"Get the hell out! You're no longer a team leader, and don't bother coming to work tomorrow!"
"Damn, you actually dare to lay a hand on me?"
Seeing Su Jianhong, who had spoken up for them, pushed to the ground, the four workers immediately surrounded Liang Youde, rolling up their sleeves, ready to beat him up!
Sensing the situation turning against him, Liang Youde immediately shouted, "Security! Security!"
No sooner had he spoken than seven or eight young, sturdy security guards came running over!
"What are you doing!" The lead security captain, seeing his superior surrounded, immediately commanded his men, "What are you standing there for? Beat them for me!"
The men immediately rushed forward, swinging their batons and raining blows down on the workers, leaving every one of them bruised and bloodied.
Rescued by the guards, Liang Youde was incensed and stomped on Su Jianhong!
"Damn it, you actually dared to lead people to hit me? I'm going to kill you today!"
He cursed foully, grabbing Su Jianhong by the collar and raising his fist to strike!
Just then.
"Jianhong!"
"Dad!"
Two voices rang out, and then a young man, moving with the speed of a ghost, appeared in the center of the scene and kicked Liang Youde, who was pinning Su Jianhong down, flying over a dozen meters away! It was Su Bai!
"You dog, you dare hit my dad?"
Ignoring Liang Youde, who was struggling in pain on the ground, Su Bai leaped forward and delivered another kick!
BANG!
"Ah!"
This time, Liang Youde was kicked straight into a nearby iron crate, letting out a miserable scream as he spat blood!
"Cough, cough, damn it, kill him for me!"
Lying on the ground coughing up blood, Liang Youde shouted at the guards. The guards immediately abandoned the four workers and surrounded Su Bai!
"Kill me?" Su Bai narrowed his eyes as he looked at the seven or eight guards in front of him.
"Kill him! I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"
Hearing Liang Youde's orders, the guards rushed forward with their batons, a sight that made Lin Xiu'e and Su Jianhong's hearts tighten.
"Xiaobai, be careful!"
"Run! These people are all trained fighters Liang Youde hired!"
Trained fighters?
Hearing his parents' words, Su Bai gave them a reassuring smile, dodged a guard's baton, grabbed him by the arm, and threw him over a dozen meters away.
"Mom, Dad, I don't even take these people seriously. Don't worry."
With that, Su Bai used strength and speed far exceeding that of an ordinary person to knock the seven or eight guards to the ground in a few swift moves, leaving them groaning in agony.
Afterward, he turned his gaze toward Liang Youde, who screamed in terror!
"Call the police! Call the damn police!"
Seeing the situation, other security guards running over from afar immediately pulled out their phones to call the police!
Su Jianhong and Lin Xiu'e hurried to Su Bai's side, their faces filled with worry.
"Son, you've caused a huge disaster this time!"
"It doesn't matter if I take a few hits, but if they call the police and get you arrested, how will you take the college entrance exam? This concerns your entire future!"
Su Bai's heart sank slightly as he said, "Dad, even so, I don't regret it."
Having lived two lives, Su Bai valued his family above all else. Now that his father had been beaten until he was bleeding, he couldn't remain calm and handle this rationally.
"Sigh, Xiaobai, you were too impulsive! How could you hit him so hard?" Su Jianhong let out a long sigh.
Liang Youde was a petty man by nature; he would hold a grudge against anyone who dared to talk back to him. After being beaten so severely by his son today... he felt the man would definitely not let this go.
"Old Su, I don't think it was too hard. That dog deserved the beating!" one of the bruised and swollen workers said bitterly.
He was covered in footprints, and his arm was fractured.
"Stop stirring the pot. Let's figure out what to do now," another worker said, pulling him back with a worried face.
Wee-woo—Wee-woo—
Just then, the shrill sound of a siren rang out, and a moment later, four or five police officers entered the workshop.
"Who's fighting? Take them all away!" The lead middle-aged officer glared, and his men immediately prepared to make arrests.
Liang Youde climbed up from the ground, pointed at his own face, and said aggrievedly, "Officer, you have to stand up for me!"
"Who hit you?"
"That's him!" Liang Youde pointed an accusing finger at the silent Su Bai. "This little beast is the one who beat me! You must sentence him severely!"
The middle-aged police officer glanced at him. "How we handle this is our business; you don't need to teach us!"
With that, he walked over to Su Bai and looked him up and down.
"Is what he said true? Did you hit him?"
"Yes, it was me." Su Bai nodded, then explained, "But he hit my dad first. I couldn't just stand by and watch, so I beat him up."
"Who is your father?" The middle-aged police officer looked at the scarred workers and asked.
"I am! I am!" Su Jianhong immediately nodded and bowed. "Officer, my son is still young—he's only in his third year of high school. He doesn't know any better. Please, take me instead."
"Third year of high school isn't young. He's an adult and must be responsible for his own actions."
"You are also victims. Tell me, who all hit you?"
The middle-aged police officer was impartial and handled the matter according to the law.
Su Jianhong had no choice but to recount the sequence of events. After listening, the middle-aged police officer walked over to Liang Youde and the security guards.
"Is this how you act as security? Instead of stopping the trouble, you joined the fight? Arrest them all!"
"Officer, we're just doing what we're paid to do. If we didn't do this, our boss wouldn't be satisfied."
"That's right, you have to understand our difficulties too."
"This kid came up and started wailing on our section chief without a word. What were we supposed to do, just stand there?"
The security guards wore indifferent expressions as they spoke. They were essentially local thugs; fighting was a common occurrence for them, and they were long since used to it.
