An Incident?

Looking at the numerous missed calls, Ye Chen immediately knew something had gone wrong.

Without hesitation, he answered, "Did that lunatic Feng Liang get into trouble at the Heavenly Palace Club?"

"Ye-ge... Feng Liang... he... he's dead!"

The voice on the other end trembled, filled with fear. Zhang Jingshan sounded like his very soul was shaking.

Dead?

Although Ye Chen had anticipated such an outcome — in fact, it was the result he aimed for — he still froze momentarily upon hearing the news.

"Barely five minutes after we left last night, a group of drunk thugs stormed into the Heavenly Palace Club. It was that girl Feng Liang had threatened who called them. At first, they just wanted to take the girl away, but Feng Liang, being the lunatic he is, refused to let her go. He even said something like, 'I won't back down even if the King of Heaven himself comes!' Then he smashed a bottle over one of their heads.

"These thugs were already loose cannons, and with the alcohol fueling them, Feng Liang's provocation pushed them over the edge. They didn't care that he was the son of an official or a rich kid — they pulled out knives and started slashing. Feng Liang was stabbed twenty-seven times and bled to death on the spot. Liang Hongbo, his lackey, took seven cuts, with his Achilles tendon severed!

"Everyone present, whether they got involved or not, got slashed to some extent. The thugs were completely crazed, indiscriminately attacking anyone in sight. If the club's security hadn't arrived when they did, Feng Liang wouldn't have been the only one dead."

"Ye-ge, if you hadn't told us to leave, if we'd stayed even a few minutes longer, we'd probably have been stabbed too. Maybe even killed for no reason! I haven't been able to sleep since I found out. The more I think about it, the more terrified I get."

Zhang Jingshan's voice trembled more and more as he spoke, gripped by fear. This was the closest he'd ever come to death — just a matter of minutes separating him from being part of the massacre.

Though Ye Chen had saved him from life-altering dangers before, those incidents didn't leave a visible impact. This time, however, was different.

The photos...

The blood-soaked floor...

The images of flesh torn apart, fresh blood everywhere...

Feng Liang's body, stabbed over twenty times, lying in a pool of blood...

Even though he'd only seen photos, Zhang Jingshan couldn't shake the fear.

If they'd stayed a few minutes longer, they'd have ended up as part of those horrific images.

Or worse, died alongside that lunatic Feng Liang for no reason.

"It's that bad?"

Ye Chen frowned. The severity of the situation surprised him.

Was the version of events that spread online in his past life downplayed? Or had the slight alterations he made to the timeline caused this escalation?

"Yes, it's that bad! The Heavenly Palace Club is already cordoned off with police tape. Those thugs have all been arrested. Since the victims include rich and influential second-generation heirs, the city police are treating this case very seriously. The police chief didn't even sleep last night, holding an emergency meeting instead. They're likely going to suppress the news to prevent a public outcry."

"And Ye-ge, because we were there, the police might..."

Zhang Jingshan's voice trailed off, still trembling.

Knock, knock, knock.

Before he could finish, there was a knock at Ye Chen's door.

"Talk later!" Ye Chen interrupted, walking over to open the door of his rented apartment.

Standing outside were several police officers in uniform.

"Is Ye Chen living here?" one of them asked, scanning Ye Chen with a look of doubt.

Someone who hangs out at the Heavenly Palace Club... lives in a place like this?

Someone who socializes with the rich and powerful... staying in such a shabby rental?

"Yes, I'm Ye Chen," he replied calmly.

"Hello, we're from the city police department. Here's my badge," one officer said, briefly showing his ID. "Were you on the seventh floor of the Heavenly Palace Club between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. last night?"

"Yes, that's correct," Ye Chen replied without a trace of panic.

"After you left the club, an incident occurred. We need you to come to the station to assist with the investigation," the officer explained.

"Alright, just give me a moment," Ye Chen said, nodding calmly.

His composed demeanor left the officers visibly puzzled.

Most people, upon hearing they needed to assist in a police investigation, would at least show some unease.

Yet Ye Chen didn't so much as flinch.

Ignoring their reactions, Ye Chen grabbed his phone. "You heard all that, right? Let's talk later," he said, ending his call with Zhang Jingshan without waiting for a reply.

"Let's go," he said, pocketing his phone and stepping out of the apartment.

As they reached the street, Ye Chen suddenly paused. "Oh, can I drive my own car to the station?" he asked.

"Uh... sure," one officer replied.

With a faint smile, Ye Chen pulled out the key to his G-Class SUV and unlocked it. The headlights flashed as the doors unlocked.

The officers stared in disbelief.

A G-Wagon worth over two million yuan? That's a luxury even many people in upscale neighborhoods wouldn't buy.

Yet here was this guy, living in a cheap, rundown rental in an urban village, driving one?

Considering he'd been at the Heavenly Palace Club and associated with wealthy second-generation heirs, the situation left them utterly bewildered.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jingshan, now left with a dead line, couldn't stay calm either.

Though Ye Chen being called in for questioning was routine, he couldn't just sit idly by.

At the very least, he needed to gather some backup to make sure the police didn't overstep or drag things out unnecessarily.

Without hesitation, he began making calls — to Li Changfeng, Zhao Jiwei, Xu Wenhui, and Qiu Yingzhe. Not one was left out.

After hearing Zhang Jingshan's explanation, all of them — though not yet called in by the police — headed straight for the station without hesitation.

Xu Wenhui and Qiu Yingzhe, in particular, were especially eager. They knew full well that if not for Ye Chen's advice to leave, they wouldn't be safe and sound now.

Instead, they'd likely have been prime targets for those thugs due to their association with Feng Liang.

And they were absolutely right.

Had Ye Chen not intervened out of a small sense of goodwill, they would've ended up as either a cripple or a comatose victim.