deltrittennovels Chapter 5: Even the biggest problems are nothing compared to my potted plant!
Chapter 5: Even the biggest problems are nothing compared to my potted plant!
The alley was deathly silent.
The special operations team members brought by Li Zhenguo were all elites who had crawled out of the hail of bullets, but the scene in the courtyard before them still made their Adam's apples bob and their breath catch in their throats.
They've seen plenty of dead people.
But this is the first time someone has died so "cleanly".
There were no bullet holes, no signs of an explosion, and the courtyard was eerily quiet except for the gate that had been violently kicked open.
On the ground, eight corpses lay neatly arranged.
Forensic experts and trace evidence specialists immediately stepped forward and began their examination with stiff movements.
Li Zhenguo ignored his subordinates; his gaze, like an eagle's claw, was fixed on the young man in the center of the courtyard.
His eyes held a mixture of inquiry, horror, and a hint of fear that he himself had not yet noticed.
"Miss Fang, how have you been?"
Li Zhenguo first turned to Fang Qingxue, his voice steady, as a greeting.
Given his status, he was naturally aware of the movements of this eldest daughter of the Fang family in the capital.
"President Li." Fang Qingxue bowed slightly, her heart churning.
She never expected that the government's swift action would attract the attention of such a powerful figure as Li Zhenguo.
Things have completely spiraled out of control.
After a brief greeting, Li Zhenguo's gaze finally settled on Lin Fan.
He toned down his imposing manner and deliberately softened his tone, like an old man visiting a neighbor's house.
"This must be Mr. Lin Fan?"
Lin Fan glanced at him.
The old man was dressed in a Tang suit, with prominent temples and a deep, restrained gaze; he was a seasoned veteran.
He's more than one level stronger than that bald guy from the Iron Tiger Martial Arts School.
"It's me." Lin Fan nodded, his tone indifferent, as if answering an old man asking for directions on the street.
"Li Zhenguo, from the Beijing Martial Arts Association," Li Zhenguo introduced himself. "Mr. Lin, would you mind explaining what happened here?"
His choice of words was extremely careful; he used "explain" rather than "interrogate".
Lin Fan pointed to the corpses scattered on the ground, his words concise and to the point.
"They kicked down my door; they wanted to kill me."
"Then, I killed him."
"It's that simple."
These words were spoken lightly and without any ripples, as if they were about a trivial matter.
The surrounding action team members felt a chill run down their spines.
Killed?
Is it really that simple?
Those are fully armed foreign mercenaries, and they're even bringing two superhumans with them! Do you think they're swatting flies?!
Li Zhenguo's eyes twitched violently, and his heart felt as if it were being gripped by an icy hand.
He forcibly suppressed his surging blood and continued to ask, "Mr. Lin, your skills are impressive. May I ask where you studied under? Who is your master, a senior master in the martial arts world?"
In his mind, the only person capable of training someone like Lin Fan must be a legendary old monster who has long since retired from worldly affairs.
"I have no master."
"I practiced it by myself without any guidance."
Lin Fan's answer plunged the entire room into silence once again.
Did you practice randomly on your own?
Can such unpredictable skills be developed through haphazard practice?
If you said that to a three-year-old, they'd roll their eyes at you!
Li Zhenguo felt his blood pressure rushing to the top of his head.
He had lived for over seventy years, led the Martial Arts Association for half his life, and considered himself to have seen countless people, but today, he had truly broadened his horizons.
This young man's way of thinking is completely different from ordinary people. Every word he says is like a wad of cotton, leaving you speechless and unable to catch your breath.
"Ahem..." Li Zhenguo coughed lightly to cover up his lapse in composure, deciding to change his approach. "Mr. Lin, you may not be aware, but these people's identities involve international matters and are extremely sensitive. Although your actions were in self-defense, the follow-up will be very complicated."
"How about this, we'll handle everything here, and I guarantee you won't encounter any trouble."
These words were an attempt to curry favor, to win someone over, and also a test.
We, the government, have cleaned up your mess for you; you should be grateful for our help.
"Okay."
Lin Fan's answer stunned everyone once again.
He agreed too readily.
So decisively that Li Zhenguo's entire prepared explanation was completely blocked from his throat.
"However, I have one condition," Lin Fan added.
Li Zhenguo's heart skipped a beat.
coming!
Now, let's get to the main point!
He knew that such a highly accomplished person could never be without desires.
"Mr. Lin, please speak."
Lin Fan pointed to the broken courtyard gate: "You can handle it, but you have to fix this gate for me."
