The officer at the detention center had mentioned that Zhang Haobai had asked Zhou Huayang for help in arranging people to deal with him.

"You are Zhou Huayang?" Luo Feng allowed a subtle smile to surface.

Zhou Huayang felt a jolt in his gut. Under Luo Feng's gaze, he couldn't help but feel a surge of panic. He had every reason to be uneasy; if Luo Feng truly set out to deal with him, he would be in serious trouble. Zhou Huayang maintained his placid smile. "Indeed, it is I. Brother Luo, shall we find a quiet spot nearby to talk?"

"That would be fine," Luo Feng nodded. "I do have matters to discuss with you."

××××××

On a street not far from the South Bank residential area, there was a 'Yangzhou Bathhouse.' This establishment was considered quite upscale; even a small private suite had a minimum charge of one thousand yuan. Although Luo Feng had heard of the place, he had never stepped inside until now, bringing his younger brother and Zhou Huayang along this time.

The Yangzhou Bathhouse was a comprehensive facility integrating bathing, foot massage, and leisure activities.

"Alright, you can step out now. I'll call you if I need anything," Zhou Huayang instructed in one of the private suites at the Yangzhou Bathhouse.

"Yes, sir," the attendant replied before exiting the room.

This suite comprised three distinct rooms: one was the bath chamber, dedicated solely to soaking. The second was the lounge, suitable for sipping tea or conducting business discussions. The third was the entertainment room, equipped for surfing the internet, watching television, or singing.

"Ahua, you stay in this room and enjoy yourself. I need to discuss some things with Zhou Huayang," Luo Feng said with a smile.

"Go ahead, Brother," Luo Hua replied, pulling the levers on his wheelchair, which glided smoothly toward the computer setup. Luo Hua sounded genuinely excited. "Tsk, tsk, a 46-inch ultra-thin screen, voice control system—this is fantastic."

Luo Feng couldn't help but sigh inwardly. His own family’s laptop was the lowest-tier model, still running a manual operating system, costing just a few hundred yuan—dirt cheap. Yet, some of the current luxury notebooks were almost entirely 'voice-controlled,' and the top-tier models reportedly even featured 'three-dimensional virtual holographic projection.'

Of course, equipment capable of 3D virtual projection was astronomically expensive, the stuff of legend; even a typical wealthy family might have to bankrupt themselves to afford one.

His brother, Luo Hua, was excitedly experimenting with the voice control system at the computer. Meanwhile, Luo Feng and Zhou Huayang retreated into the lounge.

Click. The door shut behind them, and Luo Feng and Zhou Huayang sat facing each other in the quiet space.

"Brother Luo, please have some tea." Zhou Huayang picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Luo Feng, his face etched with shame. "Brother Luo, I came today to offer you my sincerest apology! Regarding that incident... alas, I am truly embarrassed and ashamed to even speak of it!"

Luo Feng held his teacup, listening silently.

Zhou Huayang...

There were many people like him in society, those with extensive connections. Their job was to take money and execute tasks for others. Zhou Huayang, similarly, had been paid to act. Before this, he had absolutely no prior grievance with Luo Feng. Luo Feng held no great resentment toward Zhou Huayang either. Luo Feng's true anger was directed at Zhang Haobai.

"Even if Zhang Haobai hadn't hired Zhou Huayang to deal with me, he would have found someone else," Luo Feng mused to himself. "Zhou Huayang is merely an intermediary. Still, since he came to me, I might as well settle this matter privately with him."

Seeing Luo Feng remain silent, Zhou Huayang pressed on. "When I arranged for people to deal with you, Brother Luo, I was completely unaware of your situation beforehand. Zhang Haobai misled me, which is why I committed such a foolish act! I beg Brother Luo to be magnanimous and spare this subordinate."

"Spare you?" Luo Feng grinned slightly.

"This is just a small token of my sincerity, which I hope Brother Luo will accept." Zhou Huayang retrieved an envelope from his coat and placed it on the table, pushing it toward Luo Feng. "This is a named check from China Merchants Bank; the payee is Brother Luo. Only you can cash this money. You can collect it at any branch of China Merchants Bank."

Luo Feng glanced at it, then opened the envelope. Inside was indeed a check, payable to Luo Feng, with his ID number attached. The payment deadline was ten days.

Of course, the most eye-catching part was that line of text—

ONE MILLION YUAN ONLY!

"One million?" Luo Feng was mildly startled. This was a substantial sum. His family hadn't saved up that much in all their years; the Chinese Yuan was quite valuable, and even for CEOs of companies, one million Yuan was a huge figure.

"I hope Brother Luo can forgive me, and we can let this matter drop," Zhou Huayang pleaded earnestly.

One million...

Luo Feng’s family had never possessed such wealth. It seemed foolish to refuse money when it was offered freely.

"I understand you were just the middleman, and I won't make things difficult for you. Fine, I accept this money," Luo Feng nodded, and Zhou Huayang immediately let out a breath of relief.

"However, cashing this check is a bit troublesome. How about you transfer the funds directly to my account right now via the network?" Luo Feng suggested.

"Agreed," Zhou Huayang replied readily.

Luo Feng nodded, picked up a pen from the table, and wrote his bank account number and the name of the issuing bank on a blank sheet of paper. "This is my bank card account number, and the branch address is here. The account holder is myself."

