At two in the morning, after finishing work, Bai Xiao exited through the staff passage.
He tucked his hands into his pockets, chewing mint-flavored gum in his mouth.
The night wind rustled the treetops, the leaves slightly audible, a cool sensation coming head-on.
Bai Xiao's gaze swept indifferently across the street, some cars parked along the curbside spots, their matte surfaces faintly reflecting the white light.
In front of the store, by the streetlight, many fashionable young men and women could be seen gathered together, their phones lit continuously urging, seemingly waiting for friends to join the fun. They dressed stylishly. The men wore oversized goggles that covered their entire eye sockets, a recently popular celebrity style.
The women's earrings twinkled under the light as they gently tapped on their screens with manicured nails.
They also sprayed some kind of strong perfume, the heavy scent detectable from a few meters away, somewhat choking. As Bai Xiao walked past, he had to take out another piece of gum from his pocket to cope.
Waiting for the minty scent to disperse the perfume.
Bai Xiao had already walked some distance away from Sakura Bird Bar.
Ahead, at the turn, entering from the side, was a place for parking.
Click, click, click...
Behind him, the laughter and chatter of the group of youths gradually faded.
Bai Xiao kept moving forward, turning into the side.
In less than ten seconds, a man dressed in black trousers, a black hoodie, and wearing a black mask, also came striding quickly.
At the turn, one could see a dragon-shaped tattoo on the man's neck.
His hands stuffed into his pockets, he strode forward along the alley with his head down. To the casual observer, he appeared to be merely a normal nighttime runner or someone heading home.
Down the alley off Wutong Road, the streetlight cast a circle of dim yellow haze, lighting up the grid-patterned sidewalk and the surfaces of black benches. A swarm of flying insects gathered under the light, floating in the green belts.
In the half-dim, half-shadowed alley.
One after the other, two figures walked in the same direction.
"Heh, I've finally caught you..."
"Like playing the hero? Like sticking your nose in?"
"Damn it, no one who messes with Chen Jinlong ever ends up well!"
The man in black, following behind Bai Xiao, was the one who had tried to cause trouble two days ago at the Sakura Bird Bar. After being subdued, he was handed over to the police and spent a day in detention, released only after paying a fine. Chen Jinlong considered himself a half-gangster, and his first deed after gaining freedom was revenge.
He had been staking out Bai Xiao since the closing hour of Sakura Bird Bar today. Chen Jinlong carried two items in his pockets, a controlled knife in his left for stabbing and a blackjack in his right for striking.
He planned to first use the blackjack to give Bai Xiao a painful beating, to let him understand the cost of provoking him. The dagger was for contingency, in case Bai Xiao turned out to be a fool who wouldn't plead under the blackjack's blows.
Then Chen Jinlong would use the dagger to let him taste the flavor of blood.
"Heh..."
Underneath the black mask, Chen Jinlong sneered. His head dipped slightly, his hat's brim hiding his excited eyes, hands still in his pockets.
Once he got to a secluded spot, he could instantly draw his weapon and strike.
In the alley, Bai Xiao, walking at the front, had reached the road's turn and disappeared from sight with a slight sidestep. Chen Jinlong hurriedly quickened his pace, clenching the blackjack in his right hand tighter and slowly drawing it out a little.
It was about time to teach this guy a lesson right here.
Click!
He lurched forward, sweeping past the corner, completely drawing out the blackjack.
Underneath the hood, fierce eyes lit up, his gaze quickly scanning ahead.
"Huh? Where is he?"
But there, in the alley ahead, was no sight of Bai Xiao. Only buildings stood on both sides with several small lanes running through.
"Where is he? Fuck!"
"Does that kid live around here?"
"I knew I should have just hit him right away, damn it!"
Chen Jinlong took off his hood and cursed loudly. He hadn't expected the alley around the corner to be so short, and he had lost him by just a few steps.
Putting away the flick stick and putting it back in his pocket, Chen Jinlong hurried forward, not giving up. He scanned several forks, but unfortunately, there was no one in sight.
"Pah, you got lucky today!"
"But you can't avoid me forever."
He slowly turned around and took out his phone from his chest, tapping it incessantly.
The screen glowed faintly, unclear what was being sent.
While sending messages, Chen Jinlong muttered under his breath.
"Sooner or later, you're going to get a beating from me…"
Before he could finish typing, suddenly a black plastic bag was thrust over his head from above, completely obscuring his vision. Chen Jinlong was startled, dropping his phone as he frantically reached for his pockets.
Smack!
A fist came from the side and struck Chen Jinlong in the face.
It was fast and fierce, knocking him out cold. Half of his face buzzed as if stung by a bee, numb and painful.
"Fuck! Who!!!"
Bang!
The only response was another harsh punch!
This one hit right on the bridge of his nose, an excruciating delight. Blood flowed from his nostrils, the salty, sour, stinking mix piercing his brain!
"Aah!"
Chen Jinlong screamed in agony, but it was abruptly cut off.
He was kicked to the ground by a large foot, falling hard!
After that, a rapid assault of punches and kicks followed. The attacker was eerily silent, saying nothing, just relentlessly beating him.
Chen Jinlong cried out in pain, only able to cover his head, still sheathed in the plastic bag, and screamed for help. Midway, he switched to begging for mercy!
"Stop beating, please stop! Ah!"
In the alley, Xiao slowly withdrew, silently standing up. He glanced at Chen Jinlong, lying on the ground like a dead fish, his muscles spasming, fearing he had beaten him to death. Seeing the flick stick and dagger that had fallen out of the pockets nearby, he stepped forward and kicked him again.
"Ah!" Chen Jinlong screamed again.
The next second, Xiao turned his head, unhesitatingly disappearing into the alley. Half a minute later, at the parking lot, he found his electric scooter.
Stepping on, he turned the key, and the screen lit up.
Actually, Xiao had already noticed when Chen Jinlong was following him. When he turned into the side alley, he was even more certain. Even if he didn't know it was the old foe in the floral shirt coming for revenge, Xiao would still be on guard against potential thieves and robbers. This kind of bar street often attracted such riffraff.
Of course, this also had a lot to do with his high Will Attribute.
Lately, Xiao had confirmed it was the previous floral shirt guy causing trouble. So, he had picked up a plastic bag from a nearby trashcan and struck from behind, a barrage of punches and kicks. The job done, he left as quickly as he came!
Although he had some sandboxing skills and outstanding attributes, he wasn't foolish enough to confront an armed thug head-on. As long as Xiao's physical condition remained within the human range, he must always be wary of sharp weapons like daggers and axes.
A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall.
Unless, he's no longer human...