Watching the group of men gradually closing in on him, Lian Qiguang shut off his lightbrain, braced himself against the bar with one hand, staggered to his feet, and shook his head vigorously to clear his mind.
“Pretty girl, all alone? Want us big brothers to keep you company?” ” One of them stepped forward, gazing longingly at Lian Qiguang’s flushed face, his mind already running wild with fantasies of such a beauty beneath him.
“Kumu!!” With a startled cry, Feng Qingyang pushed through the crowd and rushed over, stepping in front of Lian Qiguang and glaring warily at the three men across from him.
“Kumu!”
“Kumu!!”
Qing Yi and Lan Qi had also spotted Lian Qiguang by then and quickly closed in around her.
“You’re here?” Lian Qiguang narrowed her eyes at the trio, massaging her temples as a dizzy spell washed over her, and spoke in a detached tone.
“I told you, you really didn’t drink enough!” Feng Qingyang glanced at the messy bar counter and couldn’t help but want to cover his face.
“Hmm, it was really good,” Lian Qiguang smacked his lips, as if savoring the taste. The three, who had never seen Lian Qiguang like this before, felt a bit dazed.
“Whoa, three more. Judging by the look on their faces, they must be fresh-faced newbies who haven’t tasted the good life yet, huh?” The three men looked at Qing Yi and her group and burst into laughter. A pair of shifty eyes, gleaming with malice, scanned the group from head to toe, their intentions all too clear.
“Pfft!” Qing Yi spat, glaring furiously at them. The revulsion welling up inside her made her want to slaughter them on the spot. “You bunch of perverts, get lost right now! Do you think I wouldn’t gouge your eyes out?”
“You’ve got quite the temper, but big brother here just loves that.”
“Hahaha…”
“You!” Qin Yi was both furious and exasperated, and though she couldn’t resist the urge to lash out, Lan Qi held her back.
“You’re so loud.” Lian Qiguang propped up his heavy head, pushed Qin Yi aside, and staggered forward. Worried, Qin Yi reached out to steady him, but Lian Qiguang shoved her away.
“Pretty girl, come on. I promise I won’t hurt you.” One of them swallowed hard, unable to resist reaching out a hand to touch Lian Qiguang’s face.
Just as that filthy hand was about to touch Lian Qiguang’s face, Lian Qiguang—who had been dazed and disoriented—suddenly raised his head, his dark eyes surging with a chilling, murderous intent.
A thin layer of frost spread from his hand, enveloping Lian Qiguang’s hand. Lian Qiguang seized the approaching filthy hand with one hand, and a chill surged through it instantly. Before the man could even react, his arm split open at a speed visible to the naked eye, then shattered into pieces on the ground.
Lian Qiguang swung his fist, slamming it hard into the man’s face. Instantly, there was a loud “crack,” and the upper and lower halves of the man’s face were violently dislocated. Watching the man’s terror as he tried to scream but couldn’t, Lian Qiguang kicked him in the abdomen, sending him flying several meters away and crashing onto a table, his condition unknown.
Lian Qiguang raised his eyes and glanced at the other two. In a flash, before Qing Yi and the others could even make out his movements, the two men crashed to the ground in unison, letting out pitiful screams.
Qing Yi and the others exchanged glances, each seeing astonishment in the others’ eyes. His movements were so fast they hadn’t even managed to see them—just how strong was he, exactly?
The commotion had startled the other patrons in the bar, who immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to look in the direction of the noise.
Lian Qiguang waved his hand, dispelling the frost from his hands, then walked unsteadily toward the bar with his head bowed.
“What’s going on!” A man in a gray suit walked over, frowned slightly as he looked at the three men lying on the floor, each missing an arm.
“Jing Ge! Help me!!” A man wailed, trying to grab the newcomer’s pants, but was dodged. “Jing Ge, these—these little bastards are ruining the party!! They start throwing punches at the slightest provocation—hurry up and arrest them! Kill them!!”
The man looked up at Qing Yi and her group, but they turned their questioning gazes toward Lian Qiguang. Faced with countless pairs of varied stares, Lian Qiguang remained as steady as a rock, leaning on the bar and swirling the drink in his glass.
