MWC – Chapter 54 People Die for Money

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

Jibird Tower, 10th Floor Detective Agency, Old Ghost’s Office.

Old Ghost looked at the list of eleven items that Lu Ming handed him, which required investigation. All of them were related to the recent sensational case of the Japanese serial killer who tortured and murdered young boys.

Old Ghost couldn’t help but shake his head and smile wryly, “Lawyer Lu, you must be paying for all these out of your own pocket, right?”

Lu Ming smiled, “Don’t worry, even though it’s official business, the price remains the same.”

Old Ghost shook his head, “Lawyer Lu, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. First, this involves many high-profile figures, and the media is all over it. I won’t touch it. Second, to be honest with you, if it were about investigating a specific person, I could say that there isn’t a detective agency in the world that can beat mine. But this is more like solving a case without a clear direction. My team, although elite, is small and not suited for this kind of broad investigation. If I took this on, it would be like swindling you out of your money.”

“If you want my help, you’d be better off asking Wen Laosi. His union has thousands of construction workers and their families, reaching tens of thousands of people. Who knows, someone might have a lead that could help you.”

Lu Ming nodded. He had already prepared himself for this outcome before coming, but he still wanted to give it a shot. As expected, Old Ghost refused.

“Here, Lawyer Lu, this is what you asked me to investigate. My people have been keeping an eye on him,” Old Ghost said, taking a thick file from his drawer and handing it to Lu Ming. The file contained written reports and a stack of photos, all related to Li Mingxuan.

Every detail of Li Mingxuan’s daily activities, even his restroom breaks, was meticulously documented. Currently, Li Mingxuan had found a job as an elevator operator in an old building, earning just enough to get by.

He didn’t come to work for Lu Ming and stayed far away from him, as if avoiding some kind of plague. He was likely unsure whether Lu Ming held a grudge against him or not and worried that if his enemies found him, staying close to Lu Ming would bring him more trouble.

“Should we continue monitoring this person?” Old Ghost asked. He always did his job without questioning the reasons. For his clients, it was just a matter of doing it or not.

Lu Ming thought for a moment, “Yes, continue with the old man Du. The rest can stop.”

Old Ghost had bribed one of Li Mingxuan’s coworkers, an old man who swapped shifts with him to watch the elevator. This old man was a former thug who still loved meat and women, despite his age. For 10 yuan a month, enough to visit older street prostitutes ten times, he kept track of Li Mingxuan’s daily activities.

Even if Li Mingxuan discovered someone tailing him, it didn’t matter. It could remind him that in Donghai, it would be easy for Lu Ming to make him disappear. However, Lu Ming had no intention of hiring a hitman to eliminate him. After all, Li Mingxuan had done some bad things but nothing truly heinous. His family was already destroyed because of Lu Ming’s family matters.

Taking his life for his own theoretical safety felt wrong to Lu Ming, considering the values instilled in him from his past life.

…

At the bottom of the stairs of Jibird Tower, a black sedan was parked. When Lu Ming came out, Wang Xiaohu and Sha Dahai got out of the car.

Sha Dahai, who had met Lu Ming during the Liu Laocai case, was the deputy leader of the second criminal investigation team at the Beiguan police station. He had eagerly volunteered to join Lu Ming and Wang Xiaohu’s team for evidence collection.

The parked black sedan was a Nix Automobiles Xuelong series. The Xuelong series was Nix Automobiles’ high-end model. This particular car was the newly launched Xuelong 950, named in anticipation of the Empire’s 950th year.

Although the Xuelong 950 wasn’t as expensive as the Xuelong Phantom supercar, it was still a luxury business vehicle with a price tag of around 3000 yuan. The Xuelong 950 was also one of the first cars in the world to use a three-point seatbelt system, set to officially launch in three days.

Various newspapers and magazines were already hyping it up, and Nix Automobiles was promoting the new seatbelt system. The company also announced that it would gift twenty limited-edition models to its most important business partners across the Empire.

Huaxia Technology was one of the most important partners on that list, and this car was one of those gifts. However, Wang Xiaohu and Sha Dahai had no idea about the car’s background. They just found it very comfortable, with luxurious seats and decorations, and much more spacious than other cars they had ridden in.

