Chapter 64 Second-hand Car

It was obvious that Officer Wang had inadvertently exposed Lin Xun's whereabouts when running the identification check.

Seeing the incoming call, Lin Xun stepped aside. "Hello, Mr. Chen... They left this morning. I'm... I'm with... Yes..."

Her voice was kept very low, but Le Dong could still sense the helplessness in her tone.

The call was not long, lasting about a minute or so. When Lin Xun hung up and walked back, her gaze fell upon Ma Wenwen with a peculiar expression.

"What's wrong?" A bad premonition arose in Le Dong's heart.

Lin Xun looked at Le Dong and Cai Kun, then glanced at the silent Ma Wenwen beside them, her voice low. "Ma Wenwen and I need to go to the station with Officer Wang. You two..." She pointed at Le Dong and Cai Kun. "Deal with the car first... I'll call you when we're done." With that, she quickly recited a string of mobile numbers to Le Dong.

"Huh? Go to the station? What for? We..." Cai Kun became anxious the moment he heard Ma Wenwen had to leave.

Le Dong was also somewhat reluctant and wanted to press for details, but he caught Lin Xun giving him a reassuring look.

Unable to question her further, Le Dong let her take Ma Wenwen away.

Once the police car vanished into the distance, Li Yang looked at the two men, the shrewdness in his eyes intensifying.

He immediately put on an enthusiastic, beaming smile and sidled up to Le Dong and Cai Kun. "Ah, brothers, I'm truly sorry about just now! My apologies! Blame it on this foul mouth of mine.

So... the car is broken, right?" He pointed at the broken-down mini-van parked under the shed. "This car... I know it well! Let me take a look, I know a thing or two about mechanics!"

Without waiting for their consent, he brashly squeezed into the repair shed, circled the battered mini-van, touching and inspecting it from front to back.

Le Dong and Cai Kun exchanged glances. Although they held no fondness for this fellow, there seemed to be no alternative at the moment.

After tinkering for a while, Li Yang crawled out, dusting off his hands. "Tsk tsk, it can be fixed, and it will definitely start for a short trip. But... brothers, let me be honest with you. This car has been around for quite a few years, hasn't it? The chassis is rusted through like this, and the wiring is severely aged."

Pointing to several spots on the mini-van, Li Yang added:

"Even if we fix it now, it might manage a few dozen or a hundred kilometers, but any further... especially long-distance? I really wouldn't guarantee it. If it breaks down on the highway or out in the wilderness, that's when the real trouble starts!"

He spoke with great conviction, wearing a thoroughly "I'm looking out for you" expression.

Hearing this, Le Dong and Cai Kun felt their hearts sink again.

They still had a journey of over a thousand kilometers ahead. If this piece of junk completely gave out midway, they would be crying out to heaven with no response and pounding on the earth with no answer.

Noticing the distressed expressions on Le Dong and Cai Kun's faces, Li Yang's small eyes glinted shrewdly. He stepped closer, lowering his voice with a mysterious air: "Two brothers, I actually do have a way... to solve your urgent predicament!"

"What way?" Cai Kun immediately pressed.

Li Yang chuckled, pointing to the banner pasted on the body of his Audi A8 that read "High-Price Vehicle Recycling": "If you're worried this car won't make the distance, or afraid it will drop the ball midway and ruin your plans, why not... swap it for another one? Buy a used car, I guarantee it'll be a hundred times better than this van! Plus, the price-to-performance ratio is fantastic!"

"A used car?" Le Dong and Cai Kun looked at each other, both somewhat tempted.

This was indeed a viable train of thought; they truly needed a reliable means of transportation right now.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Li Yang immediately struck while the iron was hot, patting his chest with loud thuds. "Rest assured, it was my blindness earlier that offended the two of you. So, if you genuinely intend to buy, I'll give you the absolute lowest market price!

Consider it... consider it my apology for the misunderstanding just now! How about that? Am I a stand-up guy or what?" He wore the sincere expression of someone taking a loss just to make friends.

These words, especially the terms "compensation" and "lowest price," scratched at the sensitive spot in Cai Kun's heart like a small hook.

Rubbing his hands together, his eyes darting back and forth, he was clearly tempted.

In his mind, Le Dong was calculating rapidly as well: the condition of this battered mini-van was indeed worrisome, and this time it had even caused the divine statue to malfunction. If they could switch to a more reliable vehicle, even a used one, it would provide immense security for the rest of the journey.

