Night fell.

The sky was black as ink.

The rails clanked as a grayish-blue streetcar traveled along its fixed route, passing one concrete building after another.

Finally, with a piercing screech,

the streetcar slowed to a stop, arriving at the North Street station platform.

A mechanical, automated announcement sounded from within the car, and the metal and blast-proof glass doors slid open.

[The train has arrived at Iron Ring North Street. Please exit in an orderly fashion.]

WHOOSH!!

As the doors slid open, a chilly autumn breeze blew in from the platform.

Most of the disembarking passengers hunched their shoulders, instinctively pulling their jackets tighter.

Amid the crowd, Lu Chao’s expression remained unchanged. He didn’t feel the slightest bit cold, even in a thin, gray, hoodless sweatshirt.

His vitality was high, his physique robust.

With over thirty points of Life Energy, he was powerful in every respect.

TAP! TAP!

Without breaking his stride,

Lu Chao headed toward the center of North Street, making a beeline for Dreamfire Bar.

Low concrete buildings lined his vision, one after another. Roadside karaoke bars flickered with suggestive, colorful lights, and the flames of open-air food stalls danced in the cold wind. Neon signs of all kinds competed for attention, painting the street in a hazy, clamorous light.

’Brother Hao and Brother Qiang should both be there,’

Lu Chao carried two bags. One contained a carefully selected briarwood pipe, and the other held a brand-new casual suit.

Lu Chao thought to himself as he walked, a slight smile touching his lips.

He had always remembered the kindness Brother Hao and Zhou Qiang had shown him, helping him out on multiple occasions.

He had originally planned to show his appreciation during his housewarming party, but they both had to decline and couldn’t make it.

After thinking it over, he decided to give them their gifts today.

At that thought,

Lu Chao quickened his pace, and the bar’s sign soon came into view.

He was just about to cross the street and reach it.

VROOOM!!

The roar of an engine suddenly cut through the air.

Lu Chao stopped, frowning slightly as he turned his head to look at the intersection to his side.

Three pitch-black Sai Wei sedans came tearing around the corner like sharks that had smelled blood. Their arrogant honking made pedestrians on both sides of the street turn pale and hastily scramble out of the way.

Some people looked ready to shout a curse and demand an explanation, but they flinched as soon as they saw the expensive, coldly gleaming emblems on the cars.

All eyes watched as the black convoy drove all the way to the entrance of Dreamfire Bar before stopping.

A moment later, the car doors opened.

Seven or eight figures emerged. Most had burly physiques and fierce demeanors, dressed in either suits or jackets. The tattoos on their necks looked like flickering, blood-red flames.

’The Iron Blood Gang?’

Lu Chao narrowed his eyes.

He then watched as the group swaggered forward, roughly shoved open the bar’s main doors, and stormed inside.

...

"We’re not leaving until we’re drunk tonight!"

"Come on, let’s have another!"

"Hahaha!!"

Business was booming at Dreamfire Bar, and the booths were packed with people.

On stage, scantily clad women swayed to the rhythmic beat of the music, drawing waves of whistles and cheers.

In the octagon on the other side of the room, things were proceeding as usual. Under the focused glare of white laser lights, two burly men appeared to be fighting for their lives, putting on a brutal show of wrestling.

The heavy thuds of impact mixed with the roars of the crowd. Xiaoyang, whose face was a sickly pale, was used to it all. Following an order, he walked over to a booth, placed the drinks on the table, and plastered on his usual fake smile.

"Mmm, not bad. Here..."

A drunk customer handed him a hundred-yuan bill, stuffing it into his shirt. Xiaoyang’s eyes lit up, and he quickly pocketed it.

"Thank you, sir! I wish you great wealth and good fortune!"

He spouted a few more pleasantries before turning to leave.

He then walked to the bar, discreetly pulling out the bill to check if it was real.

Xiaoyang’s expression quickly changed as he inwardly cursed these rich people for being so dumb they just threw their money away.

’Still, it’d be great if every customer was a rich fool like that.’

’Maybe then I could finally save up some money.’

Lost in his daydream, he received another order through his earpiece and was about to grab two drinks from the bar.

But then—

BAM! BAM!

Two security guards came flying backward, knocking over chairs and crashing into the bar.

Several round stools tumbled across the floor. Bottles on the bar top rattled, and a few glasses fell and shattered on the ground.

The sudden turn of events left Xiaoyang stunned, while the bartender turned pale and screamed.

And yet, despite all this,

the customers in the booths didn’t notice a thing. The loud music and the din from the dance floor completely drowned out the commotion.

"Goddammit, Chen Junhao’s bar really is doing good business."

As the vicious curse rang out, Xiaoyang’s pupils contracted. He could clearly see seven or eight figures walking in from the bar’s entrance.

The two burly security guards who had been sent flying were now curled up on the floor, apparently in great pain.

He stood frozen on the spot. He then saw the leader, a middle-aged man in a black jacket, walk up and take a drink from his tray.

"Hmm, not bad."

The man smacked his lips and grinned at him.

Cold sweat trickled down Xiaoyang’s face. He instantly recognized the men before him as members of the Iron Blood Gang.

Before he could snap out of his stupor, several of the man’s subordinates spread out and headed for the center of the stage.

"Alright everyone, the next song is..."

BAM!!

The DJ’s hyped-up voice came to an abrupt halt as someone grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head onto the mixing board.

"Ahh!!"

The women on stage screamed and scattered in a panic.

Amid the sounds of destruction, a piercing feedback screeched from the bar’s speakers, and all the music cut out.

The customers in the booths stared in stunned silence, slowly lowering their glasses. The noisy chatter died down like a receding tide as all eyes turned toward the stage in shocked confusion.

"Everyone."

TAP! TAP!

The middle-aged leader grinned and walked onto the stage.

He wasn’t using a microphone, but his low, threatening voice echoed throughout the room.

"Today’s business is a feud between my Iron Blood Gang and the Hongyi Society. It has nothing to do with any of you."

"If you want to leave, now’s your chance."

As his words fell, the expressions of the customers in the main hall shifted.

Some shot up in fear and scrambled for the door, knocking over countless glasses and plates that shattered with a sharp crash.

Others, however, seemed to have significant standing. Confident in their status and background, they remained seated, watching with great interest as if it were a play.

For a moment, the bar was eerily quiet, the only sound being the hurried footsteps of those leaving.

Xiaoyang and the other staff, all pale-faced, cowered in a corner, trembling uncontrollably under the mocking gazes of the Iron Blood Gang members.

"Liu Hong!"

At that critical moment, a furious shout came from the second floor.

The gold-trimmed doors at the end of the corridor burst open. Zhou Qiang, dressed in a black suit, stood by the ornate tiled railing, his broken left arm in a sling across his chest. His cold eyes stared down at the scene below.

"You dare trash Brother Hao’s place! Looks like you have no intention of walking out of here today, do you?"

Zhou Qiang said viciously, a murderous glint almost overflowing from his eyes.

A flurry of footsteps followed as seven or eight guards from the second floor rushed down. They joined the guards from the main floor to confront the members of the Iron Blood Gang.

The waists of several men bulged, clearly indicating they were armed.

"Heh."

However, faced with this show of force, the leader named Liu Hong just gave a mocking smile and shook his head. "Looks like Chen Junhao is really going downhill."

"He doesn’t have the guts to show his face, so he sends out some underling..."

As he spoke, he looked up at Zhou Qiang, the mockery on his face slowly turning to icy killing intent. "Who the hell do you think you are? You think you’re qualified to talk to me?"