Chapter 260: This is a Trap

With Zhou Ming's roar, the entire nightclub fell silent. Everyone looked up at the speaker in a daze, as if Zhou Ming's shout had pierced their hearts and frozen their minds. Even the soldiers smashing things instinctively stopped, looking around in confusion.

The young major was momentarily stunned, then looked Zhou Ming up and down with a smile and asked, "Are you Zhou Ming, the owner of this nightclub? Finally come out of hiding and show yourself?"

Zhou Ming shrugged and said, "What can I do? I actually wanted to take a break, but some blind idiots decided to cause trouble. What can I do about that?"

The young major said with a sneer, "Zhou boss, you have quite the temper."

"Sorry, I'm just a young guy in his twenties. I believe in quick retribution. I'm very forgetful and never hold grudges. If someone wrongs me, I usually retaliate on the spot. If someone insults me, I'll insult them back. If someone hits me, I'll slap them."

Zhou Ming looked at the young major and asked, "You're here on orders from Chief of Staff Tao, aren't you? As an officer in the People's Army, you should be protecting the country and the people, yet you bring troops to smash my nightclub. Is this how you serve?"

The young major looked at Zhou Ming with an expression of disdain and said, "How I serve is none of your business. It's impressive that you've built such a business at a young age. If you managed it well, you could have achieved more, but you're so immature and petty, reacting impulsively. That's why you're in this situation."

Zhou Ming smiled and said, "Since you've said that, let me be honest with you. It's not easy for someone as young as you to lead so many soldiers, but don't destroy your future so easily. That would be a real loss."

The young major showed a contemptuous smile and asked, "You think you can ruin my future? I'd like to see how you plan to do that."

He then commanded the two hundred soldiers, "Brothers, smash everything to pieces. Leave no corner untouched!"

The soldiers responded and continued their rampage, and the screams of customers and staff filled the air once again. Meanwhile, the young major quickly grabbed the microphone from Zhou Ming's hand and stood facing him, looking amused. "Zhou boss, I'm sorry, but your loudspeaker is too noisy. My brothers and I can't stand it. So please shout if you have anything to say."

This action caught Zhou Ming off guard. The young major's reason for taking the microphone was now clear: they had investigated Zhou Ming and knew he had previously used his words to handle a stock market crash. They were worried that with the microphone, he might try something similar, so they took it away.

Zhou Ming found this amusing. He wasn't a master of persuasion, so it was unlikely he could talk his way out of this situation.

However, Zhou Ming was pleased. Given his reputation for being impulsive and persuasive, he had an advantage in many situations. Like now, he wasn't even thinking of persuasion. He remembered that ideological work in the military was very effective, and even if he had a silver tongue, it would be hard to achieve much.

Of course, Zhou Ming wouldn't reveal this. He shook his head and said to the young major, "Trying to persuade you? I think you're overthinking it."

The young major furrowed his brows and asked warily, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhou Ming didn't answer directly but had Security Chief Long bring a chair. Zhou Ming sat down leisurely, looking around. "May I ask how to address you?"

"My surname is Xu, and I'm a major," the young officer replied.

"So, Major Xu," Zhou Ming said, pointing to the soldiers still smashing the nightclub, "these soldiers are all from your unit, right? From their efficient and coordinated actions, though I'm not very familiar with military matters, it's clear they must be elite troops from the military district. You must have some expertise in this area, right?"

Major Xu's frown deepened. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Major Xu, may I ask a question out of curiosity? Why are your soldiers so adept at destroying nightclubs? Is this something you often do?" Zhou Ming asked.

"Consultant Zhou, please don't be vague. What exactly are you trying to say?" Major Xu said sternly.

Zhou Ming smiled and waved his hand. "Nothing much. Major Xu, I just want to know how long it will take you to finish destroying my nightclub. Surely you can answer that?"

Major Xu felt his nerves fraying. He couldn't understand why Zhou Ming was so calm, asking these questions when his nightclub was being destroyed. Did Zhou Ming not realize the seriousness of the situation?

At one point, Major Xu even wondered if he had mistakenly attacked the wrong nightclub. Although the investment was in the millions and it had become a landmark in Nanjing, Zhou Ming's attitude seemed off.

Major Xu was lost in thought, but when he looked back at Zhou Ming, he saw him leisurely smoking a cigarette, lit by a young woman. This made Major Xu finally lose patience and shouted into the microphone, "Stop everything!"

Major Xu's order stunned everyone, as if Zhou Ming's shout had been repeated. The fact that Major Xu called for a stop, when Zhou Ming hadn't said anything, was even more incredible. How could Zhou Ming have achieved this? Did he have some kind of charm or magic?

Zhou Ming asked Manager Wei to light his cigarette and looked up in surprise. "Major Xu, what's wrong?"

Major Xu's eyes twitched at this question. He realized his command might seem irrational, but he quickly suppressed that thought. He asked Zhou Ming, "Consultant Zhou, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Do you really want to know, Major Xu?"

Zhou Ming said, taking a deep breath from his cigarette and flicking the ash into the ashtray. Major Xu nodded with a sullen face.

Seeing Major Xu's reaction, Zhou Ming remained calm on the surface but was delighted inside. He had used his calm demeanor to make Major Xu doubt himself. After all, seeing his own nightclub being destroyed, a normal person would be frantic and unsure what to do. Zhou Ming's calm demeanor made it easy for Major Xu to become suspicious.

Of course, Zhou Ming knew that if he was dealing with a strictly obedient soldier, his approach wouldn't work. But as he observed, it was clear that Major Xu was someone with his own ideas. From the subsequent developments, it seemed Zhou Ming's guess was correct. But even if it didn't work out, it was just a nightclub; he could set up another one in no time.

Suppressing his joy, Zhou Ming extinguished his cigarette and said to Major Xu, "Major Xu, I know you're a smart person. I won't beat around the bush. I have only one question: Do you realize the nature of the incident you've created by bringing troops to destroy my nightclub with so many officials from Nanjing present?"

"Are you suggesting this is a military-civil conflict? It's just a few officials. Does this need to be blown out of proportion? I'm acting on orders!" Major Xu said.

"Indeed, if it were just a few officials, it wouldn't constitute a military-civil conflict. But with a city bureau chief present, do you think there are only a few people here?" Zhou Ming asked.

Hearing this, Major Xu's face changed. Before he could react, the entrance was filled with the blaring sound of police sirens. A large number of police officers rushed into the nightclub. Public Security Bureau Chief Zhao Anmin, who had somehow found a microphone, was shouting, "There are dangerous elements who have betrayed the military district here, harming the interests of the people under Major Xu's leadership. I order you to arrest all of them immediately!"

With these orders, the police moved to arrest the soldiers. As elite troops, they naturally resisted, but Major Xu shouted into the microphone to stop, then turned to Zhou Ming and said, "Well done, Zhou Ming. You anticipated this and set us up."

"Something like that," Zhou Ming said.

"Alright, you win this time. I'm leaving immediately," Major Xu said.

But Zhou Ming wasn't finished. "Major Xu, it seems you've misunderstood. It's not as simple as you leaving. Didn't you hear? Our police comrades are arresting those who harm the interests of the people. What do you think?"

"What?" Major Xu's eyes finally showed fear.