The Signal and the Thunderous Reversal
The ultimatum from the burly leader, laced with profanity, still echoed in the greasy air. The threats of "severed fingers" and "tooth extractions" coiled around everyone's hearts like cold, venomous snakes.
Lawyer Zhou frowned slightly, seemingly weighing the almost impossible conditions, while Lü Yi remained defiant, displaying a "come and try if you dare" attitude.
In this tense moment, when the pressure was at its peak and it felt like blood was about to spill at any moment—
"Bang!"
Lin Feng, who had been silent as a stone statue, suddenly slammed his palm on the table! The force was so great that the bowls and plates jumped and the remaining soup spilled.
He stood up abruptly, his face perfectly framed by barely suppressed rage, tinged with a pale, blustering expression. He pointed at the burly leader, his voice slightly shrill from his agitation, yet carrying clearly to every corner of the restaurant:
"You bunch of swindlers! Your extortion failed, and you actually dare to break into our home and rob us in broad daylight?! I refuse to believe you'd actually do anything to us in broad daylight!"
He deliberately emphasized the serious nature of "burglary," his words filled with the naivety of someone inexperienced trying to scare away a villain with grand principles, yet also carrying a strange, resolute determination.
The burly man in the lead was stunned for a moment, then a sneer of extreme disdain and cruelty appeared on his face. He had noticed the young man who had been sitting silently all along and thought he was already scared out of his wits, but he didn't expect him to jump out at the last moment and say such ridiculous platitudes.
"Trying to teach me a lesson, huh? Kid, I'll show you what real life is all about today!" The burly man completely lost his patience, ignoring Lawyer Zhou and Lü Yi, and focused all his anger on Lin Feng, who seemed to be "standing up for him." He roared, swung his baseball bat, and charged at Lin Feng in one swift motion, the bat whistling through the air, aiming straight for Lin Feng's face! Seeing their boss make a move, the thugs behind him, like mad dogs released from their chains, howled and swarmed forward with all sorts of weapons!
Tragedy seemed imminent--
An anomaly occurred in a fraction of a second!
Just as the burly man rushed to within about 1.5 meters of Lin Feng's table, and the baseball bat was about to fall, a figure suddenly sprang up from his side and behind like a ghost!
It was that same "cowardly guest" who had been kicked out of his chair, cowering and cautiously moving aside! Now, there was no trace of fear on his face. His eyes were as calm as ice, and his movements were as fast as lightning! He grabbed a heavy glass beer bottle from the table, his arm muscles tensing instantly. Without any fancy moves or hesitation, he smashed it down with all his might on the burly man's unprotected back of the head!
"Bang--!!"
A muffled thud, like a ripe watermelon hitting the ground! The crisp sound of heavy glass shattering mingled with it, shards and remaining wine scattering everywhere!
The burly man's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt! He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and the sky filled with tiny golden stars. An indescribable pain and dizziness instantly swept through his body from the back of his head. He staggered forward and fell heavily to the ground with a "thud," his baseball bat rolling away with a "clang."
He instinctively reached behind his head and touched something wet, warm, and sticky. Based on his years of experience in fighting, he knew—he'd been slapped on the head!
He struggled to lift his head, looking incredulously at the attacker.
The "cowardly customer" was calmly looking at him, still clutching half of a jagged, blood-stained beer bottle neck in his hand, his eyes devoid of any emotion, only a deep coldness.
This is just the beginning.
Almost at the same instant the beer bottle exploded, it ignited the entire restaurant like a spark thrown into a haystack!
"Get your weapons!"
Someone let out a low growl.
The next moment, all the diners who had come in during the protagonist's meal—the "white-collar workers" discussing work, the "ordinary family" with their child, the "workers" who seemed to be having a drink after get off work, and even the two "kitchen helpers" in greasy aprons who rushed out from the kitchen—all moved!
They hadn't received any professional combat training, and their movements even appeared somewhat clumsy and chaotic. But their reactions were remarkably synchronized, their targets exceptionally clear, and their attacks remarkably ruthless!
The three simple principles of numbers, surprise attack, and ruthless action were brought to their fullest extent at this moment.
A white-collar worker suddenly overturned the heavy solid wood dining table, the tabletop slamming down on two thugs who rushed in front of him, knocking them to the ground along with their sticks!
The "father" and "son" from that "ordinary family" grabbed the stools from under their buttocks and, without saying a word, swung them hard at the head and shoulders of the nearest thug! The stool legs collided with the bones with a dull thud that made your teeth ache.
