Hoping to manage three updates today—if you have any votes, please throw them my way with full force. ...................... The news that the fighting location was moving outside the swimming pool area caused a stir among the swimmers.

"Let's go, time to change!"

"What? We've only been here an hour, and we're leaving already?"

"Idiot, we're going out to watch the show. Isn't watching a fight way more exciting than swimming?"

"Why didn't you say so earlier? You don't need to go outside to watch the fun; you can see everything from the second-floor lounge."

The second floor was structured with a glass curtain wall, offering a commanding view of the street and road in front of the pool. In an instant, the swimmers scrambled upstairs, and the lounge was packed wall-to-wall in moments.

Wang Zhuo asked Qi Fei with a touch of worry, "Are you okay going to change by yourself?"

"Underestimating me? I took a few lessons in Sanda and self-defense," Qi Fei replied with a faint smile, though a flicker of concern remained in her expression.

Wang Zhuo teased, "How many minutes do you need? If you aren't out by the time we finish, I'll charge in there to rescue you."

Qi Fei couldn't help but laugh. "It only takes five minutes to change clothes."

"Alright then, see you outside in a bit."

Separating from Qi Fei, Wang Zhuo and the other two headed into the men's changing area. None of them showered; they quickly changed. Sun Donghao made a quick call to the son of his captain in the criminal police squad—this cousin had just started working last year at the 110 emergency response center and might prove useful.

Meanwhile, in the women's area, as Qi Fei opened her locker, she was instantly flanked by two of Da Yu’s women.

The woman with brightly dyed blonde hair sneered dismissively, "Trying to call the cops, are we? Want us to strip you naked and push you out there?"

Qi Fei swiftly reached into her locker, pulled out an object, and pointed it at one of the women. "Recognize this?"

The woman froze. The object in Qi Fei's hand was slightly thicker than a tube of lipstick, entirely red, rounded at the end, and printed with some incomprehensible English letters. She had never seen anything like it.

"An electric... massager?"

The woman's lewd laugh was cut short when her companion yanked her back.

"That's pepper spray, capsaicin spray!"

The two women retreated a few wary steps. Being sprayed with that stuff would certainly be agonizing.

"Be smart and back off!"

Qi Fei leaned her upper body forward slightly. The women, thinking she was about to charge, got scared and turned to flee.

After running several yards, they realized Qi Fei had only been bluffing and hadn't pursued them. Both felt deeply embarrassed but dared not approach again to provoke her, so they just hurled a few curses and ran outside.

Exactly five minutes later, Wang Zhuo and his two companions met up with Qi Fei in the main hall of the swimming pool. Through the glass doors of the lobby, they could already see Da Yu, Niu Zi, and four others standing on the open space in front of the entrance, pointing and talking amongst themselves. All four men were bare-chested, displaying menacing tattoos; they looked less like gangsters and more like thugs fresh out of a triad initiation.

Fat Dragon picked up a glass ashtray from a table in the rest area and nodded with satisfaction. "This one's nice; it's heavier than a brick."

Seeing the situation, the saleswoman at the swimwear counter quickly interjected, "Sir, these ashtrays are specifically for guest use—they are not for sale."

"Oh really?" Fat Dragon picked up another one, smashed the two sharp corners together, and laughed, "Is there a rule here that damaged items must be paid for at their listed price?"

The two ashtrays collided, shedding a small puff of glass dust before instantly being reduced to flawed junk. The saleswoman was left speechless.

Sun Donghao quickly stepped forward, took the remaining ashtray, and tossed a hundred yuan bill onto the table from his pocket.

Wang Zhuo shook his head and said, "You two protect Sister Qi. If you can't handle it, then I'll step in."

"Deal. We’ll keep an eye on the enemy formation for you," Fat Dragon and Sun Donghao agreed with a nod.

"Wang Zhuo!" Qi Fei rushed forward to stand in front of him, speaking sternly. "I've already called the police. I forbid you from going out until they arrive."

"If calling the police worked, people like them wouldn't exist in this world," Wang Zhuo scoffed, brushing past her and striding toward the exit.

Fat Dragon and Sun Donghao followed closely behind. Fat Dragon couldn't help but whisper to Sun Donghao, "Haozi, do you think Instructor Wang is overconfident today?"

Sun Donghao subtly glanced at Qi Fei, then gave Fat Dragon a meaningful look. Fat Dragon suddenly understood and shook his head helplessly—it's always a woman causing trouble!

All three of them, including Qi Fei, thought Wang Zhuo’s actions were too rash. What they didn't know was that since Wang Zhuo had gained wealth, his diet had improved dramatically, and coupled with his recent exercise, his physical fitness had risen by more than just a notch. He had long been eager to stretch his limbs!

