Black Tiger Gang Leader? Kill Him!

The south side of Qingyang County was practically a festering sore on the entire town.

The streets here were narrow and muddy, with sewage flowing everywhere. The air was perpetually thick with a sour, rotten stench, a mixture of cheap liquor, sweat, and despair.

This was a gathering place for local ruffians, thugs, gamblers, and all sorts of shady characters. It was also a recognized "forbidden zone" by the county constables.

The so-called forbidden zone wasn't about how dangerous it was, but rather that it yielded the least profit and caused the most trouble.

The previous constables in charge of this area were either old hands who just coasted until retirement, turning a blind eye to the darkness here, or even colluding with the criminals.

Or they were unlucky souls who had offended their superiors and been relegated here, sighing all day and putting in minimal effort.

Therefore, when Lin Feng, dressed in a brand-new constable uniform and with a Hundred Refined Steel saber at his waist, appeared on the streets of the south side with high spirits, he immediately attracted countless gazes.

Among those gazes were curiosity, numbness, and contempt, but more than anything, there was a pity, as if they were looking at a fool.

"Hey, a new kid?"

"Look at that soft, tender skin. He must be some young master here for a bit of experience, right?"

"Shh... keep it down. I heard this kid got lucky, stumbled upon the Mass Grave and happened to pick up the heads of One-Eyed Dragon and a dead zombie, which is how he got promoted."

"Tch, just luck. Once you're in our south side, even a dragon has to coil up! Liu Mazi of the Black Tiger Gang won't care if you're officially employed."

Lin Feng ignored their chatter. He strode forward with steady steps, feeling the surging power within him after achieving the third great perfection of Body Tempering, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

In his eyes, this so-called chaotic place was nothing more than a dungeon.

It was full of moving experience points and critical hit opportunities. What was there to fear?

He was here today to establish his authority.

A new official starts with three fires?

No, that was bureaucratic nonsense.

Lin Feng's style had always been to act rather than talk.

If a problem could be solved with one strike, he wouldn't use a second.

Meanwhile, in a private room on the second floor of a teahouse in the south of the city, Captain Li Gang was leisurely sipping tea, listening to his subordinate's report.

"Boss, that kid has entered the south side."

A constable with a sharp mouth and a monkey-like face said with a fawning smile.

Li Gang's lips curled into a cold smirk. "Mm, have you spoken to the Black Tiger Gang?"

"Don't worry, boss, everything is arranged. I told Liu Mazi that this newcomer doesn't know the rules and needs a 'lesson.' Liu Mazi was delighted when he heard it. He said he'd make sure the kid would be crying and running out of the south side today, never daring to step foot here again."

"Very good."

Li Gang nodded with satisfaction and took a sip of tea. "Youngsters who don't know the immensity of heaven and earth must suffer a bit before they learn to follow the rules. Keep an eye on it, just don't let there be any deaths. Give him a lesson he'll never forget."

"Understood!"

Lin Feng patrolled the streets at a leisurely pace. His eyes, tempered by spiritual energy, were several times sharper than ordinary people's, and no subtle movement could escape his observation.

Soon, at the entrance of an alley, he saw his "target" for the day.

Seven or eight ruffians were surrounding a small wonton stall.

The leader was a burly man with a pockmarked face and a hideous scar on his neck.

It was the local overlord, the Black Tiger Gang's hall master, "Liu Mazi."

"Old man, have you got this month's protection money ready?"

Liu Mazi stepped onto the stool of the wonton stall, shaking his leg, and asked arrogantly.

The wonton stall was run by an elderly couple. The old man tremblingly took out a dozen copper coins from his bosom, begging, "Master Liu, this... business hasn't been good this month. This is all I have. Please be merciful..."

"Bullshit!"

Liu Mazi slapped the copper coins to the ground. "Does this little bit of money even fill my teeth? I'm telling you, if you don't hand over three hundred wen today, I'll smash your stall!"

The surrounding townspeople dared not speak out of anger and hurried to take detours, fearing they would get into trouble.

Just then, a clear voice rang out.

"In broad daylight, extorting protection fees, and right in front of me, an officer. Your Black Tiger Gang has quite the nerve."

Everyone turned to look. Lin Feng had appeared at the alley entrance at some point, his hand on his saber hilt, calmly looking at them.

Liu Mazi was stunned for a moment, then let out a sneer.

If you can't find the book title, you can try searching for the author, maybe they just changed the name!

"Oh, I wonder who it is. So it's the new Constable Lin. What, on your first day, you want to meddle in my business, Master Liu?"

The thugs behind him also burst into laughter.

In their eyes, this was just another "insider" trying to get a cut.

Which of the previous constables didn't just put on a show with a few stern words, then accept a bribe in private and turn a blind eye?

Liu Mazi picked at his ear and said slowly, "Constable Lin, you're young. Let me teach you something. The south side has its own rules. Our Black Tiger Gang helps the yamen manage these unruly commoners. Isn't it right to collect a fee for our hard work? How about this, for Captain Li's sake, this amount..."

He held up three fingers. "From now on, you'll give me three taels of silver every month, and we'll mind our own business. What do you say?"

This was blatant bribery.

On the teahouse across the street, Li Gang's informant saw the scene and smiled with satisfaction, preparing to return and report. In his opinion, this kid would definitely take the opportunity to back down.

However, Lin Feng's reaction exceeded everyone's expectations.

He smiled, a brilliant smile: "Too little. How about I give you something?"

"Oh? What thing?"

Liu Mazi asked with great interest.

"Send you on your way!"

Before his voice even fell, Lin Feng's eyes suddenly turned cold!

"Hum!"

The saber at his waist let out a soft hum, unsheathed in an instant!

Everyone present, including Liu Mazi, didn't even see Lin Feng's movement clearly.

They only saw a silver streak, impossibly fast, flashing through the air like a fleeting glimpse!

Pfft!

A fine head, with an expression of disbelief and shock, shot up into the sky.

Blood gushed from Liu Mazi's headless neck like a fountain, dyeing half the alley red.

Thump!

The headless corpse crashed to the ground. The head that rolled onto the ground had its eyes wide open, as if questioning the world why this had happened.

One strike!

Just one strike!

The Black Tiger Gang hall master, who was arrogant and overbearing a second ago, was now headless in the next!

The entire alley was deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned by this bloody, ruthless, and decisive scene.

The old couple selling wontons collapsed on the ground in fear. The remaining Black Tiger Gang thugs had trembling legs, and a foul smell emanated from their crotches.

Lin Feng slowly sheathed his saber, the blade unstained by blood.

He didn't even look at the corpse on the ground. His gaze swept over the terrified thugs and he said calmly, "Carry your boss's body and report to the county yamen. Say that Constable Lin Feng killed the vicious bandit Liu Mazi on the street in the south of the city."

"Also, go back and tell your gang leader that from today onwards, I call the shots in the south of the city."

[Ding! Killed a heinous criminal!]

[Critical hit multiplier increased to 2.7x! Obtained 50 critical hit points!]

The System's prompt sounded in his mind, and Lin Feng's lips curved slightly upwards.

He turned around, ignoring all the terrified and awestruck gazes around him, and continued his patrol.

It was as if he had just casually swatted a fly, not decapitated a person.

In the teahouse, the informant's face turned ashen as he rushed into the private room.

"Boss... N-no... it's bad!"

Li Gang frowned, "What's the rush? Did that kid back down?"

"N-no..."

The informant stammered, his voice trembling, "Th-that Lin Feng... he... he cut Liu Mazi down with one strike!"

"What?!"

Li Gang shot up, his teacup slipping from his grasp and shattering on the floor with a crash.