Sha Dahai eagerly helped Lu Ming open the car door, much to the annoyance of the beautiful driver who had quickly gotten out of the driver’s seat. She was still in her probationary period and had hoped to impress, but the opportunity was snatched away by this sycophant.

Although Lu Ming wasn’t influenced by the jokes about female drivers in his previous life, he hadn’t initially intended to hire a female driver.

This driver was recruited by Pamela. When Pamela first came to Beiguan, she temporarily stayed in a tenement courtyard. The driver was the daughter of a tenant there, and her mother had treated Pamela exceptionally well. However, when Pamela recounted it, Lu Ming felt that the woman’s servitude towards Westerners was ingrained. Despite being fellow tenants, she acted like a servant to Pamela.

For instance, when they went to the water station, the woman would loudly clear the way for Pamela, making those ahead in line step aside so Pamela could be the first to fetch water.

Pamela soon moved to the first floor of a two-story building that Lu Ming later bought and opened a laundry. The woman even directed her husband and brothers to help Pamela move.

A few days ago, the woman came to the quiet alley with four-colored pastries, hoping Pamela could find a good job for her daughter.

She had saved frugally to send her daughter to police school, only for her daughter to clash with an instructor and get expelled. The woman had exhausted her connections to find her daughter a job as a temporary bus driver, which paid little and required grueling hours. Her daughter returned home one day crying, refusing to go back after developing blood blisters on her feet.

The woman, desperate, remembered Pamela and summoned the courage to ask her former Western neighbor for help, as Pamela was the most distinguished person she knew. Pamela, possibly reminded of her own mother who had supported her after she was kicked out and continued to help secretly even after their bankruptcy, was moved by the woman’s plea.

Thus, Pamela agreed and suggested trying out the girl, named Pu Xiuna, as Lu Ming’s driver.

Lu Ming sat in the rear right seat, Sha Dahai took the front passenger seat, and Wang Xiaohu sat in the rear left.

“Mister, where to?” Pu Xiuna asked sweetly as she turned around.

The Pu family originated from Jinzhou, but they had moved to Beiguan several generations ago. Pu Xiuna had the unique single eyelids and slightly elongated eyes typical of Jinzhou girls, giving her a charming and playful allure. She wore a navy blue driver’s uniform with a skirt, black stockings, a red silk necktie, and a beret, with her beautifully dyed rose gold hair styled in soft curls. Although only seventeen, she exuded a mature charm.

And her driver’s uniform looked a lot like a flight attendant’s from the previous life.

Typically, in the homes of the wealthy, whether it be servants, drivers, or gardeners, they all have very distinctive uniforms. It was unclear where her uniform was custom-made.

“To Dashunfa!” Lu Ming instructed. Dashunfa was a large vegetable market. Behind it was a human trafficking market. Although the empire had long abolished slavery, the black market trade in slaves still flourished, especially in the Zhongzhou community. The Dashunfa market in the eastern district was essentially the largest underground slave market in the entire East Sea. Of course, it also facilitated the trading of indentured servants, which was not much different from slave trading.

The actual license holder of Dashunfa was a Westerner.

Pu Xiuna quickly started the car. Her small hands, wearing white lace gloves, turned the steering wheel, and the car slowly drove away.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Sha Dahai caught a faint, delicate fragrance and dared not breathe too heavily.

He felt certain he was not mistaken about Lawyer Lu. It wasn’t long ago that he saw this young lawyer in a small, shabby law firm while handling a case involving Chairman Liu. It had left a deep impression on him because, despite his young age and the modest size of his firm, this lawyer was Chairman Liu’s dedicated attorney.

But now, seeing Lawyer Lu’s demeanor and lavish lifestyle, it was clear that Chairman Liu couldn’t compare at all. This was the life of a true magnate—luxury cars and beautiful drivers. It was something he could only dream of.

Suddenly, the car screeched to an abrupt halt. Although they had only just started moving slowly, everyone inside was jerked forward.

