The city of Fog, with its towering buildings, had a distinct cyberpunk feel, reminiscent of a future world.
On the 133rd floor of a skyscraper, a space that integrated offices, entertainment, and leisure, lay Han Shichong’s private domain: the Hall of Merit and Punishment!
Only subordinates recognized by Han Shichong were granted entry into this magnificent Hall of Merit and Punishment.
Within the Hall of Merit and Punishment, there were twelve cadres.
The outside world referred to them as the Twelve Heavenly Kings!
At this moment, Xue Zong, the representative of the Sleeping Dragon, holding the Sleeping Dragon Token, excitedly rushed into the Hall of Merit and Punishment, heading directly to the 132nd floor and entering the leisure area, which was normally accessible only to cadres.
As soon as he entered, he saw several cadres lounging on sofas, enjoying massages from beautiful women while listening to Guo’s crosstalk, living the life of ease.
"Ahem," Xue Zong deliberately coughed.
The cadres all turned their heads simultaneously. Upon seeing Xue Zong, they were all taken aback.
One cadre asked, "Xue Zong, is this a place you can come to? Don't think just because you're the Sleeping Dragon's representative, you can be lawless. Some places are not for you! Get out."
Xue Zong’s face stiffened, and he was very displeased.
In the city of Fog, few dared to speak to him that way, as he was the Sleeping Dragon’s representative, the embodiment of the Sleeping Dragon’s prestige!
But in front of the twelve cadres, he was nothing.
This was simply because the status and position of the twelve cadres were even higher than his.
"Hmph," Xue Zong snorted coldly, not bothering to argue. Instead, he produced the Sleeping Dragon Token and declared loudly, "Take a good look, what is this?"
Upon seeing the Sleeping Dragon Token, the cadres quickly rose to their feet.
Seeing the Sleeping Dragon Token was like seeing the Sleeping Dragon himself; one could not be disrespectful.
Xue Zong said with a smile, "I am acting under the orders of the Sleeping Dragon to select one of you cadres to deal with a bastard."
Clearly, that bastard was Lu Ming.
The mere thought of Lu Ming scaring him into wetting his pants at the funeral made Xue Zong furious to the extreme.
He didn't even want to mention Lu Ming's name, preferring to call him a bastard.
The cadres exchanged glances, looking somewhat surprised. They had not taken action in a long time, as in the city of Fog, hardly anyone dared to court death by offending the Sleeping Dragon.
Seeing Xue Zong so enraged, and prompting the Sleeping Dragon to deploy the Sleeping Dragon Token, it seemed that the Sleeping Dragon was indeed very angry this time.
One cadre said, "Since it is the Sleeping Dragon’s order, we will certainly comply. Tell us, which one of us do you need to cooperate with for this mission?"
Xue Zong scanned the room, his gaze landing on a slender, tall man.
He pointed at the lean man and said, "Sang Biao, you will accompany me."
Oh?
The cadres inwardly questioned, how much had this "bastard" angered Xue Zong to warrant dispatching Sang Biao.
Among the twelve cadres, Sang Biao might not have been the strongest in combat, but he was certainly the most ruthless, the most decisive, and the most inhumane in his actions!
There was once an incident where an actress, who maintained her integrity and refused to accompany the Sleeping Dragon for drinks, angered him. In a fit of rage, the Sleeping Dragon sent Sang Biao to teach her a lesson.
The Sleeping Dragon's intention was merely to discipline her. However, Sang Biao acted too ruthlessly, slaughtering the actress’s entire family of seven!
Even the infant in the cradle was not spared.
Finally, he set the house and the bodies ablaze, incinerating everything.
Sang Biao had committed many such inhumane acts. When the Sleeping Dragon’s enemies learned they were targeted by Sang Biao, they would rather commit suicide than fall into his hands.
This was because Sang Biao not only killed his targets but also tortured them severely, only to kill them when their bodies and minds were completely broken.
