Moustache Man advanced step by step toward Xu Jing. In his twenty-plus years, he had never encountered such a beauty; she was delicate and refined, unlike those heavily made-up, common, flashy girls. This type of woman naturally inspired the desire to marry her and take her home as a wife, whereas the sensuous, seductive ones inspired far more primitive urges.

“Do… do you have a boyfriend?” Moustache Man suddenly asked, his tone softening.

Xu Jing was startled. She thought he was about to cause trouble. “No… no, I don’t.”

Her father, Xu Fu, oblivious that his daughter had momentarily stunned the aggressor, stepped forward protectively, fearing the ruffian would harm her.

Moustache Man’s gaze swung away from Xu Jing, leaving a sudden emptiness in his chest. With a loud thwack, he slapped out, “Get lost! Ah!”

Before Moustache Man’s hand could connect, a dark shadow lunged, tackling him. The figure was large, like a great hound, pinning him to the ground. It opened its jaws and bit down hard on his palm, severing the hand with a sickening crunch.

The skinny figure who had squeezed through the iron gate shouted from the closest vantage point, “There’s a vicious dog!”

The thugs preparing to smash the production workshop wheels around. Heavens, what was that thing? It had the body of a dog but the face of a rat! Their leader was pinned on the ground by the dog-rat, his severed wrist oozing blood. The blow had been so fast that Moustache Man only just realized the pain now, howling out loud.

“Brothers! Grab your weapons and knock that thing off our boss!” someone yelled, and the rest scrambled to find sticks and clubs on the ground.

The bloody sight terrified the small-time thugs, preventing them from rushing forward directly. They could only advance slowly, brandishing their makeshift weapons. Suddenly, the giant rat stood atop Moustache Man, squeaking wildly toward the sky. Immediately afterward, scuttling noises echoed from both above and below ground. Countless rats poured out from wall corners, cracks in the bricks, sewer openings, and piles of garbage. Several larger specimens directed the horde, encircling the thugs in the center of the factory yard.

Now the thugs were truly terrified. Someone recalled a news report from state television last year about a group of thieves raiding construction materials, only to be savaged by a swarm of rats and snakes as large as water buffalo. Even a big truck hadn’t helped them then. What chance did their few sticks stand against this? Wouldn’t the weapons be shredded instantly?

The clever ones began dropping their weapons, covering their heads, and squatting down. As soon as they disarmed, the rats indeed stopped swarming their lower bodies, prompting more and more to discard their clubs. As for Moustache Man, who was still wailing, they decided to let him deal with it for now; self-preservation came first.

The swarm of rats did not attack the defenseless indiscriminately. Once everyone had dropped their weapons, the large rat released Moustache Man. His underlings quickly pulled him up. Someone stammered, “B-b-boss, what do we do now?”

Moustache Man finally managed to gasp out a breath. “Do? Do your mother! Wrap up my hand first, and get me to the hospital, now! Damn that rotten Japanese bastard! If I do one more thing for the Japanese, may a boar screw me!”

Xu Fu and the others, though unaware of the full circumstances, could see clearly that the rats were helping them. They never imagined that the very vermin people shunned would save them from danger.

Xu Fu opened the factory gate and addressed the thugs. “You can leave now. Don’t blame us if we get aggressive.”

Xu Fu naturally intended to use the rats for psychological warfare. As expected, the thugs hoisted Moustache Man between them and scrambled toward the exit, terrified of being bitten on the backside if they lagged behind.

“Jingjing! Brother Zhu is here, open the door for me, quick!” a voice boomed from a distance before the speaker was even in sight.

The fleeing thugs, escaping for their lives, burst through the gate only to collide headlong into a mountain of flesh. Zhu Da had grown increasingly corpulent; his waist was as wide as four girls stacked together. He held a single, bright red rose, intending to flatter Xu Jing. Though he knew she didn't love him, he enjoyed seeing her shy reactions.

