Beneath the silent night sky, a sorrowful plea for mercy shattered the quiet.
"Lord He, she's still a child. Please let her go."
The neighbors had been stirred by the commotion, but no one dared come forward. What could people living at the bottom of society do against those high-and-mighty masters? All their desperate efforts couldn't stand up to a single casual word from one of them.
Inside the house.
The man clung to He Sen's leg, pleading desperately. Despair closed in around him; he'd never imagined disaster would descend upon his home.
At a glance from He Sen, his quick-witted underlings immediately dragged the man away and pinned him to the ground, beating him senseless. The girl, trembling behind a woman, rushed out with a piercing cry.
"Don't hit my dad!"
She had barely run over before she leapt into the tiger's jaws. He Sen grabbed her wrist.
"Heh heh, little girl, don't be scared. I'm a very gentle, friendly man. In a moment, I'll have you bend over the table. Just behave, and I'll not only make sure they stop beating your dad, I'll also give you a good—"
He Sen hadn't finished speaking.
A voice rang out.
"What's all this racket?"
He Sen's face darkened as he looked toward the doorway. Damn it, he wanted to see who dared ruin his fun. When he looked toward the entrance—
Three figures stood there. The one in front had his body outside the house, but his head poked through the doorway. His mouth stretched into an exaggerated grin, and his eyes blazed with feverish excitement.
What a familiar expression. What a familiar look.
Wasn't that exactly how I looked when I saw a young girl?
But this guy was looking at him with that very same expression.
"What are you doing here?"
He Sen released the girl's wrist. He hadn't expected it to be Lin Fan. Wasn't he at the restaurant with Qin Si? What was he doing here?
"Obviously, I'm here to do you. What, you think I'd do myself?"
Lin Fan strode into the house and looked around. The family of three huddled together, trembling in fear. When the man saw Lin Fan, he called out, his voice full of grievance and hope.
"Master Lin!"
His voice caught in his throat.
"You know me?" Lin Fan asked.
The man said, "Master Lin, I work at Jili Pier."
"Oh, no worries. You're one of us. Master Lin will protect you. Don't pay any attention to these beasts."
He Sen drew a deep breath, forcing down his anger, then walked toward Lin Fan. "Lin, just because other people call you 'Master' doesn't mean you really are one. You're nothing but a rookie officer. What are you putting on airs for in front of me? Even your hall master has to call me Brother He when he sees me. You think you—"
Smack!
Lin Fan struck with a zero-frame hit.
His palm cracked across He Sen's face, and He Sen went down instantly. A clear handprint appeared on his cheek as teeth flecked with blood scattered across the floor.
He Sen lay there, stunned by the blow. When he came to, he roared in fury, "Beat him to death!"
His underlings didn't hesitate. They charged with loud yells, while Song Qing and Yang Ming's hands dropped to their sword hilts, ready to draw at any moment. But with a bang, the underling at the very front flew like a cannonball and slammed hard into the wall. He vomited a mouthful of blood, then slid down to the floor.
The other underlings were so frightened they didn't dare move.
At that moment, they suddenly remembered the stories about Lin Fan. This was the terrifying brute who'd taken down dozens of men all by himself!
Lin Fan's gaze turned icy as he bellowed, "Outrageous! Under the bright heavens and shining sun, you filthy dogs treat the law like a joke, break into people's homes, and try to violate a woman! You're brazen, lawless scum! Get down, every damn one of you!"
His roar.
Exploded in their hearts like a clap of thunder.
The underlings all squatted down, not daring to disobey.
Lin Fan walked up to He Sen and planted a foot on his face, grinding it into the floor. As he bore down, He Sen's features twisted out of shape. "He Sen, under Article Seventeen of the Law, you—"
"Lin, you dare treat me like this? Even Wang Changhai won't be able to protect you. I'll kill you!" He Sen interrupted Lin Fan's recitation of the law, roaring in fury as his anger blazed like a wildfire in his heart.
Bang!
Lin Fan kicked He Sen in the stomach. The force sent him skidding across the floor until he slammed into the wall with a thud. The pain was so intense that He Sen screamed, clutching his stomach and vomiting again and again.
"You—you..."
He Sen wanted to curse him out, but the pain left him unable to make a sound. He'd never imagined something like this could happen to him. He'd never imagined that this Lin guy would really dare lay a hand on him.
What gave him the right?
What gave him the right?
Yang Ming's mouth hung slightly open. So domineering—he was really domineering. Brother Lin was every bit as fierce as expected. If he and his master had handled this matter, who knew whether they could have left safely with so many people at the scene?
Lin Fan grabbed He Sen by the hair and lifted his head. He sneered. "I'm taking you back. I'll deal with you nice and slow tonight."
With that, he fished some silver out of He Sen's clothes.
He turned and walked over to the frightened family of three, then placed the money in their hands. "It's all right now. Don't worry. This won't happen again. Take this silver as compensation for the damaged furniture."
The girl, her face still filled with fear after the fright she'd suffered, looked at Master Lin. It seemed she could feel the overwhelming sense of safety he gave off, and the terror in her eyes gradually faded.
Lin Fan noticed her gaze and squeezed out what he thought was his friendliest, gentlest smile. He patted her on the head.
The girl, who should have been terrified out of her wits, now lowered her head shyly, fingers twisting the hem of her clothes.
