Wuxia.today107 The Old Shop at Duck Pond Street 2in1
Chapter 107: The Old Shop at Duck Pond Street (2in1)
Guang Ting City had always been a locale of focus for Phecda because in this big and busy city, there were many things happening on the surface and even more underneath it. But Duck Pond Street at the fringe of the city was not a particularly busy commerce street. In fact, one could say it was quite abandoned. The businesses on this street were either shops that specialized in smuggled goods or ancient stores that did not have the revenue to move and were waiting for closure.
One of them was a small shop called Ol' Tong's Convenience Store. Its merchandise ranged from female garments to children toys, from cigarettes and alcohol to over the counter medicine. These items were placed haphazardly in the store that was less than thirty cubic meters in size, and most of them were covered in a layer of dust. Who knew how long they had been sitting there already? Just like the name of the street it was situated on, the whole shop had the feeling of abandonment and banality to it.
"This dress costs one hundred RMB? Damn, Ol' Tong, you might as well go and rob the bank!" A middle-aged woman was grousing at the shop owner while holding a dress with flowery prints. "My best offer is thirty RMB. Take it or leave it!"
Seeing this, the lady whipped her head around and almost ran into a customer who was standing outside the shop. It was a tall and muscular man, with an expression that seemed to glower at her. Her heart skipped a beat and hurried to leave. When she exited the shop, she realized there were a few black cars parked down the road, and there were more men and women standing there staking out Ol' Tong's Convenience Store.
Right then, a middle-aged man dressed in a western suit emerged from one of the cars. He was almost the same age as she was, but his physique was well kept, and his eyes were sharp. It seemed like time had left no traces on him. With the protection of the group of people who appeared to be his bodyguards, the middle-aged man headed toward the convenient store.
'My god, Ol' Tong has lost so much money in his gambling that he had to borrow from the mafia?' the middle-aged lady thought to herself. She walked even faster because she did not want to get involved should there be a fight. Everyone at Duck Pond Street knew that Ol' Tong had a proclivity for gambling and drinking. The man had a mouth that carried no praise as well. He owed so many people money and was truly a horrible man. Otherwise, how would he end up with no wife and children at his age? Staying alone in that old shop of his, if he had died inside, no one would know for months.
The lady turned back to look, and she chanced to see the middle-aged man walk into Ol' Tong's shop alone. The bodyguards had all stayed to guard outside the shop. 'I wonder who those people are...'
"Elder Tong, please don't toy with me." Lee Mingfan sighed with a bitter chuckle. "It was the higher ups who sent me here. There have been new changes to the situation. Your decision and suggestion for Phecda regarding that case... have all been brought out to be reviewed again."
By the end of the sentence, he could not stop his tone from getting animated. Elder Tong was a legendary character; his character profile was only fully accessible to B grade members. Even as the section leader, Lee Mingfan still had no idea about his true identity.
Back then, Elder Tong managed to solve multiple impossible cases at a very young age. He made his way up to become the leader of a now-abolished Special Mobile Force team in record time; rising to an important seat at the headquarters was only a matter of time. At the time, Lee Mingfan was only a normal G grade member at the Investigation Department. Elder Tong was an idol for him and his peers. But later, due to a mysterious case that remained unsolved to this day... Elder Tong 'lost his mind'. His S value dropped to below thirty, and he was branded as an extremely dangerous character. He was forced into retirement, and it had been thirty years since then. But now... Elder Tong's once 'words of incoherence' appeared to have all come true.
The higher ups at the headquarters understood that to deal with the situation they were facing, they needed Elder Tong back. Thirty years was enough to dull a sharp blade into rust, but the headquarters still had faith in Elder Tong and were willing to give him a chance.
"Have there been new developments... in that case?" Ol' Tong asked. Some seriousness finally entered his voice, and he even put down the lotto numbers.
"There have, but you will have to return to the headquarters to find out more." Lee Mingfan nodded seriously. "The higher ups know you are not satisfied with how they handled things back then, and thirty years of exile is an unfair punishment for you, but with the state of things now, we hope that whether it is for the sake of that case or the safety of the public, you will agree to return."
"To return?" Ol' Tong picked up the alcohol to drink and chuckled with almost a sneer. "Finally, people believe the nonsense about spells and cults that I spoke of?"
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Lee Mingfan was not surprised by Elder Tong's sarcastic jab. He was familiar with Elder Tong's personality.
"You want me to get out of retirement, yes? Two conditions."
Ol' Tong looked at Lee Mingfan but spoke into the bug.
"One, reopen that old case; two, give me this Gu Jun."