“You—you all watch where you’re going! Damn it! Damn it! My flower!” Zhu Da dodged frantically, but the men still crushed the rose to pieces. Those who had just clawed their way back from the edge of death didn't care what you were holding, as long as it wasn't a knife, they would charge right through it.

Although this group likely emerged from the Tofu Factory intending to discuss business, Zhu Da’s explosive temper flared up, and he couldn't help but curse, “Damn it, where are you rushing to? You ruined my flower—that cost me 30 yuan!”

The thugs, relieved to have escaped the gate, breathed sighs of relief, counting themselves lucky. As for the fat man before them, though he looked robust and strong, surely ten-plus of them weren't afraid of him.

“Get aside, you fat pig! We need to rush our boss to the hospital! If we delay his injury, we’ll butcher you, you son of a bitch!”

Smack! Zhu Da punched two down and kicked another flying with his foot. He then grabbed the young man who had just spoken. “You’ve got guts! Say that again!”

The young man tried to remain defiant, but his eyes suddenly fixed on something behind Zhu Da, wide as bronze bells. Standing behind the fat man were two Hall Masters from the Twelve Halls of the Brotherhood Alliance, their eyes blazing with murderous intent. He didn't know Zhu Da’s exact status, but the Twelve Halls were public organizations—every underling in the underworld knew them. Who dared to fail to recognize them? If they accidentally offended such a grand figure, it would mean certain death. That’s why novices learned the faces of these key figures on their first day.

The young thug recognized the two Hall Masters—they governed the Tiger Hall and the Ox Hall, categorized by the Zodiac. Since they were following the fat man, his identity must be extraordinary. Could he be the legendary head of the Brotherhood, Fatty Zhu?

Yes, the fat man’s build matched the description of the rumored Fatty Zhu perfectly! The thug held by Zhu Da felt his mind go blank, and he promptly fainted from sheer terror.

Zhu Da, carrying the punk, suddenly caught a whiff of urine. He looked down and flung the man away. “Damn it, taking a leak anywhere.”

The two Hall Masters had been explicitly told by Zhu Da to stay away from the factory, as he didn't want Xu Jing to know he was involved in organized crime—it would seriously jeopardize his future prospects with her. But when this incident erupted, the two masters feared dereliction of duty. With a signal, they summoned their hidden subordinates, and within moments, all dozen-plus thugs were subdued and hauled away.

“Brother Zhu!” Xu Jing emerged from the factory when she heard the commotion outside.

“Jingjing, what’s the deal with these guys? Why are they running like they’re heading to a funeral?” Zhu Da approached her fawningly, though he frowned when he saw his two Hall Masters looking displeased. Is this really the boss they follow? No wonder he didn’t want these brothers near the front.

Shocked by the ordeal, Xu Jing was overcome with emotion upon seeing a familiar young man. She rushed forward and threw her arm over Zhu Da’s shoulder. “Brother Zhu, these are all bad people! They demanded protection money and threatened to smash our factory. If those strange rats hadn't suddenly appeared to save us, we might have…”

Zhu Da felt a surge of joy and anger. Joyful because this was his first close physical contact with a beauty, even though he knew it was a natural reaction born of terror, not affection for him. At this moment, Zhu Da understood the allure of heroically saving the damsel; no wonder Commander Zhao loved doing such things. It was just a pity the Rat Soldiers had snatched this opportunity; he should have arrived ten minutes sooner.

What angered Zhu Da was that this situation was too ridiculous. If word got out, the people of Jingshi City would laugh themselves sick: a major gang leader being extorted for protection money at his own doorstep!

Before Zhu Da could respond, his two Hall Masters took action. These twelve masters were retired veterans whom Zhu Da had forcibly pried away from Xia Huren—their political backgrounds were impeccable. They usually mingled with Zhu Da and Xia Huren like family. Hearing that these punks were demanding protection money from their shared factory was an unforgivable disgrace. The two masters signaled their subordinates, and the thugs were quickly bundled into vehicles and driven off. Zhu Da couldn't be bothered to ask about their final destination.