Chapter 42: Set Regulations

The shards of glass on the floor reflected pretty and flirtatious rays from the dazzling lighting. Blood began to pool around the hooligan’s head as he lay on his back. It was a direct and decisive hit which showed how hard the assailant had hit him.

The rest of them were obviously in shock as their eyes followed the man as he fell. They looked up at a place where the light had just flashed past and saw the silhouette of a slender youth. He did not stand out in the group with a baseball cap on his head. No one would have believed a youth with such tiny arms could cause another to become unconscious with one hit if they hadn’t seen the broken bottle in his hand.

“Hey, brat! What are you doing?” They regained their senses. Locating the whereabouts of the Night Gang member through interrogation was no longer their interest. The hooligans gathered in a circle around the slender youth and kept him in the middle.

He wore his cap low with its brim covering most of his face. One could only see his exquisite fair chin under the dim lighting. He threw the broken bottle away, showing no fear although he was outnumbered by the people who stood around him. With his hands around his hips, he said in a low voice, “Aren’t you looking for us? I am a member of the Night Gang.”

“What?” The dozen hooligans were dumbfounded. They sized up the youth and laughed. All of a sudden, they were overjoyed. “Hahaha… are you with the Night Gang? Is this a child’s game, or there’s no one left in the gang? A little thing like you had to show up to gain sympathy.”

The noisy music had been turned off by now. The hooligans’ sarcastic laughter could be heard throughout the bar. Even the Night Gang’s men who had been guarding the bar began to cast a doubtful look at each other. In their mind, a question was puzzling them: why did the gang send a woman and a child to represent them?

The corners of the youth’s lips lifted as he faced these despicable men, and he took his time to retaliate coolly. “Our boss thinks sending me alone to deal with scumbags like you is more than sufficient.”

The roaring laughter stopped abruptly. The hooligans’ expression turned sinister in an instant. They glared at the arrogant youth who had spoken nonsense. “Brat, you must be damn tired of living.”

“Humph… let’s see about that.” The youth sneered, completely ignoring the sound of cracking knuckles from the men. “Don’t waste my time. All off you can attack me at the same time.”

The dozen men were in their early twenties, hotheaded, and unable to withstand any form of stimulation. Besides, the person in front of them was clearly weaker. No one would be able to put up with this kind of provocation.

“C’mon, let’s go! Make sure we beat him into a pulp.” The order has been issued. More than a dozen pairs of hands balled into fists as they attacked in fury and unison. The force of their punches was so strong that it created a gust of wind. How they wished they could smash the youth’s bones with just one punch!

Outnumbered by at least one to ten, no one believed the youth had any chance of retaliating. Members of the Night Gang couldn’t help but feel sorry for the youth’s stubborn words.

However, at that moment of regret, the dozen pairs of fists were about to touch the youth’s body. He then vanished right before their eyes.

The group of hooligans saw a blur, and then he disappeared. They were surprised when a slim elbow swept across their eyes followed by a miserable shriek. One of them suddenly flew backward. Bang! There was a loud crash when his body landed on a glass tabletop, shattering it in the process. After that, complete silence…

“F***! What just happened? Argh!” The unforeseen event shook the hooligans. One of them wanted to rush over to his companion but received a sudden kick which sent him flying toward the glass tables. He landed right on top of the man who had shattered the tabletop.

The rotating light shined on them. The crowd saw that youth’s slender silhouette moved around nimbly. His elbow definitely looked fair and weak, but the impact of his punches was so great that it sent people flying. Every action he displayed resembled more like an elegant dance. There was nothing violent about it.

One. Two. Three. One punch for each man. The youth even managed to shove all the hooligans to one place as he dealt with each of them. He didn’t slow down until he had put the last man down. Then, he adjusted his collar like a gentleman.

“Ow…” The group of hooligans laid on top of one another like a pyramid. They had been so aggressive and insufferably arrogant just a while ago. At this moment, they felt humiliated.

“So… are you still looking for the Night Gang?” The youth stood in front of the broken glass tables and asked in a low and cold voice. His face remained covered by the brim of his cap.

This time, the hooligans were terrified when he spoke as though he was the devil. Their leader’s voice trembled with fear as he begged for mercy, “Buddy… pl-please… it’s our fault. We failed to recognize a formidable person like you. Please forgive us. We will never come here again.”

“Again?” The young man’s tone rose slightly, and he seemed to be thinking about something. Finally, he picked up a melon knife from the ground and put it against the neck of the hooligan’s leader. Word by word, he explained, “There will be an ‘again’ if you’re not dead.”

“No, don’t kill me,” he replied in a sobbing tone because the coldness on his neck terrified him. “W-West Street sent us here simply to scout for information. It’s really none of our business.”

When the youth heard that, he removed the knife and nodded—a rare sign to show his agreement. “It’s useless to kill you since you’re not the mastermind, but…” At this point, his sudden pause and tone of voice caused one’s heartbeat to accelerate. Then, a cold resolution filled the youth’s voice. “My boss doesn’t like trouble. To prevent any problems in the future, I will set a regulation. From now on, anyone who dares to come and bother the Night Gang will have to leave a hand behind.”

The final word ended on a heavy note, and so did the knife in the youth’s hand. Everyone present in the bar watched in horror as he chopped the man’s exposed arm off in one swift move. Nothing was left below his elbow, not even the tendons or bones.

“AHH!” A girl witnessed the bloody scene. Unable to control herself, she screamed.

A chill crept into everyone as her voice accompanied the mournful cries from the hooligan.

The news of Zhou Zheng, Land Tiger’s boss, being killed by the Night Gang had spread earlier. Those who had not seen it with their own eyes were unimpressed with this novice gang. Perhaps, they might be fearful. Nevertheless, that fear was not as real as what they had felt today.

The boy before them was just a teenager, and yet his methods were ruthless and decisive. What about his boss? One could only imagine how frightening it would be to see the leader of the Night Gang. All of them couldn’t stop themselves from their own imagination, but they dared not dwell further into it.

What would it take for one to survive in the Night Gang?

…

Xu Zihang and the others had found Yun Hua when Song Ye left via the back door. Fortunately, she wasn’t wounded. All of them headed back to the training ground without any further delay.

On the way, Song Ye asked about West Street.

“Cloud City might have Land Tiger, the only organized gang. However, things at West Street have been chaotic. Their members have been forming small groups, earning protection fees by defending their own turfs. Even Land Tiger was at a loss as to how to handle them.” Xu Zihang started frowning when he talked about West Street. There was also caution in his voice.

Song Ye took off her cap. She sat on the window sill as the cold wind to blow at the fallen locks of hair at her forehead. They entered her line of vision, and everything became black. After a long time, she merely said, “Two tigers cannot share one mountain. It’s time to clean up West Street.”