"Sister, I was wrong," the thug said with a bitter smile.
The woman before him was a lunatic—an absolute, goddamn lunatic!
She was the kind of person you never, under any circumstances, wanted to provoke.
How could he be so unlucky? Out of all the patrons in the bar, why did he have to set his sights on the most dangerous one?
"Can I go now? Sister..."
"Kneel properly."
"Right away!"
Xu Xiaoyou was counting the minutes; it was about time.
Was the Lion Group really this slow?
Finally, just as her patience was beginning to wear thin, a gunshot shattered the silence.
"Shit, the Lion Group is here! Run!"
A masked thug hissed at his companion and turned to flee, only to slam into a broad, solid chest and tumble to the floor.
He looked up and met a pair of eyes filled with killing intent above a scarred face. In the flickering, chaotic lights of the stage, the massive silhouette of Scarface radiated a chilling aura.
The thug scrambled to reach for a nearby weapon, but Scarface brought his foot down, crushing the man’s hand. The sound of splintering bone was followed by a wretched, echoing scream.
More black-clad figures from the Lion Group flooded the bar, charging toward the thugs. They were disciplined and coordinated; these savage criminals were no match for them.
The thugs were cleared out in short order. Most were rounded up on the dance floor, while those hiding on the second floor were dragged down. A few who tried to escape through the back alley were intercepted at the entrance.
As groups of suit-clad lion-men closed in, the last remaining masked tiger-man was backed into a corner, still trying to put up a fight.
His body suddenly swelled, and his eyes turned a primal red. He opened his mouth to roar, but a club was shoved violently into it, shattering his teeth.
A lion-man followed up with a heavy punch to the tiger-man's jaw, sending him to the ground as broken teeth flew through the air.
"Damn, what kind of trash thinks they can jump our turf?"
"I thought it was the Animal Gang. It was just a bunch of small-time punks that made us mobilize like this?"
The Lion Group members surrounded the tiger-man, ripped off his mask, and began kicking him relentlessly. Before long, the tiger-man was a mass of bruises, his eyes so swollen he was barely recognizable.
A hunched lion-man squatted down, grabbed the tiger-man by the hair, and yanked him up with a savage look on his face.
"Are you fucking starving or something? Haven't you heard that the Lion Group runs this area?"
The hunched lion-man was Manji. He looked almost as battered as the tiger-man; his left cheek was swollen, and his nose was bent and broken.
"You actually dared to rob our place?"
Manji was fuming, desperate to vent his frustration on the tiger-man. But the tiger-man wasn't intimidated. Instead, he spat a glob of bloody phlegm right into Manji's face.
"I'm robbing your turf and your bar on purpose, you bastards!"
"You piece of shit!" Manji raised his fist, but a steady voice from behind brought him to a halt.
"Manji, stop."
"Tch." He suppressed his rage and turned to see Scarface staring at him with a cold, unsettling gaze.
"Understood." He retreated into the crowd, giving the tiger-man one last vicious glare.
The members of the Lion Group parted, and a deer-man with a powerful presence stepped forward. His suit was immaculate, his posture tall, and his eyes sharp.
"You?"
Recognizing Mr. Hao, the tiger-man sneered.
"This is fucking absurd. A deer playing boss to a pack of lions."
Ignoring his injuries, the tiger-man forced himself up and leaned against the wall to look the deer-man in the eye.
As if struck by a hilarious thought, he threw his head back and laughed. "Hahahaha!"
"I'm telling you, all you lions are spineless cowards. Pathetic losers, willing to take orders from a deer."
"Boss."
"What did you say about our boss, you bastard?"
Scarface was seething, and the other lion-men were on the verge of snapping. Mr. Hao simply smiled and raised a hand. He looked down at the tiger-man for a long time before speaking.
"Alvin York. Resident of 135 John Street. Orphaned as a child, living with a blind younger sister..."
Watching from the shadows, Xu Xiaoyou’s eyes gleamed with interest.
The thug kneeling beside her felt his heart sink at her expression.
This woman was definitely a lunatic!
"If you touch a single hair on my sister's head, I'll kill your entire family!" Alvin roared, his eyes bloodshot.
"Don't be so defensive, Mr. York. That wasn't my point," Mr. Hao said calmly. "I want to know why you're here."
Alvin struggled to contain his fury. "It’s because of that bastard Manager Lu! He was intentionally hiking up the protection fees in this district. We’re dockworkers; our wages were barely enough to keep us alive, and that son of a bitch..."
"I led my brothers in a protest, but he used some dirty trick to get me fired. Next week, Ying is supposed to have surgery..."
"That bastard had the guts to overcharge people behind our backs?" Scarface was outraged.
Alvin glanced at the body of the man lying in a pool of blood. He straightened his back and closed his eyes.
"I've already killed him anyway. Do whatever you want with me. I'm ready to die!"
