Neither of them had anticipated that deploying two professional bodyguards, a gold-medal enforcer, and Wang Daming’s sneak attack would fail to subdue their opponent; instead, the situation had violently reversed. They now faced the current predicament: four men sprawled across the floor. Two of the bodyguards had their shoulder joints dislocated and appeared to have suffered internal injuries, currently writhing on the ground. Da Long leaned against his forehead, struggling to sit up, but his cerebellum seemed to have suffered a concussion, leaving him unsteady, like a heavily intoxicated drunk.

Wang Daming was the most severely punished. Because he had tried to ambush Wang Zhuo, Wang Zhuo showed him no mercy. Not only was Wang Daming’s eye blackened, but his nose was also crushed. Furthermore, after being kicked away, Wang Daming’s face scraped against the floor upon landing. Although the marble floor was smooth and level, his face dragged for half a meter. Coupled with the force and his own heavy weight, it was almost certain his face would be ground into a bloody mess.

If the injury was severe, there was a high probability of permanent scarring—he could be disfigured.

At this moment, Tao Haitong began to regret his impulsiveness. It had been at least five or seven years since Wang Daming was in middle school. The changes in a person from their teens to their twenties are monumental. Who knew what the kid Wang Daming used to beat up for sport had become over the years? It was common for a frail scholar to join the army and emerge as a ruthless special forces soldier; it wasn’t impossible for someone to evolve from a mere child into a violent brute.

Meanwhile, Tao Qian was already feeling his calf muscles tense up. If even a professional fighter like Da Long was utterly defeated, the opponent’s fighting prowess must be astonishing. Tao Qian was pampered and delicate; he hadn’t been in a physical altercation in years. His most strenuous exercise was limited to horseback riding or… intimacy. How could he possibly withstand such iron fists?

Forcing down a bitter taste rising in his throat, Tao Haitong steeled himself and spoke coldly, “You, surnamed Wang. I admit it. I underestimated you just now, but if you think you’re untouchable just because you can fight, let’s just wait and see…”

“Smack!” A sharp, resounding slap landed squarely on Tao Haitong’s face, the sound echoing throughout the venue.

“Can’t you understand Mandarin?” Wang Zhuo pulled his hand back, shook his wrist, and sneered, “When you lose the fight, you resort to empty threats? I gave you a chance, and you chose not to leave. Don’t blame me for slapping you in front of all these people.”

Tao Haitong couldn’t recall the last time he’d been slapped. After this blow, his entire face burned, stars flashed before his eyes, and his left ear rang incessantly.

Their location was a visually open area, and the events had unfolded with dramatic flair. First, the host had intensely whipped up the atmosphere on stage. Then the lights dimmed, just as the famous singer Bai Shuang was about to make her dazzling entrance. Before the music could even begin, there was a loud crash as a screen partition on one side of the venue toppled, followed by a full-blown brawl erupting. The music and lights seemed confused and halted; the concert instantly morphed into a stage drama!

There were plenty of opportunities to hear a pop star sing, but seeing a fight was rare. Moreover, humans are naturally curious about all kinds of unexpected incidents. With both the acclaimed actress Ning Yao and the high-profile young master from the capital, Tao Haitong, involved, the audience’s interest was immediately piqued.

The corridor behind the screen was brightly lit, serving as a natural stage. On this ‘stage,’ under the focused glare of the lights and in front of hundreds of people, Tao Haitong received that resounding slap. He had lived a colorful life, but this loss of face today was monumental—truly the humiliation of a lifetime.

“Get in there, don’t make me act again!”

Wang Zhuo pointed commandingly toward the washroom behind the Tao brothers, his tone arrogant and disdainful.

Tao Qian dared not even breathe, terrified of angering this fierce opponent and receiving another blow. The fear of physical pain had become secondary; what truly mattered was avoiding being slapped in public. That would be too mortifying!

Tao Haitong slowly lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over his four incapacitated followers. He had undoubtedly cursed these useless subordinates countless times in his mind.

He shot Wang Zhuo a venomous look, grit his teeth, smoothed back the hair Wang Zhuo had messed up, and turned toward the restroom.

Tao Qian hastily followed, his eyes darting toward his brother before quickly looking away. He wanted to say something to his second brother, but Tao Haitong raised a hand, stopping him.

Wang Zhuo offered a faint, cold smile and turned to greet Ning Yao and Ruan Mingqing, who were approaching. “Wait for me in the car. I’ll talk to them briefly and then we’ll leave.”

“Wang Zhuo…” Ruan Mingqing paused, realizing that persuasion was impossible in this situation, and simply said with resignation, “Go easy on them…”

“Be careful,” Ning Yao was more direct. Wang Zhuo had already soundly beaten the entitled bully Ma Qiang, let alone a piece of trash like Tao Haitong. As long as Wang Zhuo wasn't the one getting hurt, she wasn't overly worried.

