Zhang Yang, holding onto Mi Xue, walked straight up to the leading officer and said with a smile.

He had learned the man's identity back at the station: Huang Ze, a squad leader from the Wuxia Road Police Station under the Jinguang District Branch. Huang Ze had just been agonizing over how to handle the situation involving Zhang Yang and Young Master Hu, never expecting that less than half an hour later, Zhang Yang would be involved in trouble again.

"Mr. Zhang, this—what exactly is going on here?"

Compared to Zhang Yang, the seventeen or eighteen thugs lying on the ground shocked him even more. He was familiar with these individuals; no one at the local precinct was unfamiliar with the local riffraff.

"These people were armed and preparing to rob me. I subdued them through counter-force. Officer Huang, this is legitimate self-defense!"

Zhang Yang said with a smile, causing the muscles in Huang Ze's face to twitch. He detected a chilling undertone in Zhang Yang’s words.

Armed robbery was already a serious crime, and being gathered in a group elevated it to a crime potentially categorized as organized gang robbery. If this case were substantiated, every person involved would face a minimum of ten to eight years inside. If there were prior records or a mastermind, the sentence would be longer, possibly even life imprisonment.

From Zhang Yang’s statement, Huang Ze already understood that this young man intended to deal ruthlessly with these individuals.

"Officer Huang, no, we weren't robbing anyone, we were just taking revenge!"

The leader, Bing, was not unconscious. Hearing Zhang Yang claim robbery, he cried out through the pain. His leg ached and felt numb; he suspected it might be broken. Since they intended to break his legs, Zhang Yang naturally wasn't gentle, breaking one of theirs in return.

"Officer Huang, they were trying to rob me because they saw the things in my bag. Furthermore, there are many eyewitnesses around who can testify that over a dozen of them rushed us carrying weapons!"

Zhang Yang opened the canvas bag and showed Huang Ze what was inside.

The first thing he took out was over thirty thousand in cash. Seeing this stack of bills, Huang Ze paused slightly, immediately realizing these thugs were in deep trouble this time.

Besides the cash, there were cell phones and pagers, valued at over forty thousand combined. With these items, and the charge of organized gang robbery—even attempted robbery—it was enough to land them in serious trouble.

The leader's vision dimmed upon seeing the contents of Zhang Yang’s bag. He finally understood that Zhang Yang was determined to ruin them; with these items presented, pinning a robbery charge on them would be sufficient. Moreover, there were eyewitnesses; anyone seeing Zhang Yang’s money and the preceding scene would assume robbery.

"Take them all away!"

Huang Ze waved his hand at his subordinates. Many of them couldn't walk and would have to wait for the ambulance. Huang Ze knew clearly that these men were finished. For others, perhaps some connections could be made, some money spent, and the incident smoothed over as a mere brawl. A brawl was handled easily—a few days of detention and a fine, and it would be settled.

But these men had offended Zhang Yang, and the current Huang Ze dared not speak up for them. Zhang Yang had Captain Liu of the Municipal Criminal Police Detachment backing him. If this case were officially classified as robbery, the Municipal Bureau would have the authority to intervene, and it would no longer be within their precinct's jurisdiction. The final outcome would depend entirely on their fate.

The officers stepped forward and carefully examined the injured men. They all shook their heads in the end; every one of them sustained significant injuries. Broken arms and legs were considered minor; some had multiple fractures, and even internal injuries were suspected.

A few officers went to question the eyewitnesses nearby, arranging for people to take depositions, while others contacted the ambulance service, asking them to send several more vehicles since their own police cars wouldn't be transporting these men—they were all heading straight to the hospital.

Having just left the station, Zhang Yang was called back in. This time, he was there for assault, though as the victim. His money and phones were temporarily held for registration. Since it was a robbery case, these were considered evidence of the crime, to be returned to Zhang Yang after the procedures were complete. Zhang Yang didn't mind; he already had a history with these people, and this time was a perfect chance to settle things once and for all.

After recording his statement again, Zhang Yang finally left the precinct. During this time, Liu Xiaotang called specifically to inquire about Zhang Yang’s situation, then told Zhang Yang that he would handle the matter and ensure Zhang Yang was satisfied. Liu Xiaotang’s attitude was exceptionally good, which left Zhang Yang somewhat puzzled, but since the other party kept helping him, it was a good thing.

When leaving the police station the second time, Huang Ze personally drove them out. They dared not let Zhang Yang leave on his own now, fearing any further incidents. Huang Ze could only pray that this 'esteemed guest' would leave their jurisdiction soon, so whatever happened elsewhere would no longer concern them.

In this short span, Zhang Yang had become a true terror in Huang Ze’s eyes.

Once Zhang Yang left, many people at the station began discussing the incident, deeply astonished by Zhang Yang’s combat prowess. Eighteen thugs, all armed, ganging up on one person, and yet all were defeated. Not only that, but every single one of the defeated men was severely injured. Most outrageously, all of this was accomplished by Zhang Yang, accompanied by a single woman, in just a few minutes. According to the witnesses, all they saw was Zhang Yang charging in with half a mop, and shortly after, everyone was sprawled on the ground. Even their own police force lacked such combat ability.

