Chapter 00030: Savage Crocodile's Stronghold
# Savage Crocodile's Stronghold
Chapter 30
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 30: Savage Crocodile's Stronghold
"Who are you?" Zhang Meixun was startled and quickly moved aside, nervously staring at Lan Xiaobu. However, her look of confusion quickly turned to disbelief, "You are Lan Xiaobu?"
Lan Xiaobu merely used a simple disguise, and a few months ago, Zhang Meixun had been in the same class as him, so it was not surprising that she recognized him.
"Yes, I am Lan Xiaobu," Lan Xiaobu replied with a smile. He felt that it was fine for her to recognize him; after all, this was Hu Prefecture, and he would soon be entering Kunlun Mountain. Before entering, he wanted to ask Zhang Meixun to relay a message to Su Cen. Zhang Meixun was Su Cen's best friend, and this Lan Xiaobu was aware of.
"Why are you disguised?" Zhang Meixun instinctively asked.
Lan Xiaobu looked at Zhang Meixun in confusion, "Is there no warrant out for me outside?"
This should not be the case; he had taken out Ju Jie and his grandfather, and there was definitely a warrant out for him. He found it hard to believe that the Ju family would let it go so easily.
Zhang Meixun immediately said, "Your wanted notice has been removed. Just check the Jianghu Forum and you’ll know…"
At this point, Zhang Meixun remembered that Lan Xiaobu had dared to kill Ju Jie and his grandfather, and she instinctively took a step back. But then she remembered why she had come and quickly stepped forward again.
Lan Xiaobu was stunned for a moment, then he recalled. In 2033, the country had passed a law that exempted individuals from criminal liability. The video and documents he posted on the Jianghu Forum were enough to prove that the Ju family had harmed the country's and people's interests and bore serious responsibility. Given such proof, he, as the party involved, regardless of whether he was under suspicion or not, had attained the level of removing harm for the people, which meant he could be free from blame. If he could verify certain things and argue that he was acting in self-defense against persecution, he could also gain significant credit.
"What’s happening with the Ju family now?" Lan Xiaobu immediately asked. He felt very satisfied knowing that his actions had consequences.
"The Ju family was exterminated in a single night, and nobody knows who did it," Zhang Meixun hurriedly said. Then she anxiously added, "Lan Xiaobu, haven’t you seen Su Cen?"
"What happened to Su Cen?" Upon hearing her mention Su Cen, Lan Xiaobu immediately put aside everything else.
Zhang Meixun grew even more anxious upon hearing Lan Xiaobu's words, "Su Cen came to look for you alone. After she arrived in Hu Prefecture, she lost all contact. Now she has been reported missing…"
"What?" Lan Xiaobu felt a buzzing in his head—Su Cen was missing?
Before Zhang Meixun could say more, Lan Xiaobu suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye, clad in black, and he would never mistake it.
He immediately pulled out a vest pocket from his backpack and stuffed it into Zhang Meixun's hands, "Zhang Meixun, I'm going to find Su Cen. You take this; I won't be needing it."
"Ah…" Zhang Meixun had just uttered an "ah" when she realized Lan Xiaobu had already dashed out. Instinctively, she opened the cloth bag; when she saw the cash inside, totaling over one hundred thousand, she was even more shocked, quickly grabbing the vest pocket and chasing after him.
…
"You must be Lan Xiaobu, right? No words need to be said; just come with me, or you know the consequences." Seeing Lan Xiaobu rushing over, the black-clad man didn’t seem surprised; instead, he turned and entered a vehicle.
Without hesitation, Lan Xiaobu stepped into the vehicle and asked, "Has my classmate Su Cen been taken by you guys?"
Previously, before entering the Thousand Sounds Auction, he had seen this black-clad man. This man had waited outside the Thousand Sounds Auction for several hours, but at that time, the other party did not know him and did not stop him.
"You arrived at just the right time, otherwise we would've also taken your other female classmate. By the way, my name is Ji Tou. Next time—"
Ji Tou’s words were abruptly cut off as his neck was suddenly gripped by Lan Xiaobu, "No next time. Now tell me, where is my classmate?"
Fear flashed in Ji Tou’s eyes. The Earth’s Spiritual Qi was surging; he had trained for many years and had a solid martial arts foundation, recently crossing into the Inner Qi stage about a week ago. He had been keeping a constant watch on Lan Xiaobu and was ready to draw his gun.
Yet, even in this state, with Lan Xiaobu gripping his neck, he had no room to resist. How powerful must Lan Xiaobu be? Had he surpassed the Inner Qi stage? But what level was that exactly? Ji Tou was equally clueless.
"Uh, uh…" Ji Tou tried to say something but couldn’t get a word out.
Lan Xiaobu relaxed his grip slightly. After Ji Tou coughed a few times, he quickly spoke, "I’ll take you there. It wasn’t me who captured her; it’s the Rear Xiang Bone District of the Savage Crocodile Gang…"
Lan Xiaobu released his hand, "Then lead the way."