"Good!" Mr. Hao barked. "Take him away and skin him alive."
"Yes, sir!"
Several lion-men grabbed the tiger-man and began dragging him off. Suddenly, Alvin's resolve crumbled. The look of a man ready to die for a cause vanished, replaced by sheer terror. He struggled desperately, but he was no match for the massive lion-men.
Xu Xiaoyou watched the scene play out, an eyebrow raised in surprise.
Within the pride, some faces twitched.
"Wait, Boss!" Scarface moved closer to Mr. Hao, his voice urgent. "This isn't what we discussed."
"A piece of trash like this only serves to dirty my eyes," Mr. Hao replied coldly.
"No! Please, don't kill me!"
Finally, Alvin begged for his life.
"Ying... Ying has surgery soon! I can't die! I can't die yet!"
As if he had planned for this all along, Mr. Hao looked at the pride.
The lion-men understood the cue and loosened their grip. Alvin tore himself free and scrambled to the deer-man’s feet, clutching his leg as tears and snot streamed down his face.
"Please, don't kill me..."
"For Ying... I have to stay alive."
Mr. Hao finally let out a cold, knowing laugh.
"Now that’s more like a man. What was all that talk earlier? You think dying is the easy way out? Were you really going to just abandon your sister in a city like this?"
Sensing a chance for survival, Alvin’s eyes lit up. He nodded frantically, hanging on to Mr. Hao's every word.
"Yes... yes..."
"Get up!" Mr. Hao commanded.
Alvin scrambled to his feet, his previous bravado completely gone. He stood trembling before the deer-man.
Mr. Hao knew he had achieved his objective.
He reached out to straighten the tiger-man’s collar and patted the dust off his shoulders.
"I'm going to give you a chance."
"From this day forward, you are the manager of this bar."
"W-what?" Alvin was stunned.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
The deer-man continued calmly, "Doesn't your sister have surgery next week? I'll cover the costs. I’ll pay for all her medical bills from here on out. In exchange, you will manage this bar and follow my orders. Do you understand?"
Alvin nodded slowly, dazed.
"Clean this place up. We need to be open for customers by tonight."
...
The lion-men escorted the deer-man out. The dark red lights of the bar cast a long, towering shadow behind Mr. Hao. It wasn't until they were long gone that Alvin finally snapped out of it. Perhaps it was the relief of escaping death or the sheer unreality of the situation, but he fell to his knees, sobbing as he bowed repeatedly toward the exit.
"Shit... My life is yours. From now on, Alvin York’s life belongs to you..."
In the darkness, Xu Xiaoyou felt like she’d just watched a masterclass in manipulation. She stood up and tossed a coin into the air.
She looked at the tiger-man, who was still pouring out his gratitude, and shook her head with a trace of pity. "Giving away your life... do people in this city always do that?"
"Anya, let's go home."
Anya tilted her head, giving the kneeling Alvin a confused look before jogging to catch up with Xu Xiaoyou.
She finally had some inkling of why a pride of lions would bow to a single deer.
"He certainly has his ways."
"Too bad. A leader like that still hasn't learned that paying back what you owe is a fundamental law of nature."
Xu Xiaoyou caught the falling coin. The golden cup reflected her face.
"No one can hide their flaws forever."
"I'll bet you. In six days, I'll have that money back."
...
That night, Xu Xiaoyou returned home. She shed her suit jacket and collapsed onto the sofa, exhaling in relief.
"You're hurt!" Lin Ran exclaimed.
Xu Xiaoyou looked down and saw a gash on her arm. The blood had already dried against her shirt.
The lighting in the bar had been so poor she hadn't even noticed it until now.
It must have happened during the scuffle with the cat-girl.
Lin Ran was already at her side with a first-aid kit, beginning to treat the wound.
The cut wasn't deep, but the sting of the disinfectant made Xu Xiaoyou wince.
Noticing Lin Ran's efficient movements, Xu Xiaoyou commented, "I didn't think you knew how to do this."
"Hmph, there’s plenty you don't know about me!" Lin Ran said smugly, before her brow furrowed again. "What were you doing out there to get hurt like this?"
Xu Xiaoyou didn't answer. She stared at the ceiling, her mind drifting, while Lin Ran's nagging became background noise.
"Oh, that reminds me," Lin Ran said. "A new neighbor moved in nearby this morning. She looks really innocent and cute, like the girl next door."
"Mhm," Xu Xiaoyou replied absently.
"But that hammer she was carrying was terrifying. It was taller than she is."
"Huh!?" Xu Xiaoyou’s eyes snapped open. "What did you just say?"
She bolted upright, grabbing Lin Ran by the shoulders.
"A girl... carrying a hammer?" Lin Ran was startled by the sudden intensity.
Just then, there was a knock at the door, followed by a sweet, melodic voice.
"Hello? Is anyone home?"
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