Chapter 985: Encountering a Situation from the News

Seeing that the young man didn’t want to say more, Xu Shaochen didn’t ask further.

After all, the military is a sensitive place, with lots of confidentiality rules.

However, Xu Shaochen felt this young man was definitely not ordinary.

Just like he said earlier, regular soldiers don’t have time for vacations.

Moreover, this young man gave off a composed yet sharp feeling.

On the surface, he seemed plain, but it was as if a fierce beast lay within him.

About half an hour later.

The bus came to a stop.

Xu Shaochen thought they had arrived, but when he looked out the window, they were parked in front of a supermarket.

What’s the deal?

Did the driver need to buy something? “Well, I didn’t expect something like this to happen to us.”

The young soldier beside him sighed helplessly.

“What’s going on?”

Xu Shaochen asked curiously.

“Just watch.”

The young man pointed to the tour guide who had already stood up.

The tour guide, holding a megaphone, addressed everyone: “See that supermarket over there? Everyone, please enter the supermarket in an orderly manner and buy at least 500 yuan worth of goods.”

As soon as the tour guide finished speaking, the bus erupted.

“Why should we! We don’t need anything, and there’s nowhere to put it!”

“That’s right! We’re not buying anything. Just keep driving, we’re here to travel!”

Xu Shaochen finally understood what the young man was referring to earlier.

He’d seen things like this in the news before.

Tour groups being forced to shop at designated stores by their guides.

Xu Shaochen glanced at the young man beside him.

Seeing that the young man didn’t react, he stayed put and didn’t rush to stand.

After all, the cherished People’s Soldiers were here. There was no need for an ordinary citizen like him to intervene.

“What’s all the shouting? If you don’t buy something, we’re not going anywhere!”

The tour guide shouted angrily, his voice amplified by the megaphone, drowning out the bus’s noise.

“How can you do this! I’m calling to file a complaint! I’ll call the police! Is there no justice anymore?”

An elderly man, about sixty or seventy years old, stood up emotionally, reaching for his phone to call the police.

“What are you doing! Put that phone down!”

The driver, who had just parked, frowned and quickly walked over, snatching the old man’s phone.

“Give me back my phone! I’ll sue you! My son’s a lawyer, I’ll make sure your travel company goes out of business!”

The elderly man became even more agitated, struggling to get his phone back.

“You old fool! How dare you! Get lost!”

The driver, frustrated and embarrassed, cursed and swung his palm towards the old man’s head.

At that moment, the young man who had been sitting next to Xu Shaochen sprang into action.

Like a leopard, he darted forward and grabbed the driver’s wrist. “It’s one thing to make dirty money, but laying a hand on an elderly man is too much, don’t you think?”

“Who the hell are you? Let go of me! Aah!”

The driver’s face contorted in pain as his body slowly sank, letting out a miserable scream.

“Open the door immediately.”

The young man said coldly to the now terrified tour guide.

“Zhao, get over here. We’ve got trouble!”

Instead of opening the door, the tour guide took out his phone and made a call.

“Bang!”

The young man kicked the driver, sending him flying, then walked over to open the door. He turned to the passengers and said, “Everyone, get off the bus and leave the area immediately.”

“Let’s go.”

Xu Shaochen calmly rose and led Yuxiu towards the door. At the door, he remarked to the young man, “The People’s Soldiers really do give you a sense of security. So reassuring and warm.”

“Man, are you still cracking jokes? Hurry up and take your girlfriend out of here! Didn’t you see that they’ve called for backup? I might not be able to handle it soon.”

The young man, both amused and exasperated, urged Xu Shaochen to leave.

“It’s too late.”

Xu Shaochen gestured towards the supermarket entrance.

The young man looked in the direction and saw over twenty burly men armed with clubs rushing out.

It seemed the connection between the supermarket and the travel agency ran deep. Not just a simple financial arrangement—this might even be a travel agency-owned supermarket.

In the blink of an eye, none of the tourists on the bus could leave, as they were surrounded.

Many had never encountered anything like this in their lives. Pale-faced and terrified, none even dared to take out their phones to call the police.

“Damn it! Who’s causing trouble here! Who the hell wants to start something!”

A middle-aged man, clearly the leader, swept his gaze across the area and roared.

“Zhao, it’s that kid with the buzz cut!”

The bus driver and the tour guide took off through another door and pointed at the young man from beside the middle-aged leader.

“Kid, are you blind? Daring to mess with my business? How many lives do you think you’ve got?”

The leader, Zhao, pointed his steel baton at the young man’s buzz cut, eyes filled with menace.

“Do you know what you’re doing is illegal? This is forced sales. And threatening the safety of the tourists on top of it!”

Facing over twenty thugs armed with clubs, the young man felt a bit shaky, but there was no turning back now.

“Screw this! Are you here to lecture us about the law? Kid! You messed with our business. Now, you’ve got to pay for each person’s head—1,000 yuan each. Pay or don’t blame me for what happens next.”

Zhao pointed his baton at the other tourists, then smirked at the young man smugly.

“I don’t have money.”

The young man replied. Although the safest option would be to pay up to ensure the safety of himself and the other passengers.

But he really didn’t have the money.

There were nearly forty people on the bus, at 1,000 yuan each, that’d be 40,000 yuan. There was no way he could come up with that.

He never expected there to be so many people in the supermarket.

But he couldn’t have done nothing while that elderly man was getting assaulted.

When no one was looking, Xu Shaochen sent Deng Tianwen a text asking for help.

“No money, huh? Then you’ll have to leave both hands here today!”

Zhao’s menacing aura intensified, his eyes gleaming with malice.

“Wait. I’ll pay.”

Right at that moment, Xu Shaochen stepped forward and spoke up to Zhao.

With over twenty armed thugs staring him down, Xu Shaochen couldn’t act recklessly, especially with Yuxiu by his side and so many elderly people around.

Right now, his priority was to buy time. After all, he had already notified Deng Tianwen.

“You’ll pay?” Zhao sized up Xu Shaochen. “Alright, as long as someone pays, it doesn’t matter who. But I’d better get my money today.”

“Give me an account number, and I’ll transfer it to you.”

Xu Shaochen took out his phone, pretending to prepare for a transaction, but in reality, he sent another text to Deng Tianwen.