The yellow-haired youth who burst in from outside was none other than Ma Donghe’s underling, Chen Yingjun.
There were other customers in the shop; some were sitting on the long bench waiting for their prescriptions, others were speaking softly to Master Lin about their ailments.
Witnessing this scene, everyone couldn’t help but feel surprised.
Fang Cheng’s eyes narrowed, then he composed himself and approached Chen Yingjun, whispering:
"Don’t make a fuss, let’s talk in the back room."
After saying this, he quickly led him into a rest room in the back.
The door locked, separating them from the slight clamor outside.
Under the dim incandescence, Chen Yingjun was dripping with sweat, his face a mix of dust and blood, looking utterly disheveled.
He looked at Fang Cheng anxiously, babbling in a panic:
"Mr. Fang, please think of a way to save my big brother..."
Fang Cheng’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, his voice deep and serious:
"Calm down first, and tell me clearly what exactly happened?"
Seemingly feeling the calming strength in Fang Cheng’s voice, Chen Yingjun’s panic eased slightly.
He took a deep breath, wiped the blood and sweat from his face, and with a still trembling voice, began:
"The trouble started with that batch of leftover firearms. Not long ago, Donghe managed to get in touch with a big buyer. He hoped to clear out the stock before the end of the year for a big profit, so that later on the brothers could live a peaceful life."
"Who would’ve known, those guys, while appearing generous, harbored ill intentions. After the price was agreed and the delivery location set, on the night of the deal, they suddenly presented an ’additional agreement’ we’d never seen before, demanding to change the terms of the agreement. Not only did they want to push the price down ridiculously low, but they added a bunch of harsh conditions, clearly trying to strong-arm us."
"Donghe couldn’t swallow this insult and started arguing with them on the spot. It didn’t take many words before the fists started flying."
"They had the advantage in number and were armed to the teeth; our guys were caught off guard and many were killed or injured. Donghe, trying to protect the rest of us, was also severely wounded and is now being held in that abandoned garbage disposal factory in the South Suburb..."
Hearing this, Fang Cheng’s gaze sharpened, looking at Chen Yingjun with scrutiny:
"How did you manage to escape?"
Chen Yingjun trembled slightly, as if recalling a nightmarish scene, swallowed, and stuttered:
"We were surrounded with no way out. The gun barrels were almost touching our foreheads. There was no chance to resist; we had no choice but to surrender."
"But those bastards were cruel, dragging me and a few remaining brothers to a corner of the factory, pummeling us, aiming for vital spots, cursing all the while and threatening to throw us into the garbage incinerator."
"Our brothers were screaming in pain, and a few were getting more air in than out. At that moment, I thought I was done for."
Chen Yingjun paused, his face showing an intensifying fear as he continued:
"Right before dawn, someone hurried over and whispered a few words to the leader. The leader’s expression changed, and that’s when they decided to let me go."
"But before they released me, the leader made a vile demand, giving me three days to come up with five million in ransom and deliver it to a specific location. If I was even a minute late, he would kill Donghe and the rest of the brothers."
As he spoke, Chen Yingjun’s eyes became red, his voice filled with sobs and helplessness:
"But Mr. Fang, where am I going to find that much money? We were already strapped for cash, and with such little time, I couldn’t think of anything else but to come to you..."
While saying this, a grown man like Chen Yingjun began crying in desperation.
He looked expectantly at the mysterious man before him, as if grasping for a lifeline.
Fang Cheng didn’t respond. His gaze was sharp as a hawk, intensely fixed on Chen Yingjun.
That look seemed to penetrate him, to unveil every hidden detail.
Just as Chen Yingjun felt increasingly uncomfortable and a surge of unease filled his heart.
Fang Cheng suddenly reached out and briskly frisked him.
Quickly, he found a device the size of a fingernail with a metallic sheen, a black object tucked under Chen Yingjun’s collar.
Chen Yingjun wore a look of confusion mixed with a trace of fearful unease.
Fang Cheng’s expression turned somber as he withdrew his hand, stating coldly:
"It’s likely a tracking device they planted to locate you on purpose. They let you come back, probably to trace your way to your lair – to take you all out in one fell swoop, or perhaps..."
Here, Fang Cheng’s voice suddenly halted, his eyes flaring with a sharp chill:
"To see who else might wade into this mess!"
Realizing what Fang Cheng implied, Chen Yingjun’s face instantly turned paler.
"Those sons of bitches..."
He cursed through clenched teeth, his body shaking with rage and residual fear.
The dried blood on his body began to ooze again with his movements, staining his already tattered clothes.
Fang Cheng’s brows were tightly knotted, his mind racing as he noticed the ghastly wounds on Chen Yingjun.
Without further delay, he quickly took a medical kit from the cabinet and efficiently began to treat him.
As he used tweezers to pick up a cotton ball soaked in medicine, cleaning the wounds, he asked:
"Do you know anything specific about those people?"
Chen Yingjun, enduring the pain and feeling somewhat weak, shook his head:
"They seemed to come out of nowhere. We had never dealt with them before, and they were vicious from the start."