C9 Meeting Qiang Again!

North Slal is the liveliest bar street in Anewood City.

Currently, a crowd was huddled inside a bar named Blossoms. Beer bottles and cigarette butts littered the floor, and the tables were laden with more beer.

Several men adorned with dragon and tiger tattoos lounged on the sofas, with a handful of shady characters standing nearby. Clearly, these were not upstanding citizens.

The air was thick with smoke as everyone puffed away.

"Qiang Zi, I heard a student gave you a beating?" a muffled voice emerged from the shadows, where a figure was barely visible.

Laughter erupted throughout the room as the words hung in the air.

A man with a conspicuously swollen right cheek retorted angrily, "Big brother, it caught me off guard. That student was incredibly strong; he took all of us down!"

"You're useless!" came the cold retort from the darkness.

"Qiang Zi, if you can't handle a student, what's the point of you being here?"

"If I were Qiang Zi, I'd just pack it up and go back to farming!" jeered the others seated nearby.

"You'd understand if you faced him!" Qiang Zi shot back, seething.

"Is he trained?" the voice from the shadows probed again.

Qiang Zi grabbed a beer bottle from the table and took a swig, replying, "The kid's just strong, definitely no formal training."

"To think someone untrained could do that to you, that's amusing," the shadowy figure seemed to chuckle.

Taking a drag from his cigarette, Qiang Zi muttered, "Big brother, we can't just let this slide. I have to settle the score!"

"Oh? You expect me to step in?" the figure in the darkness scoffed.

"Big brother, just this once, help me out!" Qiang Zi implored, tossing his cigarette butt and clenching his teeth.

"Qiang Zi, have you lost your mind? You want the boss to handle a mere student?" scoffed the man with the white tiger tattoo.

"I'm out of options. Unless you want to lend a hand?" Qiang Zi snapped back, clearly irritated.

"Fine, hand over a few of your spots to me, and I'll help," the man bargained.

Just then, a stylishly dressed young man entered the bar, his face marred by a grim expression.

"Where's Lee Xing?" he asked, his brow furrowing at the sight of the dingy surroundings.

"What's the situation here? Chen Yu, you look like you've been roughed up. Who in Anewood has the guts to mess with you?" The man's voice echoed coldly in the darkness, his tone far from polite.

The young man who had just entered was none other than Chen Yu, fresh from a beating at the hands of Zhou Wen!

Chen Yu's face shifted between anger and embarrassment as he retorted, "Lee Xing, if you're so well-informed, why bother asking? My dad didn't pay you all that money to be useless!"

"Chen Yao wouldn't dare speak to me that way. What makes you think you can, Chen Yu?" The shadowy figure seemed to rise and step forward menacingly.

Dressed in a black tracksuit, the man's muscular build and buzz cut gave him an intimidating presence.

His entrance prompted Qiang Zi and the others to rise from their seats, lining up with respectful deference.

Feeling the pressure, Chen Yu blurted out, "I got beaten up, and you need to help me get even."

Lee Xing chuckled, "You're not going to tell me a student did this to you, are you?"

Chen Yu, taken aback, asked, "How did you know?"

Qiang Zi, spitting in disbelief, echoed, "You got beaten by a student too?"

After a closer look at Chen Yu's bruised face, Qiang Zi cursed, "Damn! It wasn't the same guy, was it?"

Without hesitation, Chen Yu pulled out his phone and showed them a photo. It was Zhou Wen, caught in the act of studying, his face clearly visible.

"It is him!" Qiang Zi peered over, his expression one of shock.

Ah, the twists of fate...

Lee Xing glanced at the photo of Zhou Wen and mused with a hint of intrigue, "How interesting. A student has managed to beat up both my underling and my boss's son."

"I'll have to meet this kid," Lee Xing declared with a hint of foreboding.

"Deal. Once this is settled, you'll be well compensated," Chen Yu assured him with a sly grin before exiting the bar.

...

The day was bathed in sunlight, birds chirping merrily on the branches, while people bustled along the sidewalks.

Zhou Wen was on his way to Pebblebrook Mansion at that very moment.

It was Saturday, but with Zhou Wen's parents at work, he decided to drop by Qin Yi's place for a meal.

