After my divorce, I started to have good luck
Chapter 321 - 192: Too Cruel!_2

Three Fingers’ eyes flickered for a moment before he spoke, "It’s now certain that his nephew has connections in the HB Bureau; otherwise, the patrol unit wouldn’t act so quickly. Guozhong was just beaten up at noon, and they came to inspect him by the afternoon."

Ai Ba also agreed, saying with a pained expression, "I know. So, if they intentionally hold me back, it’ll be tough for me to get that permit, and the shop still won’t be able to open."

Three Fingers pondered, "If it’s just relations with the HB Bureau, we don’t need to fear them. What I’m worried about is whether the other side has connections with the J Bureau. We’ll have to see how those three outsiders are finally handled."

Ai Ba quickly said, "I’ve already gone to the town police station to inquire. These outsiders have been rooted here for over ten years and also have some connections. They said they’ve already paid the fine and at most will be detained for two weeks before getting out. If they can reconcile with Zhao Guozhong, they might come out even sooner."

"No way?" Three Fingers was a bit skeptical.

"I’m not making this up, I checked it myself," Ai Ba said confidently, "So you say his nephew is super connected and knows the leaders at the J Bureau or something, now I’m starting to doubt it."

Three Fingers didn’t speak for a while, his face impenetrable, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

In fact, he really didn’t care for Zhao Guozhong, this alliance brother. Even though they’ve known each other for decades, he has looked down on Guozhong since their youth. Now Guozhong might be turning the tide as he nears old age, drawing a crowd of alliance brothers to fawn over him, leaving Three Fingers feeling deeply uncomfortable.

He once enjoyed being surrounded by a band of alliance brothers, feeling quite indulged at the time. But later he deliberately distanced himself from those "unmotivated" brothers, losing that star treatment.

It hadn’t bothered him before, as he didn’t care to be the core figure among these alliance brothers. But as he aged, he started becoming nostalgic, especially when seeing these old brothers rallying around Zhao Guozhong, treating him as the core and leader, which left Three Fingers feeling imbalanced and sour.

He had once enjoyed the feeling of being around old brothers who flattered him. Though he abandoned it voluntarily, sometimes he did quite miss it.

What he could hardly accept was that the person replacing him in his former position as the central figure was Zhao Guozhong, whom he completely looked down upon before.

For instance, this time when Guozhong was pummeled into a pulp by those outsiders, a bunch of old brothers rushed to the hospital to see him, and a few even shouted about settling scores with those outsiders, which unsettled Three Fingers enormously.

So Three Fingers simply pretended not to know about this matter, didn’t visit Guozhong at the hospital, nor did he call. Because to him, attending this would be lowering his status, joining other alliance brothers in fawning over Guozhong.

Now, hearing Ai Ba say that Guozhong’s nephew might not be as formidable as everyone assumed, he considered exposing Guozhong’s bluff before the brothers to reclaim his central position and severely humiliate Guozhong, forcing him to slink back to another province.

But after all, Three Fingers was a seasoned veteran, the older you get in the underworld, the more cautious you become, and he still had reservations. Without clarity on the matter, he didn’t want to completely fall out with Zhao Guozhong, eventually telling Ai Ba, "Let’s wait and see. I feel his nephew might not be that simple, maybe those outsiders are in trouble this time."

"How can that be?" Ai Ba didn’t believe, "I think his so-called nephew is just part of Guozhong’s bluff, his intentional boasting."

As he finished speaking, he received a phone call from an auxiliary officer he knew at the station.

Ai Ba’s heart skipped a beat, he immediately answered the call, "Brother Li, what’s up? Anything happening?"

"Hey, didn’t you just inquire about those outsiders? Guess what the situation is now?"

"What’s happened with them?" Ai Ba was puzzled and could only follow up with a question.

Fortunately, this person didn’t intentionally keep him in suspense, directly saying, "They’ve all been taken away by the criminal police unit, and three more of their fellow locals have also been seized. They’re said to be part of a semi-criminal organization, hey, now there’s a crackdown on this, looks like they’re in deep trouble..."

Ai Ba didn’t hear the rest clearly, his whole body shivered, his fingers relaxed, causing the phone to slip and shatter on the ground.

Right now, Ai Ba’s face was pale, his body trembling, lips quivering, and fear etched across his features.

Three Fingers, who clearly heard just now, also wore a somewhat pallid expression.

They, who have mingled in society as "old timers," certainly knew the terror of the government’s iron fist against semi-criminal organizations, not to mention crackdowns. People of their age who came up in the underworld, quite a few were taken down by crackdowns back then.

Brutal!

This was the shared assessment Ai Ba and Three Fingers had of Zhao Guozhong’s nephew.

Damn, it’s just industry competition, add a simple brawl, now they’re calling it a semi-criminal organization; who can handle this?

Ai Ba was thoroughly cowed!

Three Fingers was completely convinced too!

Half an hour later, they both appeared at Zhao Guozhong’s bedside with warm smiles on their faces.

"Zhong, I didn’t know you were injured when I called before. Honestly, those old brothers intentionally excluded me. Nobody tells me anything. How are you feeling now? Is there anywhere you’re still uncomfortable?"

Three Fingers looked at Zhao Guozhong with genuine concern, his expression made Guozhong uneasy, especially seeing this burly guy, holding a basket of fruits in one hand and a bouquet in the other.

Ai Ba was the same, a hand holding fruit, the other holding flowers.

Damn, in all of Guozhong’s years, it was the first time he received flowers, but to have them sent by two fellow old men, it brought a blush of embarrassment to his face.

Zhao Guozhong was visibly awkward, but didn’t strike someone with a smile, so he could only say, his face twitching a bit, "I’m alright. You guys... just feel free to sit."

"Good, good, as long as you’re okay." Three Fingers casually put down the fruit basket and the bouquet, boasting, "Zhong, don’t worry, those outsiders dare to bully you is like opposing me. Tonight I’ll find people to smash their shop."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guozhong felt even more awkward, thinking but not speaking aloud – you think I’m a fool? Would you two come together to bring me flowers without having received news?