The sudden intrusion of those burly men immediately put Yang Yi and Fatty Lin on edge, sensing malice in their arrival. "Hey—what do you want?" Xu Ming sobered up considerably at the sight of the formation, recognizing one of the faces vaguely, though the lingering effects of alcohol made the memory fuzzy.

"Third Brother, Fourth Brother, stand down." Fatty Lin suddenly lunged forward, positioning himself between Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou, addressing the group of intruders. "Uh, Second Brother...!" "Cut the crap.

You two, get over here." Yang Yi narrowed his eyes, observing the large men. The vagrant demeanor he usually possessed had vanished, replaced by a chilling aura that emanated from him.

Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou retreated a few cautious steps, bewildered. Seeing them clear the area, Yang Yi fixed his gaze back on the toughs, fully aware they were here to cause trouble.

Their hesitation to attack suggested they were waiting for the person in charge to give the signal. Sure enough, just then, a man looking rather sharp spoke up: "Which one of you is Yang Yi?" "I am!" Hearing his name, Yang Yi knew these people were after him.

"So, you're the men sent by that young master who's been tailing us!" "Less talk. Since you're Yang Yi, you can enjoy this!

Get them!" the well-built man roared. They are definitely here for me.

And these guys aren't bad; while not master-level fighters, they are certainly top-tier among ordinary people. The fact they didn't attack right away suggests they're from the underworld—not bad, they have some discipline, focusing only on me.

Yang Yi thought, but the unfolding situation allowed no further reflection. The ten men sprang into action simultaneously.

Fatty Lin, standing at the forefront, let out a fierce shout: "If you want to touch my Brother Yi, you'll have to get past me first!" The initial pause by the ten toughs was premeditated; those outside needed time to set up defenses and avoid alarming others. Their sole objective was to teach Yang Yi a lesson.

Now that someone had stepped up, they couldn't abandon their mission. The ten divided into two groups, boxing in both Yang Yi and Fatty Lin within the cramped room.

Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou on the side seemed completely stunned, still processing the sudden chaos, frozen in place. "Bang!" Fatty Lin struck first, meeting the charge with a punch brimming with force.

The blow landed with a strange sound, and the man merely staggered back a few steps. "Fatty, these guys are trained fighters, be careful!" Yang Yi hadn't moved yet, his eyes assessing the opponents.

"Got it." Fatty Lin immediately shifted stance; that initial punch confirmed these men were no ordinary thugs, demanding full caution. "Hit them hard!" the sharp-featured man commanded, immediately lunging at Yang Yi.

"Third Brother, Fourth Brother, stay put and don't interfere!" Yang Yi frowned, dodging the incoming attack. "Boss, what the hell is going on?" Xu Ming asked.

"Screw what's going on! If our brother's in trouble, how can we stand aside?" Ye Xiaohou, completely sobered by the sudden action, darted in and joined the fray.

Xu Ming didn't hesitate either, stepping forward and throwing a punch. "Damn it—how dare you mess with my brothers!

Whoever you are, I'll smack you down." Yang Yi, who had been holding back, suddenly felt unbound. He hadn't realized these two were also trained fighters, and skilled ones at that.

"Third Brother, Fourth Brother, I never knew you two could fight like this." Speaking while casually throwing a kick, Yang Yi now seemed utterly unconcerned with the ten men, perhaps having dismissed them as threats from the very start. "Hehe, Boss, Second Brother, you guys kept us in the dark!

We thought we were pretty tough from fighting since we were kids, but you two were hiding your true strength?" "Yeah, yeah, Second Brother too! Jeez, your punches are vicious," Ye Xiaohou commented while grappling with a thug.

"Giggle, you guys too!" Fatty Lin chuckled darkly. These four were utterly arrogant; even mid-fight, they were trading banter, infuriating the men fighting them, who, despite their efforts, couldn't gain an advantage.

"Damn it—so arrogant! Brothers, pull out your gear!" the sharp-featured man roared.

The thugs immediately broke formation and reached behind their backs. Yang Yi frowned, a strange coldness suddenly creeping up his spine.

Seeing the men draw things like escrima sticks, he felt a slight sense of relief. But just as he thought that, one man produced a handgun.

Before anyone could react, it fired: "Shhh!" The silenced pistol discharged its bullet with barely a whisper. "Third Brother...!" Ye Xiaohou suddenly screamed.

"Third Brother..." Yang Yi's eyes flashed, the chilling aura intensifying, and he coldly commanded: "Fatty, cripple that bastard!" "Shhh!" Fatty Lin blurred into motion, seizing the gunman's arm, wrenching it hard, followed by a howl of pain: "Ah...!" The well-built leader's face went pale. "Fall back," he ordered.

"Tap tap~!" In less than three seconds, the thugs retreated, dragging the man with the broken arm with them. "Trying to leave?

Not so easy..." Fatty Lin called out as they began to flee. "Fatty, let them go," Yang Yi said, his voice icy.

"Brother Yi!" Fatty Lin frowned slightly. Yang Yi understood these men were merely acting on someone else's orders.

They had managed to infiltrate this location openly, cause trouble, and they carried firearms—they weren't simple. Their swift retreat, however, left Yang Yi deeply puzzled; he couldn't shake the feeling that this entire event was merely a play, and the real drama had yet to begin.

"Third Brother, are you okay?" Yang Yi quickly moved to Xu Ming's side. "Boss, I'm fine, just grazed my arm!" Xu Ming gasped out.

"Huh—what's this?" Ye Xiaohou, steadying Xu Ming, accidentally spotted a small bag of white powder dropped on the floor. Yang Yi took one look and his heart sank; he instantly understood.

"This is bad." [Brothers, give this plenty of support! Smash that like button and let's get the ranking back to first place, cheer up!]