Hearing this, Ryan Ling instantly tensed up inside.
And right now, the system was acting dead—totally unresponsive. If Big Fly showed up out of nowhere, Ryan’s leg might really be done for.
Kevin Lee, beside him, clearly noticed Ryan’s nerves and hurried to say, “Brother Feng, not gonna lie, I actually know a guy in the Axe Club—his nickname’s Firecracker. He seems pretty well-connected in the gang. Maybe we can beg him for help, and if he puts in a good word, Big Fly might back off!”
“You—are you sure that’ll work?” Right now, Ryan was totally lost.
“It should work. He told me that lots of people in the Axe Club give him some respect!” Kevin hesitated a bit, but finally nodded hard.
“Alright, let’s hurry up and beg him to fix this mess!” Ryan nodded too. At this point, he had no choice but to try anything.
Soon, Kevin found out Firecracker was at Four Seas Bar, so Ryan and Kevin rushed over right away.
Half an hour later, Ryan finally met this so-called 'gang big shot' Firecracker. He was wearing a loud floral shirt and ripped jeans, looking just like a low-level errand boy. He nodded to everyone he saw—definitely not someone who seemed important.
Plus, the guy was all slick talk and greasy charm—not the type to risk his neck for anybody.
Ever since Ryan became Lord Yama’s adopted son, he’d gotten pretty good at sizing people up.
“Brother Firecracker, I’m really in trouble this time! You’ve gotta help me out!” But Kevin clearly didn’t catch on—he just started begging right away.
“What’s up, Kev? Whatever it is, just say it—brothers don’t keep secrets!” Firecracker slapped his chest, acting all loyal and brotherly.
Kevin didn’t hesitate and immediately explained the whole Big Fly situation, inside and out.
Ryan noticed Firecracker freeze for a second when he heard Big Fly’s name, then give a sly little smirk. But it was so quick, you’d miss it if you weren’t paying close attention.
After listening, Firecracker frowned and sighed, “Kev, this is kinda tricky. Big Fly’s riding high right now—even my reputation might not be enough to sway him.”
As he spoke, Firecracker rubbed his fingers together—obviously hinting for money.
Kevin didn’t hesitate. “Brother Firecracker, just name your price. I’ll scrape it together—just help me fix this!”
Seeing how things were going, Ryan wanted to drag Kevin away—he was ninety percent sure Firecracker was full of it.
But Kevin seemed to think Ryan was just worried about the money, so he quickly whispered, “Brother Feng, don’t worry, I’ll handle the cash. If you hadn’t helped me last time, you wouldn’t be in this mess!”
Ryan felt a warm rush inside. Gotta admit, Kevin might be timid, but he’s got real loyalty.
Firecracker shot Kevin a sideways look and said, “Alright, I won’t make it hard for you. We’ve known each other a long time. I’m not asking much—twenty thousand, and I’ll settle this for you!”
“What? Twenty thousand!” Ryan grabbed Kevin. “Forget it, Kev, we’re not paying him. We’ll figure something else out!”
“I’m not forcing you guys. If Big Fly loses it, you’re on your own!” Firecracker said, lighting a cigarette and getting ready to leave.
Kevin gritted his teeth and grabbed Firecracker. “Brother Firecracker, I really can’t scrape together twenty grand. Can you cut it down a bit?”
“Eighteen thousand. That’s the brother discount. Any less, go find someone else!” Firecracker snorted, looking down on them.
Ryan kept shaking his head and wanted to drag Kevin away, but Kevin was stubborn—he clenched his fist and shouted, “Fine! Eighteen thousand it is! Just make sure this gets handled!”
“Kev, are you nuts? Where’d you get that kind of money?” Ryan was stunned—Kevin’s family wasn’t well off at all.
“Relax. I’ve been working odd jobs all year and saved up a bit. I can afford it—just as long as you’re safe, Brother Feng!” Kevin answered firmly, eyes full of brotherly loyalty.
