As Zhang Wei sat lost in his own musings, the world around him fell away. His mind was consumed by the weight of his thoughts - until a familiar voice shattered his reverie. "Zhang Wei!" The sound of his name was like a jolt of electricity, and he turned to see his old friend Tang Bo standing before him.
"Fatty Bo!" Zhang Wei exclaimed, his voice laced with surprise. He quickly regained his composure though, and greeted his friend with a warm smile.
Tang Bo shuffled his feet, a hint of embarrassment coloring his tone. "I've shed a few pounds, brother. Don't go embarrassing me now."
Zhang Wei chuckled at his friend's fib, but chose not to comment. Instead, he took note of the way Tang Bo seemed to command the attention of those around them. Curious onlookers glanced in their direction, and Zhang Wei knew that Tang Bo had gained some notoriety within the gang.
As they approached the counter to order their drinks, Zhang Wei cut straight to the chase. "What's with all the excitement today? This place is usually quiet and professional."
Tang Bo grinned mischievously. "It's our boss's birthday, brother! All the drinks are on the house. Enjoy yourself - it's a party!"
After some times, Zhang Wei sat at the dimly lit corner of the bar, his eyes scanning the room like a hawk.
The taste of the drink he had ordered was familiar, but the atmosphere was foreign.
Tang Bo, his old acquaintance, sat across from him, his eyes brimming with curiosity.
In a hushed tone, Tang Bo probed, "Brother, what brings you back here? Are you thinking of coming back to the business?"
Zhang Wei's lips curled into a mysterious smile, his mind running with schemes and plans.
Tang Bo leaned in closer, his voice a mere whisper, "Don't you trust me, brother Zhang?"
Trust?
In this cutthroat world of shady deals and backstabbings, trust was a luxury that no one could afford.
Everyone is your brother, until the shit hits the wall.
Zhang Wei shook his head, knowing all too well the fickle nature of their profession.
To steer the conversation away, Zhang Wei casually inquired about Ye Feng.
At the mention of Ye Feng's name, Tang Bo's expression changed, a mix of fear and apprehension flickering in his eyes.
He coughed and spoke with some embarrassment, "Brother Ye is a special guest of The Dragon Lady." He then leaned in closer and whispered, "Don't mess with Brother Ye. He beat a whole crowd of Red Scorpions gangsters alone a few days ago. It's common knowledge that our boss is interested in him, but unfortunately, Brother Ye seems to have other plans. He keeps rejecting the Lady's advances. Despite his power, he doesn't want to involve himself in the underworld or our Lady's troubles."
Zhang Wei's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
Ye Feng had a steel body with no cultivation, that meant he had gone through some intense training, probably involving being hit with boulders or something equally ridiculous.
However, without cultivation, he posed no real threat to Zhang Wei.
After all, Zhang Wei had a diamond body, two grades higher than Ye Feng's flimsy steel body.
But what really made Zhang Wei shake his head in disbelief was Ye Feng's decision to reject another woman's advances just because he didn't want to get involved with the underworld.
Was Ye Feng an idiot?
He could have just slept with her and left her high and dry.
Did he not have any brains?
Zhang Wei was unaware of certain category of man, who can not abandon a women after sleeping with them.
For those category of men, they won't go to a woman bedroom, until they have a serious relationship with her.
[The author is referring to a certain category of Chinese protagonists.]
Zhang Wei couldn't help but wonder if Ye Feng's brain was as small as his pp.
Wait, did he actually have a small pp?
That must be the reason why he was rejecting the Dragon Lady's advances.
Zhang Wei had never seen the Dragon Lady in person, but from the rumors, she was a dangerous and alluring woman.
Maybe Ye Feng was intimidated by her, or maybe he just had a smaller pp, and was too afraid to embarrass himself.
Who knows?
Suddenly, Zhang Wei's phone rang, the shrill sound cutting through the silence of the bar.
He frowned, sensing bad vibes emanating from the unknown number.
After a few rings, he reluctantly answered the call.
As he listened to the person on the other end, Zhang Wei's face contorted into an unsightly expression.
Tang Bo, who had been observing him closely, asked, "What happened, brother? Do you need some help?"
Zhang Wei didn't respond, instead opening a text message from the unknown number.
His eyes narrowed as he saw a picture of a woman tied to a chair with ropes.
Tang Bo recognized her immediately. "Sister Lei?!" he exclaimed.
Zhang Wei's eyes turned sharp, his palms forming a fist.
He closed the phone and put it back into his pocket, letting out a deep sigh. 'So I'm too late, huh? Heaven's luck isn't exactly on my side, it seems.'
Yu Lei had been kidnapped by Song Hu, a man who had recently been released from jail and was seeking revenge against Zhang Wei.
