"Bang!" With a sharp thud, the cultured young man was sent flying like a deflated ball, blood spraying from his mouth in a crimson mist as he soared through the air. Upon hitting the ground, he crashed into several of his subordinates, knocking them down in a heap.
Xiang Ri had put considerable force into the kick, though he had held back somewhat. Even so, the blow was enough to keep the man bedridden for at least two or three months.
"Brother Di Hu," the young man's underlings, their eyes immediately reddening with fury, rushed to grab nearby chairs and tables to hurl at Xiang Ri.
Monkeys and his group, who had been eager for action, were quick to react, but Xiang Ri raised a hand, stopping them: "Stay out of it—let me handle this."
With that, he charged into the fray, fists raised, prepared to strike.
Though he had no weapon, his hands and feet would suffice. Xiang Ri had never been reckless enough to take on dozens of opponents at once, but the men before him had all betrayed him, and he couldn't swallow the bitter indignity without delivering some punishment. Despite the injury to his right hand, he pressed on, determined to knock each one of them down, even if it meant taking a few blows himself.
Meanwhile, onlookers who had been waiting for the spectacle were caught off guard by the sudden chaos. Before they could react, they found themselves struck by the mayhem, and panic erupted. People scrambled in every direction, some tripping over others in the rush, creating a whirlwind of chaos as they fled toward the exits.
Those unaccustomed to such bloody scenes, particularly the younger boys and girls, were frozen in shock, their faces pale with fear. Had they not been shielded by others, they too would have been among those desperately fleeing for their lives.
Zeng Nan's expression was a mix of confusion and intrigue as she watched the figure navigating through the crowd with ease, laying waste to anyone in his path. A strange sensation stirred within her. She had never imagined that a carefree, flirtatious rogue could possess such power—taking on dozens of men single-handedly and dominating them with ease. Was this still a man? The thought disturbed her, but after a moment of hesitation, she fished her phone from her pocket and dialed a number.
The hefty man assigned to look after her paid no attention to whom she was calling, nor was he foolish enough to inquire. After all, she was the boss's sister, and she could do as she pleased. Besides, what harm could come from a sister calling her brother?
After a quiet conversation, Zeng Nan returned the phone to her pocket, only to feel a tug at her sleeve. Turning around, she saw the green-haired Wang Xiao standing there.
"Is something wrong?" Zeng Nan frowned. She had little regard for this classmate, notorious for causing trouble, but she had to admit, he had helped her earlier. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered to even acknowledge him.
"Zeng Nan, could you ask your brother to take me under his wing as a subordinate?" Wang Xiao asked, his voice laced with a mix of embarrassment and an unmistakable fervor that he could not hide.
"Go to him yourself!" Zeng Nan's face darkened as she turned away. She detested people who chose the path of delinquency, abandoning their studies to join gangs. It was nothing but self-destruction. And now, he expected her to help him? It was nothing short of a dream.
Wang Xiao retreated, disappointed, his hopes dashed. For so long, he had sought a powerful leader to follow—someone who would command respect, allowing him to escape the oppressive gaze of certain individuals at school. But now, with a formidable figure before him, getting him to accept him as a subordinate seemed like an impossible feat.
Xiang Ri, meanwhile, no longer had the luxury of paying attention to anything happening behind him. His sole focus was on taking down every single person in front of him. His fists swung with relentless force, his kicks landing with precision. Every thug struck by his blows flew backward, unable to rise again.
In no time, the ground was littered with bodies. Even those who hadn't been struck directly collapsed, pretending to be dead in the wake of Xiang Ri's overwhelming strength. Not a single person was left standing.
Monkeys and his crew, accustomed to their leader's power, showed no surprise. In fact, they wore expressions of satisfaction, as though this outcome was inevitable.
However, the younger onlookers were a different story. In addition to their fear, there was a glimmer of awe in their eyes. To witness a single person take on dozens and emerge victorious was the stuff of movies, not reality. Yet, here it was, unfolding before them—an experience that would leave an indelible mark on their memories.
