Dragon Clan: Starting with the Azure Dragon Fruit

Despite saying that, when the three of them went downstairs and looked down, the person had already disappeared.

The building is already quite complex, with many exits, and almost half an hour has passed, so finding someone now is practically impossible.

"I can't find it." Nono sighed in despair.

"Finding an ordinary middle-aged woman in Chinatown is like finding a needle in a haystack."

Lin Yuan touched his chin and suddenly waved his hand.

"The fastest way to solve a problem is to investigate it directly at its source."

"We'll go to the places that sell medicine, and then it will be clear who has bought medicine."

Nuonuo and Chu Zihang exchanged a glance, both agreeing with Lin Yuan's point.

“That’s a good idea.” Nono quickly frowned again.

"But where are the three of us, strangers, supposed to find out about this shady business?"

Lin Yuan turned his head and exchanged a glance with Chu Zihang.

The answer came to them almost simultaneously.

Chapter 40 Chu Zihang remained silent, only pulling out money.

"How much longer until dinner?"

While fantasizing about having more meat in the staff lunch today, Gao Yuan vigorously wiped the table. The grease was so thick that no matter how he wiped, it was sticky and difficult to clean.

He didn't care and just kept killing time, figuring that customers wouldn't make things difficult for him, a mere waiter, because the table wasn't clean enough.

It's just past lunchtime, and before Lao Chen finishes preparing the staff meals, this is a rare moment of leisure in the restaurant.

He mechanically drew circles on the table with the rag in his hand, but his mind was calculating the income for the month.

The garment factory on the back street still owed him half a month's wages, but fortunately, the restaurant paid his salary on time.

If I add in the money I earn from cleaning office buildings at night, I can save up to six hundred US dollars this month.

Oh, and there's also the two hundred dollars that those two "big spenders" casually tipped me last night, so now I have eight hundred in total.

Half of this money will be used to pay off the debts incurred when we were smuggled into the country, and the other half will be sent back to our hometown so that my younger sister's tuition for the second half of the year will be covered.

Just as I was engrossed in calculating, the wind chimes hanging on the glass door rang.

"Welcome..." Gao Yuan reflexively forced a smile, rubbed his hands on his apron, and looked up to greet him.

The moment Gao Yuan saw who it was, he stopped chuckling.

The two men who entered were the same two plagues from last night. Walking in front was the cold-faced young nobleman who had given Franklin two bills last night, followed by the guy who looked like a ruthless bandit.

However, there is another unfamiliar face between the two today.

She was a girl with a dark red ponytail, casually chewing gum and blowing a pink bubble.

This was the first time in Gao Yuan's life that he had ever seen a woman so breathtakingly beautiful.

His mind immediately went into overdrive.

After those two people inquired about the murder case yesterday, he was terrified all night, fearing he would be dragged into some terrible trouble.

Seeing the nemesis come to his door again, even more so than yesterday, he immediately lowered his head, pretended to go to the kitchen to get a plate, and tried to slip away.

"Brother Gao, why aren't you greeting the guests?"

Before Gao Yuan could even see what the other person was doing, his shoulder was grabbed and he was pinned to the spot.

Seeing that he couldn't escape, Gao Yuan chuckled dryly and tried to struggle: "This... I'm just in a hurry to greet the other guests."

But after he finished speaking, he glanced at the empty hall out of the corner of his eye and could only admit defeat with a bitter face: "Oh, gentlemen... gentlemen, please come in."

As he led the group inside, Gao Yuan couldn't help but steal another glance at the red-haired girl.

It looked even more beautiful up close, which made him even more uneasy; nothing good could come of it.

After the three of them sat down, Gao Yuan carefully handed them the greasy menu: "Gentlemen, what would you like to eat today?"

Lin Yuan didn't take the menu. Instead, he looked Gao Yuan up and down and casually asked, "Haven't had lunch yet?"

Gao Yuan was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously wanted to make up a lie to get by, but his stomach was very uncooperative and growled, so he could only nod honestly: "I'm waiting for the staff meal right now, but I'll definitely make yours first. I can wait a little longer."

