Chapter 6, The First Encounter with Lord Leopard

Upon seeing it, Chen Zhi recognized that the person in the photo was indeed Teacher Guo

Chen Zhi took out the watch and handed it over. The old man picked up the watch and examined it carefully, nodding to Master Bao. He then asked, "Young brother, do not be afraid, tell us where this watch came from. You must speak the truth."

"It was my elementary school teacher, he is dead, and the body is in the warehouse..." Chen Zhi now has no intention of concealing anything, and besides, why would he need to conceal it?

Chen Zhi ignored him and continued walking forward, but was suddenly pulled back by Gou Shifei. Gou Shifei tapped on Chen Zhi's forehead with his finger, making a thumping sound, and shouted loudly: "What's the matter? Weren't you quite arrogant? Why aren't you putting on an act now? Let me tell you, don't let me see you again, or every time I see you, I will hit you."

However, it was only when the real muzzle was pressed against his temple that he realized how terrifying this feeling was, an immense sense of oppression that was beyond description

At this moment, Chen Zhi was drenched in sweat, no longer daring to struggle, and nodded to Lord Leopard.

After passing through several courtyard scenes, Chen Zhi entered the main hall. Upon entering, he noticed that the interior decoration was very exquisite. Everywhere there were solid wood furniture and antique ornaments from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The exquisite and delicate Eastern decorations, set against the backdrop of black silk, emitted a glow that was almost mysterious. In the center of the hall was a very luxurious genuine leather sofa, behind which stood several burly men, all looking very serious. In the middle of the sofa sat a young man, who was bowing his head and drinking tea.

The old man stepped forward, slightly bowed to the young man, and respectfully said: "Master Leopard, he has arrived"

"This is really bizarre," Chen Zhi said, puzzled. "Did we just finish filming a horror movie and now we're shooting a spy film?"

Just as he arrived at the entrance of the community, he unfortunately encountered that disgusting dog again. The dog was extremely excited to see him and quickly walked over to block Chen Zhi's path

Chen Zhi walked down calmly with the watch in hand, feeling in his heart, having seen ghosts before, why should he fear encountering you agents? What demons and monsters, come at me with all you've got!

Chen Zhixian searched on Taobao but did not find an exact match for that watch. A similar antique watch was priced at over 40,000. With such a large sum of money, Chen Zhixian dared not even think about it. He went downstairs and walked towards the commercial street in the city center

Chen Zhi found a consignment shop in the commercial district, where he saw a sign that read "Year-round purchase of gold, mink fur, and antiques." Upon entering the store, he noticed the elegant decor and Chinese-style furnishings. Inside, there was a young attendant in his twenties cleaning, who greeted Chen Zhi as he entered and asked, "Hello, sir, how may I assist you?"

After driving for a long time, they arrived at a famous scenic area in City Z, at the foot of Qianhua Mountain. The scenery of Qianhua Mountain is beautiful, and there are many high-end restaurants nearby that Chen Zhi cannot afford. The old man took Chen Zhi to a quiet and remote area on the western side of the mountain, where there is an artificial lake, and behind it stands an exquisite Chinese-style villa, with a plaque inscribed with "Retreat Pavilion".

During these days that felt like a zombie existence, Chen Zhi fell into a state of extreme loneliness and fear. Naturally, he first began to doubt his mental state, questioning whether he was suffering from delusions, whether Teacher Guo had ever existed, whether there was a body, whether there were any ghostly figures, and whether he had found that abandoned factory alone in a hallucination before setting it on fire

Lord Leopard approached steadily, bringing his face close to Chen Zhi, raising his eyebrows to gaze into Chen Zhi's eyes. Chen Zhi noticed that his eyes were a deep gray, resembling two bottomless lakes, capable of seeing through a person's heart

From the moment Chen Zhi entered the room, he felt an instinctive fear towards the young man known as Leopard Lord. Although this person was not very old, he exuded a chilling aura that made him seem like a ghostly figure with a green face and sharp teeth, judging Chen Zhi's life and death.

The next day at noon, Chen Zhi was preparing to make two job application calls in hopes of striking it lucky when suddenly, his phone rang

The woman picked up the watch and examined it closely, forcing a smile as she asked Chen Zhi, "Where did this come from? How much do you want to sell it for?"

The middle-aged woman scoffed slightly and said to Chen Zhi, "How about this, I will take two photos and ask if there are any buyers, you can leave your phone number."

"This was given to me by my elementary school teacher. When I was young, he thought I was particularly cute, so he gave it to me. Is that alright? If you don't buy it, I'm leaving." Chen Zhi stood up and was about to walk out.

When he approached the front of the car, the rear window rolled down, revealing the face of an old man. This old man was in his fifties, with graying hair, looking quite spirited, and one could tell from his gaze that he was a shrewd person to the core

He saw Chen Zhi enter, put down the teacup in his hand, and pointed to the sofa opposite, saying: "Sit."

