Chapter 1713: Chapter 1699
"It seems you still don’t get it."
The person snorted lightly, "Years ago, your father swore he wouldn’t reveal the matter of treating them to a third person, yet he broke his word and told you about it."
The shopkeeper was somewhat speechless, "I was present at the time when they were treated, and I even helped out. This kind of thing, even if I weren’t told, I’d know."
Could it really be that they want to take his life just because of this? Isn’t that a bit far-fetched?
Doubt arose in the shopkeeper’s heart, only few people knew about those things, and only those two who just left knew.
And coincidentally, just as those two left, these people entered right after.
Could it be that Chu Ge and his group want to kill to silence? Or did they regret spending two hundred thousand for just some medicine and want it back?
With this thought, the shopkeeper, intent on saving his life, was willing to discard all dignity.
He hurriedly knelt on the ground and said to the man, "Dear sirs, please rest assured, I swear I won’t tell anyone that you bought Insecticide from me. I can refund the extra money you paid. Please go back and tell Mr. Chu, I beg him to spare me, alright? I have an elderly mother at home and a newborn child."
The strong man kicked the shopkeeper, "What nonsense are you spouting! I’m not from any Chu clan!"
This thug was straightforward, failing to notice the shopkeeper was stalling for time to call the police for help.
"Who sent you then?" Not Chu Ge; could it be that mysterious person?
The shopkeeper thought of this and panicked more, "Sir, sir, I didn’t break Mr. Ren’s promise. He said if someone came asking for bloodworm, I couldn’t sell it to them. No one came for bloodworm, so I didn’t betray the promise."
As he shouted, he continuously kowtowed to the man.
Yet the man remained unmoved, "Enough! I can’t stand men who cry! I’ve told you enough! Just die already!"
The strong man struck the shopkeeper’s neck with his palm. The shopkeeper, already weakened by the kick, had several ribs broken and was in severe pain. With this blow, he passed out.
"Boss, is he unconscious or dead?"
A confused subordinate stepped forward and asked.
"Whether he’s unconscious or dead, burn this place down. Make sure not to leave any traces; make it look like an accident. Got it?"
"Yes."
After giving the instructions, they exited the pharmacy, leaving two people behind, one spreading oil, another preparing to set the fire.
Meanwhile, Chu Ge and Zhou Ang had just gotten into a taxi. Zhou Ang intended to call Uncle Fu to inform him they’d not be in the office by noon, but upon checking his pockets, he realized his phone was missing.
He had used it to contact Chu Ge earlier today, so he definitely had it with him.
"Driver, please wait a moment."
Zhou Ang quickly spoke up.
Chu Ge looked at him puzzled, "What’s wrong?"
"My phone is missing."
Zhou Ang said, "It might have been placed on Zhongjitan’s counter when I was getting the medicine powder."
He opened the car door and said to Chu Ge, "Wait here, I’ll be right back."
Zhou Ang got off the car and walked straight toward the place when suddenly he saw black smoke emerging from Zhongjitan Pharmacy. Then he heard someone shouting, "Fire! Fire!"
The driver heard it too and looked around from inside the car, "Isn’t that pharmacy on fire?"
As soon as he spoke, Chu Ge looked up from his phone and saw the thick smoke billowing from the pharmacy. He narrowed his eyes instantly.
He quickly got out of the car and ran to the entrance of the pharmacy.
Zhou Ang was anxiously pacing at the entrance. The fire inside was too intense; just getting close made the smoke so choking he couldn’t open his eyes, let alone get closer.
"Is there still someone inside?"
Someone in the crowd said.
"There definitely is! I just saw a few strong men come out of that pharmacy, and then it caught fire. The shopkeeper is still inside."
Chu Ge and Zhou Ang exchanged a glance. Without waiting for Zhou Ang to say anything, Chu Ge held his breath and rushed in.
Zhou Ang shouted anxiously from outside, "Chu Ge! Come back!"
But Chu Ge had already charged in. Amidst the rolling smoke, he couldn’t open his eyes inside.
"Did anyone call the police?"
Zhou Ang asked urgently.
"Yes, the moment we found out, we called the police!"
"Is there a water source nearby?" Firefighters will take time to get here, they need to find a way to save themselves first.
"This is a commercial area; where would there be a water source?"
"Exactly, even if there were pipes, they wouldn’t be long enough to reach here."
"Let’s stop standing around. If there are no pipes, then grab buckets—there are still people alive inside! We can’t just watch them die!"
"Yeah, we can’t just watch them die!"
Everyone started to take action, talking amongst themselves.
Meanwhile, inside, after rushing in, Chu Ge managed to open his eyes enough to see the shopkeeper lying on the ground, unconscious.
A burning piece of wood was lying on top of him, and it seemed like it would ignite the shopkeeper soon. Chu Ge quickly kicked away the wood.
He walked to the shopkeeper, lifted him, and checked his breath. His breathing was faint, but he was still alive.
However, when he felt the shopkeeper’s pulse, he found that the shopkeeper’s internal injuries were quite severe, with several ribs broken and internal organs somewhat damaged.
They had only just left moments ago, and the shopkeeper was already in trouble. Was it aimed at them or the shopkeeper?
Now wasn’t the time to think about that. Chu Ge immediately lifted the shopkeeper, carrying him amidst the increasingly thick smoke, with flames everywhere on the ground, on cabinets, on the ceiling, about to collapse in a moment.
Chu Ge held the shopkeeper, and before taking a few steps, he suddenly heard a cracking sound behind him. The beam was breaking, falling just half a step behind him.
He turned his head to glance and took a deep breath before charging out with the shopkeeper.
Zhou Ang saw Chu Ge coming out with the shopkeeper and hurried forward, "Chu Ge, are you okay?"
Chu Ge shook his head, "Quickly call 120, the shopkeeper’s badly hurt!"
He placed the shopkeeper in a relatively open spot and laid him flat, then checked his pulse.
Earlier, he had only briefly felt the shopkeeper’s pulse, making a rough guess. Now, from his diagnosis, his guess was indeed correct.
Before the shopkeeper fainted, he had been violently assaulted.
Zhou Ang borrowed a passerby’s phone to call 120. After the call, he looked at Chu Ge, asking, "How did the fire start?"
Chu Ge shook his head, "When I went in, I smelled a strong gasoline odor."
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