5: Increased fame! New additions to the shop! God-level gambling skills!

"I was wrong!"

"Young Master Lin, I really know I was wrong!"

"I have no grudge against you; it was just my ignorant sister who begged me..."

"I promise that from now on, I'll take a detour whenever I see you!"

Although Li Hu was beaten into a pulp on the ground, he was still a seasoned veteran who had been active in this area for years.

He mumbled pleas for mercy, saying he would steer clear of Lin Chuan in the future.

But in his eyes, swollen to mere slits, his gaze was full of resentment.

Like a venomous snake, he was hiding his fangs for now, just waiting for the moment you turned your back to give you a vicious bite.

An ordinary person might not have noticed that look.

But Long Wu was different.

As someone who had been a soldier, seen blood, and even killed, he was extremely sensitive to such killing intent.

Long Wu stepped heavily on Li Hu's chest, making him let out a muffled groan.

"Boss," Long Wu's voice was low. "This kid isn't being honest. He's playing dead now, but he'll definitely turn on us later."

"Not convinced yet, are you?" Lin Chuan raised an eyebrow.

He crouched down and picked up a red brick from the ground, one that the hoodlums had dropped earlier.

Half of the brick was covered in moss; it was heavy and felt rough in his hand.

"Fine! I'll make you submit!"

Lin Chuan narrowed his eyes, staring at Li Hu.

Lying on the ground, Li Hu suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable fear.

Is this guy really a fucking college student?

Why is his gaze even colder than those outlaws who have lives on their hands?

"I submit! I really submit!" Li Hu sputtered blood, trying to shrink back, but he was pinned by Long Wu and couldn't move at all.

"Brother! Brother Lin, I beg you, spare me!

I beg you! Spare me!!"

Li Hu squealed like a pig about to be slaughtered.

"I submit! I really submit!"

"Heh."

Lin Chuan chuckled.

Memories of his past life flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

It was this very face that, after his legs were broken and his manhood was crushed, held Zhang Yaoyao and insulted him to the extreme.

Lin Chuan still remembered that pain even now.

Since the heavens had given him a second chance,

Then some grudges couldn't wait.

"I don't give a damn if you submit or not!"

Lin Chuan's expression didn't even flicker.

He raised the red brick high and then, with a decisive and ruthless posture, slammed it down.

The target was aimed directly between Li Hu's legs.

*Thud!*

A sickening muffled sound rang out.

Immediately following was a scream so shrill it seemed to pierce the night sky.

"Aaaaagh—!!!"

Li Hu's entire body jerked as if hit by high-voltage electricity, instantly curling up like a shrimp. His eyes bulged, and the veins on his forehead looked ready to burst.

His swollen face instantly turned as pale as paper.

As it turned out, Li Hu's balls were not as hard as a brick.

A patch of deep red quickly seeped from his crotch.

A foul smell of blood and urine filled the air.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

This strike was too ruthless.

Not only were the hoodlums who hadn't gotten up yet scared witless, but even Zhang Yaoyao in the distance forgot about her stomach ache.

Her face, painted as red as a monkey's butt, turned ghostly white with fear.

She looked at Lin Chuan trembling, as if looking at a demon crawling out of hell.

Was this still her honest, bookish college boyfriend?

Lin Chuan stood up and tossed the brick aside.

"Refreshing!"

"So damn refreshing!"

"I've waited for this day for many years! Hahahaha!"

Lin Chuan was saying things that no one present could understand.

Only he knew what this moment meant to him.

Vengeance!

"You can get lost now."

Having taken his revenge, Lin Chuan truly felt relieved.

The hoodlums who could still move didn't dare say a word, scrambling to carry the unconscious Li Hu away.

They didn't even dare pick up their weapons from the ground, fleeing into the night in a state of panic.

Xiao Hong was so terrified that she didn't even dare look back when she lost a shoe while running.

Looking at Lin Chuan's back, a hint of genuine admiration flashed in Long Wu's eyes.

This young boss was ruthless enough, decisive enough.

Kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.

People who understand this principle are never simple.

"Boss," Long Wu said in a deep voice, "we haven't completely broken these scoundrels yet. Letting them go might lead to future trouble."

"Don't worry, I'll make them yield completely."

Lin Chuan knew that Li Hu was able to become a major thug in town because his family had some influence.

Otherwise, why would so many people follow him?

How could he afford a big gold necklace?

Now that he had crippled him, the Li family behind him would definitely not let it go.

But Lin Chuan didn't care. In his past life, he had been able to take revenge and almost wipe out the Li family.

In this life, he was even more confident.

Meanwhile, after crippling Li Hu,

The system notification sounded in Lin Chuan's mind once again.

[Ding! The Host was ruthless and decisive, crippling the West City thug leader Li Hu. This act will surely make your reputation shake the entire Dongan Town. Reputation level increased to Lv2!]

[Mall has been refreshed!]

As expected!

The system had said before that increasing reputation would unlock new good things.

Lin Chuan couldn't wait to see what new items had appeared in the mall.

With a thought from Lin Chuan, the virtual panel that only he could see instantly expanded.

In the dazzling list of items, three new icons were flashing with golden light.

