Chapter 56

  Five men, one of whom was grinning from ear to ear as he dragged a woman by the back on the street. Passersby ignored them as if they were air. On this bustling street corner, the woman struggled desperately like a chicken under an eagle's claw. She flailed her arms and grabbed onto anything she could, but it was all in vain. She grasped onto a car at the side of the road, refusing to let go even with her life. The men approached, punching and kicking her. Perhaps the woman thought this car was her last hope, enduring the intense pain without letting go. One man crouched down, picked up a rock, and viciously smashed it onto her hand. The woman cried out in agony once more, unable to struggle anymore, allowing herself to be dragged away by others in an unknown direction. The group's destination was an alleyway, clearly this had exceeded the meaning of punishment.

  Suddenly, the woman's weak eyes reignited with hope. A figure was dodging obstacles and sprinting through the crowded streets. Just as the woman was about to be dragged into an alley, the figure arrived without breaking stride. With the momentum of the dash, he turned around 180 degrees and delivered a whirlwind kick. His right leg landed squarely on the opponent's neck, blocking blood flow and delivering immense force. The opponent didn't even have time to cry out before falling to the ground. The figure's right leg came down to the ground as a supporting leg, and his entire body hadn't even stabilized before he spun around again. A second kick with his left foot landed on another person's face, sending them tumbling to the ground as well. Two attacks, one with each leg, were executed in less than two seconds, leaving both opponents reeling. The remaining three men stared blankly at the sudden appearance of this mysterious figure. The woman saw a dashing face and a red flag on his chest, and despite never having been to China, she felt an inexplicable sense of safety with the five-starred red flag. She struggled to crawl towards him but was still being held back by her clothes. After a few futile attempts to break free, she cast pleading eyes at the red flag.

  "Ahh..." A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air as a long whip cracked towards an unsuspecting guest. The newcomer was none other than Shao Hui, who had a reputation for being merciless in battle. He would not hold back if he decided to attack, and his enemies often found themselves on the receiving end of his brutal tactics.

  The woman couldn't help but let out a soft cry as the whip hurtled towards Shao Hui's shoulder, mere inches from tearing open his skin. But Shao Hui seemed completely nonchalant, stretching out his hand to grab the whip with ease. With a quick flick of his wrist, he wrapped the whip around his arm and yanked it back, sending the attacker stumbling forward.

  The next moment, a massive shoe sole came crashing down towards the attacker's jaw, accompanied by a dull thud. The impact was enough to make anyone see stars, and the attacker's eyes glazed over as they stumbled backwards, their mouth filling with blood. Shao Hui wasn't done yet - he delivered another vicious kick that sent the attacker flying into the air, landing on their buttocks before sliding across the ground.

  The other man watched in horror as his toothless companion struggled to get back up, then turned to face Shao Hui. He raised his right hand, reaching for a weapon, but was clearly unsure of what he was up against. Shao Hui closed the distance between them in two swift strides, wrapping his left arm around the man's neck and pulling him into a tight headlock.

  With his right leg, Shao Hui delivered a crushing kick to the man's wrist, causing it to snap with an audible crack. The man let out a blood-curdling scream as his hand went limp, his wrist swelling up in an unnatural red hue. Shao Hui gave him a rough shake before releasing him, and a handgun clattered to the ground.

  Shao Hui picked it up, examining the brand before discarding it without a second glance. He then delivered a crushing blow to the man's chest, using his incredible strength to compress the man's lungs. The man's mouth opened in a silent scream as Shao Hui reached out and grabbed his throat, pulling him down into a tight chokehold.

  The man's face contorted in agony before he finally passed out, crumpling to the ground.

  "Ma Qian... Ma Qian?!" The last man looked at Shao Hui with an expression of extreme terror, stuttering out these two words. When he saw Shao Hui turn his gaze towards him, the man let go of the woman and took off running like he had seen a ghost. What he feared wasn't that hooligans knew martial arts, but that they were all-powerful. Within a distance of less than ten meters, Shao Hui had already caught up to him and slammed him to the ground. The opponent's face was covered in blood as he shielded his face with both arms, still trembling with fear as he said: "Ma Qian... Ma Qian..." If a hooligan were unfortunate enough to fall into his hands, they wouldn't die, but would be flayed alive. Shao Hui had this one point in common with professional bandits. He slowly raised his right fist, preparing to use his own strength to punish the last hooligan.

  "Shao Hui, stop! Don't make things worse!" Just then, other teammates rushed over. Zhao Zhenghao ran and shouted loudly. Shao Hui raised his head and looked at him for a moment, muttering to himself: "Too late..." As he spoke, his fist heavily smashed onto the man's skull. The man shook all over and fell softly to the ground.

  The woman next to him was so scared that she forgot to thank him and just subconsciously held her clothes tightly, looking like a frightened soul. "Let's go!" Zhao Zhenghao rushed over and saw that things had gotten out of hand, immediately deciding to retreat. He quickly grabbed Shao Hui's arm and tried to run, but when he turned around, he was stunned on the spot. The originally apathetic passersby suddenly blocked the team members' way, and Zhao Zhenghao looked at other intersections, only to realize that they had been surrounded in a circle. Everyone's eyes were filled with anger, staring at them. The situation was very unfavorable for them. At this point, the team members calmed down and stood together in silence, observing the surroundings.

  "Things have gotten out of hand! What do you think we should do?" Zhao Zhenghao asked, leaning against Shao Hui.

  "Afraid of trouble when there's none? Not afraid of trouble when it comes? Didn't you learn this phrase in the army?" Shao Hui said coldly. "When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it."

  "It's probably not that simple," Zhao Zhenhao replied.

  The number of Basler nationals is small and they have a common faith. Can a common faith unite a nation? Years of war have tightened this cohesion into a tight rope, like copper and iron cast together. Moreover, they are living in tribal groups as their survival unit. If five of them were beaten to death on their land, the consequences can be imagined.

  The circle of encirclement was getting smaller and smaller. The team members simply stopped retreating and stood still. Immediately, the local crowd also stopped in their tracks. The two groups confronted each other. "Everyone listen to my orders! All personnel exit bullets! Do not load or fire unless absolutely necessary!" Zhao Zhenghao shouted loudly. With a few clatters, the magazines were removed, the gun mechanisms were pulled open, and eight yellowish bullets fell into the team members' hands. The team members quickly reloaded the bullets into the magazines and reattached them to their guns. The local residents were familiar with firearms and knew that the team members had exited their bullets, so they did not make any radical moves for the time being. The entire street was eerily quiet, with no extraneous sounds. The opposing side's unity of force was evident. Shao Hui stood motionless on the spot, staring at the sea of people in front of him, his eyes without a hint of fear. After a long while, one person from the other side stepped forward and spoke to the team members in their native language. The team members did not respond. That person turned around and called over someone to translate. The latter squeezed through the crowd, bowed respectfully to the former, and began translating into English: "Why are you beating up these people without reason?"

  Zhao Zhenhao said in Chinese: "This guy should be a leader. If there's any situation later, I'll capture him as a hostage first. You guys hurry up and get on the car to leave."

  "These people are beating a woman! If I don't stop them... this woman will be beaten to death!" Shao Hui replied to him.