The situation was dire, and Zhang Wei knew he had to act fast if he wanted to save Yu Lei's life.
Zhang Wei had always known that something like this would happen eventually.
That's why he had come to this place and built a force for himself - to protect his people in the future.
Not everyone around him possessed a self-defense mechanism like Feng Xinyue.
Building a force from the ground up had been challenging, which is why he had decided to take over the White Tigers gang by controlling their sole leader, The Dragon Lady.
Why not go for the bigger Red Scorpion gang?
Well, they already had a powerful backer, and taking them on would be near difficult with his current strength.
A sense of urgency rushed over Zhang Wei as he thought of Yu Lei, who had been kidnapped by Song Hu.
He couldn't let Song Hu get away with this.
As anger boiled inside him, Zhang Wei couldn't help but think that Song Hu was a complete idiot for thinking he could humiliate him in front of his wife.
Zhang Wei made a mental note that if he ever went on a kidnapping spree for revenge, he might as well rape the kidnapped women first.
That way, even if his plan failed, he would have already caused enough damage to his target.
"Brother, wait!" Tang Bo shouted, trying to stop Zhang Wei from disappearing into the shadows. But it was too late, Zhang Wei had already vanished without a trace, leaving Tang Bo startled.
"Did Brother just become a superhero?" Tang Bo muttered to himself in disbelief. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and decided to wait for Zhang Wei's return.
Meanwhile, as Zhang Wei sped down the street in his car, he couldn't help but ask the system, if he had some kind of heaven-sent technique that could help him avoid similar dangerous situations in the future.
[Host, your enemies won't wait for you to act like in the movies! Instead of relying on some plot armor, focus on driving fast and staying ahead of them!] the system replied.
Zhang Wei smiled bitterly at the thought.
Shouldn't he have some kind of lucky charm or powerful protection?
A villain halo or something?
But as he considered his life, he realized that luck didn't seem to be on his side.
His thoughts drifted to the harsh reality of the world he lived in, one that was rotten to the core.
In this world, he had to be a predator, or else he would become prey.
Zhang Wei had an idea and quickly dialed Officer Leng Yan's number, waiting for her to pick up. "Hello, Officer Leng," he greeted her.
After a moment of silence, a voice responded from the other end, "...What do you need now?"
Zhang Wei smirked to himself. He wasn't particularly interested in this woman, but her reactions always amused him. "Oh, I don't need anything. I just need you to bring me a close relative of Song Hu."
"What?" Leng Yan sounded stunned. Zhang Wei quickly reassured her of his intentions.
"What are you thinking, Officer Leng? Are you assuming something dirty? Come on, now," he spoke with suspicion, causing Leng Yan to close her eyes in irritation.
"Zhang Wei, I don't have time for games. Tell me what you need from me seriously, or I'm hanging up," she threatened.
Zhang Wei quickly explained himself. "Just bring me a close relative of Song Hu near the old warehouse located at the port authority in the waterfront district. Do it soon, I don't have much time!" he urged her urgently.
As he spoke, he slammed on the brakes, causing the tires to screech loudly against the road. Leng Yan heard the noise and became alarmed.
"Zhang Wei! Hello? What's going o-?" she called out.
Before she could say anything else, Zhang Wei cut the line.
After taking a deep breath, he started driving normally again.
[...Did you just make her believe that you are in trouble, Host?]
Zhang Wei smiled and chuckled to himself, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of his new life.
It was far more exciting than the one he was used to.
The system couldn't help but think that the Host was quite vicious for tricking Leng Yan.
Despite her spoiled and arrogant demeanor, she had a strong sense of justice.
With the urgency in Zhang Wei's voice, she wouldn't dare to delay.
He could have asked Tang Bo for help, but he didn't have a police car like Leng Yan, which could bypass traffic lights and get to the destination in time.
Not to mention, due to some reasons of past, exposing Tang Bo's existence to Yu Lei would be a major headache for Zhang Wei.
He couldn't afford to let his guard down, not even for a second.
With a heavy heart, he made his way to the port authority in the waterfront district.
As soon as he arrived, he parked his car in a secluded spot and began to move on foot.
His eyes locked onto the large warehouse located in the corner.
It was time to make Song Hu pay for his crimes.
Zhang Wei's fists clenched with a suppressed burning rage.
He was determined to show Song Hu the error of his ways, no matter what it took.
With or without powers, he was unstoppable.
No one dared to cross him and get away with it.
Song Hu was playing a dangerous game.
He was courting death, and Zhang Wei was more than happy to oblige.
In fact, he planned to take it a step further. In a blaze of fury, he would wipe out the entire Song family and reduce their empire to ashes.
No one would dare to mess with him again.