Chapter Twenty: Flattening Tongxinhe

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Looking at them, Wang Yaozu was reminded of himself and his brothers several years ago. Their families had been poor, their grades terrible, and they had spent every day doing nothing—skipping class to kick a ball on the soccer field, playing basketball, or gathering a crowd to get into brawls.

They had barely enough to eat. Every now and then they would help someone put on a show of force, and earning a few dozen or a hundred dollars was already considered a good day.

The things they paid attention to each day were not much more than whose girlfriend was attractive and who had finally made a name for himself and joined a gang.

The men were quickly summoned. They were all young fellows.

These youths, who dreamed all day of joining a gang, were at the age when they struck the hardest. By contrast, those who had spent several years in the gangs had developed many more reservations.

“Little Fool, aren’t you going to greet them?”

“Brother Yao.”

“Brother Yao.”

“All right.” Wang Yaotang raised a hand and pressed it down. “You all know what’s going on.”

“It depends on how you perform.”

“Thank you, Brother Yao!”

Wang Yaotang looked toward Ah Jie. Ah Jie nodded.

“Come with me to collect the weapons and get paid.”

While things were being arranged, Wang Yaotang pulled Ah Ji aside.

“No one noticed, right?”

“No.” Ah Ji grinned. “After we got back, I secretly tossed everything into the car. Ah Wei took care of it.”

“Good. That’s good.” Wang Yaotang smiled and patted Ah Ji on the shoulder. “Ah Ji, the Tiger from the Mountain, the number-one fighter. You can’t let that reputation be ruined.”

Ah Ji grimaced. “I still want to make my name through my own ability.”

“You’re nuts. First, stay alive, then talk about ability. You’ve never even had proper training, yet you’re dreaming already.” Wang Yaotang cursed under his breath. “Once we have the money, I’ll set up a boxing gym and hire professional trainers.”

“We can’t compare with the New Record Society or the Numbers. Those big gangs train their people in complete teams.”

“No rush. After some time, I’ll sign up at a boxing gym and start training.” Ah Ji smiled.

Wang Yaotang put an arm around Ah Ji’s shoulders and gave him a few shakes. Between brothers, there was no need to say too much.

After speaking with Ah Ji, Wang Yaotang suddenly thought of himself. He had originally planned to save his reputation points to purchase other skills—English, design, law, and many others that would be crucial to his future development.

But all of that depended on one thing: staying alive.

He opened the system and looked toward the Reputation Shop.

[Skill: Muay Thai]

He clicked purchase.

[100 Reputation Points consumed]

[Current Reputation: 315/615 — Rising Star]

His head spun. In an instant, he was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, his entire body drenched in sweat. Standing before a punching bag, he struck it rapidly with his fists, elbows, legs, and knees. His figure flashed back and forth at high speed. Before long, the punching bag had become a padded wooden post, yet he continued throwing punches, swinging elbows, kicking, and driving his knees forward.

Sweat flew in every direction. He showed no sign of fatigue.

After an unknown length of time, Wang Yaotang opened his eyes. He felt that the muscles throughout his body had grown considerably denser once more. Raising his hand, he saw that another layer of calluses had formed over his knuckles. He touched his elbow; the muscles around the joint had become more developed, and a layer of callus had appeared on the skin there as well.

He suddenly punched the air, drove forward with an elbow, and swept out with one leg.

His sense of power had clearly increased.

He had no idea how much stronger the combination of Sanda and Muay Thai had made him. He only knew that his physical abilities had improved again and that he now had more ways to deal with his enemies.

“Brother Yao, we can go now,” Ah Jie called.

“Ah, right.” Coming back to himself, Wang Yaotang swept out his hand. “All right, let’s go flatten United New Harmony!”

“Flatten United New Harmony!”

The more than twenty men behind him shouted in unison, and their momentum surged at once.

As they walked through the silent streets, Wang Yaotang suddenly laughed.

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“What is it?” Ah Jie asked.

“We’re missing some background music.”

“What?”

There should have been background music at a time like this...

“I’ll charge through the storm and command the winds and clouds, while countless eyes look up to me.”

“I’ll dominate the world and never need to look back.”

“I’ll overturn heaven and earth and write my own laws of honor.”

“A savage wild wolf, its eyes flashing with ferocity.”

“...”

By the time they reached Bao Le Lane, the injured gangsters from United New Harmony had disappeared, but great pools of blood still covered the ground.

The twenty-four-hour shops on either side of the street had opened again. There were still plenty of people around, and it was immediately obvious that many of them were gangsters. The Red Profit Building’s brothel business was not controlled by United New Harmony alone.

Several gangs had businesses here: bars, saunas, massage parlors, and mahjong houses.

When Wang Yaotang appeared again with his men, he immediately drew everyone’s attention.

It did not take long for someone to recognize him as Wang Yaotang of the Harmony Victory Gang. He had just led his men into a fight with Big Head Sheng of United New Harmony. Big Head Sheng had fled, while this young man had not suffered so much as a scratch and had even chatted and laughed with the police.

In less than an hour, Wang Yaotang’s name had spread.

No one knew the names of the two men beside him.

But many had seen how fierce they were. During the fight just now, the two of them had cut down seven or eight of Big Head Sheng’s men.

“Didn’t they leave just now?”

