The Fatty felt rather awkward about it and finally said, "Just call me Fatty. It sounds less strange that way."

Ge Mei’s face flushed slightly, and she apologized, "I'm sorry. It was just my youthful impulsiveness; I was rather presumptuous just now."

Fatty burst into laughter, then turned back to Ma Xiong and said, "See? I win people over with virtue. Fatty has always relied on virtue to persuade others."

Saying this, he took Ge Mei's hand and prepared to leave.

From behind them, the Company Commander groaned in pain and cursed, "Fatty, you son of a bitch, you'd better kill me right now. Otherwise, if I ever get the chance, I swear I'll kill you."

Fatty turned to look at the Company Commander’s anguished face. The man was writhing on the muddy ground, beating the earth with his bare hands until they were a bloody mess. He glanced at Ma Xiong, seeking his counsel. After all, he was the one who had caused the Company Commander such suffering. If he just walked away now, wouldn't that be contrary to reason? Though his background wasn't noble, he had just claimed to win people over with virtue.

Lu Zong said, "How about this? The Company Commander wants revenge, right? Let's give him an opportunity. If he can pick up the dagger at his feet right now and kill Fatty, then consider it revenge for his men. If he fails to kill Fatty, you obediently come along with us. Once we're outside and you've sharpened your skills, you can seek revenge on Fatty then. What do you say?"

Fatty turned back and shot Lu Zong a glare, cursing, "Holy hell, are you crazy? Sure, I, Fatty, am stout, but I can't exactly fight a man armed with a weapon bare-handed."

Lu Zong smiled at Fatty and patted the gun in his hand, signaling, Don't worry. If things go south, I'll use this gun to pull you both apart. Only this way would the Company Commander willingly come with them.

Fatty nodded helplessly and said, "Alright then, Company Commander, Fatty will let you have this one dagger today. Get up."

With that, he flicked the dagger near the Company Commander’s feet.

He turned to Ge Mei and said, "Ge Mei, go over to Lu Zong’s side. I’m afraid I might hurt you here. Oh, right, where did Ge Rong go?"

Ge Mei winked at Fatty, the sunlight in her eyes momentarily blinding him. Fatty shielded his eyes with his hand and said, "Hey, stop sparkling for a moment; I have a competition coming up."

The corner of Ge Mei’s mouth lifted slightly. "I'll tell you when we’re back in the heat. Just focus on your match for now." She then stepped back to Lu Zong’s side.

Seeing that Ge Mei was in a safe place, Fatty slowly took off his outer shirt, leaving only a short, tight vest draped on his body. This immediately exposed Fatty’s robust—no, perhaps better described as corpulent—mass of fat. He paused, and the sound of running liquid echoed in the cavern. Ma Xiong cursed, "Damn it, Fatty, your whole body is full of piss!"

Fatty snapped back, "Shut the hell up, kid, hurry up! This place isn't safe."

He then jiggled his bulk again.

A sly grin spread across the Company Commander’s lips. He glanced at the gleaming dagger in his hand, then glared fiercely at Fatty, a flash of killing intent crossing his eyes. Fatty’s heart fluttered slightly. A sense of foreboding rose within him.

Suddenly, the Company Commander roared and lunged toward Fatty. In the flickering torchlight, the dagger in his hand seemed to emit a reddish glow.

Fatty reacted with lightning speed. Seeing the dagger aimed at his stomach, he suddenly shifted his waist to the side while simultaneously grabbing the arm gripping the dagger with his right hand and yanking hard. He planted his foot, employing a smooth 'leading the donkey' technique to send the Company Commander sprawling onto the ground once more.

Ge Mei saw this and jumped up excitedly. Fatty gave a helpless laugh and said, "You’re not a child anymore; stop jumping around."

As he spoke, the Company Commander scrambled up again, now clutching a handful of yellow sand he had scooped up when he fell. He instantly flung it toward Fatty’s face. Fatty’s eyes were immediately obscured by the yellow cloud, leaving him able to vaguely make out only a silhouette. Unease instantly gripped him, and he quickly began backing away. But how could his retreat speed match the Company Commander’s advance? Furthermore, the Company Commander was a man from the military, professionally trained. Fatty's only advantage was immense strength, and while his hide was somewhat thick, it seemed insignificant against a dagger. Therefore, this advantage was questionable and negligible.

Fatty had no good solution; he could only retreat quickly. Fortunately, with the sand filling the air, the Company Commander couldn't see Fatty clearly either, and his dagger merely stabbed forward mechanically.

In the instant Fatty gasped for breath, the dagger was already scraping against his belly. Fatty suddenly ducked down, wrenching his body away. The dagger grazed a small patch of Fatty's skin, and the Company Commander tumbled over him onto the ground.

Fatty stared in terror at the wound on his stomach. Fresh blood oozed out. He cursed, "Oh my god, that was close! If that had accidentally gone in deeper, wouldn't my intestines be hanging out three meters long?"

Lu Zong said, "Fatty, why are you being so graphic? Go check if the Company Commander is alright. You threw him pretty hard with that haul."

Fatty realized he was right. The Company Commander had been on his back when he suddenly exerted his power; he might have knocked the man into some kind of severe injury. He recalled that because his explosive force was so strong, the Company Commander had hit the cavern roof before slowly falling back down.

He hurried to the Company Commander's side to check his condition. The reality was that he saw the Company Commander clutching his stomach, his brow furrowed in pain. When the man saw Fatty approaching, he flinched, suggesting Fatty had established sufficient authority in his mind.

Fatty patted the Company Commander’s head. The man squeezed his eyes shut in fright, only slowly opening them again when he sensed Fatty meant no harm. He then resumed beating the ground with his hands, sobbing, "Brothers, I have failed you! I cannot avenge you!"

Fatty, however, found the Company Commander a bit nauseating. Just moments ago, he had treated his subordinates' lives as worthless, and now he was acting righteous. Still, seeing the man's heartbroken anguish, he didn't feel like scolding him, so he could only try to console him, saying, "When will the bright moon appear? I ask the azure sky with wine in hand; I wonder..."

Lu Zong, listening from behind, realized something was terribly wrong. This wasn't consolation; it sounded more like coaxing someone into suicide. He quickly interrupted Fatty, "Fatty, stop talking! Help the Company Commander up quickly; we need to go."

Fatty shot Lu Zong a sideways glance, annoyed that Lu Zong had interrupted his moment of poetic effusion. Realizing this wasn't the time for complaints, he prepared to help the Company Commander rise.