A dense, pitch-black mist stretched up to the sky, thick and impenetrable. Yet, within it, there was a small patch of clear blue sky. Beneath this sky, vast fields of green grass swayed gently in the breeze, rippling like soft waves.
Around the space stood towering white walls, forming a rectangular area of several hundred square meters. There was no roof, no windows, no doors.
In the shadow outside the walls sat a small boy, around five years old. Clutching a tattered map, he leaned back, chewing on a blade of grass, staring up at the sky in quiet contemplation.
Inside the walls, the space was divided into several interconnected areas. A middle-aged man exuded authority as he quietly played a game of chess with a disheveled old man. In the next area, a young girl focused intently on painting a landscape, her delicate features at odds with her centuries-old age. Nearby, the boy, with great interest, worked through the complexities of the Goldbach Conjecture, his calculation notes piled up like small mountains. A long-eared white rabbit perched on his lap, munching on a half-eaten carrot, occasionally glancing up with eyes that gleamed with a golden light.
In another section, a balloon-shaped, rotund figure conjured slices of cake from thin air, stuffing them into his mouth like a voracious snake. At the far end, an elegant man quietly apologized to a serene woman beside him.
All of this—along with the sky and the sun—was enveloped by the black mist, which compressed everything into an almost invisible point, hidden in a place visible to only one person.
Outside the Imperial Capital,
In an abandoned construction site stood a few derelict, half-finished buildings, their walls crumbling and covered in patches of graffiti.
An eighteen or nineteen-year-old boy leaned against one of the building's outer walls, fully absorbed in a mobile game. The edges of his phone's tempered glass screen protector were frayed and chipped. His old phone, constantly lagging, made his teammates mock him, leaving him feeling awkward. Embarrassed, he kicked off his left flip-flop and started absentmindedly scraping his toes against the ground, already mentally constructing his three-bedroom apartment.
Footsteps echoed around the corner—at least a dozen people, by the sound of it.
"Bufan, Daddy's here. So, what's your offer?"
Leading the group was a young man with slicked-back blue hair, his rural flair evident but perfectly executed. Behind him, twelve followers, each with uniquely colored hair, resembled a wild mix of exotic birds in a battle for attention, adding bold, vibrant strokes of color to the otherwise drab, decaying buildings.
Bufan tucked his phone into his pocket, abandoning his teammates with no hesitation. Slipping his flip-flop back on, he casually turned around.
"It's simple. You hurtLittle Raymond, so the medical fees are 2,000, the compensation for emotional distress is 3,000. That's 5,000 total. Pay up, and I'm out."
Laughter erupted from the other side. Did this kid not realize the one-sided situation?
The blue-haired leader furrowed his brows and turned to scold, "How can you laugh? You didn't even think before laying hands on him!Little Raymond went after Seven's girlfriend, and he hasn't even been sent to the ICU. His medical bills only came to 2,000! And you guys call yourselves the 'Evil Dog Gang'?"
Bufan couldn't help but rub his nose. What kind of uneducated gang was this?
Without any warning, the blue-haired leader rushed forward.
[BGM Begin]
Facing the west wind, I roar across the mountains,
Angry eyes watching tigers, leopards, wolves, and jackals abound,
I raise my divine sword, white robes like snow, standing above all,
A hero unmatched, I'm the greatest, hear the call!
Into the flames, I rush, burning my soul to ash,
Turning blood and guts to dry reeds, turning fire to crash,
Rebels, traitors, you all wish for death to come fast,
Step up, face me now, I'll make your final breath last… Yo~ Yo~
[BGM End]
"This guy's got some fight in him. Is he really planning to take on all thirteen of us?"
The Evil Dog Gang had mobilized their entire crew today to overpower him. To their surprise, he wasn't backing down.
The Four Heavenly Kings and Eight Vajra Masters rushed forward. Only the blue-haired leader remained cool, tossing a cigarette into his mouth as he stood back, observing.
Wait a minute. Didn't the Four Kings and Eight Vajras already make thirteen? Where's the rest of the crew?
Exactly—"The Evil Dog Gang has no subordinates; everyone's a boss." That was their recruiting slogan.
Everyone starts as mid-level, just like some corporate "Manager" title. Pretty impressive, right?
But without low-level members, the middle is still a mess. But that's beside the point.
Bufan thrived in the chaos. As his enemies rushed toward him, he grew more excited. After knocking one "Vajra" down with a punch, he darted around, leading the pack through scaffolding and piles of broken bricks, landing quick blows to anyone who fell behind.
Before long, he had taken down two more.
"Form the 'Two Dragons' formation! Surround him from both sides!" the leader shouted.
His command carried an air of authority, like a general preparing for war. If only a flag fluttered in the wind behind him, he would look like the blue-haired version of Xiang Yu, the hero of ancient China.
Bufan, drenched in sweat and with a kick to his side, couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. "Two dragons out of water?" Seriously? This guy must have listened to too many old tales.
Despite the exhaustion and the blows, Bufan couldn't help but laugh as they surrounded him. But to his surprise, the two teams were incredibly efficient. They soon cornered him against a wall, and the blue-haired leader approached as well.
Bufan, though reckless, was no fool. Facing twenty-two fists, he was soon overwhelmed. In ten seconds, he had taken sixteen punches and thirty-four kicks.
"Okay, this isn't going to work. Looks like I need more training," he muttered as he covered his head, enduring the blows.
Frustrated, he shouted, "Xiao Li He Ye!"
This caused the Evil Dog Gang to pause, confused.
"What the hell?" they wondered.
Bufan's eyes suddenly narrowed, his earlier fury dissipating into calm. He stretched out his body, then in a blur of motion, he launched a punch that shattered a red-haired thug's nose, followed by a swift kick to a blonde-haired thug's face, leaving a distinct imprint of his shoe.
With the ferocity of a hungry tiger attacking a flock of sheep, he tore through the group.
One minute later, the entire Evil Dog Gang was wiped out.
Of course, it helped that two of the Heavenly Kings had fled in terror after a brief chase.
Inside the Black Mist, the sunlight shone brightly. The space inside the walls shifted into a grand conference room.
The middle-aged man, exuding authority, stood at the head of the table, hands pressed firmly on the surface. Seven individuals of all ages—men, women, and children—sat on either side.
"Bufan, can you stop causing trouble and just focus on something useful for once?"
He turned to the young man beside him. "Look at you. Do you even act like a leader? Ask yourself, why should any of us follow you? Are we going to have to vote you out?"
The middle-aged man, Qiu Tianlin, a CEO of a large corporation, was known for his domineering nature, though his companions tolerated it.
"You're a killer. What if you end up killing someone?!"
The young man, Xiao Li He Ye, took a sip of wine, unconcerned. "I know my limits. No one's dead. Besides, if I hadn't stepped in, this body might've been ruined."
He smiled at the woman in red beside him. "Right, Shu Yun?"
Shu Yun pouted, turning away. "Yes, that's true."
"See? A thief and a killer are the same, after all," Xiao Li He Ye said with a deepening smile.
A frail old man spoke up, "As Mr. Cheng said, Bufan is still young. We, too, were once full of ambition. Perhaps it's too early for us to demand too much from him."
Cheng Yan, a retired top doctor, smiled softly. His patience and kindness to the younger generation were evident, and he often looked at them with fondness, remembering his own youthful days.
"Indeed," the woman beside him, a 382-year-old girl named Ni Xiangling, added with a smile, "he is still young. Let him grow."