The Omniscient

Chapter 21: An Easy Rescue

A few minutes later, the three burly men returned, looking dejected. “The old man got away!”

Li Quan cursed a few times before shifting his gaze to Lin Li, who was still huddled in the corner.

“So, you’re his disciple, huh? Where does he live?” Li Quan demanded.

Lin Li looked up, flustered. “I’ve been scammed just like you! I don’t know where he lives!”

“Bullsh*t!” Li Quan slapped him across the face. “You’re his disciple, and you don’t know? You even helped block us! Don’t try to talk your way out of it—your master’s debts are your responsibility now!”

The group closed in, cornering Lin Li, who had no strength to resist.

Lin Li was the kind of person who would face reality head-on. When he willingly trusted the old man, he had already braced himself for the possibility of being cheated.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

But he hadn’t expected this wasn’t just about losing 12,000 yuan. Now he was stuck with a 100,000-yuan debt! This was far beyond what he could handle.

“I don’t have any money! The money he scammed off me wasn’t even all mine—I borrowed some of it from others!”

Li Quan didn’t care. He rifled through Lin Li’s belongings, quickly pulling out his wallet and phone.

Looking at Lin Li’s ID card and student ID, Li Quan sneered, “With brains like yours, you’re from Fudan University? Cut the crap. You’re not leaving without settling this!”

“Give me my stuff back!” Lin Li growled.

“What are you acting tough for?” The group rained punches on him, forcing him to shield himself clumsily.

Lin Li sometimes thought he was clever, but when faced with his own stupidity, he would spiral into despair. Watching Li Quan fiddle with his phone and grip his student ID, Lin Li burned with rage and fear that this fiasco would spread across the university.

Desperate to escape, he shouted, “Fine! 100,000 yuan, right? I’ll take the blame and write an IOU! I’ll pay you back later!”

“Whoa!” The group immediately stopped beating him.

They had already suspected Lin Li wasn’t directly involved but mocked his naivety nonetheless. Since the old man had escaped and the money was gone, someone had to take the fall. If they could squeeze some cash out of Lin Li, all the better.

Moreover, Lin Li had helped the old man escape by blocking their pursuit. There was no way he was leaving without giving them some closure.

If things escalated and the police got involved, they weren’t too worried. In this matter, they were also victims. At worst, they wouldn’t recover their money.

But unexpectedly, Lin Li had agreed to shoulder the entire 100,000 yuan and even write an IOU, saving them a lot of trouble.

“Heh, you’re stubborn, huh? I like that. Alright, let’s get some paper and a pen,” Li Quan said with a grin.

“Tch!” Lin Li shoved past them, slumping into a chair and gulping down the rest of the soup, his demeanor now one of resigned defiance.

It looked like he had given up entirely, ready to take the hit. He didn’t want the matter to escalate to his school or parents. Already mentally broken from realizing he had been scammed, Lin Li stubbornly chose to shoulder the consequences.

He would swallow his losses quietly, unwilling to let others look down on him.

But this time was different. He didn’t actually have 100,000 yuan.

Sitting in the chair, he began pondering how to write the IOU in a way that would make it legally invalid.

The group returned with paper and a pen just as Lin Li’s phone rang.

Li Quan, holding the phone, asked, “Who is it?”

Lin Li replied, “Hang up.”

Li Quan ended the call and sat in front of him.

Lin Li asked, “Once I write the IOU, I can leave, right?”

“Of course. Hey, I respect you, man! Just to be clear, I’m not forcing you—this is entirely voluntary,” Li Quan said, holding the pen and paper.

Lin Li nodded. “Yeah, voluntary.”

“Once it’s in writing, in black and white, even if you report me to the cops, you’ll still have to pay,” Li Quan reminded him.

“I understand.” Lin Li fell silent, his demeanor steady but his mind racing.

He had noticed that agreeing to write the IOU had made them lower their guard slightly. However, with six men around, escaping wasn’t going to be easy. ⱤÀNƟᛒΕȘ

Just then, his phone rang again.