Among the police ranks, there has always been an inherent respect for strength. Unconsciously, these officers began to hold Zhang Yang in admiration. Especially the officer who had gone out with Huang Ze that afternoon to handcuff Zhang Yang; he was now sweating cold sweat. Thank goodness they hadn't acted rashly. If they had provoked this master, there was no guarantee he wouldn't turn them into the same state as those thugs.

In short, Zhang Yang was now thoroughly famous here, especially around Wuxia Road; it was likely no one in the area would forget his name from now on. Wuxia Road was one of Changjing City’s most prosperous districts.

Zhang Yang asked Huang Ze to drive them directly to a restaurant. The Korean cuisine place was still open, but it was already past eight in the evening, making it quite late for dinner. After the consecutive disturbances, both of them had lost their appetite and only ate a simple meal.

After eating, they missed the movie time, so the plan to see a film had to be abandoned. Zhang Yang's level of anger, having a perfectly good date ruined by these people, was considerable. If those men were still around, he would have beaten them even harder.

After retrieving the car from the mall, Zhang Yang drove home sullenly. Mi Xue had also been frightened today and was equally subdued.

"Zhang Yang, why did you suddenly become so strong?"

On the way back, Mi Xue suddenly asked. She had been curious about this point during their time in Jiaoyi previously. Today, she had even more confirmation that Zhang Yang was significantly more powerful than before. Previously, only seven or eight people were enough to put Zhang Yang in the hospital; now, eighteen people, including some of the previous assailants, were all subdued by him. This change was immense.

Zhang Yang paused slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "After I was beaten last time, my mind cleared, and I instantly transformed into a martial arts master. Do you believe that?"

Mi Xue stared at him with her beautiful eyes, silent, making no move. However, the expression on her face clearly spelled out three words: I don't believe you.

"Alright, then I’ll tell you. Because of the beating last time, I realized my own lack of power. I went back and used ancient methods to apply acupuncture, stimulating my meridians to unlock my potential. This stimulation actually succeeded, and I became stronger than before!"

Zhang Yang took one hand off the steering wheel, held it out, and spoke with a helpless air.

"Really? You used meridian needling to stimulate your potential?"

Mi Xue's eyes lit up suddenly, and she asked urgently. Judging by her demeanor, she clearly believed Zhang Yang’s explanation, which left Zhang Yang feeling rather speechless. In reality, his first explanation was somewhat plausible—his martial prowess came with his transmigration, which could barely be called unlocking his mind—but everything after that was pure fabrication. Meridian needling to stimulate potential? While those with internal strength might have a sliver of hope, it would only be temporary and cause significant bodily harm. If meridian needling could turn an ordinary person into a master, why would the military train so hard? They could just find some old Chinese medicine doctors to apply needles daily and churn out masters in droves, surely making the nation’s single-soldier combat capability the best. Someone who could effortlessly take on seventeen or eighteen people would take an immeasurable amount of time to train in the military, something even elite special forces personnel would struggle to achieve.

"Something like that!"

Zhang Yang snorted in response. No one believed the truth, but they believed the lie, which genuinely frustrated Zhang Yang. Unfortunately, he couldn't correct her; explaining the truth would only cause more trouble. He couldn't exactly tell Mi Xue that he was originally a martial arts master, that the previous occupant of this body was someone else, and now his soul inhabited it.

"Then can you help me?"

Mi Xue’s eyes sparkled, looking at Zhang Yang with hopeful anticipation. Every person, regardless of gender, desires to become stronger in some way. Today, watching Zhang Yang face so many opponents while she could only be protected by him, needing him to divert his attention to care for her, made her feel helpless. Although Zhang Yang defeated everyone, Mi Xue didn't want to constantly be protected by him; she wished she could use her own strength to help him too.

"This... I'm afraid that won't work. There are many limiting factors here. Firstly, you are a girl, so that's impossible. I only succeeded through great risk myself!"

Zhang Yang scratched his head and gently shook it. He could only refuse Mi Xue; this was genuinely not something he could do.

"I see, I understand!"

Mi Xue nodded, clearly disappointed. Seeing her crestfallen expression, Zhang Yang felt a pang of guilt but hardened his heart. The Zhang family's ancestral techniques had a rule: transmission male to male only. In Zhang Yang’s generation, he wouldn't necessarily adhere to such strict conventions, but Mi Xue had already passed the optimal stage for learning. Starting now would yield no real benefit, so Zhang Yang decided it was better not to mention it.

"Zhang Yang, I'm going to take Taekwondo lessons over the summer vacation, aiming to achieve a few dan ranks!"

Just as Zhang Yang sighed, Mi Xue suddenly added, waving her small fists with a determined look. Her words nearly caused Zhang Yang to drop his head onto the steering wheel. Taekwondo wasn't as formidable as she imagined, and moreover, merely learning some flashy moves over a summer vacation would be utterly useless.

Chapter Three, Bonus Update!