"How could I let you go hungry because of us? Let's just share a bite." Lin Yuan pushed the menu to the corner of the table.

"No more of these fancy foreign dishes, just four bowls of beef noodles, all with extra meat."

Yesterday at dinner, Lin Yuan remembered that someone at another table ordered beef noodles. Even if the chef's skills were terrible, it probably wouldn't taste too bad.

Gao Yuan was startled and waved his hands repeatedly, backing away: "How can that be? I can't eat at the same table as the guests, besides..."

He was only halfway through his sentence when he met Shang Linyuan's unwavering gaze.

Looking at the aloof young master next to him, Gao Yuan swallowed his words of refusal, sighed resignedly, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

"Oh, right," Lin Yuan said to him.

"Remember to tell them that if you're going to cook noodles, then cook noodles, no sugar!"

Gao Yuan gave a wry smile and kept Lin Yuan's instructions in mind.

Soon, four steaming bowls of beef noodles were served.

Lin Yuan picked up the noodles and began to eat heartily, Chu Zihang ate slowly and deliberately, while Nuonuo picked at the scallions in her bowl and ate in small bites.

None of the three spoke.

Gao Yuan held the bowl of noodles, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

He couldn't tell whether the noodles were salty or bland; his mind was filled with guessing what these people were up to.

Even after the last sip of soup was swallowed, all was calm.

Gao Yuan's anxiety gradually subsided. It seemed he had been overthinking things; the other person was probably just there for a meal.

He even felt a little embarrassed, thinking that he was being petty and always thinking the worst of people.

They even treated him to a bowl of beef noodles with extra meat. He pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth, stood up, and prepared to clear the dishes.

"Don't rush to pack up." Lin Yuan interrupted him when he saw that he wanted to leave.

Then place a white plastic medicine bottle in the center of the wooden table.

Upon seeing the medicine bottle, Gao Yuan felt dizzy. This bowl of beef noodles with extra meat wasn't as delicious as he expected; free things are always the most expensive.

"Brother Gao, do you recognize this?" Lin Yuan leaned forward slightly and tapped the bottle cap twice with his index finger.

Gao Yuan's eyes darted around, and he subconsciously shook his head: "No... I don't recognize it. There's not even a label on it. You can't take this kind of medicine..."

"Is that so?" Lin Yuan asked with a half-smile.

"When did I say this was medicine?"

Gao Yuan's face changed, realizing he couldn't keep up the act any longer. He could only shrink back repeatedly, his lower back bumping against the back of the neighboring table and chair. His voice was tinged with obvious sobs: "Gentlemen, please stop joking, okay! We agreed yesterday that I would tell you everything I know! You...you can't go back on your word."

Seeing that Chu Zihang, who had been silent all along, was about to take out his money again, Gao Yuan hurriedly waved his hands, "No, no, no, this time is different, it's really not about the money..."

Chu Zihang remained silent, only taking out Franklin and stacking it on the table.

Gao Yuan gritted his teeth and forced himself to turn his face away.

But the US dollars, exuding the scent of ink, will naturally lobby on Chu Zihang's behalf.

The second one, the third one...

Gao Yuan's pupils were filled with struggle as he trembled and said, "It really won't do, if we mess with them... people will die..."

The fourth, the fifth...

A full six hundred US dollars, which is equivalent to the total amount he saved by working three jobs from dawn till dusk for a whole month.

Gao Yuan ultimately lost to Franklin. He quickly glanced around like a thief to make sure no one was watching, then swiftly stuffed the money into his apron pocket.

“Go south out of Chinatown, past two traffic lights, there’s a block over there that’s the black market for this area.” Gao Yuan lowered his voice and spoke quickly.

“Go along the main road and you’ll see a Ford pickup truck that’s burned to a shell. The medicine you’re looking for came from there.”

After Gao Yuan finished telling everything he knew in one breath, he raised his head, his eyes filled with an almost pleading fear.

"I've told you everything. You guys go about your important business, and I'm begging you, please, please don't drag me into this!"

Chu Zihang nodded, agreeing to his request, and the three of them turned to leave.