Guang Ting City had always been a locale of focus for Phecda because in this big and busy city, there were many things happening on the surface and even more underneath it. But Duck Pond Street at the fringe of the city was not a particularly busy commerce street. In fact, one could say it was quite abandoned. The businesses on this street were either shops that specialized in smuggled goods or ancient stores that did not have the revenue to move and were waiting for closure.
One of them was a small shop called Ol' Tong's Convenience Store. Its merchandise ranged from female garments to children toys, from cigarettes and alcohol to over the counter medicine. These items were placed haphazardly in the store that was less than thirty cubic meters in size, and most of them were covered in a layer of dust. Who knew how long they had been sitting there already? Just like the name of the street it was situated on, the whole shop had the feeling of abandonment and banality to it.
"This dress costs one hundred RMB? Damn, Ol' Tong, you might as well go and rob the bank!" A middle-aged woman was grousing at the shop owner while holding a dress with flowery prints. "My best offer is thirty RMB. Take it or leave it!"
Seeing this, the lady whipped her head around and almost ran into a customer who was standing outside the shop. It was a tall and muscular man, with an expression that seemed to glower at her. Her heart skipped a beat and hurried to leave. When she exited the shop, she realized there were a few black cars parked down the road, and there were more men and women standing there staking out Ol' Tong's Convenience Store.
Right then, a middle-aged man dressed in a western suit emerged from one of the cars. He was almost the same age as she was, but his physique was well kept, and his eyes were sharp. It seemed like time had left no traces on him. With the protection of the group of people who appeared to be his bodyguards, the middle-aged man headed toward the convenient store.
'My god, Ol' Tong has lost so much money in his gambling that he had to borrow from the mafia?' the middle-aged lady thought to herself. She walked even faster because she did not want to get involved should there be a fight. Everyone at Duck Pond Street knew that Ol' Tong had a proclivity for gambling and drinking. The man had a mouth that carried no praise as well. He owed so many people money and was truly a horrible man. Otherwise, how would he end up with no wife and children at his age? Staying alone in that old shop of his, if he had died inside, no one would know for months.
The lady turned back to look, and she chanced to see the middle-aged man walk into Ol' Tong's shop alone. The bodyguards had all stayed to guard outside the shop. 'I wonder who those people are...'
"Elder Tong, please don't toy with me." Lee Mingfan sighed with a bitter chuckle. "It was the higher ups who sent me here. There have been new changes to the situation. Your decision and suggestion for Phecda regarding that case... have all been brought out to be reviewed again."
By the end of the sentence, he could not stop his tone from getting animated. Elder Tong was a legendary character; his character profile was only fully accessible to B grade members. Even as the section leader, Lee Mingfan still had no idea about his true identity.
Back then, Elder Tong managed to solve multiple impossible cases at a very young age. He made his way up to become the leader of a now-abolished Special Mobile Force team in record time; rising to an important seat at the headquarters was only a matter of time. At the time, Lee Mingfan was only a normal G grade member at the Investigation Department. Elder Tong was an idol for him and his peers. But later, due to a mysterious case that remained unsolved to this day... Elder Tong 'lost his mind'. His S value dropped to below thirty, and he was branded as an extremely dangerous character. He was forced into retirement, and it had been thirty years since then. But now... Elder Tong's once 'words of incoherence' appeared to have all come true.
The higher ups at the headquarters understood that to deal with the situation they were facing, they needed Elder Tong back. Thirty years was enough to dull a sharp blade into rust, but the headquarters still had faith in Elder Tong and were willing to give him a chance.
"Have there been new developments... in that case?" Ol' Tong asked. Some seriousness finally entered his voice, and he even put down the lotto numbers.
"There have, but you will have to return to the headquarters to find out more." Lee Mingfan nodded seriously. "The higher ups know you are not satisfied with how they handled things back then, and thirty years of exile is an unfair punishment for you, but with the state of things now, we hope that whether it is for the sake of that case or the safety of the public, you will agree to return."
"To return?" Ol' Tong picked up the alcohol to drink and chuckled with almost a sneer. "Finally, people believe the nonsense about spells and cults that I spoke of?"
try {
window._mNHandle.queue.push(function () {
window._mNDetails.loadTag("386623558", "300x250", "386623558");
});
}
catch (error) {
}
Lee Mingfan was not surprised by Elder Tong's sarcastic jab. He was familiar with Elder Tong's personality.
"You want me to get out of retirement, yes? Two conditions."
Ol' Tong looked at Lee Mingfan but spoke into the bug.
"One, reopen that old case; two, give me this Gu Jun."