Chapter 43
The few brothers who could still stand followed Biao’s orders, cautiously lifting Xu Ke up, then turned their heads to look at their boss, waiting for Biao to give the command to pounce on Xu Ke, to take down the man sitting on the chair and show him a thing or two.
As they imagined the sight of that man begging for mercy on his knees in a while, everyone felt energized throughout their bodies. Just when the atmosphere was as tense as a Hong Kong espionage drama, Xu Ke opened his eyes, looking at Biao, who was still standing against the wall, with a mocking smile, he opened his lips and said, “Can’t wait any longer?”
The sudden sound made the two people standing directly opposite Xu Ke freeze like puppets, even their eyes filled with fear. When did this man wake up? Or has he been awake all along, listening to their supposedly perfect plan, mocking their intelligence in his heart?
It was okay for the few people surrounding Xu Ke; they didn’t see Xu Ke’s current expression, so their fear was somewhat alleviated, with even a few not feeling any fear but having a blazing war fire burning in their hearts.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” Xu Ke looked at Biao from across the crowd, speaking in a flat tone without any fluctuation in his voice, but all the violence and oppression were gathered in those eyes, conveying all the information to Biao.
“Biao!” Green Hair, seeing Biao just retreating and saying nothing, shouted irritably.
He didn’t know how Biao, being so timid, became the boss of this group. When encountering issues, he didn’t charge forward but instead stood against the wall—a true useless guy. What on earth did Master Zhao see in him? Today, Green Hair was thoroughly disappointed with Biao’s performance.
“Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!” Biao recalled dozens of conspiracy theories in his mind. If not interrupted by Green Hair, he might have thought of more, but this was already enough to make him scared. Xu Ke’s danger level had been soaring upward in Biao’s heart in less than an hour.
“You call this formation a misunderstanding?” Xu Ke looked at the people surrounding him with a sarcastic expression, looking at Biao.
Green Hair, standing behind Xu Ke, felt indescribably irritable seeing Biao admitting defeat. He lowered his head and saw Xu Ke’s seemingly unguarded black hair, spawning countless evil thoughts in his heart. Suddenly, while others had no chance to react, Green Hair pulled out a fruit knife from his waist, his eyes bloodshot, and plunged it towards Xu Ke. Biao watched as if it was happening in slow motion before his eyes, forgetting even to breathe.
At that moment, Biao’s first thought was how to protect his brother after the incident, letting him do less time in jail, or how to transport Xu Ke’s body out of the restaurant without anyone noticing and dispose of the body properly to free Green Hair from prison.
Many thoughts burst in his mind, but not one was that Xu Ke could dodge the blow. After all, Green Hair’s attack was so sudden and fierce that it left no chance to dodge. Not only was Biao nervous, but everyone present who could see the scene was also tense.
But the next moment, something unexpected happened. Everyone saw Xu Ke lift a leg and kicked backward fiercely, hitting Green Hair’s wrist directly. Green Hair’s hand, holding the fruit knife, loosened, and the blade fell to the ground with a crisp sound, like a thunderclap striking everyone’s hearts, causing everyone present to shiver.
Everyone saw Xu Ke support the chair’s back with one hand, his lower body lifted into the air, sweeping kick aimed at the heads of those surrounding him. The next moment, no one surrounding him could stand; everyone was kicked to the ground and passed out, while Xu Ke sat back down as if nothing had just happened.
“Don’t play any tricks again. Stand there obediently without moving, understood?”
“Understood, understood, understood.” Even before Biao could speak, those few still conscious nodded quickly, as if they were a phantom, afraid Xu Ke might do something to them if displeased.
They understood now, Xu Ke’s combat power was not something small fries like them could contend against. Instead of thinking about resisting or fighting back, it was better to stay put, waiting for reinforcements, hoping to use numbers to suppress him and avenge themselves, as it’s clear they can’t do it alone.
It was as if they had arrived at a police station, obediently squatting against the wall in a row, imagining themselves as big mushrooms, each burrowed silently in place, leaving Xu Ke seated on the room’s only undamaged chair, seemingly napping with closed eyes. When Master Zhao kicked open the private room door, he couldn’t believe he came to the wrong place, seeing his brothers lying everywhere and a row of mushrooms squatting in the corner.
“Master Zhao, you’ve finally arrived.” Biao’s eyes filled with tears upon seeing Master Zhao, dragging his half-pained body over with the support of his underlings, as if he had suffered great grievances, “It’s this man who injured our brothers. We said we were under Master Zhao’s name, but he didn’t give any face. Didn’t even explain, just attacked while the brothers were drinking and eating. Master Zhao, he doesn’t take you seriously. You mustn’t let him off.”
The greatest backer arrived, and the fear in Biao’s heart, once dominated by Xu Ke, was instantly soothed by the backer’s arrival. Dangerous people like Xu Ke must be nipped in the bud at the onset. Biao knew what kind of people Master Zhao appreciated; thus, he didn’t give the two a chance to speak, immediately sowed discord, but Xu Ke never interrupted him, allowing him to continue his act.
As soon as Biao finished speaking, Master Zhao’s anger was indeed stirred up. He, Old Zhao, had been in Luo City for so many years, and who didn’t give him some face when he was out? When did a pretty boy ever dare publicize his face?
“Just a pretty boy like this, you can’t even handle? What have I been feeding you for all these years?” Master Zhao said impatiently, holding a cigar, looking at Biao, who had followed him for many years.