The 80/20 rule

"Wait..." Qi Xia frowned, as though something had occurred to him. "We have to fend off the enemy and protect our own people?"

It sounded like a very familiar situation.

I've got it... This time, there really is a way.

Qi Xia ran over to the iron plate, propped the heavy thing upright, and slowly rolled it along the ground, apparently testing whether his plan would work.

"Hey! Qiao Jiajin!" Qi Xia called. "I've found the 'answer'! Get over here!"

"I've been waiting ages to hear you say that," Qiao Jiajin said slowly. "Hang on. I'll be right there."

The black bear seemed to sense that the "prey" before it wanted to escape, so it stood on its hind legs again, extending its reach.

But Qiao Jiajin showed no intention of running. Instead, he suddenly hopped forward, planted his feet apart, and turned his shoulders with his waist, swinging his right fist through a hundred-and-eighty-degree arc toward the bear's cheek.

Bang!

With a resounding impact, the punch landed squarely on the black bear's face, actually driving it back a step and a half.

The black bear paused briefly, hot air puffing from its nostrils, then shook its head, seemingly dazed by the sudden punch.

It had never imagined that the "prey" that had kept running away could unleash such terrifying force.

Qiao Jiajin also shook out his arm, which ached fiercely from the impact, and cursed, "You stupid bastard really are tough..."

The black bear recovered, opened its mouth, and roared several times before lashing down again in humiliated rage.

Qiao Jiajin watched its movements closely. He took a short step back with his right foot, then switched his footing and shifted his weight, not only dodging the blow but also throwing the bear off balance so badly that it almost fell forward.

Seizing the opening, he ducked slightly and swung an uppercut from below, slamming it into the bear's lower jaw.

A strange howl of pain rang out. The black bear had taken another punch.

Although such blows posed little threat to its thick hide and tough flesh, it had indeed grown wary of the man before it.

"Shit, my hand's about to break, and you're still not going down?" Qiao Jiajin spat on the ground, then slipped past the bear with a forward roll.

Qi Xia was momentarily stunned by what he saw. He had thought Qiao Jiajin was just an ordinary thug, but the man's fighting skills looked formidable.

Those moves looked less like street fighting and more like mixed martial arts.

Qiao Jiajin reached Qi Xia's side and asked, shaking out his right hand, "What do we do?"

"Come here!" Qi Xia snapped out of his daze and beckoned to Qiao Jiajin. "Brace this iron plate and use it to block the bear's attacks."

"That's it?" Qiao Jiajin looked puzzled. "Have you lost your mind, Liar Boy? I thought you'd have a better idea!"

"No, this is the best idea!" Qi Xia pulled Qiao Jiajin in front of him and had him hold the iron plate.

But the iron plate was round, after all. It was unstable on the ground and rolled far too easily.

Qiao Jiajin could only crouch down and brace the tabletop with his shoulder, trying to hold it as steady as possible.

"This thing's damn heavy..." Qiao Jiajin gritted his teeth. "I can't lift it..."

"You don't need to lift it," Qi Xia explained. "You just need to roll it along the ground!"

"Shit, I get that, but I can't see the beast like this," Qiao Jiajin said. "This huge iron plate blocks my view. I have no idea where it is, so how am I supposed to block its attacks?"

By now, the black bear was growing increasingly furious and was cautiously approaching Qiao Jiajin.

"I'll watch for you," Qi Xia said, standing behind Qiao Jiajin.

"You?"

"That's right. I'll hold on to your clothes from behind," Qi Xia said. "When I pull right, roll the plate right. When I pull left, roll it left."

"All right..." Qiao Jiajin nodded and began adjusting the plate's angle, keeping it facing the bear as much as possible. "Sounds like the two of us should survive, then... I just don't know whether those assholes will try to steal the plate."

"They won't try to steal it," Qi Xia said. "Because I'm going to keep everyone here alive."

"What?" Qiao Jiajin froze. "You're going to shield everyone with this plate?!"

"Hey!" Qi Xia turned and shouted at the people still brawling. "Keep fighting and you'll really die! If you want to live, get behind me."

His words brought everyone to their senses. They looked at him, then at the iron plate in Qiao Jiajin's hands.

The middle-aged man was the first to stand. He wiped his face, which someone had scratched during the brawl. "You two idiots, put that iron plate down!"

He stumbled toward Qiao Jiajin, apparently intending to snatch the plate back. But Qiao Jiajin couldn't let go and could only glare at him.

Qi Xia stepped forward and blocked the way between them.

"Hey! Get out of the way!" the middle-aged man shouted. "Little Glasses! Come help me!"

Qi Xia's mind raced, a voice echoing within it. The 80/20 rule. Decision-making power often rests in the hands of just twenty percent of the people. To control a group, you only need to control a few of its members...

Before the middle-aged man could get help, Qi Xia suddenly reached out and clamped his hand around the man's throat.

The man had never imagined that someone who looked so mild-mannered could be so ruthless. For a moment, he froze.

"Stop making trouble," Qi Xia said. "If you want to live, do as I say."

"Do as you say?!" Fury filled the middle-aged man's eyes. "Who the hell are you? Why should I listen to you?"

Qi Xia tightened his right hand, keeping it locked around the man's throat. "I'm not asking."

Watching Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin couldn't help frowning.

Until now, he had only thought Qi Xia was clever and that following him might give him a chance to survive. He had never expected the man to have such a vicious side.

"Cough... Y-you, let go..." The middle-aged man was on the verge of suffocating. He raised his hands and repeatedly pounded Qi Xia's arm. "Are you insane...?"

"Either I strangle you here, or you behave and stand behind us." Qi Xia's eyes were utterly cold, as though they had never held any emotion. "Pick one."

Seeing this, Little Glasses hurried over and pleaded, "Come on, man... There's no need for this, no need... Just let Old Lü go first..."

Despite his words, he kept adjusting his position, moving to Qi Xia's side and edging closer, step by step.

Qi Xia quickly sized him up. One of his spectacle lenses had been shattered by someone during the brawl, leaving him looking rather disheveled.

The laws of the hunt... Qi Xia kept his eyes fixed on both men, silently reciting to himself. The hunter must be fiercer than the prey. Even the most cunning prey has its vulnerabilities and vital points...

"Come on, man, let go first... Otherwise..."

Little Glasses edged closer to Qi Xia, seemingly with something else in mind.

Qi Xia's expression turned icy. He immediately reached out with his other hand. This time, instead of seizing the man's throat, he gripped his cheeks, pressing his thumb against the shattered lens.

"Shit!" Little Glasses cried out, then squeezed his eyes shut.

"If you want to make trouble too, I'll grind these glass shards into your eye."

"No, no, no...!" Little Glasses waved his hands in panic. He was half crouching now, his head tilted back, not daring to move an inch. "I was wrong! I was wrong, man! We'll do whatever you say."