Chapter 38: I’m a Man!

Chapter 38: I'm a Man!

The "size comparison" contest likely continues from a male's adolescence to adulthood, especially concerning dignity and face. After all, these are two fierce individuals, a meeting of strong versus strong, man on top of man.

Lee's brain was irked by the word "toothpick," his anger nearly instantaneous. Just as he was about to retort, a loud and familiar shout in Chinese suddenly came from outside the door, "Give it back to me—!"

At the sound of this voice, both Rong Xiao and Lee's expressions froze momentarily. Surprisingly, their reactions were exactly the same; they instantly dropped what they were holding and rushed out the door!

It was Yun Zi'an!

The crowd in the street was already in chaos. Amidst the bustling heads, Yun Zi'an's figure was nowhere to be seen. Rong Xiao, suppressing the frenzy in his heart, dragged a few troublemakers who wanted to take advantage of the situation. The table where Yun Zi'an had been sitting was now overturned, the plastic stools shattered. The cap on his head had been trampled with several footprints and lay on the ground, inevitably soiled by mud.

"Where is he!" Rong Xiao bellowed, veins bulging on his neck, "Where did he go!"

The trembling barbecue stall owner, huddled in a corner, looked at him with a terrified expression and shakily pointed down an alley, uttering a syllable in the local language, "KK..."

Just a syllable, and Rong Xiao's heart dropped into a cold abyss. Having been stationed in this area for three full years, he knew all too well about the local gangs. KK referred to a gang involved in robbery, theft, and flesh trade, like pervasive maggots, capable of sucking the marrow out of even a bloodless skeleton.

Overcome with intense anger, Rong Xiao felt as if his insides were about to explode. He swiftly drew the dagger from his waist, bit it between his teeth, glanced upwards, and climbed to the second-floor window ledge in a few moves, leaping onto the rooftop. His movements were as agile and swift as a cheetah, soon disappearing from sight.

Lee couldn't help but widen his eyes at this feat. Lacking the ability to move so fluidly, he couldn't just stand there awkwardly. Looking around, he grabbed a fire stick, weighed it in his hand, and quickly followed.

With a loud bang, Yun Zi'an was forcefully pushed against a dirty wall, his mouth covered, dislodging a cloud of dust. Five or six thugs of different complexions weighed knives and clubs in their hands. One, with yellowed, rotten teeth, smoked a cigarette, eyeing Yun Zi'an with ill intent.

Without his cap, Yun Zi'an's long, shoulder-length hair was completely exposed. In the scuffle, the hair tie had broken, and his hair was messily sticking to his forehead and cheeks. His eyes, sharp as knives, gave him an even more vulnerable look, inciting a desire to dominate in others.

His eyes bloodshot, Yun Zi'an stared intently at the metal bracelet in the gang leader's hand. He suppressed his trembling with each breath, reminding himself to stay calm. Otherwise, he would have loved to kick the leader's head off.

This bracelet was crafted from the first bullet shot from Rong Xiao's gun when he was younger.

Over a decade ago, the moment the bullet pierced the target, Yun Zi'an vaguely realized that his life, too, had veered onto a path contrary to the ordinary, starting with that gunshot.

A life's ambition amounts to just this.

These thugs probably mistook the brass bracelet for gold and decided to rob it. Little did they expect Yun Zi'an to be so determined over a mere bracelet, almost recklessly so, which made them even more convinced of its value, leading them to abduct him along with the bracelet.

Yun Zi'an's right hand hung at an unbelievable angle, trembling slightly at his side, his wrist covered in abrasions. Only if his wrist had been dislocated could he have let the bracelet be snatched by these ruffians and dirtied by their filthy hands.

"The thing... I've given it to you..." Yun Zi'an struggled to breathe, his voice hoarse, as he looked at the thugs with bloodshot eyes, unsure if they understood English, "Can I go now...?"

Perhaps accustomed to toying with hostages, the gang leader glanced at Yun Zi'an, casually tossing the bracelet to his subordinate. A sly smirk appeared on his face as he reached towards Yun Zi'an's lower abdomen, unfastening the metal buckle of his belt, then turned and said something to his men with a laugh.

Unexpectedly, it was this remark that caused the normally calm Yun Zi'an to suddenly snap, his eyes fierce. He twisted the arm before him with a crack, swiftly dislocating it in a blink, then launched a kick to the chest, cursing out loud—

"Get lost, damn it! I'm a man, not a woman!"

This sudden turn of events stunned the surrounding thugs momentarily, but being battle-hardened from countless street fights, their reaction was swift. Like a pack of wolves and wild dogs, they bared their teeth, eyes blood-red.

