Chapter 58: Clap, Clap, Clap

"Kid, don't get too cocky." Hearing the distant wail of the police sirens, Leng Qing, who had been sprawled like a heap of mud, seemed to find some spirit, and boasted triumphantly. Yet, his body was much too weak, and his voice lacked any real intimidation.

Lin Yang despised fools who couldn't grasp their own predicament and still strutted about arrogantly.

Arrogant? Well, I’m arrogant—so what?

Since you can’t see the situation before you, I’ll make it clearer. Lin Yang transferred the limp Leng Qing to his left hand, stretched out his right, relaxed it a few times, and in front of the bewildered crowd—

Smack! A sharp, crisp sound, potent and threatening. The very man who’d just accused Lin Yang of arrogance, Leng Qing, now had his right cheek swelling rapidly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes wide in stunned disbelief.

He couldn’t believe it—Lin Yang had actually slapped him. Leng Qing, accustomed to privilege, had always been the one slapping others, bullying them. Never had he been bullied himself. The humiliation was overwhelming, transforming his grimace into a twisted rage, and with a near bestial roar, he spat out, "You—you—kid, you actually dared to slap me!"

"Idiot, so what if I slapped you?" Lin Yang thought this guy was too stubborn, too self-absorbed, too ignorant of the wisdom of patience for greater goals. So he’d slapped him—what was all this shouting for?

Go ahead, shout again if you dare.

Thinking this, Lin Yang realized the man before him truly cared more for his pride than his well-being—today, he’d witnessed it firsthand.

"Die—kid, even if I die, I’ll make sure you die too." His face contorted into a hellish snarl, his eyes bloodshot with hatred. Leng Qing looked at his own men, hysterically ordering, "Shoot! Kill him! Kill! Destroy this kid!" He was determined to drag Lin Yang down with him, preferring death over living as a cripple.

But just as his words fell, a squad of sharply dressed police officers arrived, fully armed with bulletproof vests and helmets, exuding an elite air.

"Hands up! Everyone, hands up!"

Seeing the pistols with silencers on the ground, Officer Wang Ergou’s eyes twitched. Damn, these fools had gone wild—openly carrying firearms and bringing them here, showing no respect for the law or the police. As a veteran, he couldn’t tolerate it.

With his round belly, Wang Ergou strutted over, ordering his men to arrest the disarmed bodyguards. He then approached Lin Yang, grinning, "Brother, you’re amazing! One look and you scared them all stiff—admiration, truly."

You couldn’t blame Wang Ergou for saying so; of the men lying on the ground, some were bloodied from broken glass, but those struck by throwing knives bore no wounds at all—except they were already meeting the King of Hell.

"Hmph, Brother Wang, I suppose you were busy with one of your mistresses again. Took your sweet time getting here. If I didn’t have some skills, I’d be dead already." Lin Yang’s face was grim as he snorted.

No wonder there’s that saying—wait for the police to save you? Pointless. By the time they arrive, you’re already dead. Lin Yang now understood: relying on others is useless; self-reliance is everything.

Wang Ergou was about to protest, but Lin Yang’s words left him speechless.

"You still smell of roses—don’t tell me you weren’t fooling around with a woman." Lin Yang pressed on, making Wang Ergou awkward. Seeing he was not denying it, Lin Yang rolled his eyes and turned his gaze back to Leng Qing.

Ignored by the newcomers, Leng Qing was furious, wanting to kill. But his subordinates were now handcuffed, and after being slapped several times by Lin Yang, he was jolted back to reality. Seeing the police were familiar with Lin Yang, he wisely kept silent.

But as the saying goes, a dog can’t change its ways. Under Lin Yang’s nakedly contemptuous glare, Leng Qing was provoked again, his temper flaring as he roared, "Kid, don’t go too far!"

Lin Yang burst out laughing. Going too far? Who was the one going too far—coming here with an armed gang to kill, and now claiming he was the victim? Ridiculous.

Smack—Lin Yang wasn’t finished until Leng Qing was slapped back to his senses. Arrogant, huh? He’d show him arrogance.

