Mad Words, Words of Law, and Extortion

In the cramped restaurant, the air seemed to have turned into a viscous gel, and every breath carried a heavy pressure.

The group of thugs surrounded them in a semi-circle, their metal clubs and machetes reflecting the blinding white light of the overhead lamps. The stench of cheap tobacco, sweat, and the foul smells of street thugs mingled together, creating a nauseating and oppressive atmosphere.

The old man, who had been hiding behind the burly leader, now felt emboldened and emboldened. He leaned out halfway, pointing at Lü Yi, who was tilting his head and had a look on his face that said, "Why is this old man here again?" His voice was distorted by excitement and the injuries on his face:

"You little brat, do you still recognize me?!" He tried to make his voice intimidating, but the slight tremor and his swollen, bruised eye diminished the effect.

Lü Yi's reaction was direct and straightforward. He stood up abruptly, his nearly 1.9-meter height making him stand out like a crane among chickens among the seated crowd, instantly creating a powerful sense of visual pressure. He braced himself on the table with both hands, leaned forward, and his usually somewhat unfocused eyes widened, staring back without any hesitation:

"What's wrong, Old Deng! Haven't you had enough of a beating? Are you itching for a beating again?" The voice was loud and arrogant, showing no regard for the other party's numerical superiority.

The old man trembled at his imposing manner and instinctively shrank back behind the burly man, still stubbornly muttering, "You... you're being insolent!"

The burly man leading the group frowned, took a step to the side, and completely blocked the old man with his massive body. He raised the baseball bat in his hand, the cold metal tip almost piercing Lü Yi's chest. His triangular eyes flashed with ferocity, and his voice was hoarse and full of threat:

"Kid, you're pretty arrogant! Do you know whose territory this is? Do you know who you've messed with?" He tried to intimidate the other party with his usual platitudes and intimidating tone.

The henchmen around him cheered loudly, banging their weapons on the table and chair legs, creating a chaotic noise.

However, Lü Yi's thought process was clearly not on the same wavelength as theirs.

Far from being frightened, he seemed to have heard an extremely ridiculous question, and his face contorted into an exaggerated, mocking expression. He picked at his ear with his finger, as if he had heard something foul.

"You little bastard!" He launched into a tirade, his voice louder than the burly man's, "Which guy's fly was undone and you're showing? Huh?"

These words stunned not only the burly man, but also his henchmen behind him, who were momentarily speechless. This... this wasn't going to follow the expected pattern!

Lü Yi wasn't finished yet. He continued in that infuriating tone, questioning the burly man in return. "Who the hell are you? Do you even know who I am?" He straightened his back, raised his chin slightly, and actually adopted an attitude of "I have powerful connections."

This actually startled the burly man for a moment. Having spent years on the streets, he knew that some people might look ordinary but have powerful backgrounds, and were not to be easily offended. The fat on his face twitched, his fierce aura softened slightly, and with a hint of surprise and uncertainty, he asked in a deep voice:

"... Who are you, kid?" He decided to test him first, lest he run into a brick wall.

Seeing that the other party was intimidated, Lü Yi's feigned "profoundness" instantly crumbled, replaced by a mischievous grin. He shouted:

"Idiot! I'm China!"

"Puff--"

From some corner, someone couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly suppressed it.

The burly man's expression froze instantly, then turned livid with a visible speed, veins bulging on his forehead. He felt like he'd been made a fool of! A surge of humiliated rage shot straight to the top of his head!

"Hahaha..." He laughed in fury, his laughter dry and cold, filled with murderous intent. "Good! Good! Kid, you're quite the comedian! In a minute, I'll break your teeth one by one, and see how you keep your mouthy act!"

He completely lost his patience, stopped wasting words, and with a sudden wave of his hand, roared at his henchmen behind him, "Give me..."

"Etc!"

Lü Yi suddenly raised his hand again, interrupting him. The burly man's hand, which was halfway through its swing, froze in mid-air, almost twisting his arm. He glared angrily at Lü Yi, wanting to see what tricks this Madman would play next.

Lü Yi's expression changed again, becoming somewhat serious, even carrying a hint of mystery, as if to say, "I'm laying my cards on the table." He lowered his voice and said:

"You dare touch me? Do you know which department I belong to?"

The burly man's heart tightened again. Could it be... that he was just faking it all? Does this kid really have some official background? The idea that "the common people shouldn't fight with officials" is ingrained in his bones. He suppressed his anger again, subtly gesturing with his right hand behind him to signal his restless underlings to calm down. He stared intently at Lü Yi, forcing out a few words through gritted teeth:

"... Which department?" He was determined to find out today.

