21 Blackmail and Threats

In any case, there was nothing we could do for now. We returned to the academy and submitted a report, and Xiao Zhang promised that he would look into it for us.

"I'll investigate it," he had declared. "And if Mu Rong Shao really is behind this, I don't care how arrogant the Mu Rong family is or how highly they think of themselves. We'll be bringing them down."

Then the weekend came, and there wasn't much else I could do except go home. However, there was something different about the return trip this time.

"Do you mind if I visit your home?" Lisa asked enthusiastically. She had wanted to go on a date during the weekend, and my reply was that I wanted to check on my family.

"Um, sure." I thought for a bit. "And we can go wherever you want to go after that."

"That will be great!" Lisa looked pleased. "I'll wait for you outside the dormitory then!"

The weekend came shortly, being just the next day after we came back from the mission regarding the grotesque. Lisa was dressed in a white and slightly blue dress that fitted her golden blond hair. She smiled when she spotted me bringing a bag.

"I usually stay in my parents' home for the weekend," I explained to her. "What about you? Are you returning to the dorm, or will you be going home?"

"Hmm, I guess I can go home." Lisa thought for a bit. At least she wasn't asking if she could stay over in my house. Given that we had only just started our relationship recently, it wouldn't be appropriate.

The trip to my home from the academy took about half an hour by bus. Lisa didn't seem to be used to taking public transport, and she peered out of the window curiously, trying to make sense of the sights and sounds.

"You usually move around in a car?" I asked. Lisa nodded guiltily, even though there was nothing for her to be ashamed of.

"Yes. My family is affluent. Not as wealthy as the major families because we're from another place, but we're still considered expatriates." She smiled. "So if you get into any trouble, let me know. There isn't much we can do, but we do still have some influence."

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

We got off the bus and strolled toward my home. I was about to call out when I caught sight of my parents, but stopped when I heard sounds of an argument. At first, I panicked when I thought my parents were quarreling, but then I heard another man's voice.

"Don't you think you're being unreasonable?" Dad was snapping. "Forcing us to sell our house? Fine, let's say you really intend to buy up all the property here to build a new industrial facility. Even so, your compensation is too low! Do you think we're ignorant? The price you're offering to buy out our house is more than 30% below the market price!"

"So what?" The other man sneered. "Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

"Do you think we're so easily bullied?" Mom demanded. The man laughed.

"Of course! If you don't comply…" He lowered his voice. "Then don't blame me when a gang of thugs visit your house later and smash everything. They'll continue to visit everyday until you sell."

"This is illegal!" Mom protested. "I'll call the police!"

The other man laughed again. "The police? Do you think they can do anything to us? We have the Mu Rong family backing us."

"So what?" Dad snapped. "Mr. Yoo, do you think I'm afraid of the Mu Rong family?"

"If you aren't yet, then you should be. Blame your son for offending someone he can't afford to offend. Oh, never mind…he can't, because he's dead!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mom sounded flustered and on the verge of tears. I exchanged a glance with Lisa, who looked worried, and the both of us hurried over. Rounding the corner, I caught sight of a fat man with a cigar clenched between his teeth. He looked to be about forty, but his blubber and squirming mass made him resemble a blob.

So this was Mr. Yoo.

He was accompanied by his daughter, who looked nothing like him. Apparently she was supposed to be beautiful, with long hair and legs, but her face looked weird if you ask me. That didn't stop her from being popular in her school, where she was called the queen bee or some bullshit title. Don't ask me what that meant, apparently it was a Korean thing.

She wasn't an evolver, thankfully, so I didn't have to see her stupid face so frequently.

I knew Mr. Yoo and his daughter, Darla Yoo, because they had been trying to buy out our property for a while now, and they would sometimes come harass the families living in this block. However, they hadn't been so bold in the past. However, the mention of the Mu Rong family explained why they suddenly gained the courage to act so brazenly.

"Zhi Ming! You're back!" Mom sounded relieved. Both Mr. Yoo and Darla Yoo spun around in disbelief.

"Impossible!" Mr. Yoo spluttered. "How…?"

"Why?" I asked, tilting my head to the side and narrowing my eyes. "What's so hard to believe about me returning home?"

"But you're supposed to be dead!" Darla blurted out. I glared at her.

"What's that supposed to mean? Why am I supposed to be dead?"

"Young master Mu Rong Shao hired an assassin from Dark Shadow Guild to kill you!" Darla exclaimed. "There's no way you could have survived that!"

"You idiot!" Her father yelled and clamped a meaty hand over her mouth, silencing her. He turned very pale and looked around before dragging his daughter away. He turned back to my parents to hiss a final warning. "If you don't sell at the price I offer, then prepare to be in a world of pain."

"Do you think you can get away with threatening my parents?" I asked coldly. Mr. Yoo snorted.

"What are you going to do? So what if you're an evolver? If you make a move against normal people like us, it's a serious offense."

