Chapter 172: Wen Shilin

"In your previous interviews, you emphasized that your father was stabbed thirteen times by a law enforcement officer desperate to escape... Perhaps that officer was on an important mission, and your father, confused by his fear of death, tried to seize the officer's weapon, leading to legitimate self-defense..."

"Motherfucker!!"

Zhao Yi roared, swinging his fist towards Zhuo Shuqing's face, but the latter effortlessly dodged it.

"What kind of bullshit journalist are you?! You're completely twisting the truth! I see it now, you're not here for an interview at all! You're trying to alter our statements!" Zhao Yi glared at him, wishing he could tear him to shreds.

Zhuo Shuqing finished writing the last word, closed his notebook, and spoke unhurriedly:

"Mr. Zhao Yi, Aurora City has shown benevolence and charity by choosing to shelter you refugees... Why must you bite the hand that feeds you and act like ingrates?"

"Benevolence and charity??" Zhao Yi was seething with rage. He grabbed a stick from the corner of the table and swung it at Zhuo Shuqing, who first retreated several steps outside the door, then stood motionless, letting the stick strike him.

WHACK!

A flashbulb flickered. As the camera shutter clicked, Zhuo Shuqing cried out and fell to the ground.

Zhao Yi was stunned. He looked up and saw an assistant already waiting outside the door, who had fully captured the scene with a camera. At the same time, other survivors from District Three, living in the tower, came downstairs upon hearing the commotion.

"What's going on??" Xu Chongguo immediately asked.

With wide eyes, Zhao Yi recounted how Zhuo Shuqing had twisted the truth, and everyone instantly grew furious. Perhaps it was their shared experiences of life and death, and how they had supported each other living in this unfamiliar region, but they had long since become a united front. At that moment, they all glared angrily at Zhuo Shuqing.

"They're not pitiful refugees at all; they're just a group of malicious thugs." Zhuo Shuqing slowly got up from the ground, stood next to his assistant, and smiled at everyone. "But in any case, thank you for your cooperation... This time, we have enough material."

The footage of Zhao Yi hitting him had already been recorded by the camera. With a few inflammatory words added, public opinion could be swayed—this was Zhuo Shuqing's true objective.

"No... we can't just let him go!" Xu Chongguo, being an old hand, saw Zhuo Shuqing's plan at a glance. "Quick, delete the photos from his camera!"

Seeing this, Zhao Yi was the first to rush out of the crowd, charging directly towards Zhuo Shuqing's assistant. Zhuo Shuqing and his assistant took a step back, and figures began to emerge one after another from the dilapidated alleys surrounding the tower.

These figures, dressed in crumpled clothes and clutching clubs, were thugs from who-knew-where, each with sinister and vicious expressions. They now stood protecting Zhuo Shuqing and his assistant, coldly staring at Zhao Yi and the others.

Seeing this scene, Xu Chongguo's heart sank. The other side had clearly come prepared.

"Zhuo Shuqing, what are you doing?"

Just as the two sides faced off, a voice suddenly broke the silence.

Zhuo Shuqing's face fell as he heard the voice. He looked to the other side of the alley and saw Wen Shilin, also with an assistant, frowning at the scene.

"Well, well, if it isn't our great reporter, Wen," Zhuo Shuqing sneered. "What? Was the commotion stirred up by yesterday's article not enough? Do you need to meddle in our business again?"

Wen Shilin's gaze swept over the District Three residents surrounded by thugs, a flicker of anger in his eyes. He extended a hand towards Zhuo Shuqing:

"Give me the camera."

"Why should I?"

"Aren't you afraid of retribution for using such despicable methods to whitewash those people?"

"Retribution?" Zhuo Shuqing chuckled. "Don't worry, if there truly is retribution in this world, then some people will die faster than I will..."

Seeing that Zhuo Shuqing was unyielding, Wen Shilin finally lost his temper. He coldly swept his gaze over the thugs protecting Zhuo Shuqing, then calmly began to roll up his sleeves.

"I didn't want to resort to force, but since you won't hand it over... don't blame me." Wen Shilin said calmly, "A-Cheng, get ready."

Seeing this, the assistant also began to roll up his sleeves. The two stood in the center of the deserted alley, a cold, biting wind sweeping past their clothes, creating a desolate and stark atmosphere.

Their stance genuinely intimidated the thugs. They instinctively took half a step back, gripping their clubs tightly, their eyes full of vigilance as they looked at the two. Even Zhuo Shuqing, hiding behind them, changed expression, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Zhuo Shuqing retreated several steps. It was then that he noticed a young man in a brown coat and half-rimmed glasses leaning against the wall not far behind him, squinting and watching.

Zhuo Shuqing didn't know when the man had arrived, and he had no time to pay attention to a mere bystander, because Wen Shilin and his assistant had already clenched their fists and were charging straight at him!

Their aura was formidable, especially Wen Shilin's; though he appeared gentle and frail, his eyes held an unbreakable fighting spirit.

"Boss, this is a tough one! Remember to pay us extra!"

As the forceful rush of Wen Shilin's approaching figure grew closer, the leading thug gritted his teeth and muttered to Zhuo Shuqing, then braced himself and swung his iron rod with full force at Wen Shilin.

CRACK!

Wen Shilin immediately fell to the ground.

Thug: ???

The thug was utterly bewildered. He hadn't even processed what had happened... All he knew was that he seemed to have swung the rod casually, and then Wen Shilin tried to dodge, but his speed wasn't nearly enough, and he was struck hard on the forehead, immediately collapsing to the ground with his eyes rolling back.

So all that intimidating aura, and he turned out to be a total pushover??

In contrast, A-Cheng, the assistant, did have some skill, fighting off two thugs for a few moments before finally being hit with a muffled blow to the back of his head, collapsing next to Wen Shilin.

At the back of the alley, the young man in the brown coat couldn't help but rub his forehead, as if he couldn't bear to watch the scene unfolding.

Chen Ling had arrived much earlier. He had originally just wanted to find a chaotic place to test his 'Heart Python' skill and had stopped by to check on the situation in District Three. As a result, he had personally witnessed the entire process of Zhao Yi chasing Zhuo Shuqing out the door and being photographed.

At first, Chen Ling was still hesitant about whether to intervene, but then Wen Shilin appeared. He had thought he wouldn't be needed, believing Wen Shilin could handle it, and had even harbored a small expectation for the fighting prowess of this rumored reporter. Instead, he watched the man get knocked down in a single blow, like a flimsy chicken.

With such paltry skill, how did he manage to project such a formidable aura? And where was his 'fist of justice'??

As Chen Ling muttered to himself, Zhuo Shuqing on the side burst out laughing.

"Tell me, Wen Shilin, are you here as a joke??"