"Master?"
Grizzly's face changed in shock when he heard Evan Lin speak like that, but he hesitated, swallowing his words.
Colonel Sean Chen was definitely not someone who could be reasoned with.
"Are you looking for trouble?" Selina Shi's expression shifted. She frowned and glanced over at Evan Lin, who was busy sampling a dessert.
Most of the people around looked at Evan Lin with a mix of pity and disdain in their eyes.
In all of Jinnan, there were only a handful of people who dared to go head-to-head with Colonel Sean Chen!
"Arrogant." Eldest Brother Su had never liked Evan Lin, and now, hearing him openly provoke Colonel Sean Chen, his displeasure only deepened.
"Fine, let me show you exactly what gives me confidence! Looks like the people Second Brother Sam has been bringing in lately are getting more clueless by the minute!" Colonel Sean Chen snorted coldly, then called out calmly: "Thunderhawk!"
"Here!"
From behind Colonel Sean Chen, a man in his twenties with a steely, determined face stepped forward as soon as he heard the order.
He wasn't especially bulky, but his whole presence radiated a cold, razor-sharp edge.
"Thunderhawk!"
Eldest Brother Su's expression twitched when he saw this guy.
"That's right, this is Thunderhawk. Back when you guys fought those team battles, he single-handedly took out five sentries from your Knife-Edge unit. In the Flying Eagle Company, his combat ranking is second, and I brought him today so you could see for yourself." Colonel Sean Chen let out a hearty laugh, but his face immediately turned cold as he fixed his gaze on Evan Lin's seat and said icily, "Break this punk's leg and throw him out!"
"Help Old Man Su tidy up the place a bit. Wouldn't want him causing trouble later."
As soon as he said that, Eric Yu was all smiles, Kai Chen felt incredibly satisfied, and Helen Qi's whole face lit up like a blooming flower.
Ray Thunderhawk strode forward. Selina Shi was anxious and tried to step in, but before she could, Evan Lin got up, casually brushed her aside with one hand, and moved her out of the way.
"Second-ranked in the Flying Eagle Company?"
Evan Lin let out a snort, stepped forward, and in the next instant was already standing right in front of Thunderhawk.
Thunderhawk hadn't expected this kid to take the initiative, but his harsh training kicked in and he reacted instantly. He swung both arms to lock Evan Lin's head and shot his right knee up in a lightning-fast strike.
His moves came so fast that no one in the crowd could even see them clearly.
But before Thunderhawk's seemingly agile and fierce strike could even land on Evan Lin, the next second, everyone saw it with their own eyes—the teenager's fist was already buried in Thunderhawk's abdomen.
Thunderhawk's eyes went wide, his arms still outstretched, his right knee only halfway up—frozen in place, unable to finish the move.
Evan Lin's right fist was pressed into Thunderhawk's body, the whole exchange completely silent.
"Thunderhawk, what's wrong?"
Colonel Sean Chen still hadn't figured out what was going on. He frowned, thinking Thunderhawk must have held back—otherwise, how could his knee not have connected with that kid?
"What's wrong? Obviously, he lost." Evan Lin slowly withdrew his fist, while Thunderhawk stayed frozen in place. But as Evan's fist pulled back, Thunderhawk suddenly started trembling violently.
"Pff!"
Thunderhawk spat out a mouthful of blood, then collapsed to the floor in front of everyone.
"Thunderhawk!"
Colonel Sean Chen's face changed instantly. He rushed up and checked Thunderhawk's pulse, only to find he'd just been knocked out cold by a single punch—thankfully, his life wasn't in danger.
Sean Chen jerked his head up, staring at Evan Lin with shock flickering in his eyes.
Eldest Brother Su also looked at Evan Lin in confusion. That move just now was way faster than anything he'd imagined.
"How did you... how did you do that?" Selina Shi rubbed her temples, blinked a few times, and still couldn't quite believe what she'd just seen.
"One punch and he's down. What else do you need to do against someone like that?" Evan Lin shook his head.
Eric Yu and Kai Chen both stood stiff and awkward.
Sean Chen had someone help Thunderhawk off to the side, then stood up and stared hard at Evan Lin, sizing him up. His voice was cold and sinister: "Not bad. I didn't expect you to be trained. No wonder you were so cocky just now!"
"Such a young kid, but you hit so hard. Didn't your family teach you to be careful out in the world?"
Sean Chen's expression turned vicious. He was already getting angry.
That kid had clearly planned it all along—playing weak just to humiliate him. Now he'd completely lost face.
"Sorry, my rule is simple: if there's a dog, I beat the dog. If I hadn't held back just now, you'd be picking up his corpse. So don't mistake my kindness for weakness."
Evan Lin's tone was flat and indifferent.
Don't mistake my kindness for weakness!
Hearing this, Eldest Brother Su looked at Evan Lin with a hint of newfound respect.
Colonel Sean Chen's face twisted. "Well, aren't you bold! You're the first person who's ever dared talk to me like that!"
"Then today, I want to see if you've really got what it takes!"
Sean Chen was absolutely furious, clenching his fists and about to charge forward—when Eldest Brother Su, silent until now, suddenly stepped in and blocked him.
"Today's my father's birthday, and this young man is here as my second brother's guest. Old Chen, you owe me this much." Eldest Brother Su spoke up, surprising everyone in the room.
"You—"
Sean Chen's face kept shifting, and he stared hard at Eldest Brother Su for a long moment.
The commotion had already drawn plenty of attention. Many in the hall were now watching, which only made Sean Chen feel even more humiliated.
"Fine! Today, I'll give you face, Old Su! In the end, it's my own fault for not training my men well—Thunderhawk underestimated your guest and paid the price!"
"I've got other matters to attend to, so I won't be joining Old Man Su's birthday celebration."
After some hesitation, Sean Chen finally shouted this out, his anger barely contained.
He turned and glared at Kai Chen, who was still standing there. "Kai, let's go—I'll take you shooting!"
Sean Chen came fast and left just as quickly. Kai Chen hurried after him, but not before shooting Evan Lin a venomous glare.
When Kai Chen's gaze swept over Selina Shi, he looked even more miserable.
Moments later, the roar of a helicopter echoed outside the main hall again.
In less than ten minutes, the whole crowd had been left in shock.
Helen Qi, who'd been so aggressive before, now stood red-faced and silent. Eric Yu, without Kai Chen's protection, slunk away with his friends into the crowd.
Eldest Brother Su finally turned his gaze back to the young man standing before him.