Chapter Thirteen: The Enigmatic Man

Chapter 13: A Man Shrouded in Mystery

With the appearance of Xu Yun, the once boisterous, abandoned factory instantly fell silent. Xu Yun’s gaze swept over everyone present—dozens of burly young men, most of them bare-chested, their bodies marked with wolf heads and tiger claws in every direction. They were clustered in several groups around the factory floor.

At the very center, a group of seven or eight men were enjoying a charcoal hotpot, surrounded by empty beer bottles strewn haphazardly at their feet.

Behind this group, Qin Wan’er was tightly bound to a support pillar that reached up to the factory’s roof. When she saw Xu Yun arrive, she was speechless at his recklessness. “Why did you come alone?”

“You didn’t say to bring anyone,” Xu Yun replied, his face showing not the slightest trace of anxiety.

The faces of the young men around him twisted into mocking sneers, as if Xu Yun were an oblivious lamb to the slaughter. The seven or eight small-time leaders at the hotpot table also put down their chopsticks and stood up.

At the table, the last to rise was a dark-skinned, powerfully built young man—his presence among the mass of muscle was as striking as a crane among chickens. “You’re Xu Yun?”

“You’re not the one who called me, are you?” Xu Yun frowned. The voice didn’t match. “Where’s the person who called me?”

“If you want to see our boss, you can. As long as you survive me, Erhei, tonight, you’ll get your chance.” The dark-skinned youth clenched his fists until his knuckles popped.

Xu Yun raised his brows. “Erhei? That’s a pretty rustic name. Which village are you from?”

Erhei was second-in-command of the Four Wolves Gang, a man who stood just beneath the boss and above a thousand others—a recognized powerhouse in Hedong’s underworld. Few had ever dared mock him; those who had usually ended up feeding the fish in the Si River.

“You’ve got guts. I heard you beat up Old Wei this afternoon and took down Old Chen tonight.” Erhei sneered. “But don’t think you’re anything special. My men aren’t the kind of trash you dealt with before.”

Xu Yun had sensed something unique about Erhei the moment he entered—a presence that only those who’ve danced on the knife’s edge of life and death possess. The thugs around him, too, were a cut above the rabble from the afternoon, their hardened auras honed by frequent violence.

“Well, if it’s a beating you want, I’ll oblige.” Xu Yun suddenly clasped his fists together—the crack was even louder than Erhei’s.

“Xu Yun! Are you insane? You’ll get killed!” Qin Wan’er couldn’t make sense of his idiotic bravado. “I don’t need you to rescue me! Get out of here!”

A top graduate of the police academy, Qin Wan’er’s instinct was still to place the people’s interests above her own, even in a crisis.

Xu Yun smiled at her. “Since you care so much, this trip wasn’t in vain.” Even tied up, she could still worry about someone else. She was clearly a different breed from certain police officers.

“You’re impossible!” Qin Wan’er actually worried about him—she couldn’t help it. She struggled against her bonds, but it was futile.

The more she struggled, the more the ropes pressed against her delicate curves. Xu Yun’s gaze lingered, and he said with a tinge of regret, “That looks uncomfortable. Don’t worry, I’ll set you free in a minute.”

“Where are you looking!” Qin Wan’er snapped, seeing his eyes fixed openly on her chest. Did this guy have any idea what kind of situation they were in? Was there really time for his wandering eyes?

Erhei’s face twisted with rage. The kid was still joking around! Did he think nothing of him?

That, Erhei could not forgive. “Kid, you walk the path to hell when heaven lies before you! Tonight you’ll learn the price of crossing the Four Wolves Gang!”

“Get him!”

With a furious shout, dozens of flashing machetes were drawn and came swinging for Xu Yun, hellbent on spilling his blood.

Xu Yun stepped into a flawless, flowing footwork, slipping through the oncoming blades as they howled past him, untouched and unharmed.

Suddenly, a surge of murderous intent erupted from Xu Yun’s unremarkable frame, sweeping out in a relentless, overwhelming wave that instantly enveloped everyone present, Erhei included.

Time seemed to freeze. Everyone’s bodies were as if locked in place.

A wicked, cold smile played on Xu Yun’s lips as he turned to one of the men. That man shivered violently, his legs turning to jelly, and the machete in his hand slipped to the floor.

Clang! The crash of metal startled everyone from their stupor.

Unable to bear the crushing pressure that had descended from nowhere, Erhei roared, “Kill him!”

But the initial confidence and bravado had vanished from the group. They’d both cut and been cut, but never before had they been cowed by someone’s mere presence. Psychological fear is more paralyzing than physical pain.

