Chapter 524: New Discovery

“With this move, Boss is going to uproot Vulture Master’s entire operation,” Yun Cheng said after closing the contract.

“He should’ve expected this outcome when he decided to move against us.”

Liu Yutong turned to Su Mansu: “Arrange to acquire a qualified renovation company as soon as possible.”

“Understood, Boss,” Su Mansu replied.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a tremendous crash of shattering porcelain erupted from the private dining room, accompanied by Vulture Master’s hysterical roar.

“This is intolerable! Absolutely intolerable!!!”

“I’ll make her pay for this!!!”

At that moment, Huang Yu hadn’t left yet. Watching Vulture Master’s impotent rage, he felt equally furious.

Why had he chosen to work with this guy in the first place?

But they were past the point of no return. He had to push forward on both fronts to raise funds quickly, or his company would face a capital shortfall.

“Enough. Let this matter rest. Find some reliable people and get the tasks I’ve assigned done quickly.”

“Understood,” Vulture Master said.

Huang Yu said no more. He straightened his suit and turned to leave.

Vulture Master looked at the untouched feast of delicacies on the table and lost his appetite. He prepared to depart.

Just as he reached the door, his phone rang.

“Found those green-haired punks yet?”

“You haven’t?”

“Useless! A bunch of useless idiots! What do I keep you around for? Can’t even catch a few punks with dyed green hair!”

“Liu Yutong bullies me to my face, and now some gutter trash I’ve never heard of dares to steal from me. Do they think I’m made of mud?!”

“Find them! Keep searching! Even if you have to dig up every inch of South City, find those green bastards! Or you’ll take their place at the bottom of the river!”

After hanging up, Vulture Master nearly threw his phone, but managed to restrain himself.

A strong sense of unease rose in his heart. He probably couldn’t stay in South City much longer.

Liu Yutong, this dragon from Pearl City, had suddenly descended upon him. Plus his previous shady dealings with Zhao Tianxing—though with Zhao Tianxing dead, there was no proof that could be traced back to him.

But precisely because Zhao Tianxing was dead, and because Liu Yutong appeared in South City at this critical moment, his sense of crisis had multiplied.

“This woman is a curse! A poisonous witch! A poisonous witch!”

Vulture Master cursed a few times, and the thought of fleeing abroad began to take root in his mind.

Honestly, unless absolutely necessary, few people actually liked living abroad.

Leaving aside the issue of adjusting to a new environment, going abroad would make him a rootless drifter with no connections. All the power and status he currently possessed would evaporate.

The feeling of falling from the clouds and becoming someone else’s prey was actually very unpleasant for someone like him.

But if he didn’t leave now, he probably wouldn’t meet a good end. Though he didn’t know Liu Yutong’s purpose in making him sign that contract, he had a feeling it wasn’t anything good.

If it came down to it, he’d make one last score and run.

Rather than staying in South City and being slowly devoured by that poisonous witch Liu Yutong, ending up worse off than Zhao Tianxing, it was better to cut his losses while he still could. He’d take the fortune he’d accumulated over the years and go abroad to fight for a free life.

Moreover, he already had some leads in this regard.

A friend abroad who couldn’t return had tipped him off: several major foreign gangs and the financial groups behind them seemed to be searching for two things.

One was a very miniature key, and the other was a uniquely styled badge.

According to that friend, the badge had reportedly been located, but the key remained without a single clue.

Whoever could obtain either of these items and deliver it to any relevant overseas gang would gain their friendship and substantial reward.

Coincidentally, he had seen what looked like the key hanging around the neck of one of those green-haired punks.

That was why he had sent his men to hunt them down.

Of course, given the importance of this item, he hadn’t told anyone, including his most trusted subordinates. Because he already considered those men expendable.

The situation at home was growing increasingly severe. Someone like him would be taken down sooner or later. He couldn’t possibly bring a whole group with him when he fled, could he?

Isn’t there a saying in the underworld: True brotherhood lives in the heart—when your brother’s in trouble, you run first…

In short, as long as he could obtain that key, he could still live the high life abroad, perhaps even more freely than before.

…

On the other side.

After parting ways with Huang Yu, Liu Yutong met up with Gao Min, who had rushed over from Pearl City.

Gao Min had already contacted the local South City police. The extension of the Zhao Tianxing case had finally led them to South City.

It wasn’t that they were slow, but that there had been considerable resistance—some people didn’t want them to continue the investigation.

Unfortunately for them, those people were too naive. Some people’s determination doesn’t waver just because they face obstacles.

