Dragon Clan: Starting with the Azure Dragon Fruit

Although the pixel count of mobile phone cameras these days is pitifully low, at best they can only barely capture a blurry outline, but it's better than nothing.

"click click"

Flashes of light went off one after another in the somewhat dimly lit alley.

Coupled with Lin Yuan's somewhat casual demeanor, he looked just like a tourist visiting a scenic spot.

"Can you figure anything out?" After taking a round of photos, Lin Yuan saved them and asked casually.

Chu Zihang shook his head and stood up: "The scene was completely destroyed."

"We can only confirm that the perpetrator was extremely strong and had some wild animal characteristics. But this clue alone is not enough to identify the target."

He paused for a moment, then added, "However, it's probably consistent with our guess; this matter is most likely related to mixed-race individuals."

Lin Yuan nodded. If that's the case, then things will be easier. All they need to do is find this hybrid who has most likely fallen into becoming a Deadpool.

Then just kill them. America is the home base of Kassel College, so even if there's a big commotion, the college will surely cover for them.

"Then let's not just stand here like idiots. Let's go to the hot pot restaurant and talk while we eat," Lin Yuan decided. The smell here was really awful; every breath felt like eating a Devil Fruit.

Chu Zihang naturally had no objection to this efficient and pragmatic suggestion.

The two retraced their steps and headed straight for the hot pot restaurant they had mentioned earlier.

A dozen minutes later, we arrived at a restaurant called "Qiaolin Hot Pot" on the street corner.

The moment the door opened, the familiar aroma of butter and spices, along with the heat, rushed out. Lin Yuan tilted his head back and took a deep, satisfying breath. This was exactly the flavor he'd been craving.

Guided by the waiter, they sat in a corner seat for easy discussion.

Before long, the spicy broth was served and simmered in the copper pot.

Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies tumble and boil in the broth, making this restaurant's base incredibly authentic – a true Chongqing hot pot experience.

Lin Yuan couldn't wait to pick up a piece of tripe, dip it in the boiling soup several times, coat it with minced garlic and sesame oil, and swallow it in one bite.

The spicy sensation exploded in his mouth, and he immediately hissed and gasped for breath, a fine layer of sweat appearing on his forehead, yet he couldn't stop eating with his chopsticks.

On the contrary, Chu Zihang, sitting opposite, maintained his elegant demeanor even while eating hot pot, with his back ramrod straight.

He only picked at the edges of the food with his chopsticks and chewed slowly, but the thin layer of sweat on the tip of his nose revealed that he was not as calm as he appeared.

After devouring three plates of meat dishes in one go, Lin Yuan finally had a moment to open a can of ice-cold cola and take a big gulp.

The cool carbonated bubbles soothed the burning sensation in his throat, and Lin Yuan let out a comfortable burp.

As he put the can back on the table, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the yellowed handwritten price list on the wall, and his eyelids twitched involuntarily.

This can of Coke is priced at five dollars; two cans together could buy a plate of freshly sliced ​​lamb.

He clicked his tongue. No wonder they were so generous with the broth; they wanted to make it spicier so they could sell more drinks and make more money.

Lin Yuan reluctantly moved the remaining half-can of cola closer to himself, afraid of accidentally spilling it.

Then, he casually picked up the duck blood from the side, held it against the edge of the plate with his chopsticks, and slid it all into the red soup, soup and all.

Watching the duck blood rise and fall in the pot, Lin Yuan used the rising steam to get to the point.

"You said we'd be stuck in Chicago for three days. We're just killing time anyway, so why don't we take care of this while we're at it? Consider it doing a service to the people."

Although he was mentally prepared, Chu Zihang still did not immediately answer the suggestion.

Clearly, they were assessing the risk level of the incident in their minds, and whether their unauthorized actions had crossed the line.

After a brief moment of thought, Chu Zihang frowned slightly: "According to the procedure, we should report to the academy first. After all, we haven't officially enrolled yet, and we may not be qualified to handle this kind of thing on our own."

Hearing this, Lin Yuan rolled his eyes inwardly.

Are you kidding me?

If the academy hears that there are out-of-control mixed-race individuals here, they will most likely send an executive officer to investigate.

If someone of Miranda's caliber comes, it's fine; it won't bother him.

