Ye Qiu had rushed over in such a hurry that he was still wearing his care worker uniform. With his delicate, youthful features, he looked little more than a student. But right now, his face was twisted with rage, his eyes blazing with icy killing intent.
"Brother Lei, he's here," Guo Shaocong said with a smirk.
Lei Hu turned and saw Ye Qiu walking in. He let go of Qian Jinglan's hair and snorted. "I'll deal with you after I finish your son."
Qian Jinglan's eyes locked onto Ye Qiu. She screamed at the top of her lungs: "Qiu'er, run! They're gonna kill you!"
"Get him!"
Lei Hu feared Ye Qiu might flee. With a single order, the thugs holding wooden clubs swarmed forward and surrounded him.
Ye Qiu ignored them all. His gaze settled on his mother's face, and he asked softly but urgently: "Mom, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Qiu'er, go — they're gonna kill you —"
Slap!
Lei Hu backhanded Qian Jinglan across the face. "Shut up, or I'll kill you right now."
In an instant, Ye Qiu's eyes snapped to Lei Hu. His voice was ice-cold: "You hit my mother. You're dead meat."
Lei Hu glanced at Ye Qiu and was jolted by the endless bloodlust in his eyes. For a split second, he felt as if he wasn't staring at a young nobody, but at a ferocious, primordial beast. In less than two seconds, cold sweat soaked through his back.
Then he laughed it off.
He's just a powerless little care worker with no connections. Why the hell am I scared of him?
Lei Hu sneered: "Kid, I suggest you kill yourself quick. Save yourself the pain. Otherwise, Young Master Guo will cripple you first, then torture you to death slow."
Only then did Ye Qiu turn his gaze to Guo Shaocong — still brimming with murderous rage.
He was furious. Furious beyond measure. Guo Shaocong had dared to kidnap his mother. He had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed.
"Ye Qiu, I didn't think you'd actually have the guts to show up," Guo Shaocong said casually, almost pleased. He clearly thought revenge was finally within reach.
"What the hell do you want?" Ye Qiu said coldly.
"You ask what I want? Are you stupid? Why else would I lure you here? For revenge, of course!" Guo Shaocong's smile twisted into a vicious snarl. "Ye Qiu, you broke my knees and my arms. Today, I'm gonna pay you back double."
"You think a bunch of losers like this can take me down?" Ye Qiu curled his lip in contempt. He didn't see these men as a threat at all.
Once, facing this many thugs, Ye Qiu would have been nothing but a punching bag. But now he had opened his Ren and Du meridians. He was confident he could handle these small-time hoodlums.
"Big talk for someone about to die. Let's see how tough you really are!" Lei Hu shouted. "Number Two, go cripple him!"
A young thug stepped forward from the crowd, swinging a baseball bat at Ye Qiu. He sneered arrogantly: "Which part d'you want broken first? Left leg? Right leg? Or… your third leg?"
"Hahaha!"
The other thugs burst into laughter.
Ye Qiu shot him a glance and spat: "Trash."
"The hell you say! You're dead and still running your mouth!" The young thug raised the bat and swung it hard at Ye Qiu's head.
"Qiu'er, look out!"
Qian Jinglan burst into tears and turned her head away, unable to watch the bloodshed she thought was coming.
Yet the bat stopped cold — twenty centimeters from Ye Qiu's skull.
The thug stared in shock. Ye Qiu had caught the other end of the bat with one hand.
"Not bad reflexes," the thug laughed, yanking hard.
But the bat was rooted in Ye Qiu's grip, completely immovable no matter how hard the thug pulled.
"That all you got? Charging in first just to be cannon fodder?"
Ye Qiu twisted his wrist slightly and tore the bat free. He swung it back and slammed it into the thug's chest.
Bang!
The young man flew backward like a ragdoll, crashing over ten meters away. He spat up a mouthful of blood and collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Everyone froze in horror.
Guo Shaocong gaped as if he'd seen a ghost. "When the hell did he get this strong?!"
Lei Hu's face turned dark and grim.
Unknown to everyone else, Ye Qiu himself was stunned.
He had only used fifty percent of his strength with that swing, and the thug had gone flying and blacked out. What would happen if he used his full power?
He probably would've killed the guy.
Ye Qiu's confidence surged. He pointed the bat at Lei Hu and shouted coldly: "Come here and die."
"You think taking down one flunky changes anything? I'll tell you this — two fists can't beat a hundred hands. No matter how strong you are, you're dead today!" Lei Hu roared at his men. "Brothers, attack! Take him out!"
"Got it!"
The thugs shouted bravely, but not a single one moved forward.
Watching their comrade get sent flying with one hit had made one thing clear: whoever charged first would end up just like him — or worse.
None of them wanted to be the first to die.
Guo Shaocong snorted in disgust. "Brother Lei, look at your men. A bunch of cowards."
"Young Master Guo, don't blame 'em. That kid's swing was brutal. We just need to give 'em a little motivation."
"What are you saying?"
Lei Hu grinned. "Big rewards bring brave men."
Guo Shaocong understood at once. "Anyone who helps me kill Ye Qiu gets an extra ten thousand yuan!"
In an instant, the thugs charged like they were on stimulants, screaming wildly as they rushed Ye Qiu.
What followed was nothing short of surreal.
Ye Qiu swung the bat wildly. Every thug who came near him was sent flying, like baseballs launched over ten meters through the air, spitting blood and passing out.
In less than three minutes, all a dozen thugs lay motionless on the ground.
Guo Shaocong was dumbstruck.
This… this isn't human.
Lei Hu stared in disbelief.
Just how damn good is he at fighting?
Even Qian Jinglan stared at her son in shock, her mind reeling with one thought: Is this really my son? When did Qiu'er become this powerful?
"Not one of you can fight. All worthless trash." Ye Qiu turned the bat toward the pale, trembling Lei Hu. "What's your name?"
"L-Lei Hu," he stammered, a cold dread creeping up his spine.
"Tell me — how do you want to die?"