Lin Yuan had only taken two steps when he suddenly stopped.

He turned around, looked at Gao Yuan's sunken eyes and his body weakened by long-term overwork, and pointed to the medicine bottle in his hand.

"Oh, right, one last piece of advice for you." Lin Yuan put away the oppressive aura he had just exuded.

"This drug is no good. If you're taking it yourself... you'd better stop right now and pretend it never existed. Otherwise, the next patrol car that comes out on a call might be collecting your corpse."

Gao Yuan stood there, stunned, unsure of what to say.

Only after the three figures disappeared from sight did he collapse into a chair, as if all his strength had been drained.

His hand unconsciously reached into his pants pocket, where there was a small medicine bottle of the same type.

Chapter 41 Pretending to be a Couple

After obtaining the information, the three left the restaurant, tacitly avoiding the main street and finding a dead-end alley where no one came.

"What's next?" Lin Yuan looked at Chu Zihang. His super brain, after discovering that Chu Zihang was reliable, started to slack off again.

"I'll go to the black market alone to gather some information." Chu Zihang adjusted his cuffs, seemingly intending to make his clothes look a little disheveled.

"The three of us going together would make us too conspicuous. You two can provide backup from the outside."

"No."

Nuonuo spoke almost instantly, directly rejecting Chu Zihang's suggestion.

She raised her beautiful eyebrows, circled Chu Zihang halfway around, and poked his neatly tailored shirt with her finger without any hesitation.

"Please, have some self-awareness about your appearance and attire, okay? Most people who go to the black market are desperate, low-class individuals. With your pampered young master attitude, do you think you can find anything there? Everyone's bound to be wary of you."

Chu Zihang opened his mouth, but seemed unable to think of any reason to refute it, and ultimately remained silent.

Nono changed the subject, pointing her long finger at Lin Yuan: "If anyone should go, it should be him."

“Look at his physique and posture.” Nono raised her chin slightly and gestured to Lin Yuan.

"His eyes are fierce, and he exudes wildness. If he goes to the black market, he can perfectly blend into the local criminal ecosystem. Who would doubt him?"

Lin Yuan was originally enjoying watching Chu Zihang get his comeuppance, but suddenly the fire spread to him.

She jumped up as if her tail had been stepped on: "What do you mean? So he can't fit in because he's handsome, but I can fit in perfectly because I'm ugly?"

To be fair, there's nothing wrong with Lin Yuan's face now. His features were originally quite good, but he didn't eat enough and lacked energy, so his beauty wasn't outwardly apparent.

Now, influenced by the Azure Dragon Fruit, the confidence brought by his strength, and the somewhat effective training he has undergone recently.

If he were to return to Shilan High School now, he would likely still have no shortage of girls pursuing him.

Of course, this depends on who you're comparing yourself to.

Compared to a handsome guy like Chu Zihang who can make a living off his looks, he's definitely a little bit lacking.

"No, no, no, don't misunderstand." Seeing that he was about to get angry, Nuonuo patted his shoulder, suppressing her laughter.

"My strategy is to choose the lesser of two evils!"

Lin Yuan's lips twitched twice, and he cursed inwardly as a shallow woman.

However, he did have some experience in obtaining information from others, and acting alone was just as good as saving himself from scaring the two of them with his methods.

Chu Zihang, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up: "But he doesn't speak English, so we can't communicate."

Although Lin Yuan never explicitly said it, Chu Zihang, with his keen observation skills, could hardly miss this small weakness of Lin Yuan after living with him for several days.

The air suddenly became quiet.

Lin Yuan also realized, "That's right, although everyone at Kassel College speaks Chinese, this is Chicago's black market, and the black and Mexican people don't care whether you speak Mandarin or not."

Seeing that the atmosphere was a little awkward, Chu Zihang suggested, "Why don't you two go together and pretend to be a couple who have illegally immigrated from China? Nuonuo can handle the negotiations in English, and Lin Yuan can pretend to be an illiterate person who doesn't understand English. This kind of combination is very common among low-level illegal workers and it won't easily arouse suspicion."

"what?"