Su Shuochi looked at the group before him, a roguish grin spreading across his face. He was truly happy.

’Is my mission about to be complete?’ he wondered.

But the men across from him had no idea what he was thinking. They assumed he was mocking them for their overconfidence.

Their leader, enraged, roared, "All of you, get him! I’m going to make him wish he were dead!"

The leader’s tone was frigid, brimming with killing intent. This was their turf. Why would he be afraid of some unknown punk?

Dance halls were usually in secluded areas, and this was the back entrance, making it even more isolated.

With a sharp bark from their leader, a dozen men in black suddenly shot out from behind him. They held gleaming knives, their cold gazes fixed on Su Shuochi.

"Yes," a group of men in black replied in unison.

Then, the dozen or so men in black charged toward Su Shuochi like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey.

Meanwhile, the second-in-command under Su Shuochi’s foot was already on the verge of death, but he still hadn’t given up the fight.

He gritted his teeth and glared ferociously upward, his eyes bloodshot.

He had bitten his lip so hard it was bleeding, but he seemed oblivious to the pain, still clenching his jaw as he waited for a chance to strike back.

Seeing that his boss had called everyone out, he felt victory was assured.

’These dozen-plus men are all experts handpicked by the boss. There’s no way they can’t take down one guy!’

As expected, they didn’t disappoint. The men were incredibly fast and agile. Every step was steady, and every attack was perfectly executed.

Su Shuochi knew these guys were skilled, but they were nowhere near his level.

Even so, Su Shuochi didn’t dare let his guard down. After all, he was only one man.

But his opponents numbered more than a dozen, and while his chances of victory were high, these were desperate men with nothing to lose.

Su Shuochi fought cautiously, worried they might pull some dirty tricks. To his opponents, however, this caution looked like weakness.

As their attacks grew fiercer, Su Shuochi had no choice but to brutally stomp on the second-in-command, disabling him.

He then crouched slightly, like a cheetah poised to strike, his eyes warily fixed on the dozen-plus men in black across from him.

"What’s wrong, coward? Afraid to fight back?" the leader taunted from the sidelines.

"Haha, Boss, just relax and watch. The boys will take him down for you."

"Hey, Boss, should we break his arms or his legs first?"

"You’re all doing great! Arms, legs, doesn’t matter to me. As long as you boys are having fun, your Boss is happy."

"Boss, this punk grabbed the attention of all the women in the club the second he walked in. Let’s ruin that pretty face of his."

While they were joking around, one of the men in black launched a sneak attack on Su Shuochi from behind.

But Su Shuochi, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, slammed his palm onto the man’s shoulder.

The man instantly felt a pain so intense it was as if every bone in his body had shattered. He couldn’t help but let out a wretched scream before collapsing stiff as a board.

Seizing the momentary opening, Su Shuochi spun around and threw a devastating punch that connected with another man’s cheek.

The man was sent flying, knocking over several of his companions. Just like that, ten men were on the ground.

Seeing how powerful Su Shuochi was, the remaining dozen or so men all raised their knives and swung at him.

But Su Shuochi’s body was a blur, deftly evading the blades as his fists flew relentlessly.

He beat them back, and in the blink of an eye, every last one of the men in black was lying on the ground, defeated by Su Shuochi.

"Ah..." The leader was horrified, watching helplessly as all of his men were struck down.

’It’s over,’ he thought, his heart sinking. ’There’s no way I’m getting out of this today.’

He was filled with regret. ’Why was I so impulsive? Why didn’t I just run?’

’Now it’s too late to escape!’

He regretted provoking this man more than anything. He hadn’t even gotten to enjoy his status in Yunhe County for very long.

’If I hadn’t gone after him, we could have kept this up for a long time.’

"Don’t kill me! Please, hero, don’t kill me! I’ve got money and connections! I’ll give you money, just let me go!"

The leader immediately scrambled to his feet, shouting repeatedly. His words gave Su Shuochi pause.

His eyes swept over the scene, finally landing on the second-in-command lying on the ground.

Just then, Han Jinghong walked over with Han Jingshen. They saw Su Shuochi standing alone amidst a pile of downed thugs.

’Impressive,’ Han Jingshen thought, though he wouldn’t say it out loud to Su Shuochi. "Are you hurt?"

"Not a scratch. They’re pathetic. What could they possibly do to me?" Su Shuochi said nonchalantly.

The men on the ground: ...

’An insult. This is a blatant insult.’

"Take them all away," Han Jingshen ordered Han Jinghong.

"Hold on," Su Shuochi said, making his intentions clear to Han Jingshen. "Let that one go. He said he has money and connections, and I happen to be short on cash!"

Before Han Jingshen could reply, the man in a flat-top cap accompanying Han Jinghong lost his patience. "Hello? Can’t you see we’re here?"

Su Shuochi didn’t even spare him a glance. "Are you going to give me money?"

The man in the flat-top cap: "..."

The leader immediately piped up, "Officer, please, take me with you! I’ve committed crimes!"

He would rather go with the police than fall into Su Shuochi’s hands. That man was terrifying.

Su Shuochi remained noncommittal. ’These are pretty much all the criminals running loose in Yunhe County.’

’As long as I can uncover this leader’s superior, my mission will be complete.’

Unsure if anyone else was watching, Su Shuochi didn’t say goodbye to Han Jingshen and simply walked away.

Han Jingshen watched Su Shuochi’s retreating back in silence. ’He’s more than strong enough.’

’She’s outstanding, too. The two of them are a perfect match.’

Han Jinghong also watched Su Shuochi’s retreating figure, too busy to chase after him and feeling deeply vexed.

’I just wanted to suck up to Brother Su, but I ended up causing him trouble. Grandpa’s going to kill me when I get home!’

He sidled up to Han Jingshen and whispered, "Cousin, about Brother Su..."

"You should call him Grand-uncle. Show some respect for your elders. Now, take these men back. I’m going to interrogate them personally."

"Yes, sir."

Su Shuochi walked away at a brisk pace, feeling quite pleased with himself. ’It’d be great if a few more people decided to tail me.’

’If I can round up all the bad guys in one day, I can call my wife.’

’Just the thought of it is wonderful.’

If anyone were to ask him what true love was, he’d say it was wanting to call his wife every minute of every day.

Far away in the Imperial City, Gu Jiaojiao let out two sneezes. "Who’s badmouthing me now?"

"Doesn’t that mean someone is thinking of you?" asked Li Xiulan, who was walking with her.

"Haha, you don’t know the rule? One sneeze means someone’s thinking of you. Two means someone’s badmouthing me."

"Couldn’t it just mean two people are thinking of you?"

Gu Jiaojiao: ...