Everyone in the room froze.
They stared at each other, confused and stunned.
Then all eyes turned to Jiang Chen.
Their expressions were strange—half mocking, half wary. The looks said: Who is this guy?
Coming here alone? Doesn't he know who he's dealing with?
But Li Gang knew trouble had arrived.
The moment he saw Jiang Chen, the smile on his face froze. He opened his mouth, then closed it again—looking like he had a stroke.
Jiang Chen swept his eyes around the room and locked onto Li Gang's face.
There was no mistake—it was him. That unmistakable three-part cleft lip was impossible to miss.
Li Gang felt a chill crawl down his spine. Why is this devil here? And in front of so many people!
If it were just the two of us, I'd get on my knees and beg. But like this...
His mind spun rapidly.
Being a slippery character, Li Gang quickly made up his mind.
He stood up, arms wide as if meeting an old friend, and walked toward Jiang Chen with a big smile:
"Haha! Brother Jiang! It's you! I tried calling you, but couldn't get through. You saw my message, right?"
Jiang Chen blinked, caught off guard. But he quickly realized what was happening: this bastard was trying to save face by pretending to be close with him.
You want to save face? I'm here to rip your reputation to shreds.
Li Gang shuffled closer, smiling and winking, then leaned in and whispered, "Let's talk outside. Everything can be settled."
"Settle your damn self," Jiang Chen replied coolly, but there was a distinct murderous tone in his voice. "You know exactly what you did in that detention center."
"What detention center? What are you talking about? Must be a misunderstanding, haha…"
Li Gang's heart sank.
Damn it, how did that secret job get exposed so fast? This guy's here for revenge!
"Still pretending, huh?"
Jiang Chen growled, then snatched the thick bead necklace from around Li Gang's neck and slapped him across the face with it.
Beads scattered everywhere.
The foot massage parlor boss, still clueless, stepped up and shouted, "How dare you disrespect Brother Gang! Who do you think you are?!"
Seeing someone take the lead, the others gathered around:
"Ha! Dead man walking."
"Brother Gang, crush him!"
The boss figured Jiang Chen didn't look like a martial artist. And with Brother Gang and nearly twenty guys present, this was a great time to shine.
"Take this!" he shouted.
He dropped into a tiger stance and lunged low—aiming straight for Jiang Chen's groin.
"Black Tiger Grabs the Eggs!"
Everyone gasped.
"Nice move!"
The boss dove in like a predator, claw-like hand reaching between Jiang Chen's legs.
Jiang Chen smirked. With a light slap to the boss's skull—
"Hm!"
The guy's legs buckled and he lost balance, falling forward.
Jiang Chen casually spread his legs like forming a gate, and the boss's head went right through.
Then—clamp!
Jiang Chen closed his legs, locking the guy's head in a vice grip.
"Ahhh!" the boss screamed, trapped, face turning red and neck bulging, unable to move an inch.
"Finish him, Boss!"
"Show him the Demon Fist!"
The others, clearly afraid to act, cheered from the sidelines.
At this point, Li Gang had no choice. Even if Jiang Chen killed him, he had to fight.
"Die!" Li Gang roared, hurling a punch at Jiang Chen's face.
Since taking the Yi Yuan Pill, Jiang Chen's strength and reflexes had improved dramatically. He could swat a fly midair or catch a dragonfly with ease. As Li Gang's fist came flying in, Jiang Chen flicked his hand.
With it came a burst of inner energy—a whoosh cutting through the air.
Smack!
The slap landed softly.
But—
"Aaahhh!"
Li Gang collapsed, screaming, blood covering his face. His cleft lip, previously split in three, now had a fourth tear—four flaps now!
"Am I seeing double?" one of the henchmen blurted. "Did Brother Gang just grow another split in his lip?"
Everyone recoiled in horror, some even slipping away from the hall.
"Li Gang," Jiang Chen said coldly, "I'm giving you one minute."
Some loyal followers ran to help—offering tissues, grabbing his arms.
"Boss, don't take it to heart!"
"We'll call in backup! Wipe this guy out!"
"Get back!" Li Gang snapped.
They all stepped away, leaving space between him and Jiang Chen.
"I—Li Gang…" he wiped the blood from his mouth, his body tensed. Two gleaming bronze bracers slid down from his sleeves, making him look fearsome.
"Take this! Let's see how you handle it!" one shouted.
"Boss is pulling out his trump card!"
"Better call the morgue now!"
Everyone was hyped.
Jiang Chen stood still, smiling faintly.
Li Gang swirled his palms through the air, then clasped them before him… and bent his knees.
Thud!
He knelt.
"What?!"
Everyone was stunned.
Their mighty boss—on his knees to a stranger?
"Please, sir, spare my life!"
Li Gang bowed low and banged his head on the floor three times.
Resistance meant death. Submission meant survival.
He tossed away all dignity.
Jiang Chen laughed, "Kneeling in front of your boys? Impressive. I'll spare your life. But you better talk."
"Sir, I really didn't know that job involved you! If I had known, I'd have called you Daddy and backed out!"
"No nonsense. Give me names." Jiang Chen lifted his phone and started recording.
"Chairman Li."
"Li Yuzhu?"
"Yes. And Xu Wenbin from the Xu Corporation. They paid me to get arrested on purpose, sneak into the detention center, and kill Wu Feng!"
"How much did they pay?"
"Twenty thousand!"
"You're insane. You killed a man for twenty grand?"