That bone-chilling dread had swept over them like the reaper’s scythe along their spines.

Rush in, knowing it meant death?

Even these hardened men, who feared neither man nor god, found their feet rooted to the ground.

As the saying goes: battles are won on courage. The first charge brings fervor, the second wanes, the third is spent.

That’s exactly what was happening now. These dozens of confident thugs had expected to settle the fight in a few blows. Instead, not a hair on Xu Yun was touched, and his aura alone had shattered their morale.

Seeing no one respond, Erhei hesitated as well. But in the underworld, pride is everything. Lose face in front of your men, and your reputation is gone, no matter what the boss thinks of you.

Suddenly, Erhei sprang forward, his machete raised high to cleave Xu Yun’s skull. Xu Yun merely sidestepped and seized Erhei’s wrist in a vise-like grip. Erhei howled in pain and dropped his blade.

He could hardly believe this nobody had so easily dodged his full-force strike. He was a well-known figure in Hedong’s underworld, and here he was, bested by an unknown upstart.

The mighty second-in-command of the Four Wolves Gang, leading dozens of fighters, had been made a laughingstock by a lone opponent.

And Xu Yun, far from panicking, remained perfectly composed—the opposite of what they’d expected from a cornered animal. In fact, it was Erhei and his men who now looked like a pack of stray dogs, battered and desperate.

Erhei exploded in fury, lunging at Xu Yun like a rabid beast.

Xu Yun didn’t bother to dodge. He let Erhei charge at him, then, in a flash, whipped his leg around and struck Erhei with lightning speed between the jaw and the ear. Erhei’s massive body spun through the air in a full somersault before crashing down onto the hotpot table.

Bang!

“Aaargh! Aaagh!”

The infamous Brother Erhei landed squarely in the boiling pot, scalding himself so badly he rolled on the floor, screaming in agony as his blistered skin burst and the pain became unbearable.

Seeing their mighty Erhei laid out, the remaining thugs froze in terror. Not one dared step forward—all glanced nervously at each other, their breathing heavy with panic.

But these were not small-time hooligans who could be cowed by taking down their leader. Here, making a name for oneself meant everything. Whoever took Xu Yun down would surely rise to be the next boss. Xu Yun knew better than to drop his guard.

Finally, one man, unable to resist the urge for glory, let out a yell and charged Xu Yun from behind with a blade. Xu Yun sidestepped, kicked the man’s shin, and with a grip like an eagle’s talon, seized his throat and slammed him to the ground.

With one man daring to try, the rest could no longer hold back. With a roar, they all surged forward, fear still in their hearts but desperate to prove themselves. This was a pack of men who would fight to the death—nothing like the petty street thugs of before.

Xu Yun was undaunted. He advanced with right jabs and flying kicks, neck locks and savage throws. The moves were basic—no more than the simplest army boxing techniques—but each was devastatingly effective. Not a single man who faced him could get back up.

Qin Wan’er stared, wide-eyed in disbelief. Never had she seen anyone fight like Xu Yun—his simple army boxing was so agile and adaptable. Alone, beset by dozens of armed men, he handled them with ease.

He was simply a man shrouded in mystery.

She even began to suspect she was on a film set. If someone suddenly yelled “Cut! That’s a wrap!” she wouldn’t have been surprised in the least.

Three minutes later, Xu Yun finished off the last man with a swift upward kick, then exhaled deeply. “Whew, worked up a sweat.”

“You’re not even human!” Qin Wan’er’s jaw nearly dropped. Dozens of men, all flattened by Xu Yun’s fists and feet alone!

Xu Yun nearly rolled his eyes. “Is that any way to talk? Who isn’t human?”

“That’s not what I meant… I mean, you… you…” Qin Wan’er fumbled for words. “Are you even human?”

“Fine, I’m not human. If that’s what you want, I’ll leave.” Xu Yun stood and made for the door.

“I said that’s not what I meant! If you’re going to leave, at least untie me first!” Qin Wan’er snapped, “I need to use the restroom, hurry up and get me out of here!”

In her eyes, Xu Yun was clearly no ordinary ex-soldier. She was intensely curious about his real identity—his skills were simply terrifying.

Xu Yun stopped teasing her. He picked up a machete from the floor, strode over, and with a swift motion, sliced through the ropes binding her.

Freed at last, Qin Wan’er tore off the remaining ropes in a few hasty movements, glancing at Xu Yun. “Come with me to the restroom…”

Damn, what kind of invitation was this?