Chapter Forty: A New Beginning

The group of underlings hadn’t even grasped what was happening—how had their conversation suddenly exploded into violence? And even if things were going to get physical, wasn’t it supposed to be their side, with the greater numbers, that made the first move? How did that guy across the table dare to start it?

Not only did Lin Lei dare, but after his first blow, he picked up a steaming teapot from the table, walked over to Xue Lei, planted a foot firmly on the wolf-head tattoo on his chest, and poured the hot tea straight down onto him.

A scream like a pig being slaughtered tore through the air. The scalding water, somewhere between sixty and seventy degrees, jolted the unconscious Xue Lei awake in an instant. The underlings around them, however, still didn’t dare to make a move.

They only had limited information. All they knew was that Lin Lei had once been Xue Lei’s boss. Now that Xue Lei had been subdued and their leader was down, none of them dared to act rashly. After all, most of them were just high schoolers. In a brawl, they relied on someone to take the lead for everyone to charge together. Having witnessed Lin Lei’s ferocity, not a single one dared to risk it.

Once he’d roused Xue Lei with the tea, Lin Lei raised his hand and landed another slap, knocking out one of Xue Lei’s front teeth. Then he spoke coldly, “I told you back then to study more, but you insisted on running with the gangs. And what’s come of it? You don’t even understand the meaning of respecting the dead! Do you believe I won’t send you to the afterlife right now, to atone to my parents?”

After all, this was a man who’d fought his way through tens of thousands of corpses—the aura he carried was so oppressive that none of the street punks dared utter a word.

“Kid’s got guts! Everyone, get him—beat him to death!” Brother Long, who’d just arrived from the back, saw Xue Lei pinned underfoot and didn’t care about the details. He immediately called for his men to attack.

If it had been someone whose background he didn’t know, Brother Long might have hesitated. But Lin Lei? He knew him well—a nobody with no real influence. Even if he died, no one would stand up for him.

“You bastard! I’ll kill you!” Xue Lei had been stunned by the first blow, but now, with Brother Long’s backup, he finally regained his senses. Shouting obscenities, he struggled to get up from the floor.

Yet Lin Lei kept him pinned with one foot, and even as the others began to close in, he showed no intention of letting go.

A bunch of small-time thugs, with neither the strength nor speed to pose any threat, were no match for Lin Lei. He floored them one by one with a single punch each. In less than a minute, a dozen were groaning on the ground, and that was only because Lin Lei hadn’t even moved from his spot—every blow was a mere reaction.

There were still quite a few punks lurking around, but after witnessing Lin Lei’s savagery, none dared advance.

At last, Xue Lei realized just how terrifying Lin Lei was. He lay still on the ground, feigning death, not daring to make a sound.

Brother Long had long since vanished—no one knew if he’d run off or gone to call for reinforcements, but it hardly mattered. Lin Lei didn’t care. Having subdued the group, he hauled Xue Lei up and said, “After all, we were classmates once. I don’t recall ever wronging you, and we even got along pretty well back then. Now, after all this time, we meet again, and just because I called you by your old nickname, you insult my deceased parents? Is this what passes for brotherhood on the streets these days?”

Had the subject come up by accident, Lin Lei wouldn’t have been angry. But Xue Lei had known full well that his parents had passed away three years ago, and still brought it up deliberately. That was what truly enraged him.

“I’m sorry, I was wrong,” Xue Lei muttered, forced to bow his head under the circumstances.

Looking at the groaning figures scattered across the floor, Lin Lei suddenly felt that arguing with a gang of thugs was pointless. He stood, settled the bill, and left.

He didn’t utter another word or spare his old classmate a single glance. Perhaps there was simply no need.

Because of the fight in the hotpot restaurant, Boss Pan had to close down once again. But this time it all ended so quickly that he didn’t even have time to call the police.

As for Brother Long, he proved himself a bit shrewder—he took the initiative to compensate Boss Pan for the damages. After all, most of those who’d joined the fight had rushed over from the neighboring bathhouse, his own men. If he didn’t appease the hotpot place, and Boss Pan called the police, his bathhouse would be forced to close as well.

Whether or not Boss Pan would ultimately benefit from this misfortune, perhaps escaping Brother Long’s attempts to seize his shares, had nothing to do with Lin Lei anymore.

After witnessing Lin Lei’s terrifying strength, Brother Long instantly abandoned any thoughts of revenge. Thugs in a small county like this were no different from the old-time ruffians—bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. Even if he still seethed, the only people left to vent his anger on were his own relatives.

After three years of seclusion at home, Lin Lei finally took a stroll outside, only to find the streets he once knew had become unfamiliar. Even the people he used to know had changed.

All the fond memories had faded away, leaving only sadness and estrangement. Perhaps it was time for a new city, a new environment, the start of a new life.

More importantly, this city was just too small, offering no real opportunities. If he wanted to make enough money and exchange for more contribution points, he’d have to try his luck in a big city.

So, on his way home, Lin Lei found a real estate agency and decided to put his house up for sale.

A four-hundred-square-meter standalone villa, especially one near a school, would have no trouble selling. Soon, a salesperson inspected the property and offered him 2.8 million.

Lin Lei agreed, signed the contract, left his bank account information and the property deed with the agency, and entrusted the entire sale to them. He packed up his essential belongings into his system space, and the next morning bought a train ticket heading south, setting out on a new journey.

An County’s train station was small, and most of the trains that stopped there were slow, the so-called “green trains.” As he’d been in a rush, Lin Lei hadn’t managed to buy a sleeper ticket, so he had to settle for a hard seat, planning to see if he could upgrade to a sleeper once he was on board.

Whether or not he’d need to do so depended entirely on his seatmate. After all, the trip was only a little over eight hours. If he found himself seated next to a pretty girl, they could chat about life and dreams, and the time would fly by.

But if he ended up surrounded by a bunch of rough, burly men, then it’d be best to pay for the peace and quiet of a sleeper.

It seemed luck wasn’t on Lin Lei’s side. After boarding, he found his seat next to a middle-aged man who’d already taken off his shoes, one foot propped up on Lin Lei’s seat, with a half-eaten cup of instant noodles on the table. The pungent smell defied description.

Clearly, he’d have to wait for the conductor to come by and then upgrade to a sleeper.

But Lin Lei wasn’t about to put up with the man’s bad manners. He promptly placed his suitcase right on his own seat.

“Hey, kid, what do you think you’re doing? Either put your suitcase under the seat or up on the luggage rack!” the man complained, clearly displeased. When Lin Lei set the case down, it had nearly landed on his foot.

“I’ll be leaving soon enough. No point in dragging it back and forth,” Lin Lei replied.

Even if he didn’t sit there himself, he wasn’t about to indulge someone else’s bad habits.

The man glanced at Lin Lei, perhaps realizing his own behavior was out of line, and quickly put his shoes back on, then leaned against the window without another word.

Just then, a young woman boarded the train car. She had a good figure, but her face was sprinkled with faint freckles, which somewhat diminished her looks. Still, she was above average—after all, it was rare these days to see a natural beauty without any makeup.

As Lin Lei looked at her, he found her somewhat familiar, yet couldn’t quite recall where he’d seen her before.