Facing the hope in Sun Xin’s eyes, Jiang Hao fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, “Your brother is currently overseas. Because of his work, he can’t return to the country and reunite with you for the time being.”

He was afraid that if he told them Red Wolf was dead, the blow would shatter them completely. Their family was already riddled with holes and barely holding together. They could not take another strike.

“There has to be some phone number or address for my brother over there, right?” Sun Xin pressed unwillingly.

“Your brother’s work is special. His company has rules—they don’t allow contact with the outside world.” Jiang Hao, the ever-calm Wolf King, seemed unusually flustered when he lied this time.

“I see...” Deep disappointment surfaced on Sun Xin’s face.

“Little Xin, now that you know your brother is still alive, you should be happy,” Xiao Fang quickly comforted her.

“Right, right. My brother’s still alive. I should be happy!” A smile appeared on Sun Xin’s face. “I’m going to tell my mom right now, so she can be happy too!” She turned to head inside, but after taking one step, she remembered there were guests behind her and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Brother Jiang. I got so excited I forgot my manners. Come on, everyone, please come inside and sit.”

After entering the house, Jiang Hao realized the walls of the single-story home were flaking badly, the cement floor was uneven and pitted with scattered little holes, and the air carried a rotting, moldy smell.

Though it was laid out as three bedrooms and a living room, both the rooms and the common area were cramped and narrow.

The only thing that could really be praised was how clean the place had been kept.

“Please sit for a bit. I’ll go make some tea.”

After saying that, Sun Xin turned to pour tea, but Jiang Hao stopped her. “I’m your brother’s best friend, not an outsider. You don’t need to be so polite with me. Take me to see your mother.”

Earlier, Xiao Fang had told him Red Wolf’s mother had once been gravely ill. Though she had, in theory, recovered, she had been left with lasting aftereffects and now had trouble moving, with a weak body prone to sickness.

Red Wolf had died saving him.

By all rights, he owed Red Wolf his life.

He had to do everything he could to take care of Red Wolf’s family.

“All right.” Sun Xin nodded and led everyone to the back room.

The moment he stepped inside, Jiang Hao saw a woman with silver threaded through her hair lying on the bed, her eyes sunken, her face drawn and haggard.

She looked to be over sixty, but judging from the ages of Red Wolf and his sisters, Jiang Hao guessed she was probably only around fifty. It was clear how brutally both physical suffering and mental torment could ravage a person.

After seeing Red Wolf’s mother, Jiang Hao kept a few thousand for himself and took out the remaining sixty thousand, handing all of it to Sun Xin.

Though she refused again and again, under Jiang Hao’s insistence, she was ultimately forced to accept it.

Before dying, Red Wolf had given Jiang Hao the account number and password to his Ruijin Bank account. There was a total of three hundred million US dollars in it.

But that money could not be withdrawn and handed to Red Wolf’s family yet. Otherwise, it would bring them not fortune, but disaster.

...

Sun Xin insisted that everyone stay for dinner, and Jiang Hao did not refuse.

While Sun Xin was in the kitchen sorting vegetables, Jiang Hao walked over and asked, “Xiao Fang said you were forced out of the city and had to rent a place out in the countryside because loan sharks pushed you into a corner?”

Sun Xin nodded, a heavy sorrow spreading across her face. “We had no choice. Back then, my mom was seriously ill. No one was willing to lend money to our family, so my little brother had no choice but to borrow from loan sharks.”

“I don’t blame him. Otherwise, my mother might already be gone by now.”

“How much do you still owe the loan sharks altogether?” Jiang Hao asked.

“It’s so much now I can’t even calculate it clearly anymore.” Sun Xin gave a bitter smile.

“What was the original principal?”

“Three hundred thousand.”

“And how much have you already paid them back in total?”

“A little over three hundred thousand, I think.”

Jiang Hao nodded thoughtfully, then asked, “The contract was fraudulent, and the interest is that high. That already violates the law. Why didn’t you seek legal protection?”

“What use is calling the police? These people are like leeches. The police can’t watch over us twenty-four hours a day. The moment they leave, those people come right back to our door and treat us even worse.”

“Who exactly are these people who lent you the money? Why are they so overbearing?”

Sun Xin sighed. “They have money, power, and underworld backing. Ordinary people like us can only swallow it.”

Jiang Hao nodded thoughtfully and asked, “Why haven’t I seen your younger brother?”

“He’s hardly been home these past few months. It’s been nearly half a month since the last time I saw him.” The moment Sun Xin spoke of her younger brother, the worry on her face was impossible to hide.

Jiang Hao caught the problem immediately and asked, “What does your brother do?”

“He recently partnered with someone to do fresh produce wholesale.” Sun Xin shook her head. “It’s just bad luck. He hasn’t made any money, but thankfully he hasn’t lost any either.”

“Sister Xin! Sister Xin! Something bad happened to Brother Lei!”

A panicked voice suddenly came from outside.

