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Gordon Gao glanced over at Shawn Young and Helen, noticing that both of them looked relaxed and not the least bit nervous. Then he looked at Howard Kay Jr., who also wore an expression of absolute confidence. Gao couldn't help but think—today is going to be a tough one to get through!
Soon, about ten minutes later, police sirens blared around the large temporary work shed in the suburbs. Dozens of squad cars came barreling onto the construction site. William Wu, chief of the Westwood City Police Department, led a squad of officers to the scene. At least a hundred police officers hopped out and quickly set up a cordon.
William Wu, tall and thin with a chiseled face, gripped a loudspeaker, looking all jittery as he led a big group of armed detectives to the standoff. Seeing the situation, he wasted no time and shouted into the loudspeaker, "Listen up, all of you—I'm William Wu, chief of the Westwood City Police Department! The cops will handle this fairly. Now, I order you to drop your weapons, put your hands on your heads, squat down, and wait for us to step in. Anyone who doesn't listen is resisting arrest and will get what's coming to them!"
After William Wu finished speaking, Gordon Gao didn't want the residents to get into trouble, so he said to them, "Folks from Eastwind Old Street, thank you for standing up for us, but now the police are here to handle things. I trust they'll do a good job, so everyone, please put down your weapons!"
The residents of Eastwind Old Street were law-abiding people to begin with. Hearing that the police chief himself had shown up, they felt a natural sense of respect for authority. After Gordon Gao spoke, they hesitated for a moment, then one by one put down their 'weapons.'
At that moment, Howie suddenly burst out from the crowd and strode up to William Wu. William looked surprised, then patiently said, "Howard Kay Jr., the police will handle things here. How about this—so no one gets hurt, why don't you and your people leave for now, okay?"
"Heh! Not a chance! Give it here!" Howie sneered and snatched the loudspeaker right out of William Wu's hand.
William Wu was shocked but didn't dare provoke him. He held back his frustration and asked, "Howard Kay Jr., what do you think you're doing?"
Howie ignored him, grabbed the loudspeaker, and shouted, "Boys, these riffraff have dropped their weapons—they're too scared to fight back! Now, go get that punk! If any of those rabble try to interfere, beat them like there's no tomorrow! Whatever happens, I'll take the blame!"
Howie's men perked up immediately, but seeing William Wu surrounded by so many police officers, they didn't dare make any rash moves.
"What are you afraid of! My old man is bringing the armed police over any minute! They'll drag all these troublemakers away! Forget these cops! If anything goes wrong, my dad's got my back—he's David Kay, the mayor of Westwood City!" Howie yelled, full of swagger.
"Huh?! Mayor Kay is coming here?!" William Wu felt his head about to explode.
"Damn right, William Wu. If you know what's good for you, just keep your people out of this! I guarantee you'll be fine. But if you insist on sticking your nose in, well—let's just say, whatever happens, you get what you get! No need for explanations." Howie grinned wickedly at William Wu.
"Uh—well—Howard Kay Jr., can't you just not make such a big scene? You know, if you keep this up, it'll be hard for Mayor Kay to clean up the mess!" William Wu pleaded earnestly.
"Heh, Chief Wu, you don't need to worry! Not only is my dad coming, but Mr. Luo is coming too! What, you think my dad isn't enough? Well, Mr. Luo definitely is!" Howie sneered.
"What?! Robert Luo? You mean the real estate tycoon, chairman of Southern Sky Group, Robert Luo is coming too?!" William Wu's scalp tingled even more. He knew he was truly out of his depth this time.
Robert Luo was a nationally renowned real estate developer. His Southern Sky Group was famous throughout southern China for its immense power and influence. Rumor had it he had big connections in Beijing, making him highly favored. In China, power means real wealth!
In many major cities—and even smaller ones—across southern China, Southern Sky Group's presence was everywhere. Westwood City was just a mid-sized city, but its biggest construction and real estate projects, including the Eastwind Old Street Urban Renewal Project, were all developed with Southern Sky Group involved. With such deep pockets and powerful backing, Robert Luo was even more famous than some big-city mayors, thanks to his 'mountain' of support.
More than half of Westwood City's GDP depended on developments by Southern Sky Group, so the city's leadership wouldn't dare offend Robert Luo—they had to watch his mood before making any decisions.
As a classic example of a privileged official's kid, Howie naturally used his dad David Kay's connections to get in on a project with Robert Luo—the Eastwind Old Street Urban Renewal Project. Robert Luo, a seasoned veteran of the business world, knew all the rules of the game. Having the mayor's son involved meant sharing some of the profits, but it also made it easier for Southern Sky Group to keep getting projects in Westwood City.
Seeing William Wu quietly withdraw with the police, Howie knew he’d gotten his way. Smirking, he waved the loudspeaker at Shawn Young and barked at his men, "What are you waiting for? The cops aren’t butting in anymore—go! Rough up that brat! Just don’t lay a finger on the girl!"
As soon as he finished, over twenty thugs, seeing the police back off, got hyped up like they’d just had an energy shot. Each grabbed a steel pipe and charged at Shawn Young, swinging for his head and body.
But Shawn Young didn’t panic. He took a deep breath and stepped right into the crowd, channeling his inner energy into his arms—unleashing the explosive power of the 'Titan's Breaker.' Shawn moved like lightning, unstoppable wherever he went. Any thug who got close had his steel pipe twisted out of his grip, then got smacked in the chest and sent flying, knocked out cold on the spot.
In less than a minute, Shawn Young had flattened every one of those twenty-plus thugs. The wildest part? He twisted all their steel pipes into curly pretzel shapes with brute force!
"Awesome! Well done! That was amazing!"
"Wow, this young guy is really something! We were worried for nothing! Haha!"
"Whoa! That kid is incredible! Beating up the bad guys right in front of the cops! Hah, that’s satisfying! I should have my grandson learn a few moves from him—"
Watching Shawn Young dispatch Howie's goons with such flair, the residents of Eastwind Old Street burst into wild cheers. They felt totally vindicated and so pumped up, some even wanted to rush in and get a few swings in themselves.
Howie never expected things to flip like this. Eyes wide, jaw dropped, he stared at Shawn Young striding toward him and screeched, "Shit! William Wu! What the hell are you standing around for? Get your guys in there! Grab him! Ahhh!!"
Before he could finish, his neck was suddenly gripped tight—he could barely breathe! Shawn Young had stepped forward and grabbed him by the throat, like an eagle snatching a chick.
William Wu and his officers were stunned by Shawn Young’s terrifying skills. But seeing Howie call for help, William realized things were getting out of hand, so he led his detectives to surround Shawn, drawing their guns and shouting, "Stop! Don’t move! Don’t do anything crazy, don’t hurt anyone!"
Gordon Gao saw the situation and panicked. He rushed to William Wu and whispered, "Chief Wu, make sure nobody fires their guns by accident! He’s one of our higher-ups—we can’t afford to mess with these people!"
"Uh—Gordon Gao, you’re saying he’s our superior? What kind of rank does he hold?" William Wu still didn’t understand Shawn Young’s identity.
"He—he’s—" Gordon Gao leaned in and whispered into William Wu’s ear.
"What?! Is that true? Did you check his credentials carefully?!" William Wu turned pale with shock.
"I did—it's true—Chief Wu—we really can't handle this..." Gordon Gao replied in a trembling voice.