Chapter Seventy-Four: Is Strength in Numbers So Impressive?

Among Ye Chen’s principles, there was at least one he always held to: leave a line for others, so you may meet again in the future.

That day, the line he left was sparing a half-crippled man to drag away the corpses.

But he hadn’t expected that today, he would have to erase that line himself.

What truly infuriated the captain of the first squad was that a rough stone, so easily within his grasp, had slipped away just like that—and that was money lost.

The alcohol sloshing in his belly was instantly ignited by a surge of anger from above.

Without another word, he smashed the cup in his hand hard against the ground.

The shattering sound startled everyone in the tavern.

He jabbed a thick, stubby finger at Ye Chen, his face twisted with rage, and barked, “Knock that guy down for me! Make him spit out everything he just ate!”

To the remaining men, the smashing of the cup was as much a command as a signal.

Though five patrol officers were still somewhat confused, the captain’s orders were absolute.

Chairs screeched across the floor, harsh and jarring. All six patrolmen stood up, surrounding Ye Chen and his companions with thuggish bravado.

Seeing this, Zhou Peng muttered under his breath, “Think you’re something special just because there’s more of you?”

He didn’t step forward to intervene, but headed straight toward the captain, who was still wedged between two women. Bowing slightly, he spoke earnestly, “Boss, isn’t there some misunderstanding here?”

“Oh? You know who I am?” The captain tilted his head, eyeing him sideways.

“Come on, who doesn’t know the boss of the first squad of the patrol bureau on this street?” Zhou Peng’s flattery seemed to please the man; Captain Zhu nodded slightly.

“You see, we’re all here to enjoy ourselves. I’m just a small businessman. If things get messy in here, it wouldn’t look good for you either,” Zhou Peng continued, his tone gentle and accommodating. “How about this—tonight’s expenses are on the house. And I’ll have the waiter bring over a few more girls for your brothers. How does that sound?”

Captain Zhu cast him a sidelong glance and sneered, “Heh, sounds nice, but isn’t that what you should be doing? If you don’t know how that guy offended me, then stay out of this. Get lost!”

Before Zhou Peng could continue pleading, the situation in the center of the room had already spiraled out of control.

Xu Fan, seeing the group suddenly closing in, immediately assumed someone wanted to snatch his girl. Fueled by alcohol and courage, he yanked the young lady behind him, shielding her.

At that moment, the young lady’s face was pale with fear. She clung tightly to Xu Fan’s arm, her head half-buried, terrified of being noticed.

In Xu Fan’s line of sight, he saw one of the men point and shout, “Go! Get him!”

Get me? Don’t push your luck! Don’t think I don’t know who you lot are—aren’t we all with the outer city patrol bureau? I’ve never backed down from a fight… Xu Fan cursed to himself.

But to his surprise, none of them came for him. Instead, they all charged straight at Ye Chen.

What was going on? Was even their choice of targets based on looks?

Fortunately, Xu Fan reacted quickly. He spun around, grabbed one man by the hair, and yanked him backward, sending the man sprawling.

Before the man could recover, Xu Fan dropped his full weight onto his chest. The impact was as heavy as a boulder, nearly making the man roll his eyes back, his insides churning.

But before the man could catch his breath, a flurry of punches rained down on him like a hailstorm.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each punch landed with no mercy.

…I need to take one down quickly, or Ye Chen will have to face all five of them alone and get beaten senseless.

Xu Fan had never seen Ye Chen’s true fighting skills and was a bit worried. Besides, he felt responsible for how things had escalated tonight.

Meanwhile, when Zhou Peng saw his own brothers being attacked, he could no longer be bothered with the fat captain. As a former patrol officer himself, he was no stranger to brawls—how could he stand by while his brothers were under attack?

A bar owner afraid of a drunken brawl? Hardly!

He sprinted a few steps, leaped over a table with agility, fixed his gaze on one of the attackers, grabbed his arm, and with a swift move, threw him over his shoulder.

With a thud, the man crashed to the ground, the force nearly knocking the wind out of him.

Before he could recover, a sharp elbow strike sent him into unconsciousness.

Zhou Peng’s skills were clearly superior to Xu Fan’s.

At the eye of the storm stood Ye Chen, as calm as ever, mocking, “I remember you. Have you forgotten how I beat you that day?”

The patrolman’s steps faltered, lagging a few paces behind the others.

“Seems that kick was too weak to leave a lasting impression,” Ye Chen said, cracking his knuckles with a casual air.

“A single small fry is no different from a whole basket of small fry…”

Before he finished speaking, everyone saw his figure blur and vanish.

When Ye Chen reappeared, the sole of his shoe was already in front of the patrolman’s face.

…So fast!

That was all the man had time to think before a tremendous force struck his jaw, his teeth clashing painfully together, his head ringing.

He flew backward, staring up at the dazzling ceiling lights.

And then—nothing.

With a single, soul-shaking blow, Ye Chen whirled and let out a low growl, “You’re not even worth as much as a sand rat!”

Clenching his fists, he swung left and right with fierce, unrelenting punches.

A left hook crashed into one man’s face, dropping him instantly.

A right hook landed in another’s gut, folding him like a shrimp.

None of these men, their bodies hollowed out by drink and pleasure, could put up any resistance.

The last one left received a cold look from Ye Chen, who said casually, “Stand aside and wait. You’ll need to help carry your friends out later. Got it?”

“Yes—got it!” The last patrolman quickly scurried to the corner.

Ye Chen flexed his hand. Hmm… more power, and it doesn’t even hurt to punch people anymore!

Zhou Peng and Xu Fan, having just finished off their own opponents, were searching for the next target—only to realize…

“That’s it? It’s over already? How did you do that?” Xu Fan stared in disbelief at the men sprawled across the floor.

Zhou Peng said nothing, replaying the fight in his mind.

The young woman, at some point, had slipped her finger into her lips, sucking on it with excitement—one of the few who’d witnessed the entire fight firsthand.

The other witness was the rotund captain, who was now clutching the waists of two women beside him, trying to imagine them as doors he could hide behind.

He cowered behind those imagined doors, trembling.

This man… he’s terrifyingly strong! What will he do next?