Chapter 36: Chaos Ensued

Just judging by his presence, Mo Fei alone was not at all inferior to the men before him. The four burly men exchanged glances, slowly closing in around Mo Fei. His chest still ached faintly from the pressure of the seatbelt, and his anger surged straight to the crown of his head. His gaze swiftly swept over their throats, temples, groins, and eyes—these were the spots where, with the right force, a blow could instantly incapacitate a person without being fatal. The key was to control the strength; too much force would be deadly.

Mo Fei tightened his grip on the U-lock in his hand and took a few steps forward. When the fight broke out, he had to avoid damaging Lü Chunqiu’s car—it would be a real hassle to fix. The burly men hadn’t expected this lone, pale-faced young man to advance instead of retreat; feeling provoked, they clenched their fists and rushed at him in a group.

As the fists drew closer, Mo Fei swung the U-lock in his hand against them. Flesh and bone were no match for steel. The sound of the lock head striking a burly man’s fist was muffled, but the man’s scream was piercing. A hulking man, nearly six feet tall and built like a tank, clutched his right hand and howled like a slaughtered pig, distracting the other three for a split second.

Mo Fei seized the opportunity, aimed a swift kick at the groin of the second nearest man. He felt his shoe connect with a lump of soft tissue, the impact likely shattering it. The second man’s face turned pale instantly, and he instinctively clamped his legs together. Mo Fei followed through, leaping up, his other leg snapping forward with his instep stretched, kicking the man squarely under the chin. The man’s head snapped back, and he collapsed rigidly to the ground, while Mo Fei landed lightly.

In just a few seconds, two opponents were down. The remaining two looked at Mo Fei, a new wariness glinting in their eyes. Mo Fei glanced at the U-lock in his hand; there was a trace of blood on the corner of the lock head. He shook it off without concern, and when he looked at the last two men, his expression was just as cold—but the effect was entirely different now.

Those two pulled watermelon knives from behind them without a word and charged at him. Damn it, playing dirty! Mo Fei turned and ran for his life. The old adage, “the longer the weapon, the greater the advantage,” was no joke—watermelon knives were far longer than a U-lock, not to mention there were two of them!

The two men, knives raised, chased Mo Fei, while the first burly man, whose hand had been injured, managed to recover somewhat. With sweat streaming down his face, he gritted his teeth and joined the pursuit, intent on avenging the U-lock blow. He had barely taken two steps when a car engine suddenly roared to life beside him. Turning his head, he saw the car whose windshield was plastered with eggs begin to rev, and a woman leaned halfway out of the driver’s window, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the door.

The moment their eyes met, Lü Chunqiu shouted and slammed on the accelerator. The car surged forward, heading straight for him. In the man’s terror-stricken face, the car rammed into him at thirty miles per hour, but didn’t send him flying. He sprawled across the hood, his expression twisted, probably from pain in his injured hand.

Lü Chunqiu gritted her teeth and pressed the accelerator again. She might not have dared before, but now Mo Fei was being chased by men wielding two watermelon knives. How could he stand a chance with just a measly lock? The speed increased; the burly man couldn’t hold onto the hood and was gradually dragged under the car. The wheels bumped over him, jolting the vehicle. Lü Chunqiu, shaken and breathless, slammed on the brakes, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

It was her first time hitting a person with a car. Thoughts of “I’ve broken the law” and “so this is what it feels like to run someone over” played in her mind on an endless loop. Lü Chunqiu took a deep breath, leaned out again, gripped the wheel, and prepared to aim the car at the two men chasing Mo Fei.

But just then, a pair of rough hands grabbed her shoulder, yanking her out of the driver’s seat with force. Lü Chunqiu turned her head—it was the woman who had first thrown eggs at their car. The woman’s face was twisted with rage, and as she pulled at Lü Chunqiu, she pinched and clawed at her soft flesh.

Despite her office-worker appearance, Lü Chunqiu had once helped Mo Fei fend off wealthy matrons and had snapped two lecherous hands herself. The woman’s grip was strong, but Lü Chunqiu, after a brief moment of panic, simply leaned in and bit the woman’s face.

This was no longer a mere roadside mugging—the group clearly meant to kill.

Lü Chunqiu understood this, so no matter how the woman pinched and hit her, she refused to let go, even tasting the tang of blood in her mouth. As they struggled, Lü Chunqiu’s foot eased off the brake, and with half her body still inside, the car started moving forward. The woman, face still trapped in Lü Chunqiu’s teeth, had no choice but to move along with the car.

The burly man dragged under the car was now lying behind the front wheel. As the car moved, the rear wheel rolled over him. The jolt made Lü Chunqiu bounce, pulling the woman’s face painfully, eliciting even louder screams.

Mo Fei, amid his frantic escape, glanced back; so did the two men wielding knives. Lü Chunqiu and the egg-throwing woman were clearly acting beyond their expectations.

Seeing them distracted, Mo Fei swung his U-lock in a sudden reversal, smashing it into one man’s skull from behind. He controlled his strength—not enough to kill, but enough to split his scalp open.

With one enemy down, the other frantically slashed with his knife. Mo Fei’s hand, gripping the lock, was sliced open, blood soaking his sleeve. His Adam’s apple bobbed; suddenly, he spat a mouthful of pink-tinged saliva at the man, who instinctively raised his arm to block. Mo Fei attacked high, while his foot struck low with another kick to the groin, then swept his U-lock sideways, catching the man square on the cheekbone.

Another burly man collapsed.

The man who had been struck earlier staggered to his feet. Mo Fei wiped his mouth with his sleeve, walked slowly over, and seeing the man still dazed, flashed a wickedly gentle smile and finished him off with a clean blow.

With that, all four burly men were down.

Mo Fei didn’t relax or linger. He strode quickly toward Lü Chunqiu.

“Lü, let go!”

But Lü Chunqiu, riding the wave of adrenaline, was too keyed up to hear Mo Fei, only knowing to bite and not let go.

Matching the car’s pace, Mo Fei placed his hand on the woman's shoulder. The next moment came a crisp sound of bones dislocating. The woman howled, her entire arm going limp and dangling.

With the right technique, dislocating a joint was a simple matter.