Super Zoo

Chapter 372 I Set It Free

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Being uncultured isn't scary, but what's terrifying is being uncultured and pretending not to be. A tiny little town, where clearly no good deeds are being done, yet there's so much self-satisfaction in claiming to be the 'Five Ministers', really thinking they are pillars of the state responsible for family and country? Should we also elect an Emperor Father?

Riding on Old Gu's fishing boat, they slowly approached the sand dredging boat. From a few dozen meters away, the people on the dredging boat had already seen Suming, with seven or eight topless guys who clearly looked like hoodlums, standing on the deck, looking their way.

Old Gu used the radio to contact the other party, saying that a boss from Yangchuan City wanted to talk business with Wu Dacheng. Quickly, a small boat came over and brought Suming to the sand dredger.

Above the sand dredging boat, the roaring was deafening. Tons of sand and gravel were being sucked up from the bottom of the river, crushed, and conveyed on tracks onto the boat, making it nearly impossible to hear anything. Suming had Su Meng and Nangong Huang wait on the deck while he followed a lackey into the cabin below.

As soon as they entered, the lackey closed the door of the cabin behind them, barely keeping the noise at bay.

The cabin wasn't large, just about a dozen square meters, but it was crammed with five or six people. In the middle sat a middle-aged man with a buzz cut, shirtless like the younger men around him. His chest skin, somewhat loose, bore a wonky dragon tattoo. He sat with one foot on the chair, holding his knee, looking defiantly at Suming.

Even though it was their first meeting, the man's gaze naturally conveyed a rather base brutality. It was clear he was an old hand at hoodlum life.

"I'm Wu Dacheng, what business do you have with me?" the middle-aged man asked, his tone laced with disdain upon seeing Suming's youth, and he smiled mockingly. In the cabin, Wu Dacheng's lackeys also stared at Suming with unfriendly gazes, their lips curling into a sinister smirk.

Suming hated these kinds of old hoodlums. If you say they're good at being thugs, they're far from it, still stuck in the primitive stage of accumulating wealth through extortion and robbery, not even as advanced as Zhou Jin, who had at least started moving toward industrialization and even harbored intentions of entering politics. To say they were bad at it was an understatement—they were much stronger than the average petty gangster, able to earn millions a year and maintaining various connections in town, essentially local tyrants.

The more someone like this, the less they understand the scale of heaven and earth, thinking they're third only to heaven and earth itself, so arrogant without boundaries, enjoying bullying others to assert their existence. As soon as Suming walked in, without even a proper word spoken, Wu Dacheng already struck an arrogant posture and looked mockingly at Suming. If Suming had been a legitimate businessman, he would have never done business with someone like this.

Before Suming could open his mouth, Wu Dacheng continued, "I heard over the radio that some 'Mr. Su' had come, that must be you, right? Fuck, I thought some big-time boss had arrived, but it turns out to be just a kid who spent a few grand to play boss on the Yangtze River..."

Laughter erupted in the cabin, a few hoodlums laughing heartily.

Suming didn't understand the joke in Wu Dacheng's words at all. Perhaps in their eyes, insulting others was always hilarious?

The greatest pleasure in bullying is the reaction of the bullied, seeing them angry, sad, yet helpless—that's when the bullies feel the ultimate thrill. The gang in the cabin laughed for a long time, but upon seeing that Suming had no reaction whatsoever, instead looking at them as if they were idiots, the laughter among the hoodlums gradually subsided. They felt they could no longer save face, and what began as mockery turned into intimidation as they glared fiercely at Suming.

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Suming casually dragged a chair over to sit down, crossed his legs, and said calmly, "Mr. Wu, since you've heard it, you should know the knife fish was reserved by me. If you're willing to offer more than I did, I have nothing to say. You offer a thousand bucks per jin and don't even pay in full, isn't that pretty much a half-robbery?"

"Of course I know," Wu Dacheng nodded and rebutted brazenly, "Let's say I did snatch your fish, what are you going to do about it? What can you do?"

The underlings around them seemed to have heard some hilarious joke, bursting into laughter once again.

"What's wrong with you clowns, been eating magpie droppings too much? He farts and you all laugh like it's the funniest thing ever?"

It wasn't until then that Nangong Huang peeked out from behind Su Meng. Seeing the tense situation before him, the youngster became excited and yelled, "Brother-in-law, kill them all!"

Suming: "..."

Looking through the gap behind Su Meng, the several gangsters left on the deck outside were already scattered on the ground.

True warriors dare to face the bleakness of life and the spectacle of bloodshed, taking pride in challenging those stronger than themselves. The gangsters in this cabin were clearly not such men; accustomed to displaying their 'bravery' in front of the weak, they collapsed faster than usual when confronted with a force as overwhelming as Su Meng's. Without a word from Suming, they quickly threw their weapons aside and lined up against the cabin wall.

Only Wu Dacheng still showed some of the ruthless streak of an old gangster, getting up and touching the blood on his mouth he ground his teeth and said, "Kid, you've got guts. Kill me!"

"You think I'm sick? If I kill you, I'd have to go to jail," Suming responded, dusting off his hands, he took out his wallet, counted out a stack of money, and put it on a table, saying, "Two thousand yuan here, you give me back the fish, and we'll call it even."

Wu Dacheng was stubborn, but he knew when to weigh his options. Continuing to resist at this juncture would do him no good. As the saying goes, there is plenty of time for revenge.

Ordering his lackeys to carry in a water tank, more than a dozen Yangtze River knife-fish swam back and forth inside it.

"Where are the sturgeon? I'll tell you, sturgeons are a national class-1 protected species."

Suming emphasized the words "national class-1 protected species," and, as if worried Wu Dacheng hadn't understood, he added, "If fishermen catch a white sturgeon, they must either turn it over to the authorities or release it. Selling or breeding them privately is illegal."

As expected, Wu Dacheng's eyes swiftly rolled, revealing a sly expression, and he snorted, "Sturgeon, of course I know it's a protected animal, so I released it, right!" Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

"You really released it?" Suming said with a stern face, obviously disbelieving.

"Yes," Wu Dacheng held his head high, looking at Suming as if challenging him to do something even if he knew Wu was lying.

"Mr. Wu, I advise you not to make a mistake. Let me make it clear one last time. If you are hiding a white sturgeon, it is illegal," Suming said.

"If you don't believe it, you can go report it. You can invite the police to check my boat," Wu Dacheng boasted with the air of a seasoned thug. "Or, are you going to kill me now? I'd admire your guts if you did!"

"Alright, alright! Mr. Wu, you've got guts! You win!"

Suming, looking as if he had suffered a great injustice, his face flushed with restraint, ordered Su Meng to carry the water tank and led Nangong Yan out of the cabin.

"Brother-in-law, he's clearly tricking you. He went to steal those fish, why would he release them?" Nangong Yan said, following behind.

"Don't talk." Suming kept a straight face, barely holding back laughter.

That was exactly what he wanted Wu Dacheng to say. If Wu had honestly handed over the sturgeon, Suming wouldn't have been happy.