Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 78: Not At All

Early the next morning, as Yang Chen arrived at the office with bags of breakfast in hand, he noticed that the office was unusually lively, filled with the chattering of beautiful women more than usual.

A group of stylishly dressed and fragrant OLs squeezed together, surrounding the notice board on the wall of the office, giggling and discussing something.

For the first time, no one came to welcome him when he brought breakfast, which made Yang Chen feel a bit down. Curiously, he walked over to take a look and found it was a notice about the team's holiday trip.

The perks at Yulei International were renowned throughout the Mediterranean, so every year the company organized trips for its members to various destinations for relaxation and team bonding.

With an excited face and rosy cheeks, Zhang Cai greeted Yang Chen as he approached, laughing and patting his chest, "Yang Chen, look, there are so many options for this year's trip! I don't even know where to choose!"

Taking a closer look at the options listed on the notice, Yang Chen indeed found a variety of choices. There were diverse domestic routes such as Yunnan, Northwest, and the Pearl River Delta, as well as international destinations like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. Of course, the expenses varied depending on the location, so the organization was divided into batches and adjusted financially. Any remaining travel funds would be distributed to employees as bonuses.

"What are you all choosing?" Yang Chen asked.

"Of course, Japan! It's in winter, and we can go to Hokkaido to see the snow, how romantic!" exclaimed an excited young woman.

"I want to go to South Korea! Maybe I'll run into some handsome celebrities."

"I bet you're going for plastic surgery! Haha..."

"You're asking for it..."

The group of playful women burst into laughter.

Liu Mingyu, with keen interest, smiled and asked, "Yang Chen, where do you want to go? You must choose, it's a team activity, not participating will be collectively scorned."

"Well..." Yang Chen hadn't really planned to go. After all, he had just returned to the country a little over half a year ago and didn't feel like traveling abroad again. But upon hearing that not choosing might upset the beautiful women, he awkwardly smiled and said, "I'll go wherever you all go. Actually, I think domestic scenic spots are fine. It's not fun to go too far. Other countries don't have scenery as beautiful as ours."

"Hmph," Zhao Hongyan wrinkled her nose, "Of course, you'd say that since you're back from abroad. We rarely go overseas; some of us haven't even been on a plane a few times."

"Yeah, that's right, just follow us and help carry our bags," Zhang Cai exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands before happily trotting off to get breakfast.

As the office buzzed with enthusiastic discussion, Mo Qian Ni suddenly walked in, wearing a sleek light gray suit dress, carrying a white ladies' briefcase. With silver-rimmed round glasses and an aura of a strong woman, she strode in, sending a chill through the room.

The office instantly quieted down as the female employees timidly returned to their seats, sneaking glances at their boss, no longer daring to make noise.

Mo Qian Ni's entrance brought about hushed murmurs among the female colleagues.

"The department head seems to be in a bad mood these days."

"Maybe the workload is heavy. Although she's a vice president, it's not an easy job."

"Could it be early menopause?"

"Shh... be careful not to be overheard!"

Yang Chen was somewhat surprised. It seemed Mo Qian Ni had been visiting Lin Ruoxi less these days, and today she hadn't even taken breakfast from his desk. It appeared that she was truly preoccupied with something.

...

Just as evening approached and Yang Chen was debating whether to visit the Li family, as he hadn't been in contact with them recently and missed Li Jingjing, he received a call from Wang Mama.

"Master, there's someone looking for you," Wang Mama said over the phone.

"Someone? Who?" Yang Chen couldn't recall anyone he knew who would know where he lived.

"I'm not sure, but they don't seem like bad people. They all look decent, but they speak a bit forcefully."

"All of them? What do you mean?" Yang Chen grew even more curious.

"You better come home and see for yourself, Master," Wang Mama replied, equally puzzled.

Upon arriving home, Yang Chen noticed two black Passats parked in front of the villa, but what caught his attention were the license plates: 0007 and 0008, with conspicuous red lettering. Although Yang Chen wasn't very familiar with certain departments in Huaxia, he knew well enough that such cars definitely had official backgrounds.

Before Yang Chen could step inside, several men in black suits emerged from the house, their expressions serious, with a hint of arrogance, and their chests muscular and imposing.

"Are you Mr. Yang?" a tall man asked, his tone commanding. "Please come with us."

The command in his tone didn't sit well with Yang Chen, who naturally didn't show them a pleasant expression. Command him? There hadn't been anyone capable of doing that in this world for the past decade.

"And who might you be, and where do you expect me to go with you? I'm not a three-year-old child. You're not planning to abduct me, are you?" Yang Chen quipped with a slight smirk.

