Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1706

“A Zhinorian businessman who’s unsearchable online is usually loaded. It means the kid comes from a wealthy family, probably privately tutored.” “Even with private tutors, you should be able to recognize his style. Look at him, you can’t tell a thing.” “You can’t tell because he hasn’t met a real opponent. He hasn’t even made a real move.” “The problem now is that he effortlessly KO’d Shekao. He's definitely making it to the finals, and he’ll be up against us!” Someone lamented, “A five-year-old kid is going to face us in the finals. What a disgrace!” “And it’s a lose-lose for us. If we win, there’s no glory. If we lose, it's the ultimate humiliation!” Someone else grumbled in frustration, “Years ago, that irritating Jake Warner popped up, and now we have a five-year-old Mr. Gage. Why is the Zhinorian martial arts scene such a damn nuisance?” At the sudden mention of Bernard, the group of old-timers fell silent. After a long moment, one of them finally spoke. “Honestly, the best solution is the same one we used for Jake Warner back in the day. Just make him disappear. Keep him out of the competition.” If Evan didn’t compete, they wouldn't be in this difficult position. They could even take the opportunity to mock the Zhinorian martial arts community again, claiming Evan was a coward who got scared and ran away. A younger martial artist spoke up, “That's easy to solve. Leave it to me. I'll handle it.” The old men glanced at him but said nothing, giving their tacit approval for him to use dirty tricks on Evan. “…” Meanwhile, Elliot, Evan, and Elijah had already left the arena and were on their way back to their hotel. Holding a tablet, they had heard every word the old-timers said. Elijah had planted a bug on them earlier. “They want to deal with Evan privately!” Elliot said, “I’m not surprised. It's in their best interest if Evan doesn't continue in the competition.” Evan wasn't scared in the slightest. “Alright, I’ll play along. Let's see what kind of plan they can come up with to get rid of me.” Elliot asked Elijah, “That young guy who spoke… he looks familiar. Have we run a background check on him?” Elijah replied, “We have. His name is Pana, a member of the Thyanian Martial Arts Association. His father is a high-ranking official in the Thyanian military and has private connections over in Mariana Land.” Elliot immediately understood. “No wonder he said it would be easy to handle…” Just as Elliot finished speaking, Pana took out his phone and made a call. “I need a five-year-old kid taken care of. It’s not convenient to do it in Thyania. You guys lure him to Mariana Land and finish him off there.” The person on the other end asked, “A five-year-old? Can’t you just quietly get rid of him yourselves?” “No, he’s skilled and already making a name for himself in the martial arts world. It’s not convenient for us to make a move.” “…Alright, leave it to me. Send me his information. I guarantee he won't be coming back.” As soon as they hung up, Elijah’s face darkened. “The person who answered that call is the head of the AA Compound in Mariana Land, known as Mr. Dunn. They plan to lure Evan to Mariana Land and eliminate him there.” Elliot frowned. “Evan has gained some influence now, so they don’t dare touch him in this country. Getting people from Mariana Land to do it is the perfect cover.” Evan was excited. “Great! I was planning on going after them anyway. This saves me the trouble of luring them out!” Elliot’s eyes narrowed as he thought for a moment. “Mariana Land is too dangerous. They're armed with live ammo. You can't just barge in and take that risk. Let’s go back to the hotel and plan this out carefully.” “…”