Thank goodness little brother Lu Chi was there...

As the saying went, a thunderclap split the sky-and here came one hell of a dazzling entrance.

Lu Chi punched through the bathroom door, instantly smashing a huge hole in it.

It shook violently a few times, then shattered.

A flying fragment struck a bodyguard in the face in an instant.

The bodyguard's face immediately streamed with blood.

Like a god of slaughter, Lu Chi strode out of the bathroom.

Outside, the bodyguards cried out in alarm and swiftly took fighting stances.

Guagua: [Host, you're mighty! That was one badass flex, like the return of a god of war.]

On the surface, Lu Chi looked calm and composed.

Inside, he was panicking like hell.

[Are you sure beginner combat power can take on twenty people? Twenty... bodyguards with ordinary combat power, at that?]

Guagua: [Absolutely certain! Host, fight bravely! No one here is a match for you. Even if all those bodyguards came at you together, with Zhang Yong thrown in, they still couldn't beat you.]

Lu Chi: [All right, let me try out the power of this beginner combat power!]

Guagua: [Host, beginner combat power isn't considered powerful. There's also intermediate combat power, advanced combat power, boss-level combat power, and god-level combat power. Work hard to earn (Gossip Coins) and improve your combat power in the future.]

Lu Chi didn't answer. He was already fighting Zhang Yong's bodyguards.

One bodyguard charged forward and launched a whirlwind sweep kick at Lu Chi.

Lu Chi shifted aside easily, evading the bodyguard's attack.

Then he kicked the bodyguard hard in the stomach, sending him from the second floor down to the floor below.

Bang!

Ow!

A tremendous crash, followed by a cry of pain!

Not only did it frighten the other bodyguards present, but it also left Lu Chi dumbstruck.

The bodyguards: "..."

Hadn't they said the richest family's newly found biological son was a country bumpkin, a spineless loser? How could he fight so well?

Lu Chi: "..." The police would be here soon. That guy hadn't fallen to his death, had he?

Downstairs, Zhang Yong, who was getting ready to "get down to business": "..." W-what was going on?

Lu Sangning, whose hands were held above her head as she was about to be assaulted, saw someone fall from upstairs.

She thought the bodyguards had thrown Lu Chi down.

Struggling, she cried out through her tears, "Lu Chi! Little brother Lu Chi!"

"Zhang Yong, don't hurt Lu Chi! Let him go! Don't hurt him!"

When she realized that the man thrown downstairs, curled up on the floor and wailing, was Zhang Yong's bodyguard rather than Lu Chi,

Lu Sangning looked toward the second floor with a tear-streaked face full of worry.

If that wasn't Lu Chi, where was he?

Was he being beaten?

Zhang Yong also looked up in confusion.

Was Lu Chi upstairs?

How had Lu Chi known about this place?

And how could all his bodyguards fail to beat him?

What on earth was going on?

"Boss, that... k-kid knows... kung..."

The bodyguard on the floor wanted to tell Zhang Yong that the kid knew kung fu.

But the moment he opened his mouth, pain made him bare his teeth and grimace, leaving him unable to finish a sentence.

Upstairs, Lu Chi was still fighting the bodyguards.

A bodyguard advanced fiercely, using an eagle-claw lock to try to seize Lu Chi's throat.

Another bodyguard launched a sneak attack from behind.

Lu Chi drove his right fist down and across, blocking the eagle-claw lock.

Then he delivered a whirlwind kick, striking the bodyguard behind him square in the crotch!

Aah!

Aah!

Two cries of pain rang out!

The eagle-claw man suffered a broken bone on the spot, while the man kicked in the crotch rolled all over the floor.

While the other four bodyguards stood stunned,

Lu Chi took the offensive, throwing a left hook and a right kick, knocking them all flat in an instant.

Bang, bang, bang!

The dilapidated factory, where dust had accumulated for years, was livelier today than ever.

The bodyguards hit the floor and sent thick clouds of dust billowing up, covering Lu Chi.

Covered in dust from head to toe, Lu Chi looked less like someone who had beaten up the bodyguards and more like someone who had been beaten to a pulp himself.

The bodyguards' wails made the dilapidated factory sound especially terrifying.

Anyone who didn't know better would have thought it was haunted.

Standing among the bodyguards, Lu Chi leisurely rotated his arms and stretched.

As expected of a skill from the system. It really was useful!

He hadn't needed to learn any of those fighting moves or routines. They seemed deeply rooted in his mind, like muscle memory he had always possessed. Whenever someone charged at him, he could react immediately and strike.

