Ryan Ling’s shout was so fierce it sounded even louder than thunder, and in that instant everyone’s heart trembled—especially the old martial artists, who couldn’t help but grip each other’s hands. This was the moment they’d waited for far too long.
The Fan Family has plagued this city for ages, ruining countless lives. Dealing out the harshest punishment to all of them would be nothing less than justice.
But just then, an elderly woman and several young mothers—dragging kids with them—rushed over in a panic. A few of the children, only three or four years old, started crying at the sight.
"Hero, I beg you! The Fan Family has committed countless crimes, and my worthless sons deserve no forgiveness. But for the sake of their young children, please spare their lives! I’m just a woman, but I’ll gladly die in their place!" Without hesitation, the old woman knelt before Ryan Ling.
The other women, eyes red with tears, also knelt down. No doubt—the old lady was the mother of the Three Fan Brothers, and these women and children were their wives and kids.
Ryan Ling’s heart was tough—he knew that as Lord Yama’s son, he should enforce the law without mercy. But faced with this scene, he couldn’t help but feel moved. Seeing those terrified, sobbing kids, most of his killing intent melted away.
The rest of the crowd also felt a wave of forgiveness rise in their hearts. After all, this was a school—a place for teaching, not slaughter. And with Percy Fan dead, the worst villain was already gone.
But right then, a black car suddenly burst through the crowd, ignoring everyone’s safety. People screamed as it rolled in—a strange vehicle, stamped with a huge azure dragon emblem. Four men in black suits and sunglasses stepped out as if they owned the place, striding right into the chaos.
Ryan Ling frowned, feeling seriously annoyed.
Just as he was about to say something, Jason Lin beside him broke out in a cold sweat and whispered, "Azure Dragon Society? Why—why are they here?"
The martial artists nearby were all shaken—they clearly knew who these guys were. For a moment, no one dared say a word. It was obvious the Azure Dragon Society was even scarier than Percy Fan, and their level of terror was on a whole different scale.
"Who are these Azure Dragon Society people, anyway?" Ryan Ling still looked baffled.
"This group is super mysterious. They started out in a mountain area out west, but for some reason they’ve exploded in the last few years—kept expanding, and now they’re the top dogs in the provincial capital. Politicians and business bigshots all scramble to join; just the membership fee alone is a hundred million!" Jason Lin only knew the basics—he clearly didn’t have the full picture.
But seeing how tense he was, and looking at the crowd’s reaction, Ryan Ling instantly realized: the Azure Dragon Society was not to be messed with.
Still, even so, if push came to shove, Ryan Ling wasn’t afraid. No matter how ruthless these guys were—could they really be worse than his old man?
Thinking of that, Ryan Ling just snorted—his mood instantly flipping from annoyed to chill. System popup: [Confidence +100, Fear -100]
"These three—we, the Azure Dragon Society, are taking them under our protection. You’re not allowed to touch them, and we’re taking them away right now!" The guys in sunglasses didn’t care about the crowd’s shock, and didn’t even acknowledge Ryan Ling or his crew. As soon as they finished speaking, they moved to take Jackson Fan and the others away.
"Did I ever say they could leave?" Ryan Ling was instantly ticked off. He’d felt pity before—he didn’t want kids to lose their dads, or old folks to lose their sons. But these guys just barged in, acting all high and mighty, trying to snatch people away? No way he’d agree. And Ryan had already noticed: the Three Fan Brothers were way more scared of the Azure Dragon Society than of him, shrinking next to their families and trembling as they stared at the newcomers.
"Bro!" Jason Lin blurted out, voice tight with worry.
The rest of the crowd stared at Ryan Ling. Maybe Jason Lin didn’t know, but the Azure Dragon Society also had a nickname: the Immortal Society. Never mind the rest—their miracle pills handed out to members were legendary. Some made people invulnerable to blades and bullets, some gave monstrous strength, some even brought people back from the dead or extended lifespan. That’s why their pills sold for insane prices on the provincial black market; bosses from neighboring provinces would even fight for them at auctions.
Now, thinking back to Percy Fan’s resurrection and his big talk about living another hundred years—it actually might have something to do with the Azure Dragon Society.