The tall man's tone turned cold. "You don't need to ask questions. Just do as we say. You have no right to question."

"Since when did Huaxia become a feudal or slave society? There should be some respect for personal freedom. Dragging me away without any explanation sounds a lot like kidnapping," Yang Chen retorted.

The tall man sneered. "Yang Chen, let me ask you again, are you coming or not? Your words mean nothing to us!"

Just then, Wang Mama emerged from the house and, seeing the scene, exclaimed, "What's wrong with you people? Our young master is not a criminal. Why do you think you can just take him away?!"

In Wang Mama's eyes, Yang Chen was the master of this household, the backbone of her and Lin Ruoxi. Even if Lin Ruoxi didn't think so, Wang Mama had long considered Yang Chen as family. Now, seeing this group of people attempting to take Yang Chen away by force, she naturally refused to stand by silently.

Annoyance flashed in the tall man's eyes. With a wave of his hand, one of the suited men behind him immediately grabbed Wang Mama's hands and dragged her back into the house, ignoring her protests.

Witnessing this, Yang Chen narrowed his eyes. He couldn't care less about the background of these people or whether it would provoke the hidden forces in Huaxia. While such actions might cause trouble, at this moment, seeing them bullying Wang Mama, a defenseless woman, was intolerable.

"You're not going back today," Yang Chen said coldly as he pocketed the keys to his BMW.

The tall man understood Yang Chen's implication and burst into arrogant laughter. "Yang Chen, when we say 'please,' it's us showing you respect. The one who wants to meet you, it's a fortune you've accumulated over lifetimes. Honestly, according to our standards, we could've just arrested you as a suspected criminal and be done with it. But that person is magnanimous and wants to meet you first. Don't be so arrogant, thinking your skills are impressive. In our eyes, you're nothing!"

"You talk too much," Yang Chen said impatiently as he strode towards the tall man.

A glint of fierceness flashed in the tall man's eyes as he shouted, "Get him!"

Several burly men in suits immediately rushed towards Yang Chen, their iron-like hands attempting to grab his arms.

Yang Chen wasn't going to let them have their way. Before their hands could touch his arms, he formed his hands into hooks and lightly pecked at the wrists of the two men!

"Ow!"

The two men didn't even have time to react before they felt excruciating pain in their wrists as if their bones were being severed.

But before the men could strike again, Yang Chen opened his arms and hooked around their necks, pulling fiercely towards the center!

"Bang!"

The two men's heads collided, and they slumped unconscious to the ground!

"You might as well all come at once. I can't be bothered to catch you one by one," Yang Chen continued towards the tall man, his face revealing a hint of inexplicable fervor amidst his cold demeanor.

These people had truly provoked him, igniting a long-dormant flame within his blood.

Finally realizing that the situation wasn't simple, the tall man's expression turned solemn and grim. His muscles tensed, and he signaled to the others around him. Five or six people surrounded Yang Chen.

These individuals clearly had experience in tactical encirclement and were trained in military martial arts. Their movements were swift and brutal, and once they entered combat mode, they were focused and determined.

People often said that strength lies in numbers, but in the face of absolute power, everything seemed pale and feeble!

Before the group could coordinate their attack, Yang Chen reached out with one hand straight towards the tall man's neck!

"You're thinking too simply!" The tall man felt that Yang Chen was looking down on him, hence why he attacked so directly. With a furious spin, he delivered a roundhouse kick straight towards Yang Chen's arm!

Yang Chen chuckled lightly, his arm still unaffected as he reached for the tall man. Despite being hit hard by the shoe, his arm remained steady, continuing its trajectory towards the tall man's neck!

A chill ran through the tall man's heart as he realized the strength behind his kick. Normally, even a large marble brick would have been shattered by now! This man! Was he made of iron?!

Before the tall man could ponder further, Yang Chen darted forward like lightning, grabbing the tall man's neck and lifting him effortlessly from the ground, resisting the urge to snap his neck, and casually hoisting him up as if he were lifting a small bird.

The henchmen who were about to attack were stunned into silence by this sight. They had expected their captain's powerful roundhouse kick to incapacitate the man, but it seemed to have no effect whatsoever!

As the tall man dangled helplessly in the air, his attempts to strike Yang Chen with his hands and feet were feeble. Yang Chen merely tightened his grip slightly, causing the tall man to struggle for breath, his face pale and covered in cold sweat, utterly powerless to resist any further.

"I'll give you back what you said earlier: in my eyes, you're nothing..."