Under what circumstances can one act in self-defense? The current situation perfectly meets the criteria for justifiable self-defense.
When surrounded by a group of armed street thugs, even if they haven’t yet attacked, the defender can take preemptive action. Their aggressive intent is already clear and poses an immediate danger.
Especially since Hua Muying had already been struck in the waist with a baton, the legal conditions for self-defense were fully satisfied.
So, Zhang Tao acted decisively.
Zhang Tao had been involved in the underworld scene in Yuncheng for a long time and was no stranger to fighting. After the martial arts gym was established, he often trained there, and his combat skills far surpassed those of the thugs before him.
Coupled with the element of surprise, he instantly took down Brother Pao, knocking him to his knees and eliminating one threat.
"Holy shit! Tao, you’re a beast!" Hua Muying exclaimed before grabbing a fallen baseball bat and swinging it at the nearest thug.
"You stabbed my waist, huh? Take this!"
Zhang Tao didn’t have time to respond to him. He sidestepped an incoming strike from another thug and countered with a swift blow from his collapsible baton, landing it squarely on the attacker’s shoulder.
With a dull thud, the thug crumpled to his knees.
The remaining two didn’t last much longer before Zhang Tao dispatched them as well.
The entire fight lasted barely two minutes. Brother Pao’s gang of five lay defeated on the ground.
Zhang Tao flicked his wrist and coldly spat out a single word: "Scram."
Brother Pao, clutching his groin, was helped up by his lackeys but still managed to sneer, "Who the hell are you with, man? Got the guts to name your crew?"
One of his underlings whispered, "Brother Pao, you deaf? That white-haired guy mentioned something about the ‘Ten Thousand Dragons Society’ earlier."
Brother Pao smacked the lackey twice on the head. "You’re the deaf one! Shut the hell up if you can’t talk right!"
Then, turning back to Zhang Tao, he growled, "Ten Thousand Dragons Society, huh? I’ll remember that. We’ll settle this score sooner or later!"
Zhang Tao only replied, "If you don’t leave now, you won’t leave at all."
Brother Pao paled and quickly limped away with his gang in tow.
Only when they were out of sight did he finally erupt in fury. "Ten Thousand Dragons Society, my ass! I’ll round up the boys and wipe out their turf!"
"Brother Pao, you forgot something," one lackey hesitantly pointed out.
"What?"
"We didn’t ask where the Ten Thousand Dragons Society is. How are we gonna find them?"
"..."
"Why the hell didn’t you ask earlier?!"
"I… I didn’t dare."
"Useless!"
Brother Pao glared at the others. "Any of you know where this Ten Thousand Dragons Society is?"
They all shook their heads. "No idea."
"Brother Pao, you think they’re bluffing? We’ve been around the South City for years and never heard of any ‘Ten Thousand Dragons Society.’"
"Yeah, we know every major gang and boss in the South City. That name sounds intimidating, but it’s probably made up to scare us off."
Brother Pao considered it and realized they might be right.
The name had sounded intimidating at first—"Ten Thousand Dragons Society" reeked of underworld prestige.
If not for that white-haired punk mentioning it, he might’ve attacked sooner.
Not that it would’ve changed the outcome.
That guy was a skilled fighter, clearly no pushover.
But now that they’d confirmed the "Ten Thousand Dragons Society" was likely a bluff, things got simpler.
You can take on three or five guys.
But can you handle ten? Twenty?
"Little Dog, tail them. Find out where they’re staying," Brother Pao ordered.
"Got it, Brother Pao."
The thug nicknamed Little Dog immediately turned back to follow Zhang Tao and Hua Muying.
Meanwhile, Zhang Tao and Hua Muying walked toward the hospital, chatting as they carried their takeout.
"Weren’t you surrendering earlier?" Zhang Tao asked dryly.
Hua Muying grinned. "Tactical surrender, man. Gave them a false sense of security so you could catch them off guard."
"Next time you stir up trouble, don’t drag me into it." Zhang Tao had little patience for him.
"Sure, next time for sure..." Hua Muying quickly changed the subject. "Hey, where’s the rest of the crew?"
"What crew?"
"The Ten Thousand Dragons Society. Don’t you guys usually roll deep with like a few hundred members? Where’s everyone else?"
Zhang Tao’s eye twitched. "It’s just me."
Hua Muying’s face fell. "Oh. Then we’re screwed."
"Spit it out. You’re really testing my patience," Zhang Tao snapped.
Hua Muying jerked a thumb behind them. "We’ve got a tail. Been following us for a while."
Zhang Tao glanced back and spotted a shifty figure lurking in the distance. His stomach dropped.
He wasn’t afraid of those thugs, but timing and location mattered.
His father was waiting for surgery. If they caused trouble at the hospital…
No. He wouldn’t let that happen.
His expression hardened. He quickened his pace and ducked behind the hospital gate.
Hua Muying blinked, then hurried after him.
Little Dog, seeing his targets vanish, rushed forward—only for Zhang Tao to suddenly reappear right in front of him.
"Who sent you?"
"I—I was just passing by!"
Zhang Tao smirked and pressed his collapsible baton against Little Dog’s throat.
The thug instantly caved. "W-Wait! Brother Pao told me to follow you! He wanted to check out this ‘Ten Thousand Dragons Society’... and then…"
So they weren’t waiting. They wanted payback tonight.
"Tell Brother Pao he’s got one chance. Midnight, at the park a kilometer from the hospital. He can bring as many guys as he wants—I don’t care."
With that, he kicked Little Dog onto the sidewalk. "Now scram."
The lackey scrambled away in terror.
Hua Muying seemed to realize something. "Tao, you’re not seriously planning to go alone, are you?"
Zhang Tao nodded. "Yep."
Hua Muying gave him a thumbs-up. "Hardcore!"
"Don’t worry, I’ll back you up. Even if we don’t have the Ten Thousand Dragons Society here, we can’t lose face!"
Zhang Tao stopped and stared at him. "You misunderstood. You’re going alone."
"If you don’t, pray I never run into you in Bright Pearl City again."
If not for this idiot’s antics, he wouldn’t be in this mess.
And he wasn’t stupid—if he went, it’d be a disaster. His father needed him for the surgery.
Hua Muying: "..."
"Tao, I just remembered… I think I’ve come down with a sudden case of ‘can’t-fight-tonight’ disease…"
Zhang Tao sneered, "Perfect. The suburban park is close to the hospital. After I'm done with you, I can send you straight to the ER."
Hua Muying: "......"
After a long pause.
"Um... Brother Tao, can I borrow your phone?"
