Chapter 136: Brother Bin's Helplessness

Although he was extremely reluctant to admit it, the bald man was entirely right. Everything Song Nianqiang said was the absolute truth. Those were just school dropouts who had never seen the wider world. To suddenly hand them blades and tell them to hack people down naturally brought immense psychological pressure.

Yet, this was not what shocked the bald man the most. What truly astonished him was that Song Nianqiang had merely glanced at them and immediately pinpointed all their weaknesses. The bald man was forced to reevaluate the two of them.

Such piercing insight, coupled with such meticulous analysis, and the subtle air of hooliganism naturally emanating from both of them—especially the big fatty, who reeked of ruffianism—convinced the bald man that these two men were at least seasoned figures in the underworld. However, one thing puzzled him greatly: given their keen eyes, they were at least veterans, and judging by their physical prowess, they were certainly not nobodies. The strange part was why he had never heard of them before.

"Get up! Don't disgrace me!" the bald man shouted loudly, glancing once more at Lei Ge, who was sitting on the ground crying. His voice startled Lei Ge, who scrambled to his feet, scuttled behind the bald man, and whispered, "Brother Bin, I'm sorry."

"Oh?! Brother Bin, do us the favor of giving a straight answer: are you going to let us brothers leave or not?" Song Nianqiang did not care in the least about the seven or eight students holding machetes in front of him. Even two years ago, he wouldn't have cared much, let alone now. As for the big fatty, that care-free bastard—as long as Song Nianqiang made a move, he wouldn't give a damn about anything else.

"Leaving just like that is out of the question. But before we make a move, I'd like to ask a question. Judging by the looks of you two, you also seem to be mingling in the underworld. I wonder which boss you follow?" Brother Bin didn't want to stir up trouble. After all, he wasn't the head honcho; Bo Zi's position in this town was absolutely unshakable. Even if there were some formidable rising stars, the thought of replacing Boss Bo wouldn't even cross their minds, because they had all grown up hearing legends of Bo Zi, and to a large extent, they had embarked on this path because of him.

That was why Brother Bin asked this. After all, everyone currently mingling in the town knew that Bo Zi now followed Goshawk, and Goshawk's sphere of influence was just starting to flourish—not yet comparable to the established, veteran gangs. Therefore, Brother Bin had to handle this matter with utmost caution. What if these two kids were the crown princes of some major gang? Then today he would be plunging into a catastrophe from which even death by suicide wouldn't save him.

Given the aura, courage, and martial skill of the two kids before him, this guess was not entirely impossible. Hearing Brother Bin's words, Song Nianqiang chuckled, "Brother Bin, you're completely overthinking it. The two of us are ordinary people at best, just someone who happens to understand a few minor tricks." Song Nianqiang also perceived Brother Bin's anxiety, which was why he gave this reply.

"Oh?!" Song Nianqiang's answer caught Brother Bin off guard. He hadn't expected the smiling young man before him to instantly pierce through his inner anxieties. The youth shouldn't be older than him; although Brother Bin considered himself rather shrewd within his gang, compared to the young man in front of him, he suddenly felt entirely inadequate.

"The two of you, I'd love to make your acquaintance, but today's occasion is really not suitable. If I just let you walk away like this, I'll lose face. So, my apologies." With that, Brother Bin took a step back and waved his hand. The underlings standing behind him immediately stepped forward.

However, those newly dropped-out underlings were doing this for the very first time, so they stood hesitating with their machetes before Song Nianqiang and his companion. After all, the boss in their eyes had just been reduced to tears by these two guys. Although Brother Bin was ostensibly their boss, they actually listened more to Lei Ge. Their admiration for Lei Ge far surpassed that for Brother Bin.

Consequently, fear of Song Nianqiang and the other man naturally arose in their hearts. Yet, this fear was replaced by stark terror at a roar from Brother Bin: "Whoever hesitates and drags their feet will face clan discipline when we get back!" Brother Bin's shout gave the newly dropped-out underlings a jolt, and they brandished their machetes as they charged toward Song Nianqiang and the big fatty.