Again and again, Lin Yang slapped him until Leng Qing could barely speak, his face swollen like a pig's. Even Lin Yang couldn’t resist laughing at the sight.

Wang Ergou’s men were doubled over with laughter, and even Leng Qing’s own subordinates were torn between wanting to laugh and fearing punishment.

"Who are you? Breaking into a private residence and carrying heavy weapons—this is a capital offense. On top of killing innocents, your crimes are countless. Not even the emperor could pardon you." Wang Ergou now displayed true authority, every word a threat.

"Nini, save your father!" An imploring voice broke the tense atmosphere, coming from the group of detainees. Lin Yang turned and recognized the speaker—someone he knew well. The man who had been holding women on both sides was none other than Lin Yang’s most despised person, the father of Leng Nini, notorious for his debauchery.

"And who are you?" Wang Ergou looked at the stunningly handsome man—far more attractive than the two gaudy women beside him. Wang Ergou was taken aback, but he wasn’t interested in men; he loved women. No matter how beautiful the man, he was ignored, though a touch of jealousy crept in. Damn, this guy was so pretty it almost tempted him—what a sin.

"I—I am her father." The handsome man lifted his slender, feminine hand, pointing at Leng Nini hiding behind Lin Yang, nervously declaring himself.

"Who’s your daughter? I have no father like you!" Leng Nini snapped. Since childhood, she’d hated her father for his shameless womanizing, which had driven her mother to suicide. Now, he wanted to force her to accept her family’s elders’ plan to marry the disgraceful heir of the Jiang family. And now he wanted her to save him—what a joke. She was so furious she could have killed him herself.

If Lin Yang hadn’t intervened, he feared Leng Nini might have picked up a gun and done the unthinkable.

After much persuasion, Lin Yang calmed her down and took the gun from her hand, unwilling to risk her committing such a crime.

Holding Leng Nini close, Lin Yang signaled Wang Ergou to take the group away—out of sight, out of mind.

Only Leng Qing, tossed heartlessly to the floor, remained, the culprit requiring interrogation.

"Name, age, occupation." Wang Ergou squatted down, took a pen and notebook from his men, and played the role of diligent interrogator. He looked the part.

"Leng Qing. Twenty-five. Occupation…" Leng Qing was much more subdued now, but when it came to occupation, he was lost. He’d just returned from the Wolf Battalion, planning to serve his family, only to fail miserably at Lin Yang’s hands. Now crippled, his future was bleak.

"Unemployed." Finally, with despair, he muttered, and was supported by officers onto the sofa for questioning—his hands and feet immobile, but the rest of him free.

"Unemployed, huh? No wonder you’re lawless. I’ve seen plenty of scum like you—should’ve been sent to hell long ago." Wang Ergou’s righteous attitude seemed convincing.

But Lin Yang’s quiet comment nearly made him fall off the sofa.

"Aren’t you also society’s scum, Brother?" Lin Yang couldn’t stand it anymore, muttering just loud enough for everyone to hear. Wang Ergou’s thick skin was finally tested.

Revealing someone’s faults in public, especially before his men and the criminals he’d just disciplined—how could he boast after this? Wang Ergou nearly wanted to kill Lin Yang, or himself, but he feared both pain and death.

Leng Qing, meanwhile, was ready to die. Damn, his tendons were snapped, and instead of sympathy, the police kicked him while he was down. Unemployed equals scum? What kind of definition was that? How could such a man be a chief? The defeat was crushing.

"Purpose for coming?" Wang Ergou continued with the questioning.

"To capture someone." Leng Qing replied reflexively, then immediately regretted it, quickly correcting himself, "No, to invite my cousin home."

Thick-skinned, Wang Ergou thought. Invite someone? Did you need to bring guns with silencers to invite someone? If I believed you, I’d be a fool. Go on, keep pretending.

Wanting to teach this would-be terrorist a lesson, Wang Ergou put down his pen and delivered a series of slaps to Leng Qing, whose tough skin and flesh made each blow ring out loud and sharp.

Smack, smack, smack. Clear, resounding.