Even the Sleeping Dragon dared not easily deploy such a wicked individual.
Every time Sang Biao acted, it was bound to cause a major upheaval.
At this moment.
Sang Biao speared a slice of apple with a fruit knife and put it into his mouth, asking with a grin, "Xue Gou, are you sure you want me to act?"
In Sang Biao’s eyes, Xue Zong was merely a dog by the Sleeping Dragon’s side, hence he always referred to Xue Zong as "Xue Gou."
Although Xue Zong found this offensive, he dared not utter a word of protest to Sang Biao, fearing that Sang Biao might, in his fury, even chop him up.
Xue Zong said fiercely, "Yes, I want you to act!"
Sang Biao smiled and said, "You know, I don't understand restraint. If you have me act, it will inevitably cause a big disturbance."
Xue Zong was delighted. "I want you to cause a big disturbance! Make that bastard suffer a thousand cuts, torture him brutally! I want everyone in the city of Fog to know that offending me, Xue Zong, has dire consequences!"
Sang Biao nodded. "Since you say so, then I can go all out. Ah~~ It’s been a while since I’ve had a good workout. Finally, I can go all out again. Just thinking about it makes me excited."
Afterward.
Xue Zong dialed his subordinate’s number and asked, "Hello, have you confirmed it yet? Where is that bastard now?"
A voice replied from the other end of the line, "We've confirmed it. Lu Ming is in Su Wanran's car, heading to the Jingxuan Hot Pot restaurant."
Hanging up the phone.
Xue Zong waved at Sang Biao and said, "Let's go, we're heading to the Jingxuan Hot Pot restaurant!"
...
In the afternoon, as the sun began to set.
Su Wanran drove to the entrance of the Jingxuan Hot Pot restaurant and parked the car.
This was the most expensive hot pot restaurant per capita in the entire city of Fog, boasting an excellent reputation and a very large customer flow. Everyone who had dined here praised its superb taste.
Getting out of the car.
Su Wanran led the way inside, saying as they walked, "Lu Ming, since you came to the city of Fog, I haven't had the chance to be a proper host. Today, I'll take you to try our city's signature hot pot. When it comes to hot pot, our city of Fog is number one in the country!"
"Number one in the country?" Lu Ming chuckled. "If you say so, will the people of neighboring Rongcheng agree?"
There was an ongoing debate between the city of Fog and Rongcheng about whose hot pot was the best in the country.
Su Wanran laughed heartily. "Rongcheng's hot pot is indeed very good, but compared to our city of Fog, it's still slightly inferior. Come on, let me treat you."
The three walked into the restaurant.
As expected, it was packed, both inside and out, with a full house.
A waiter walked over and said, "Three, please come in."
Su Wanran glanced around and asked, "Do you have any private rooms available?"
The waiter replied awkwardly, "I'm sorry, all private rooms are occupied. We only have regular seating left. If you agree, a table just finished clearing out, and I can tidy up the seats for you right away."
Given the crowd, waiting for a private room was out of the question.
Su Wanran said, "Then we'll take regular seating."
Lu Ming said, "Regular seating is good. Eating hot pot should be lively and boisterous. Sitting in a private room would be a bit too quiet."
Thus.
The waiter tidied up the seats, and Su Wanran, along with the other two, sat down.
The waiter asked, "May I ask what kind of broth you would like to order?"
Lu Ming, having lived in the Yangtze River Delta for a long time, had a relatively light palate, usually favoring sweet and sour flavors. Therefore, he wanted to order a mushroom broth or a鸳鸯 pot.
However.
How could one come to the city of Fog and order mushroom broth or a鸳鸯 pot? That would be utterly improper!
Without even consulting Lu Ming, Su Wanran declared without hesitation, as if it were a matter of course, "When eating hot pot in the city of Fog, do you even need to ask what kind of broth? Of course, it's spicy broth. Remember, intensely numb!!! Intensely spicy!!!"