Although he retained reservations about Li Yang's character, there seemed to be no better choice at present, and the other party's voluntary offer of compensation and a low price sounded truly tempting.

Le Dong raised his head and happened to meet Cai Kun's inquiring gaze. Exchanging a silent look, each saw the resolution in the other's eyes.

"Then..." Le Dong began, "let's go... take a look?"

"Alright! That's how a straightforward man acts!"

Overjoyed, Li Yang beamed from ear to ear. "Let's go, let's go, get in the car. My shop isn't far from here, right on the edge of the urban area."

Le Dong and Cai Kun hurriedly packed their luggage and boarded Li Yang's A8. The car started up, pulled away from the eerie and sorrowful repair shop, and headed toward the city.

After driving for over twenty minutes, they arrived at a sizable used car trading market on the urban-rural fringe.

Familiar with the route, Li Yang parked the car in front of a shop bearing a sign that read "Yangcheng Premium Used Cars."

"We're here, gentlemen, please wait a moment." Enthusiastically welcoming Le Dong and Cai Kun out of the car, Li Yang ushered them into a modest reception room inside the shop. "Have a seat, drink some water, I'll go get someone!" With that, he briskly poured two cups of water.

Before long, he returned with a young salesman sporting slicked-back hair. The two whispered briefly at the door before the salesman nodded repeatedly.

After the salesman left, Li Yang returned with a smile plastered across his face. "Two brothers, you're primarily driving long distances, right? Do you have any specific requirements for the car? What's roughly your budget?"

Le Dong thought for a moment and said, "It needs to be rugged and durable, with decent power, so it doesn't break down halfway."

"And a higher safety coefficient. Of course, as for the price... Boss Li, you just said you'd give us the lowest price as compensation!" Cai Kun deliberately emphasized the word "compensation."

Hearing this, Li Yang pondered for a moment before suddenly slapping his thigh. "Well, what a coincidence! I happen to have a vehicle here that fits your requirements to a T, practically tailor-made for you!"

He enthusiastically beckoned them. "Come on, let me take you to see it. It's in the premium showroom in the back!"

Circling around the crowded regular vehicle area in the front, the three of them arrived at a relatively spacious and clean independent showroom in the back. Li Yang led them straight to a black Buick LaCrosse.

This Buick looked seventy to eighty percent new, its body washed to a gleaming shine.

"Whoa! A LaCrosse!" Cai Kun's eyes lit up. He circled the car once and couldn't help praising it, "This car will do! It's steady at high speeds, well-soundproofed, and comfortable to sit in. This is a million times better than that piece-of-junk van!"

Li Yang quickly chimed in, "Right, right! You've got an eye for this, brother! This car is top-notch for long-distance driving. The original owner was meticulous and maintained it exceptionally well. It's a genuine premium vehicle!"

Seizing the opportunity, Cai Kun pulled open the door, climbed into the driver's seat, stroked the steering wheel, and inspected the interior with an expression of fondness he couldn't conceal.

Le Dong also sat in the front passenger seat, yet he couldn't shake a lingering sense of unease—perhaps due to Li Yang's previous demeanor, or perhaps because this "stroke of good fortune" had arrived too suddenly and smoothly.

Subconsciously, he checked the manufacture date label in the corner of the windshield glass.

"Hmm?" Le Dong's brows knitted slightly.

He noticed that the manufacture date of the front windshield was noticeably newer than the other glass pieces on the car body.

"Boss Li, this front windshield... was it replaced?"

The smile on Li Yang's face froze for a fraction of a second, a trace of imperceptible panic flashing across it, though he quickly masked it.

Rubbing his hands, he sighed, putting on a helpless expression that seemed to say, "You caught me." "Ah, you've got a sharp eye, brother! Yes... it was involved in a minor fender-bender.

Rest assured, though! The structural frame was absolutely untouched! Just the glass was replaced. Everything else is definitely fine, and I can provide an authoritative inspection report for you!"

With that, as if performing a magic trick, he pulled a bound inspection report from his inner jacket pocket, dated just a few days prior.

Le Dong took it and flipped through it carefully. All the indicators on the report were marked "normal" or "good," and the testing agency looked legitimate enough.

Yet... why did his heart keep pounding with vague anxiety?

Feeling puzzled, Le Dong turned his head unconsciously—whether it was playing tricks on his eyes or due to the dim lighting of the showroom, he couldn't tell.

He vaguely caught sight of a dark shadow flashing past right behind Cai Kun, who was seated in the driver's seat...