“Hello, I’m the manager here. Could you please tell me what’s going on?” Realizing that Lian Qiguang was the leader of the group, the man stepped forward, nodded politely, and asked. After all, the man wasn’t as clueless as those three idiots on the floor; the intangible aura emanating from Lian Qiguang made it clear to him that this was someone he couldn’t afford to mess with.
Faced with the man’s question, Lian Qiguang didn’t even lift his head. With a blank expression, he brushed aside the red berries on the blanket, carefully pinched one, and popped it into his mouth.
Lan Qi cleared his throat and took two steps forward. “They were the ones who provoked us first. They had their eyes on our friend—not only did they speak rudely, but they also tried to get physical. If you don’t believe me, you can check the surveillance footage; I think it should back up what I’m saying.”
The man’s expression darkened as he cast a cold glance at the two men on the floor who were still conscious. “Is that how it happened?”
“Well…” The two men shifted their eyes nervously.
“Throw them out! They’re not allowed to set foot in Mi Ye again.” At Mi Ye, while things could be described as unsavory, everything was consensual—if someone didn’t agree, force was absolutely forbidden. That was precisely why Mi Ye was so popular.
“I’m truly sorry; this was our mistake tonight.” The man turned, bowed slightly toward Lian Qiguang, and said respectfully, “To make it up to you, all your expenses tonight will be on the house.”
The man’s deference surprised the onlookers around them, and they began to wonder about Lian Qiguang’s identity.
Lian Qiguang finally raised his eyes to look at the man in front of him. He mentally tallied up all the “fruit juice” he’d just consumed, and a sense of satisfaction immediately washed over him.
“Kumu, you can’t drink any more,” Lan Qi said, stepping forward two paces and firmly pressing down on Lian Qiguang’s hand as he reached for another glass, his brow furrowed.
“I…” Lian Qiguang was just about to speak when a deafening explosion rang out. The bar’s entrance was blown open, and a swarm of heavily armed Interstellar SWAT officers surged in. Chaos erupted inside the bar, giving way to a headache-inducing din.
“Don’t move! Stay where you are!” A sharp command rang out as a hundred gun barrels were instantly trained on everyone, quickly bringing the entire crowd under control.
Shortly after the Interstellar SWAT team secured the scene, a group of soldiers clad in black camouflage ran in. Their equipment and weapons were every bit as impressive—if not more so—than those of the Interstellar SWAT team.
“Ku Mu, what—what’s going on?” Feng Qingyang stared blankly at the events that had unfolded in an instant, still reeling from the sudden turn of events.
The man who had identified himself as the team leader was also left speechless, his head spinning. That speed, that equipment, that scale—it was simply beyond what Zone 3 could possess. Could it be Zone 2?
Lian Qiguang cast a casual glance at the fully armed military and police forces—a rough count put them at several hundred. He set down the wine glass Lan Qi had been holding for him, staggered to his feet, and watched them walk past with a blank expression, his eyes hazy with drunkenness.
“Kumu…” Seeing Lian Qiguang walk out, Qing Yi grew anxious and reached out to pull him back, but the very next second, she froze in her tracks.
“Greetings, Young Master Lian!” A hundred people saluted in unison, calling out to Lian Qiguang.
“I must say, Little Guangguang, you’ve really got some nerve! Huh?” Xiahou Luoyu, shouldering a weapon, strode in with swagger, his tone tinged with exasperation.
“You actually dare to come to a place like this! Do you even know what this place is?” Xiahou Luoyu walked up beside Lian Qiguang, poked him on the forehead, and snapped. “I was still sleeping when that little brat woke me up with an emergency order. I snatched one of the old man’s spaceships and bolted right out of the Xiahou family compound. Can’t you give me a break?! Do you have any idea how scared you scared that little brat?”
‘Xiahou family!!’ Everyone who heard those three words was instantly left dumbfounded. The Xiahou family? Which Xiahou family? It couldn’t possibly be the one in District One… could it…?
“Click!” Ice spikes rapidly formed in his hand as Lian Qiguang shot Xiahou Luoyu a cold glance. Shivering under Lian Qiguang’s stare, Xiahou Luoyu quickly pulled back the hand that had been tapping his forehead and stumbled backward.
“Don’t get mad. I’ll just stay away from you.” Xiahou Luoyu spread her arms wide, her smile stiff and forced.
“I’m just here to have a drink. What’s there to be nervous about?” Lian Qiguang held his head, which was spinning, and reached out to rest his hand on a SWAT officer’s shoulder, causing the officer to stiffen instantly in fright.