Yun Zi'an swiftly pulled out his belt, holding one end like a whip, lashing it across one thug's eyes before kicking him away. Meanwhile, seven or eight sticks swung towards him, whistling through the air, hinting at the gruesome injuries they could inflict.

The belt, like a striking snake, entwined around the leading thug's wooden stick. Gritting his teeth, Yun Zi'an yanked it forcefully, snatching it and swinging it powerfully in a sweeping motion—

His explosive power in this perilous moment was formidable. Wherever he struck, the sound of bones breaking echoed. Yun Zi'an quickly turned, folding the belt in two, and gripping it tightly, he choked a smaller thug, flashy in gold and silver, dragging him backward while shouting, "Don't move—!"

As he retreated, Yun Zi'an's peripheral vision had already spotted a wall, about the height of a man, which he could easily climb.

Perhaps having captured an important figure of the gang, the remaining thugs hesitated to act rashly, brandishing their sticks and machetes and forming an encircling stance, closing in.

"Who dares come closer!" Yun Zi'an's arm tightened, the belt strangling the neck, cutting off any passage for air, almost lifting the shorter man off the ground, his eyes fierce and stern, "Back off—!"

The small man in his grasp seemed to be a sort of mastermind, skinny, yet at the brink of death, nobody could help struggling. His fingernails dug deep into Yun Zi'an's arm, gouging out ten bloody holes, blood flowing incessantly, his legs flailing helplessly, his eyes bulging, throat emitting choking sounds.

Perhaps this is the law of the jungle where only the fiercest and most ruthless survive. Yun Zi'an had never experienced such a moment before, displaying an almost inhuman courage and fortitude, unlike those pampered pretty boys who wouldn't be able to stand straight in such a situation.

Under the influence of adrenaline, he couldn't even feel the pain in his body, only large beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, his muscles taut, ready to burst with power at any moment.

The gang leader, whose joint Yun Zi'an had just dislocated, endured the pain and, with a click, set his bone right. Taking a machete from his subordinate, he twisted his shoulder, giving Yun Zi'an a wicked smile, and in the next second, the whistling blade was upon him—

"Aaaaaah—!" Accompanied by a shrill scream, the machete mercilessly slashed into flesh, hot blood spurting nearly half a meter high. Yun Zi'an, stunned, watched as the small man clutched his shoulder, falling into a pool of blood, momentarily frozen in shock as if cast in stone.

The blood even splattered onto the gang leader's face. He nonchalantly licked the blood at the corner of his mouth, his gaze at Yun Zi'an chilling and terrifying, like a serpent ready to strike at any moment.

He pointed at Yun Zi'an and said something in the local language to his men, "＠＃￥!"

This was probably an order to attack. The thugs, their eyes blood-red, rushed at Yun Zi'an like wild beasts unleashed from their cages—

Feeling the cold wind rushing at him, Yun Zi'an's reaction was swift. In the instant his hands grasped the wall, he kicked a thug in the shoulder, using the momentum to vault over the wall!

The complex and shadowy alley was cluttered with discarded furniture and debris, making escape difficult and stumbling. Yun Zi'an, clutching his right hand, ran desperately through the alley, splashing through dirty water. The already dislocated wrist bone was further injured in the fight, the intense pain now completely overwhelming his sensory nerves, relying solely on his remarkable willpower to keep going.

The pursuers behind him, like dogs sensing blood, relentlessly tracked his movements. Native to these lands, they knew the complex alleys far better than Yun Zi'an, an outsider. The situation had turned into a cat-and-mouse game.

After another sharp turn, Yun Zi'an halted abruptly, his chest heaving. Before him was a dead end: a smooth concrete wall offering no foothold for climbing.

The only escape route was now blocked by the thugs trailing him, their sinister smiles of victory apparent as they fixed their gaze on Yun Zi'an.

Yun Zi'an swallowed hard, stepping back until his back hit the cold concrete wall, his heart sinking to the depths.

He was trapped with no way out.

The thugs, armed with clubs and machetes, created a net above him, the air thick with the scent of blood and a chilling wind piercing like needles, causing a sudden fear-induced contraction of his pupils—

At that moment, a roar echoed above, and a tall figure leaped from the roof, embracing Yun Zi'an and rolling on the ground to shield him in his arms.

Surrounded by a familiar masculine scent, Yun Zi'an was so shocked he lost his speech. Watching the machete fall, it wasn't until he heard the sound of blood splattering that he screamed in terror, "Rong Xiao—!"