[Item 1: God of Gamblers Ko Chun's Card Sharping Skills (Permanent Skill).]

[Price: 10 million]

[Description: Master this art, and you shall be the king of all gambling tables.

When encountering a master, remember to eat a piece of chocolate to temporarily increase your power by 10%.]

[Item 2: 10L Bottled Pure Water (Refreshes Daily)]

[Price: 10 yuan]

[Description: Pure water from the future, sweet and thirst-quenching, a must-have for home and travel.]

[Item 3: 10 catties of High-grade Meat (Refreshes Weekly)]

[Price: 1,000 yuan]

[Description: Including but not limited to premium marbled beef, black pork, etc. The top choice for improving your diet.]

Lin Chuan almost laughed out loud.

Not to mention the latter two, which were daily necessities, but the first one was truly awesome.

This was exactly what he needed right when he needed it!

In this era, especially in the Northeast region,

What could be faster and more discreet than a gambling table to launder his system funds?

With this, let alone the small West City area, he would have the capital to establish himself even in farther places.

Moreover, Lin Chuan remembered.

His older brother, after being laid off, was tricked into joining a gambling game in town to pay for his sister-in-law's medical treatment.

As a result, he was set up, gambling away all his family's assets in one night and ending up owing over thirty thousand.

In the end, unable to overcome the guilt in his heart, he committed suicide by drinking pesticide.

His brother had been the best to him when he was alive.

Even the money he had used to date Zhang Yaoyao for the past month or so was given to him by his brother.

His brother Lin Jiang was a state-owned enterprise construction engineer. Normally, his income would be quite good, but his wife was in poor health, so all his earnings went toward her medical bills.

It was now 1992, and the massive wave of state-owned enterprise layoffs was just around the corner.

In his past life, Lin Chuan learned blueprint construction by reading the books his brother left behind.

But he had also taken many detours.

This time, if he had his brother's help, his real estate plans would surely go more smoothly.

Buy!

Lin Chuan was filled with heroic spirit and clicked with his mind.

The string of astronomical numbers in his account flickered slightly, decreasing by ten million.

It wasn't even a fraction of the total.

[Ding! Purchase successful! Skill has been issued!]

Instantly, a massive flow of information flooded into his mind.

Countless techniques, skills, and psychological games regarding poker, mahjong, pai gow, and even dice were deeply imprinted in his memory like a burned CD.

His fingers moved subconsciously, as if any card in his hand could be manipulated into anything.

[Ding! Sufficient funds detected. Would you like to spend 100 million yuan to upgrade this skill to God-tier?]

[God-tier Card Sharping: Beyond the mundane, nearly divine. Eyesight, hand speed, and hearing are fully enhanced!]

100 million?

Compared to his assets of over 600 billion,

It was just a drop in the bucket!

And what he would get was a God-tier skill!

"Upgrade!"

[Ding! 100 million yuan deducted. Skill upgrade successful!]

In an instant, Lin Chuan felt the whole world become clear.

His fingers became exceptionally flexible and slender, as if every muscle was filled with magic.

His eyes could even clearly see the vibration frequency of a moth's wings dozens of meters away.

A sense of confidence that he could control everything spontaneously arose.

"Great!"

Lin Chuan clenched his fist secretly.

Normally, if it were anyone else, it would be difficult to get 10 million in startup capital to acquire this skill.

But Lin Chuan was in luck; the hundreds of billions from his past life had actually followed him.

Sure enough, doing good deeds brings good rewards!

Long Wu watched his boss frowning one moment and smirking the next, but he didn't dare ask questions.

He just stood honestly by the side acting as a bodyguard.

Just then.

Two bright beams of light from headlights swept over, stinging the eyes.

*Chug-chug-chug...*

A dark green old-model jeep bumped over the potholed dirt road and drove straight into the Canned Food Factory's courtyard.

In this day and age, someone who could afford to drive this car was either the head of a unit or a big boss with connections.

The car came to a stop in the open space, and the door opened.

The first person to step out was a middle-aged man wearing a Zhongshan suit, his hair combed until it shone.

It was exactly the former director of this West City Canned Food Factory, Wang Dalong.

Following him was a man carrying a briefcase, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and dressed like a Hong Kong Businessman.

"Factory Director Wang, is this the factory you were talking about?"

"Oh, President Zhang, look at how spacious this place is!"

Wang Dalong was all smiles, pointing at the rows of dilapidated red brick houses.

"Although the machinery is a bit old, the location is great!

Our county is in the middle of state-owned enterprise restructuring, and this piece of land is a real prime cut!

If you take it over, whether you continue running the factory or level the whole area to build apartments, it'll be a highly profitable venture!"

The man who was called President Zhang,

Named Zhang Shirong, was indeed a businessman from Hong Kong Island.

He took a look around by the light of the car, his eyes full of disdain.

"Wang Dalong, this place is too dilapidated. There isn't even a decent road. How can one do business here?"

"And building apartments here? Who could afford to buy them? Don't talk nonsense and joke with me."

As soon as he spoke, it was in broken Mandarin.

Hearing the commotion, Lin Chuan pulled his thoughts back and looked over with interest.