“Me, nervous? What am I nervous about?” Xiahou Luoyu snorted coldly. “You’d better get in touch with that little brat Shao Xuan right away. I bet he’s going crazy with worry by now.”
Lian Qiguang shook his head vigorously and staggered toward Xiahou Luoyu.
“Hey, hey! Be careful! ” Dizzy from Lian Qiguang’s swaying, Xiahou Luoyu hurried forward to steady him. Lian Qiguang felt a wave of nausea wash over him and immediately doubled over in discomfort.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Before I left, the old man told me to ask when you’d have time to come home—he wants to see you. ”Recalling Xiahou Jue’s strange look as he left, Xiahou Luoyu felt nothing but confusion.
“Who’s ‘the old man’?” Lian Qiguang looked at Xiahou Luoyu dazedly; his dazed expression instantly made Xiahou Luoyu’s nose start to bleed. If she weren’t afraid of Lian Qiguang’s insane combat prowess, she would’ve pounced on him and given him a good squeeze long ago.
“Grandpa.”
“Hmm, in a couple of days.” Lian Qiguang’s mind cleared a bit; he figured Xiahou Shaoxuan must have already told Xiahou Jue what had happened.
“Let’s go! I’ll take you back to school. And tie up this bunch of fucking bastards who dared to bully my little Qiguang and throw them in jail!!” Xiahou Luoyu swept her arm dramatically, exuding sheer dominance.
“No need.” Lian Qiguang shook his head impassively. “They’ve already been dealt with.”
Xiahou Luoyu followed Lian Qiguang’s gaze and saw the three men lying unconscious on the floor; she snorted coldly.
“Tie them up and haul them away!”
“Yes, ma’am!!”
“All of them?” Lian Qiguang turned around and looked impassively at the three stunned members of the Qingyi trio.
“No need!!” The three shook their heads in unison.
“Let’s go! Don’t drag this out.” Xiahou Luoyu pursed her lips and, supporting Lian Qiguang, led him out of the bar.
A SWAT officer walked over to the manager and asked coldly, “How much is Young Master Lian’s bill?”
“Uh…” The man froze for a moment, then, once he regained his composure, waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no need! He… Young Master Lian was startled here, so these charges are on the house.”
“Mark my words: if Young Master Lian ever comes back, shut the door on him immediately.” Thinking of the lady of the house, he was about to say to “attend to him properly,” but quickly changed his tune.
“Yes! Yes!!”
“Withdraw!!”
“Yes!!”
Watching the military and police march away in orderly formation, the man wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow; his legs were still trembling slightly.
‘Thank goodness! Thank goodness he recognized Lian Qiguang’s extraordinary status and has started to tone down his attitude. Otherwise, I’m afraid Mi Ye would have been wiped out without a chance to escape.’
“Wait, where’s Mi Xiaobao?” Feng Qingyang snapped back to his senses and suddenly realized someone seemed to be missing, a chill running down his spine.
“Huh? Didn’t he come with us?” Lan Qi was taken aback.
“I lost track of him along the way.”
“Is there anything I can do to help you?” The man walked up to Qingyi and asked respectfully.
“We have another friend. He…”
“Qingyi, don’t look for him anymore.” Feng Qingyang looked at the lightbrain in his hand, let out a sigh of relief, and reached out to stop Qingyi.
Qingyi opened the lightbrain and saw an unread message from Mi Xiaobao: “I’m already home. No need to worry about me.”
“That chubby Mi Xiaobao! I’m definitely going to give him a piece of my mind when we get back to school tomorrow!”
“As long as he’s okay, let’s go.”
In a lavishly decorated room, Mi Xiaobao lay naked on a magnificent king-size bed, his little round face flushed bright red as he wailed loudly.
A handsome man, blinking his devilishly alluring fox-like eyes with a smirk on his lips, set Mi Xiaobao’s lightbrain aside and leaned in to pin him down.
“Little chubby, big brother’s going to keep playing the game with you.”
“No! I don’t want to play games anymore!!! I want to go home!!”
“This is your home.”
“No!! No!! You stinking pervert, you sicko!! Let me go!!”
“Hehe… Little Chubby, you’re so cute.”
“You’re not cute at all, you sicko… Ahhh! No!!!”