Under the watchful eyes of all the thugs and the other genuinely terrified diners in the restaurant, Lü Yi cleared his throat, then suddenly puffed out his chest, his face radiating an almost sacred sense of pride, and announced in a clear, loud voice:

"Ele.me! Delivery department!"

"..."

An eerie, deathly silence fell over the entire restaurant.

The next second!

"Fuck your mother!!" The burly leader completely exploded! He felt he had never been so humiliated in his life! All his caution, all his calculations, had been shattered by this blatant mockery! His eyes were bloodshot, like an enraged bull, he brandished his baseball bat, no longer caring about the iron plate, and roared hoarsely:

"Cripple him!! Beat him to death!!"

The thugs were completely enraged, howling and raising their clubs and machetes, ready to swarm forward!

"Everyone! Everyone! Please calm down! Let's talk this out!"

At this critical moment, a gentle yet clear voice broke through. Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan, who had been sitting quietly, stood up at the opportune moment. He wore a professional smile, trying to calm things down, as if he were not dealing with a group of thugs wielding weapons, but just an ordinary business dispute.

He calmly took out a gold-embossed business card from the inside pocket of his suit and handed it to the burly leader who looked like a madman.

"My surname is Zhou, and I am a lawyer." His tone was calm, with a subtle sense of detachment. "This is my friend," he gestured to Lü Yi, who still wore an "I'm not wrong" expression, "and him here," Lawyer Zhou lightly tapped his temple, giving a knowing look, "I'm not sure, his mental state is a bit unstable. I hope you all will be lenient and not hold it against him. If he has offended you in any way, I apologize on his behalf."

Lawyer Zhou's intervention was like a bucket of cold water, slightly extinguishing the burly man's partially out-of-control anger, but it also confirmed one thing for him—the other party was showing weakness. A lawyer? Mentally ill? This combination sounded even less frightening. He grabbed the business card, didn't even look at it, crumpled it into a ball, threw it hard on the ground, and even stomped on it!

"Lawyer? Ha!" The burly man scoffed, pointing his baseball bat back at Lawyer Zhou, his arrogance even greater than before. "Great Lawyer Zhou, is it? You don't think you can just let this go with a worthless business card, do you? I don't think you have that much influence!"

Lawyer Zhou's smile remained unchanged, unperturbed by the other party's rudeness. He nodded slightly. "Of course not. Brother, what do you want? Let's draw up a line."

Seeing that the other party had "gone soft," the burly man felt much more at ease and completely let go of his last shred of concern. He grinned maliciously and held up three fingers:

"Fine! Listen up! You ruined my brother's business, causing us a huge loss! And you even beat my brother up like this!" He pointed to the old man behind him with a bruised and swollen face, "Including compensation for our losses, medical expenses, and emotional distress... one price, three hundred thousand! Cash! Right now!"

He paused, then suddenly turned the baseball bat head towards Lü Yi, his eyes turning incredibly fierce:

"And him!!" The stick almost poked Lü Yi's nose, "He must kneel down and kowtow three times to every one of the brothers here to apologize!"

"Finally!" His voice suddenly rose, tinged with a cruel satisfaction, "I'm going to pull out two of his front teeth too! So he can't keep spouting nonsense!"

The thugs behind him immediately erupted in shouts and profanities:

"Yes! Kneel down and kowtow!"

"Damn it, pull his tooth!"

"Three hundred thousand! Not a penny less!"

"Lawyer Zhou, hurry up and give me the money!"

Lawyer Zhou hesitated for a moment, a perfectly measured look of unease on his face. He glanced at Lin Feng, who remained expressionless, and then said to the burly man:

"Money... that's negotiable. Three hundred thousand isn't a small sum; we need some time to raise it." He changed the subject, "But this kowtow and apology, and the tooth extraction... I think that's a bit too much, isn't it? Perhaps..."

"Shut the fuck up!"

Before Lawyer Zhou could finish speaking, the burly man rudely interrupted him. Hearing that the other party had agreed to pay compensation, a weight lifted from his shoulders; he was convinced the other party was a lamb to the slaughter. His face twitched, and he impatiently banged the back of the empty chair next to him with his baseball bat, making a "bang bang" sound, glaring fiercely at Lü Yi.

"Kowtowing is a must! And your teeth have to be pulled! Kid, either you get your teeth pulled or you lose a finger! You choose! Otherwise, this isn't over!"

The thugs behind him moved forward in unison, their weapons gleaming coldly, escalating the oppressive atmosphere to its peak. All eyes were fixed on Lü Yi and Lawyer Zhou, awaiting their reaction, or rather, their submission.