Lu Chi thundered downstairs.

He shouted toward Lu Sangning, who was still tied to a stool in the middle of the cold storage room, "Big Sis, don't be afraid! I'm here to save you!"

With that, he rushed over.

Zhang Yong shouted, "Lu Chi, how did you know about this place? Who told you?"

Lu Chi said, "Want to hear? Come here and I'll tell you."

Wary, Zhang Yong walked over with a vicious look.

The moment he reached Lu Chi, he attacked. "Since you've come here, don't think you'll leave in one piece."

But even the bodyguards were no match for Lu Chi now, let alone Zhang Yong.

Lu Chi completely overwhelmed him, knocking him to the floor with one punch, then grabbing his hair and hammering his face with several more punches.

He also kicked him in the stomach.

To make it hurt even more, he grabbed the flesh of his thigh.

He pinched hard, then twisted it like a fried dough twist.

The instant he let go, the skin went from blue to white.

Zhang Yong screamed in agonizing pain while shouting for his bodyguards, "Aah! Don't pinch me! It hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts! You idiots, why aren't you coming down to help me deal with him?"

The bodyguards upstairs limped down.

Lu Chi had wanted to keep beating him a little longer, but suddenly heard Guagua say loudly:

[Host! The police are already outside the door. They'll reach the scene in one minute at most.]

Lu Sangning stared dumbfounded at everything before her, unable to believe her eyes.

Was this really her little brother Lu Chi, who had grown up in the slums and been brought back to the Lu family by their parents?

When had he become such a good fighter that even seven bodyguards couldn't beat him?

Lu Sangning was shocked, excited, and incredulous.

His inner thoughts could be heard, and he knew martial arts...

Just how many more surprises and secrets did little brother Lu Chi have?

Lu Chi heard Guagua's voice.

[What? The police are almost here? All right, time to show off my acting!]

For no apparent reason, Lu Chi dropped to the floor with a smack.

He haphazardly scooped a few more handfuls of dust onto his face.

He looked both disheveled and miserable.

Lu Sangning was bewildered by this series of actions. What was he trying to do?

Had he suddenly taken ill?

The next second, the bodyguards exchanged glances and slowly tightened their circle around him.

They were preparing to give Lu Chi a savage beating.

Lu Chi suddenly shouted, "Don't hit me! Don't hit my big sister either!"

The bodyguards: "..." What was going on? Them, beating him?

Zhang Yong: "..." What was happening?

Lu Sangning said, "Little brother Lu Chi, what's wrong?"

Guagua: [Ten, nine, eight, seven... one!]

"Don't move! Police!"

To everyone's utter astonishment, a group of armed police officers rushed in!

This was the scene that greeted the police:

In a room filled with swirling dust, a stunning beauty was tied to a grimy black wooden stool.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, her expression frightened.

And in the middle of a group of thugs was a young man who had been beaten.

The young man was curled up on the floor, his face dusty and injured.

What a pitiful scene!

At the sight of the police, the bodyguards all raised their hands in surrender.

Meanwhile, in his agitation, Zhang Yong turned and tried to run.

An officer rushed over and sent him sprawling facedown with a flying kick.

Handcuffs immediately snapped around his wrists.

Only when Lu Chi saw the police approach did he fearfully get up from the floor, limping.

An officer was already untying the ropes around Lu Sangning.

Lu Chi took a few steps toward Lu Sangning, then stopped where he was.

He looked as though he wanted to speak but held back, as though he wanted to approach yet was afraid to do so.

[Guagua, how's my acting? Is she moved?]

Guagua: [She's terribly moved! Calm winds and still waters on the surface, but raging waves underneath.]

Lu Sangning stared fixedly at Lu Chi for a few seconds.

She felt the fear of having survived a calamity.

If little brother Lu Chi hadn't been here today, could she have gone home safe and sound?

If she couldn't go home, what... would she do afterward?

At that thought, Lu Sangning's tears suddenly streamed down.

Usually, she was aloof, always wearing a look that kept strangers at bay.

She managed the company with decisive, thunderous efficiency.

Yet at this moment, she felt afraid, and frightened by what might have happened.

Her heart was filled with immense relief.

Thank goodness little brother Lu Chi was there...

Unable to hold back any longer, Lu Sangning suddenly rushed over and threw her arms around Lu Chi.

"Little brother Lu Chi!" she choked out.

Her body trembled, and she could no longer speak.