80: Chapter 80 Second Encirclement! Lin Chen and Sophia Join Forces to Fight the Enemy

The sound of footsteps grew closer, and Sophia's expression changed drastically.

She had still been hesitating about whether to cooperate with Lin Chen, but hearing the dense footsteps outside the door, she instantly understood—Thorne hadn't gone far at all; he had just gone back to bring reinforcements.

The corridor was already narrow, and now it was packed tight with people pouring in. Thorne stood at the front, followed by forty or fifty men—nearly double the previous number. Among them were several burly, bald men with sinister gazes and an aura of ferocity; they were clearly top experts from the Black Bear Gang.

Under the flickering, broken lights, steel pipes and machetes glinted coldly. Shouts of slaughter and heavy breathing mingled together, instantly enveloping the entire club in an aura of violence.

Thorne looked up at Lin Chen and Sophia at the top of the stairs, a sinister smile curling his lips: "I knew you were still here! This time, I've brought the Black Bear Gang's top experts. Let's see who can save you now!"

With a wave of his hand, his subordinates immediately pressed forward. The space at the top of the stairs was already small; once they charged up, there would be no room to dodge.

Sophia's trusted subordinates turned pale and instinctively gripped their weapons, unable to hide their fear. Sophia also tensed up; the previous fight had already drained a lot of her stamina, and now, facing enemies several times their number, she felt uncertain.

Lin Chen, however, remained exceptionally calm. He tapped his earpiece and gave a low command: "AI, scan enemy combat power in real-time, mark the weaknesses of core experts, and synchronize tactical routes."

"Command received. Scanning... Marking complete." The AI's voice instantly reached his ears.

Lin Chen turned to Li Wei and spoke in a steady tone: "Li Wei, hold the stairs. Don't let anyone up. Finish this quickly; don't get bogged down in the fight."

"Don't worry, Brother Chen! I'll hold the line; not even a fly is getting past!" Li Wei roared, picking up a steel pipe from the floor and standing at the very front of the stairs, his back straight and showing no sign of retreat.

Having assigned Li Wei his task, Lin Chen looked sideways at Sophia with a determined gaze: "Now, we have to join forces. You take the right, I'll take the left. Strike at the weaknesses the AI indicates; don't just brute-force it."

Sophia didn't hesitate; at this moment, she had no choice but to trust Lin Chen. She gripped her short blade and nodded: "Fine! I'll handle the one leading the charge on the left!"

"Attack!"

At Thorne's command, his subordinates swarmed forward, swinging clubs and bars as they smashed toward the top of the stairs.

Li Wei was the first to meet them. His steel pipe swept out, forcing back the front two men. His strikes were clean and efficient, hitting their joints. In just a few seconds, he had taken down three, holding the stairs firmly.

Sophia was agile. Her short blade unsheathed, she lunged at the Black Bear Gang thugs on the left. Her blade precisely avoided vital spots but slashed their wrists, causing them to drop their weapons instantly. Her skills were extraordinary, and she moved with poise, forming a tacit understanding with Lin Chen.

Lin Chen was unhurried. Guided by the AI's prompts, he precisely avoided attacks and focused on hitting the enemies' wrists, knees, and abdomens. His strikes seemed casual, but each one incapacitated an opponent.

"You think you can stop me with just these people?" Lin Chen said coldly, kicking away a lunging thug, his tone full of disdain.

Thorne watched, seething with rage: "Charge harder! Whoever takes down Lin Chen gets a hundred thousand! Whoever takes down Sophia gets the Ledger!"

Under the lure of a heavy reward, his subordinates became even more crazed, their offensive growing fiercer. The corridor was cramped, and the group was soon forced back half a step.

From the corner of her eye, Sophia caught Lin Chen's movements, and her gaze gradually changed.

She had thought Lin Chen only relied on his brain for planning, but she hadn't expected his combat skills to be so formidable. He was calm, every move neutralizing an enemy, and his eerily precise judgment was as if he had a god's-eye view. This man was even more terrifying than she had imagined.

"Watch your back!" Sophia shouted, swinging her blade to force back the enemies in front of her and reaching back to block a sneak attack for Lin Chen.

Lin Chen nodded in acknowledgment and followed through with a punch to the attacker's abdomen, sending him flying back with a scream.

Their cooperation grew more seamless—one attacking, one defending, one on the left, one on the right. The initially disadvantageous situation gradually stabilized. Li Wei also held the doorway; despite taking a hit to the arm with a club, he gritted his teeth and fought on, refusing to retreat a single step.

Thorne's expression turned uglier by the second. Seeing half his men injured or dead yet still unable to take the stairs, he turned to the bald, burly man behind him: "Brother Black Bear, I'll have to trouble you to step in!"

The gang expert known as Brother Black Bear took a step forward. Nearly two meters tall with bulging muscles, his eyes were like those of a hungry wolf as they locked onto Lin Chen.

Without a word, he took large strides, pushing past the others. A punch wrapped in a gust of wind smashed straight toward Lin Chen's face. The blow was heavy and powerful; if it hit, it would surely leave him bloodied.