The men gripped an assortment of weapons: wooden clubs and flexible steel pipes. Though unlikely to kill, they were enough to cripple someone. Passersby who witnessed the sudden street fight panicked and scattered, afraid of being swept up in the storm.
At the sight, Xu Mo's face instantly turned pale.
He was just an ordinary student. When had he ever seen such a bloody, violent scene? Fear spread through his heart, making him tremble.
Gu Chen, however, appeared unusually calm. With a faint, teasing smile, he looked straight at Brother Bao. "Brother Bao, didn't you get your fill of that 'feast' the other day? Back for a 'snack' today?"
To Brother Bao, what had happened that day was an utter humiliation! Hearing Gu Chen's words, she wanted to kill him.
Brother Bao gripped an iron rod, his eyes wide, as if deeply provoked. "You bastard, you finally came out! I'm going to kill you today!"
Beside Gu Chen, Xu Mo spoke with a trace of fear in his voice. "Gu Chen, are they here for you?"
Gu Chen ignored Xu Mo and continued speaking to Brother Bao. "Brother Bao, looks like your memory isn't very good. Need me to help you remember?"
Brother Bao flew into a rage. "Fuck! Today is the day you die!"
"Wait."
Just then, a voice interrupted Brother Bao's roar. A black business van was parked beside a minivan. Its door slowly opened, and two underlings helped someone out. The person limped, his leg wrapped in bandages and a crutch in his hand, glaring at Gu Chen with a sinister grin. "Gu Chen, didn't expect me to come, did you?"
"Jiang Yu?" Gu Chen was briefly taken aback, then smiled. "Why aren't you lying in the hospital where you belong? What are you doing here joining the fun?"
With the thugs behind him to back him up, Jiang Yu was brazen, even on a crutch. "Gu Chen, didn't you tell Li Nan you were going to deal with me? Now tell me, just who are you going to deal with?"
"I didn't expect you to come looking for trouble so soon instead of lying in your hospital bed where you belong." Gu Chen smiled faintly. "But you're in such a hurry to come here and die, I almost feel bad for you."
"Death is staring you in the face, and you're still talking tough!" Jiang Yu burned with rage. "Get him! Break one of his legs. I'll take care of the other one myself!"
Seeing that things were going badly, Xu Mo hurriedly said, "Young Master Jiang, this has nothing to do with me!"
Only then did Jiang Yu notice Xu Mo. He frowned. "Xu Mo? Why are you with him?"
"I... I..." Xu Mo was at a loss for words.
Gu Chen suddenly cut in. "Young Master Xu, since we're in the same boat, there's no need to hide it anymore. Just tell him the truth. You came to warn me that they were coming to cause trouble and told me to leave later. Too bad I didn't listen to you, or I wouldn't have run into them."
"Xu Mo, you're fucking siding with Gu Chen?" Jiang Yu's face darkened. "You knew perfectly well that Zhou Xue'er was going after Gu Chen, and you still dared to betray us. I see it clearly now. So that's why Zhou Xue'er's plan failed that day-you tipped him off!"
Xu Mo hadn't expected Gu Chen to drag him into this. He hurried to defend himself. "No, no..."
"No what?"
Gu Chen cut him off again, his brows drawn and gaze cold. "Young Master Xu, so what if they know the truth? Why should we be afraid of them?"
"Gu Chen, shut up!" Xu Mo wanted to die. On the one hand, he didn't want to offend Jiang Yu and Zhou Xue'er; on the other, the situation had already scared him witless.
Xu Mo shouted, "I have nothing to do with you! Young Master Jiang, listen to my explanation..."
Jiang Yu sneered. "No need to explain!"
At this point, Jiang Yu couldn't care about all that. Everyone connected to Gu Chen was his enemy now!
His face twisted, and he roared, "Xu Mo, since you came to me yourself, don't blame me for not showing your big brother any respect! Get them!"
"All right!"
Brother Bao could no longer contain himself. He looked at Gu Chen and roared, "I'm not just going to cripple you. I'm going to drag you to the public toilet next door and make you eat everything in it!"
"That's your food. I wouldn't dare touch it," Gu Chen said with a chuckle.
Perhaps it was that attitude that completely enraged Brother Bao. He raised his iron rod and charged at Gu Chen. Gu Chen smiled faintly and, instead of dodging, charged straight at him.
Brother Bao grew even angrier. "You're courting death!"
He swung the iron rod at Gu Chen's shoulder. To his surprise, however, his steel pipe stopped above Gu Chen's head and wouldn't budge any farther. Gu Chen's hand had clamped around his weapon like an iron vise!
"Idiot!" Gu Chen snorted, easily snatched the steel pipe away, then smashed it against Brother Bao's head and sent him flying with a kick.
Brother Bao fell to the ground in a heap, blood streaming from his head. Gu Chen clapped his hands. "Fighting you one-on-one is no fun. Let your underlings come at me together!"
"What?"
Even Xu Mo hadn't expected Gu Chen to be so arrogant. He was telling them all to attack at once? There were more than thirty of them, and they weren't students-they were all street thugs!
Xu Mo's face turned even paler. He was just a young master from a wealthy family; when had he ever seen anything like this? Trembling, he said, "Gu Chen, I haven't agreed to join you yet! Don't drag me down with you!"
"Get out of the way!"
Gu Chen shoved him aside. The composure he had shown earlier was gone, replaced by an imposing aura with its edge fully bared. He was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, ready to meet the challenge ahead.
"Get him! Beat him to death!" Brother Bao roared, clutching his head.
Roar, roar, roar-
At his command, more than thirty underlings roared and charged at Gu Chen, their murderous ferocity surging into the air!
Gu Chen's expression remained unchanged, a fierce light flickering in his eyes. Holding the steel pipe he had just taken, he met their charge without dodging.
Bang, bang, bang- In the blink of an eye, Gu Chen had put five or six of Brother Bao's men on the ground. He moved swiftly and struck ruthlessly, targeting their vital points. The steel pipe in his hand was like a nimble spirit snake, leaving screams and wails wherever it went.
A few minutes later, only three people remained standing: Jiang Yu and his two bodyguards. Brother Bao and the other underlings were already lying on the ground, unable to move. Brother Bao had even fainted from fright.
Supported by his two bodyguards, Jiang Yu's feet were ice-cold, and his body trembled incessantly. Moments ago, he had been full of swagger; now, it was as if he had plunged into an ice cellar. His hands and feet were cold, and he was terrified.
Gu Chen walked slowly toward Jiang Yu, a faint sneer on his face. "Jiang Yu, you're next."