"Cut the crap! If you've got guts, fight me one-on-one!" Shawn Young glanced at the burly thugs surrounding him and nervously swallowed.
"Hehehe, a duel? Do you even qualify? Kid, are you itching to watch me * this little beauty right here!" Juice King seemed to enjoy putting on a live show for the crowd.
"Screw you, you sick freak!" Shawn snapped back without hesitation.
"Beat him up! But don’t kill him—leave him breathing so he can see what it means for a beauty to eat a banana." Juice King sneered, waving at the Blue Wolf Syndicate thugs. He then turned away, grabbed Lilian Grace by the mouth with one hand, and started fumbling in his pants for his wicked weapon with the other.
Five burly Blue Wolf Syndicate thugs circled Shawn, cracking their necks and flexing their fists, grinning wickedly as if he were nothing more than a lamb ready for slaughter.
Bang—crash! Suddenly, the factory doors burst open as three guys with faces smeared red and black like demons stormed in, weapons in hand, howling like maniacs. No doubt, it was Alex Easton, Danny Dean, and Jake Jewel.
"Don’t be scared, Third Bro! We’re here to help! Bros, charge!" Alex Easton shouted, charging ahead with half a brick in his right hand and a fistful of dirt in his left, already up in the faces of the thugs surrounding Shawn.
"Hmph! Freaks pretending to be tough—looking for trouble!" one thug snorted, lunging at Alex. Quick as a flash, Alex flung the dirt in his left hand at the thug’s face—who instinctively blocked, but still got a faceful of grit, leaving him blinking and blinded.
Alex’s sneak attack landed, and he let out a wild yell, smashing the brick onto the thug’s head—thud! The guy’s eyes rolled back as a spray of blood trickled down his face. Alex seized the moment, driving his knee hard into the thug’s crotch. The guy let out a pig-like howl, collapsing and clutching his groin, rolling on the ground in agony.
Unable to help himself, Alex threw up a victory sign with two fingers and cheered, "Hell yeah! One down!"
The other four thugs were furious, their faces twisted with murderous intent. They dropped any hint of carelessness, and before Alex Easton could celebrate, one of them landed a heavy kick, sending him sprawling to the ground. The remaining three immediately swarmed him, fists and feet flying. Alex curled up, arms shielding his head, but he was quickly beaten into submission.
"Boss, we're here!" Danny Dean and Jake Jewel charged in, each wielding an iron pipe, and dove straight into the fray. They swung at the four thugs, and soon both sides were tangled in a wild brawl.
Shawn Young wanted to jump in and help, but then he heard Lilian Grace let out a sharp cry. He looked over and saw Juice King had already whipped out his disgusting weapon, one hand prying open Lilian’s mouth, ready to shove it in. Lilian squeezed her eyes shut, desperately turning her head to resist.
A surge of rage shot through Shawn’s spine, flooding his whole body. Suddenly, he felt a strange power well up inside him. Without thinking, he leapt into the air and aimed a vicious kick right at Juice King’s head, his strength and momentum ferocious.
“Whoa—Astral Qi?” Juice King felt the force coming at him and twisted his body to the side, barely dodging Shawn’s furious kick.
"Heh, kid, didn’t expect you to have Astral Qi! I totally underestimated you. Well, looks like I’ll have to play with you for real today." Juice King stuffed his wicked weapon back into his pants, and Shawn glanced down—turns out the creep wasn’t even wearing underwear!
"You sicko—no underwear? You’re disgusting! Go to hell!" Shawn roared, charging at Juice King. He felt a wild power surging inside him, suddenly full of confidence, and for once he launched the attack.
"Oh, you’ve got power but no skill! Heh, turns out you’re just a rookie looking to get smacked down!" Juice King saw Shawn’s sloppy stance and, with all his experience, instantly sized up Shawn’s real strength.
Juice King didn’t retreat—instead, he stepped forward, meeting Shawn’s charge. His hands flashed out like lightning, fingers curled like a snake’s fangs, aiming for Shawn’s chest at two vital points. He was using the Gate-Cleaving Twin Blades move from the Mantis Strike Fist.
"Crap—this is bad!" Shawn could clearly see Juice King’s claws coming for him. He tried to dodge, but his body wouldn’t respond fast enough, so he twisted to the side—bam! bam!—taking two heavy hits.
"Ah!" A wave of sharp, burning pain shot through Shawn’s waist, spreading across his whole body. He was sent flying several meters, and where the Gate-Cleaving Twin Blades struck, two bloody holes opened up, fresh blood gushing out. The pain snapped Shawn’s mind into focus.
"Son of a—this guy’s a monster!" Shawn realized Juice King wasn’t just strong—he was a total freak. He’d barely touched Shawn, and already Shawn was bleeding like crazy.
Juice King grinned, his eyes cold and cruel. "You’ve got Astral Qi, but you’re a total amateur. You think you can mess with me? Dream on!"
Shawn gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain. He struggled to his feet, blood dripping down his waist. He glared at Juice King, refusing to back down.
Juice King lunged again, this time using Kirin Step. His body twisted and spun, moving so fast he left afterimages behind. Shawn couldn’t keep up—Juice King was already in front of him, hands slicing down like blades.
Shawn barely managed to block with his arms, but Juice King’s hands slammed into him, sending him flying again. He crashed into a wall, spitting blood.
Shawn’s mind buzzed, but he forced himself to focus. "I can’t lose—I have to protect Lilian!"
Juice King sneered, "Still got some fight left, huh? Let’s see how long you last!" He charged again, this time using Heavenward Seal. His palm glowed with a strange light, aiming right for Shawn’s forehead.
Shawn tried to dodge, but Juice King was too fast. The glowing palm slammed into his head, and Shawn felt like his skull was splitting open. He staggered, vision blurring.
"Not bad, you survived that. But let’s see you handle this!" Juice King’s fingers twisted in a weird pattern, and he shouted, "Dragon Binding Spell!"
A wave of invisible force wrapped around Shawn, squeezing him tight. He couldn’t move at all, like he’d been trapped by chains.
"Damn it—what is this?" Shawn struggled, but the more he fought, the tighter the force squeezed. He felt like his bones might snap.
Juice King laughed, "Give up already! You’re nothing but a bug to me!"
Shawn’s vision dimmed, his strength fading. He could hear Lilian screaming in the distance, but he couldn’t move at all.