Sun Xin was startled. She immediately put down the vegetables in her hands and rushed frantically into the Main Hall.

Jiang Hao and the others quickly followed.

In the Main Hall stood a young man drenched in sweat, wearing riding pants and a short-sleeved shirt, his hair cut in a messy buzz cut.

“Jiang Dong, what happened to Lei?” Sun Xin hurried forward and asked anxiously.

“Brother Lei and the others were doing fine with their business, but another fresh produce boss came over to stir up trouble. He said Brother Lei was stealing their market and disrupting prices. He demanded that Brother Lei pay one hundred thousand in compensation and get the hell out of their market.

“Brother Lei and the others naturally refused, and they got into an argument with them. But who would’ve thought... the one backing them was actually Black Panther!”

The moment she heard the name Black Panther, Sun Xin’s face turned deathly pale, and she nearly fainted. Luckily, Xiao Fang caught her in time.

“Who is Black Panther? Why did Sun Xin react so strongly just hearing the name?” Jiang Hao asked Xiao Fang in surprise.

“The loan shark they owe money to is Black Panther,” Xiao Fang answered, then said bitterly, “This Black Panther must be part mosquito or something. He’s everywhere.”

“Then... where is Lei now?” Sun Xin forced herself to steady her body and asked fearfully.

“Brother Lei was taken by Black Panther’s men. He told me specifically to come back and pass on a message: if the money isn’t repaid within ten days, they’ll sever the tendons in Brother Lei’s hands and legs and turn him into a cripple.” Jiang Dong was visibly panicked. “Sister Xin, what do we do now?”

“This Brother Panther is ruthless. Word is he’s got several lives on his hands already. He’s notorious in the underworld,” Zhang Kui warned from the side. “You’d better pay the money back quickly. Otherwise, that bastard really is capable of doing it.”

“By the way that animal Black Panther calculates interest, Little Xin and her family would have to repay at least over a million. Where do you expect her to come up with that kind of money in such a short time?” Xiao Fang snapped angrily at her boyfriend.

“Why are you yelling at me? I was only giving a reminder.” Zhang Kui looked indignant.

“Didn’t you say you knew a lot of people in the underworld? Can’t you think of some way to get Sun Lei out?” Xiao Fang asked her boyfriend.

“The people I know are all small fry. I’ve only met Brother Panther once or twice. How could I possibly pull someone out of the hands of a big underworld boss like that?” Zhang Kui shrank his neck back.

“I don’t care!” Xiao Fang flared up. “Little Xin is my best friend. Whether you can handle this or not, you’re going to handle it. Otherwise we’re breaking up!”

“Xiao Fang, you... you’re going too far. For an outsider, you’re actually going to break up with me!” Zhang Kui looked at her, so angry he was starting to stammer.

“Are you helping or not?” Xiao Fang refused to back down.

Seeing that his girlfriend would not yield an inch, Zhang Kui hesitated for a long time before finally compromising helplessly. “Fine. I’ll take the risk and go ask Brother Panther for some leniency. But let me say this first—I’m not confident at all. If we don’t get him out, don’t blame me.”

Only then did Xiao Fang’s anger subside when she saw Zhang Kui agree.

“Zhang Kui, thank you for helping!” Sun Xin said gratefully.

“All right, saving him comes first. Forget the polite talk.” Xiao Fang urged.

After everyone got in the car, Zhang Kui drove at full speed and made it back to the city in just over twenty minutes.

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

In the car, Sun Xin said to Jiang Hao, “Brother Jiang, just get out here. Don’t come with us to save Lei. Those people aren’t good people.”

“Your brother and I are best friends. There’s no way I’d run at a time like this.” Jiang Hao’s tone was calm, but beneath that calm was something that allowed no refusal.

“Buddy, stop trying to be a hero.” Zhang Kui tried to persuade him. “I admit you’re a lot stronger than most people, but in front of Brother Panther, individual strength means nothing. It’s useless. If you go and don’t understand the rules, you might piss Brother Panther off and make things even worse.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. If I go, I’ll solve the problem, not create one.” Jiang Hao looked out at the neon lights outside the window. In his placid eyes, a thick killing intent was hidden.

“If you insist on being hard-headed, then suit yourself. But if things get dangerous, don’t blame me if I can’t look after you.”

After saying that, Zhang Kui stopped paying attention to Jiang Hao and pulled out his phone to call a friend and ask where Black Panther was at the moment.

Once he learned Black Panther was at High Spirits Bar, he slammed down on the gas and drove straight there.

High Spirits Bar was one of the famous large bars in Wuling City, a place where the rich reveled night after night and drowned themselves in luxury and excess.

After the car arrived at High Spirits Bar, Zhang Kui absolutely refused to let Xiao Fang go inside. He made her wait outside, afraid something might happen to her.

Though Xiao Fang resisted, under Zhang Kui’s forceful insistence, she still got out of the car.