But what if they send someone who's good at fighting? Wouldn't the prey they've set their sights on be snatched away by someone else?

Moreover, Lin Yuan is very confident in his abilities. Even if the Deadpool he faces this time is several times stronger than Xiong Yi from last time, he is confident that he can handle it with ease.

But he wasn't sure how his abilities from the pirate world would be perceived by outsiders, or whether he could use his powers of speech to deceive them.

If there really is a seasoned executive officer watching over things, it will inevitably be difficult to act decisively.

As for Chu Zihang, that's fine.

Through his time with Chu Zihang, he discovered that the guy was very proper and a true gentleman.

A gentleman can be deceived by his principles.

Once the whole thing is over, even if he sees something he shouldn't, as long as he's told to keep it a secret afterward, given his personality, he definitely won't tell a third person.

Lin Yuan picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, looking at the top student across from him with a half-smile: "Report? When you were planning to investigate Xiong Yi, I didn't see you contact Kassel by email first. Don't be so rigid."

Chu Zihang was speechless at those words. He opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't argue anymore.

He was a man of few words to begin with, and even more so when he was in the wrong.

After a moment of silence, he picked up the cola beside him, took a sip, and nodded silently, as if he had been persuaded by Lin Yuan.

Chapter 33 Just Going Through the Motions

Seeing that Chu Zihang had agreed, Lin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. If this expressionless man had continued to insist, he really wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.

After all, in the United States, although everyone at Kassel College speaks Chinese, it's not the same in Chicago. With my level of English, I would be completely lost whenever I encountered a foreigner.

Lin Yuan used his chopsticks to touch the duck blood that was gradually floating in the red soup, and suggested, "At that really bad Chinese restaurant at noon, the waiter seemed to have mentioned that there had been three police cars appearing in the past two weeks."

Chu Zihang nodded slightly, naturally remembering this detail as well.

“Since he remembers that this is the third time, it means he knows the details of the first two incidents well, at least he knows who the victims were.” Lin Yuan saw that the duck blood was almost cooked, picked up his chopsticks, and prepared to enjoy it.

"After we finish eating, we'll turn back the way we came and ask him for information."

"Row."

After finishing the hot pot, it gradually got dark, and the cool evening breeze of Chicago blew in, fading the smell of butter from our clothes.

The two walked back to the main street of Chinatown.

Logically speaking, it should be evening at this time, but there are noticeably fewer pedestrians on the street.

Most of the shops on both sides also began to move stools inside and take down their signs, as if preparing to close up shop early.

"Don't Americans have a nightlife?" Lin Yuan glanced around and casually remarked.

"It's only a few o'clock, and everyone's already in a hurry to pack up."

Chu Zihang looked around and shook his head slightly, clearly not quite aware of this unusual situation.

When I walked along the street to the restaurant where I had lunch, the shutter door was already half down.

The waiter who had taken their order stood by the door, carrying a bag of swill in each hand, struggling to move it toward the garbage truck on the street.

Lin Yuan walked up to him and helped him hold the bag from behind.

The waiter was suddenly touched on the shoulder, and he jerked his shoulder back and turned around.

Only after recognizing the two acquaintances he had just entertained at noon did his tense shoulders relax a little.

"Hey, it's you guys..."

Lin Yuan gestured for him not to stop and helped him pick up one of the bags of swill. The bag weighed at least 20 pounds, and an ordinary person would need two hands to carry it steadily.

But in Lin Yuan's hands, it felt as if it had no weight at all.

After walking to the garbage truck and helping him dispose of the trash, Lin Yuan took out a tissue to wipe the grease off his hands, his smile showing a friendly and approachable air: "We just happened to be here and saw you were busy, so we thought we'd lend a hand."

"By the way, I still don't know your name. My name is Lin Yuan, and the handsome guy with the stoic expression next to me is Chu Zihang."

"My name is Gao Yuan."

Gao Yuan readily agreed, expressing his deep gratitude for this spontaneous act of kindness.

"Thank you, thank you for your help. Your hands must be dirty. I'm so sorry."

Lin Yuan waved his hand dismissively and struck up a casual conversation: "Why are you closing so early? Don't you do business at night?"

Gao Yuan glanced towards the kitchen and lowered his voice like a thief: "The boss is afraid of getting into trouble, so he wants us to close up early to be safe."