When Liu Yutong saw Gao Min, she immediately gave her a big hug.

“Big Sis, have you missed me after all this time?”

Gao Min’s body stiffened for a moment, then she made a sound of acknowledgment.

“Grandpa and Grandma want you to call them when you have a moment. They’ve mentioned it several times.”

“Mm, I’ll call tomorrow morning. How are they doing?”

“Quite well. Grandpa was even setting traps in the fields yesterday to catch loaches and eels. What about you—how are things going on your end?”

“Almost done, just some final wrap-up.”

“Big Sis, if you encounter any resistance with your case in South City, come find me. I’ll help you resolve it.”

Gao Min seemed accustomed to Liu Yutong’s way of doing things and didn’t refuse.

When working a case in an unfamiliar place, having Liu Yutong’s local assistance would indeed save a lot of trouble.

“Yutong, do you know about Vulture Master in South City?”

Liu Yutong: “Why? Are you looking for him?”

Gao Min shook her head: “Not directly. That would alert the snake. You have plenty of manpower—can you arrange for some people to help me gather evidence discreetly?”

“No problem,” Liu Yutong agreed.

Gao Min: “Thank you!”

“You’re my big sister—what’s there to thank?”

Liu Yutong thought of something and asked: “Oh right, Big Sis, have you had dinner? Want to get some late-night food? We’re not far from the Riverside Night Market. There’s a very authentic River Fish Restaurant there—their signature steamed mandarin fish is absolutely amazing.”

Hearing this, Gao Min felt a bit hungry and agreed.

Honestly, she genuinely found it very comfortable to be around this younger sister. Whether in handling matters or anything else, she was always thoughtful. She could also feel that her sister’s affection came from the heart.

It’s just that she always felt a layer of fog seemed to forever envelop her sister, making her difficult to see clearly.

The two sisters, along with Yun Cheng and others in their entourage, quickly arrived at the restaurant Liu Yutong recommended.

There were quite a few river fish restaurants in this night market area. Liu Yutong had chosen this one because Gu Yebai and the others had brought her here before.

The shop wasn’t large, but it was already a decade-old establishment. The decor looked a bit dated but was kept very clean.

When they arrived, the peak dining hour had passed, making the place rather quiet.

The proprietress clearly recognized Liu Yutong and warmly led them to a window table.

“Big Sis, see if you want to add anything else?”

After ordering the signature dish, Liu Yutong handed the menu to Gao Min while skillfully rinsing the tableware with hot water.

Gao Min took the menu, glanced through it, and added a stir-fried seasonal vegetable and a crab tofu dish.

“That’s enough. One shouldn’t eat too much at night.”

While waiting for the food, Gao Min noticed Liu Yutong still fiddling with a badge and couldn’t help asking: “You’ve been holding that all the way here. Does it have special meaning?”

Liu Yutong was taken aback and pointed at the badge in her hand: “This? I borrowed it from a friend to play with. I found it interesting and haven’t returned it yet. He’s not in a hurry for it anyway.”

Gao Min: “…”

He’s not in a hurry? Or he doesn’t dare ask for it back?

“It doesn’t look like an ordinary accessory.”

“I’ve been holding onto it because I haven’t figured it out yet. What do you think it is, Sis?”

Gao Min took the badge. It felt heavy in her palm, with a cool metallic texture.

She examined it carefully under the light. The badge had a primitive, peculiar design, made of neither gold nor copper—she couldn’t immediately identify the material.

Especially the ferocious wolf’s head encircled by thorns at the center of the badge, which exuded a fierce, murderous aura. She felt that the former owner of this badge must have been someone of extremely high status.

Beyond that, she couldn’t tell.

“I can’t identify its origins either, but it’s definitely an old antique.”

Just as she was about to return it to Liu Yutong, she suddenly noticed a detail: there was a very small hole in the shadowed folds of the wolf’s jaw, less than two millimeters in diameter.

“Wait, what’s this?”

“You mean this little hole? I noticed it long ago. Many old crafts have pinholes. It’s normal, right?”

Gao Min shook her head. She held the badge up again, adjusting the angle so the overhead light shone on the edge of the small hole.

“Look again more carefully?”

Liu Yutong leaned her head over. By the reflection at a specific angle, she could faintly see that the hole contained tiny, regularly arranged serrated patterns.

“This doesn’t look like an ordinary pinhole.”

“Its internal structure is too regular. This looks more like a precision-crafted micro-lock that requires a specially made key to open.”