The green-haired man's eyes grew brighter with every passing moment. Were it not for the girl still wearing a cold expression, he would have almost been driven to beg her once again to persuade someone to take him in as a subordinate.
The man with the earrings became even more evasive, his gaze flitting nervously away whenever it grazed the girl's impassive face, his heart nearly succumbing to the impulse to kneel and beg for mercy. His fear only deepened when his eyes fell on the man whose right hand was steadily bleeding, the sight of which filled him with dread.
Only the girl, known as the "Zombie," seemed unable to shake off her shock, still clutching the green-haired man's clothes with a death grip.
"Boss, are you alright?" Monkey suddenly rushed toward Xiang Ri, having noticed the blood-soaked bandages around his right hand, now stained bright red.
"I'm fine, just a minor scrape," Xiang Ri responded casually, though deep down, he knew well enough that some bastard had hit him with a bench, and now his bones might very well be cracked again.
"Should we take you to the hospital?" Monkey asked anxiously, observing that the blood continued to seep from Xiang Ri's hand.
"No need," Xiang Ri grunted, sending a thug flying with a powerful kick. "Wrap it up for me. I'll deal with these bastards first!"
"Got it, boss. I'll find some cloth strips," Monkey said hurriedly, rushing off to gather what was needed.
Just then, a large group burst into the bar, immediately surrounding the fallen thugs without a word.
From the midst of the crowd emerged a familiar young man: "Big Brother Xiang, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just a bunch of small-time punks," Xiang Ri replied nonchalantly, though he immediately recognized the man as the young officer who had once played cards with him at the police station. What was his name again? Xiao Wu, if he remembered correctly.
"Ah, Big Brother Xiang!" Xiao Wu suddenly exclaimed, his voice tinged with alarm. "Your hand's bleeding!"
"It's nothing, just a little blood," Xiang Ri said, momentarily surprised by the man's overreaction. It was just a small wound, after all—no reason to make such a fuss. Moreover, his swift arrival raised suspicions in Xiang Ri's mind. Was he patrolling this area? But then, why would there be so many of them, all in plain clothes? He had never heard of such a thing.
To Xiang Ri, a few drops of blood were no different from sweat, but to Xiao Wu, this was a grave concern.
From the amount of blood seeping from Xiang Ri's hand, Xiao Wu deduced that it was a serious injury. If the Iron Bureau found out about this, the responsibility would fall squarely on him for failing to protect his superior, and he would certainly be blamed. Worse still, if Iron Chief lost his temper, Xiao Wu feared he might find himself back in the dismal position of serving tea and filing paperwork just days after starting to investigate real cases. The thought of that made him want to cry.
Visions of a stern female officer's cold, unfeeling face flashed before him, and Xiao Wu grew frantic: "Big Brother Xiang, you're losing so much blood! Should I call an ambulance?"
"Don't worry, we'll deal with these thugs first," Xiang Ri said, still preoccupied with the betrayal of his former subordinates.
"How can you not worry, Big Brother Xiang? Why don't you head to the hospital first and leave these punks to me? Trust me, I won't let them off easy!" Xiao Wu gritted his teeth, his tone filled with a fierce resolve, as though these thugs were his personal enemies.
Indeed, Xiao Wu had come to see the thugs lying on the floor as objects of his hatred. Why couldn't they go cause trouble elsewhere? If they thought they could get away with it, they would soon learn the hard way that there was, indeed, such a thing as law enforcement.
"Alright, you take care of them. I'll go to the hospital. But no need for an ambulance—I'll just hail a cab," Xiang Ri said, sensing Xiao Wu's intentions but not pressing the matter. Just then, Monkey returned with some torn cloth strips, which Xiang Ri quickly used to patch his hand before heading for the door to call a car.
Suddenly, the bar's entrance was once again breached by another wave of people. At the forefront of the crowd was a sharp-eyed woman officer in uniform, her eyes locked with cold intensity on a certain face.