Seeing that the other person was saying what he wanted to hear, Lin Yuan stepped forward and familiarly put his arm around Gao Yuan's shoulder: "Trouble? What trouble?"

Gao Yuan was taken aback, not expecting Lin Yuan to be interested in such a thing.

He's been in Chinatown for so long and has seen quite a few international students, but when they encounter trouble in a foreign country, their first reaction is to stay far away. Why would they rush over like this?

Seeing that he didn't speak, Lin Yuan continued to probe: "Has the security in Chinatown always been this bad? This afternoon, we saw someone die in an alley. Is the trouble you mentioned related to that?"

Gao Yuan's facial muscles twitched almost imperceptibly.

He rubbed his hands haphazardly on his greasy apron, his eyes darting around, refusing to meet Lin Yuan's gaze.

"Hey...that's just how Chicago is. Gangs fight over territory every now and then, so it's not surprising that a couple of people die," Gao Yuan replied vaguely.

"Since you're here to study, go back to the hotel as soon as it gets dark and try not to wander around outside too much."

He left with this piece of advice and gave a perfunctory laugh.

He slumped his shoulders, intending to slip under Lin Yuan's arm.

But after struggling a couple of times, he realized that although Lin Yuan seemed to be casually holding him, the strength in his arm made it impossible for him to break free.

Gao Yuan's expression immediately changed.

Lin Yuanquan pretended not to notice his panic and moved even closer:

"Gangs fighting over territory? Dude, let's be frank. The corpses we saw in the alley don't look like something an ordinary gang would do."

This is a lie!

When they arrived in the alley in the afternoon, the body had already been covered up.

However, although Lin Yuan didn't see it, Gao Yuan wasn't there either, so he could just keep fooling around.

Gao Yuan was indeed fooled and stammered, unsure how to explain.

Seeing that the other party's psychological defenses were beginning to waver, Lin Yuan simply got straight to the point: "Besides, you said at noon that this was the third time in the past two weeks."

"Can you tell us the truth, what exactly is going on?"

Gao Yuan is now kicking himself.

He never imagined that his casual remark would be remembered to this day.

But he still refused to speak, instead retreating repeatedly as if he had been electrocuted. Although his body was still being held by Lin Yuan, he shook his head like a rattle drum.

"You two are here to study with legitimate visas. If you cause trouble, the worst you can do is pay a fine," Gao Yuan said, his tone pleading.

"But we can't take any more trouble! Please stop asking, really."

Seeing that Lin Yuan still showed no intention of letting go, he became anxious: "You don't understand the rules of survival here. We undocumented immigrants are most afraid of making a big fuss."

“If a few people die, we can just consider it bad luck and grit our teeth and get by. But if it attracts the immigration authorities, hundreds of undocumented immigrants will be deported, and then everyone will lose their jobs!”

"But police cars came in this afternoon, three times in half a month. Isn't that a big deal?" Lin Yuan seized on the loophole in his words and asked back.

Gao Yuan knew he wouldn't be able to leave without making things clear today, so he decided to go all out and lay it all out: "You really think those patrol officers are here to seriously investigate a case?"

“This area is under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Chairman Zhou is very familiar with the local police station, and he has never stopped sending gifts during holidays. When something like this happens, Chairman Zhou is the first one who doesn't want to make a fuss. If the case gets out of hand, how can we do business? No one will dare to shop, and the whole street will starve.”

"The police are just there for show; the rule in Chinatown is to minimize the damage and let things slide!"

No wonder, at the crime scene in the afternoon, the crowd of onlookers all looked numb, and the patrol officers who responded to the call were also perfunctory.

It turns out that all of this was operating according to the unspoken rules of Chinatown.

Chapter 34 Fate unknown, that means dead

Lin Yuan was somewhat surprised and unconsciously loosened his grip on the other person's arm.

Seeing Gao Yuan's previous cryptic demeanor, he had initially thought that the other party was worried about being approached by some urban legend, and therefore was unwilling to elaborate.

Unexpectedly, what forced him to remain silent was the harsh reality.

Lin Yuan was at a loss for a moment. He could kill Deadpool without hesitation, but in the face of the current situation, it was really not appropriate to continue to use force for the time being.