59: Chapter 59: Lin Chen Beats Down the Assaulting Thugs, Showing His Ruthlessness

Footsteps approached. Li Wei gripped his iron rod tightly, his knuckles turning pale from the force. He signaled Da Hu beside him, and the two quickly pressed themselves against the mottled wall of the property, vigilantly watching the shadows at the alley entrance.

The street lamp at the entrance of the property was covered in thick dust, its glass cover cracked with a diagonal fissure. A faint, dim yellow light leaked out, casting distorted patches of light on the pitted concrete ground. Dark green moss crept up the walls, and a few deflated cardboard boxes were piled in the corner. As the wind blew, the cardboard rustled, mixing with the distant sound of dogs barking, making the Slum District feel even colder in the dead of night. Gravel crunched underfoot. Li Wei crouched slightly, his gaze locked firmly on the direction the footsteps were coming from, his muscles tense, ready to act at any moment.

"It's here. Those two Chinese guys must be guarding this place. We have to smash this house today and teach that kid Lin Chen a lesson!" Marcus's voice came from the alley entrance, hoarse and ruthless from drinking. Immediately after, four tall figures emerged from the shadows, each clutching an iron rod that glinted coldly under the street lamp.

Marcus walked in the lead, the bruises on his face still visible, the scar at the corner of his mouth pulling as he scowled. His eyes scanned the entrance of the property with a sinister glint. Seeing it empty, he immediately waved his hand and shouted: "Smash it! Smash it to pieces!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Wei charged out from behind the wall. He swung his iron rod, slamming it hard against the iron rod held by the thug closest to him. With a crisp "clang," the thug's hand was numbed by the impact, and he almost dropped his weapon. Li Wei gritted his teeth and shouted angrily: "Didn't get enough last time? You dare to come here to die!"

Da Hu followed closely behind, rushing out. With his sturdy build, he slammed into another thug, and the two instantly began wrestling. Seeing this, Marcus's eyes turned bloodshot. He charged toward Li Wei, clutching his iron rod, and roared: "Dare to stop me? You're courting death! I'll take care of you along with him today!"

The iron rod whistled through the air toward Li Wei's head. Li Wei dodged to the side, and the rod grazed his ear, slamming into the wall and knocking off a few pieces of plaster. Li Wei countered with a strike to Marcus's arm. Marcus let out a scream of pain, dropping his iron rod. He clutched his arm and retreated, his face full of disbelief; he hadn't expected Li Wei's movements to be so swift.

On the other side, Da Hu was fighting two people at once. Although he couldn't gain the upper hand, he didn't fall behind either. Having practiced martial arts for a few years, he relied on his sturdy build to withstand their blows, forcing the two thugs to retreat repeatedly. Messy footprints were quickly left on the concrete floor, mixed with the crisp sound of iron rods colliding and the thugs' cursing. The noise of the fight was particularly harsh in the deep night of the alley.

Just then, a figure hurried over from the end of the alley—it was Lin Chen. After receiving a real-time alert from his AI, he had immediately rushed over from the Grocery Store, clutching a thick wooden stick he had picked up. Seeing the ongoing struggle from afar, his internal Doubao AI instantly popped up a prompt: The thug on the left has an unstable center of gravity; the thug on the right has an injured arm. Attack the elbow joint of the thinnest thug from behind; it's the biggest weakness.

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. Without a moment's hesitation, he crouched and skirted into the shadows at the alley entrance. Catching the thinnest thug while his attention was entirely on Da Hu, he lunged forward, slamming the thick wooden stick in his hand hard against the thug's elbow joint. With a crisp "crack," the thug let out a shrill scream. His iron rod fell to the ground, and he curled up on the floor, rolling in pain while clutching his arm.

This blow was both fast and ruthless, instantly shocking everyone and causing the struggle to pause for a moment. Lin Chen picked up the iron rod from the ground, gripped it in his hand, and walked step by step toward Marcus. His eyes were cold as ice, devoid of his usual timidity. He lifted his gaze to scan the remaining three thugs and commanded in a deep voice: "Finish them. Don't leave anyone alive!"

