The day passed, and the group left one by one, until only Danny, Colleen, and Gu Xing remained in the hall. The place felt much quieter now, the earlier tension replaced by a calm, almost empty atmosphere.
Danny looked at Gu Xing and asked, "Coach, do you know why they distracted us?"
"No idea," Gu Xing replied plainly.
Danny blinked, slightly caught off guard by the blunt answer, but didn't press further.
Colleen then stepped forward, her expression more serious. "Then what should we do, Coach?"
Gu Xing leaned back slightly, thinking for a moment before answering. "If it were that simple, I'd tell you to get stronger," he said, glancing at both of them. "But that's not something you can achieve overnight."
He paused before continuing, his tone turning more practical. "So instead, investigate. Find out where they'll appear next, gather the group, and then call me."
Danny and Colleen looked at each other, silently exchanging thoughts before nodding.
"Got it, Coach," Danny said.
Without wasting more time, the two of them left the hall, the door closing softly behind them.
Now alone, Gu Xing watched their retreating figures for a moment before his expression gradually turned thoughtful.
"The Hand…" he muttered under his breath. "Is it connected with the Axe Gang?"
He recalled what they had said about the fight—especially the man with the scarred face who could shoot fireballs.
"…Isn't that Fire Scar?"
If that was really him, then this situation was far more complicated than it first appeared.
Gu Xing exhaled, feeling a slight headache coming on. "What a hassle."
Unlike the others, he wasn't willing to just wait for things to unfold. If something was moving in the shadows, then he would rather find it himself.
Making up his mind, he grabbed a black hoodie and put it on, followed by a black face mask to cover his face. After turning off the lights, he stepped outside and locked the hall.
With that, he headed out into the night, deciding to investigate on his own.
With his speed, he moved across rooftops, using parkour to travel through the chinatown while searching for any leads on the Axe Gang.
Surprisingly, he didn't find anyone. It was as if they had completely disappeared.
"Huh…"
His gaze shifted toward an alleyway. There, he spotted two men in tuxedos, both armed, standing guard over a door.
Slowly peeking from above, he observed more closely and saw people entering from time to time.
"So this is where you're hiding."
Without hesitation, he dropped down silently, landing precisely on top of one guard. Before the other could react, he quickly stepped in and knocked him out with a clean strike.
Both men collapsed.
Gu Xing dragged their bodies to the corner, hiding them from sight, before turning his attention to the door.
He pushed it open and entered.
What greeted him was a long, dim hallway.
"…Creepy."
He moved forward cautiously, passing by several doors on both sides. As he advanced, faint noises grew louder.
Voices. Laughter. Chaos.
At the end of the hallway, he saw a group of people—dozens of them.
They were playing cards, drinking, and some even harassing women without restraint.
Gu Xing's expression darkened slightly.
He was about to find another route when suddenly, a door behind him creaked open.
A man stepped out, casually zipping his pants—only to freeze when he saw Gu Xing.
"Hey!" he shouted, immediately reaching for his gun.
Gu Xing reacted instantly. He kicked the man's hand before the gun could be raised, then followed with a spinning back kick straight to the head.
Thud!
The gangster dropped on the spot.
But the noise—
Was heard.
"Someone's here!"
The room erupted into alert.
Gu Xing paused for a second, then sighed.
"…What a stealth mission."
He rolled his shoulders slightly.
"In the end, I still have to brawl it out."
A small grin appeared on his face.
"Then let's just cause some mayhem."
The nearest gang member rushed forward and threw a punch, but Gu Xing easily dodged and countered with an uppercut. Another came from the side—he responded with a sharp sidekick, sending the man crashing back.
More enemies rushed in.
Gu Xing moved fluidly between them, striking fast and clean, each hit precise and efficient.
Then—he heard it.
Guns are being drawn.
He knew what was coming.
Even if he was confident he could take the hits, he still preferred not to.
Grabbing one gangster, he pulled him in front as a shield just as gunfire erupted. Bullets struck the man instead as Gu Xing charged forward, closing the distance and slamming into the shooters, sending them flying.
The fight escalated.
One against many.
Yet Gu Xing moved like he was in control of everything, his martial arts overwhelming the gang members one by one.
Bodies dropped.
Groans filled the hall.
The commotion quickly reached upstairs.
A door slammed open.
A figure stepped out.
Scarred face. Burning gaze.
Fire Scar.
"A rat…" he sneered. "I'll burn you!"
He threw a fireball without hesitation.
Gu Xing didn't dodge.
Instead, he gathered his chi into his fist and punched forward.
The fireball exploded on impact, dispersing into waves of hot air.
Heat spread across the hall.
Gu Xing smirked.
"Long time no see, torch boy."
Without waiting, he stepped forward, using the gang members around him as stepping stones. He kicked off one, then another—
And leapt.
In a single motion, he reached the balcony.
Landing right in front of Fire Scar.
"Boo."
Gu Xing said it lightly before suddenly grabbing Fire Scar by the throat.
He lifted him with one hand, suspending him in the air like he weighed nothing.
"What's your connection with the Hand?" he asked calmly.
"Ughk!" Fire Scar struggled, his legs kicking and arms flailing wildly as he tried to pry Gu Xing's grip loose.
The gang members below saw this and immediately raised their guns, aiming straight at Gu Xing's back.
Gu Xing glanced at them briefly, then shifted his position slightly—placing Fire Scar directly in their line of fire.
"Shoot," Gu Xing said calmly.
Fire Scar's eyes widened in panic.
The gang members hesitated, looking at each other, unsure.
Fire Scar suddenly pulled out a lighter from his sleeve, trying to ignite it—
But before he could, Gu Xing's hand snapped forward and grabbed his wrist.
Crack!
Gu Xing broke it without hesitation.
"AAARGH!" Fire Scar screamed in pain, his body twitching violently.
The gang members grew tense, but one of them quickly reacted and pulled out a firelighter, igniting it.
The moment the flame appeared—
Fire Scar's eyes lit up.
Even through the pain, he controlled the fire, drawing it upward from below, sending a stream of flames rushing toward Gu Xing.
Gu Xing didn't panic.
He simply raised his hand and waved it forward.
The incoming fire dispersed instantly, breaking apart into scattered heat before fading into nothing.
"…Party tricks."
The surrounding gangsters froze.
Fear crept into their expressions.
This was no normal opponent.
Gu Xing then tightened his grip slightly before knocking Fire Scar unconscious with a clean strike.
His body went limp.
Gu Xing slung him over his shoulder like a sack and calmly walked down from the upper floor.
Step by step.
No one dared to stop him.
The gang members parted silently, watching him pass.
Gu Xing approached a nearby telephone and picked it up, dialing the police.
Ring. Ring.
"Yeah," he said casually, "a group of criminals is hiding here at…"
Before he could finish, the gangsters panicked and started running out the door, scrambling to escape.
Gu Xing glanced at them and smiled faintly.
He hung up the phone after finishing the report.
Then he walked out of the building, carrying Fire Scar with him.
Moving quickly, he headed toward an abandoned construction site not far away.
Once there, he dropped Fire Scar onto the ground.
Dust scattered slightly on impact.
Gu Xing looked around, then casually pulled a random chair over and sat down.
Resting his chin on his hand—
Waiting.
For Fire Scar to wake up.