Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 43: Compensation for Lost Time

"AHHH!"

Sims lay curled up on the ground, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Stop... I give... I give... I was wrong, Brother Qi... Stop hitting me!"

When Sims saw Hu Qi about to step forward again, he quickly stopped screaming and started begging for mercy.

A dark red shoe print was stamped on his face, a picture of utter humiliation.

But he couldn’t afford to worry about that. He was terrified that if he was too slow to speak, the other guy would just kick him again.

He was truly scared.

The man’s strength was immense. Taking just one hit felt like being slammed by an electric scooter going fifty or sixty kilometers per hour.

His whole body felt like it was about to fall apart. He was genuinely afraid that if he didn’t speak up faster, the man would beat him to death right here and now.

This scene left the other three onlookers completely stunned.

They couldn’t believe that Sims, who had always been so domineering and constantly bullied others, was now beaten to the point of tears.

"Since you know you were wrong, I’ll forgive you."

Hu Qi smiled. He wasn’t the least bit surprised by this outcome.

In this world, most so-called ferocity and dominance...

...are just a product of having something to rely on, whether it’s a powerful backer or immense strength. But when those advantages are stripped away...

...the fragile heart hidden beneath is exposed.

It’s like an egg without its shell—utterly fragile.

The Sims before him was clearly this type of person.

The only reason he had been so arrogant was because his strength far exceeded that of an ordinary student.

Once the very thing he took pride in was ruthlessly shattered by Hu Qi, his previous insolence naturally vanished.

"You know, you’ve wasted a lot of my time. Shouldn’t you pay me some compensation for my trouble?"

Suddenly, Hu Qi changed his tune.

"...Uh, you’re right. Yes, that’s only fair. But I can’t get up right now. Could you please grab my phone for me?"

Sims cursed him inwardly but forced a smile onto his face.

He didn’t dare let any of his true feelings show, terrified Hu Qi would kick him again. He pointed a finger at his phone, which lay off to the side.

As a model youth, helping a mobility-impaired classmate get his phone was a simple matter of lifting a finger for Hu Qi.

Naturally, he wouldn’t refuse.

A moment later.

DING DONG!

’Dear customer, a deposit of 20,000 yuan has been made to your savings account ending in 5969...’

Hu Qi looked at the transfer record on his phone and nodded in satisfaction.

’No wonder everyone says money is such a great thing. Take right now, for example. Looking at Sims’s head, swollen like a pig’s, I’m somehow finding it cuter and cuter.’

"Oh, right. If you want to spar again next time, feel free to find me anytime."

Hu Qi walked to the door, then turned back with a smile and added this piece of advice.

Sims: ...

...

"This Hu Qi has gone too far! We’re all students of the same club, yet he acts with such viciousness. If he becomes truly accomplished, he’ll inevitably cause turmoil in society. I recommend we revoke this person’s spot in the core class..."

In a monitoring room at the Red Scale Club, several coaches were gathered, watching that very scene play out on a security monitor.

Everyone had a different expression, especially when they saw the insufferably arrogant Sims get taken down by Hu Qi in just a few moves.

Among them, Chen Wu was the most pleased. Although he didn’t say anything...

...you could tell he was in a great mood just from the smile that nearly reached his ears.

However, just then, a voice thick with suppressed anger spoke up.

Following the sound, they saw that the speaker was a slender, long-haired man with a gloomy face.

It was He Chi, the coach for Class Three, where Sims was a student.

Right now, in stark contrast to Chen Wu, his expression was so dark it looked like it could drip water.

He had always thought that with Sims, plus Kita, he would surely be able to suppress Chen Wu and the other coaches.

He never expected, however, for the results to be such a harsh slap in the face.

Kita had lost directly to Hu Qi, which meant only Sims from his class had advanced.

And now, even Sims had been defeated.

But after he spoke, he realized everyone was staring at him as if he were an idiot.

Chen Wu even let out a cold sneer.

"We all just watched. It was clearly Sims who started the trouble, forcing Hu Qi to retaliate."

"When Sims was beating up other students before, I didn’t see you saying anything like this. Besides, given your status, don’t you have any self-awareness? What gives you the right to revoke a core student’s qualification?"

Chen Wu’s words made He Chi’s face flush red.

Just as he was about to say something...

"That’s enough."

At that moment, Lin Tong, who was sitting to the side, spoke up indifferently, cutting the two of them off.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally landing on He Chi.

"You’re an old-timer here. Don’t you understand the purpose of the Red Scale Fighting Club? We need true experts who dare to fight and kill, not a bunch of cowards and trash."

The meaning behind his words was crystal clear.

He Chi’s figure trembled, and his face turned a shade paler.

He had been so blinded by anger just now that he’d forgotten the status of the man before him.

"Bro... Brother Lin, you’re right. I was being shortsighted. I’ll be more careful in the future."

Lin Tong said nothing, simply waving his hand to dismiss them.

Seeing this, He Chi’s face grew even paler. As he walked out the door, his figure was a little unsteady.

As a Silver Fist Level fighting expert, something like this should have been impossible for him.

But Lin Tong’s status was undeniable.

A single word from him was all it would take.

It would be enough to cast He Chi into the abyss.

...

After everyone had left, Lin Tong continued to watch the security monitor. He recalled a detail he had noticed earlier, a strange feeling rising in his heart.

’The strength this person displayed is already infinitely close to the limit of the human body. Not only that, his powers of observation seem extremely sharp. He must have realized he was being watched. Interesting...’

...

CRASH!

An exquisite jade teacup was forcefully smashed on the floor. Tea and ceramic shards scattered, staining the carpet a deep black.

"Useless trash! What’s the point of keeping you around? You’ve had a target for a whole week, and you still can’t find the killer?"

Lu Ming Bell’s expression was as dark as water.

Though over fifty, he was impeccably maintained. He wore a neat suit, and his black hair, without a single fleck of gray, was meticulously styled.

From his years in a high-ranking position, combined with having been a ruthless character in his youth who dared to fight and kill, he had built his current family enterprise.

Over time, that aura had only been restrained, not lost.

Now, it all Burst out.

It made the two tattooed young men kneeling before him turn deathly pale. Shards from the teacup had even splattered across their faces, leaving several bleeding cuts.

But neither of them dared to so much as wipe the blood away. They remained obediently prostrate on the floor, not daring to utter a single word.

After smashing another cup and venting the pent-up fury in his heart, Lu Ming Bell’s expression finally softened a little.