"Hey! Brother Ma! Brother Ma! BROTHER MA!!!!"
"Don't leave me alone here..."
"Don’t go! Open the door, let me out!"
"NO—!!!"
"Bang!"
The sound of the door closing and locking was crisp and decisive, carrying a hint of ruthlessness.
The private room was now empty except for Lin Tao and the green-haired guy.
Outside in the hallway.
Ma Da stood with his back to the door, letting out a long sigh of relief.
"My god, this green-haired freak alone is scarier than all the enemies we’ve fought before!"
A nearby underling in black couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Ma, isn’t this a bit too cruel?"
Ma Da scowled and glared at him. "What are you talking about? Lao Liu is technically a temp worker for our Dragon Society now, wearing our colors. This is an initiation test! If he can’t handle this, how’s he gonna earn his stripes and roll with us for real?"
The underling quickly nodded. "You’re right, Brother Ma. You’ve got a point. Where else would he find such a golden opportunity to join the Dragon Society? He’ll be grateful to you forever."
Ma Da nodded in satisfaction. "Relax, Lao Liu’s a sneaky bastard. I’m sure he’ll figure it out."
Then, he quietly pressed his ear against the door, trying to catch the commotion inside.
The others instinctively leaned in too, copying him.
After all, juicy drama like this didn’t come around often.
Inside the room.
Lin Tao turned around in despair, facing the greasy green-haired guy creeping toward him.
"Hehehe..."
A creepy, excited laugh sent chills down his spine.
"Ooooh, so you’re one of the Dragon Society’s tough guys too? I didn’t notice earlier~ Don’t be shy, big bro~ Come here, let little bro give you a kiss~ My kisses taste like strawberries, you know~~"
"GAG—!!!"
"Don’t reject me, big bro~ Just one little kiss~ Here I come~~"
"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!"
Lin Tao was too terrified to even feel disgusted now. He raised a warning finger. "I’m warning you—take one more step and I won’t hold back! I’ve trained for this!"
"Aiya~ Big bro’s so scary~ The scarier you are, the more I like it~~~"
"HELP ME!!!"
"......"
Outside the door.
Ma Da and the others shuddered at the sounds, silently mourning for Lin Tao in their hearts.
Just as they were brainstorming ways to console his traumatized soul later, a blood-curdling scream erupted from inside!
The voice was full of agony… but with a faint, indescribable hint of pleasure.
But the group outside didn’t have time to analyze the nuances.
Hearing such an unnatural shriek, they abandoned their gossip session and immediately kicked the door down!
BANG!
"You bastard, you wanna die? How dare you mess with our Lao Liu—"
Before they could finish, their expressions froze.
Ma Da and the others had assumed the green-haired guy had succeeded and that Lin Tao was the one screaming.
But in reality, Lin Tao stood there completely unharmed, chin raised, looking down with disdain as the green-haired guy clutched his butt and rolled on the floor in pain.
Ma Da’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
No way… this guy’s also…?
Behind him, the Dragon Society enforcers wore expressions ranging from shock to horror. Some gasped, some instinctively covered their own backsides, and others just stood there, utterly confused.
What the hell just happened?!
After a brief silence, realization slowly dawned on them.
Every single one of them looked at Lin Tao with newfound respect.
This nerdy-looking goody-two-shoes… was the real deal!
A few, like Ma Da, suddenly remembered—wasn’t this the same Lao Liu from a few months back, the one who loved sneaky backdoor attacks on the battlefield?
No wonder Brother Ma had such high hopes for him. The legend was true!
Not someone to mess with!
Li Xiaohui’s big eyes widened as she pointed at the green-haired guy and asked Lin Tao, "Lin… Lin Tao, what did you… do to him? Did you really… pop him?!"
Lin Tao’s cool demeanor instantly crumbled under her question. He whined pitifully, "Sis Hui, it’s not my fault! He threw himself at me!"
"I just…"
He mimed a pistol gesture and made a thrusting motion.
Finally, Ma Da and the others understood. "Ohhh… so that’s what happened. We thought—"
Lin Tao blinked. "Thought what?"
Ma Da waved it off. "Nothing, doesn’t matter."
He cautiously avoided Lin Tao’s hands and patted his shoulder. "Good job. You’re officially in the Dragon Society now. Happy? Excited?"
Truthfully, Lin Tao had zero interest in gang life. He was a proper finance major, for crying out loud! How could he run with thugs?
So he tried to politely decline. "Um… Brother Ma… can I… not join?"
Ma Da grinned. "Sure!"
Lin Tao was about to thank him when—
One of the underlings silently handed him a rather long knife.
Lin Tao stared at the blade in confusion, completely lost.
Meanwhile, Ma Da pulled out his phone and said cheerfully, "Go ahead and start. I’ll call an ambulance right after. We’ll make sure you get help in time."
Lin Tao: "???"
"Brother Ma, what do you mean? Why an ambulance?"
He glanced at the green-haired guy—was he really that fragile? He hadn’t even used much force!
…Unless they wanted him to perform a hemorrhoidectomy? Admittedly, the guy probably needed one.
Ma Da gave him a flat look and said, "The ambulance is for you."
Lin Tao: "??? For me?"
Li Xiaohui chimed in, "Hohoho… According to Dragon Society rules, traitors get three stabs, six holes. You stab the knife all the way through—front to back. Hurts less that way, or so the experts say."
"Once you’re done, we’ll send you straight to the ER. You probably won’t die."
???
Lin Tao threw the knife down in terror, nearly collapsing to his knees.
"Brother Ma! Sis Hui! It’s a misunderstanding!"
"I didn’t mean it! My mouth just malfunctioned!"
"To be honest, I’ve always dreamed of joining a gang! Back in elementary school, my teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I said, ‘A gangster!’ She even praised me, said it was a great career choice!"
"Now my dream’s finally come true! I LOVE the Dragon Society!"
"I swear, from today onward, I’ll live and die as a Dragon Society man! This membership is MINE! Anyone who tries to take it from me will regret it!"
Ma Da watched Lin Tao’s desperate backpedaling with a satisfied smile.
"That's more like it, Brother Lao Liu! I knew you were sincere about joining our warm Wanlong Society family!"
"Someone there—get Brother Lao Liu’s measurements taken for his custom suit."
"Got it, Brother Ma," replied a subordinate in black.
"Thank you, Brother Ma!" Lin Tao forced a smile and hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
Inside, his heart was bleeding. Damn it, he’d boarded the wrong damn ride.