“They’re back again?”

“A returning strike? This is going to be entertaining!”

“Haha, United New Harmony is in trouble now.”

The onlookers were never afraid of making matters worse.

“Ah Jie, take some men upstairs and clear out United New Harmony’s establishments,” Wang Yaotang ordered. “Ah Ji, take your men to Union Building and clear out their places there.”

“All right.”

“Got it.”

The two groups charged off. Wang Yaotang followed Ah Jie’s men upstairs.

“Boss, this is bad! Wang Yaotang from the Harmony Victory Gang is back!”

Big Head Sheng, his body wrapped in bandages, sprang to his feet. Before he could say anything, the room door was kicked open.

“Aaahhh!”

The seven or eight girls waiting for customers in the outer room shrieked sharply.

Ah Jie charged in first, a knife in hand.

Big Head Sheng’s scalp went numb. He abruptly heaved up the dining table in front of him.

“Fuck your mother!”

Ah Jie raised an arm to shield his face, kicked the table aside, rushed forward, and brought his knife down with tremendous force.

Clang!

Big Head Sheng lifted the stool beneath him to block the blow, then immediately kicked Ah Jie in the abdomen.

That was the move he had practiced most熟练ly.

Ah Jie staggered back several steps and collided with the other underlings trying to enter behind him.

“Ah Jie, I’ll handle this. Take the men and clear out the rabble.” Wang Yaotang’s voice came from behind him.

Pointing his knife at Big Head Sheng, Ah Jie led his men out.

“Big Head Sheng, we meet again.” Wang Yaotang swept the plates off the floor and walked in with a smile.

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“Wang Yaotang, you’re looking for death!”

Big Head Sheng’s eyes darted from side to side, and his voice carried the hollow menace of a man who was fierce only on the outside.

“I’m here to clear out your establishments. Today, not even Jesus could stop me.”

“Fuck! Get him!”

Big Head Sheng swung his hand fiercely.

The underling who had just delivered the report shouted and charged forward—

Then went flying back.

Clutching his stomach, his face purple, he kept dry-heaving.

“Now it’s your turn, Big Head Sheng. How do you want to die?” Wang Yaotang smiled, revealing eight brilliant white teeth. “Beaten to death, hacked to death, or strangled?”

“How about jumping from the building? It would look a little more dignified.”

In no time, his remaining underlings had been hacked down and fled. Big Head Sheng was the only one left. Ah Jie stood nearby with a cleaver, while more than a dozen pairs of eyes stared at him hungrily, as though they wanted to devour him.

“You—you—you! Wang Yaotang, do you even know the rules of the underworld?” This was the eighth floor, and Big Head Sheng had been trapped inside the room. Sweat poured down his face, and his lips had gone white.

“Rules? Fine. Tell me.” Wang Yaotang smiled and made an inviting gesture.

There really were rules when it came to taking over another gang’s territory. Otherwise, if everyone kept smashing each other’s businesses, no one would be able to operate.

Normally, the territory had to be defended until dawn without the flag being pulled down. Of course, conceding defeat also counted.

“Single combat. If I lose, I, Big Head Sheng, will accept it.” If he wanted to leave safely, this was his only option.

“Single combat? What do I get out of it?” Wang Yaotang asked with a smile.

Had someone really delivered a pillow just when he was sleepy?

“Fine. I’ll use you for practice!”

Big Head Sheng’s eyes blazed. Was he fucking allowed to win?

“Heh. I’m only teasing you. Come on.” Wang Yaotang clasped his left hand behind his back and crooked the fingers of his right hand.

“Aaah! I’ll fucking kill you!” Big Head Sheng’s eyes burned with fury. The bastard had gone too far. To hell with it—he would fight him to the end!

He hurled a chair, then charged after it.

Wang Yaotang merely shifted to the side. As Big Head Sheng lunged at him, Wang Yaotang swung a whipping kick—

Then followed with a high roundhouse kick—

Big Head Sheng raised his left arm and barely managed to block beside his head. Wang Yaotang threw a right straight punch—

Then a left straight punch.

Wang Yaotang’s left hand remained behind his back. He retreated half a step, then abruptly raised his right elbow and smashed it forward in a head-on collision.

“Ah!”

Big Head Sheng cried out in pain. It felt as though the bones in his fist had shattered. He stumbled back two steps, his face twisting in agony. His left hand trembled violently, utterly devoid of strength.

“That’s all you’ve got?” Wang Yaotang sneered.

He suddenly stepped forward.

A low left roundhouse kick—

Followed by a straight right front kick—

It was the very move Big Head Sheng had used so skillfully before. Big Head Sheng hurriedly pulled in his stomach and retreated, but he did not expect to keep backing into the table he had knocked over moments earlier. His footing failed, and he staggered.

An opening!

Wang Yaotang drove hard off the ground and surged forward, swinging his fist down—

Big Head Sheng raised an arm to block, but his feet had no foundation. He staggered again, taking another step backward.

A left side kick—

Followed by a right spinning back kick.

Big Head Sheng no longer had time to defend. The kick struck him in the head, and his vision instantly went black. He collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Wang Yaotang completed the motion, steadied himself, and gently exhaled.

“Carry him out!”

...

P.S. A question for everyone: Is it better to update in the early hours of the morning or around noon?