Me! A high-ranking official!

Only at this moment did his heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally settle back into his stomach!

He turned to look at Liu Tao, who was still staring at her phone screen, grinning foolishly and almost laughing herself silly, a complex emotion of gratitude flashing in his eyes.

Although this guy is a hopeless gambler, we really owe him a lot this time. If Liu Tao hadn't told him about this place, where would he have gotten 20 million yuan in cash in just one day? This is fate, a miraculous escape from a desperate situation.

"Alright, stop looking, let's go." He put on the coat Liu Tao handed him, and the two turned and walked towards the door.

Wherever he went, the gamblers who had just been shouting wildly involuntarily stepped aside, making way for him. Every look he gave was filled with awe and fear.

Just as the two were about to step out the door.

"Boss Zhao! Please wait!"

A middle-aged man in a sharp suit, who looked like the dog farm manager, hurriedly jogged up from behind.

He stopped and stared at the other person warily: "Is there anything else?"

"Mr. Zhao, please don't misunderstand!" The manager quickly presented a gold card with a faint metallic sheen, his attitude humble: "Your skills today have completely impressed our boss. This is a VIP co-branded card that our boss specially ordered for you!"

The manager bowed slightly and explained, "This card not only grants free admission to all activities at our dog kennel, but also offers a 30% discount on all local purchases. Furthermore, at several of the city's top clubs, restaurants, and entertainment venues, simply presenting this card will grant you the highest level of VIP treatment! It's just a small token of our appreciation; please accept it as a token of our friendship!"

Before Zhao Jianguo could speak, Liu Tao next to him stared wide-eyed, gasped, and rubbed his hands excitedly: "Wow, Jianguo! This is the real deal!"

I've only ever seen this card in the hands of a few local bigwigs who are worth over 100 million yuan. That fat Yang guy only had one like it! With your current status, you've completely established yourself in Linshui County!

Zhao Jianguo glanced at the manager, then at the gold card in his hand. He knew that the owners of these underground casinos had many informants. Giving him this card was partly to curry favor with a powerful figure like him, and partly to subtly probe his background.

However, one shouldn't refuse a free benefit.

"Please thank your boss for me."

Zhao Jianguo nodded lightly, thanked him, casually put the card in his pocket, and strode away with Liu Tao.

Stepping out of the underground dog kennel, the sunlight was so bright it was hard to open one's eyes.

Neither of them had a car; they had come by taxi. Now, despite carrying a fortune of over 20 million yuan, they couldn't hail a taxi in this desolate wilderness and could only walk back along the dirt road.

Throughout the journey, Liu Tao's face remained flushed. He was as excited as a child who had just received candy, chattering incessantly, gesturing and boasting about the earth-shattering kick he had just delivered at the bottom of the pit.

Zhao Jianguo smiled sincerely at his appearance, then suddenly interrupted him: "Taozi, send me your bank card number when you get back. I'll transfer one million to you first. Sell your current convenience store and rent a large storefront in the center of the county town. Expand the business properly."

Liu Tao's voice stopped abruptly. He stared blankly at Zhao Jianguo for a long time before reacting. He waved his hands repeatedly, shaking his head like a rattle-drum: "No, no, no! Jianguo, what are you doing! I'm happy for you winning money, but I didn't covet your money! Besides, that money was earned with your life on the line. I didn't put in a single penny of my own capital, how could I have the face to take your million!"

"Take it." Zhao Jianguo stopped and said seriously, "If you hadn't brought me here, where would I have gotten these 20 million? You deserve some credit for this money."

"That won't do!" Liu Tao exclaimed, his neck stiffening. "We're brothers. I brought you here to help you through this difficult time, not to split the money! What kind of person would I be if I took this money?"

Seeing Liu Tao's resolute attitude, he felt a warmth in his heart. In this materialistic society, it is rare to find a brother who is unmoved by a million-dollar sum.

