When the Strong Can Do Whatever They Want

Blood sprayed from Tan Lang's severed legs as if it cost nothing, pooling beneath him into a glaring puddle of crimson.

The intense pain and blood loss had already begun to blur his consciousness.

Yang Yu walked up to him, crouched down, and lightly tapped his face with the tip of his sword.

"Wake up."

The icy touch made Tan Lang jerk. He struggled to open his eyes and saw, close at hand, the savage Wild Boar King Mask.

"You..." His voice was hoarse with weakness.

"Don't be nervous." Yang Yu's tone remained calm. "You're only about to die, that's all!"

He paused, then changed the subject.

"However, I'm not an unreasonable person. I can give you a chance."

"Compensate me... two million, and I can spare your life."

He returned Tan Lang's earlier words to him almost verbatim.

Tan Lang's expression turned utterly awful.

He struggled as he looked at Yang Yu's terrifying figure, his heart sinking deeper and deeper.

"The Jiang Family!"

Tan Lang suddenly seemed to have grasped a lifeline. "Right, we... work for the Jiang Family. If you dare kill me, the Jiang Family won't let you off!"

"The Jiang Family?"

A puzzled look appeared on Yang Yu's face, and Jiang Shuyue's figure involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

He had heard that her father was also someone from the Professionals Association.

Could the Jiang Family Tan Lang was talking about be theirs?

"That's right! There is only one Jiang Family in Linhai City. Let me go now, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened!"

Tan Lang's tone carried a threatening edge born of desperation, mixed with pleading.

The fear in his heart had reached its peak. Death's shadow loomed over him, leaving him unable to care about anything except surviving.

He began to regret it—regret provoking such a killing star, regret coveting that little bit of money, only to have to pay for it with his life.

He stared fixedly at Yang Yu's face, trying to find even the slightest hesitation beneath that Wild Boar King Mask.

Understanding flashed through Yang Yu's eyes.

So that was how it was.

If that was the case, it was not just this place collecting protection fees. There had to be others elsewhere in Linhai City as well.

And this was probably not merely about protection fees. It was only the most insignificant link in their methods of amassing wealth.

Jiang Zhenshan?

Hopefully, they would not come after him over a single Tan Lang.

Yang Yu pondered briefly.

A teasing smile appeared on his face.

Then he chuckled softly.

"That sounds pretty impressive." Yang Yu spoke slowly, a hint of amusement in his tone. "But have you ever considered this..."

"You're doing shady work for them, carrying out these disgraceful dealings in front of so many people, and then dragging out the Jiang Family's name..."

Yang Yu leaned down, his savage Mask nearly touching Tan Lang's eyes. "Tell me, if I deal with you now, will they be angry, or will they be... even happier?"

He paused, his tone becoming even more chilling. "After all, a useless subordinate who damages their reputation isn't exactly a good thing for them, is it?"

In an instant, every trace of color drained from Tan Lang's face, leaving him paler than a corpse.

Cold sweat soaked through his back in an instant.

He understood this better than anyone.

But his desire to survive had clouded his mind earlier, and he had instinctively clutched at what he believed was the thickest lifeline available.

Now that Yang Yu had exposed it with a single remark, he instantly came to his senses.

Yes... what kind of existence was the Jiang Family?

They were a colossal force in Linhai City, and Jiang Zhenshan was even the vice president of the Professionals Association.

They acted ruthlessly and cared most about their reputation and secrecy.

In their eyes, an outsourced worker like him, someone who did such shameful work, was no different from a dog to be discarded once used.

Dragging out the Jiang Family's name in front of so many people... that was handing the hilt of a knife to the Jiang Family's enemies, throwing the Jiang Family's dignity to the ground to be trampled!

Even if the monster in the Wild Boar King Mask let him go today, what about the Jiang Family?

To silence him, they would absolutely—absolutely—make him vanish from this world with methods a hundred times crueler than this!

What he saw was not one path to survival, but two paths to death.

"No..."

At that moment, Tan Lang's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

The fear the Jiang Family inspired in him even surpassed the threat of death Yang Yu posed.

Like a drowning man, he wildly reached for the last straw floating before he sank completely.

"Money!!"

He suddenly screamed, his voice full of terror. "I'll give you money!!"

"Big Brother!"

Wang Jie on the ground seemed to have heard their conversation as well. He stopped wailing and stared desperately at his older brother with an intensely yearning gaze.

He knew how much money his brother had.

But if his brother used that money, would there still be enough to ransom him?

He did not want to die either!

Seeing the expression on his brother's face, Tan Lang instantly regained a little clarity.

He gritted his teeth and said:

"I... I can give it to you! But you have to let my brother go too!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Yang Yu pretended to ponder, glancing over at Wang Jie.

"However, that money only buys your own life."

"Your brother's life looks like it's worth a little more than yours."

He stood up and looked down at Tan Lang, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"How about this? I'll be charitable and take five million from you. Two lives for that price is very fair, isn't it?"

"You!!!"

Tan Lang was so furious that he spat out a mouthful of blood and began coughing violently.

Five million!

Even if he sold the entire Tan Lang War Band, he could not scrape together that much money!

"What? You don't have that much money?"

Yang Yu's tone turned cold.

"Then that's going to be troublesome. This is my first time killing... oh no, my first time acting in self-defense, and it has caused tremendous trauma and emotional scars."

"If you don't have money to compensate me for my mental anguish, then I... can only kill your brother first to comfort my wounded heart."

As he spoke, he raised his sword and made as if to walk toward Wang Jie.

"Don't!" Tan Lang let out a despairing roar. "You're despicable!"

"Am I despicable?"

Yang Yu stopped and turned around. His eyes beneath the Mask held endless mockery.

"No."

"I'm merely... stronger than you."

"When the strong can do whatever they want, isn't that how it works?"

Those were also words Tan Lang had said only moments ago.

Wang Jie's face was overwhelmed by immense terror.

He forced himself to lift his head and said to Tan Lang, "Big Brother, I don't want to die!"

Listening to his brother, Tan Lang's eyes filled with struggle.

In the end, he looked once more at Yang Yu's Mask, whose expression could not be seen.

"Don't touch him!" he roared. "I... I only have two and a half million! That's all my savings! Let my brother go! Take... my life instead!"

"Oh?"

Yang Yu raised an eyebrow.

"What deeply moving brotherly love."

He slowly walked back in front of Tan Lang.

"Fine. Seeing how sincere you are, I'll agree to let him go this time."

Upon hearing this, Tan Lang felt as though he had been granted a reprieve.

With difficulty, he raised his intact arm, trembling as he activated the Personal Terminal on his wrist and transferred every cent in his account to Yang Yu.

[You have received a transfer. Amount: 2500000.]

Hearing the terminal notification, Yang Yu nodded in satisfaction.

As expected, murder and arson were... no, upholding justice was the easiest way to acquire wealth.

He leaned down, looked at the hope in Tan Lang's eyes, and said softly:

"Pleasure... doing business."

Squelch!

Before his words had faded, the bloodstained sword in his hand had already plunged without hesitation through Tan Lang's heart.

Tan Lang's eyes widened round as he looked in disbelief at the sword in his chest, his life force rapidly draining away.

For the last time, his gaze turned toward his younger brother.

"Xiao Jie... this time... we lost..."

"Leave Linhai City... and never come back..."

After saying those final words, his head tilted to one side, and he breathed his last.