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The three thugs had been hitting for a while, and on such a hot summer night, they were immediately drenched in sweat from the activity. They became somewhat fatigued and stopped. By then, Chen Pangzi had taken quite a beating, his already plump face now unrecognizable.
"Boss Chen, after taking such a beating, you should know your place, right? No money, huh... It's simple, call your wife and have her bring the money, ten thousand, or don't even think about going home today if a cent is missing..."
However, Mouse Qiang clearly wasn't going to let Chen Pangzi off for free. He still had a severe headache from the heavy blow dealt by Qin Fang with that stool. According to his nature, he was not one to suffer such a loss without retribution.
For the time being, Mouse Qiang didn't dare to touch Qin Fang, mainly because Qin Fang was young, impulsive, and ruthless. His blows were so vicious that even his henchmen ran away. Now the thought of settling scores with Qin Fang made him somewhat apprehensive.
Not daring to confront Qin Fang, Mouse Qiang naturally bullied the weak and feared the strong, turning to deal with Chen Pangzi, the instigator. Having suffered such a significant loss, Chen Pangzi had to bleed a little; how else could he live up to the heavy blow Mouse Qiang endured?
"Really... I really don't have... OW!"
Chen Pangzi wanted to resist to the end, but before he could finish speaking, Mouse Qiang fiercely kicked him, and simultaneously pulled out a cold, gleaming dagger from his waist.
"Chen Pangzi, don't fucking play hard to get when I'm giving you a chance. I've made myself clear! The money must be delivered, or else... these fingers of yours will be saying goodbye..."
As Mouse Qiang said these menacing words, he had his two henchmen hold Chen Pangzi down while he pinned down Chen Pangzi's hand and his cold, sharp dagger grazed along his fingers.
Chen Pangzi instantly panicked. He could clearly feel the chill of the dagger and a vague stinging pain. If he weren't so fat and restrained by the thugs, he would've seen the blood flowing from the cuts the dagger had made on his fingers...
"Isn't this going a bit too far...?"
Qin Fang, who was watching the scene across the street, hadn't expected the situation to escalate to such an extreme. He thought it would just be a severe beating and extortion for some cash, but Mouse Qiang turned out to be ruthless enough to consider chopping off fingers.
"Should I go over there and help that Fatty?"
Qin Fang immediately hesitated. He fancied himself to possess some kindness and felt compelled to act in such a situation.
"But can I handle it?"
However, Qin Fang looked at the three people across the street. Mouse Qiang had a dagger in his hand, while Qin himself was unarmed, his best weapon being a brick. But at this distance, even if he were to rush over, he feared he'd be stabbed before he could use that brick.
"I lost four Life Points from a stool hit; how many would a knife take away?" A question popped up in Qin Fang's mind.
He also glanced at the now-cold steamed buns in his hands; two baskets in total, twelve buns, equating to an increase of twelve Life Points. Combined with his current ten points, he had only twenty-two points at most.
A stool hit meant a loss of four points, but compared to a knife wound, it seemed much lighter.
"If the knife doesn't strike a vital spot, it shouldn't be deadly, and it probably won't cost all ten points. Yet, twenty-two points can only withstand three stabs at most..."
Thinking this way, Qin Fang firmly decided it wasn't worth speaking out for someone like that. If he were to get injured, the trouble would be considerable. He had a mother at home who hoped for him to succeed; Qin Fang thus elected to back down.
"Chen Pangzi, I won't waste words with you. I want to let you bleed a little to teach you a lesson. If you don't listen, it won't be as simple as just letting your fingers bleed..."
While speaking, Mouse Qiang lifted the hand that caused Chen Pangzi pain, making sure the dreadful sight was fully visible to Chen Pangzi.
Mouse Qiang truly was ruthless; he wasn't content with bleeding just one finger, but made all five of Chen Pangzi's fingers bleed... and he seemed intent on not sparing the other hand either.
"No, no... I'll give it, I'll give it..."
Feeling severe pain shooting through his fingers, Chen Pangzi was truly frightened. His hand had turned a bloody red, with fresh blood spewing out like it cost nothing. If he stayed like this, who knew if he would die from excessive bleeding!
Now that his life was on the line, even if Chen Pangzi was normally stingy and reluctant to part with his money, he had no choice but to cry out in a panic and agree to pay.
In this situation, if he didn't let his wallet bleed, then his body would be the one bleeding...
"Hurry up, buddy's running out of patience!"
Mouse Qiang tossed Chen Pangzi's phone over, and the two delinquents let go of him but didn't leave. Instead, they stood one on each side, watching Chen Pangzi so he wouldn't have the chance to run away.
At this moment, where would Chen Pangzi dare to flee? Just the bleeding had scared him to death, shaking, he took the phone and called home.
"Xiao Xue, where's your aunt? Ah, not there... Where did she go? Playing mahjong, that wasteful woman..."
Chen Pangzi was talking on the phone, but the outcome was very disappointing for him. His wife was out playing mahjong and not at home. This was a serious problem. He didn't hang up the phone, but just glanced at Mouse Qiang cautiously, "Qiang... Brother Qiang, my wife isn't... isn't home!"
"Who answered the phone just now?"
Mouse Qiang was also puzzled. It was hard enough to get Chen Pangzi to agree, but now his wife was not at home... They obviously couldn't just go to his house and demand the money. That might backfire, and Chen Pangzi could end up doing something desperate.
"A distant niece... staying at my place!"
Chen Pangzi said, trembling.
"Then have her bring it over..." Mouse Qiang immediately ordered.
"But..."
Chen Pangzi's swollen face, which hardly resembled a face at all, managed to show a hint of difficulty. He was about to speak when another kick landed on his stomach from Mouse Qiang.
"No buts... With money, everything's negotiable; without money… today, this finger is parting ways with you!"
Things had escalated to this point, and Mouse Qiang was not about to let it go. His tone was very firm, with no room for negotiation, and it pressed Chen Pangzi into a corner.
"Serves him right!"
Although Qin Fang couldn't hear very clearly, he could still make out the gist. Since Chen Pangzi was willing to pay, there was no longer a threat to his life. Qin Fang felt somewhat relieved. However, regarding Chen Pangzi's plight, Qin Fang could only express those two words.
"Xiao... Xiao Xue, go to the kitchen… there's something wrapped in oil paper in XX location. Bring it here to me... I'm in this alley next to Ninghai University… Yes, yes, it's urgent..."
Under Mouse Qiang's threats, Chen Pangzi had no choice but to make the call earnestly, asking his distant young niece to deliver the money to him.
"Who knew this Fatty was quite good at stashing private savings..."
The money was hidden so cleverly, clearly it was Chen Pangzi's private savings, and the amount was likely to be ten thousand. It was very possible he had more than one hiding spot at home...
Of course, this had nothing to do with Mouse Qiang, and it was also irrelevant to Qin Fang in the distance.
However, Qin Fang noticed the change in expression on Mouse Qiang and his companions, and he instantly remembered why he'd fought with Mouse Qiang before. Suddenly, he felt a bit worried for Chen Pangzi's distant young niece.