Chapter 175: Heart

The people from District Three watched the retreating figure, their eyes filled with confusion."Who was that? Do you know him?""How could we know him? We've only been here for a day.""Look at his clothes and how he's dressed; he's clearly a local from Aurora City. What connection could we possibly have with him?""But that punch he threw just now was so cool; he seemed really powerful.""He was alright, but not as cool as Officer Chen.""Regardless, he did help us out. If we ever meet him again, we must thank him properly."

The mysterious person suddenly appeared, punched Zhuo Shuqing, and then calmly left. Throughout the whole process, he didn't exchange a single word with them, as if he truly was just a righteous passerby.Could there really be such good people in Aurora City?

Wen Shilin, clutching the camera Chen Ling had dropped, shakily stood up, his mouth twitching with pain.Those thugs had been too brutal. If it weren't for his good protective measures and the mysterious person's sudden intervention, he probably would have broken several bones."A-Cheng, are you okay?" Wen Shilin walked over and helped his assistant up. "Didn't you tell me you were a good fighter during your interview? How did you get knocked down so easily?""I..." A-Cheng said with a mournful face, "Sir, I can fight, but I can only fight... Fighting three people at once is my limit, and they hit me from behind with bludgeons. How was I supposed to fight that?""You... Sigh, are you badly hurt?""Not badly, just superficial wounds." A-Cheng saw the camera in Wen Shilin's hand and suddenly asked, "Sir, do you know that man?""No.""Then why did he give you the camera?"

Wen Shilin glanced in the direction Chen Ling had left and shook his head. "I don't know... But he was probably thinking of the refugees in District Three. In this day and age, there aren't many people who will step in to help when they see injustice... It's a shame he left so quickly, otherwise I would have liked to get to know him.""We're all in Aurora City; maybe we'll have a chance to meet again next time."Wen Shilin hummed in acknowledgment. "Perhaps..."

By the time the thugs had vented their anger, the sun was already close to setting.The thug leader, panting, looked at the two half-conscious figures on the ground, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then spat fiercely onto the blood-stained earth."I gave you face by taking your money and doing the job properly, and this is how you treat me?""So what if you have a bit of money? How unlucky!"The thug leader waved his hand. "Take out their wallets."His subordinates immediately stepped forward, almost stripping Zhuo Shuqing and his assistant bare, finally producing a bulging wallet and handing it to their leader."Boss, it's all here."The thug leader flipped through it. "Heh, these reporters really are well-off."After speaking, he pulled out a few banknotes, then threw the remaining money and the wallet back onto Zhuo Shuqing, and coldly stated, "Let's go.""Boss, are we only taking this much?" one subordinate asked, his eyes red from seeing the thick stack of banknotes in the wallet.The thug leader slapped him across the face."We're not damn robbers! Our fee is what we agreed upon. When you operate in the underworld, you need to have credibility, understand?"With that, he led his subordinates away.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at a dilapidated factory building and pushed open the door.This was their "hideout," or at least that's what they called it. The group of forty or fifty people essentially ate, drank, and slept there. To put it nicely, they were waiting for work; to put it bluntly, they were a bunch of idlers who spent their days playing cards and drinking.The good news was that they had earned a large sum today, which, if all went well, would be enough for each of them to splurge for a few days.Just as they were about to begin their celebration, the flame of a kerosene lamp flickered slightly, and in the dim light, a figure appeared like a ghost at the factory door.It was a young man in a brown overcoat, wearing half-rimmed glasses. The lenses reflected the flickering kerosene lamp, casting shifting shadows across his calm face. At this moment, his hands were in his pockets as he surveyed the rundown factory before him.

"So, you're the notorious gang of the outer ring?" Chen Ling's voice seemed a little disappointed.The sudden appearance of this figure startled everyone inside the factory. They immediately grabbed the nearest weapons. Seeing that the person standing at the door was the one who had punched Zhuo Shuqing unconscious earlier, their vigilance intensified."Friend," the thug leader stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "If you're looking for trouble with that reporter, he's not here.""I'm not looking for him; I'm here for you.""For us?" The thug leader's eyes narrowed slightly. "We don't seem to have offended you. Or are you here to stick up for those refugees?""I'm not that bored. I just wanted to ask what kind of services you offer here.""Services..."

The thug leader was momentarily stunned, realizing this person might be looking to hire them as muscle."Our capabilities are strong," he quickly changed his tone. "As long as the price is right, we can be at your disposal... I just don't know, who are you planning to deal with?""I'm not talking about *that* kind of service." Chen Ling paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. A cold wind seemed to sweep into the factory with his voice, making the kerosene lamp on the table flicker violently. "Can you... kill people?""Kill people?!" The thug leader's expression changed, and he stated firmly, "No, we don't kill people.""Oh? What about organ trafficking?"The thug leader's face grew even more unsightly. "We don't deal in organ trafficking either..."With these two consecutive questions, the other subordinates also started to panic. This young man looked so refined, yet the things he spoke about were so horrifying... They were just a bunch of unemployed vagrants who liked drinking and fighting; they wouldn't dare touch anything like that.

"If you don't do any of those things, what kind of criminal organization are you?" Chen Ling scoffed. "Then do you know where one *can* trade organs?""No! We don't know!"The thug leader spoke without hesitation. "Friend, we meant no offense today. We really don't offer the services you're looking for... And in the entire outer ring, no one would dare engage in that kind of business."Chen Ling frowned, deep in thought."That doesn't seem right... How could there be none?"

The thug leader hesitated for a moment, then, unable to suppress his curiosity, he carefully asked,"What do you need these places for?""To find something.""What?"Chen Ling smiled slightly. Under the flickering, dim light, his smile was chilling and grim:"...My heart."