Yet this moron thought he could go around blackmailing and threatening people, resorting to violent tactics to force a sale. Fortunately, I had everything recorded. We were going to the police after this. For now, I watched Mr. Yoo and Darla leave frantically, no doubt terrified that I had defied all odds to return alive. Despite his bluster, Mr. Yoo was aware that he couldn't do anything to an evolver either.

"Sorry you had to see that," Dad said and shook his head wearily. Mom blinked when she caught sight of Lisa and brightened up.

"This is…?"

"I'm Lisa." She bowed politely. "Hello, uncle, auntie. I'm Zhi Ming's girlfriend. We just started dating this week."

"My, my!" Mom's hand flew to her mouth in delight. "This is great news! We need to celebrate!"

"Yes." Dad nodded, pleased. "We'll have dinner tonight. Please join us, Lisa."

"Thank you." she hesitated for a moment. "About earlier…I think I can help you. Please allow me to contact my uncle. We'll do something about those blackmailers."

"There's no need for you to do that. We appreciate it, but we will just report this to the police."

"Yes, you should. But I'll also do what I can, I believe Uncle Cole has contacts within the police. We can ensure that they take action."

We spent the next couple of hours going through those legal processes and making contact with the relevant authorities or people. Once that was done, evening finally came and we could go for the dinner that Dad promised.

My parents took to Lisa favorably, liking her polite and innocent personality. Lisa was nervous at first, but she slowly relaxed as the evening passed, speaking to my mom and answering several of her questions.

"Huh, I didn't figure that your type was the shy and innocent kind, bro."

"What kind of girls did you think my type was?" I retorted, rolling my eyes at Zhi Yong's remark. He shrugged.

"Um, I never really thought about it," he admitted. I sighed and changed the topic.

"The plasma rifles you built for me, they are amazing. Thanks! They're capable of obliterating a grotesque in a single salvo."

"They had better be," Zhi Yong replied with a scoff. "They cost me all the credits you gave me."

"Sorry about that."

"Hey, those are your credits, not mine. I hope they are worth it, though."

"Definitely worth it." I grinned. All the money in the world was meaningless if I was dead and unable to spend them. I would rather have a weapon capable of killing mutants than a million credits in my pocket. What was I supposed to do, throw coins at zombies and hope it would kill them? Worse, those were digital currency, so they didn't even have physical forms for me to throw around, otherwise I could probably think of a way to use my evolution energy to convert them into supersonic projectiles. But I could do the same with debris and stones, I didn't need coins for that.

"What do you like about brother, sister-in-law?" Zhi Yong turned his attention toward Lisa, who was caught off guard.

"Um, well…he's brave." She looked away shyly, fiddling with her hands. "He saved me three times."

"Whoa, bro, I didn't know you're a hero."

"No, I just happen to be in the right place at the right time."

"Three times?" Dad raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it was a total coincidence." I scratched my head.

"You did what the other students couldn't," Lisa said with a smile. "I still remember you facing an aberrant. All my other classmates were running away, none of them came to my aid. But you did."

I shrugged. "Somebody has to do it."

"What's an aberrant?" Mom asked blankly.

"A type of mutant," Dad replied. He shrugged when she looked as if she wanted to ask for more details. "I don't know what kind. You know there are many types of mutants that evolvers fight against."

"Oh, yes…" Mom held one of Lisa's hands. "Evolvers are a dangerous job. You always take huge risks going out to the wastelands and fighting off the zombies and mutants. You must be careful, okay? Take care of yourselves."

"Yes, I will, auntie." Lisa nodded. Inwardly, I cringed. My mother worried too much. Then again, I guess that was natural for any parent. Even Dad was concerned about my welfare, despite my assurances that I was fine.

Like I said, somebody had to do it. If nobody dared to take on the dangerous jobs, then the little sanctuary that humans had established for themselves would be overrun by zombies and mutants sooner or later.

After dinner, we went home. Mom asked Lisa if she was all right with staying over, but she declined. Fortunately, Cole was coming to pick her up and send her home.

His car drove up in the driveway and he lowered his window.

"I've heard about your situation. Frankly, this Mr. Yoo has been a problem for a while now. You're not the only ones complaining about his behavior. We'll do something about him. Don't worry, there's police surveillance in the area right now, so if he calls a gang to stir up trouble, we'll be on them immediately."

"Thank you." I bowed gratefully.

"But this isn't a permanent solution," Lisa sad thoughtfully. "The police can't watch over the neighborhood forever."

"Yeah," I agreed and looked up. In the distance, the Mu Rong manor stood somewhere. I wasn't sure where exactly, but it was easy to google the address. I intended to pay that arrogant young master a visit. "We still have to get to the root of the problem."

"How?" Cole asked. I grinned and pushed my glasses up my nose.

"I have a plan, but I'm going to need your help."