"Yang Chen, you got the money I told you to prepare yesterday? We're waiting to grab breakfast and drinks with it." Chen Feng twirled a silver chain around his finger, sauntering over with a sinister grin.
Old Li panicked, stepping in front of Yang Chen and shouting, "Chen Feng, don't push it too far! Even if your dad, Boss Chen, runs this area, what right do you have to collect protection money? Boss Chen said people without shops don't have to pay—we know that!"
Chen Feng's father, Chen Dehai, was one of the top gang leaders in the West District. That was why Chen Feng dared to flagrantly extort protection money everywhere. Hearing Old Li use his father to pressure him, a cold glint flashed in Chen Feng's eyes.
"Old fool, who do you think you are… You think mentioning my dad scares me? He's my father, not your grandpa. I don't even care about extorting you lot—don't make me force you!"
"You…" Old Li realized he'd nearly offended Boss Chen. After all, they were father and son—what did he count for? But he couldn't swallow his anger. He was about to speak up again when Yang Chen pulled him back.
Yang Chen frowned and rubbed his temples with a headache. He stepped in front of Old Li and said calmly to Chen Feng, "Your name is Chen Feng, right? I'll call you Brother Feng. Don't look for trouble—I hate hassle. I don't have any money on me today, though. I'll give it to you in a few days. Go home first."
"Whoa!" One of Chen Feng's lackeys burst out laughing. "Brother Feng, this kid thinks he's the boss? We'll leave just 'cause he says so?"
The other thugs cackled wildly, shouting to teach the kid a lesson.
Chen Feng also laughed as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world, but his anger flared at Yang Chen's words. He sneered, "Yang Chen… say that again. D'you think I won't cut out your tongue?"
His voice turned vicious by the end.
Yang Chen's impatient expression suddenly turned cold. He stared at Chen Feng with a complicated look and said, "Do you know what I hate most?"
"Wha—"
Before Chen Feng could finish asking, he suddenly felt his body lift into the air! A sharp pain shot through his abdomen, and he crashed into a roadside garbage pile with a loud thud! Rotten vegetable leaves and fish scraps covered him, his clothes soaked in stinking sewage.
"I hate being threatened more than anything…"
It was as if he'd just given a casual push. Yang Chen stood where Chen Feng had been, retracting his outstretched hand.
Chen Feng was dazed from the push and crash. Blood filled his mouth, and the stench of rotting garbage made him retch violently!
"How dare you hit Brother Feng! You're dead!"
"Beat him to a pulp!"
The thugs hadn't processed what happened before seeing their boss beaten. Relying on their numbers, they didn't stop to think how Yang Chen had done it—they swarmed forward, flailing fists and kicks.
Yang Chen didn't even bother looking. No matter how they attacked, he simply caught their limbs with his palms and flung them to the side of the road.
The thugs felt their hands or feet trapped by an overwhelming force, their bodies flying uncontrollably through the air before slamming into the hard concrete. They howled in agony.
When everyone saw Yang Chen hadn't even been scratched, they finally knew they couldn't win. Even Chen Feng, who'd just crawled out of the garbage, broke out in a cold sweat! He'd seen the skills of the retired special forces soldiers his father employed—they were his father's top men, able to take on ten men at once easily.
But even they didn't have this kind of strength or speed, flinging five or six men aside like cats and dogs. These thugs may not have trained, but they'd fought their whole lives—ordinary people couldn't beat them.
"Let's go!" Chen Feng's teeth gnashed in rage, but he didn't care about saving face. Seeing Yang Chen's calm face was like seeing a ghost. He hurriedly herded his lackeys and fled.
Old Li and the onlookers cheered—these thugs had been bullying everyone for ages, and the vendors lived in fear. Yang Chen had finally stood up for them. But no one dared get too close to Yang Chen. Chen Feng wasn't scary, but if his father Chen Dehai came after him, they feared being implicated.
Old Li was ecstatic, grabbing Yang Chen's hand and asking, "Little Yang, I had no idea you were so skilled! Did you learn martial arts before?"
"Yeah… a little." Yang Chen didn't want to elaborate. Truth be told, he'd never wanted to fight in public—unless someone crossed his line. But as he'd told Chen Feng, he had his principles: he hated being threatened more than anything. This quirk, he knew, would never fade no matter how hard he tried to live low-key. He was a strong man, and he had his pride.
Old Li didn't press further, growing worried. "Little Yang, you beat Chen Feng back, but what if he brings his dad? Chen Dehai's a big shot in the West Alliance, one of the two biggest gangs in the West District—no one dares mess with him!"
West Alliance… Yang Chen smiled dismissively, then suddenly asked Old Li, "Got a cigarette?"
Old Li fretted at his nonchalance, then chuckled, "Didn't you say you were quitting?"
"Forget it. I'm not quitting anymore. I don't feel right after a fight without a smoke."
Yang Chen sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected Chen Dehai to be in the West Alliance. He'd avoided getting close to Qiangwei to stay out of gang business, but now he'd walked straight into the line of fire.
Old Li pulled out a pack of three-yuan Hardmen cigarettes from his pocket and lit one for Yang Chen.
"I'm poor, so I smoke the cheapest. This one's strong—bear with it."
Yang Chen took a deep drag, savoring it, and grinned, "Perfect. I like 'em strong."
"Young people should smoke less—it's bad for you," Old Li advised kindly.
Yang Chen smiled faintly, thinking, If smoking could hurt me, all those years of training would've been for nothing.
After a short break, they got back to work. Yang Chen heated up the cooked kebabs and grilled the raw ones over charcoal, a skewer in his mouth for breakfast. The work was messy, but he enjoyed it, grinning at the nearby vendors every now and then.
Before long, a police car pulled up from a distance. Two police officers and a man in a white shirt—an inspector—jumped out, walking sternly toward Yang Chen.
The lead inspector spoke coldly, "Are you Yang Chen?"