Outside.
In a dark corner.
Qin Si and Peng Chang were crouched there, watching without blinking.
"Fourth Master, sounds pretty awful in there."
"Don't tell me what I already know. I'm not deaf."
Qin Si was itching with curiosity about what was going on inside. It sounded way too intense.
"Fourth Master, someone's coming out."
"I'm not blind."
"Oh, oh, oh."
In their line of sight, a group of people came out. The dark clouds that had covered the moon drifted away, and moonlight poured down. He saw He Sen; the man covered in blood was definitely He Sen.
He looked at Lin Fan.
The iron cudgel slung behind Lin Fan's back gleamed silver in the moonlight. Qin Si muttered to himself.
"Silver Cudgel Lin Fan. He really did go after He Sen."
He'd suspected as much, but he hadn't been sure. After all, they belonged to the same gang. Besides, Lin Fan was so flexible about his principles and was a clever man. Surely he wouldn't fall out completely with He Sen over ordinary people, right?
On the way back to the Security Bureau.
He Sen didn't shout. He simply glared at Lin Fan with eyes that looked ready to eat him alive. Lin Fan was used to that kind of look. It was just impotent rage.
As they passed an alley.
An odd sound suddenly came from inside. He listened closely. It sounded like...
"Mm-ah, mm-ah, mm-ah."
Damn!
Someone was really getting into it, having sex in the street.
But wait... why were there two men panting?
As something occurred to him, he couldn't help blurting out:
"Shit!"
A cry of "Ah!" came from the alley, followed by a flurry of movement, as if they were hurriedly gathering something up. Then two figures rushed out, both with their faces covered.
They'd meant to run, but when they saw so many people, they froze where they were, not daring to move.
Lin Fan had seen this sort of thing before.
After all, he'd been to a big city.
He waved the two over.
"Officer, we're not thieves."
They were very nervous. With their faces covered in the middle of the night, it was hard to believe they weren't thieves. But they really weren't. As for the masks, they'd just worn them for a thrill, so nobody would find out and recognize their faces.
"Mm-hmm, I know. Who was making those sounds just now?" Lin Fan asked.
The two exchanged a glance. The chubby-looking one nervously raised his hand. "I... I was."
"It's all right. You go on ahead. I need to talk to him about something."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Little Fatty took off running.
The one left behind was somewhat burly, but he looked nervous.
Lin Fan smiled at him. "Don't be nervous. I'm not a man-eating tiger. I just have a favor to ask. Would you be willing to help?"
"Sir, what is it?"
"Do him."
Lin Fan pointed at He Sen.
The man's eyes widened. He looked at Lin Fan in confusion, then at He Sen's blood-covered face, and seemed a little disgusted.
He Sen's pupils shrank. "Lin, you dare?"
Lin Fan scoffed. "Hmph, you like violating decent girls so much, and you don't even spare thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds. I wonder if your ass has any use besides taking a shit."
The burly man, who'd looked a little apprehensive, was startled. He looked at Lin Fan. "Officer, what did he do?"
"Sexual assault."
"Officer, I can't stand scum like this, not even an ounce of human decency in them. I'm willing to do him until his ass splits open!"
"Damn, you're pretty righteous."
"Sir, I've studied the sages since I was a child. Right and wrong are as clear to me as a mirror. I'm a very righteous man."
"Good. That's the spirit. You've got guts, and you're not a disgrace to yourself. But this man's He Sen of Loyalty Hall. Do you dare?"
"I've heard of He Sen. A notorious villain. But now I'm even more fired up. The higher his status, the greater the thrill of conquering him. Besides, I've got my face covered. He doesn't know who I am. It's just that I went too hard a moment ago and have nothing left in the tank. Could I use something else instead?"
"Something else? Like what?"
"I was clever from a young age, and I'm good at inventing things. I just came up with a new product, which I call the Wolf Fang Sky Cannon." As he spoke, the man pulled a black iron cudgel from inside his clothes. It was thick and long, with sharp spikes all over it. "I forged this over eighty-one days of tempering. Its surface is covered with eighty-one sharp studs, combining Buddhist principles with the meaning of returning to the origin through nine times nine."
"Holy shit, that's impressive."
"Sir, you flatter me. Whether it's impressive or not, I'll know as soon as I try it. I just hope this evil man is really impressive and can withstand the might of my Wolf Fang Sky Cannon."
"Good. Go ahead. Give it your best."
"Yes, thank you, sir. Just watch. I'll use this Wolf Fang Sky Cannon to beat the evil out of him."
He Sen had spent years drinking and carousing, leaving his body hollowed out. He looked tough but was useless inside. There was no way he could withstand the burly man's handling, and he was dragged straight into the alley.
"Lin, I'll fucking kill you! Let me go!"
He Sen roared.
Song Qing and Yang Ming stared at Lin Fan in shock.
They felt a chill run down their spines.
This wasn't just killing a man's heart; no, it was even more vicious than that.
Suddenly!
A vigorous roar rang out from the alley.
"Wolf Fang Sky Cannon, kill..."
"Ah!!!!!"
A piercing scream ripped through the night.
Behind them.
Qin Si and Peng Chang dropped to their knees.
They saw it.
They heard it.
He Sen had been raped.
Before you continue