Chapter 203 The Jenkins—They’re Really Done For!

• Not long after Yin Qian left, a figure stepped up to Damon King and greeted him, "Mr. King." The newcomer was none other than the young master of Jinling, Zhong Hao. He’d been waiting at Jasmine Hills Estate since early morning, but Damon had to take Nannan to kindergarten, then headed to the hotel to meet Bob, and only now had time to see him. "Have a seat." Damon nodded. "Mr. King, this is a small token of appreciation—just a humble gift." As soon as he sat down, Zhong Hao handed over an antique-looking box. Damon smiled faintly. "Bringing me a gift—aren’t you worried you won’t get to see Mr. Raven?" "Then I’ll make friends with you, Mr. King," Zhong Hao said. "It’s not anything fancy. My family works in pharmaceuticals. These are a few ointments, for your everyday use." "Oh?" Damon was a little surprised and casually opened the box. Inside were three porcelain vials and four small tin cases, each with a label. The porcelain vials held traditional medicine pills—heart-rescue pills, qi-regulating pills, qi-tonic pills. The little boxes held ointments for bruises and sprains—external injuries. One label read: "Jade-Skin Renewing Salve." The medicine inside was white as jade, with a clean, lingering scent. After looking it over, Damon said with a smile, "Nice work. Whoever made these is a master of the craft." "I wouldn’t dare claim that," Zhong Hao replied. "Didn’t expect you knew so much about medicine, Mr. King. These were all made by my father’s own hands. We don’t sell them outside the family." "Thoughtful." Damon offered a word of praise. The Jade-Skin Renewing Salve could brighten and refine the skin—perfect for women chasing beauty. For them, it was irresistible. This gift pleased Damon more than money ever could. Seeing Damon genuinely liked the present, Zhong Hao quietly exhaled, hope lighting his face. "Mr. King, would you help set a time for me to pay respects to Mr. Raven?" Damon closed the box and asked, "Mind if I ask what this is about?" "Actually, my father has some history with Mr. Raven. A few years ago, my father met him once and received guidance from him." Zhong Hao hesitated and then spoke plainly, "My father sent me to request an audience with Mr. Raven, hoping he might visit the Zhong family in Jinling when he has time. Our entire household would be honored to welcome him." "Right, my father’s name is Zhong Yishan. Mr. Raven should remember the name." Hearing this, Damon pictured a gaunt-faced middle-aged man. Back then, he’d run into Zhong Yishan at an event, had a long talk about medicine, and even offered a few pointers on business strategy. "Is your father heading the Zhong enterprises now?" Damon asked casually. "Yes," Zhong Hao said, not hiding his pride. "Three years ago, my father became head of the Zhong clan. Yihetang has grown fast these past years—all thanks to his hard work." Damon nodded. "Did your father say what this meeting’s about?" Zhong Hao faltered for a second, then shook his head. "He never mentioned the details of that first meeting with Mr. Raven, and I couldn’t guess. Maybe it’s tied to a new medicine he’s working on." Clearly, not knowing Damon was Mr. Raven, Zhong Hao couldn’t lay everything out. News of Mr. Raven had just surfaced in Cracsa, and the Zhong family immediately sent Zhong Hao to ask for a meeting—proof something big was up. But Damon couldn’t guess Zhong Yishan’s true intent. They’d only met once and hit it off—no deep ties. "All right, go back and tell your father Mr. Raven is tied up and probably can’t make it to Jinling." Damon paused, then added, "If it’s important, he can come to Cracsa. I can set it up." Zhong Hao looked disappointed for a moment, then brightened. From Damon’s answer, Mr. Raven was indeed in Cracsa—something he could report back. "Thank you, Mr. King." Zhong Hao thanked him, then took out another item from his bag and placed it before Damon. "My father instructed me to leave this for Mr. Raven if I couldn’t see him." "Please pass it along. And you’re welcome to visit Jinling anytime." "If you don’t mind, could I have your contact info, Mr. King?" Damon nodded and gave him his number. Zhong Hao took his leave. Damon looked at what Zhong Hao had left—an exquisite jade bottle—and suddenly things clicked. He pulled out the stopper. A soft fragrance rose to his nose, soothing in a way that made every pore in his body feel like it opened. Inside were pills the color of red jade. No labels, no notes, but Damon knew this bottle likely held Zhong Yishan’s life’s work. Still, the medicine wasn’t useful for him. He picked it up, walked out of the café, and headed straight home. … Meanwhile, outside the Vulture Squad base. Members of the Ansons walked out through the base gate under the watch of Vulture Squad soldiers. Waiting by the cars, Anya Anson’s face lit up. Mr. King’s influence was huge. They hadn’t even spent that long inside before the Vulture Squad let them go. "Dad, Mom, you didn’t suffer, did you?" Finding her parents, Anya hurried over. The Ansons were all right—exhausted and worn down, but otherwise fine. "We’re okay. These soldiers didn’t rough us up," Silas Anson said. "If we’d left earlier like you, we wouldn’t be in this mess." "Those bastards in uniform only know how to throw their weight around at people like us. We asked them to let us go, and they kept dragging their feet. I was furious!" Delilah Rochester cursed under her breath. "I’m pissed!" Yvonne Anson walked up as well, then shot a hard glare back at the guards by the gate. "They locked us up a full day. The food was like slop. No way to shower. More than ten people crammed into one room. I smell disgusting." "Enough. Drop it. At least we’re out," Silas said. "Let’s go." Anya nodded, then glanced at the people coming out—but she didn’t see Sebastian Jenkins or Jiang Lizu among them. "Dad, Mom, they didn’t let Sebastian out?" she asked, anxious. "Sebastian got grabbed too. Didn’t he leave with you?" Silas said, surprised. Anya’s heart sank. She quickly explained what happened. The Ansons crowded around and finally learned that Anya had asked Ms. Sullivan from the capital to speak on their behalf, which was why they were released. But the Jenkins had been taken by the Vulture Squad—that, they were only hearing now. In that moment, they were both relieved and uneasy. Just then, Chen Xing’er walked out with Milo Tyndall at her side. Anya was nervous, but didn’t dare go straight up to ask. Only after Chen Xing’er and Milo waved goodbye and Chen walked over did Anya step forward. "Anya, I’m sorry. The Jenkins can’t be released." "Xing’er, why?" Anya asked, panicked. "He’s closely tied to foreign assassins who crossed the border. He helped them with the hit. That’s a crime against national security. He’ll be punished hard." Anya’s face went sheet-white. Not even Ms. Sullivan’s influence could help? The Jenkins… are they really done for?