Zhou Wen's family lived in the old town area of Anewood City. Pebblebrook Mansion was situated in the new city zone, which was not accessible by bus, so Zhou Wen chose to walk there.

"Ms. Qin, I'm on my way."

"Alright, you should be arriving soon."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Zhou Wen answered the call from Qin Yi, who was checking on his whereabouts. After the conversation, he slipped the phone into his pocket.

He had just reached a street that sold hardware accessories. The area was usually quiet, with shop owners appearing somewhat dispirited, idly chatting in small groups at their storefronts.

What was odd, though, was a bookstore nestled among the hardware shops. The bookstore seemed rather worn, with its yellowing, faded wooden door. It was named "Old Xu's Ancient Books."

Zhou Wen gave the bookstore a cursory glance before continuing on his way. Suddenly, three men burst out from the side and quickly formed a triangle around him.

The leader, dressed in black sportswear with his hands in his pockets, fixed his gaze on Zhou Wen. To the left stood a man with a prominently swollen right cheek, his shirt open to reveal a green dragon tattoo. On the right was a man sporting a white tiger tattoo.

Zhou Wen's heart skipped a beat at the sight of these men. He didn't recognize the other two, but the man with the swollen cheek was unmistakably Qiang, the same guy who had robbed the Tsunami Cybercafe!

Their menacing stares were unmistakable, and though they were still at a distance, they had effectively cut off his retreat.

"It seems Qiang has brought reinforcements," Zhou Wen thought to himself.

"Are you Zhou Wen?" the man in black sportswear inquired.

Considering he was on his way to visit Qin Yi, Zhou Wen wanted to avoid any trouble with these men.

"Zhou Wen? No, that's not me. You've got the wrong person," Zhou Wen feigned ignorance.

Besides, he had managed to fend off a larger group last time. The fact that only three had come this time meant either Qiang was foolish, or there was a skilled fighter among them.

"Not you?" Lee Xing paused, then turned to Qiang Zi, wondering if they had indeed mistaken him for someone else.

As Lee Xing was momentarily distracted, Zhou Wen spun on his heel and bolted without a second thought.

"Damn it! Duped again!" Qiang Zi yelled.

The trio quickly cut off Zhou Wen's escape, thwarting his plan to flee.

"Think you can run?"

Zhou Wen halted, only to hear Qiang Zi's voice behind him.

"Trying to run? Think you can get away?" Another voice erupted suddenly, and someone fiercely grabbed Zhou Wen's right shoulder. With a flick of the wrist, Zhou Wen was sent tumbling to the ground.

Looking up, Zhou Wen saw a man in a black tracksuit, a slight smile playing across his face.

The man's grip was incredibly strong, causing a piercing pain in Zhou Wen's right shoulder.

Bearing the pain, Zhou Wen pushed himself up with his left hand.

The man in black aimed another punch at Zhou Wen's back, but Zhou Wen rolled forward, narrowly dodging the blow.

It wasn't until then that Qiang Zi and another man finally caught up.

"You still think you can run? If I let you escape today, then I'm not Hao Qiang!" Qiang Zi bellowed, aiming a vicious stomp at Zhou Wen on the ground.

Calm and collected, Zhou Wen swiftly sidestepped, elegantly evading the attack.

Realizing he was cornered and there was no escape, Zhou Wen steeled himself, rose from the ground, and swung a punch at Qiang Zi, who was nearest to him.

Qiang Zi instinctively blocked, but it seemed he had anticipated something. Sure enough, Zhou Wen's punch packed such force that it sent him stumbling backward.

"Big brother, did you see his strength?" Qiang Zi called out to Lee Xing.

Lee Xing, clad in the black tracksuit, smirked coldly.

"He seems strong, but it's of no use."

Planting his feet firmly on the ground, Lee Xing flexed his right arm and suddenly launched a punch at Zhou Wen, who scrambled to defend himself.

In that moment, Zhou Wen realized that the man in the black tracksuit was clearly well-trained.

He was outmatched.

Lee Xing stepped forward with his left foot, seized Zhou Wen's wrist, and with a sharp tug, lifted his right leg and drove his knee into Zhou Wen's abdomen.

