Su Ning only felt that her eyes had been assaulted by his ugliness; she would need to look at plenty of good-looking people when she got back to wash her eyes. Her subordinates, however, were absolutely furious on her behalf.
Although it was no longer the previous dynasty.
A woman's reputation was still important. The implications in the other party's words were extremely filthy. If Su Ning really went with them, her fate went without saying...
"Do it."
Once the wave of disgust passed, Su Ning waved her hand and gave the order nonchalantly. Lin Sen almost immediately made a hand gesture to the people outside—
Bang, bang, bang.
The battle was almost entirely one-sided.
Su Ning had more people and better weapons. If they still couldn't win against a smaller group wielding only a few broken domestic guns, she would have to consider replacing her men.
In less than ten minutes, it fell quiet outside.
There were only occasional cries of pain.
After confirming it was safe, she finally stepped out of the car. The dozen or so people who had blocked the road had their arms dislocated and were forced to kneel on the ground. Some even had gunshot wounds, their clothes dyed with large patches of blood.
"Ding! Detected that the host has severely injured a level-three plot character, causing lifelong irreversible disability. Rewarding..."
There was a plot character here?
Su Ning was slightly surprised. She looked closely and found that even with the keen eye she developed from diligently reading the original novel dozens of times, she couldn't figure out who this person was—it couldn't be helped, almost everyone here was severely injured.
They were all beaten black and blue, their clothes covered in dust. Even their own parents wouldn't be able to recognize which one was their son.
Forget it.
If she couldn't find them, she wouldn't bother.
Anyway, whatever rewards could be squeezed out of a level-three plot character from this ordeal had already been squeezed out.
There was no need to care about worthless things.
...
Although these thoughts only flashed by in an instant, outwardly it manifested as Su Ning pausing her steps. Young Master He's people thought she was having misgivings, and a strong sense of hope rose in their hearts.
"Miss... Miss Su."
Someone boldly called out. Seeing Su Ning actually cast her gaze over, he felt more confident. Swallowing hard, he spoke in a tone that was half-threatening and half-begging:
"Young Master He just wanted to make friends with you. If you're unwilling, you could just refuse. Why resort to fighting and killing? If it damages the harmony between you and Mayor He, it wouldn't be worth it, right?"
"Why don't you let us go?"
"We can talk everything out."
Before Su Ning could answer, Young Master He, who was slumped on the ground like a dead dog, raised his head. His face was twisted in a savage expression: "Bitch, if you know what's good for you, release me right now, otherwise..."
Slap, slap, slap.
Before he could finish his sentence, someone grabbed his hair, forced his head back, and delivered several consecutive slaps.
The force was so great that it cut through the air with a whistling sound. The person who struck him was Lin Sen. Everyone was stunned, including Su Ning's own people.
This was Deputy Mayor He's only son!
Just during the chaotic brawl earlier.
Both sides had tacitly avoided Young Master He. Let alone getting shot, he hadn't even suffered a single punch or kick. At most, his face was slightly scraped when he was pinned to the ground.
Young Master He was even more in disbelief. Clutching his face, he screamed madly on the ground:
"You deserve to die, you deserve to die! I'm going to tell my dad, I will definitely tell my dad!"
"I'll have you sliced into a thousand pieces!"
"Ahhhhh..."
"So noisy." Su Ning frowned in disgust, looking at Young Master He as if looking at a maggot. "We know your dad is the Deputy Mayor, why do you keep bringing him up? You're a grown man, yet you act like you haven't been weaned."
A total daddy's boy.
"Lin Sen, gag his mouth."
"Yes, Miss."
The world finally quieted down. The others also realized that Su Ning had absolutely no intention of punishing Lin Sen. Her people felt a complex mix of emotions; some were worried, but most felt a sense of security.
After all, looking at how unconcerned their Miss was.
She definitely wasn't afraid of Deputy Mayor He!
On the contrary, Young Master He's men felt entirely different. They had accompanied Young Master He in his arrogant swagger for years. There had been times when they bumped into tough opponents, but out of respect for Deputy Mayor He, the other party never dared to do anything to them.
Usually, not only could they retreat unscathed, but they would also get a sum of compensation money.
