Chapter 118: Bronze and the King

If this had been said by a young man, it would be nothing; Chen Hao could have simply brushed it off. After all, young people speak carelessly, and a few casual jokes are harmless.

However, the security guard who spoke was a white-haired old man of considerable age. He looked to be at least sixty; in truth, calling him a "gatekeeper" would be more fitting than a security guard.

At such an advanced age, if a thief were to steal something or snatch a wallet, one could hardly expect this elderly man to grapple with a criminal. In Chen Hao’s view, the man served more of a symbolic purpose than a practical one. Yet, it was precisely the man's age that surprised him. Crystal Hotel was a world-class, star-rated establishment; surely they wouldn't hire someone so far beyond the standard age for security?

But the authentic security uniform the man wore told Chen Hao he hadn't seen wrong, and that was interesting. An elderly security guard at a luxury hotel? Could he be a beneficiary of nepotism?

What surprised Chen Hao most, however, was the phrase the old man had just used. How could someone his age know what "X-war" meant?

"Cough, cough!" Chen Hao released the sturdy man he had been pinning down, stood up, and cleared his throat. "Sir, you’ve misunderstood. How could we possibly be fighting an 'X-war'?"

"Who are you calling 'Sir'? You're the Sir!" Chen Hao’s polite greeting was met with immediate irritation as the man snapped back at him.

"Uh..." Chen Hao didn't know what he had said wrong to offend him. Was it the word "Sir"? Did he think calling him that made him sound old?

Thinking this, Chen Hao quickly corrected himself, feeling quite awkward. "Big brother?"

The man snorted. "Big brother? Why not uncle? Does your big brother have a head full of white hair?"

That wasn't right either... Chen Hao was frustrated. He didn't know how to address him anymore, so he tried one last time: "Grandpa?"

The man still seemed slightly displeased, but his previous intense aversion had faded. He simply waved a hand. "Forget it, forget it. It's just a form of address; no need to be so particular!"

Damn it! You’re one to talk, old man. I don't know who was just fussing over a title for half a minute.

Without giving Chen Hao a chance to retort, the old guard began lecturing them both: "I’m asking you two reckless boys, do you know what kind of place this is? How dare you start a fight here? Do you not know whose territory—I mean, what kind of place this is?"

"This is the hotel’s underground parking garage. There are cars coming and going, and tourists and pedestrians everywhere. You two are fighting in the middle of the road. If a car drives by too fast and hits you, you won't even have a place to lodge a complaint!"

Chen Hao looked at the empty parking garage, where only a handful of cars were parked, and felt a flock of crows cawing as they flew over his head.

Is this old man not just hot-tempered, but also prone to talking nonsense? He described an underground garage where not a single tourist could be seen as if it were a bustling marketplace. This ability to lie with his eyes wide open was definitely on par with Gu Mengyan.

Due to the unique nature of Crystal, most people who came here were foreigners, and those foreigners certainly wouldn't be driving themselves. Consequently, this vast underground parking garage rarely saw any traffic.

Chen Hao finally understood why such a large hotel had hired only this one old man as a guard. Because nobody ever came to the underground garage, there was no need for a large security detail.

Hiring this old man was, frankly, just to serve as a gatekeeper. However, the old man seemed quite diligent; he had appeared shortly after the conflict between Chen Hao and the burly man began. He likely had access to surveillance equipment, as this garage, while empty, was far too large to see across at a single glance.

Still, in Chen Hao's opinion, even if the old man had spotted the conflict, he shouldn't have been the one to intervene. At the very least, they should have sent a young person to break up the fight.

While Chen Hao was pondering this, the burly man spoke up, using the same rude tone as before: "Stinking old man, mind your own business! This has nothing to do with you, so go stand aside! If you don't want to die, get lost!"

To be honest, Chen Hao hadn't been overly annoyed by his earlier conflict with the burly man; although the guy was rude, he could at least understand his motive. But for this guy to speak so disrespectfully to an elderly man, even wishing death upon him, was something Chen Hao couldn't tolerate.

After all, the old man’s age commanded a certain level of respect, even if he was being a bit condescending. Besides, Chen Hao and the burly man were in the wrong for fighting in a public garage in the first place. The old man was right—even if there weren't many cars, if a passing driver didn't see them and hit them, they would be the ones to suffer. Chen Hao wasn't confident enough to pit his flesh and blood against a car; he wasn't Iron Man.

Furthermore, the old man had only been harsh with him, not the burly man. Why was the guy acting so crazy?

Just as Chen Hao thought this, the burly man spoke again: "Hey! Stinking old man, are you deaf? I told you to get lost, why are you still standing there?"

Hearing the burly man curse him, the old man’s reaction was strange. He showed none of the toughness he had displayed toward Chen Hao; instead, he stood there with a smile, letting the burly man insult him.

This old man... Chen Hao immediately decided he was a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong. When he encountered someone good-tempered like Chen Hao, he would lecture him relentlessly, but the moment he faced someone unreasonable, he would instantly adopt the demeanor of a servant.

Truth be told, given the size difference between the two, this contrast was somewhat expected. However, this display of bullying the weak still made Chen Hao feel cold. This wasn't just an isolated incident; it was a common social reality. Such things happened all the time, and everyone had become numb to it.

Chen Hao knew that changing this through his own power was impossible; it wasn't a problem that one person or one group could solve. It would take generations of effort. He was just venting in his heart, and the words he had prepared to defend the old man died on his lips.

Whether the old man was scared silly by the burly man or otherwise, he just stood there with a silly grin, neither moving nor speaking. This only served to make the burly man more furious.

Without the slightest regard for the fact that the man was an elder, the burly man raised his palm and swung it toward the old man’s face, in the exact same move he had used on Chen Hao.

If that blow landed, it would be disastrous. A man of such advanced age could easily end up with a concussion from a slap like that.

Chen Hao found it difficult to intervene, however. The old man was positioned between him and the burly man; to save him, Chen Hao would have to move around the brute. Given the burly man’s size, by the time Chen Hao reached him, the old man would have already been struck.

Chen Hao gave up on the effort, mentally preparing himself to take the brute down and call the police as soon as the old man was hit. Then, the police would take the old man to the hospital and drag both of them to the station for tea. Then...

What a headache.

But there are exceptions to every rule. The pained scream Chen Hao expected from the old man never came. Instead, it was the burly man who let out a howl of agony.

When Chen Hao regained his focus, he stared in disbelief at the scene before him.

The burly man’s massive hand was hovering half a centimeter from the old man’s cheek. No, it wasn't hovering—the man's wrist was being firmly gripped by two of the old man’s fingers. Chen Hao could almost hear the sound of bone splintering; the wrist held by the old man was visibly deformed.

*Holy crap!* Chen Hao shouted internally. He had thought the man was a bronze-tier amateur... turns out, this old man was a damn master! Compared to him, Chen Hao felt incredibly weak. When he had fought the burly man, it was a stalemate, though that was partly because he had held back.

But looking at the old man’s effortless, practiced movements, it was clear he was a hidden expert of the highest order. The "Plum-Folding Hand" move he used was pure genius!

The burly man was naturally shocked, but he didn't intend to just wait for death. Even knowing the old man was a master far beyond his level, his instincts drove him to launch a counterattack.

This time, he used his full strength, lifting his leg to kick the old man in the abdomen.

But the old man still wore that same unchanging, relaxed smile. He used his other hand to repeat his previous move, gripping the burly man’s ankle and giving it a light twist...

Chen Hao heard the loud sound of bones snapping and the burly man’s renewed scream.

"Crack!"

"AAHH!!!!!"