The workers were even more direct, grabbing vinegar bottles, soy sauce jugs, and heavy ceramic ashtrays from the table and smashing them at the thugs! In an instant, the sounds of shattering glass, breaking ceramics, and the thugs' screams filled the air.
Two kitchen helpers rushed out from the back kitchen. One was carrying a rolling pin, while the other was even more ruthless, carrying a thick-backed cleaver used for cutting bones. They blocked the thugs' possible escape route to the back door like gatekeepers. If anyone tried to run this way, they would kick them or swing their weapon at them!
Lü Yi let out an excited shout; he had finally received the signal to make his move!
He leaped over the table like a tiger into a flock of sheep, disregarding any techniques, relying on his height and strength to grab the old man who had previously accused him. With the old man's scream, he slammed him to the ground with a powerful back kick, then mounted him and unleashed a barrage of unorthodox yet heavy punches, yelling, "Old Deng! Crow Takes a Plane! Tornado Destroys Parking Lot! I'll teach you to scam people! I'll teach you to be bad!"
The situation spiraled completely out of control, but the direction of the loss of control was entirely unexpected by the group of thugs.
The expected easy victory didn't materialize; instead, they were utterly crushed! The enemy outnumbered them far and attacked without warning, like madmen, with extremely vicious attacks targeting joints, ribs, and the head!
Their experience in bullying honest people and taking advantage of others is completely useless in this chaotic, brutal, and unequal melee.
Before he could even lift the steel pipe, it was smashed down by a bench; before he could even bring down the machete, he was grabbed by several arms, and then a rain of punches, kicks, and any hard objects he could grab fell on his body.
Screams, pleas for mercy, and wails replaced the previous shouts.
Lin Feng slowly stood up and calmly straightened his not-too-disheveled clothes. He walked around the bloodstains and the writhing, groaning bodies on the ground and strolled over to the burly leader who had just struggled to get up.
The burly man's head and face were covered in blood and beer foam, blurring his vision. He sensed someone stopping in front of him. He struggled to lift his head, and through his blurry vision, he saw the young man who had just been so "righteous and stern."
Lin Feng leisurely pulled a cigarette case from his pocket, shook out a cigarette, and lit it. The orange flame illuminated his calm, expressionless face.
He took a drag, slowly exhaling a bluish-white smoke, then bent down, looking into the burly man's eyes filled with pain, fear, and disbelief, and spoke softly in a voice only the two of them could hear, his tone tinged with a cold mockery:
"I already said, in broad daylight, under the clear sky. I gave you a chance, but you still failed."
The burly man's pupils constricted sharply, a chill deeper than any physical injury instantly piercing his spine!
That's right, the seemingly ordinary "guests" around the table were all pawns that the protagonist, Lin Feng, had secretly mobilized through his consciousness network after realizing he was being followed, utilizing assassins from all walks of life scattered throughout the city. They could be food deliveryman Wang Wu, driver Old Liu, internet cafe manager, sanitation worker... The system gave them reasonable identities, allowing them to naturally gather here.
Why did a small, quiet restaurant, which was deserted after lunchtime, suddenly become packed with customers? It's because this was a carefully woven trap for the protagonist, just waiting for its prey to fall in.
Lin Feng's seemingly ridiculous yet "righteous" phrase, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky," was the pre-arranged final signal to launch a thunderous attack!
Lin Feng stopped looking at the burly man lying on the ground like a dead dog, straightened up, and said calmly to Lawyer Zhou, who was standing aside and, although somewhat prepared, was still slightly shocked by the sudden burst of violence:
"Call the police. Tell them we were having a normal meal when we were targeted by a fraud gang seeking revenge. They attacked us with weapons, and we were fortunate to be subdued by many kind-hearted citizens who came to our aid."
As soon as he finished speaking, the assassins who had just been glaring like fierce warriors stopped in unison. They quickly composed themselves, some straightening their torn clothes, some righting the fallen tables and chairs, and others taking out their phones. Their faces changed to expressions of shock, lingering fear, and a sense of "justice," as they whispered to each other, as if they were just ordinary citizens who had just experienced a thrilling fight.
Inside the restaurant, only a mess remained, along with a group of thugs lying on the ground groaning, completely incapacitated. Sunlight streamed in through the broken door frame, dust swirling in the beams of light.
Under the clear blue sky, all the filth seemed to have been swept away by this sudden storm.