Zhou Wen instinctively reached out to block and shove, narrowly evading the blow with the fortifying support of his underwear and quickly retreated.

The man in the black tracksuit was formidable.

But his skill didn't necessarily mean the other two were just as tough.

He needed to take out these two first!

Zhou Wen wasn't one to be easily bested. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he lunged forward, seizing the moment Qiang Zi was caught off guard, and landed a punch square on his face.

Qiang Zi was completely unprepared, and blood gushed from his nose as he writhed on the ground in agony.

Without hesitation, Zhou Wen spun around and delivered another punch to the man with the white tiger tattoo, then followed up with a kick that sent him tumbling to the floor.

In a flash, both men were down, contorting their faces in pain.

"I'm going to kill you today!" Lee Xing bellowed furiously.

Zhou Wen's face contorted, yet he defiantly yelled back, "Bring it on!"

By now, the disturbance had drawn a crowd of onlookers from around the street.

Such brawls were a rare sight in Anewood.

Several hardware store owners brought out chairs to sit in their doorways, cracking sunflower seeds as they enjoyed the spectacle.

An elderly man in a white linen robe emerged from the Ancient Bookstore, holding a thread-bound book, and watched the scene unfold with a profound gaze.

"Those are thugs, aren't they? Why are they picking on a kid?"

"Someone should call the police."

"Yes, yes, call the police!"

The bystanders murmured among themselves, and several dialed the police.

Lee Xing, undeterred, charged forward once more.

Zhou Wen sidestepped Lee Xing's punch aimed at his face, but to his surprise, Lee Xing's fist turned into a palm strike targeting Zhou Wen's underarm—a vulnerable spot.

Zhou Wen quickly parried and spotted an opening in Lee Xing's defense.

He clenched his left fist and hammered it into Lee Xing's chest with full force.

Lee Xing staggered back several steps.

"This kid's got some serious moves! That guy he's up against has definitely had some training!"

"But the kid's still got a bit to learn, doesn't he?"

A glint of sharpness passed through the eyes of the old man standing at the entrance of the Ancient Bookstore, his expression contemplative.

By chance, a patrol car was passing by just then, and several police officers quickly jumped out and hurried over.

"The cops are here, big brother, should we make a run for it?" Qiang Zi scrambled to his feet, asking anxiously.

Lee Xing chuckled and replied, "This is Chief Zhang's turf. No need to run."

"Everyone down on the ground and don't move!" the officers commanded as they approached.

Subsequently, the group was taken into custody and placed in the police car.

...

Inside the station, Qiang Zi and his companions sat on chairs.

"Hao Qiang, back again, I see? And what brings Zhao Qing here?" a middle-aged man sauntered into the interrogation room, ribbing them.

"Chief Zhang, you've got to stand up for us. We were just walking when this guy came up and attacked us. Look at my face, it's still swollen," Hao Qiang lamented, pointing to his cheek.

Qiang Zi, whose real name was Hao Qiang, and the man with the white tiger tattoo, known as Zhao Qing, were among those seated. Lee Xing sat silently to the side, eyes closed.

Zhang Ming was suddenly overcome with a headache. As the station chief, he'd had his fair share of run-ins with these troublemakers.

Not a word of truth ever came from these hooligans.

He had already looked into the person who had allegedly attacked them—a high school student with no prior offenses. Why would an ordinary student seek trouble with these thugs?

It was absurd.

Clearly, they had been the instigators.

But there's an old saying: "He who takes the king's coin becomes the king's man." Over the years, Zhang Ming had received his share of favors from these ruffians. And Lee Xing, with his eyes closed before him, was the trusted enforcer for Chen Yao.

Chen Yao was a wealthy and influential figure in Anewood, with a vast and complicated network of connections.

Zhang Ming aspired to climb the ranks, but the incorruptible director of Anewood made it impossible. Hence, he contemplated leveraging Chen Yao's influence to advance his career through less direct means.

The moment had arrived.

He was merely an ordinary high school student; handling this minor issue should be no trouble at all.

Once Zhang Ming had made up his mind, his expression turned grave. "This is utter lawlessness—to think he would dare to assault someone in broad daylight, as if the police were here just for show! Rest assured, I will stand up for you today!"