"Alright, boys, get 'em! But go easy, don't kill anyone. And don't touch the girls! Look how fine they are. So tempting. Your big brother here is gonna... discuss some deep life philosophy with them." Brother Cheng's eyes were locked on Lin Xue and the others as he spoke, making no attempt to hide his vile lust.
Da Huan wasted no time in sucking up. "You've got a good eye, Brother Cheng. All four of these girls are top-shelf, especially that sweet-looking one. She's even prettier than a celebrity. Getting to sleep with all four of them in one bedā¦ a man could die happy after that!"
Brother Cheng roared with laughter, clapping Da Huan on the shoulder. "And it's all thanks to you. If it wasn't for you, how would I have ever run into such gorgeous girls? Don't worry. After I've had my fill, I'll let you have a turn with one of them."
Da Huan immediately put on an expression of profound gratitude. His bootlicking and fawning knew no bounds; it was enough to make your skin crawl.
The two thugs' exchange was loud, and Zhao Yuan's group heard every single word.
"Go fuck your mother!" the fiery Yang Zi cursed.
Brother Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled slyly. "Well, well, look what we have here. A feisty one. I can't wait to see if you're still this spicy in bed!"
Da Huan immediately chimed in, "The spicier they are in bed, the more exciting it is, Brother Cheng."
"Heh, you sound like you speak from experience, kid," Brother Cheng said with a laugh.
The two of them completely disregarded Zhao Yuan and his friends.
And why wouldn't they? In terms of numbers, they had over a dozen guys, while Zhao Yuan's group only had eight people, four of them girls. In terms of fighting power, each of their men was armed with a club, and they were all veterans of street brawls. What could be easier than teaching a lesson to a few unarmed, wet-behind-the-ears students?
Watching the roaring thugs charge at them, Zhao Yuan didn't even turn his head as he shouted to Liu Zhu and his other friends, "You guys get going! Take Lin Xue and the girls out of here. I'll hold these guys off."
"By yourself? How are you going to hold them all off?" Liu Zhu asked, stunned.
"No time to explain! Just go! I can't promise how long I can hold them!" With that, Zhao Yuan took off, charging straight at the thugs.
"What are you doing? Get back here!" Liu Zhu and the others cried out, terrified.
Seeing Zhao Yuan charge at them instead of running away, Brother Cheng was momentarily stunned before breaking into a cold sneer. "Who do you think you are, some peerless Zhao Zilong trying to charge our ranks all by yourself? Hmph. You've got a death wish!"
Everyone thought Zhao Yuan was throwing his life away.
'One man, no matter how good a fighter he was, going up against more than a dozen club-wielding thugs with his bare hands? What a joke! Did he think this was some martial arts movie?'
The jeers of his enemies and the cries of his friends did nothing to distract Zhao Yuan. From the very start, his eyes were locked onto Brother Cheng. 'Even though I've reached the Mid Stage of Muscle Strengthening and am much stronger than an ordinary person, taking on more than ten of them at once is still almost impossible.' That was why, from the very beginning, his strategy was to take down the leader.
'If I can just take out their leader, the rest of them won't have time to go after Lin Xue and the others. It'll buy everyone enough time to escape.'
Zhao Yuan moved with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he was upon the dozen or so thugs.
Just then, Zhao Yuan suddenly crouched low, assuming the posture of a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.
"What's he doing? Getting ready to kneel and beg for forgiveness? Too late for that!" Da Huan jeered, completely oblivious to the danger hidden in the stance.
"ROAR!"
A roar erupted from Zhao Yuan's throat, as loud as thunder and as terrifying as a tiger's cry. An aura of a ferocious Wild Beast surged from his body, sweeping toward the men before him like a hurricane.
Four Saints Technique, White Tiger Form!
The dozen or so thugs closest to him were so terrified by this dangerous aura that the hairs on their bodies stood on end. All at once, they were struck by the same illusion: what was charging at them wasn't a man, but a savage tiger!
A man-eating, striped tiger!
When had these thugs ever encountered something so bizarre? They were stunned, frozen in place.
Zhao Yuan seized the opportunity. Quick as lightning, he shot past them, making a beeline for Brother Cheng at the back.
To those who weren't affected by the White Tiger FormāBrother Cheng, Da Huan, Lin Xue, and the othersāthe scene was bizarre beyond belief.
"What's going on? What the hell are you guys doing? Why aren't you beating this kid?" Brother Cheng roared, his mind reeling with questions. If his boys hadn't been with him for so long and proven their loyalty, he would have sworn they'd been bribed.
In an instant, Zhao Yuan was right in front of Brother Cheng.
By this point, it was crystal clear to Brother Cheng that Zhao Yuan was coming for him, trying to take out the leader. But he wasn't panicked in the slightest. He gave a savage grin. "Kid, you picked the wrong guy to mess with. Now get down!" He swung the baseball bat in his hands, smashing it down toward Zhao Yuan with all his might.
Zhao Yuan switched from the White Tiger Form to the Black Tortoise Form. He crossed his arms to shield his head, and his muscles instantly tensed, becoming as hard as steel.
BANG!
The baseball bat slammed hard into Zhao Yuan's arms.
Although the defensive properties of the Black Tortoise Form absorbed some of the impact, the powerful blow still made Zhao Yuan grimace in pain. Thankfully, his tensed muscles had protected the bone, and nothing was broken.
"Huh?" Brother Cheng froze, stunned. He knew exactly how much power he'd put into that swing. Even if it wasn't enough to knock Zhao Yuan down, it should have at least broken a bone. So why was he acting like it was nothing? 'This kid is ridiculously tough!'
Before he could launch a second attack, Zhao Yuan lunged like a crazed Wild Beast, tackling him to the ground. He straddled Brother Cheng's chest, raised a fist, and brought it down hard toward his head.
At that same moment, the dozen or so thugs snapped out of the illusion. Seeing Zhao Yuan straddling and pummelling their boss, they were shocked and enraged. Forgetting all about chasing Lin Xue's group, they all turned back, planning to take down Zhao Yuan and rescue their leader first.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Clubs rained down on Zhao Yuan's back, producing a series of sickening, dull thuds that would make one's skin crawl.
The searing pain only fueled Zhao Yuan. He grimaced, the assault unleashing his own savage ferocity. He made no attempt to block the clubs, simply continuing to swing his fist, again and again, smashing it into Brother Cheng's head.
One punchā¦ two punchesā¦ three punchesā¦
Every punch landed with brutal, whistling force!
After just a few more punches, Brother Cheng's face was a bloody, swollen mess. His eyes rolled back in their sockets, and he passed out cold.