You never truly understand the hardships of a trade until you enter it, and being a hoodlum is no exception. Usually, those underlings in school deeply envied the thugs outside, viewing them as uninhibited and free to do whatever they pleased. Therefore, they copied the way those thugs dressed, fought, drank, and smoked. But once they stepped through those doors, they discovered that this path was not nearly as simple as they had imagined.

The greatest drawback of entering this life was that there was no turning back. The moment you wanted to quit, someone would inadvertently kill you, and the police station would never open a case—meaning your death would be in vain. Furthermore, don't let the glamorous surface of those hoodlums fool you; in reality, they suffered miserably. Not only did they risk losing their lives at any moment, but should they make a mistake, the gang's internal discipline was nothing to laugh at.

Some forms of clan discipline were even more terrifying than being sent into a life-or-death brawl, and Brother Bin's discipline belonged precisely to that category. Hence, hearing Brother Bin mention disciplinary punishment, they charged toward Song Nianqiang and the big fatty with a desperate, all-or-nothing momentum.

Watching the thugs rush toward them, Song Nianqiang wore an ambiguous smile. To think that mere trash like them dared to step up—it was pure death wish. However, Song Nianqiang had no intention of killing them; after all, these were Goshawk's underlings, and hurting them ultimately meant hurting his own people.

Therefore, Song Nianqiang glanced at the ground, casually picked up a steel stool, and held it in his hand. The big fatty followed suit, grabbing one as well.

"Three each. Whoever finishes off the remaining one gets him," Song Nianqiang said casually, as if talking about a cup of cold water, addressing the big fatty. Over there, the big fatty was already engaged with the young thugs. "No problem," the big fatty replied without forgetting to answer Song Nianqiang.

"Damn it, how unprincipled, you started first!" Song Nianqiang muttered as he took a forward stride. The steel stool in his hand swung fiercely, instantly knocking one of the young thugs to the ground, unable to get back up.

"Bang!" The steel stool collided with a machete, and then Song Nianqiang raised his foot and kicked straight into the second thug's stomach. That thug had possessed no fighting technique whatsoever, relying purely on raw ferocity and brute force. But when facing a seasoned fighting veteran like Song Nianqiang, that ferocity and brute force completely lost their utility.

"Thud!" Song Nianqiang poured extra force into the kick, sending the second thug flying backward. The thug crashed to the ground, clutching his stomach and writhing in agony, blood spilling from both his nose and mouth. It seemed Song Nianqiang's kick was indeed far from light.

The third young thug was frozen in shock by Song Nianqiang's fluid sequence of moves. The machete in his hand slipped from his grip with a clatter. Observing the third thug's reaction, Song Nianqiang shook his head. "Still lacking in training. Looks like I need to have a word with Goshawk and have him put the new recruits through some intensive training." Even with these thoughts, Song Nianqiang's hands did not pause for a second. He swept the steel stool around, deliberately avoiding vital spots and instead striking the thug's chest.

Having dealt with the third thug, Song Nianqiang walked straight toward the fourth one on the left, while the big fatty smilingly approached the fourth one on the right. The fourth young thug looked left and right in utter bewilderment, tightened his grip on his machete, and swallowed hard. Ultimately, he failed to muster up the courage and instead took a step backward.

He cast a pleading glance toward Brother Bin in the background. At this moment, Brother Bin's heart had also sunk. He had known these dropouts were useless, but he never expected them to be *this* useless. When he led them out previously, he had never seen them lose so miserably, to the point that their self-confidence had been completely crushed.

"Perhaps the two of them are just too strong? They disposed of the men I brought with them in just a few punches and kicks, and the last one even lost all confidence, not even daring to step forward. Is this an irony directed at me, or a disguised foil highlighting their formidable strength?" Brother Bin smiled bitterly. He had to acknowledge the might of the two men before him. He figured that if he were to face either of them, he would likely be defeated within minutes.