The struggle

"Looks like you know who we are."

Brother Ji straightened up and flicked away his cigarette butt.

"We're recruiting companions who can fight and have some guts. Since you dared to come down alone, you qualify. You can head down with us later, and we can watch each other's backs."

Whatever Lin Hao's abilities were, the mere fact that he had ventured onto this floor alone showed more courage than most of the ordinary people still hiding in their rooms.

Just then, however, a loud banging came from behind the door Brother Ji and his men were guarding, followed by a voice.

"Listen, whoever's out there! Don't trust them! Chen Laohu's running the gym now, and he's a pervert! If they're being this nice, you must be pretty handsome, right? Go down there and you're done for!"

Bang!

Brother Ji smashed the steel pipe in his hand hard against the security door.

"Yi Feng, we came here with the best intentions to invite you along, and you're slandering us? Do you really think you can hide in there forever?"

The others chimed in beside him.

"You'd better come out now. Your ability's still useful. Brother Hu won't do anything to you."

"Brother Hu has very discerning tastes. You think you measure up?"

But judging by those remarks, there might actually have been some truth to what Yi Feng said!

Otherwise, why wouldn't this lock-picking fellow cling to the biggest thigh in sight?

As for the Chen Laohu he mentioned, Lin Hao vaguely remembered hearing about him. He was a somewhat notorious local "big brother," now the apartment building's chief security guard. He had served time before, but happened to evade the crackdown on organized crime and had instead become someone of consequence.

Even now, he frequently operated in gray areas. There were also rumors that quite a few members of his security team had suffered at his "poisonous hands." It was something of a juicy scandal.

But Lin Hao had been a respectable man before all this. He had only heard a passing mention and never made a point of asking around. Now he was facing it head-on.

"Heh, so there's some truth to what he said? What exactly were you all getting at earlier?"

Lin Hao interrupted their threats against Yi Feng.

Hearing him, Brother Ji, who had started banging his steel pipe against the door, turned to look at him with an ambiguous smile.

"Young man, you need to understand the situation. Even if you still have some food now, you'll have to come down sooner or later. And once you do, there's no getting around our club. Earlier or later makes no difference."

At that, Lin Hao eyed Brother Ji's backside and raised an eyebrow.

"So all of you have already had your back doors broken in by Brother Hu? Are you his harem?"

Brother Ji's expression changed instantly, twisting into a vicious scowl.

"Looks like you still don't understand what kind of world we're living in, brat."

Another burly man beside him sneered.

"Brother Hu's picky. Your type is more his taste."

"Brother Ji's our number three. Even Brother Hu was all politeness when he asked him to come up here."

"I haven't! Don't talk nonsense!"

A relatively scrawny man hurriedly waved his hands. But his reflexive reaction only made his companions freeze, then turn to give him strange looks.

Lin Hao understood a little more now. The fitness club was essentially a makeshift outfit. Strict discipline, or ordering people to risk their lives coming upstairs to find someone, clearly wasn't realistic.

That was why they needed someone with Brother Ji's clout to lead them. They might even have promised him some benefits.

They had barely paid any attention to his backpack at first because there was no need.

Just as they had said, everyone in the apartment building would gradually have to come down sooner or later!

And everything the residents collected would eventually pass through their hands!

"I was going to do you a favor, but you didn't know how to appreciate it."

Brother Ji swung his steel pipe twice and started toward Lin Hao with the others.

"Now we can't leave you around to whisper poison into people's ears..."

The moment those words left his mouth, Brother Ji exploded forward, charging at Lin Hao like a wild horse that had snapped its reins.

The speed of that bounding charge surprised even Lin Hao. He was faster than a Madman. Even a professional athlete could hardly do better, could he?

He has equipment!

Lin Hao's eyes lit up slightly. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward, raising the pot lid to block while readying the ruler in his right hand for a thrust.

When the moment came, a forward swing powered by his wrist, carrying the impact granted by the six-jin iron pot's enchantment, would surely knock his opponent off balance.

