Demonic King of the Metropolis - Chapter 79 - The Villa Under Attack
“Are you Tang Jie?”
A voice came from the left. Tang Jie turned around and saw a man in his early twenties who looked nothing like a student. He had striking yellow hair, a cigarette held between his fingers, and sharp eyes that scrutinized him up and down.
“Who are you?”
Tang Jie looked at the yellow-haired man and asked calmly, his tone very neutral.
The yellow-haired man noticed that Tang Jie showed no sign of fear at his presence. He flicked the cigarette butt to the ground, revealing an unmistakable air of a thug about him.
“I heard you’ve got quite a reputation at No. 2 High School, you seem pretty capable.”
Upon hearing this, Tang Jie thought to himself that fame brings trouble; even his minor incidents at school had attracted unwanted attention from others.
Although this crossed his mind, he felt no real interest in the group in front of him. They posed no threat to him.
Having assessed the situation, Tang Jie cast a glance at the group in the stands, likely the yellow-haired man’s lackeys. As they descended from the stands, he noticed they were all holding weapons.
Tang Jie frowned, feeling his hair still damp from the shower. Suddenly, he felt a wave of resentment towards Chen Shuran. If she hadn’t thrown a fit, he wouldn’t have had to come out here for no reason at all.
With this thought, Tang Jie smiled at the yellow-haired man, beaming brightly. “Those are just rumors. Do I really look like someone with that kind of ability?”
Rather than wasting time with these inferior opponents, he’d rather go home and endure Chen Shuran’s spoiled attitude. Who knows, he might even get to see something exciting.
Thinking this, Tang Jie displayed a conciliatory attitude, but to his surprise, the yellow-haired man took no heed of it.
“Bah!” the yellow-haired man spat onto the ground, and Tang Jie noticed it was mixed with phlegm, making him feel nauseous as he turned his face away.
“Do you know that the area around No. 2 High School is my territory? Since you have some standing there, I suppose you’ve dabbled in the underworld, right? You must know the rules!”
Tang Jie understood now. This yellow-haired man was just looking to collect protection money; truly… Tang Jie felt a bit annoyed. After searching his pockets for a while, he pulled out a hundred yuan.
“This is all I have today. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to head back.”
Tang Jie shoved the money into the yellow-haired man’s hand and turned to leave, but the yellow-haired man called out from behind, “Come back.”
“Boss, is there anything else?” Tang Jie gave in entirely. He wasn’t submitting to the yellow-haired man but rather to himself, realizing he had foolishly come out here to waste time with a hoodlum who lived off extortion. If Chen Shuran got angry and ran off now, he wouldn’t be able to sleep for the rest of the night.
Of course, if it weren’t for Chen Shuran, he would have gladly entertained this group for a while. But the more he thought about her, the more flustered he felt. He couldn’t shake the image of her in that sexy, sultry sleepwear… just the thought of it sent a rush of heat through his body!
Tang Jie felt like he was poisoned, and the source was likely Chen Shuran. That girl was determined to make this night difficult for him-whatever.
“This amount isn’t enough for me to buy cigarettes,” the yellow-haired man scoffed, throwing the money back at Tang Jie’s face and spitting at him.
Tang Jie managed to dodge the spit, which smelled foul, before it hit him.
He sighed, looking helplessly at the yellow-haired man. “If that’s the case, let’s settle this issue.”
The yellow-haired man was taken aback. What issue? Was Tang Jie going to go back and get more money?
In a frantic moment, Tang Jie zipped up his jacket and casually ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. Under the soft lighting, his well-defined features seemed to carry a hint of rebellious apathy, even though his outfit didn’t quite match.
At that moment, the buzz-cut leader and his group approached. Tang Jie glanced at the yellow-haired man and then at the people closing in from behind. He coughed twice. “Um, it’s a bit cramped here; let’s move to the back.”
Without waiting for the yellow-haired man’s response, Tang Jie walked toward the center of the stadium. The yellow-haired man, shocked at this audacity, immediately felt his anger flare as he realized Tang Jie’s intentions.
“How dare he look down on me! Listen up, everyone! If you break one of his legs, you’ll get a thousand yuan tonight. If you break both of his arms, it’ll be fifteen hundred…”
As the buzz-cut and the ten or so teenagers heard this, their faces lit up with excitement. They brandished their lead baseball bats, eager to act. The yellow-haired man waved his hand to signal them to follow him toward Tang Jie.
Standing in the center of the stadium, Tang Jie looked around at the stands. He thought to himself that if someone cheered for him, he would feel honored, though he definitely didn’t want his loved ones witnessing this brutal scene.
Imagining the faces of Wang Qianya and Chen Shuran, Tang Jie’s expression turned cold and serious, like a proud pine tree standing tall, ready to face the impending storm.
