Chapter 54: Clean Up

Having a dozen guns pointed at his head was indeed a very uncomfortable feeling.

Zhou Liming did not expect that in just over ten days, the city had already descended into chaos, and some dark forces had become so arrogant. Controlling the gold price required such a massive power base, and what terrifying profits would that generate? Judging by their demeanor, they showed no fear of discussing it openly. It seemed that in their eyes, the gold in Zhou Liming’s hands was already a guaranteed victory.

Thinking about the millions of people who had flooded into the entire city, they had all carried precious items with them during their escape, such as gold and silver jewelry, which are items that do not depreciate in value. But who could have imagined that when prices were skyrocketing, the gold price would fall instead of rise? This was truly what drove them toward their doom.

In Boss Xu’s opinion, things like eating, drinking, and housing all required money. When they became too hungry to bear, they would naturally sell to him at the prices he had set.

Those people who had risked their lives in these past few days to raise the gold price and buy gold had long turned into rotting meat in the underground sewers. As for the crimes Zhou Liming had committed, when the city of Wan J could no longer be defended and they evacuated, these things would disappear without a trace. At that point, as long as he found a city where he had people and money, he could live a life like a god again.

Those in power often rise by stepping on the bodies of others.

During the half-month period when he controlled the gold price, at least a thousand people died at the hands of Boss Xu. Who could have guessed that this seemingly mild-mannered old man had so much blood on his hands? This seemingly ordinary gold shop actually concealed so much deadly danger? How much income did the massive entertainment industry behind it bring him?

The deaths of a thousand people would go completely unnoticed in the chaotic city of Wan J. The government’s attention was focused entirely on the defensive Frontline outside. A large number of police forces were transferred to the Refugee Camp. In the short term, it was impossible for them to spare any energy for the interior of the city. If there were no accidents, Boss Xu would indeed continue to control the gold price for a long time.

But…

Zhou Liming clenched his fists. Thinking about the Dean and others in the Refugee Camp, it was this smiling Boss Xu who had shattered his dreams. This was something he absolutely could not tolerate. Anyone standing in his way had to pay the price.

Boss Xu had seen many unwilling people like Zhou Liming. He said calmly, “Ah Jiu, take him inside for a proper talk.”

Ah Jiu nodded, lifted the woven bag, and turned to leave. The others picked up Zhou Liming as easily as carrying a chick and dragged him inside. In their eyes, they could just beat this frail kid a few times to resolve the matter. If he refused to submit, they did not mind letting him sleep forever in the underground sewer.

What made them jealous was how this kid had obtained so much gold jewelry?

The door that Ah Jiu pushed open was not the one Zhou Liming had entered through, but another one. Inside was a suite with no furniture, and the decoration was very rough. As they walked in, they could see some scattered gold jewelry laid out inside.

As soon as the door closed, Zhou Liming smiled.

His skin without transformation might not be able to withstand bullet shots, but his scaled armor after transformation was far from what these bullets could penetrate. Since they had blocked his path, they had to die. In Zhou Liming’s view, as long as they died, the gold price would naturally rise.

In this chaotic world, the difference between killing and being killed was simply that he lived while others died.

Guilt? From the moment he possessed the Fierce Beast Gene, Zhou Liming knew he could never be like an ordinary person again.

Thick scales instantly appeared on his skin, covering his entire body. However, his body did not change shape; instead, he retained his human form while possessing partial abilities of a Fierce Beast. With his growing understanding and familiarity with the Fierce Beast Gene, Zhou Liming could now control this power at will.

Of course, to exert one hundred percent of his combat power, he would need to fully reveal the form of a Fierce Beast. But against these more than a dozen minions, it was already sufficient.

The people escorting Zhou Liming had not yet realized anything was wrong. With clothes and hair covering him, they had no way of noticing the scales emerging from Zhou Liming’s skin.

Bone Spurs silently emerged from under the scales on the back of his hand. Then, with a low humming sound generated, Zhou Liming swung his hand backward.

The three people escorting Zhou Liming only felt a chill on their necks, followed by a burst of intense pain in their brains. Before they could understand what was happening, they fell into darkness.

Zhou Liming moved, his whole body like a gust of wind, weaving between the more than ten people. Every time his Bone Spurs swung, a person’s neck was cut off, and they fell silently. It took Zhou Liming only about a minute to eliminate the dozen or so minions, and not a single one survived.

The gap between Zhou Liming, who possessed the Fierce Beast Gene, and ordinary people was too large. Their speed and reflexes could never keep up with Zhou Liming’s rhythm.

Retracting his scales, Zhou Liming took the woven bag back from Ah Jiu. He glanced around the room and casually swept all the gold and cash he saw into his woven bag. Then he pushed the door open, walked out, and calmly approached Boss Xu. “I’m very sorry, but their price was too low, so I didn’t sell.”

Although his voice was faint, it was full of killing intent, causing Boss Xu to show a look of terror.

The Bone Spur lightly touched the spot over Boss Xu’s heart, pulverizing it from the inside, before gently pushing him back into his chair. Even to his death, Boss Xu did not know why Ah Jiu and the others were wiped out in less than a minute. A move that seemed like a sure victory had cost him his life.

Retracting the Bone Spur, Zhou Liming glanced at Boss Xu once more before stepping away.

The man in the checkered shirt outside, who was attracting customers, whistled when he saw Zhou Liming come out and said, “Have a safe trip, welcome to come down here again.” Looking at his schadenfreude, in his eyes, Zhou Liming was definitely a pitiful guy whose valuable possessions had been stripped by his boss.

Zhou Liming just smiled and soon blended into the crowd outside.

He believed that very soon, this man in the checkered shirt would discover that his boss was dead, and this news would spread like wildfire throughout the city. The gold price, suppressed for half a month, would see a crazy scene. With the suppression lifted, the price would surge, potentially exceeding that of other cities and becoming the city with the highest gold price.

All of Boss Xu’s efforts ultimately amounted to doing the work for others and letting them reap the benefits.