But when Brother Ji saw the thin aluminum pot lid blocking his path, he didn't simply follow through. He chose to lose a beat, forcibly checked his momentum midattack, and changed direction, sweeping around the lid toward Lin Hao's shoulder.

"Hmph. You dared to come out alone and act so confident only because your equipment went to your head. In a moment, it'll be mine!"

Clang!

What Brother Ji hadn't expected was that, despite bypassing the lid and hitting his target's arm, the impact still felt as though he had struck something hard!

Lin Hao felt a slight ache in his arm, along with the force of the blow.

Luckily, his weapon enchantment covered his arm too. Otherwise, relying on the Mink Coat alone would probably still have left him black and blue!

When it came to experience in armed brawls, he realized he was indeed far behind Brother Ji. The man clearly got into fights all the time!

Yet despite Brother Ji's extensive experience, the tricky angle of his attack, and the equipment bonuses he had, forcibly changing direction midattack and then suffering the recoil from striking a "hard object" left him with an obvious opening.

He barely had time for a startled What? to flash through his mind.

The next instant, he saw the ruler coming straight at his face.

Bang! Crack!

The heavy impact and sound of cracking bone made the mocking expressions on the other four men's faces change drastically.

"Brother Ji?!"

"Kill him! Take his equipment!"

The four reacted quickly, immediately realizing that Lin Hao had something good on him.

In times like these, having excellent equipment like that would undoubtedly raise their standing considerably!

Facing all four as they surrounded and attacked him, Lin Hao held his pot lid up cautiously and moved backward quickly.

Brother Ji, the strongest among them and equipped as well, had been killed. That served as a warning to the four.

These four fellows were fairly cautious. None charged ahead alone again, instead keeping within a distance that allowed them to support one another.

Having caught his breath, Lin Hao kept watching the weapons they carried: a machete, a

Fire Axe, and two steel pipes.

The machete and the Fire Axe posed the greatest pressure and threat. There was no need to wait any longer!

Lin Hao, who had been retreating, suddenly pushed off and lunged forward, catching them off guard.

When the machete wielder saw Lin Hao swing the ruler at him, he didn't dare underestimate it. That was what had brought Brother Ji down!

He reversed course and began retreating, raising his machete to block.

As long as I hold him up for a moment, the others can land their hits!

Attacking head-on when it's one against four? He's asking to die!

Even Tyson would go down with a steel pipe to the head!

But Lin Hao had chosen the ruler precisely because it was light and nimble, allowing him to strike fast enough. With his sudden attack, there was no dodging it.

The seemingly thin, flimsy ruler bore down with the brute force of a hydraulic press, forcibly driving the blocking machete downward and slamming it hard into the wielder's chest.

It broke his ribs and knocked him straight to the floor!

The pot lid in Lin Hao's left hand also successfully blocked the Fire Axe's downward chop.

But steel pipes struck his head and back in quick succession.

They sent Lin Hao stumbling too.

Although the contents of his backpack intercepted half the length of the pipe that struck his back, and his leather coat cushioned the blow, he still felt a searing pain.

By contrast, his helmet-protected head suffered far less of a jolt.

Enduring the pain in his back, Lin Hao lashed his ruler backward into the Fire Axe.

The tremendous impact knocked the Fire Axe out of its wielder's hands and into another man nearby. Taking advantage of the confusion, Lin Hao struck the axe wielder's neck next.

Under the violent impact, the man's neck bent sideways with the sound of shattering bone.

The two remaining men with steel pipes were scared out of their wits by Lin Hao's ferocity. They turned and ran.

A monster!

He took a hit like that to the head and acted as if nothing had happened!

Meanwhile, every one of his blows took someone down!

How were they supposed to fight that?!

But the man struck by the axe was a little slower. Lin Hao caught up from behind and shattered his spine with a blow, sending him sprawling instantly.

Then Lin Hao swiftly chased after the last man, the scrawny one.

I can't let him get downstairs and tip them off. That'll only bring more trouble!