The dam was sparsely lit by a few street lamps, their dim glow barely providing any illumination. So when that blinding high beam suddenly shot straight at them, the gangsters lurking in the semi-darkness instinctively shielded their eyes.
The light was painfully bright!
Even the group surrounding Gao Min in the distance paused their assault, turning their heads toward the source. Their eyes narrowed to slits against the glare, followed by a chorus of curses.
"Which bastard’s driving with high beams on? Did they buy their license?"
"Seriously, no manners at all! Who uses high beams at night like this? Did they even pass the written test?"
"Zero sense of public decency! Can’t they see how many people are on the road? And they’ve got so many cars with high beams on!"
"Call the cops! These drivers need their licenses revoked—teach ‘em a lesson!" one thug shouted angrily.
The moment the words left his mouth, someone smacked him upside the head. "Call the cops, my ass! Do you even remember what we’re doing right now?"
Rubbing his head, the man muttered, "Traffic cops don’t care about our business anyway..."
"But damn, these headlights are ridiculously bright. And... seems like there’s a lot of cars too."
"Yeah, way too many."
"..."
When their eyes finally adjusted, they saw the lackeys who’d chased the girl in white retreating step by step, their faces pale as if they’d seen a ghost.
Jiang Bing followed their gaze. Standing in the glare of the lead car’s headlights was a dark silhouette. Backlit, her features were indistinguishable, but the outline suggested a woman.
She walked forward with deliberate calm, while the gangsters stumbled backward like terrified prey, some even dropping their weapons in their haste. Only when they reached the main group did they stop.
Their cowardice earned immediate scorn.
"Useless! What the hell are you doing? Where’s the girl? Why are you back?!"
"I... we..."
"Spit it out! It’s just one woman! You’re embarrassing yourselves!"
"N-no... she’s... she’s not alone..."
"What, she brought a ghost with her? It’s the middle of the night, you idiots!"
"Not a ghost! It’s... it’s..."
"Then what? An army?"
The gangster nodded frantically. "Y-yeah! Like... an army..."
Before he could finish, Little Dao—already nursing injuries—slapped him across the face.
"Pathetic! Making up excuses because you’re scared? An army? If a woman could bring an army, I’ll eat this steel pipe right now—"
His words died as the headlights shifted slightly, illuminating the scene behind the woman.
Everyone froze.
A sea of people stretched as far as the eye could see, all armed, their numbers swallowing the darkness.
Little Dao: "..."
The crowd: "Holy shit?!"
One underling gulped. "Uh, Dao-ge... steel pipes are kinda hard to digest, don’t you think?"
Little Dao glared. "Shut up, unless you want to swallow one too!"
Eating a pipe was the last thing on his mind.
Though they could now make out the overwhelming numbers, the figures remained backlit, their identities unclear. The mass of black uniforms advanced in eerie unison, an endless tide under the dim streetlights, exuding a suffocating pressure that made spines crawl.
Then the woman at the front spoke, her voice icy.
"A bunch of men ganging up on one woman. How classy."
As she finished, the vehicles’ high beams cut off, plunging the scene into muted lamplight.
Now, they could finally see her clearly.
Strikingly beautiful, with an air of effortless authority.
But what drew every eye was the dragon-shaped metal pin on her black coat—and the matching embroidered dragons on the chests of the countless black-clad figures behind her.
Gao Min, clutching her injured arm, stared in shock.
Her heart hammered at the sight of that familiar face.
Jiang Bing’s men broke into panicked murmurs.
"It’s the Ten Thousand Dragons Society!"
"No way... That’s really them? How many people did they bring?"
"One, two, three... Hell, I lost count!"
"We’ve got fifty, maybe sixty guys. They’ve got at least two hundred..."
"Wow, you’re a math genius! Really needed you to point that out!"
"Why’re they here? Is this a setup? I heard the Ten Thousand Dragons’ leader is Boss Lei’s daughter."
"Same. First they hit our turf, now this? Feels like they’re targeting the Righteous Union."
"Definitely!"
"..."
Despite the chatter, no one dared move. An unspoken tension thickened the air.
This was Jiang Bing’s first time seeing the legendary heir of Boss Lei in person.
Oddly, the moment he laid eyes on her, doubt crept into his mind about the "truth" he knew.
It wasn’t just her presence—it was the sheer, oppressive aura around her, the kind that made even a Righteous Union veteran like him feel the weight of her authority.
She was born to rule the underworld.
"Miss Liu," Jiang Bing called out. "Bringing this many people... are you declaring war on the Righteous Union?"
Liu Yutong didn’t even glance his way. "I don’t talk to underlings."
Jiang Bing’s face flushed. "You—!"
The insult was blatant. She was saying he wasn’t worthy of addressing her?
Ignoring him, Liu Yutong pointed at Gao Min, still encircled by thugs. Her voice was steel.
"She’s under my protection now. Touch a single hair on her head, and none of you will walk away tonight."
With a flick of her wrist, two hundred Ten Thousand Dragons members drew their batons in unison.
The sight was terrifying.
Gao Min stood frozen, warmth flooding her chest as she stared at Liu Yutong.
At thirteen, after her father died in the line of duty, she’d vowed to be strong. To rely only on herself.
Through police academy injuries and dangerous missions, she’d gritted her teeth and pushed forward alone.
She thought she’d grown used to it—to facing everything by herself.
But now, Liu Yutong had appeared.
She was the strangest girl she had ever met—outstanding in every way, yet somehow darker in demeanor than the average person...
And there was something inexplicable about her, a mix of deliberate closeness, friendship, even rivalry...
It was all so contradictory.
But now, no matter how contradictory it seemed, she suddenly realized none of that mattered anymore.
What mattered was this—the feeling of being protected by someone, it was like this...
