Volume Two: Anbei Consortium Chapter Fourteen: An Unexpected Sign-In Location

As Li Yu passed by Chen Jingfu, he halted. The black dog, restrained by his grip, instantly recognized the woman before him. Once, some of his men had foolishly tried to harass her, and by the next day, they had vanished without a trace.

It was only now that the black dog understood how thoroughly the so-called "good brother" who had guided him had set him up. Back then, all he received was a photo and a message saying these were just two ordinary students—just find a way to bring them in, and that would suffice. He had been cautious, discovering only that Huang Xiu’s family had some money, with little other information. Only then did he let down his guard; if it really was just a well-off girl, he had little to fear. Had he known there was any connection to Chen Jingfu, even borrowing courage he would never have dared.

“Lend me your car keys. Stay here and help me take care of this,” Li Yu said, motioning with his mouth. After receiving the keys from Chen Jingfu, he dragged the black dog downstairs like one would carry a puppy.

After injuring so many people, someone had to handle the aftermath.

Chen Jingfu surveyed the scene in the corridor and finally understood why his grandfather held Li Yu in such high regard.

After making several calls, Chen Jingfu strode across the empty corridor, heading into its depths.

“This is…”

Inside a room, Chen Jingfu saw a man lying unconscious and gravely wounded on the bed, his expression darkening with anger.

Meanwhile—

“It was the Anbei Group who reached out to me first, asking me to teach a lesson to two reckless youngsters,” the black dog explained, sitting obediently in the passenger seat. “Later, they changed their request—just bring the people to them.”

“Where?” Li Yu drove smoothly. Though he had never driven before, his sharp memory and quick learning made him handle the car with the ease of a seasoned driver.

“Anbei Nightclub.”

This was no insignificant place; in S City, the very name was renowned, familiar to nearly everyone.

Seeing Li Yu fall silent, the black dog thought he was being doubted and hurried to add, “I’m not lying, I swear. I have call records and everything. Besides, I have no reason to lie. If the Anbei Group hadn’t set me up, I’d never have gone after that girl.”

Li Yu glanced at him sidelong. “I doubt you’d dare. Now, show me the way.”

His silence had been for another reason: if he remembered correctly, this place was an asset of an “old friend,” and, at that moment, the system had just issued a new check-in location!

[Ding! Sign-in system updated. New location: Anbei Nightclub, underground dark room.]

This was the first time the system had assigned a sign-in location that no one had previously mentioned… Could Huang Xiu be there?

Without further thought, Li Yu slammed down the accelerator, speeding along the deserted highway.

More than half an hour later, they arrived at their destination.

Li Yu narrowed his eyes, surveying the building ahead. In the daytime, it seemed especially deserted, with only a few security guards on duty.

He walked straight over. Though the black dog was no longer being dragged, he didn’t dare run and simply followed meekly behind.

“Who are you? Stop right there!” the security guards at the entrance called out.

Li Yu cast them a glance. The black dog quickly explained, “They all belong to the Anbei Group. The ones here during the day are basically all their people.”

In fact, Anbei Nightclub was effectively the Anbei Group’s headquarters. Although they had later moved into office buildings, their rise began with this very nightclub. Even after cleaning up their image, the group’s elites still preferred to linger here.

Hearing the black dog’s words, the guards realized these visitors were trouble and began to draw their plastic batons.

But Li Yu was faster. He struck swiftly, knocking them out with blows to the neck.

“Act natural and lead the way,” Li Yu said, stepping aside to let the black dog enter first.

The black dog had no thought of escape, nor would he dare attempt it; with only a short distance between them, even if Li Yu gave him a thirty-meter head start, it wouldn’t help.

Now, caught between two tigers, his only hope was to survive.

If they found Huang Xiu, he swore he’d leave S City immediately. The world was wide, and suddenly, he wanted to see more of it.

Soon, they reached a room on the second floor.

“There’s no one inside,” Li Yu said, cutting off the black dog’s attempt to enter. Judging by his reaction, Li Yu knew this was as far as the black dog’s information went.

The black dog hesitated, uncertain how Li Yu had guessed the room was empty. What if Li Yu thought he was being deceived… Would he get beaten half to death?

Fortunately, Li Yu spoke before his anxiety could take hold.

“Do you know if there’s a secret room here?”

The system had just released a check-in location—perhaps Huang Xiu had been moved there. Li Yu trusted the system would not act without reason.

A secret room?

The black dog was about to deny it when a thought struck him. “I’ve heard there’s an underground casino beneath the nightclub. It’s never open to the public—maybe that’s what you mean?”

He recalled, during a drunken conversation with members of the Anbei Group, someone had mentioned the underground casino, open only to a select few, which was one reason the nightclub remained their headquarters.

Its main purpose was to protect the casino.

“Do you know where it is?” Li Yu’s eyes shone.

“I think there’s an elevator on the top floor—you can only get down with that one,” the black dog said after thinking carefully.

The man who told him had passed out before finishing his story, but he remembered the entrance was on the top floor, and it was the only way in.

…

Huang Xiu awoke to find her hands and feet bound, trapped in a windowless room. After a brief moment of panic, she quickly regained her composure.

Her second sister’s business had thrived in recent years, and there had been a kidnapping once before. Their family was not particularly large, but not small either, and it was hardly unusual to attract envy.

What puzzled her was that she’d never exposed herself, so why had she been targeted?

While she pondered, voices drifted in from outside the room.

“The boss said to keep her alive, right? I’m just going to have some fun, what are you afraid of? It won’t kill her.”

“Leopard, you’re making things difficult for me.”

“What’s so difficult? Are you trying to disrespect me?”

The voices grew closer, until at last the door was flung open with a harsh creak.

In the dim light, Huang Xiu couldn’t see their faces clearly. Only by the bright light from outside could she make out the silhouettes of several men.

Instinctively, she shrank into a corner.

The man in the center spoke, “Such a delicate little girl—I like that!”

“Leopard, if you want, there are plenty of other girls upstairs…” someone beside him tried to dissuade him.

Slap! The speaker was struck hard across the face by Leopard, and the others fell silent, terrified.

In that moment, Huang Xiu saw the leader’s face—a square jaw with a scar running from the corner of his eye downward, giving him a fierce and menacing look. His gaze was predatory, as if it could devour a soul.

“All of you, get out!” Leopard waved them away. He preferred these gentle, pitiful girls, especially those with clear, watery eyes—no comparison to the rough lot upstairs.