desire to get entangled with the docks again.

Once inside, Tang Xiaoyu recognized Shen Qingdai at once. Her impression of her was unforgettable.

Upon hearing Shen Qingdai was the new owner of the docks, she brightened. "Boss Shen, Mr. Huang signed a contract with us before, but the payment..."

She just wondered whether the new owner would honor the debt Huang Chao had left behind.

Shen Qingdai settled on the sofa and asked, "Is that so? How much does he owe you?"