Chapter 232: A Thousand Curses on My Mind!

The guy at the door was huge—about 185 cm tall, built like a mountain. Just looking at the muscles and defined abs on him, you could tell he’d trained hard.

Wait a second…

Xiao Yu’s eyes were locked on the man’s floral shorts.

What was this? Was he getting weird? Why was he staring at the guy’s shorts?

Well, in fairness, the shorts were kinda interesting.

Ever since marrying Mu Qingwu, Xiao Yu’s lifestyle had leveled up quite a bit. It was not that he ever longed for the dull life of the super-rich. It’s just that his wife had so much money, he couldn’t spend it all in one lifetime.

On his days off, hanging out with his wife, Xiao Yu had developed a habit of lounging around in floral shorts, wandering aimlessly around the house. His wife had scolded him more than once for it. Still, out of love, she’d often buy him new pairs of floral shorts.

And let’s be honest, when a CEO buys something, it’s high-end stuff. All his shorts were designer.

The pair on the guy in front of him? Also high-end.

Hermès beach shorts. They run about 7,000 yuan each.

Now, think about it—a guy living in a shantytown casually wearing 7,000 yuan floral shorts as pajamas. Wasn’t that interesting?

“And who are you guys?”  

The muscle man clearly wasn’t happy, still groggy from being woken up.

“Police,” Wang Dong replied with a friendly smile, playing it cool, pretending to be an average cop.

Of course, as a special unit of the national security forces, technically they were a type of police officer. So, it wasn’t entirely an act.

The muscle man froze, his earlier aggression vanishing instantly, replaced by a flicker of panic in his eyes. 

“Uh… what’s this about?”

That flicker of panic didn’t escape Xiao Yu’s sharp gaze. He caught it immediately.

“Yes, we need your cooperation for an investigation,” Xiao Yu said in a cold tone. “We need to take a look inside your house.”

“This…” 

The muscular man’s hands instinctively clenched into fists—a clear sign of anxiety. Xiao Yu could also see the man struggling to maintain a calm facade, though it came off as awkwardly forced. His expression gave him away. Even Wang Dong had dropped his casual smile, now staring coldly at the man.

“Do you have a search warrant?” the muscular man finally asked, after a long pause.

‘Watched too many movies, huh?’ Xiao Yu resisted the urge to say that aloud. 

Before he could respond, Wang Dong swiftly pulled out his service pistol, pressing it against the man’s forehead.

Direct and effective.

Even though the safety was still on, the muscular man’s face immediately turned pale, his legs shaking—quite the contrast to his earlier aggressive demeanor. Of course, having a gun to your head could have that effect.

“Still asking for a search warrant?” Xiao Yu asked with a mischievous smile.

The muscular man remained silent, likely cursing Xiao Yu internally. Not that anyone cared about what was going through his mind. 

Two other members of Wang Dong’s team arrived, forcefully pinning the man to the ground and cuffing him without hesitation.

“So brutal,” Xiao Yu muttered to himself, shaking his head as he stepped into the yard.

When national security was involved, things were always straightforward. 

Procedures and formalities? Not their concern. If there was suspicion, they acted—no questions asked.

Evidence? Don’t be ridiculous. Suspicion alone was enough.

The front yard was filthy and cluttered, not offering much of interest. Xiao Yu then entered the small building, stepping into the living room. It was equally messy, but something caught his eye.

Xiao Yu’s gaze settled on the packs of cigarettes sitting on the coffee table.

Huanghelou 1916?

Each pack of this brand costs anywhere between 1,000 to 1,500 yuan. His expression grew more curious as he recalled the muscle-bound guy’s 7,000-yuan designer shorts and now, these expensive cigarettes.

Something was definitely off.

Xiao Yu continued his search, moving up to the second floor. There was a small sitting area and two bedrooms. One of the bedrooms showed signs of someone having slept there recently, while the other…

Hmm?

Xiao Yu’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the bed. Not only had someone slept here, but two people—two men, to be specific. His keen sense of smell wouldn’t lie.

He raised his head and glanced at the window. It was open, which wasn’t unusual. But what was strange was that the screen wasn’t closed. In the middle of summer, with all the mosquitoes around, who left the screen open?

In an instant, Xiao Yu darted across the room, arriving at the window. His eyes scanned the windowsill, spotting faint traces of dust disturbed by footsteps.

Gotcha.

With one swift motion, Xiao Yu leaped from the window. He landed gracefully on the ground below, as light as a cat. His eyes immediately focused on the ground.

Footprints. Two sets. Barefoot.

Judging from the freshness of the prints, these were made just moments ago. The two men had clearly seen him and Wang Dong approaching and made their escape.

‘Why are you running?’

The faint scent of the two men still lingered in the air. Xiao Yu wasted no time. He dashed in the direction the scent led him. But after just a few steps, he suddenly halted.

‘Wait a second… The scent’s gone?’

Puzzled, Xiao Yu glanced around, scanning the yard. Nothing seemed out of place in the back.

Slowly, he lowered his gaze again. He carefully inspected the ground for any more clues.

Xiao Yu’s gaze finally landed on a concrete slab lying flat on the ground. The color of the slab matched the concrete surrounding the building, making it easy to overlook at first glance. But there was a subtle gap around its edges.

And from those gaps, a distinct scent was wafting out.

“What’s going on down there?” 

Wang Dong poked his head out of a second-floor window. He looked puzzled as he eyed Xiao Yu below.

Xiao Yu didn’t respond, simply signaling with a hand gesture and pointing to the ground beneath him. Wang Dong’s face immediately turned serious as he pulled his head back inside. Footsteps could be heard rushing from above.

Moments later, Wang Dong appeared with five other members of the second unit, all moving quickly.

“Shh!” Xiao Yu signaled for silence.

Wang Dong nodded and drew his sidearm. The five team members followed suit, guns drawn, safeties off.

Having learned his lesson from the previous close calls, Xiao Yu crouched down and hooked his fingers into the gap of the concrete slab.

With a swift yank, he flipped the slab open and immediately leaped backward.

BANG!

A gunshot echoed from below. 

Xiao Yu’s mind was flooded with frustration—again? He had a thousand curses running through his head.

Twice. This was the second time.

‘What’s wrong with these guys? Is shooting without warning some kind of survival strategy for them?’

Xiao Yu’s anger flared as he charged forward. He dropped down the hole without hesitation. The entire move took less than half a second. Wang Dong and the others barely registered a blur of movement before Xiao Yu was gone.

***

Below.

Thud!

Xiao Yu landed squarely on a man holding a gun. With a sickening crunch, the man’s shoulder was crushed beneath Xiao Yu’s forceful landing, pinning him to the ground.

In a fluid motion, Xiao Yu ducked low as another flash of gunfire lit up the dark space.

BANG!

The bullet whizzed past, just missing the top of Xiao Yu’s head. Without missing a beat, he stomped down on the man beneath him. His foot drove into the man’s chest with a loud crack. Bones shattered under the pressure.

Xiao Yu had no idea how many ribs he had broken, but he charged forward like a force of nature, swift as lightning.

BAM! His body smashed into the other man, slamming him against the wall with terrifying force.

CRACK! 

The impact echoed as Xiao Yu stepped back slightly. The man he’d rammed into slumped to the ground like a pile of broken bones and flesh.

Xiao Yu glanced down at the man in front of him, then shifted his gaze toward the one near the entrance, whose chest had been crushed underfoot. Whether that guy was dead or not, Xiao Yu didn’t care. He exhaled in relief and called up to Wang Dong above.

“Clear!”