The two groups collided in an instant, the clanging of metal, curses, and screams echoing relentlessly.
After giving his orders, Niu Ben retreated to the back of the crowd and returned to his Mercedes, listening calmly to the brutal sounds of the fight.
It wasn’t that he was scared—he simply didn’t believe he could lose.
After all, the thugs he kept weren’t your average street punks. These were hardened men who had seen real action, even bloodshed.
In contrast, the group behind Liu Yutong, though equal in numbers and appearing more street-savvy, were clearly younger, inexperienced, and lacking in real combat skills.
It wouldn’t be long before the outcome became clear.
And when it did, he wouldn’t let these outsiders off easy.
The men would have their arms and legs broken. As for the girl…
A cruel glint flashed in Niu Ben’s eyes.
Meanwhile, on the dam, several luxury cars were parked along the roadside.
A few men of apparent status, accompanied by their underlings, stood overlooking the nearby village, pointing and murmuring among themselves.
"Niu Ben’s gone in with his men. What do you think the outcome will be?" asked a pot-bellied middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle and a thin mustache.
Beside him, a man of average build, limping slightly due to a leg injury, replied, "As much as I’d love to see Niu Ben get wrecked, it’s unlikely. This is Wushui County, after all."
The man’s name was Wu Kun, nicknamed "Brother Kun." When he mentioned Niu Ben, there was unmistakable hatred in his voice.
One of his legs had been broken by Niu Ben, leaving him with a permanent limp—even earning him the mocking nickname "Lame Kun."
Once, he had been a respected KTV owner in Wushui County. But after crossing Niu Ben, he had been reduced to this.
The pot-bellied man, nearly sixty, was respectfully addressed as "Master Jin." A veteran gangster in Wushui County, he held high status in the underworld.
Yet even this once-revered figure had eventually been forced to bow to Niu Ben’s influence.
Another man, silent until now, bore a birthmark on his face and went by the nickname "Hua Mao." A local boss with some influence, he had Zhao Laoliu under his command.
He had long coveted the demolition business but, intimidated by Niu Ben’s ruthlessness, had never been able to get a foothold.
In short, everyone watching from the dam either had a grudge against Niu Ben, had been bullied by him, or simply despised him.
Together, they had the power to oppose Niu Ben—yet they had never posed a real threat. Cowardice aside, their biggest weakness was their lack of unity.
Everyone wanted to take Niu Ben down, but no one wanted to be the first to strike.
That was, until a new force emerged—one that had quickly caught their attention.
And this group was no small-time operation. Its leaders were members of the Yilian Society, one of Bright Pearl City’s most powerful gangs.
Still, even the Yilian Society would struggle to shake Niu Ben’s dominance in Wushui County.
His roots ran deep, his methods were brutal, and his grip on the county was ironclad.
At first, Master Jin and the others hadn’t taken the newcomers seriously.
But then the clashes began—the KTV incident, the audacious theft of Niu Ben’s money, and now this direct confrontation.
These events forced them to reassess the newcomers.
And what shocked them most was that the leader of this group was an eighteen-year-old girl.
Had they not verified the information themselves, they would’ve dismissed it as pure fantasy.
A girl—just out of high school—even if she was the daughter of the Yilian Society’s former boss, could she really have the nerve and skill to pull this off?
Then they saw her arrive in the village, stepping out of a Mercedes with an entourage in tow.
Her presence, her demeanor, her sheer aura—none of it matched what they expected from a teenager.
Only then did they realize: this girl was anything but ordinary.
Of course, they still doubted she could go toe-to-toe with Niu Ben. His power was undeniable.
Yet, inexplicably, they felt a pang of shame.
Look at her—a young girl daring to stand up to Niu Ben.
And what about them?
Cowering, too afraid to even face him head-on.
Pathetic.
Not that any of them would admit it.
As the sounds of fighting echoed from the village, Master Jin and the others shook their heads.
"Pity. The girl’s got guts, but she’s too reckless," Master Jin muttered.
"Yeah. That’s Niu Ben we’re talking about," Wu Kun added, a hint of regret in his voice.
"Let’s go. Nothing more to see here," Hua Mao said, crushing his cigarette before turning toward the cars.
The others followed.
To them, the outcome was already decided.
But just as they were about to leave, they spotted seven or eight thugs in the distance, hurriedly loading what looked like bodies—covered in white sheets—into a vehicle before speeding off.
"Wait… weren’t those Niu Ben’s men?" Master Jin squinted, uncertainty in his tone.
"Pretty sure they were," Hua Mao said, his expression darkening.
The girl’s followers had a distinct uniform, making them easy to identify. But these panicked thugs hauling away "corpses" bore the unmistakable style of Niu Ben’s lackeys.
"Did someone die?" Lame Kun couldn’t help but feel a twisted thrill.
Death was bad luck, but the thought of Niu Ben’s men dropping like flies filled him with grim satisfaction.
"What the hell happened? Feels like Niu Ben’s losing," he muttered.
"Impossible… but then again, what was that just now?"
The three men, who had been ready to leave, paused and turned back to watch.
Inside the village, chaos reigned.
Or rather, a one-sided farce.
Following the principle of "strike only when struck," the Wanlong Society’s acting squad had been the first to engage.
The moment they clashed with Niu Ben’s thugs, every single one of them dropped their weapons and collapsed to the ground, howling in exaggerated agony.
"AHHH!! MY BACK!! IT’S KILLING ME!"
"MY EAR! I CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING!"
"OW! MY RIBS! MUST’VE BROKEN THREE! THESE ARE FAMILY HEIRLOOMS, YOU SAVAGES!"
"These gangsters fight dirty! They’re trying to kill us!"
"MURDER! MURDER!"
The sudden, synchronized collapse left Niu Ben’s men utterly bewildered.
What the hell?
Dude, what’s the act?
We didn’t even touch you!
Even these battle-hardened thugs had no idea how to react.
This was just… unnatural.
Some even wondered if their own wickedness had cursed them with an aura so foul it could knock men out on sight.
But before they could decide whether to keep fighting—
The mood shifted.
The remaining figures in black suits whipped out telescopic batons and charged.
Niu Ben's men immediately rushed forward, disregarding the dozen or so writhing and moaning figures on the ground.
They had assumed the remaining group would cower just like the ones before.
But when they actually clashed, the reality was nothing like what they had imagined.
..................
