Zeng Mo didn't want to get into trouble, so he let the matter drop.
"It's almost noon. I'll take you to a restaurant to have some clam soup. Their clams are supplied by my family's clam farm. They taste amazing," Liu Shen urged.
"Clam soup? I've never had it before," Zeng Mo replied.
Zeng Mo fell silent, then followed Liu Shen as he pushed open the room's back door and headed into the alley.
They hadn't gone far when the door opened again behind them.
Suddenly, two young men stopped in front of them. Then seven or eight more came out of the alley, holding sticks and clubs.
At that moment,
a notification sounded in Zeng Mo's ears.
[The homeowner has encountered a three-star water-type god's envoy. The enemy consists of one two-star water-type god's envoy and several servants. The homeowner is advised to establish a defensive formation around him as soon as possible, and to take the opportunity to distract the enemy and escape.]
"What the hell kind of advice is that? I'm not going to leave my brother behind!"
Zeng Mo cursed inwardly.
The gangsters gathered around them and shouted,
"Get down!"
"It looks like your security arrangements aren't very good," Zeng Mo said with a smile, about to get down.
Liu Shen grabbed his sleeve and stopped him. "Zeng Mo, they're just a bunch of thugs who live nearby. They might recognize me. I'll talk to them."
"You'd better be careful. They could be dangerous."
"It's fine. My grandfather and their boss are old acquaintances. My grandfather's very well-known, and he has a lot of connections. I work at the Lee family's dock, too, so I doubt they'd dare do anything to me."
"Go on, then. Be careful."
Liu Shen nodded and walked toward the group.
A young man with dyed yellow hair stood in front of the gangsters. He was clearly their leader. He'd let his little brothers come along, but he'd also followed Liu Shen over.
At last, he stopped between the doorway and the alley.
Zeng Mo didn't sit down. He stayed on his feet, keeping an eye on things, but didn't step outside.
The yellow-haired gangster eyed Liu Shen from head to toe and grinned. "Little Liu, my brothers have been short on cash lately. We were hoping you could lend us some. We'll pay you back soon."
"My company's almost bankrupt. How could I possibly lend you money?" Liu Shen refused.
"Little Liu, my brothers are in a tight spot. We just need you to help us out. We'll pay you back with interest. If you don't believe me, I'll even sign an IOU and give you some collateral."
"What if I don't lend you the money?"
"If you won't, then stay and have some fun with us." The yellow-haired gangster grinned.
"Ha ha!"
The lackeys behind him laughed along, their smiles lewd and sycophantic.
"Little Liu, if you lend us the money, I promise we won't bother you again. We'll even give you a cut. Fair deal."
"Sure. And I can lend you a hand, too."
"As long as you let us have our way, then I'll—"
"You?" Liu Shen cut in, his face full of disgust. "If you do, you won't be afraid your grandfather will find out..."
The yellow-haired gangster's face darkened. "Don't use your grandfather to scare me. I know he's been bedridden for months. He's delirious half the time, and I reckon he's nearly dead. If you won't lend me the money today, I'll smash up your place, and you'll never get to run your business in peace again."
The younger gangster behind the yellow-haired leader laughed along. "Ha ha! Boss, I'm afraid of your grandfather, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of this old man here."
"You..."
Everyone had their breaking point. Liu Shen's was his grandfather's. When he heard that, he got so angry he raised a hand and was about to slap the yellow-haired gangster.
"Go on, hit me. I dare you."
The yellow-haired gangster saw Liu Shen raise his hand and leaned in, deliberately taunting him. "Come on, hit me. If you don't, you're a coward."
At that moment, Liu Shen's anger flared. He slapped the man across the face, then quickly pulled his hand back.
The gangsters were stunned. Then they broke into laughter.
"Boss, she hit you! Ha ha!"
The yellow-haired gangster's face twisted with fury.
"Little slut, weren't you going to hit me? Why'd you pull your hand back? Come on, hit me again. I'll even give you a beating in return!"
"Yeah."
A crisp slap rang out, and the yellow-haired gangster's head snapped to the side.
The laughter around them came to an abrupt stop. Everyone stared in disbelief.
Liu Shen was just as stunned. He hadn't expected Zeng Mo to suddenly appear behind the gangsters.
Zeng Mo rubbed his hands together, smacking his lips. "It's been a long time since I've had a proper fight. I'm practically rusting."
Liu Shen heard Zeng Mo's words. The anger on his face faded, and a smile slowly spread across it.
"Serves you right."
The little gangsters heard what Zeng Mo said to the leader, and they all looked over in surprise.
The yellow-haired gangster clutched the cheek Zeng Mo had slapped. His face was twisted with rage as he snarled, "Brothers, kill him!"
At once, the gangsters surged forward with their clubs.
"Ah!"
Liu Shen was knocked aside by the gangsters. He stumbled, fell to the ground, and instinctively covered his head with his hands.
But when Zeng Mo saw the gangsters rushing at him, he didn't look the least bit frightened. Instead, he wore a faint smile.
In that moment, he recalled the techniques he had learned at the martial arts school in the previous world. He'd never had a chance to put them to the test.
Now, finally, he had his chance.
Right away, Zeng Mo used his agility boost. He charged at the gangster who had raised his stick to strike, kicked him hard in the stomach, then turned and swept the others off their feet with a couple of hooks. In a matter of seconds, he had knocked every last one of them to the ground.
"Serves you right."
The yellow-haired gangster rushed at him. He, too, wanted to fight, but the sight of his little brothers sprawled across the ground made his legs go weak. In a few short seconds, all of them had been beaten down. He was completely terrified.
He froze, afraid to step forward.
Zeng Mo reached out and patted him on the shoulder. The yellow-haired gangster watched as his little brothers were laid out all around him. He swallowed nervously, then charged forward, trying to make himself look brave before joining the attack.
"Not bad. You've still got some fight in you."
Zeng Mo said, then grabbed the yellow-haired gangster by the shoulder and slammed him into the ground with a casual toss.
Once all the gangsters had been knocked down, Liu Shen stood up and went over to help his grandfather's men get back on their feet. He spoke gently to Liu Shen.
"Are you all right? Get up."
"Ah?" Liu Shen heard Zeng Mo's voice, let go of the hands he'd been holding over his head, and glanced around.
Every last gangster was sprawled on the ground, groaning.
In that instant, he was stunned.
"They're all down because of you?"
"Who else?"
Zeng Mo smiled, then turned around and saw the yellow-haired gangster who had just thrown himself to the ground, pretending he'd been knocked out.
"If I find out you dare come and harass Liu Shen again, I'll break every bone in your body. Now count to three and get out of my sight. If any of you are still here when I finish, I'll beat you again."
"Ah!"
The yellow-haired gangster heard Zeng Mo's warning and jumped to his feet. He grabbed one of his lackeys and ran off in a panic, scrambling away like a rat.
[The homeowner has defeated a one-star water-type god's envoy and his servants. Survival Points +2000.]
[The homeowner has defeated a one-star water-type god's envoy and his servants. Survival Points +2000.]
[The homeowner has defeated a one-star water-type god's envoy. Survival Points +2000.]
[The homeowner has defeated a one-star water-type god's envoy.]
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