Chapter 262: Gathering of “Heroes”

“Good evening, sir. My name is Zhang Mingyu, and I’m the manager here. I really appreciate your help just now,” Zhang Mingyu, dressed in a formal suit, approached Kuang Dao’s table to express his gratitude while the staff restored order in the dining hall.

Glancing at him briefly, Kuang Dao said nonchalantly, “It was nothing. But I have to say, while your place looks pretty decent, your security is a joke. Those guys were causing trouble here, and aside from a few servers, no one stepped in to stop them.”

Zhang Mingyu replied with some embarrassment, “The truth is, we just opened recently, and we’re still short on security staff. On top of that, most of our personnel were sent outside to maintain order for other reasons. I didn’t expect something like this to happen inside. I really appreciate your help, sir. As a gesture of our gratitude, all of your expenses tonight in China Town are on the house. Please enjoy your time here.”

Hearing this, Kuang Dao couldn’t be bothered to refuse and simply said, “Mind if I ask you something?”

“Of course, sir. What would you like to know?” Zhang Mingyu asked.

“Who’s your boss? I mean, is he Chinese? And how old is he?”

Upon hearing the question, Zhang Mingyu showed a rather troubled expression. “Sir, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s just that our boss has specifically instructed us not to disclose any information about him to anyone. I’m really sorry.”

Kuang Dao’s brow furrowed, and he said unhappily, “Your boss sure is strange. I don’t get why he’s making such a big mystery out of this.”

“My sincerest apologies, sir. These were his clear instructions. Without his permission, I can’t share any information about him.”

“Forget it. I’m no longer interested in your boss,” Kuang Dao said impatiently, waving his hand.

“Enjoy your meal,” Zhang Mingyu said with a respectful bow before turning and leaving.

Once he was gone, the child at the table said sympathetically, “That guy seems kind of pitiful. Kuang Dao-ojisan, you’re pretty scary sometimes.”

Kuang Dao ignored her comment and continued eating without a care.

As they were finishing their meal, a commotion suddenly erupted at the entrance of the hall. Two servers came running in, looking visibly panicked.

As soon as they entered, they grabbed another server and asked, “Where’s the manager?”

“He just went up to the Dragon and Phoenix Hall on the second floor. What happened?” Seeing their worried expressions, the server quickly asked.

The shorter of the two servers began to say, “Outside, there’s—”

But the taller one immediately stopped him. “Don’t alarm the customers here. Let’s hurry up and find the manager.”

“Right. Okay,” the other server said, realizing the need for caution, and quickly followed his colleague upstairs.

Not long after, Zhang Mingyu returned, following the two servers at a brisk pace. Like them, his face was filled with anxiety.

“Manager, what do we do now? Should we call the police?” one of the servers asked urgently as they walked.

“What’s the situation? Have they come inside yet?” Zhang Mingyu asked.

The other server replied, “Not yet, I think. When we left, all the security guards were still holding them off at the entrance, but I don’t think they can hold out much longer. There are just too many of them, and I’m afraid they won’t be able to buy us much time.”

“You’re sure about this? There are really one or two hundred people out there?”

“We didn’t count the exact number, but there are a lot of people—definitely not fewer than that. Most of them came on motorcycles, and they’re all carrying baseball bats, pipes, and other weapons. It’s really terrifying. If they do storm into China Town…” The server stopped, unable to finish his sentence.

Hearing this, a chill ran through Zhang Mingyu’s heart.

At this point, calling the police seemed like the best solution. However, China Town had only been open for less than a week, and if the police got involved, this place would be all over the news tomorrow. Future business would be as good as ruined. On top of that, their boss had just called earlier, instructing him not to do anything rash until he arrived to handle the situation personally.

The situation was urgent. If those people really stormed inside, the current security team wouldn’t stand a chance of stopping them. If any of the other guests were injured, future business would be completely ruined.

Zhang Mingyu hesitated, torn about whether to call the police immediately.

Just then, the shorter server said, “Manager, that man is calling for you.”

Zhang Mingyu looked up and saw that the man calling him was none other than Kuang Dao, the one who had just taken on eight men single-handedly.

Although he was troubled and anxious, Zhang Mingyu walked over.

As soon as he approached, Kuang Dao got straight to the point: “Something’s going on, isn’t it?” He had already noticed the problem when the two servers ran in earlier, so he’d been eavesdropping on their conversation as they came downstairs.

Zhang Mingyu initially intended to brush him off, but the look in Kuang Dao’s eyes made him hesitate. Finally, he replied honestly, “Here’s the situation. A large group of armed men has gathered outside the main entrance of China Town. Judging by their attitude, they’re probably here to take revenge for those eight guys from earlier.”

Hearing this, Tani Akiko’s face paled instantly. The very thing she feared most had come true—the men had indeed returned for revenge. She began to regret not leaving immediately earlier.

In stark contrast, a fiery gleam appeared in Kuang Dao’s eyes.

Smiling as though it were nothing, he slowly stood up and said, “Take me outside to have a look.”

Seeing his expression, Tani Akiko knew this man was about to cause trouble again. Panicking, she stood up and instinctively grabbed his hand. “Don’t go!”

Kuang Dao froze for a moment before frowning. “This has nothing to do with you. Let go.”

