The Fourteenth Hole-in-the-Wall Eatery

Boss Zhu’s porcine face flushed a deep, liver-colored purple. He was now more convinced than ever that Boss Duan had brought him here to take the fall and was currently attempting to silence him permanently!

He was too panicked to notice the dazed look in the eyes of the pig-headed man in leather shoes standing nearby. In truth, a moment of careful reflection would have revealed that the situation was not so simple, but Boss Zhu’s mind was entirely consumed by the certainty of his own doom. Especially with that red raven—a symbol exclusive to the Tong family—still shimmering before his eyes.

He nearly dropped to his knees before Su Man. "I—I didn't know you were with the Tong family. Please forgive my offense. I was completely deceived by that Boss Duan!"

He had only one thought in his heart: he absolutely could not let Su Man die in his factory. He urged her desperately, "Please, leave at once. I will find a way to stall that man surnamed Duan for you."

He reasoned that since he was being framed, if Su Man could put in a good word for him with the Tong family later, he might just save his own skin.

A normal person in this situation would have turned and fled without a second glance, but Su Man was no ordinary person. She was still thinking about her original purpose for coming here. As an outsider, she saw the situation clearly: there was undoubtedly a misunderstanding between Boss Zhu and Boss Duan. Once they cleared it up, neither would be in any real trouble. However, she could certainly take advantage of this moment to extract some benefits for herself.

"I can leave without holding you accountable, but only if you agree to lower the price of the ingredients supplied to our fast-food restaurant by another percentage point."

"Also, your employees must come to our restaurant to eat starting tomorrow."

Boss Zhu hadn't expected Su Man to still be concerned with such trifles at a time like this, but to him, these were minor concessions easily granted. Impatiently, he nodded. "Fine, I agree. Just leave, quickly!"

"No, Boss! You can't!"

"No, don't! You have to swear by the Terror God!"

The voices of the pig-headed man in leather shoes and Sun Li rang out almost simultaneously.

Boss Zhu looked at the leather-shoed pig-head, whose forehead was beaded with sweat. Meeting Boss Zhu's gaze, the man dared not reveal that Boss Duan wasn't here because of any "Tong family" connection, but rather because he had been so furious earlier that he had sent a few men to cause trouble for him. He had no doubt that if he spoke the truth, Boss Zhu would tear him to pieces. He silently lowered his head, not daring to utter another word, praying only that he wouldn't be implicated in the end.

As for Sun Li’s objection, it was simply because, "I heard that it only counts if you swear by the Terror God."

He looked at Su Man, seeking her confirmation. Su Man had never heard of this custom, but seeing the sudden pallor on Boss Zhu’s face, she quickly adapted and nodded earnestly. "Yes, you must swear by the Terror God."

Boss Zhu gritted his teeth—the Tong family were indeed cunning! Reluctantly, he swore by the Terror God as requested, then snapped, "Are you satisfied now? Get out! I don't want to offend both the Duan and Tong families at the same time!"

Su Man knew when to stop. She needed to leave before the misunderstanding between Boss Zhu and Boss Duan was resolved; if they united against her once the truth came out, her situation would become precarious.

She cast a glance at the restless pig-headed man in leather shoes. She really wanted to thank him; though she didn't know what "great deed" he had committed, he had undoubtedly done her a huge favor by mistake.

Once outside the office, Su Man immediately summoned a taxi. Sun Li slammed on the gas, and they sped away. As they exited the factory gates, they brushed past Boss Duan’s black luxury car, darting off into the distance.

"Boss Duan, that was a taxi." The driver, having caught a glimpse of their car in the rearview mirror, reported to Boss Duan in the backseat.

Boss Duan’s tone was filled with disdain. "Don't bother me with every piece of trash you see! If you put as much energy into protecting me as you do watching the road, we wouldn't have been followed by a bunch of pig-heads the whole way here!"

Su Man and her companion narrowly escaped Boss Duan’s notice and vanished into the distance. Inside the car, Su Man looked down at the Tong family token in her palm. The red raven was much dimmer now, and a crack had appeared on its surface.

She had discovered the token’s protective barrier function by accident while being electrocuted in the factory. Whenever her life was in danger, the token would trigger a shield, though she could also control the activation manually. She had tested it once before, and used it again with Boss Zhu. After two uses, the token seemed on the verge of breaking. She knew it was likely a consumable item, and she had no idea how many uses it had left.

Carefully tucking the token away, she turned to Sun Li. "What was that about swearing by the Terror God?"

"Oh, I heard that from those two intruders back at the villa," Sun Li said dismissively. "I overheard them whispering about it. They said that if they betrayed their oath, the Terror God would punish them."

Su Man frowned, lost in thought. Firstly, the oath to the Terror God must be real, as Boss Zhu’s reaction didn't seem feigned. But how did an intruder at her villa know of such things? Were they truly just local residents who had stumbled in by accident?

Sun Li continued to drive quickly, and before long, they were back at the fast-food restaurant. As soon as she stepped through the door, Su Man’s foot splashed into water.

She stood in silence, surveying the room. The floor was covered in a thin layer of water, just enough to submerge the soles of her shoes. Youyou and the others were nowhere to be seen, though one customer was hunched over in a corner, focused on his meal. Sounds were emanating from the direction of the restroom. She splashed toward it, and as she threw open the door, a flood of water spilled out like a dam breaking.

Youyou, Dashan, and Xiaoshan were all there, soaked to the bone, frantically working with tools to unclog the toilet. Hearing the door open, they didn't even turn around. "Customer, please wait a moment, we’ll have this resolved immediately."

"What’s going on?" Su Man interrupted.

"Ah, Manager!" Youyou turned around, delighted to see her, and immediately began to complain. "Boss, a customer crawled into the toilet and blocked it! Now he’s refusing to come out!"

She trotted over to Su Man and whispered, "It’s a Toilet Terror. He was eating here, and while I wasn't looking, he dove into the toilet and wouldn't come out. I think he’s trying to move in! We have to get rid of him, or we won't be able to do business!"

Su Man knew the gravity of the situation—the water outside was already rising! Glaring at the squat toilet, from which water was gushing incessantly, she gripped her dagger and stepped forward.