Ryan was a bit dazed, but before he could react, Kevin had already transferred the money to Firecracker via Alipay. Firecracker was clearly thrilled, patted Kevin on the shoulder, and said, “Kev, don’t worry, Big Fly definitely won’t mess with you guys anymore. Just chill at school!”
With that, Firecracker walked off, grinning ear to ear.
Ryan sighed, pretty sure that money was as good as gone. But seeing how much it meant to Kevin, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
The two of them didn’t even have a drink before leaving Four Seas Bar.
Kevin went home feeling totally at ease, but Ryan couldn’t relax at all. He wandered the streets, still thinking who else he could ask for help—when suddenly, he heard a familiar voice at a roadside BBQ stall: “Big Fly, isn’t it hilarious? There are idiots out there who actually hand me money themselves. Bet he never dreamed I’m working for you…”
Ryan froze—it was none other than Firecracker, the guy they’d just parted ways with. He couldn’t believe the coincidence, and listening to the phone call, Ryan’s face went pale.
Turns out things were even worse than he thought.
“Relax, those two idiots think they’ve found a protector. Tomorrow they’ll show up at school for sure. We’ll wait at the gate, grab that Ryan kid, and chop off one of his legs!” Firecracker said, tearing off the leg of a grilled frog as he spoke.
Ryan didn’t dare get any closer—he turned and ran. It looked like things were about to get seriously ugly; tomorrow, he might end up just like that grilled frog.
Call the cops?
No way! If he did, things might get even uglier!
“System, help me out here! Respond, now!” Ryan called out to the system again—and finally, it answered.
But the system’s response almost made Ryan cough up blood.
“As Lord Yama’s son, you need to learn self-reliance. Don’t go crying to the system every time you hit trouble. Thank you!”
“Screw you! You take ten grand from me every month, and now you won’t help when I’m in danger? Are you even human?” Ryan was about to lose it.
“I’m not human. I’m a god, thank you!”
“Go die! Go die! Just go die!”
“Ahem! Since you’re so worked up, here’s a friendly reminder: you still have a precious Best Bro Card you haven’t used. With this card, the whole world can be your brother. Don’t forget!”
Hearing that, Ryan suddenly had a lightbulb moment. That’s right—he did have a Best Bro Card. He’d always thought it was some useless junk, never even bothered to take it out. Maybe now it could actually turn things around.
Soon, a black card appeared in his hand, labeled ‘Best Bro’ with a picture of two guys hugging. According to the system, just write someone’s name on it and they’ll become your sworn brother.
With that in mind, Ryan suddenly thought of someone.
The boss of the Axe Club. The Axe Club was huge—rumor had it they had over a thousand members. Big Fly was just a small-time leader with maybe a dozen guys under him. Compared to the boss, he was nothing.
If he could become sworn brothers with their boss, every problem would be solved.
Ryan didn’t hesitate. He immediately called Kevin to confirm the Axe Club boss’s name. Kevin knew it: Jason Lin, known to everyone as Brother Jason—a former special forces soldier, built like a tank, and supposedly able to take on a hundred guys by himself.
Ryan didn’t think twice. If he could really become brothers with a guy like that, it’d be a huge win.
So Ryan carefully wrote ‘Jason Lin’ on the Best Bro Card.
When he finished, Ryan let out a long sigh of relief, like a weight had finally been lifted. According to the card, once the name was signed, Jason Lin’s bond with him would be stronger than with any comrade who’d faced life and death together. Now that Ryan was in danger, Jason should sense it and come to him right away.
So Ryan went to a late-night diner to eat and wait for Jason Lin. But he ate until midnight and didn’t see a single sign of him.
Could the Best Bro Card have failed? If Jason Lin was in Harbor City, he should’ve shown up by now.
Feeling dejected, Ryan went home, exhausted, and crashed. But by the next morning, there was still no word from Jason Lin.
Even the system was puzzled—why had Jason Lin vanished at the key moment?
Meanwhile, Kevin suddenly called in a panic: a bunch of vicious-looking thugs had shown up at the school gate—including Big Fly…