Chapter 172: Wen Shilin

"In your previous interview, you emphasized that your father was stabbed thirteen times and killed by an enforcer who was desperate to escape... Perhaps that enforcer was burdened with an important mission, and your father, out of an overwhelming fear of death, became confused for a moment and tried to seize the enforcer's weapon, leading to an act of self-defense..."

"Go fuck your mother!!"

Zhao Yi let out a roar, his fist whistling through the air toward Zhuo Shuqing’s face, only for the latter to dodge it effortlessly.

"What kind of shitty reporter are you?! You're completely twisting the truth!! I see it now, you didn't come here for an interview at all! You're trying to change our testimony!" Zhao Yi glared at him, wishing he could tear him to pieces.

Zhuo Shuqing finished writing the last word, closed his notebook, and spoke unhurriedly:

"Mr. Zhao Yi, Aurora City has chosen to shelter you refugees, which is already an act of mercy and kindness... Why must you bite the hand that feeds you and act like ingrates?"

"Mercy and kindness??" Zhao Yi was so angry his lungs felt like they were about to explode. He grabbed a club from the corner of the table and swung it at Zhuo Shuqing. The latter retreated a few steps to the doorway, then stood motionless, letting the club strike him.

Bang—!

A flashbulb went off. As the camera shutter clicked, Zhuo Shuqing let out a loud cry and fell to the ground.

Zhao Yi froze. He looked up and saw an assistant waiting outside the door, who had just captured the entire scene with a camera. At the same time, other survivors from the Third District living in the tower came downstairs upon hearing the noise.

"What's going on??" Xu Chongguo asked immediately.

Zhao Yi glared, recounting how Zhuo Shuqing had twisted the truth. The crowd was instantly enraged. Perhaps it was the life-and-death experiences they had shared, or the way they supported each other in this strange land, but they had long since become a unified whole, and now they looked at Zhuo Shuqing with fury.

"Hardly the poor refugees they claim to be, just a bunch of malicious mobsters." Zhuo Shuqing slowly climbed up from the ground, stood next to his assistant, and smiled at the crowd. "But regardless, thank you all for your cooperation... This time, we have enough material."

The scene of Zhao Yi hitting someone had been recorded by the camera; with a bit of inflammatory text, it could shift public opinion. This was Zhuo Shuqing’s true goal.

"No... we can't let him leave like this!" Xu Chongguo was an old hand; he saw through Zhuo Shuqing’s plan at a glance. "Quick, delete the photos on his camera!"

Seeing this, Zhao Yi was the first to rush out of the crowd, heading straight for the assistant beside Zhuo Shuqing. The two men stepped back, and from the dilapidated alleys surrounding the tower, one figure after another emerged.

Those figures wore rumpled clothes and held clubs; they were thugs recruited from somewhere, their expressions sinister and ruthless. They stood guard in front of Zhuo Shuqing and his assistant, looking coldly at Zhao Yi and the others.

Seeing this, Xu Chongguo’s heart sank to the bottom... The other side had come prepared.

"Zhuo Shuqing, what are you doing?"

Just as the two sides were in a standoff, a voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Zhuo Shuqing’s face darkened when he heard the voice. He looked toward the other side of the alley to see Wen Shilin, also accompanied by an assistant, frowning as he looked at the scene.

"If it isn't our great reporter Wen." Zhuo Shuqing sneered. "What? Wasn't the stir caused by yesterday's article big enough? You want to meddle in other people's business again?"

Wen Shilin’s gaze swept over the Third District residents surrounded by the thugs, a flash of anger in his eyes. He reached out toward Zhuo Shuqing:

"Give me the camera."

"Why should I?"

"You’re using such despicable means to whitewash those people; aren't you afraid of retribution?"

"Retribution?" Zhuo Shuqing chuckled. "Don't worry, if there really is retribution in this world, some people will die faster than I do..."

Seeing that Zhuo Shuqing was impervious to reason, Wen Shilin’s real temper flared. He swept a cold gaze over the thugs guarding Zhuo Shuqing and began to calmly roll up his sleeves.

"I didn't want to resort to violence, but since you won't hand it over voluntarily... don't blame me." Wen Shilin said flatly, "A-Cheng, get ready."

The assistant beside him also began to roll up his sleeves. The two stood in the center of the deserted alley, a cold wind blowing through their clothes, the atmosphere grim and biting.

This posture truly frightened the thugs; they instinctively took half a step back, gripping their clubs tighter, their eyes full of vigilance as they looked at the two men... Even Zhuo Shuqing, hiding behind them, had his expression change as if facing a formidable enemy.

He retreated several steps. It was only then that he noticed a young man in a brown trench coat and half-rimmed glasses leaning against the wall not far behind him, squinting as he watched the scene.

Zhuo Shuqing didn't know when that person had arrived, and he had no time to worry about a passerby, because Wen Shilin and his assistant had already clenched their fists and were charging straight at him!

Their momentum was imposing, especially Wen Shilin, who, despite looking frail, had a kind of indestructible fighting spirit in his eyes.

"Boss, this guy is a tough nut! Remember to pay extra!"

As the wind stirred by Wen Shilin’s charge drew near, the lead thug gritted his teeth and said to Zhuo Shuqing, then braced himself, swung his iron bar, and struck with all his might at Wen Shilin!

Bang—!

Wen Shilin collapsed to the ground.

Thug: ???

The thug was a bit confused; he hadn't even reacted to what happened... He only knew that he had swung his club randomly, and Wen Shilin had tried to dodge, but his speed couldn't keep up, and he was struck squarely on the forehead, rolling his eyes and falling to the ground on the spot.

So, after all that posturing, he was just a piece of trash with a combat power of less than five??

On the other hand, the assistant, A-Cheng, actually had some skills; he fought a few rounds with two thugs before finally being struck in the back of the head by a club and falling beside Wen Shilin.

At the back of the alley, the young man in the brown trench coat couldn't help but hold his forehead; it seemed he couldn't bear to watch the scene any longer.

Chen Ling had arrived a while ago. He had originally just wanted to find a chaotic place to test [Heart Python] and stopped by to see the situation in the Third District, only to witness the entire process of Zhao Yi chasing Zhuo Shuqing out and being captured on camera...

At first, Chen Ling was hesitating whether to intervene, but then Wen Shilin appeared. He had thought he wouldn't need to step in and that Wen Shilin could handle it, even having a small expectation for the rumored reporter's skills, only to see him get taken down in one move like a chicken.

With skills like that, how did he manage to act so imposing? And what happened to your "Iron Fist of Justice"??

Chen Ling muttered to himself, while Zhuo Shuqing, standing to the side, burst out laughing.

"I have to ask, Wen Shilin, are you here to be a comedian??"