If Su Cen had sustained any harm, he would make the Savage Crocodile Gang understand what regret truly meant.
…
Zhang Meixun's brief comment about the Ju family being wiped out in one night didn’t express the full gravity of the situation. In fact, Lan Xiaobu himself was unaware of the magnitude of the uproar his announcements had caused; it was far more complex than the Ju family merely facing annihilation.
On the third day after Lan Xiaobu published his videos and documentation, the Ju family was wiped out completely; even those Ju family members not in Shenpu mysteriously disappeared.
However, Lan Xiaobu hadn't watched many of his own videos. A lot of footage demonstrated that the Ju family was merely a lackey of the Thousand Sounds; there were also many black materials related to the Thousand Sounds.
But the Thousand Sounds was different from the Ju family; the Thousand Sounds had influence worldwide and was even rumored to have its own mercenaries. Such a force was not something that could simply be extinguished.
Currently, the Thousand Sounds was also facing difficulties. On the surface, they presented themselves as a reputable and fair auction house, consistently auctioning top-quality items. However, in the shadows, the Thousand Sounds had committed numerous unspeakable deeds. The Thousand Sounds was powerful, but if too many people went after them, they too would be overwhelmed.
What relieved the Thousand Sounds was that the leaks on the Jianghu Forum only represented a small fraction. This was due to the fact that Ju Jie was originally just a division head under the Thousand Sounds, and the leaks concerned only sections managed by Ju Jie. If all the black materials regarding the Thousand Sounds were exposed, no matter how strong they were, they would lose their foothold.
…
The Savage Crocodile Gang was indeed formidable; they directly flew Lan Xiaobu to Yue City via a private jet. Then they used a helicopter to transfer him to the White Crocodile Tower.
Yue City was a border town where all kinds of people gathered. The White Crocodile Tower may not be the tallest building in Yue City, but it was the most famous. This building belonged to the Savage Crocodile Gang, serving as their stronghold. A massive white crocodile statue loomed over the plaza, making it a local attraction where many tourists took pictures.
Lan Xiaobu entered the tower from the rooftop and didn’t see the enormous white crocodile.
Leading the way, Ji Tou had an extremely gloomy expression. He had never suffered such humiliation before. Remembering the earlier scene where Lan Xiaobu gripped his neck, made him feel even more displeased. Once he got what he wanted, he would definitely confront his brother about getting Lan Xiaobu, making sure Lan Xiaobu knew who Ji Tou was.
At the entrance to the elevator on the top floor stood a security guard. Seeing Ji Tou, he immediately said, "The boss has been waiting for a long time."
Ji Tou merely nodded, glancing back at Lan Xiaobu, saying, "Follow me closely. Don’t look at what you shouldn’t, and don’t speak what you shouldn’t."
"Just lead the way. No need for so much chatter in front of me," Lan Xiaobu kicked Ji Tou hard on the back of his leg, causing Ji Tou to stumble forward slightly, barely managing to grab the elevator door.
Lan Xiaobu had the audacity to come to the Savage Crocodile Gang's lair because he suspected that no one in the gang would anticipate that his strength was far beyond the Inner Qi martial artists. The gang would only perceive him as an Inner Qi martial artist, while in reality, he was only a step away from breakthrough into the Innate Realm.
"You," Ji Tou turned back and glared angrily at Lan Xiaobu. The guard reflexively placed his hand inside his coat, but upon seeing that Ji Tou made no movement, he did not draw his hand out either.
Ji Tou indeed made no move; after merely glaring at Lan Xiaobu, he turned and entered the elevator, knowing Lan Xiaobu would follow him. No need to rush; he had ample opportunities to torment Lan Xiaobu. It wouldn't hurt to let Lan Xiaobu enjoy himself for a while.
The elevator opened up directly into a luxurious conference room. When Lan Xiaobu followed Ji Tou into the lavish room, there were already four people seated within, while one person stood off to the side and had yet to sit down.
Seated at the head of the table was a slightly thin man whose eyes seemed strange, as if he could peer directly into others’ hearts.
Ji Tou stepped aside, and two burly men who had seemingly emerged from nowhere immediately stood behind Lan Xiaobu, appeared poised to seize his arms. Before these two could make a move, Lan Xiaobu lifted his foot and swiftly kicked twice.
Crack! Crack! With two crisp sounds, the two burly men who had just approached Lan Xiaobu were sent flying, the sound of their bones breaking eliciting a wince from anyone who heard it.
Even though the two men were well-trained, they could not help but scream.
The gun's safety clicked as a pistol was aimed at Lan Xiaobu, wielded by the man standing to the side. Lan Xiaobu’s gaze was fixed on the handgun; he had a feeling that, with his current strength, he might be able to dodge a bullet.
Unfortunately, he had not seen Su Cen. If he had, Lan Xiaobu would have acted long ago rather than standing here contemplating how to avoid a bullet.
(End of Chapter)