Chapter 392

Chapter 392: Judgment

Gazing at the writhing unknown creatures on the ground, Nip felt a fleeting sense of relief knowing that his wife and two children were still alive.

This brief moment of clarity brought reason back to his mind. He pondered: the location of his home wasn’t particularly secure, yet his entire family had been silently abducted and brought here. The man before him and his entourage were clearly not ordinary.

It was indeed a stroke of bad luck to have crossed paths with these individuals…

But the more Nip thought about it, the more his anger swelled. Why him? Why did this have to happen to him? There were countless others who engaged in such deeds. Did his misfortune mean he had to endure this suffering?

With these thoughts, his brief moment of rationality vanished.

Nip turned his gaze back to El, his eyes brimming with fury and resentment:

“Alright, even if I’m at fault, what kind of skill does it take to capture my family? If you truly have the ability, why not go after the drug dealers on the black market or the loan sharks? What’s the point of targeting the family of a small business owner?”

“You’re right, but how do you know I haven’t?”

El gestured toward the other side of the room. A beam of light illuminated the floor, revealing a cluster of sacks, at least a dozen, stained with blood.

“Mr. Nip, it seems you’ve misunderstood something.”

El smiled faintly:

“You weren’t brought here yesterday; it was the day before. As for those two despicable scoundrels and their lackeys you mentioned, they’ve already experienced our methods…

“So I must ask you, do you see anyone else in this matter who is guilty but hasn’t been punished? I’m concerned I might have overlooked someone…”

The groans emanating from the sacks doused Nip’s heart with icy dread, shattering his resolve.

No wonder he was still alive; someone else had already been made an example of…

With this realization, Nip’s thirst for survival replaced his anger, and he spoke with newfound humility:

“Then… what do you want?”

“Me? I aim to fulfill the client’s request, so you should first ask your employee what he desires.”

“What does he want?”

“He wants his money back to survive the winter. So for the next two months, you and your family will have to stay here. I’ll arrange a larger room for you.”

At this, Nip nodded resignedly:

“Fine, I accept.”

“But I don’t think that’s enough.”

El interjected suddenly.

Nip felt his anger drain away, leaving him powerless. He looked at El with pleading eyes, like a helpless creature stripped of all defiance.

“They’re asking for too little.”

El shook his head:

“Think about it: if you only stay here until spring, once you’re out, you’ll undoubtedly cause trouble for them. It would be all too easy for you to set traps, both openly and in secret…”

“No, I won’t…”

“Silence.”

El cut him off coldly:

“If your words were truly trustworthy, you wouldn’t be here now.

“So, the final solution I propose is that I will go through proper channels to help him reclaim his house by using your funds to purchase it.

“Then they will take that money to another district, change their names, and find a new place to live to avoid any potential retaliation from you.

“As for your other employees, I will help them find new jobs by spring. Once everything settles down, the imprisonment of you and your family will come to an end.

“After that, my men will periodically check in on those employees. If I find out you’re up to any mischief…”

El pointed to the bags, from which the moans were growing faint, and flashed a peculiar smile.

“This is my verdict on this matter. Do you agree to this outcome?”

Gulp.

Nip felt his mouth go dry, instinctively swallowed, and then nodded earnestly.

He had lost all will to resist, and deep down, he dared not voice any objections. At this moment, all he felt was the relief of survival and a deep regret for the past.

Damn it, if I had known it would come to this…

“Very well.”

El stood up, no longer looking at Nip. He turned to the two strong men holding Nip’s shoulders and said:

“Lock them all up.”

—

The family of four was led underground. El’s new base had once belonged to a large gang they had dismantled, and it was fully equipped, even boasting its own dungeon.

To firmly establish his newly formed group, El had chosen a different path from his predecessors after careful consideration.

He ordered his subordinates not to stir up trouble over petty matters but to channel their restless energy into helping others through less-than-honorable means.

While assisting people in both the inner and outer city with their problems, El’s influence was gradually expanding.

Once Nip and all the bags had been carried away, El turned his gaze to the dim chandelier in the room.

The light flickered and dimmed, and then multiple lights flared up as a bald man leaped down from the ceiling.

This was one of the superpowered individuals El had recruited, with the ability to emit light.

That’s why he could point and have beams of light follow; the light source itself was alive.

In the spacious hall, Li Rui was the first to clap, followed by the lighting man and several other subordinates present.

Everyone clapped sincerely, their words brimming with praise:

“Incredible, boss.”

“No wonder you’re the boss; this handling is truly… remarkable.”

“The boss is so cultured!”

“Well done.”

El’s lips twitched slightly at these possibly genuine compliments.

Though he had been catching up quickly, his current level of education still couldn’t match that of professionals like Zhuang Mian or Ji Yongxing, but within their line of work, he was considered highly educated.

Under El’s leadership, the new Ashen organization had resolved numerous issues and earned a solid reputation in the eastern part of the inner city.

At the same time, those who had once been aimless now occasionally received compliments when venturing out, which brought them a long-lost sense of warmth and deepened their respect for their young but enigmatic boss.

El allowed himself a brief moment to bask in the satisfaction brought by the praise. He wouldn’t indulge in flattery, but savoring a bit of others’ admiration felt pleasant.

However… was someone’s phrasing off?

El listened to the jumble of voices and sensed that someone might have said something out of place.

Though the words were complimentary, the tone was flat and oddly familiar.

El quickly scanned the room and noticed that someone had appeared unnoticed.

A black-haired doctor in a white coat stood in the corner, smiling softly and clapping gently. When El’s gaze met his, the doctor nodded in approval.