Pokémon: Master System.

The young, burly man gave the two a provocative look, then got into another luxury car and drove away.

…………

"Brother Liu, I'm sorry you had to go through this today," Li Qiang comforted Xia Yu.

"What am I complaining about? You're the one who got hit, not me," Xia Yu said, glancing at Li Qiang, his tone unconsciously becoming more forceful.

There's always a reason why someone is pitiful; it's no wonder Li Qiang, with his cowardly nature, is bullied.

"Sigh." Li Qiang sighed, looking at the burly man in the distance, a bitter smile on his face, as if mocking himself: "Getting beaten up and getting a few hundred thousand is already pretty good. If I fought back and it became a mutual fight, I couldn't afford to pay the compensation. I have to thank you today for testifying for me; I must treat you to dinner no matter what."

"No, I really have something to do." Xia Yu waved his hands repeatedly in refusal.

“It’s already lunchtime, let’s go grab something to eat. Brother Liu, your accent doesn’t sound like a local’s. I’ll show you some of Harbin’s local delicacies,” Li Qiang said enthusiastically, pulling Xia Yu’s arm.

"I really don't want to go."

"Let's go."

…………

Inside the small restaurant.

Li Qiang ordered a few stir-fried dishes, then directly asked for two large bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor), poured himself a large glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

Xia Yu was startled by the way Li Qiang was drinking.

Are you fucking drinking?

There was only a plate of peanuts and a cucumber salad on the table, and you drank this whole glass.

"Li Qiang, drink slowly."

Before Xia Yu could finish speaking, Li Qiang poured himself a large glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

have to.

Xia Yu realized that this wasn't an invitation to dinner; it was an invitation to drink. What a mess!

"Cough cough."

Perhaps it was the strong 56-proof liquor that was burning his heart, but Li Qiang couldn't take it anymore; his face turned red, and the effects of the alcohol were kicking in.

Li Qiang looked at Xia Yu calmly: "Brother Liu, do you think I'm a coward?"

Xia Yu remained silent, not saying a word, yet it seemed as if he had said something.

If he were in that situation, he would absolutely not tolerate it and would teach that young man a lesson.

But he is not Li Qiang.

"If it were me ten years ago, I would have done anything to prove myself." Li Qiang lowered his voice, took out a pack of cigarettes with a crumpled packaging that cost about ten yuan from his bag, took one out and lit it: "But none of that matters now."

“I also want to prove myself…” Li Qiang’s voice was suppressed, his face flushed as he smoked, as if venting his dissatisfaction: “But I’m short of money.”

"Getting beaten up and making so much money." Li Qiang smiled self-deprecatingly. "What a profitable deal."

"Drip."

Just then, Li Qiang's phone rang. It was an old cell phone, not even a smartphone, with only basic functions of making calls and sending and receiving text messages.

Seeing the name on the caller ID, Li Qiang sobered up considerably, then hung up the phone and refused to answer.

"Come, Brother Liu, let me toast you."

Li Qiang raised his glass high and drank it all in one gulp.

A few minutes later, after drinking three large glasses, Li Qiang also lost consciousness and collapsed drunk on the table.

Xia Yu was slightly dumbfounded by what he saw.

Dude, you got this drunk after just a plate of peanuts and a cucumber salad?

The food hasn't been served yet?

Xia Yu shook his head and walked towards the shop owner: "Boss, do you know him?"

"I know him, isn't this Li Qiang?" The boss recognized Li Qiang and said, "How did he get so drunk? I was just about to ask him what happened to the injury on his face."

Xia Yu briefly explained what had happened, looked at the drunk Li Qiang, and then took out his money to pay the bill, but was directly refused by the boss.

“You can just leave if you have something to do. I trust Brother Li’s character. Besides, it’s not much money. I’ll treat you.” The boss was a straightforward man from Northeast China: “Go ahead and do your thing. I’ll take Brother Li home later.”

Xia Yu nodded, then got up and left the restaurant.

…………

Chapter 617 (Two Chapters Combined) The Storm in Ice City

The encounter with Li Qiang was just a small episode in Xia Yu's mission.

To Xia Yu, Li Qiang was just an insignificant nobody, and he quickly forgot about him.

But the wheels of fate have already begun to turn.

Li Qiang, an ordinary person who isn't even a trainer, will have his fate changed from this moment on.

…………

A cold winter.

The main street of Harbin.

Xia Yu drove his old Cool Leopard car, swaying through the streets. When he arrived at the parking lot near the Longsha Group building, it was already around 2 p.m.

The afternoon sun shone on the ice city, adding a touch of warmth to this wintery city.

Sitting in the car, Xia Yu dialed "Lu's" number again.

"Hello," Xia Yu's voice rang out.

"Where did you go this morning?" came the voice of a deer on the other end of the phone, which, as always, was electronically synthesized and contained no useful information.

"Deer's" tone seemed to carry a hint of accusation: "The vehicle's location data shows that you went to the police station."

"There was a car accident this morning..." Xia Yu briefly explained what happened, including Li Qiang's identity information without concealing anything.

"Okay." The person on the other end of the phone simply replied with one word, and then said, "If you encounter something like this in the future, you can call me directly, and I will take care of it for you. Also, continue to keep an eye on Shi Tie."

"Shi Tie is currently at the Binghuang Hotel."

The deer's words made Xia Yu gasp for breath.

As expected... there were others monitoring Shi Tie besides himself.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be so clear about Shi Tie's whereabouts.

"it is good."

…………

After that, Xia Yu carried out his mission meticulously, monitoring Shi Tie, but ultimately gained nothing.

Shi Tie's life was very regular. Apart from work and social engagements, he had almost no entertainment activities, except for exercising with his young and beautiful wife.

And so it went on until the night of two days later.

Eleven o'clock at night.

Drunk and exhausted, Shi Tie returned home.

Xia Yu sat in the chair, watching Shi Tie go home, and immediately became alert, putting on his headphones to continue eavesdropping.

Working around the clock left Xia Yu with a hint of fatigue in his eyes.

…………

"Hello." Slightly tipsy, Shi Tie stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the brightly lit city, holding the phone in his hand, his eyes bright.

"I understand." Shi Tie's voice rang out, deep and serious: "Let's wait a little longer... The higher-ups are cracking down hard right now."

"Wait another week, give me a week."

"Don't worry... I know your clients are very anxious... but we are also facing difficulties right now."

"I'll figure something out..."

…………

The intermittent sound made Xia Yu frown.

The listening device could only hear Shi Tie's words, not the words spoken on the other end of the phone.

Therefore, Xia Yu could only deduce the complete course of events from fragments of information.

It's obvious that the caller was one of Shi Tie's clients.

He probably needs something, but because of the recent strict checks in Bingcheng, Shi Tie can't give it to him, which is why he called to urge him.

As for who this customer is, or what goods they need, there is absolutely no information.

After hanging up the phone, Shi Tie paced back and forth in front of the French windows, finally took out his phone, tapped incessantly on the screen to reply to a message, then turned off his phone and went back to his bedroom.

…………

Xia Yu watched this scene through the binoculars, frowned and pondered for a while, and decided to immediately report what he had just heard to Lu.