He patted Liu Tao on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Okay, consider this money a loan or as my investment. But Taozi, you have to promise me one thing: no matter what difficulties you encounter in the future, you absolutely, positively must never step into this dog farm again! We were able to get out of here unscathed today thanks to luck. If we come back next time, we'll lose our lives."

Hearing Zhao Jianguo's solemn tone and recalling Boss Yang's murderous, cannibalistic look, Liu Tao felt a cold sweat break out on his back. He nodded heavily, "Don't worry, I'll never come back to this lousy place again! As for the million... fine! Consider it an investment! Once the supermarket is up and running, I'll give you fifty percent of the shares. We'll run this business together, brothers!"

Zhao Jianguo laughed and waved his hand generously: "One million might not be enough to open a large supermarket. How about this, I'll give you two million as an investment! Spend the money as you like, go all out, and I'll add more if needed! You're not just going to open one, you're going to open the largest chain supermarket in the county! You don't need to worry about the money, just focus on being your boss!"

"Two million?!" Liu Tao's eyes lit up with excitement. He punched Zhao Jianguo in the chest and excitedly promised, "Okay! Jianguo, don't worry. With your promise, I, Liu Tao, will risk my life to make this supermarket a huge success for you. I will never let you lose a single penny!"

The two chatted as they walked, dreaming about the future, and unknowingly walked out of the grove of trees surrounding the dog farm.

Just then, Zhao Jianguo's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

There, lying stiffly on the side of the dirt road ahead, was a person.

The two rushed over and saw that it was Li Gan!

At this moment, Li Gan had completely fallen into a coma. His naked upper body was only hastily wrapped with a few layers of cheap bandages by the dog farm people. The bandages were already soaked with dark red blood. His left forearm, which had been bitten off by the archangel, was not even splinted. It just hung limply in the soil in an extremely twisted position.

Seeing Li Gan's pale face and weak breathing, Zhao Jianguo couldn't help but feel a surge of anger in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and cursed, "These beasts! A man was injured like this because of them, and they just left him by the roadside and ignored him?!"

Liu Tao sighed and said nonchalantly, "Jianguo, don't you understand? Dog farms only care about making money. As long as people don't die on their farms and don't get involved in murder cases, they won't care which ditch they die in."

"At least call an ambulance to take him to the hospital!"

"The dog farm isn't a charity; who would waste money calling a taxi for him?"

Just as the two were talking, Li Gan on the ground seemed to be startled by the sound. His eyelids twitched, and he opened his eyes slightly. When he saw that it was Zhao Jianguo, his chapped lips moved, and he weakly but stubbornly uttered a few words: "Don't... worry about me... I have no money..."

"Shut up! You don't need to pay!"

Zhao Jianguo roared angrily, then turned to Liu Tao and instructed, "You stay here and watch him, don't let him pass out. I'm going to the village to find a car!"

After saying that, he strode towards a nearby village. Luckily, as soon as he entered the village, he saw a dilapidated Wuling Hongguang van parked in front of a farmer's house. He knocked on the door and, without saying a word, slapped out five hundred-yuan bills.

The car owner saw that there was 500 yuan right in front of him, so he didn't care about anything else and immediately started the car happily.

A few minutes later, the three of them worked together to lift the seriously injured Li Gan onto the van, and sped off towards the county hospital.

Upon arriving at the county hospital's emergency department, Li Gan, covered in blood, immediately caused a sensation.

Upon seeing the severity of the injuries, the doctor immediately issued a critical condition notice and rushed the person to the emergency room.

"Excessive blood loss! Comminuted fracture of the radius and ulna in the left arm, open abdominal wound! Where are the family members? Who will pay the fees and arrange hospitalization?!"

"Damn it!" Zhao Jianguo grabbed the form, ran to the payment window, and deposited 20,000 yuan into his card as a hospital deposit without even blinking.

When he returned to the emergency room with the receipt after paying the fees, Li Gan had already been wheeled into the operating room.