"Guns? I have them too."
As soon as Chen Mo finished speaking, two pistols instantly appeared in his hands. Before the others could react, Chen Mo fired both guns, "Bang! Bang!" "Bang! Bang!"…
A series of intense gunshots rang out briefly. All the gunmen on Johnny's side clutched their arms in pain, stunned in place, and their guns fell to the ground.
In an instant, the situation in the room was reversed again.
Chen Mo casually placed the still-smoking pistols on the coffee table in front of him and glanced at Johnny, who was clutching his arm, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
"It seems I'm still the one in charge here, don't you think?" Chen Mo asked mockingly.
"Y-yes!" Johnny felt his back drenched in cold sweat. Damn it, he thought, this guy is supposed to be a martial artist, how is his shooting so freakishly good? He hadn't even seen it clearly, and all his men were already shot.
Glancing at the pistols on the coffee table, Johnny, completely intimidated by Chen Mo, didn't dare to act recklessly anymore.
"Then you can leave now. I won't see you out," Chen Mo said, waving his hand.
Johnny seemed surprised that Chen Mo let him off so easily. He hesitated for a moment before quickly calling his men to leave in a hurry.
"Master, are we just letting them go?" Huang Quan asked. When the guns were pointed at them earlier, he and the others had broken out in a cold sweat but hadn't backed down. Chen Mo was satisfied with their performance.
Chen Mo understood Huang Quan's concern about potential retaliation. "It's not the right time yet," Chen Mo said, taking a sip of the coffee old Albert had just poured.
Old Albert was the calmest person in the room besides Chen Mo. Except for stepping forward to shield Chen Mo when Johnny drew his gun, which Chen Mo stopped, Albert quietly stood behind Chen Mo with the coffee pot the entire time.
Outside the martial arts school, Steve watched as a group of gangsters rushed in, worried about the safety of those inside. He was about to call the police when, after a brief commotion, everything went quiet again.
Steve was at a loss when a series of rapid gunshots rang out, causing his face to change. He thought the gangsters had started killing people.
Soon, the gangsters stumbled out and quickly left. Steve hurried to the martial arts school, his heart pounding, and placed his hand on the door that had always seemed so mysterious to him.
The door, left ajar, was easily pushed open. It seemed they had been in such a hurry to leave that they forgot to close the "crime scene" door. Steve's sense of foreboding grew stronger.
Steve, feeling anxious and conflicted, imagined various possible scenarios. When the door fully opened, he was stunned. There were no bodies lying around, no rivers of blood. The people inside were perfectly fine, gathered around the sofa discussing something. Hearing the door open, they all turned their heads in unison and looked at him with curious eyes.
Seeing the scattered bloodstains on the floor near the door, Steve realized he might have made a mistake. The mafia members hadn't hurriedly left the crime scene; they had been beaten and fled in panic!
Understanding this, Steve's face turned red under the gaze of Chen Mo and the others. "Um, I… I saw… the door was open…"
Steve didn't know how to explain. He had barged into someone else's place, and he couldn't very well say he thought they had all been killed. His expression was quite colorful.
"Come in," Chen Mo said, looking at the thin figure at the door. Despite his embarrassed expression, Steve's inherent kindness and integrity were evident. If it were someone else, they would have stayed far away and not gotten involved.
"You saw those people come in, heard the gunshots, and were worried something had happened to us, right?" Chen Mo helped Steve out.
"Y-yes, sir," Steve said, feeling relieved and grateful as he looked at Chen Mo.
"Come and sit down. Eddie, get him a cup," Chen Mo invited.
Steve hesitated but then walked in. This was his first chance to take a good look at the mysterious martial arts school. The training room had thick mats, there was a small ring in one corner of the hall, and the spacious hall had hardwood floors. Along the walls were neatly arranged weapon racks filled with various long and short weapons, most of which Steve had never seen before.
Only the area by the window had a set of sofas and a coffee table. The entire martial arts school was simply and neatly arranged, not as luxurious as Steve had imagined.
After hesitating for a while, Steve finally sat down in front of Chen Mo. The white-haired butler poured him a cup of coffee and then, along with the others, went to tidy up the hall that the mafia had messed up.
"Chen Mo, from China, the owner of this martial arts school," Chen Mo introduced himself, raising his cup to indicate that Steve should try the coffee.
"Steve Rogers, from Brooklyn, an ordinary worker," Steve replied. He didn't feel inferior because of his worker status. Taking a deep breath, he let go of his earlier embarrassment. Now calm, Steve appeared neither arrogant nor humble. After introducing himself, he took a sip of the coffee in front of him and relaxed.
This was the Steve Rogers that reminded Chen Mo of Captain America.
"You don't seem like an ordinary worker," Chen Mo said with a smile.
"I'm just not afraid," Steve said, thinking of his frail body and making a self-deprecating remark.
"We have an old saying in China: 'When two paths cross, the brave one wins,'" Chen Mo said gently, like a wise elder.
"There are many strong people, but few truly courageous ones. Courage is the most important quality of a strong person."
"Those people you saw outside just now, do you think they were strong?" Chen Mo asked, pointing outside.
Steve thought about the mafia members. "They were all very strong and had the advantage in numbers."
"But they were defeated. When faced with someone stronger, they didn't even have the courage to resist and ran away like cowards. So they are weak. But you, with your brave heart, are stronger than all of them," Chen Mo said earnestly, looking at Steve.
"But my body…" Steve didn't want to admit he was weak, which is why he kept fighting back.
Chen Mo waved his hand. "The body is external and can be strengthened through training. What's important is having the courage to fight against stronger enemies, to face adversity without fear of life or death, and to never give up!"
Steve's eyes lit up. This described him perfectly. It seemed he wasn't useless after all. His desire to become stronger grew even more intense.
"Then, can I learn from you?" Steve asked nervously, summoning his courage.
Chen Mo nodded affirmatively. "Of course, you have great potential."
"But I don't have any money," Steve said, feeling a bit down.
"I need an apprentice here. Besides learning martial arts, you'll be responsible for cleaning and chores. The pay isn't much, $50 a month. How does that sound?" Chen Mo didn't offer a high salary right away. Accepting Steve could be seen as recognizing his potential, and giving too much might arouse suspicion.
"Really? Thank you! I'll work hard!" Steve said excitedly.
The pay was much better than his factory job, and he could learn martial arts and become stronger. Steve felt like his life had a new beginning. He was deeply grateful to Chen Mo and secretly vowed to work and study hard to live up to Chen Mo's trust.
After Steve left, Chen Mo finished the last sip of his coffee and stood up from the sofa.
"Eddie, I'm going out for a while."