Iron Fist lived up to his reputation as a veteran of Star City's underground bare-knuckle fighting scene. With a record of 28 wins and zero losses, he was certainly no clay chicken or pottery dog.
He raised his left hand, catching Li Yi's incoming right forearm just in time. Blocked by Iron Fist, Li Yi's heavy right punch whistled past his ear.
The whistle beside his ear left Iron Fist in no doubt that if that punch had landed squarely, he would have been knocked out on the spot. Only then did he realize that this brawny man, taller and stronger than himself, was no bodybuilder as Gu Tianlong had claimed, but a true fighting expert, one no weaker than himself.
Li Yi's previous burst of force was spent, and his next had yet to build. With the two standing so close, it was the perfect moment to counterattack. A veteran of the ring like Iron Fist would never let it slip. He drove his knee fiercely toward Li Yi's floating ribs.
If that knee landed squarely, even someone with Li Yi's top-tier physique would suffer three to five broken ribs. With bad luck, a broken rib could pierce his lung and kill him outright. That alone showed how little Iron Fist and his companions cared about human life.
Iron Fist was a veteran of the ring, but Li Yi was no slouch either. As an advanced bodyguard produced by the system, he likewise possessed world-class fighting skills and extremely fast reactions.
He pressed his left palm down, stopping Iron Fist's powerful rising knee, then used the momentum to leap backward, out of Iron Hammer's attack range. Although this exchange lasted only an instant before they broke apart, the probe made Li Yi realize that Iron Hammer was an expert on his own level.
Gu Tianlong's expression changed as he watched from the side. Iron Fist was one of his father's best fighters, and he knew how much power that rising knee packed. This bodyguard had actually caught Iron Fist's knee strike with his palm, so his strength was naturally no less than Iron Fist's. One bodyguard was already this formidable, and there were three more beside the other man. If they all attacked together, the outcome would be hard to predict.
At that thought, Gu Tianlong turned sideways and signaled with his eyes to another tall, burly man behind him.
Savage Bear, who had spent several years protecting Gu Tianlong on the big boss's orders, naturally understood what he meant. He gave Gu Tianlong a discreet nod, then began slowly moving forward.
Across from them, Li Rui had been watching Li Yi's fight the whole time, but as advanced bodyguards, Li Er, Li San, and Li Si remained on the highest alert for their surroundings. Naturally, Savage Bear's movements did not escape their notice.
"Boss," Li Er called, drawing Li Rui's attention to Savage Bear's little maneuver.
"Heh, heh." Li Rui sneered. Playing dirty? If I hadn't wanted to confirm the strength of advanced bodyguards like Li Yi, I'd have had everyone pile on long ago. As for martial honor, I'm not some martial arts sect. Why should I have to uphold it? Besides, they're the ones abandoning martial honor first.
"You three, go teach him what rules mean."
"Yes, boss." The three promptly stripped off their shirts one after another, revealing steel-like muscles every bit as impressive as Li Yi's.
"Where do you think you're going?" Savage Bear, who had been inching forward while concentrating on ambushing Li Yi, was startled by the voice beside his ear. At some point, three muscular men had surrounded him completely. His situation was like that of a beautiful young girl cornered by three thugs.
"What do you want? Fight me one-on-one if you've got the guts! What's so impressive about three against one? That's no way for heroes to behave."
Savage Bear himself possessed world-class fighting skills, but facing these three men, all taller and stronger than him, he could not help feeling rather apprehensive. After all, Li Yi was no weaker than he was, so these three men accompanying Li Yi should have been on the same level.
"Heh, we're not heroes. We're just the boss's bodyguards." The moment those words fell, all three attacked Savage Bear together. A sky-blotting barrage of fists and feet rained down on him.
Against three opponents of the same level, Savage Bear, whose physique was even slightly inferior, could not manage so much as a defense. He was knocked to the ground at once, screaming incessantly.
Iron Fist, who had been trading blows evenly with Li Yi, saw Savage Bear, a man roughly on his own level, being beaten so miserably by the three opponents. He immediately broke off his fight with Li Yi and retreated quickly. If he did not withdraw, once Li Er and the other two finished with Savage Bear, he would be next. Watching Savage Bear scream, Iron Fist felt his own whole body ache.
Watching from the side, Gu Tianlong immediately flew into a rage and shouted, "You have no martial honor! Ganging up on one man! Boys, get them!"
"Want to compete in numbers?" I, Li Rui, fear a contest of numbers least of all. Immediately, nearly two hundred burly men poured in a dense mass out of an alley a short distance beside him.
Every one of them stood 1.8 meters tall, with bulging muscles. These were the 180 basic bodyguards Li Rui had summoned just a short while earlier, together with the sixteen bodyguards stationed inside the hotel, totaling 196 men.
A full two hundred burly men stood before Li Rui, bowed in unison, and shouted, "Hello, boss!"
The hundred-odd thugs hurrying toward Li Rui immediately stopped in their tracks, terror on their faces. We're finished, they thought.
Of these hundred-odd thugs, only twenty or so were core members of the God-Slaying Gang. The rest were merely street punks who could handle a fight when the wind was at their backs. At the sight of these two hundred towering, burly men, their legs shook with fear. If not for Gu Tianlong's usual reign of intimidation, they would already have turned and fled.
Although they did not run, every one of them was inwardly cursing Gu Tianlong. You fucking moron! You don't even know who you're dealing with, yet you dare come looking for trouble. With a lineup like this, we might meet our end here today.
Meanwhile, Gu Tianlong was inwardly cursing Yellow Hair too. This is the country bumpkin you said could fight a little? That bastard Yellow Hair is going to get me killed! Once I get through this, I'll take his miserable life.
The weather was not particularly hot that day, but cold sweat ran down Gu Tianlong's cheeks, drop after drop.
"Ha, ha, ha, brother, it's a misunderstanding. This is all a misunderstanding." Gu Tianlong, who had been so arrogant just a short while earlier, now wore a fawning smile. With how quickly he changed faces, he could easily go learn a certain traditional performing art.
"A misunderstanding? Didn't you want my younger cousin to keep you company? How could that be a misunderstanding? Say it again. Who knows, I might agree." Li Rui's face was as warm as a spring breeze as he gave Gu Tianlong what he considered a kindly smile.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. This really is all a misunderstanding. To apologize to you, big brother, I've decided to host a banquet at the Phoenix Restaurant for all the brothers as an apology. From now on, your little sister is my little sister, and you're my big brother."
Gu Tianlong smiled as humbly as anyone possibly could, but inwardly he thought, A wise man doesn't swallow a loss staring him in the face. Today you're the big brother, but you can't be the big brother forever.
"I said no one could threaten my family. You didn't believe me. You just had to try. Then I'll grant your wish now. Beat them!"
"Yes, boss!" the two hundred burly men answered in unison. Some residents watching from the houses on either side of the street gaped in shock at this turn of events, all remarking that after so many years of Gu Tianlong throwing his weight around, someone was finally putting him in his place.
Just then, classes at No. 1 Middle School let out as well. Having heard the news, quite a few students gathered at the school gates to watch.
"Isn't that Gu Mengqi's older brother, Gu Tianlong? Even he's getting beaten up? What a satisfying sight!" Some students recognized Gu Tianlong.