Violent Deterrence on the Golf Course (Part 1)

"Pine Eagle Canyon Club," that meticulously manicured, expensive green hillside in the eastern suburbs of Seattle, has once again welcomed familiar and unfamiliar guests.

The sky was a cloudless, clear, azure blue, and the sun shone generously, making the dewdrops on the grass sparkle. A gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of grass and earth, and in the distance stretched the Cascade Range —a magnificent sight, perfect for a day of golfing.

But the atmosphere on the court today was subtly different from the last time Lin Feng and Mike came together.

Lin Feng was still wearing his simple dark blue polo shirt and gray sweatpants, and his feet were still those ordinary sneakers that seemed out of place with golf shoes. He held the rented golf club in his hand, stood on the tee box, and calmly looked at the fairway flags in the distance.

Mike stood beside him, dressed in brand-new, pristine white golf attire—everything from his hat to his shoes was from top brands. The golf watch on his wrist, which monitored his swing data, gleamed in the sunlight. He wore his usual warm smile, but deep in his eyes, there seemed to be a barely perceptible tension and... observation. Ever since Lin Feng's "digging" on the course and his "cold" behavior towards the women at the subsequent yacht party, Mike's assessment of this Eastern partner had gained another layer of labels: "Strange" and "unpredictable." He had specially invited Lin Feng to play golf again today, both to maintain the appearance of a "close partner" and to further observe whether this guy was truly a country bumpkin who didn't know how to enjoy life, or whether he harbored a deeper, more calculating nature.

A few steps behind the two were four caddies. They were all white young men around twenty years old, wearing the club's uniform khaki attire and hats, pushing carts full of golf clubs. A little further away stood K, Lü Yi, and Mike's two newly hired bodyguards—tall and burly, wearing black suits and sunglasses, with cold expressions, completely out of place in the relaxed environment. Mike had been "jokingly" forced to beat up a caddie by Lin Feng at the golf course last time, and his own bodyguards had been crippled on the spot by Lin Feng afterward, leaving him with lingering fear. This time, he had specially spent a lot of money to hire new bodyguards who were said to be highly skilled and experienced, staying by their side at all times, seemingly trying to regain some sense of security.

"Lin, the weather's amazing today! Look at this green, the speed must be incredible!" Mike cracked his knuckles, trying to break the slight stiffness with enthusiasm. "Let's have a good game today. I've been practicing my chipping a lot lately, I'll show you!"

Lin Feng nodded noncommittally, his gaze still fixed on the fairway. He weighed the club in his hand, and then, just like last time, without any standard preparation—no steady stance, no elegant draw, no weight transfer to build up power—he simply turned sideways, gripped the club with both hands, and then, with a primal, forceful swing, almost like wielding an axe or shovel, he violently swung the club in a wide arc, shoveling it down hard at the white ball on the ground!

"Whoosh--Bang!"

The familiar, teeth-grinding whooshing sound and the dull thuds of impact.

A familiar scene, with grass and dirt flying everywhere.

The small white ball flew out again in a strange and ugly parabola, wobbling for about... forty yards? before limply landing in the tall grass next to it and disappearing from sight.

It perfectly replicated the previous "digging" performance. This time, because they used even more force, they scooped up larger chunks of turf, creating a more "spectacular" parabola in the air.

"Puff..."

Behind me, a very faint chuckle, almost drowned out by the wind, came from one of the four caddies. It was a blond young man who looked to be under twenty, with freckles on his face and obvious impatience and contempt in his eyes. He was clearly extremely disdainful of this "distinguished" Asia guest's appalling golf skills and his behavior of damaging the turf. Especially when compared to his well-dressed, seemingly "professional" white companion, the contrast was even more comical.

The other caddie next to him, a stocky young man with dark hair, didn't laugh out loud, but his lips twitched slightly and his shoulders shrugged almost imperceptibly. He nudged the freckled caddie with his elbow, and then, as the freckled caddie looked over, he quickly raised his hands, pinched the corners of his eyes with his thumbs and forefingers, and pulled them apart forcefully, making a perfectly executed, highly insulting, and East Asian-specific "squinty-eyed" face!