But right now, none of that mattered. Ryan Ling’s words had clearly struck a nerve with the Azure Dragon Society guys.
"What did you just say? Say it again if you’ve got the guts!" One of the Azure Dragon Society members pretended not to hear, cupping his hand to his ear.
"Just now, their wives and kids begged for mercy, so I was about to let them off. But you clowns just crash in, acting all high and mighty, trying to snatch people away? Not happening!" Ryan Ling looked at their smug faces, disgust rising like bile.
"Well, you’ve got guts. Guess it’s true what they say—heroes are always young. This is the first time I’ve heard anyone dare say no to the Azure Dragon Society. What’s your name?" The guy sneered.
"You think you’re worthy to know my name?" Ryan Ling shot them a look that could kill.
"What did you say?" The guy was clearly pissed off, yanking off his sunglasses to reveal a glare full of menace.
"Enough, kid. Don’t think you’re hot stuff just because you took down Percy Fan. There’s always someone stronger out there—don’t get too cocky!" Another Azure Dragon Society member walked over. His words sounded gentle, but his eyes were ice cold.
"If young people aren't cocky, are they even young?" Ryan Ling shot back, not even sparing the Azure Dragon Society guys a glance. He spun toward the Three Fan Brothers: "Listen up. For your mom's sake, I'll spare you—but you gotta scrap your inner strength, cough up all your loot to the families you screwed, and stay out of trouble for good!"
Hearing this, Jackson Fan and the others weren’t scared—instead, their faces lit up with relief. They quickly kowtowed and said, "We’re willing to abolish our inner strength, donate all our assets, and leave Harbor City for good, living in hiding!"
Ryan Ling had run a hundred simulations in his head before making this call. System prompt: [Public anger -99, Family reunion +99, Fan Brothers: Behavior—forced to behave, Evil—locked].
The crowd nodded at Ryan’s decision. Given the situation, this was clearly the best way to handle the Fan Family.
But the Azure Dragon Society guys all jumped up when they heard this.
"If you dare cripple their inner strength, you’re making an enemy of the Azure Dragon Society. You can forget about leaving here alive today."
"Kid, do you even know what happens if you go against the Azure Dragon Society? Hurry up and let us take them away!"
"If you mess with the Azure Dragon Society, even a hundred heads wouldn’t be enough for us to chop off. Got it?"
......
Faced with their sudden outburst, Ryan Ling didn’t panic at all. But Jackson Fan and the others looked absolutely miserable, shaking uncontrollably.
"Who dares touch my lord?"
"Who dares touch my master?"
Seeing the Azure Dragon Society getting aggressive, zombie Frank Qin and Warren Yuan instantly flanked Ryan Ling.
"Wow, even a backwater like Harbor City churns out some real psychos! You seriously think you can clown the Azure Dragon Society? Looks like you and your whole family are begging for a one-way ticket to hell…" The silent guy in the center finally cracked his knuckles and barked.
But before he could finish, Ryan Ling slapped him hard across the face—a loud "smack"—sending the Azure Dragon Society member stumbling.
"You—you actually dared to throw hands? Hit a member of the Azure Dragon Society? You must have a death wish!" The guy who got slapped just lost it, his rage so nuclear it was like his wife had just been violated—face twisted, veins bulging, eyes about to pop.
The crowd was stunned. Most people wouldn’t even dare speak rudely to the Azure Dragon Society, let alone hit one. They stared at Ryan Ling, teeth chattering—everyone knew how dangerous these guys were.
But Ryan Ling didn’t even hesitate. Yeah, he was an orphan, but that just made him treat family like gold. Ever since he was a kid, he had one rule—never let anyone threaten his closest people. No matter how big the boss, he’d go full berserker to protect them.
And now, as an adult, Ryan Ling was still the same!
Besides, he had a badass dad backing him up now!
Just as the guy who’d been slapped was about to explode with rage, all the Azure Dragon Society members closed in around Ryan Ling and his group.
"Looks like there’s no way this ends peacefully. Someone’s gonna die today…" One of the Azure Dragon Society members cracked his knuckles, ready to smash Ryan Ling’s head.