Seeing the Tao brothers forced into the washroom, the other two beautiful women quickly departed. The audience, who had watched a grand show without buying a ticket, immediately burst into chatter, filling the hall with noise.

This entire confrontation lasted only a few minutes. By this time, the second manager and the security chief had rushed over, bringing several guards, clearly intending to restore order.

The man in the lead was just about to approach Wang Zhuo to say something when he received a rap on the back of his head. Wang Zhuo had no time for pleasantries; he rolled his shoulders and walked into the washroom.

“First, prop up the screen,” the second manager decided instantly, ordering the security guards to act while speaking into his walkie-talkie, “Sound technician! Play the music now!”

Meanwhile, Bai Shuang, dressed in a hot, sexy outfit, stood in a corner of the stage. She had just arrived at that spot when the farce unfolded, interrupting her ‘dazzling entrance.’ However, she had witnessed a thrilling fight that certainly roused the blood, providing quite the spectacle.

Now, even though the screen was back up and the music was playing again, after regaining her composure, all she could manage was a bitter smile. Everyone’s attention was still fixed on the unresolved conflict. Taking the stage to sing now would severely diminish the effect, as the spotlight had been completely stolen!

Wang Zhuo entered the washroom to find not two lambs awaiting slaughter, but the dark muzzle of a gun.

“You, surnamed Wang, didn’t expect this, did you?” Tao Haitong’s face was flushed red. “The tables have turned in my favor now!” Tao Qian swiftly moved past Wang Zhuo, peered out the door to signal the second manager of Century Sound, and then turned back to shut the washroom door. In this day and age, dreaming of possessing assets worth ten billion without engaging in power and money exchanges was sheer delusion. A lion that grows fat is called powerful; a pig that grows fat is called ready for slaughter. Even if the money was earned through sheer personal effort, someone else would seize it!

This was precisely why the Tao family had become a major player in the commercial seas during this era—they relied on collusion between power and money. Otherwise, they wouldn't have amassed such vast wealth, much less been able to safeguard their enterprise.

Because of this, Tao Haitong could be so arrogant. He wasn't just backed by money; local authority was indispensable. That’s why a simple glance from Tao Qian could persuade the people at Century Sound to tolerate the Tao brothers’ misconduct on their own premises. And it’s why Tao Haitong could carry a gun wherever he went, daring to point it at Wang Zhuo’s chest, and when enraged, not hesitating to try out the feeling of using a living person as a target.

“Oh?” Wang Zhuo feigned surprise. “Young Master Tao the Second, that thing is dangerous. Be careful not to shoot yourself by accident…”

“Shut the hell up. Believe it or not, I’ll put a hole right through you!” Tao Haitong’s wrist holding the gun flicked, sweeping from Wang Zhuo’s chest down to his feet. “Kneel.”

Being held at gunpoint wasn't a first for Wang Zhuo. When he first gained his X-ray vision, that gang of punk rockers had aimed a shotgun at him. Later, in Jiangzhou, he was involved in a sensational incident where he attacked police and seized a gun, during which he was also pointed at by a drunken officer.

In fact, Wang Zhuo had noticed the handgun Tao Haitong carried even before coming downstairs. This high-imitation Type 64 pistol was small and agile, making it difficult to spot tucked into the small of one’s back. But how could it escape his X-ray vision?

By simply scanning Tao Haitong and his group like geological slices, not only a pistol but even a button-sized listening device would be completely exposed!

Firearms are strictly controlled by Chinese law and should not be found on ordinary citizens. Only personnel in certain specialized professions are authorized to carry them; even regular soldiers are not permitted to. Since Tao Haitong was neither a police officer, nor an employee of an armed escort company, nor a special operative in an intelligence agency, he had no legal right to possess a firearm.

Moreover, Wang Zhuo had experience using police weapons and had received training in a military reconnaissance company, giving him a decent understanding of military and other firearms. Thus, it was easy for him to recognize that Tao Haitong’s weapon was a high-imitation model.

Only illegal firearms are high-imitation copies; legitimate guns have serial numbers. Every weapon has a unique ID that can trace every link from the factory to the user. Therefore, Tao Haitong’s possession of the gun was purely illegal, threatening social safety, and warranted criminal prosecution.

Wang Zhuo deeply detested people like this—those who rely on a modicum of privilege to bully the weak, disregarding the personal safety and lives of others just to flaunt their own superiority. Being erratic in behavior was one thing, but carrying a gun? Did he have no regard for the law at all?!

As Wang Zhuo had happened to drink a bit of light beer tonight, his spontaneous, grassroots impulse to eliminate evil flared up again. He had deliberately slapped Tao Haitong in the corridor precisely to provoke him into drawing his gun, aiming to create an even more sensational effect and give this young master a much harsher lesson!

“You want me to kneel?” Wang Zhuo was amused, as if he had heard something incredibly funny. “Tao Haitong, have you lived your whole life to feed dogs? You think you can make me kneel with a replica plastic gun? Do you even know where the safety on that thing is?”