"It must be the original, made of rosewood, hand-carved, no glue, and must be a mortise and tenon joint."
"And these floor tiles are cracked from being stepped on; they need to be replaced with older ones, and they can't have the same color."
"Oh, right, and my flowers too, I have to pay for those as well."
Li Zhenguo: "..."
Fang Qingxue: "..."
Everyone present: "..."
At this moment, Li Zhenguo, a martial arts giant who had seen countless storms, truly began to question the meaning of life.
He had imagined that Lin Fan would demand exorbitant compensation, or request some kind of special privilege, or even have access to national-level resources.
The only thing he never expected was that the other party's request would be... to repair the door, replace the bricks, and replace the flowers?
This setup... isn't it a bit too damn down-to-earth?!
"no problem!"
Li Zhenguo practically clenched his teeth as he squeezed out those three words.
"I guarantee it! I'll send the best craftsmen in the entire capital tomorrow! They'll fix it even better than new!"
All he wanted now was to end this bizarre conversation that was leaving him mentally and physically exhausted.
"That's fine then." Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Fang Qingxue beside him as if he remembered something, "She just compensated me with 200,000 yuan. The cost of repairing the door will be deducted from that. Consider the rest as a reward for your hard work."
As he spoke, he actually took out his phone, looking like he was about to scan a QR code to transfer money.
puff--
Li Zhenguo almost spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
A tip for your hard work?
We are a prestigious national special operations group, one of the top-tier law enforcement agencies in China. We do things for you, and you expect us to pay us a "hardship fee"?!
"No, no, no! Mr. Lin, you absolutely mustn't!" Li Zhenguo's face turned pale, and he frantically waved his hands.
If he dares to accept this money, he won't be standing here tomorrow, but in the dock of a military court!
"This is our duty! Our duty! Ms. Fang is compensating you for your emotional distress; it has nothing to do with us!"
The look in his eyes when he looked at Lin Fan had completely changed from fear to a kind of helplessness as if he were looking at a prehistoric monster.
What exactly is the structure of this kid's brain?
Just then, a forensic doctor, his face ashen, rushed to Li Zhenguo's side, his voice trembling with uncontrollable horror.
"President...preliminary autopsy results..."
"Speak," Li Zhenguo said, his face darkening.
"Eight dead, seven men and one woman. The cause of death of six of the mercenaries... is incomprehensible." The forensic doctor swallowed hard, seemingly searching for a less gruesome word.
"There were no fatal wounds on their bodies. But! Their bones, joints, and nerve plexuses were all completely shattered from the inside out by a... an extremely precise high-frequency vibration!"
"It was like...like an invisible hand reached into their bodies and turned everything inside into a pulp!"
Li Zhenguo trembled violently, a chill running from his tailbone straight up to the top of his head!
Hidden strength!
No! This is a technique that has been cultivated to the highest level and condensed into a 'shockwave'!
"What about that fire-elemental user?" His voice became dry.
"Even more bizarre!" The forensic doctor's voice lowered, trembling with tears. "His superpower core, a specific area of his cerebral cortex, was directly overwhelmed and annihilated by a purer, more domineering energy! From the outside, it appeared as a massive intracranial hemorrhage, but in reality, his 'energy source' was instantly destroyed!"
"The other frost ability user suffered the same fate; the neural center controlling their abilities was...severed directly!"
Li Zhenguo felt a chill run down his spine.
Shattering bones and nerves with hidden force is already the legendary mark of a master of transforming force!
And using one's own vital energy, or rather, a kind of unheard-of energy, to precisely destroy the "energy source" of the superhuman...
What kind of tactic is this?
What level of skill is this?!
He suddenly looked up at Lin Fan.
The young man was squatting in front of the flowerbed, carefully touching the rose petals that had been scorched by the flames.
She was still muttering something under her breath, her face full of heartache.
His focused yet regretful expression, along with the eight cold corpses behind him and the bloody carnage, created two completely different yet strangely intertwined scenes.
Li Zhenguo felt that his worldview was collapsing inch by inch, and then being reshaped.
A thought exploded in his mind with unparalleled clarity.
This person... is someone you can befriend, not someone you can be an enemy of!
He waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to speed up their work, then straightened his Tang suit, forced out what he thought was the most amiable smile that looked worse than a grimace, and walked towards Lin Fan.
He decided to abandon all his identity, status, and glory.
Today, I will speak with this young man from the perspective of a pure junior martial artist.