Chapter 6: I’m Back

Over thirty thugs of the Blackblood Gang were ransacking the area amidst the cries. They were loading the looted valuables, along with barrels of pure water drawn from a well in the courtyard, into the cargo hold of a heavy tracked truck.

Water was the source of life. Drinkable pure water was more precious than oil, especially in this age where resources were limited.

Yang Hengkong, the Fourth Hall Master of the Blackblood Gang, known as the Stone Shattering Palm, sat ostentatiously at a makeshift dining table. He ripped the raw meat in his hands into strips before shoving them into his mouth, chewing voraciously. His hands and mouth were covered in fresh blood. The sight left the poor residents trembling in fear. Yet, Yang Hengkong continued to eat with great relish.

“Luo Li, my patience is limited, and I don't have time for your sentimental, childish games,” he said casually, taking a towel from a subordinate and wiping the blood from the corners of his mouth. “I see potential in you, which is why I'm giving you this chance. But your current performance is disappointing.”

In the distance, a young man with a nose ring trembled at his words and stammered, “Y-yes, Master Yang, I understand what I need to do.”

Luo Li’s face was fair, and he wore black studded leather armor over his bare chest. His black pants were stained with blood. He stood beside a young woman with long black hair who was tied to a wooden stake that was surrounded by piles of dry wood. She appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Her clothes were loose and old, but the tight ropes accentuated her graceful figure, particularly her slender waist and prominent chest.

Her face, once exceedingly beautiful and delicate, was marred by a scar stretching from her left temple to her right cheek. It resembled a blue-red centipede crawling across her porcelain skin. This scar transformed her once flawless face into something resembling a fearsome demon. However, her most terrifying feature was her eyes. Her pupils were completely white and devoid of irises. They were like deep, misty white abysses radiating an eerie aura. She was a disfigured, blind woman.

She was the one the community referred to as Little Aunt. Luo Li's eyes flashed with cruelty as he tossed a burning torch onto the pile of wood. The dry wood ignited instantly. The flames began to spread slowly, their searing heat growing ever more intense.

"Luo Li, have you gone mad? Are you really going to burn Little Aunt to death?"

"Don't forget, Little Aunt saved your life."

"You heartless beast! Have you lost all sense of humanity?"

Someone from the trembling crowd of poor people finally couldn't bear it anymore. Several people rushed out, disregarding everything in an attempt to extinguish the fire and save the woman.

Swish, swish, swish.

Crossbow bolts whizzed through the air as the Blackblood Gang's thugs immediately shot without hesitation. Several of the people rushing ahead screamed as bolts pierced through them.

A ten-year-old girl was struggling to crawl forward on the ground. Thin and dark-skinned, her eyes were a striking black and white. A titanium bolt had pierced through her thigh, almost pinning her to the ground.

But the girl seemed oblivious to the pain, as she crawled forward. She cried out desperately, "Luo Li, quickly put out the fire! Brother Xiaofei treats you as his best friend and takes care of you the most. If you dare to harm Little Aunt, Brother Xiaofei won't let you off when he comes back."

When he heard the name “Brother Xiaofei”, a tinge of resentment flashed in Luo Li's eyes. "Li Xiaofei?" he sneered triumphantly. "Give up hope. Your Brother Xiaofei will never return."

Why had the Cloudy Sky Gang suffered such a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Blackblood Gang? They had had a traitor among them. Who was the traitor? It was Luo Li.

He and Li Xiaofei were both orphans who had grown up in the Guang'an neighborhood and joined gangs. They worked hard and fought together. But why, in the end, did the foolish and naive Li Xiaofei always have people who liked him wherever he went? Why did he become the hall master of the Cloudy Sky Gang? While he, who was smarter, more ruthless, and worked harder, couldn't earn the recognition of those around him, and instead had to obey that waste?

Yes, Li Xiaofei took good care of him on a regular basis. But so what? In Luo Li's eyes, these so-called caring gestures were nothing but pity.

"Little Aunt, if you hand over the prescriptions and bone-setting techniques, I'll put out the fire immediately," said Luo Li, looking at the blind woman surrounded by flames. "If you delay any longer, regret will come too late once you're engulfed by the flames."

The blind woman remained silent, her snow-white pupils seemingly looking through Luo Li as they emitted a strange aura. Luo Li suddenly felt a strange palpitation in his heart. He grabbed the hair of the little girl crawling towards him and dragged her over, pressing a shining dagger against her slender neck.

"Little Aunt, perhaps you're not afraid of death, but do you want Little Jie to die in front of you?" Luo Li said viciously.

The blind woman sighed and seemed like she was about to say something, when...

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The deep rumbling of an engine sounded like rolling thunder suddenly approached from afar. Before anyone could react—

Boom!

The entrance gate of the neighborhood shattered as if it had been struck by a siege hammer. Fragments sprayed everywhere as the gate flew open. The few Blackblood Gang’s thugs guarding the gate were caught off guard and sent flying by the impact. A heavy-duty motorcycle roared into the neighborhood like a flying black dragon.

Vroom!

The motorcycle zoomed past the thugs.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Screech.

An emergency brake was skillfully applied as the rider performed a graceful rear-wheel whip. The flying dirt and stones instantly scattered and extinguished the burning firewood.

A tall and handsome young man jumped off the motorcycle. Cold light flashed in his hand as he cut the hemp rope on the pillar. The woman slipped free, and the young man reached out to catch her slender waist, pulling her into his arms. It was none other than Li Xiaofei.

"You scoundrels, you're all going to die!" Li Xiaofei roared like an enraged lion.