Volume 1, Chapter 10: Striking First

Li Da was quite talkative tonight; it seemed he wanted to savor my slow descent into fear.

"You little animal! Do you regret offending me now? I'll give you a chance: kneel and kowtow, and I might consider going easy on you later—just severing the tendons in your hands and feet, instead of taking your miserable life."

Even in the darkness, I could see the sinister expression on Li Da’s face as he spoke; it was as terrifying as a demon’s.

Although Zhang Bing and the two others had been beaten yesterday evening, they hadn't sustained any serious injuries.

Now, Zhang Bing’s expression turned ferocious. He stared at me with cold, icy eyes and spat out viciously, "Kid! Once you’ve offended our Little Tiger Gang, there’s no place for you anywhere in this world. Kneel down right now, kowtow, and beg for mercy; perhaps then I’ll consider what Li Da just said."

In their eyes, I was trapped with no hope of escape tonight, so they were in no hurry to strike, preferring to humiliate me and let me stew in terror.

I didn't care for their games. Fixing a sharp, piercing gaze on Li Da and Zhang Bing, I let out a cold laugh, gripped my bicycle firmly, and charged at them.

Li Da, Zhang Bing, and the others were still sneering, expecting me to kneel and beg for mercy. They never imagined I would launch a preemptive strike, rushing at them with the bike held high.

They were stunned for a moment. Once they realized what was happening, they cursed under their breaths and scattered to dodge.

I charged straight at them, locked my eyes on Li Da, and swung the bike with all my might.

"Ah!"

Caught off guard, Li Da took a heavy blow to the shoulder from the bicycle and collapsed into the bushes with a scream.

Seeing this, my heart leaped with joy. I immediately raised the bike again to smash it down on him. However, Zhang Bing and his men had recovered, and they all drew meter-long machetes, rushing toward me.

In the dim moonlight, I saw them charging with blades in hand. I had no choice but to change direction, swinging the bike at the approaching men instead of finishing off Li Da.

A harsh, metallic screeching echoed through the night as their machetes bit into the bicycle frame. I swung the bike relentlessly, desperate to take at least one of them down.

"Split up and hack him!"

Seeing that their current tactic wasn't working, Zhang Bing shouted at the three men beside him. They immediately fanned out, swinging their blades at me from different directions.

"Damn it!"

I cursed, flung the bicycle at Zhang Bing, and used my foot to hook a thick, three-meter-long wooden pole from the ground. I knocked down the man charging from the front with one swing, then pivoted to take down another. Without even turning around, I thrust the pole backward, driving it into the gut of the last attacker and sending him flying.

"You little animal! Kneel down now, or I’ll blow you to pieces!"

I didn't know when Li Da had crawled back up, but he was now holding a half-meter-long double-barreled shotgun, shouting at me furiously.

I was stunned to find he had a gun, and my face drained of color. Without hesitation, I hurled the wooden pole at him and dove into the nearby bushes.

Just as Li Da finished speaking, the pole struck his head. He let out a cry and collapsed into the brush once more.

"You little animal! I’m going to kill you!"

Li Da scrambled to his feet, bellowing in rage as he searched for me. But by then, I had already rolled into the rubber plantation, vanishing into the night.

"You little animal! You might have escaped tonight, but you won't escape tomorrow. The moment you leave the company compound, I’ll take your life!"

After searching for a long while and finding no trace of me, Li Da roared at the sky like a wild beast, his face livid with fury.

The rubber plantation was thick with thorns. Wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, I was soon covered in blood from scratches on my arms and legs, looking quite gruesome.

About twenty minutes later, I cautiously made my way back to the company compound in the dark.

"Yan Feng!"

Afraid that Li Da and his men might be lying in wait, I didn't open my door right away, choosing instead to hide in the shadows and observe. The sudden exclamation nearly made me jump out of my skin.

Fortunately, everything was quiet; Li Da and his men were nowhere to be seen. I let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Yan Feng! What happened to you?"

Liu Ting clicked on a flashlight, and seeing me covered in blood, she asked with immediate concern.

"I’m fine," I said, waving her off. I stood up and started walking toward my home.

Liu Ting grabbed my arm and whispered, "Don't go back there yet. Li Da and his men were just here, but they’ve left. You should come to my place first."

My face paled at the news. I thought to myself that it was a good thing I had returned a moment later, or I would have run right into them.

"Sister Liu! Is my cousin-in-law okay?" I asked anxiously, worried about her.

"She’s fine! When Li Da and his men came, they just took a look at your house and left; they didn't disturb anyone."

Liu Ting led me into her house and shut the door behind us.

"Yan Feng, what on earth happened?" she asked, frowning at the blood on my arms and legs.

I gave a bitter smile and briefly explained what had happened. I paused, then added, "The scratches on my hands and legs are just from the thorns. It’s nothing serious."

"Yan Feng, I told you last night to be careful. How could you still go to the factory manager Hu Yong’s house to drink?"

Liu Ting scolded me with a look of reproach, then continued, "And Hu Yong—he knew you’d had that fight with the Little Tiger Gang last night, yet he still asked you to drink and let you walk back alone..."

"Sister Liu, it’s not Brother Hu’s fault. He asked me to stay the night, but I insisted on coming back. That’s why I was ambushed by Li Da and his men."

Liu Ting rolled her eyes at me, stood up, and walked over with a towel to wipe the blood from my limbs.

"Sister Liu, I’ll do it myself," I said, reaching for the towel.

She didn't say anything, but after handing it to me, she pulled a bottle of medicated oil from a drawer. Once I had wiped the blood away, she poured some oil into her palm and began applying it to my wounds. I wanted to stop her, but it was too late, so I let her tend to me.

Soon, my arms and legs were coated in the oil, and its pungent scent filled the room.

"Thank you, Sister Liu," I said, looking at her in her thin nightgown. My gaze lingered for a few seconds on her impressive cleavage; I couldn't help but think it was quite a match for my cousin-in-law’s.

"You’re young, but you’ve got a lot of naughty thoughts," she said, sensing my fiery gaze. She felt a flush of heat, her expression turning coquettish as she laughed and scolded me.