Seeing their cavalier attitude, the middle-aged police officer was instantly enraged!
"You think you're justified in hitting people? Get moving, all of you!"
He then looked at Liang Youde. "And you, as a workshop leader, you actually took the initiative to hit someone? You're coming with me too!"
Upon hearing that he was also going to the station, Liang Youde panicked and stammered, "Officer, I didn't hit anyone! They're lying!"
"Whether you did or not, come back with us first. We will investigate the matter thoroughly."
The middle-aged police officer waved his hand, and his subordinates immediately handcuffed all the aggressors!
Lin Xiu'e, eyes brimming with tears, grabbed Su Bai's hand.
"Xiaobai, don't be afraid. Your father and I will go find someone to help. We will get you out as soon as possible so you can take the college entrance exam!"
With the exam so close, how could any parent not be heartbroken by such a disaster?
Lin Xiu'e was already prepared to sell their house and land if necessary to get Su Bai out in time for the exam; after all, this was a matter that would affect her son's entire life!
With his hands cuffed, Su Bai forced a smile to comfort her. "Mom, don't worry. It'll be fine."
Regardless of the reality, he had to put his family at ease, even if he didn't believe his own words...
The middle-aged police officer sighed at the sight, allowing Su Bai a few more words with his parents before speaking up.
"Alright, save the talk for the station."
"You, too—about to take the college entrance exam and you pull something like this. Now look at you. Fighting results in a fifteen-day detention regardless of who was right or wrong, and if it's serious, you'll face criminal charges. Your future is as good as gone."
The middle-aged police officer let out a long sigh, feeling it was a pity for Su Bai.
However, no matter how much he sympathized, he had to take him in; it was his duty.
Lin Xiu'e and Su Jianhong were panic-stricken upon hearing the severity of the situation, their voices trembling.
They held onto Su Bai, unwilling to let go, until Su Bai finally pushed their hands away.
"Mom, Dad, you should go back. I'll be fine." Su Bai offered a strained smile.
The situation was indeed dire, and his heart felt heavy.
In this day and age, for someone from the bottom of society to rise, they had to get into a good university; otherwise, they wouldn't even have the chance to become a ninja.
And now, there was a high probability he wouldn't be able to take the exam.
Furthermore, under the Federation system, the government placed great importance on a student's talent. If you failed to pass the assessment once, there were no make-up opportunities. This effectively cut off his path to changing his fate through a good university...
Yangcheng City Public Security Bureau, Branch Office.
In a dim room, Su Bai sat on a cold chair, eyes closed in thought, a girl's image flashing through his mind.
But Su Bai quickly wiped the thought away. It was true that a call to Xia Xueqing could settle this, but deep down, he didn't want to do it that way.
Being poor wasn't terrible; what was terrible was having no backbone. Even if Xia Xueqing wouldn't look down on him, his own nature wouldn't allow him to beg for help the moment he hit a snag.
However, his personal belongings had been confiscated by the police, so even if he wanted to make a call, he had no way to do so.
"It's a shame. I had planned to enter the Nine Provinces Academy to learn more ninjutsu and grow, but it seems that's not going to happen now."
Missing the exam meant losing the recommendation to the Nine Provinces Academy; after all, that was a one-time opportunity.
"But I don't need to worry too much. Even if I can't get into the Nine Provinces Academy, I can still join the two major guilds. I can change my fate just the same!"
Su Bai considered another path: the Hunter Guild and the Guardian Guild.
These two major guilds wield immense power across the entire Blue Star, with branches established in every sector. Legend has it that even a branch president possesses the strength of an Elite Jonin!
The two guilds operate independently of the Federation, remaining outside its jurisdiction and following their own operational philosophies. In fact, many powerhouses within the Federation government are themselves members of these two guilds!
Due to their overwhelming influence, the Federation is powerless to suppress them even if they find them disagreeable, leaving the government with no choice but to turn a blind eye and tacitly accept their existence.
As time passed, the power of these two guilds grew ever greater.
It is no exaggeration to say that almost every ninja is a member of one of these two guilds!
Ninjas must join either the Hunter Guild or the Guardian Guild; one way or another, membership is mandatory.
This is because these two guilds hold countless resources in their hands!
Ninjutsu, monster carcasses, summoning beasts, chakra-conductive equipment, and more—if it exists, there is nothing they cannot acquire.
The primary prerequisite for ninjas to purchase these resources is that they must be members of one of the two guilds!
Furthermore, the higher one's membership level, the cheaper the items in the guild become.
Su Bai knows that membership is divided into five levels, ranging from the lowest at level one to the highest at level five.
He had learned through rumors online that a level five member can supposedly purchase guild resources at half price, which has driven many ninjas to join.
Beyond the discounts, joining a guild is also a prime way for many ninjas to make a fortune.
The guilds post a massive number of missions every day that require ninjas to handle, and the rewards are so generous that the average ninja simply cannot refuse.
Originally, Su Bai had planned to focus his current efforts on the Nine Provinces Academy, working hard to learn ninjutsu and growing stronger through his system before joining one of these two guilds...
But plans could not keep up with changes; things had happened too suddenly.
It's a pity. My current strength isn't enough; I don't even have the qualifications to head to the Wasteland Zone alone. This is truly a headache.
Although he felt a tinge of regret in his heart, Su Bai believed that even if heaven allowed him to do it all over again, he would still make the same choice.
He could not just stand by and watch his father, who had toiled for this family his entire life, be bullied like that by others!