After leaving the hospital, Alex and Kate had lunch at a nearby restaurant and then returned to school. As Alex walked through the campus, he noticed students pointing at him and whispering to each other. He stopped and carefully examined his clothes, but found nothing unusual.
Seeing Alex's awkward expression, Kate couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Don't bother looking, there's nothing special about your clothes. However, your heroic act of beating up Sam has spread throughout the school. You're now the idol of every boy here."
"Oh! It seems my image among the students is quite good," Alex said.
"Ugh! A little praise and you're already floating on air," Kate retorted, rolling her eyes at him.
Student 1, munching on a burger he had just bought from KFC, stared blankly at Alex in the distance. Wiping the sauce from his mouth, he said to Student 2, "Look, there's my idol. My admiration for him is like the unending flow of a mighty river."
Before he could finish, Student 2 kicked him and said, "Shut up, your metaphor is too crude. My admiration for him is like the uncontrollable flooding of the Yellow River."
Student 1 was already crouching on the ground, vomiting up the half-eaten burger.
Alex escorted Kate to the entrance of her private classroom and said, "Kate, you go in. I have some errands to run this afternoon, so I can't accompany you to class."
"Always busy, huh? Remember to pick me up tonight," Kate replied with a pout.
"After evening classes, your husband will come to get you, and we'll go out for a late-night snack," Alex said with a grin, winking at Kate before suddenly lowering his head to kiss her tender lips. Kate trembled all over, her soft body collapsing weakly into Alex's arms. One of her hands instinctively reached for the soft flesh at Alex's waist.
"Ouch! Kate, you pinched that spot again. Can you try somewhere else next time?" Alex exclaimed, leaping back and clutching the abused area, his face contorted in pain.
Ignoring Alex, Kate ran into the classroom, her face flushed.
In the afternoon, Alex drove to the headquarters of Imperial Holdings. When Hugh saw his superior arrive, he quickly vacated the swivel chair in the middle of the office and stood respectfully beside Alex.
"How's the company doing lately?" Alex asked casually.
"The company's development has exceeded expectations. Several five-star business clubs and over a dozen large-scale headquarters have been opened in the provinces surrounding Province G. Our Imperial Holdings has seen a significant increase in influence in the neighboring provinces as well. Reaper Gang promptly established branches in those provinces, and once Mark has trained those people, we will be able to fully unify the factions in these provinces," Hugh said respectfully.
Alex glanced at his capable assistant, Hugh, and said, "I'll give you a year to expand Imperial Holdings' influence throughout the north, and Reaper Gang must dominate the entire northern underworld during this time. However, we won't expand into the south; our current strength isn't sufficient to challenge the Nightshade Gang, which currently dominates the south."
The Nightshade Gang, a gang that has been established for nearly eighty years, is the leader of the underworld in Country Z, with countless smaller gangs bowing to its authority, spreading its influence across the entire south. Alex sighed; perhaps in a year, they would be directly confronting this underworld leader, and the outcome would remain uncertain.
"Recently, the queen of the music industry, Rose, is scheduled to hold a concert in our city of H. Did you know?" Alex leaned back, closing his eyes as he asked.
"I'm aware. Imperial Holdings is one of the sponsors for this concert!" Hugh replied as he poured tea for Alex.
"In that case, arrange a few tickets for the concert for me. I'll be attending with Kate," Alex said.
"Chairman, that's a trivial matter. These days, Mark and the others have been busy training those two hundred people. Shall I assign some more people to protect the chairman?" Hugh asked quietly, bending over.
"No need. Your men can't even protect themselves. But I appreciate your concern," Alex said, standing up and patting Hugh on the shoulder with a smile.
After Alex was satisfied with the recent developments of the company, he had a brief chat with Hugh and then left Imperial Holdings.
In the chairman's office of Aurelius Real Estate Group, William was furiously berating his subordinates. "You bunch are absolutely useless! Reaper Gang is nearly driving our Iron Wolf Gang out of City H, and not one of you can do a damn thing about it!"
"Boss, Reaper Gang has recently found a powerful backing. Their influence is extraordinarily strong!" one person said softly, lifting his head slightly.
"Yeah, boss, the mastermind behind Reaper Gang seems to be someone named Alex," another person added quietly.
Upon hearing the name "Alex," William exploded with rage, slamming the computer monitor from his desk onto the floor like a mad bull. "You bastards! I can't tolerate this anymore. I'll wipe him out!"
After catching his breath while leaning on the desk, William pointed fiercely at the several subordinates in the office. "Assign men to keep a close eye on that kid. The moment you get a chance, take him out. I've heard he's quite skilled; you must be prepared with more manpower."
"Don't worry, boss, there won't be any problems this time," one subordinate, wiping the sweat from his forehead, said with his neck craned.
"You all can leave now. Don't give me any trouble, or I'll skin you alive," William said harshly.
At half past nine in the evening, Alex drives to school to pick up Kate before heading to the most famous snack street in City H.
Alex parked the car at the entrance of the snack street and walked in with Kate. The street was lined with snack stalls on both sides, each bustling with customers. The clamor of vendors and the chatter of people created a lively atmosphere. Kate stopped Alex in front of a stall selling fried egg toast.
"These fried egg toasts are delicious, Alex. Let's sit here and have some," Kate said, looking at the fluffy fried egg toast.
"Sure, I'll treat myself to some fried egg toast today," Alex said with a smile.
The two of them ordered two pieces of fried egg toast and sat at the outdoor stall, enjoying their meal.
Suddenly, a large crowd of people wielding knives and clubs surged into the street. Pedestrians and snack vendors alike scrambled for cover.
Seeing the approaching crowd, Alex's dark eyes gleamed with determination as he whispered to Kate, "Whatever happens, stick close to me."
Four or five hundred people surrounded the stall where Alex was seated, The omelette and toast vendor also disappeared. A burly man with a scarred face and a meat cleaver approached, grinning menacingly as he pointed the blade at Alex. "Hi, our boss wants your head."
Before he could finish his sentence, Alex was already standing before him, a dining fork lodged in his chest. His eyes widened as he stared at Alex, his face trembling uncontrollably.
Narrowing his eyes, Alex said coldly, "I despise anyone pointing a knife at me, and you're no exception." With that, Alex drove the exposed half of the fork fully into his chest.
A horrific scream echoed through the entire street. "Kill him!" The Iron Wolf Gang's henchmen charged at Alex in a frenzy. Holding Kate tightly with one hand, Alex lifted the man he had killed with the fork and hurled him at the oncoming attackers, knocking several to the ground with a loud crash. A metal rod whistled towards Alex's head, but he caught it mid-air, swung it forcefully, and sent the attacker flying into the crowd, knocking down more gang members.
Alex retreated to a lamppost with Kate, facing the multitude of Iron Wolf Gang members without a trace of fear. His only concern was Kate behind him.
Clinging tightly to Alex's back, Kate whispered, "Alex, don't worry about me. You can make it out alone. We can't both die here."
Gazing coldly at the advancing thugs, Alex said in a deep voice, "Either we both walk out of this street together, or we die here together. I won't leave you behind."