I would like to see if I can sell this watch?" Chen Zhi took out the Omega from his inner pocket.

Lord Leopard casually said: "I am asking you a question now; if you lie, you will die. Do you understand?"

"Take out the watch and let us have a look." The old man spoke first

The young man reached out to take the watch, looked at it, and said: "I can't see this watch clearly, please wait a moment." Saying this, he walked into the inner room and called out: "Sister, come out and take a look at this."

Hey, are you out? Where are you off to steal again? If not, you can bow to me, and I'll have my dad help you out

He recounted the events in great detail, covering every aspect thoroughly

Lord Leopard gently waved his hand, and a burly man dressed in black approached, drawing a handgun and pressing it against Chen Zhi's temple

Chen Zhigang was about to shout when he suddenly saw the young man known as Leopard Ye stand up

"Where did the table come from?" Lord Leopard asked softly

"It's nothing, just a gift from a former teacher. If you don't buy it, I'll just leave," Chen Zhi replied calmly, reminding himself not to be intimidated by the situation.

"The purchase is certain, and we will also offer you a good price. However, you must tell us who gave it to you, when, and where it was given to you," the old man said with a friendly demeanor.

The old man smiled very kindly and waved his hand, saying: "Young man, come up!"

A phone call brought Chen Zhi back to the real world; the nursing home was calling to collect payment. It seemed that the world had not come to an end, and life continued on, Chen Zhi sighed. What he needed to do now was sell this watch to pay for his father's nursing home management fee

Upon hearing this, Lord Leopard seemed to believe it, waved his hand to put away the gun, took a photograph from the coffee table to show Chen Zhi, and asked: "Is it him?"

"Sit down." Chen Zhi felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as a tremendous force pressed him heavily back onto the sofa. He did not know when a burly man had come up behind him, forcing Chen Zhi back down.

In the end, he said: "I did not steal the watch, Teacher Guo really did say he would give it to me. I also wanted to report it to the police to take revenge on him, but the police do not believe me..."

Lord Leopard waved his hand to interrupt him and continued to ask: "What about the note?"

Chen Zhi feigned calmness as he walked over and sat down, feeling that the atmosphere here was extremely serious and tense, as if everyone was breathing solely around this Leopard Lord

After a while, a middle-aged woman came out. This woman was slightly plump, very fair, and her hands were adorned with rings made of jade and gold.

Chen Zhi realized that this overweight woman had mistaken him for a thief. He took a picture of the watch for them, left his phone number, and hurriedly departed.

"I will pick you up, I know where you are," the other party said before hanging up

Chen Zhi did not retort, allowing the dog to finish its harsh words, and continued on his path, indifferent to the laughter of the dog and its companions behind him. Chen Zhi felt numb; he was now merely a person struggling desperately for survival

"This watch couldn't possibly be something I picked up on the street after losing my mind, could it?" Chen Zhi was doubting himself to an extreme degree

"Alright, are you at that store? I will bring the watch over," Chen Zhi said

After Chen Zhi got into the car, it started moving. He wanted to ask the old man where they were going, but the old man, still smiling amiably, told him, "Don't worry, you'll find out soon."

During this period, a strange occurrence took place: the note left by Teacher Guo had inexplicably vanished. Chen Zhi searched everywhere but could not find it. Before leaving, he distinctly remembered having tucked the note into a book. All evidence of Teacher Guo's existence had disappeared—no body, no note—except for that watch.

Chen Zhi answered the phone, and the voice on the other end was hoarse, sounding like an old man

Chen Zhi did not expect that there were such green mountains and clear waters, a paradise on earth, in City Z. It is indeed good to be wealthy, he thought to himself as he followed the old man into the villa

Hello, I would like to take a look at that watch

After about ten minutes, the phone rang again, and the same voice said, "Come down, I'm downstairs." Chen Zhi ran to the balcony and saw a black Land Rover parked below. He vaguely noticed that the driver was a person in black clothing, wearing sunglasses. Chen Zhi thought to himself, this is really a special agent!

"It was a gift from a friend, you can name a price." Chen Zhi felt a bit awkward

By the way, there is that watch. Chen Zhi took out the Omega watch from his coat pocket; he had always carried this watch with him.

Chen Zhi assessed the man referred to as Master Leopard by the old man. He was quite a handsome man, around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, with bushy eyebrows, dressed in a deep black Tang suit, leisurely sipping tea.

Chen Zhi had previously watched many gangster movies, where he saw the protagonists being held at gunpoint yet remaining utterly unafraid

Chen Zhi felt a bit guilty, after all, the origin of this watch was unclear. He was also somewhat angry, thinking to himself, you are not the police, why do you treat me like a criminal and interrogate me

"I lost it; it was clearly put away at home, yet it has disappeared..." Chen Zhi replied innocently

Seeing Chen Zhi hesitate a bit, she smiled and said, "Don't worry! We have received all kinds of goods here, leaving a photo is no problem"