"Understood." Zhou Huayang took back the envelope and the check. He then pulled out his mobile phone, swiftly navigated to the banking system online, and within moments, the transfer was successfully completed.

Luo Feng felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and saw a text message—a notification from the bank confirming that his account balance had increased by 1,000,000.

"It arrived?" Zhou Huayang asked with a smile.

"Mmm," Luo Feng confirmed.

Zhou Huayang smiled brightly. "Brother Luo handles things straightforwardly. In Yangzhou City, if you ever have trouble you can't solve, just find me. If I can help, I definitely will. Of course, Brother Luo will soon be a Martial Artist, but while the King of Hell is easy to deal with, the minor devils are troublesome. It's often easier for people like us to handle those minor messes."

"Alright, I’ll be sure to call on you if needed." Luo Feng stood up.

Zhou Huayang immediately rose as well, and the two shook hands.

"Then I'll take my leave," Zhou Huayang said cheerfully. "I’ve already paid for this suite; Brother Luo and your brother can enjoy it until morning." With that, Zhou Huayang bid farewell to Luo Feng’s younger brother, Luo Hua, and exited the suite.

Only the two brothers, Luo Feng and Luo Hua, remained.

In the entertainment room of the suite.

"Brother, why did that man come to see you?" Luo Hua asked with a laugh. "He seemed very polite."

"He came to deliver money to us," Luo Feng chuckled.

"Deliver money?" Luo Hua was astonished.

Luo Feng hadn't told his parents or brother about the incident at the detention center. He didn't want his parents to worry. In Luo Feng's view, having chosen the path of a Martial Artist, there would be endless hardships and dangers ahead; it was better not to burden his parents with these risks.

"Yes. By the way, Ahua," Luo Feng said with a smile, "how are your stock market ventures going?"

His brother Ahua, confined to home for many years, had developed a keen interest in finance, especially the stock market. Despite his young age, the brother had been trading for three years now.

"I didn't make money the first year, but I've done quite well in the last two, doubling my investment. I have over twenty thousand yuan now," Luo Hua reported.

"That much?" Luo Feng was genuinely surprised.

It wasn't the twenty thousand yuan itself that surprised Luo Feng, but his brother’s efficiency in earning it! Doubling the investment was a frightening rate of return!

"Not bad," Luo Hua laughed. "Actually, playing the stock market is half psychology, half mathematics. As long as you control your positions properly, gradually buying in to keep your average purchase price low, and following the lead of the major players behind the scenes, it’s easy to manage... it’s just that sometimes market volatility affects one’s composure. Not making money the first year was because I often got scared and sold too early."

Luo Feng listened, utterly bewildered.

"My earnings are nothing special. Expert traders handling futures and other instruments—if I double my stock investment, they can earn tenfold or twentyfold. Of course, futures are much riskier; one wrong move leading to forced liquidation, and everything is gone," Luo Hua shook his head.

Although Luo Feng didn't understand the specifics...

He did grasp one point: making money in stocks operates on the principle of compounding.

For example, his brother went from a few thousand to twenty thousand over three years. But if his starting capital had been one million, he might have four million now. With four million as a base, he could potentially reach sixteen million.

Money breeding money—it became exponentially more dramatic over time.

"Ahua, I'll give you 500,000 later," Luo Feng said, smiling. "Keep working hard."

"Five hundred thousand?" His brother Luo Hua's eyes lit up with excitement. "The market plunged hard today; it’s the perfect time to buy the dip and make a huge profit." Having shared a room with his brother for years, Luo Feng had long noticed that his brother always hoped for the stock market to crash, while their neighbor, Uncle Wang, always prayed for it to surge.

His brother made money trading stocks; Uncle Wang lost money.

Did experts all hope for market downturns? Luo Feng pondered inwardly.

"Oh, Brother, where did you get the money?" Luo Hua pressed immediately.

"From that Zhou Huayang just now," Luo Feng replied with a smile. "Brother, take this money and use it. When your brother becomes a Martial Artist, there will be plenty more where that came from." Ordinary Martial Artists weren't necessarily great earners, but... Luo Feng was acutely aware of his own strength; his ability to control objects alone was more terrifying than a heavy machine gun!

After all, bullets travel in a straight line, whereas the spikes Luo Feng controlled could change direction instantly.

"The practical combat assessment for Martial Artists is on August 1st. After passing, my Martial Artist career will begin." Luo Feng squeezed the teacup in his right hand slightly tighter, and crack! The cup shattered instantly, splashing tea everywhere.

His brother Luo Hua jumped in alarm. "Brother, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Luo Feng shook his head with a smile.

But inwardly, he thought: While in the detention center cell, cultivating my Gene Energy, my strength suddenly jumped significantly. Then my ability awakened, increasing my power even more! Now my strength and speed are vastly superior to before. However, such rapid growth isn't entirely a good thing. I lack fine control over my strength.

Getting agitated, he had crushed the teacup—a clear sign that his power control was insufficient.

"Mmm, first thing tomorrow morning, I’ll head to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. From today until August 1st, these twenty-odd days, I need to cultivate diligently. I must hone and master my current speed, strength, and so forth, to utilize my full potential," Luo Feng resolved internally.

—————— P: I need recommendation votes!

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