The action lasted less than half a second before he released his hand, returning to his expressionless state as if nothing had happened. But that moment of malice and racism, like a poisoned needle, clearly pierced the already somewhat awkward atmosphere on the court.

The freckled caddie clearly understood his partner's "joke." He suppressed a laugh, quickly lowered his head, and pretended to tidy up the clubs on the cart, but his shoulders were still trembling slightly.

Not far away, another caddie, who looked a little older and seemed to be the foreman, saw this scene. His expression changed, and he wanted to speak up to stop them, but after opening his mouth, he looked at Mike and Lin Feng's Back View, especially Mike's expensive outfit and the fierce-looking bodyguard behind him, and finally chose to remain silent, only giving the two reckless caddies a worried look.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Mike, with his back to the caddie, was looking at the terrible shot Lin Feng had made and didn't see the subtle movement behind him. K and Lü Yi were standing a little further away, and due to the angle, they might have caught a glimpse of a blurry figure, but they weren't sure what it was. Mike's new bodyguard, on the other hand, vigilantly looked around, paying no attention to the caddie's actions.

But Lin Feng was facing the caddie.

After his swing, he didn't immediately look at where the ball landed. Instead, he slowly planted the club on the ground to support his body. Then, he slowly turned his head, his gaze, like a cold searchlight, precisely landing on the face of the sturdy, black-haired caddie who had just finished the "squinting" gesture and was now pretending to look down, but a smirk still lingered on his lips.

That gaze was calm, without any anger, yet it sent a chill down the spine of the sturdy caddie. The smirk on his face froze, and he instinctively avoided Lin Feng's gaze.

Lin Feng's gaze slowly shifted to the freckled caddie who had been the first to scoff.

The freckled caddie sensed something was wrong, looked up, and met Lin Feng's unfathomable, terrifyingly calm black eyes. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head, inwardly cursing himself for being nosy, hoping the guest either didn't understand English or hadn't noticed.

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds. The only sound was the rustling of the wind through the grass.

Then, Lin Feng spoke. His voice was not loud, and even carried a strange calmness, yet it pierced through the wind and clearly reached the ears of everyone present:

Is it funny?

He was asking about the freckled caddie, but his gaze swept over the four caddies present, as well as the foreman a little further away.

No one dared to answer. The freckled caddie's face was pale, and his head hung even lower. The sturdy, dark-haired caddie's Adam's apple bobbed, and his hands unconsciously gripped the cart handle. The other two caddies and the supervisor were also trembling with fear, not daring to breathe. They finally realized that although this guest might be a poor golfer, the cold aura he exuded, and the two clearly unapproachable entourage behind him, indicated that he was no ordinary person.

Mike then realized something was wrong, turned around, looked at the pale-faced caddies with a puzzled expression, and then at Lin Feng's calm profile. "Lin, what's wrong?"

Lin Feng didn't answer Mike. He picked up his golf club and strode slowly toward the four caddies. K and Lü Yi immediately followed, one on the left and one on the right, like two gatekeepers. Mike's new bodyguard also tensed up immediately, instinctively taking a half-step forward, his hand slightly reaching for his waist, but Mike stopped him with a look— Mike didn't want to escalate the conflict at this moment, and he also wanted to see what Lin Feng was going to do.

Lin Feng stopped in front of the four caddies. His height wasn't particularly outstanding among the caddies, but the invisible pressure he exuded made the four young men involuntarily hold their breath.

His gaze fell on the freckled caddie, he pointed at him with his club, and his voice remained calm:

"You, come here."

The freckled caddie shuddered and looked pleadingly at the foreman, whose face was deathly pale. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. He then looked at Mike, Mike frowned but remained silent.

"Come here." Lin Feng repeated, his tone unchanged, yet carrying an unquestionable command.

The freckled caddie's legs went weak, and he could barely stand, but he still managed to move his feet, trembling as he walked up to Lin Feng, his head bowed, not daring to look at him.