Seeing Tang Jie’s nonchalant expression, the yellow-haired man realized that the innocent demeanor he had shown earlier was just a ruse. Tang Jie was deliberately mocking him and hadn’t taken him seriously at all.
“Go! Beat him to a pulp!” the yellow-haired man commanded, and his group raised their baseball bats and charged at Tang Jie.
Tang Jie shut his eyes and took a deep breath. When the weapons in their hands were just about to reach him, he opened his eyes. Two icy, piercing glares shot out from him, and the initial few attackers staggered back in fear, taken aback by the intensity of his gaze.
The yellow-haired man wasn’t having any of it. Seeing his followers freeze up, he snatched a baseball bat from one of the boys and pushed through the crowd toward Tang Jie.
“Today, I’ll see just how capable you really are!”
With that, the yellow-haired man swung the baseball bat toward Tang Jie’s face. The other boys followed suit, swinging their lead bats down toward him. Under normal circumstances, a regular person would certainly have their head split open, blood spraying everywhere.
However, as the yellow-haired man brought his bat halfway down, it suddenly stopped mid-air. The rest of the group felt a powerful gust sweeping through, like the winds of a fierce cyclone. Soon, a chilling scream pierced the air, and the boys, shocked and disoriented, stood up only to realize they could no longer see their boss-the yellow-haired man had vanished.
Tang Jie stood there, completely still, with an innocent expression on his face.
“Boss!” one of the boys shouted upon spotting the yellow-haired man. Everyone turned to follow his gaze and saw that one of the benches in the stands had toppled over. Lying in the middle was a person, blood streaming down their face, and it was impossible to tell if they were alive or dead.
It all happened in the blink of an eye; they hadn’t even seen Tang Jie make a move.
The group of boys slowly turned their heads, and what they saw felt like the manifestation of death itself. Their baseball bats clattered to the ground, and one by one, they collapsed, utterly defeated.
Tang Jie surveyed the chaos before him and dusted off his hands. Casting a sympathetic glance at the boys gasping for breath on the ground, he turned to leave. But just as he took a step forward with his left leg, someone seized his right leg.
“Oh God! Save me! I want to take you as my master; please accept me!”
The boy in front somehow managed to crawl back up off the ground and clung to Tang Jie’s leg, his expression one of pure adoration.
“What was that move just now? Could it be the long-lost legendary Buddha’s Divine Kick?”
Another boy crawled over and grabbed hold of Tang Jie’s other leg, his eyes lit up with excitement.
“Master! Please accept this disciple’s bow! I’d do anything for you-climb mountains of knives, cross seas of fire, fetch beauties, or hunt for cash! I’ll never complain, even if I die!”
With a thud, the second boy knocked his head against the ground in reverence. Suddenly, the other boys sprang up from the ground like springs, lunging at Tang Jie like hungry wolves.
Tang Jie was bewildered! He looked around as he found himself surrounded, nearly pulled off his feet by the eager boys, and was at a loss for words.
“Can you all move aside? I have things to do.”
Watching the boys, who all looked like they were high on adrenaline, Tang Jie began to regret getting involved. As he glanced back at the yellow-haired man, who hadn’t moved for a while and lay still on the ground, he hoped he was just injured and not dead. If he had killed someone in front of these still-student boys, it would lead to inevitable trouble.
Just as he was caught in this standoff, the yellow-haired man’s body twitched. Tang Jie felt a wave of relief; at worst, it seemed he had only been badly beaten.
“Ah!” But just as Tang Jie relaxed, the yellow-haired man let out a scream that sounded like a pig being slaughtered!
The boys all trembled at the sound, turning to look. Seizing the opportunity while they were distracted, Tang Jie hurriedly slipped away. By the time the boys realized he was gone and turned back, he had vanished without a trace.
Once outside the stadium, Tang Jie saw that it was almost nine o’clock. He quickly hailed a taxi to return home. He hoped Chen Shuran was already asleep and that nothing had gone wrong.
Standing outside his building, Tang Jie looked up and noticed that all the lights in the villa were off. A chill ran down his spine; something felt off.
He dashed up the stairs, and just as he reached the door, he paused to consider his options. Instead of using his key to unlock it, he decided to knock quietly.
“Knock, knock!”
There was no response. He knocked again, but still, no one answered. A wave of anxiety washed over him. Was something wrong with Chen Shuran?
He quickly took out his key and unlocked the door. As soon as he stepped inside, he flipped on the living room light, revealing utter chaos. A floor lamp lay shattered on the ground, glass scattered everywhere, and the window was wide open, making it look as if a struggle had taken place.
Instinctively, he rushed toward Chen Shuran’s room, but it was empty. After a quick glance, he dashed to his own room, then into the bathroom and the restroom, searching frantically. This was bad! Something must have happened!
