nagpurpolice Chapter 12: Collecting Gift Money, Asking a Question
Chapter 12: Collecting Gift Money, Asking a Question
As the sun sets,
Qin Chuan returned to the gathering place of beggars.
Inside the dilapidated house at this moment,
The beggars were gathered together talking about something.
Qin Chuan pushed open the door and entered.
The door creaked open, and everyone inside turned around.
A boy wearing a slightly worn blue cotton shirt and with his hair neatly tied back stood at the door.
The beggars were stunned for a moment, then waved their hands impatiently.
"You've come to the wrong door."
They assumed it was some respectable young man who had taken the wrong turn in the alley.
Unexpectedly, the respectable young man did not leave; instead, he walked straight in.
As the boy approached, the beggars inexplicably felt that the person in front of them seemed somewhat familiar.
A moment later,
Wang the Cripple recognized the person first: "Are you Qin Chuan?"
Upon hearing this,
The previously noisy room instantly fell silent, and everyone stared wide-eyed at the boy before them, awaiting his answer.
Qin Chuan did not deny it, and nodded, saying, "It's me."
These words caused the previously quiet environment to become lively again. All the beggars stared at Qin Chuan, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Is this Qin Chuan?"
"Why is he dressed like that?"
"Looks like this kid's struck it rich."
......
A murmur of discussion arose, and just then, a cold, ambiguous laugh came from the corner of the wall.
The skinny monkey sat leaning against the wall, looking Qin Chuan up and down, and curled his lip: "What's the point of dressing like this to show off? Even if you change your clothes, you're still a beggar just like us."
He chuckled a few times, then added, "Who knows, Zhou Bapi might strip these clothes off soon, and then he'll be naked, that would be quite a sight."
These words were harsh, and the room fell silent for a moment as the beggars looked at each other.
Wang the Cripple frowned and spat at the Skinny Monkey: "Can't you say something nice?"
"Hehe..." the skinny monkey scoffed, "I'm just telling the truth. If you don't want to hear it, you can plug your ears."
Wang the Cripple wanted to say a few more words, but Qin Chuan stopped him and then walked towards the Skinny Monkey.
The skinny monkey, who had initially maintained his arrogant expression, began to panic as Qin Chuan drew closer.
He had just been beaten so badly by Zhou Bapi that his skin was torn and bleeding, and the wounds on his back hadn't even scabbed over yet.
If he were to fight Qin Chuan, he would definitely be no match for him.
Seeing this, Skinny Monkey also started threatening, "If you dare touch me, I'll definitely tell Master Zhou that because you hit me, I can't get out, which is why I haven't been able to collect my money. And Master Zhou's whip isn't just for show!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan grinned, stood in front of him, and looked down at him.
The smile wasn't big, but it sent a chill down the skinny monkey's spine.
Next second,
Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Chuan activated the "Bully" skill of the [Thug] class and kicked out.
"Bang!"
Skinny Monkey was kicked backward, his head hitting the ground, and he fell to the ground. The impact tore open the wound on his back, causing him to faint from the pain and let out a pig-like scream.
"what!"
Feeling the pain in his back, the skinny monkey shouted hoarsely, "I'm going to appeal! I'm going to tell Master Zhou! You wait, Qin Chuan, you're going to get whipped!"
Hearing this, Qin Chuan ignored him and instead took out the wooden plaque, saying to the beggars beside him, "From now on, I will collect all your donations."
Upon hearing this, the beggars who had been watching the commotion were all stunned.
Although they were illiterate, they recognized the sign.
Black background with red lettering—the Iron Hands Gang's logo.
In this land, it is a symbol of power. Whoever holds this sign holds their lifeline.
"Who agrees?" Qin Chuan looked around, then into the eyes of the beggars. "Who objects?"
His voice wasn't loud, but with the added power of his "bullying" skills,
The beggars felt an invisible pressure bearing down on them, as if they were being stared at by some ferocious beast, making them feel uneasy and their backs cold.
They didn't dare to meet Qin Chuan's gaze and all lowered their heads.
No one speaks.
No one dared to say "oppose".
Qin Chuan's gaze swept across their faces one by one, finally landing on the skinny monkey in front of him.
The skinny monkey's wailing stopped abruptly.
He lay on the ground, head tilted back, eyes wide as he stared at the wooden plaque in Qin Chuan's hand, mouth agape, but unable to utter a single word.
The expression on his face changed from anger to astonishment, and then from astonishment to an indescribable fear.
A moment later,
A voice rang out.
"I...I agree."
It was Wang the Cripple who spoke. He walked up to Qin Chuan, took out three copper coins from his pocket, and placed them on the table beside him.
Then came the second, the third...
Soon all the beggars placed the coins they were supposed to hand over on the table.
Except for the skinny monkey.
The skinny monkey lay on the ground, and the look Qin Chuan gave him sent a chill down his spine.
He hurriedly reached into his pocket and pulled out three copper coins.
"I'll hand it over... I'll hand it over..."
As he spoke, he placed the copper coin on the table.
Seeing this, Qin Chuan spoke up: "Isn't that enough? You submitted yesterday's, but you haven't submitted today's yet."
Upon hearing this, the skinny monkey's eyes widened, and he retorted, "They all handed in three!"
Qin Chuan didn't reply, but just stared at him coldly.
The skinny monkey wanted to say something more, but then he shut his mouth.
He knew that Qin Chuan was doing it on purpose.
Because he had previously reported Zhou Bapi and gotten money from him, Zhou was deliberately retaliating against him.
But the skinny guy didn't dare not pay; according to the rules, he hadn't paid his share yesterday.
If he didn't hand it over, and Qin Chuan beat him to death according to the rules, he would have no recourse.
Thinking of this, the skinny monkey, though somewhat unwilling, obediently took out three more copper coins from his pocket and placed them on the table.
After paying his gift money, Skinny Monkey turned to leave, but Qin Chuan spoke up again: "Wait!"
Upon hearing this, the skinny monkey tensed up instantly, like a frightened bird.
He looked at Qin Chuan with a panicked expression on his face.
Seeing this, Qin Chuan grinned and said, "Don't worry, I just want to ask you a question."
Upon hearing this, the skinny monkey's heart skipped a beat.
Problem? What problem?
A thousand thoughts immediately raced through his mind.
The real question should be why I reported him in the first place and got two taels of silver in return?
Qin Chuan deliberately made him pay double the amount of money today, just to bring up old grievances.
Asking questions now is definitely an attempt to force him to admit to the despicable things he did back then.
Skinny Monkey broke out in a cold sweat as his mind raced, trying to figure out how to answer so as not to cause him any more trouble.
Admit your mistake? Beg for forgiveness? Or claim that you were forced by the ruthless landlord Zhou Bapi?
But the next problem Qin Chuan encountered was beyond his expectations.
"I'm going to the casino tomorrow. Do you think I can win any money?"
The skinny monkey was stunned for a moment.
He didn't expect Qin Chuan to ask this question.
It's not about admitting fault, not about pursuing the matter, and not about bringing up old grievances.
Instead, they asked if they could win money at a gambling den.
The skinny monkey blinked, momentarily unable to react.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then didn't know what to say.
A moment later, the skinny monkey had his answer.
Regardless of why Qin Chuan asked this question, there is only one answer.
He replied, "You can win money, you can win big money!"