Lin Li looked up. “Who is it this time?”

Li Quan said, “It’s the same number.”

“I’ll take it!” Lin Li said.

Li Quan nodded and handed him the phone.

The group’s attitude toward Lin Li had shifted to one of grudging respect, believing he was genuinely tough.

Lin Li put down the pen and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Don’t ask who I am. In twenty seconds, the power will go out. Run straight out. Forget the wallet—you’ll get it back eventually,” the voice on the other end instructed.

Lin Li froze, completely baffled, unsure of what to say.

"Start counting down from ten after I hang up," the voice said before abruptly ending the call.

Lin Li stared at the phone in his hand, then down at the IOU on the table.

If he signed that, he’d owe 100,000 yuan. Even if he sold a kidney, he wouldn’t be able to scrape together that much money. He had to run.

“Why’d you hang up? Who was it?” Li Quan asked.

Without thinking, Lin Li blurted, “Insurance sales.”

Everyone nodded in understanding. They didn’t suspect a thing—hanging up on telemarketers without a word was completely normal. After all, this same number had already been ignored once earlier.

Click!

Suddenly, the entire restaurant plunged into darkness.

This was immediately followed by the sound of a table being bumped, and the group felt someone brush past them in the chaos.

A moment later, rapid footsteps echoed down the stairs as someone bolted out the door.

“Damn it! That punk ran!” Li Quan roared. The group scrambled in the dark, fumbling their way out to give chase.

Lin Li had caught them off guard. Up until then, he’d been so cooperative that when he seemed ready to sign the IOU, they’d relaxed, sitting around idly. The sudden blackout had thrown them into disarray, and by the time they recovered, the escape was well underway.

As they stumbled over each other while pursuing him, precious seconds were lost. By the time they rushed outside, Lin Li was nowhere to be seen.

While they were still looking around in confusion, a voice called out from the second-floor window.

“He ran to the right!”

It turned out someone had stayed behind at the window, keeping an eye on the outside and spotting Lin Li’s direction.

Li Quan quickly rallied his five men and took off to the right.

The man at the window watched them leave, then leisurely descended the stairs, exiting the restaurant and heading left.

This man was none other than Huang Ji, and in his hand, he was toying with Lin Li’s student ID, which had been left on the table and forgotten in the commotion.

After a short walk, Huang Ji’s phone rang. It was Lin Li calling.

“Who are you? Why did you help me? And what about my student ID?” Lin Li asked, panting heavily. He had run far enough to feel confident he had shaken off his pursuers before making the call.

Huang Ji didn’t answer immediately. He lowered the phone and quickened his pace.

Moments later, he walked right up behind Lin Li and tapped him on the shoulder.

Startled, Lin Li turned around, recognizing Huang Ji. “Oh, it’s you, Double Pupils!”

Huang Ji’s face stiffened at the nickname.

Lin Li quickly apologized. “Sorry! What a coincidence, huh? I’ve got an urgent matter to deal with.”

With that, he gave a polite nod in acknowledgment, then walked off with an apologetic smile.

Lin Li deliberately avoided Huang Ji, clutching his phone as he ducked into a small alley. Lowering his voice, he spoke into the phone, “I couldn’t talk earlier, but it’s fine now. Go ahead…”

There was no response from the other end.

Growing anxious, Lin Li pressed on, “Hey, were you outside the private room earlier? Thanks for helping me out—I owe you big time. By the way, if you were there, they might have forgotten to grab my student ID and wallet. Could you grab them for me? Really appreciate it!”

Still, there was only silence.

Lin Li was confused, when suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder again. He turned around and saw Huang Ji once more.

“Look, man, I really have something urgent—”

As he spoke, holding the phone to his ear, he saw Huang Ji raise his hand and hand over a wallet.

Lin Li took it, and upon opening it, he found his ID and student card inside. Stunned, he exclaimed, “It was you!”

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