Lin Feng lowered his head and picked up a brand-new, pristine white Titleist Pro V1 golf ball from the bag at his feet with two fingers. Then, he handed the ball to the freckled caddie.

"Take it."

The freckled caddie looked up blankly at the ball handed to him, then at Lin Feng's calm face, completely bewildered. He reached out with trembling hands and took the ball; the cold, hard touch made his palms sweat.

"Hold on tight," Lin Feng said.

The freckled caddie instinctively gripped the ball tighter.

"Spread your hands out and place them on the ground," Lin Feng continued, his tone like instructing a clueless child on a game. "Palm up, ball in your palm. Yes, like that, place it on the grass and hold it steady."

The freckled caddie's mind went blank, completely intimidated by Lin Feng's calm tone and gaze, and he could only do as he was told. He knelt on one knee, opened his hand holding the ball, palm up, and placed it on the neatly trimmed green turf in front of him. The white golf ball lay quietly in his palm, reflecting a faint light in the sunlight.

"Very good." Lin Feng nodded, seemingly satisfied. Then, he took a half step back, gripped the golf club he had just used to "dig" the ground with both hands, weighed it in his hands, and adjusted his grip.

Only then did the freckled caddie realize what was happening! An extreme, chilling fear instantly gripped his heart! His eyes widened as he stared incredulously at Lin Feng, at the raised metal cue that gleamed coldly in the sunlight. A hissing sound, like he was being choked, escaped his throat. He wanted to pull his hand back, to scream, but his body felt frozen, unable to move!

Not only him, but also the sturdy black-haired caddie next to him, the other two caddies, the foreman, and even Mike and his new bodyguard, all had their pupils contract, realizing what Lin Feng was about to do!

"No... no..." The freckled caddie managed to squeeze out a weak whisper through clenched teeth, tears welling up instantly.

But Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged from beginning to end. Calm and indifferent, as if all he had to do next was swing his club and hit an ordinary golf ball placed on the tee.

He raised his club, executing a standard backswing—though his golf swing was a complete mess, this club-raising motion at that moment carried a strange, heart-stopping sense of stability and power.

The sunlight stretched his shadow long, casting it on the shivering caddie.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, Lin Feng suddenly exerted force with his waist, his arm propelling the club in a short, explosive arc—

In the outstretched palm of the caddie, the white golf ball was swung down with powerful, precise force!

"Bang--!!!"

A sharp, chilling thud, like bones cracking and tendons breaking, suddenly exploded across the silent stadium!

"Ah--!!!!!"

Immediately following was the freckled caddie's heart-wrenching, inhuman scream! He was thrown backward, clutching his instantly deformed, bloodied right hand, rolling, convulsing, and howling wildly on the grass! Blood gushed out like a fountain from between his shattered fingers, splattering onto the lush green turf, leaving shocking crimson spots! The white golf ball had long since been hit and was nowhere to be seen.

The screams echoed through the empty valley, sending chills down one's spine.

Everyone froze. The foreman and the other caddies were pale and trembling. Mike's new bodyguard's expression changed drastically; his hand was already on his holster, but he dared not move under K's icy gaze. Mike himself gaped, his face drained of color, his eyes filled with disbelief and horror. He had never expected Lin Feng to suddenly act so violently, so... inhumanly! Just because of a sneer?!

Lin Feng slowly retracted his club, casually wiping the clubhead, which was stained with a little blood, on the grass beside him. Then, he raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the freckled caddie on the ground, who was groaning in pain and almost fainting. Finally, his gaze landed on the face of the sturdy, black-haired caddie who was terrified and whose legs were trembling uncontrollably.

He grinned, revealing his neat teeth. But that smile, set against the sunlight and the blood-soaked ground, appeared utterly chilling and cruel.

"See that?" Lin Feng pointed to the distance with his club (he actually had no idea where the ball had gone), his tone relaxed, as if he were genuinely evaluating a shot. "Not bad, that was a good shot."

He paused, his gaze like a cold iron clamp, locking onto the terrified eyes of the burly, black-haired caddie:

"Now, it's your turn."

"Your movement just now was quite standard."

"Come on, let me see how your 'ball skills' are."