The encirclement tightened further, squeezing Liu Yutong and her companions into an even smaller space. The situation was now extremely precarious.
The leader, Brother Qi, unhurriedly lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled, squinting his eyes as he scrutinized the women who were still fighting back fiercely. This guy seemed to relish this game of total control.
There was no denying it, these women were absolutely the toughest fighters he had ever seen.
It's just a shame...
He shook his head and took another drag from his cigarette.
Meanwhile, Liu Yutong and the others were rapidly exchanging words.
Given the huge commotion they'd caused, as long as they held on a little longer, reinforcements or the cops were bound to arrive.
"I suddenly miss Brother Yun and the others. If even one of them were here, they'd make these guys pay!"
"It's too strange how these guys suddenly showed up. I have a feeling they weren't originally after us."
"I feel the same way. It must be a coincidence, or we're just having incredibly bad luck."
"We can't let this go!"
"Of course not!"
"..."
Their guess was indeed correct. This gang had originally been chasing a bunch of green-haired guys and just happened to run into them. The very culprits who had led this gang here were now watching stealthily from the shadows.
"Boss, are we just going to watch?"
"Obviously! Someone as smart as our boss is definitely waiting for both sides to wear each other out before making a move. Haven't you heard the saying? 'When the snipe and the clam grapple, the old fisherman profits.'"
".........."
Liu Hao looked at Brother Qi smoking his cigarette with a smug face, then at Liu Yutong and the other women, and finally made up his mind.
"Goddamn it!"
"These bastards from Da Nan City are going too far! Chasing me is one thing, but now they want to mess with my enemy? That I absolutely cannot tolerate!"
Underlings: "???"
Boss, is your logic a bit off?
"Boss, you mean we jump in now?"
"I think it's doable! Master Jiu's men are our enemies too. We can settle old scores with them and the Demoness together! That's called... right, that's called killing two birds with one stone!"
"Stone your head! You don't understand a damn thing!"
Liu Hao cursed irritably. "Is that Demoness so easy to catch? A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Even if she looks rough now, do you know how many men she has under her? The number would scare you to death."
"Besides, last time, if she hadn't inexplicably started a fight with Master Jiu's men, we would've been wiped out by that Brother Pao."
"Even though the Demoness didn't mean to help us, in our line of work, you have to be clear about favors and grudges. If you owe someone a debt and don't repay it, it just doesn't sit right!"
The underlings exchanged bewildered looks, a bit stunned by their boss's sudden burst of underworld chivalry. When we're seizing territory or shaking people down, we never see you being so principled, boss!
Right at that moment, the battle situation suddenly changed!
A thug wielding a chain seized a moment when Lan Die was distracted. With a fierce swing of his arm, he lashed the chain hard at Lan Die's right leg.
Although Lan Die had strong combat instincts and subconsciously tried to evade as the chain neared, she was ultimately a split-second too slow. Or perhaps, she chose to take the hit to protect Liu Yutong and Su Mansu behind her.
Thwack!
A dull impact sound rang out.
Lan Die grunted, her right leg instantly buckling, nearly causing her to kneel on one knee. She forced herself to brace against the ground with her hand to steady her stance, but that right leg was clearly unable to bear full weight anymore, and her movements became sluggish.
"Lan Die!"
"Sister Lan!"
Liu Yutong and Yu Xin's hearts both sank.
"I'm fine!" Lan Die gritted her teeth and straightened up again, her voice still cold, though fine beads of sweat had already appeared on her forehead.
Seeing this, Brother Qi elegantly flicked his cigarette ash and sneered, "A dying struggle."
"Finish them off quickly. The cops will be here any minute!"
Hearing this, the attacking thugs became even more ferocious, focusing their assaults on the injured Lan Die, Liu Yutong, and the others. The pressure instantly doubled.
"Hao-ge, look! That cold-faced beauty seems to be at her limit!" a sharp-eyed underling reported immediately.
Liu Hao had naturally seen Lan Die get injured and felt they couldn't wait any longer. He hardened his heart.
"I've decided! Only I get to beat up Liu Yutong, that Demoness! Nobody else can, especially not these bastards from Da Nan City! Brothers, grab your weapons! Follow me! Let's fuck them up!"
His decision actually involved an element of gambling.
First, to repay the unintentional favor he owed Liu Yutong from before. Second, he was tired of running.
From Wushui County to Mingzhu City, then to Da Nan City, starting over again and again... he was getting sick of it.
Besides, he always felt that wherever he went to set down roots, Liu Yutong's Wan Long Society would inevitably show up, sticking to him like a damn plaster. He couldn't just avoid confrontation every single time, could he?
What kind of gangster life would that be!
By helping her out of this jam now, they'd be square.
After this, they'd go their separate ways. He wouldn't have to run at the sight of her anymore and could focus on developing his Tian Yan Gang in peace.
Liu Hao hesitated no longer and stepped out of the alley mouth.
His gang of green-haired underlings behind him also hefted their weapons again and swaggered out, charging straight for the other gang of thugs.
Just as Brother Qi, wearing glasses, was watching his men about to capture the women...
Suddenly! An angry shout came from behind!
"You Da Nan City dogs! Let go of that Demoness... no, let go of those girls!"
The shout was so sudden that everyone on the battlefield faltered, stopping to look toward the source.
They saw a group of green-haired guys led by Liu Hao. After shouting, they brandished their weapons and charged fiercely into the fray from the flank.
Liu Hao, swinging a steel pipe, yelled in the direction of Liu Yutong, "Liu Yutong, don't get the wrong idea! I'm just helping the weak and oppressed! I'm not specifically here to save you! After we finish off these dogs, we'll settle our score slowly!"
He and his gang of green-haired underlings might have looked ridiculous, but they had plenty of street fight experience. Plus, they were pent up with the humiliation of being chased, and now they finally had an outlet. Howling, they charged toward Brother Qi's gang, instantly making the scene even more chaotic.
The composure vanished from Brother Qi's face. He threw away his cigarette butt, his eyes darkening with fury.
"Tian Yan, you green-haired turtle dares to show your face? Perfect, I'll take care of you too!"
Liu Hao knocked down a thug and pointed his steel pipe at Brother Qi. "Four-eyes! Cut the crap! I hate bastards like you who gang up on people and bully women the most! Go eat shit!"
Brother Qi laughed in extreme anger. "Fine, fine, fine! Since you green-haired turtles are so eager to die, I'll oblige you! Take them down too!"
At his command, a large portion of the thugs besieging Liu Yutong immediately turned their focus to meet Liu Hao and his men.
Liu Yutong and her group instantly felt the pressure lessen dramatically and breathed a sigh of relief.
She glanced at Liu Hao, who was noisily fighting his way into the battlefield, genuinely surprised.
She never expected to run into Liu Hao for the second time in Danancheng, of all places, and even more surprisingly, he took the initiative to help her.
Though she couldn't fathom his motives, for her, it was an extremely fortunate turn of events.