"Oh, look, they really don't know how to write the character for death, coming out so quickly?"

"Brother Da Yu, beat up that bitch for me! She dared to threaten me with pepper spray just now!"

"He's still holding that ashtray; does he really think holding something as a weapon makes him ready for a fight?"

"That fat guy looks like a total punching bag. Leave him to me; I'll show you what a man-made pig head looks like."

As soon as they stepped out of the swimming pool entrance, Wang Zhuo and his group were surrounded in a semi-circle by the thugs, who jeered and taunted them with harsh words.

Behind the glass curtain wall on the second floor, faces were pressed against the glass, watching the spectacle. Pedestrians on the road also stopped to stare in their direction.

Fat Dragon showed Di Lei the ashtray in his hand and sneered, "Dunzi, look at yourself before you mock others. I think your head is going to be a pig's head even without a hit."

"Damn it, look, he's still talking tough." Di Lei bent down, picked up a piece of concrete block he had placed at his feet earlier, swaggered toward Fat Dragon, waving the brick menacingly.

In the thugs' estimation, a fight where strength was so uneven should be drawn out like a cat playing with a mouse. Wang Zhuo, the main target, could be saved for last. Since Fat Dragon was shouting the loudest, he naturally had to go first.

As the saying goes, fists and feet know when to hold back, but bricks have no eyes. Seeing the two men about to clash—one holding a bowl-sized glass ashtray and the other a concrete brick—the crowd of onlookers immediately backed away several yards. Watching the fun was fine, but accidental injury was not appealing.

Across the road, an old model Toyota minivan was parked. Seeing the situation, the driver started to shift into gear, intending to move away from the danger zone.

"Hey, Xiao *Ping, stop the car," the old man in the back seat quickly commanded.

The driver turned back with a wry smile. "Old Qin, it's too close here; it’s dangerous. Why don't we move up a bit further down and watch?"

The old man chuckled. "What are you afraid of, one or two bricks? Even the Japanese invaders' artillery shells couldn't kill me back then."

"Grandpa, here you go," said the girl sitting next to him, closing her laptop with a smile and handing it over. "If a brick actually flies over, you can use this to block it."

The old man laughed heartily. "Good, my granddaughter is thoughtful. Let's do that."

The driver, who looked to be in his early forties but was called Xiao *Ping, shook his head helplessly. This grandfather-granddaughter pair—one an old mischievous child and the other a young one—let them have their way.

While they were talking, the confrontation on Wang Zhuo's side finally began.

The first to strike was Di Lei, but his target was not Fat Dragon; it was Wang Zhuo.

Wang Zhuo, Fat Dragon, and Sun Donghao stood in a triangular formation. Di Lei walked straight toward them, pretending to aim for Fat Dragon, but as he got closest to Wang Zhuo, he suddenly veered, swinging the concrete brick in his hand fiercely toward Wang Zhuo's shoulder!

Qi Fei’s heart leaped into her throat, but she saw Wang Zhuo move forward as if he had known Di Lei's intentions all along. Di Lei's attack whistled past empty air. Immediately, Wang Zhuo drove a straight punch into the passing Di Lei, landing precisely on his temple!

Fighting is fighting; it's not a friendly spar or a game. It demands speed, precision, ruthlessness, and the element of surprise. Wang Zhuo’s punch hit all the key points. Di Lei was sent flying sideways on the spot.

This single punch made Di Lei’s head spin as if bells were ringing violently inside; clutching his head, he writhed on the ground, unable to tell east from west, let alone up from down.

"Damn it!"

Seeing Di Lei downed in one hit, Niu Zi roared and charged forward swinging a mop handle.

Wang Zhuo twitched his body, executing a phantom movement. Niu Zi misjudged the direction, and the handle swung through empty space. Wang Zhuo seized Niu Zi's overextended right arm, yanked hard backward, and simultaneously snapped his right knee up, slamming it into Niu Zi’s hip bone!

Those familiar with fighting know that strikes from the elbow and knee carry far more force than fists or feet. Just as Niu Zi was pulled off balance by Wang Zhuo, he took this brutal blow. Combined with his own forward momentum, his hip felt as if it had been hammered by a sledgehammer, sending his body tumbling uncontrollably through the air.

"Holy crap! No way, that’s intense, he’s like Bruce Lee!"

"Wife, hurry and bring the 'Bull Demon King' out to see God!"

"Karate, that’s definitely Karate, black belt, ninth dan!"

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't know; that’s Mixed Martial Arts, understand? Have you ever read Dragon Snake Romance?"