Why was it so different this time...
Su Ning walked up to a man, looking down at him from above, and spoke unhurriedly:
"What did you say just now? That not letting you go would damage the harmony between me and Mayor He? I thought your coming here meant that he and I were already in a fight to the death."
"No, no."
The man stammered, completely losing his earlier confidence. His smile was uglier than crying, yet he couldn't articulate exactly what wasn't the case.
In the end, he only managed to squeeze out one sentence:
"The young master, he just likes you too much, he couldn't control himself. Yes, he couldn't control himself."
"Is that so?"
Su Ning chuckled lightly and raised an eyebrow, playing along with his words: "Why wasn't I aware that my charm was great enough to captivate someone who has never even seen me? That defies common sense."
"Let me guess."
"Someone told him that I would become his woman along with my massive family fortune, which is why he 'likes' me so much and is so determined to have me."
The man looked at her in absolute shock, as if looking at a monster, and muttered to himself:
"How did you know?"
"That person is Deputy Mayor He, right?"
He didn't answer, but Su Ning had already gotten the answer from his expression. She sneered endlessly in her heart; even thinking with her toes, she knew what that old dog surnamed He was scheming.
If she really threw her lot in with his faction, she would end up married to his disgusting son, allowing the He family to gain both her and her wealth!
Lin Sen was also startled, no longer harboring any doubts about Su Ning's decision to ally with Mayor Chen.
Miss seemed to always be right...
Having finished her interrogation, Su Ning looked at these people coldly, considering whether to eliminate them to prevent future troubles. In the end, she regretfully abandoned the idea—not out of soft-heartedness, but because she genuinely couldn't.
If people actually died, things would change completely.
All this frustration stemmed from a lack of power.
Sighing inwardly, Su Ning had her subordinates beat these people ruthlessly, leaving them half-dead, while instructing Lin Sen:
"Take all those who used guns to the police station. Just say that as an enthusiastic and good citizen, I discovered people illegally possessing firearms and committing highway robbery."
"Young Master He is different."
She tilted her head and smiled at him, though the smile was enough to make one tremble with chills. "Since you are so desperate to see your dear father, I will grant your wish."
"What was the name of the teahouse where Deputy Mayor He is hosting his banquet again?"
"To answer Miss, it's Anhe Residence."
"It's still early, and the banquet over there shouldn't have ended yet. Send him there." After speaking, Su Ning met Young Master He's eyes and emphasized every word:
"Remember, you must deliver him personally into the hands of Mayor He!"
Young Master He was dazed, his mind, corroded by opium, unable to process much. Handing him over to his dad was the best possible outcome; his dad was the only person in this world who wouldn't harm him...
The others, however, understood very quickly.
She wasn't killing him, but she was destroying his spirit.
This was intended to viciously rip off Deputy Mayor He's face in front of everyone attending the banquet, leaving his dignity on the ground for Su Ning to trample over and over again.
Young Master He's subordinates were even more desperate. Having lost face, Mayor He wouldn't be able to bring himself to severely punish his own son, so they—the incompetent underlings—would become the targets of his displaced anger.
They were doomed. Even if they were lucky enough to get out of the police station, a terrible fate awaited them.
Or rather, it would be best if they never got out at all!
Having dealt with the matter, Su Ning calmly got into the car. She rested for a moment before her heartbeat finally returned to a steady rhythm, and said regretfully to the Rich and Heartless System:
"Why can't the shop add more items, like delayed-onset poisons, or potions that make people commit suicide without anyone noticing..."
"Level requirement not met. Please work harder, Host."
The system responded with a cold, mechanical voice. Su Ning hadn't held much hope to begin with, so she didn't mind. Seeing her composed demeanor, the system swallowed its urge to complain.
And she still claimed that it was the environment of the Republican era that had forced her to change.
Even the "Republican era" itself would cry foul.
People are indeed changed by their environment.
But there is a very small minority who aren't changed by the environment; rather, finding themselves in a suitable setting simply awakens their long-hidden wildness and desires.
Just like a seed buried deep underground for thousands of years.
The moment it touches a tiny bit of water and air, it can't wait to sprout, desperately taking root deep into the earth...
