As they neared the town, the minivan suddenly turned and drove into the compound of a disused factory.
*Creak!*
The man slammed on the brakes, a sinister smile on his face, and turned to look at Lin Fan. "Dr. Lin, we've arrived."
"Using your own mother's name to lie and deceive people, you're quite the dutiful son," Lin Fan chuckled.
"I have no choice. I don't want to, but what I've done will feed my entire family for a month. People have to be realistic, don't they? I'm sorry."
The man clasped his hands in a gesture of apology, not a trace of remorse on his face.
He opened the door and got out. From hidden corners around them, a group of burly men armed with knives and clubs rushed out, surrounding the minivan from all sides.
"I've brought him, Brother Jin."
The man walked towards Jin Zhe.
Jin Zhe's head was wrapped in bandages, and his left arm was slung across his chest. He looked not only pathetic but also comical.
Beside him stood a woman with heavy makeup, carrying a handbag.
Lin Fan got out of the van. The two stood on the steps, looking down with disdain and contempt.
"Jin Zhe, what happened to you? You suffered such a loss at his hands?"
"Some country bumpkin, and you claim a huge crowd came to his aid? You're good at making excuses for your failures."
The woman was named Xie Sisi.
"Sisi, I really didn't lie to you."
Jin Zhe plastered a smile on his face and gestured with his plaster-casted arm. "Look at my injuries, can they be fake?"
"Enough, stop embarrassing yourself," Xie Sisi said impatiently, waving her hand.
If their affair hadn't been exposed and become common knowledge, she wouldn't have married Jin Zhe.
She had only intended to have some fun; who would have thought of marriage!
Once the initial novelty wore off, Xie Sisi grew increasingly dissatisfied with Jin Zhe, finding fault with him in every way.
"Miss, what should we do?" a bald, burly man asked.
"Do I need to tell you?" Xie Sisi rolled her eyes. "Beat him until he can't get up."
"Wait." Jin Zhe stopped the bald man.
A flicker of displeasure crossed the bald man's eyes, but out of consideration for Xie Sisi, he didn't say anything more.
"I have a few words to say to him." Jin Zhe stared at Lin Fan, his eyes filled with bitter hatred.
"Alright, say your threats and finish this quickly. This countryside place is full of dust; it's so dirty. I don't want to stay a moment longer," Xie Sisi said, fanning herself dismissively as if brushing off dust.
"Mm." Jin Zhe nodded and, along with the bald man, walked up to Lin Fan.
"Do you still recognize me?" Jin Zhe asked, his demeanor arrogant.
"Oh, it's you." Lin Fan put down his medical bag and smiled. "It's a shame I didn't kill you yesterday."
"What did you say?" Jin Zhe was furious. "Lin, don't you know where you are?" He pointed at the ground. "If you have the guts, call those commoners here again! I'll play with you to the end!"
Lin Fan shook his head, feeling a sense of pity for him. Why did he have to bring this upon himself?
"Who do you think you are, daring to oppose me?" Jin Zhe became even more overbearing. He pointed to his chest. "Lin, I'm telling you, as long as I'm around, you'll never open that damned clinic of yours!"
Lin Fan smiled. "Such great authority."
"Based on..."
"Based on the fact that I have money and he has power, is that enough?" Xie Sisi, who was getting bored, interjected. She playfully twirled a strand of hair by her ear. "Kid, you haven't experienced the harshness of society yet, have you? This is a good chance for you to learn."
"Oh?" Lin Fan was surprised that a woman would say such a thing.
"Jin Zhe, are you done talking? Let's finish this and go back," Xie Sisi turned away and took out a compact mirror to check if her face was dusty. Her every movement conveyed a casual attitude, as if dealing with Lin Fan was a trivial, everyday matter.
"Yes, understood." Jin Zhe replied, then glared venomously at Lin Fan and said in a low voice, "The worn-out shoes I've discarded, you can't even pick them up. You're not worthy, understand? Enjoy yourself..."
As he spoke, he suddenly felt a sharp pain.
"Ah!" The intense pain spread throughout his body, causing him to cry out instinctively. Lin Fan grabbed his injured arm and yanked it back with force.
*CRASH!*
With a loud bang, Jin Zhe's head smashed through the minivan's windshield.
The next second, his screams abruptly stopped. Blood gushed from his head. In a flash, no one could react.
Xie Sisi quickly turned around and saw her husband, like a turtle, flailing his limbs, stuck between the minivan and the shattered windshield.
"Beat him to death!" Xie Sisi trembled with rage, pointing at Lin Fan and giving orders.
The bald man finally snapped back to reality. "Brothers, go!" He was the first to charge at Lin Fan, wielding a telescopic baton.
Lin Fan ignored him, and seeing Jin Zhe about to struggle free, he delivered a fierce kick.
Witnessing this, the bald man's eyelids twitched. Something was wrong! This was too wrong! Normally, someone wouldn't even dare to resist at this point, they'd be too scared to even pee their pants! Even if they encountered a desperate person, they'd be shouting to psych themselves up, not be this calm.
They were less than a meter apart. The bald man looked at Lin Fan, who was so close, his face, eyes, and heart filled with shock and confusion.
The next second, Lin Fan grabbed his baton with one hand and his collar with the other, executing a 360-degree overhead suplex.
*BAM!*
A dull thud. The minivan jolted as if it had jumped, its windows shattering with a clatter.
"Cough, cough." The bald man lay on the dented roof of the vehicle, coughing up blood.
Silence descended! The dozen or so thugs were all stunned, no one daring to step forward. Lin Fan, as calm as ever, swung the baton a couple of times, emitting a whistling sound.
"Breaking both your legs wouldn't be too much, would it?" Lin Fan looked at the half-dead Jin Zhe, old and new grudges flooding his mind.
"No, don't..." Jin Zhe knew he was in deep trouble. He didn't care about the pain anymore and begged for mercy.
"You're scared now, but it's too late!" Lin Fan dragged him to the ground and hooked his foot under one of Jin Zhe's legs.
*Whoosh!* The baton cut through the air, descending with immense force.
"Nooo~" Jin Zhe let out a desperate cry.
*Snap!* With a crisp sound, Jin Zhe's lower leg instantly bent into a V-shape, looking particularly gruesome.
"Ahhhh!" Jin Zhe let out a pig-like scream.
Lin Fan's expression didn't change. He hooked under Jin Zhe's other leg. Xie Sisi, who had been dazed with fear, finally came to her senses. She looked at the dozen or so thugs who dared not approach and regained some of her courage.
"What are you waiting for? Save him!" "Did your family raise you to eat rice for free?" Xie Sisi stamped her feet anxiously.
Hearing this, the thugs could only steel themselves and charge forward. However, with a sharp glance from Lin Fan, like a blade, they retreated again.