31: Chapter 29: Prison (Five) Hao Hu 31: Chapter 29: Prison (Five) Hao Hu Yue Ru’s pained hands clenched the table, her lips biting in silence.
Su Mo came down just in time to witness this scene, glancing briefly at her with the corner of her eye before shifting her attention forward.
Behind her was Yue Ru, staring at her back with an embarrassed expression.
The prison at night was like a huge beast sprawled at the foot of a mountain.
Along the road were groups of burly men carrying guns on patrol, Li Qian courteously ushered them into a building behind the dormitory, into a large hall on the first floor, where a big table made of several small square tables was filled with delicious dishes, and the seat of honor hosted a wooden dragon throne chair.
A whole roast chicken, milk, and some mashed potatoes, letting off an appetizing aroma, made Su Mo swallow as soon as she entered.
“Our boss says, if a distinguished guest comes, they must be seated in the place of honor.”
Li Qian pulled out the chair next to the seat of honor and settled the group into their seats.
“Is it just us few?” Su Mo looked around, the room was large but only a few of them were present.
“Others will arrive later,” Li Qian explained with a smile, taking a seat not far away.
Sure enough, shortly after, several burly men entered the room, with Hao Hu leading them.
On seeing Lu Chen, Hao Hu’s fists crunched with a noise, his mouth formed a straight line, and his entire sunken left eye trembled.
That terrifying gaze gave Su Mo the shivers, prompting her to tug lightly at Lu Chen.
The man slightly turned and whispered into her ear, “Does that man have a grudge against you?”
Her breath fluttered against Lu Chen’s earlobe, causing him to lose focus momentarily before awkwardly sitting upright.
Su Mo nodded in understanding, then curiously asked due to Lu Chen’s neck turning inexplicably red, “What’s wrong with your neck?”
“…” His Adam’s apple moved, and he said coldly, “Do you talk too much?”
Alright then, she shut up.
She mimed zipping her lips and obediently sat quietly on the side.
Zhao Xiweng and Jianxiong sat across from them, her face expressionless.
The hand resting on her thigh under the table clenched tightly into her flesh.
Jianxiong gently patted her hand, Zhao Xiweng’s eyes met his sorrowful gaze, her hand suddenly relaxed, and she conjured a smile, mouthing ‘I’m okay’ to him.
“Admiral Lu, it’s been a long time,” Hao Hu and his brothers settled into seats across them, their gazes fixated on Lu Chen with ill intent.
“Which one?” The man casually glanced up, lifting his chin slightly, his deep blue eyes emitting a cold light.
“You really are…one to forget acquaintances,” Hao Hu stood up abruptly from his seat, his force causing the chair to shift back slightly.
He slammed his palm on the table, raising a hand to point at his ugly left eye, squeezing out a few words through his teeth:
“This eye, you personally took it and don’t remember?”
Lu Chen’s fingers tapped lightly on the table, his eyes dangerously narrowed, a cold smile curving his lips, “What, you came to take the second one?”
The atmosphere in the space instantly tensed, and Mo Yan’s group entered to this scene.
Li Qian adjusted his glasses, greeting them with a gentle smile, a flicker of sharpness passing through his eyes.
Ignoring his brothers’ attempts to stop him, Hao Hu, a Power Superpower User, grabbed the chair from behind him and hurled it at Lu Chen with all his might.
From a distance, Mo Yan saw Su Mo’s position, and as he gathered a ball of fire in his hand to help, Chu Mengyao wrapped her arms around his entirely.
Before Su Mo could react, a large hand pulled her up, and she was enclosed in Lu Chen’s embrace, her nose crashing into the man’s sturdy chest, nearly sending tears flying out.
The man spun around with a roundhouse kick, sending the chair flying back, as two Ice Blades shot from his fingertips, following close behind the chair.
Hao Hu punched the chair into splinters, which scattered across the table.
Before he could react, two Ice Blades emitting a bone-chilling cold zipped through the air, stopping mere centimeters from his eyes and hovering in midair.
The lethal danger froze him in place, daring not to move.
Lu Chen, as if nothing had happened, pulled the shaken Su Mo to sit down and brushed away the wood chips that had landed on her head.
She clutched her nose, the pain bringing a ring of red around her eyes.
Was this man hard everywhere?
“Admiral Lu, please be merciful.”
An aged voice came from upstairs, the clear “thud thud” of a cane striking the ground reaching their ears.
Massaging her nose, Su Mo looked up to see the man in a black Zhongshan suit with one leg missing from its trouser and a serpent-headed cane in hand that looked like a wrinkled chicken claw.
Looking up at his face, his features were deeply sunken in, and his eyes seemed dull, yet they hid a sharpness.
This middle-aged man, who appeared gravely ill, was the head of the prison.
“Shen Du, is this your way of treating guests?”
Lu Chen turned his head, his superpower retracting into his hand, his gaze emotionless.
The Ice Blades that hovered before Hao Hu lost their superpower control and fell from the air, embedding themselves into the table, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
Even Mo Yan was secretly alarmed by the power of the Ice Blades.
“Admiral Lu, please excuse the discourtesy,” Old Shen Du leaned on his cane and, aided by others, took the head seat.
The food on the table had been utterly ruined, and with a frown and a piercing look towards Hao Hu, his cold voice rang out:
“I did nothing wrong!” Hao Hu, just shy of a brush with death, still had an unyielding heart.
He stood there, glaring defiantly at Lu Chen.
Old Shen Du wielded his cane, pointing it at Li Qian, who got the signal and rose to approach Hao Hu, wearing a benign, gentle smile: “Hao Hu, don’t anger the boss.”
“You’re nothing but a dog at the boss’s side, don’t bother me!”
Hao Hu, his mind clouded with anger, swung his arm to strike Li Qian’s face but was swiftly caught by Jianxiong, who appeared from nowhere and forced his arm back onto the table.
“Dare to mess with my Boss Lu, I’ll kill you first.”
Li Qian drew a greasy knife from the roasted chicken and wiped it on a napkin.
His eyes, gentle as water behind his glasses, spoke chilling words: “A dog?”
He leaned down to whisper in Hao Hu’s ear, the knife in his hand skimming along the large palm: “Should I cut off your hand or will you apologize?”
Cold sweat dripped down Hao Hu’s forehead.
The heavy hand pinning him from behind rendered him immobile.
He finally caved in: “I apologize.”
The pressure from behind lifted, Li Qian removed the knife, the smile no longer reaching his eyes.
“Admiral Lu, my apologies,” he said, lowering his head, uttering the hard-won words through gritted teeth.
The man didn’t even glance at him but noticed the girl beside him with a reddened nose and asked in confusion, “What happened to your nose?”
“…” Was it really appropriate to ask her that in such a serious situation?
Su Mo felt the pressure from all eyes on her and leaned closer to him, whispering, “Who else but you ran into it?
Don’t you know your own strength?”
She even shot a pointed look at his chest.
“…” Lu Chen coughed lightly, his frozen expression unnaturally shifting.