"Hit me? Do you dare? I've got over a hundred brothers behind me. Lay a finger on me, and you'll die without a burial place today."
"Kid, if you don't want to die, hand over your sister and let Brother Tianlong have some fun with her. Otherwise, you're definitely not getting out of here today. Hahaha!"
With over a hundred brothers backing him up, Yellow Hair grew bold again. In all these years, not a single tough guy had managed to stay tough after seeing over a hundred of his brothers present. He didn't believe the man before him would be an exception.
"Oh, I've never seen anyone make a request like that. Li Yi, do you think I should oblige him?" Li Rui turned sideways to ask Li Yi. His tone was calm, but the chill in his eyes made even Li Yi shudder. The boss was already furious.
No one could threaten their family and emerge unscathed. At least, Yellow Hair certainly couldn't.
Before Li Yi could reply, Li Rui shot forward like lightning. In less than a second, he was standing in front of Yellow Hair.
Yellow Hair had been well over ten meters away from Li Rui. He had only dared provoke Li Rui so brazenly because he thought Li Rui couldn't reach him anytime soon from that distance, and he had over a hundred brothers behind him.
He never imagined Li Rui would dart up to him in less than a second. Seeing Li Rui less than a meter away, Yellow Hair's pupils dilated.
Then he saw a familiar large foot hurtling toward him in a vicious front kick. That familiar sensation followed right on its heels, and a classic song came to Yellow Hair's mind: this was the feeling of flying. With a bang, Yellow Hair crashed into the crowd, sending seven or eight people tumbling head over heels.
As for Yellow Hair, his eyes rolled back again, and he foamed at the mouth, having already passed out.
"Clap, clap, clap. Nice moves. Very nice moves indeed," a voice suddenly rang out.
A young man in his thirties stepped out of a Maybach S680 concealed behind the hundred-strong crowd. He wore combat boots, ripped jeans, and a beach shirt, with a gold chain as thick as a little finger around his neck. Both arms were covered in assorted tattoos, and a green snake was tattooed on his neck, its cold eyes giving off a dim, chilling gleam.
With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, the young man walked over slowly, clapping his hands. Two burly men at least 1.9 meters tall followed behind him. Their bulging muscles probably weren't much less impressive than those of Li Yi and the others. They were probably expert fighters too.
"Brother, with skills like yours, why not join my God-Slaying Gang? As long as you join, we'll wipe the slate clean. From now on, you'll be my brother. As long as I've got food, you'll have something to drink. Wouldn't it be good to follow me and feast on fine food and drink?" The young man painted a rosy picture for Li Rui, extending an olive branch.
"Ha, ha. So you're the one calling the shots? I have no interest in joining your gang. What I'd like to ask is, what are you trying to do, bringing out such a big lineup?"
Looking at the young man, who didn't look like a good person at first glance, Li Rui had more or less guessed who he was. Gu Tianlong, Gu Mengqi's older brother. This was the main player.
"Brother, I'd advise you not to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. I appreciate talent. I'm only giving you a chance because you've got ability. Otherwise, just for laying hands on my sister, you'd die without a burial place-and so would your family," Gu Tianlong said calmly, exhaling smoke, as though killing a person were little different from killing a chicken or a duck.
"You're Gu Tianlong, right? I'd advise you not to threaten me. Threats scare me more than anything, especially threats against my family and clansmen. To reduce the chance of anything unexpected as much as possible, I'll snuff that threat out completely. Want to try me?" Li Rui's words were just as calm, but the killing intent they revealed was indeed even stronger than Gu Tianlong's.
The biological humans available through the system weren't just bodyguards; there were assassins too. But unless he had absolutely no other choice, he didn't want to use them. After all, Blue Star was a society governed by law. He was even more afraid that once he started, he wouldn't be able to stop. The power that came with casually controlling whether others lived or died could easily make someone lose themselves. But if someone threatened his family and clansmen, he wouldn't mind making them disappear forever.
"Oh, interesting. Very interesting. I've been in this business for over ten years, and today is the first time someone's threatened me. Hahaha! Do you know who my dad is? How interesting. Iron Fist, go test how much he's really worth." Gu Tianlong exhaled another mouthful of smoke and turned his head to address one of the two hulking men behind him.
"Yes, Young Master Gu." A hulking man behind Gu Tianlong, a full 1.9 meters tall, promptly strode forward.
"Kid, you dare threaten Young Master Gu? I'll crush your head into tofu dregs." With a chuckle, he walked toward Li Rui with a savage grin.
"Kid, kneel down now, kowtow and admit your mistake, and offer up your sister for me to have some fun with. I can forgive you one more time. This is your last chance. Iron Fist has fought a full twenty-eight underground bare-knuckle matches in Star City, with twenty-eight wins and zero losses. His strength is world-class. He's one of the best fighters working for my dad."
Gu Tianlong had heard Yellow Hair talk about Li Rui, so he had hidden in the back earlier to see whether Li Rui really was as formidable as Yellow Hair had said.
He had also heard Yellow Hair talk about Li Ru. In Yellow Hair's account, Li Ru possessed beauty that could topple cities and kingdoms and was incomparably innocent. He had long since grown tired of playing with those sultry sluts. Innocent schoolgirls like her were what interested him.
Hearing Gu Tianlong's filthy words, Li Rui didn't reply. Why waste words on someone he was destined to cripple? He merely turned to Li Yi and said, "Go give him a try."
What had he bought bodyguards for? To protect himself, of course. With bodyguards around, why should he act personally? Of course, this Iron Fist did look pretty fierce. Although Li Rui didn't think he couldn't beat him, safety came first. With Li Yi and the others there, there really was no need for him to act himself.
"Yes, boss," Li Yi answered, then took off his shirt, revealing muscles like steel. As he clenched both fists, each muscle bulged like a balloon. If someone had stood behind Li Yi, they would have seen a pattern resembling a human face on his back. Anyone who had watched a certain anime would surely have said, "Could that be a demon back?"
"Heh, where did you find this bodybuilder? You don't think big muscles mean he can fight, do you?" Gu Tianlong mocked. He had noticed the four bodyguards behind Li Rui long ago. He didn't think the four could compare to Iron Fist. Although their physiques were quite intimidating, finding men built like that wasn't too difficult if one spent some money.
Plenty of bodybuilders had physiques like that, but compared with combat athletes, their actual fighting ability wasn't on the same level at all. Hiring an expert fighter like Iron Fist cost tens of millions a year. He didn't believe the kid before him could afford it.
"We'll only know whether he can fight once they've fought. Li Yi." Although he had only called his name, Li Yi, an advanced bodyguard from the system, immediately understood what Li Rui meant.
"Yes, boss." The moment he finished speaking, Li Yi drove his right foot back against the ground and charged at Iron Fist like a Fierce Bull. In less than a second, he was already less than a meter in front of Iron Fist. Drawing his right hand back to gather power, he hurled a vicious punch at Iron Fist's face.