Thankfully, they had all fastened their seat belts at Lu Ming’s suggestion. Lu Ming couldn’t help but think of an advertisement slogan, “Three-point seat belts, keeping you safe day and night.”

“Are you looking to die?!” Pu Xiuna’s face turned pale, then quickly flushed with anger. She yanked off her seat belt, pushed the car door open, and began cursing at the old man blocking the car’s path. The elegant flight attendant had instantly turned into a little shrew.

Lu Ming frowned as he looked at the elderly man in a green robe who was blocking the car with outstretched arms. He slowly opened the car door and got out.

“Xuina, step aside. I know him,” Lu Ming said, walking towards the front of the car.

Sha Dahai, who had also gotten out and was about to grab the old man, stopped in his tracks.

The old man blocking the car was Zhao Xingwang from Xingwang Industries.

He ran a factory and didn’t often deal with police officers, unlike Chairman Liu, who had to network widely and occasionally bribe local officers. Hence, Sha Dahai didn’t recognize him.

Lu Ming had received a call from Wen Liangyu the day before. Following the hype created by the launch of Nix Automobile’s three-point seat belt, which had become a hot topic across the empire, Zhao’s children had started to cause trouble. They blamed their father for selling the patent too cheaply for just hundred thousand yuan.

Lu Ming had already asked Wen Liangyu to reassure Zhao Xingwang, saying that he would meet with him soon to discuss things properly.

However, Zhao Xingwang had shown up today, blocking the car.

“Does it have to be so ugly?” Lu Ming walked to the front of the car and sighed softly.

“I know. If I go to court, I’ll lose for sure. I just want an explanation from you!” Zhao Xingwang’s face was ashen.

“Let’s talk over there,” Lu Ming gestured towards a spot by a small rock fountain and walked over.

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhao Xingwang followed.

The jagged rocks, covered in moss, and the clear water pool with swimming goldfish, formed a round water curtain under the fountain. The mist from the fountain was refreshing, blown gently by the wind.

“Chairman Zhao, you know we modified the crash-tested products and the patented products!” Lu Ming said, looking at Zhao Xingwang.

Indeed, the final product had been modified according to his knowledge of the three-point seat belt from his past life. Of course, he only gave directions; the actual modifications were done by the engineers.

“Yes, you mentioned that Huaxia Technology had been developing the three-point seat belt, and the final product is your design. But I want to see the related research data from Huaxia Technology.” Zhao Xingwang stared at Lu Ming with deep eyes.

Lu Ming frowned, “I also promised that when I reached a certain scale, I would compensate Xingwang Industries.”

“So, you’re feeling guilty, right? That’s why you mentioned compensation.” Zhao Xingwang sneered.

Lu Ming looked at his contorted face, no longer the kindly old man he once was. He nodded lightly; in the face of interests, even close family members could turn against each other, let alone someone with whom he had no deep bond.

“Chairman Zhao, you know, I made a lot of preparations to fight a lawsuit with Lingwei Automobile and make it a focal point. I searched for many victims of the two-point seat belt…”

“I know. Without your idea and push, this thing might still be in limbo. I might have sold Xingwang Industries by now, and that patent would have been shelved. If no one goes to the patent office annually to pay the patent maintenance fee, it would soon become invalid.”

Lu Ming nodded.

“I know all that, but now, I don’t know how much you’ve made. two hundred thousand, maybe? You’ve been buying land and expanding your company, and I’ve heard you’re planning to invest in an aircraft company, right?”

“You’ve made so much, you should at least show some good faith!”

“The law is the law, but one must also be reasonable!” Zhao Xingwang sneered.

Lu Ming looked at him quietly for a while. “Chairman Zhao, to be honest, two hundred thousand is an understatement. Up to now, I’ve made over five million. In the future, there will be many more five millions. But this has nothing to do with you. As you said, if you’re not satisfied, you can sue me.”

Lu Ming turned and took a few steps, then turned back, “Also, I’m planning to withdraw my investment in Xingwang. You should quickly gather two hundred thousand, and I’ll return the thirty percent shares to you.”

Zhao Xingwang was stunned, wanting to say something, but Lu Ming had already walked away.