These words carried a bone-chilling ruthlessness. Although it was just a bluff to scare them off, it instantly panicked the two thugs. They were only brought along by Marcus to make up the numbers. Seeing Lin Chen strike so ruthlessly and watching their companion curled on the ground wailing, they didn't dare to fight any longer. One of the thugs felt his legs go weak, and he pulled the other, shouting: "Run! We can't beat them! If we keep fighting, we'll lose our lives!"

Looking at the ruthlessness in Lin Chen's eyes, a sense of fear instantly rose in Marcus's heart. He clutched his burning arm, wanting to bend down and pick up his iron rod, but Li Wei stepped on it, glaring at him fiercely: "Still want to resist?"

Marcus shuddered at Li Wei's gaze, completely losing the desire to resist. He only wanted to run away immediately. The two thugs hoisted up their curled-up companion, turned, and ran toward the alley entrance. After running two steps, they looked back and shouted: "Marcus, run!"

Seeing this, Marcus couldn't care about the pain in his arm. He turned and tried to flee. How could Li Wei let him have his way? He took a step forward and delivered a fierce kick to Marcus's back. Marcus stumbled forward, falling flat on his face—he almost knocked out his front teeth. He didn't care about the pain, scrambling to get up. Carried by the thugs, he stumbled as they fled out of the alley. In the panic, a metal badge fell out of his pocket, rolled onto the concrete floor, slid to the corner, and flashed under the street lamp, unnoticed by anyone.

Li Wei gripped his iron rod and wanted to chase, but Lin Chen raised his hand to stop him: "Don't chase. There's no need. Driving them away is enough. Guarding the property is the priority."

Li Wei stopped in his tracks and spat fiercely, looking in the direction where Marcus and his men had disappeared, cursing: "That piece of trash. If I run into him again, I'll definitely break his legs!"

Da Hu rubbed his arm and walked up to Lin Chen, grinning: "Brother Chen, you were really ruthless just now. That thug's arm is probably broken. Now they won't dare to come and cause trouble again!"

Lin Chen shook his head, the iron rod hanging at his side. His gaze swept over the door and windows of the property, confirming they hadn't been smashed, only then did he breathe a sigh of relief: "As long as it's fine, thank you for your hard work."

At this moment, the entrance to the property was a mess. A few iron rods were scattered on the concrete floor, along with the thick wooden stick Lin Chen had just used. There were scuff marks from the fight and messy footprints on the ground. Where the thug had curled up, there were still a few drops of blood. The street lamp light shone down, reflecting these traces, permeated with the tension of a fight that had just ended. Lin Chen looked down at his own hands. When he struck just now, he hadn't felt a shred of hesitation. The timidity of his past life had completely vanished at that moment, leaving only the ruthlessness to protect his own things. He knew that in this Slum District, only by being tough and ruthless could one avoid being bullied.

"Brother Chen, that 'don't leave anyone alive' you said earlier scared the souls out of those pieces of trash. It was so satisfying!" Li Wei walked to Lin Chen's side, his face full of excitement. He admired Lin Chen more and more—not only was he meticulous, but he was also so decisive in his actions. Following someone like this made him feel secure.

"It was just to scare them. If someone actually died, it would be too much trouble." Lin Chen said lightly. His gaze swept across the ground, and he suddenly noticed a metallic glint in the corner. He walked over, bent down, and picked up the badge that had fallen on the ground.

It was a palm-sized metal badge, completely black, engraved with the iconic pattern of the Los Gang—an eagle with its mouth open. There were even a few worn marks on the edges, looking like it had been worn for a long time. Lin Chen pinched the badge, rubbing his fingertips over the pattern. Just as he was about to ask the AI in his mind about the origin of this badge, his internal Doubao AI suddenly emitted a sharp alert tone. A light blue light screen instantly popped up, and a line of red emergency alert text stood out prominently, overriding all other interfaces.

Lin Chen picked up the badge, and the AI popped up an emergency alert.