Tani Akiko, visibly agitated, said, “But this has nothing to do with you either! Why must you get involved?”

“I do what I want. I don’t need to explain myself to anyone. Let go,” Kuang Dao said impatiently.

“No! I won’t let you go!” Tani Akiko’s stubbornness surprised even herself.

Sensing the heavy atmosphere, the little girl also felt uneasy. She said softly, “Kuang Dao-ojisan, please don’t go, okay?” Although, in her mind, this man was invincible, her mother’s worried expression made her start to feel that it might really be dangerous this time.

Kuang Dao suddenly let out a cold snort, forcefully pulling his hand free. Without another word, he strode toward the exit.

Zhang Mingyu and the two servers glanced at the scene in surprise but quickly followed him outside.

Watching the man’s figure grow distant, Tani Akiko stood there in a daze.

“Mom, what do we do now?” The little girl tugged at her sleeve, asking in a low voice.

Tani Akiko sat down weakly, unsure of what to do. She wanted to go after him, but she couldn’t bear to leave her daughter here alone, nor did she dare to take her into such a dangerous situation.

When the four of them reached China Town’s main entrance, Zhang Mingyu realized the situation was far worse than he had imagined.

The entrance was packed with young men of various appearances, all wielding weapons like baseball bats, iron chains, and metal pipes. Behind them were motorcycles parked haphazardly, along with a few cars.

The mob was gathered at the entrance, shouting insults and standing off against twenty-odd security guards armed only with batons. A single spark could ignite the situation, which was already on the verge of exploding. Meanwhile, the owners, staff, and nearby customers from other shops watched the scene in terror.

Those twenty or so guards represented the entirety of China Town’s security force. While they were all hired from professional security companies, the sheer size of the mob—several times their number—made it clear that if a conflict broke out, simply protecting themselves would be a miracle, let alone stopping so many people from breaking in.

“Look, Manager Zhang is here!”

“Manager Zhang, you’re finally here. What should we do now?”

“Manager, maybe we should call the police. This is getting really dangerous.”

As soon as the staff saw Zhang Mingyu, they immediately gathered around him.

Seeing all these people waiting for his decision, Zhang Mingyu felt a bitter taste rise in his throat.

Zhang Mingyu never imagined that just a few days after China Town opened, he’d be facing such a massive confrontation. For someone like him—an honest student who had spent his life quietly studying at university and had barely been in a fight—this situation was far beyond anything he could handle.  

However, to prevent his staff from panicking, he forced himself to stay calm and said, “Everyone, don’t worry. I’ll go negotiate with them.” With that, he braced himself and walked toward the entrance. Kuang Dao, on the other hand, strolled casually alongside him as if out for a leisurely walk.  

When they reached the crowd, Zhang Mingyu addressed a tall, imposing man who seemed to be the leader. “What do you all want here?”  

The man sized him up and then asked, “Are you the boss here?”  

“I’m the manager. Why are you surrounding this place?” Zhang Mingyu tried his best to keep his voice steady and his expression calm.  

The man suddenly turned and shouted, “Bring them over.”  

A moment later, ten or so young men carried or supported eight severely injured people over to them.  

“These are my friends,” the man said coldly. “And you’ve beaten them to this state. What do you plan to do about it?”  

Zhang Mingyu glanced at the eight men and saw that they were indeed in a terrible state. Some of their faces were swollen beyond recognition, resembling pig heads. Others had broken arms and legs and had to be carried. One young man’s mouth hung slightly open, with blood trickling continuously from the corner of his lips. It was clear that all his teeth had been knocked out, leaving nothing but bare gums.  

Zhang Mingyu instinctively looked at Kuang Dao standing beside him. He hadn’t expected this man to be so ruthless.  

At that moment, Zhang Mingyu knew this matter wouldn’t end peacefully. Forcing himself to stay calm, he said, “These men came to China Town causing trouble, harassing our hostesses, and even injuring some of our staff. We acted purely in self-defense, and all the guests present can testify to that. However, as long as you leave quietly now, I’m willing to cover your friends’ medical expenses. Is that acceptable to you?”  

The man barked out a laugh. “Do you think you can settle this with just medical expenses? Not so easy. If you can’t give us a satisfying answer today, we’ll burn this garbage place to the ground!”  

Zhang Mingyu had anticipated they wouldn’t be reasonable, so he asked, “Then what exactly do you want to leave?”  

The man shot them a look of utter contempt and said, “First, hand over the person who beat up my friends so we can deal with him. Second, pay 20 million yen to each of these eight men. Finally…” He deliberately paused here, sneering as he continued, enunciating each word, “Tear down the sign of China Town.”  

The moment they heard his demands, everyone realized that these people hadn’t come to negotiate—they were here to provoke trouble.  

The first two demands were already unreasonable, but the final one was downright outrageous. Although Chinese and Japanese cultures differed, tearing down someone’s signboard was a universally understood insult.  

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Mingyu replied firmly, “Your demands are excessive and unacceptable. I’m warning you: if you don’t leave now, we’ll call the police.”  

The man sneered, “Call the police? Go ahead. But as long as you don’t agree to our demands, we’ll come back every day to ‘play’ with you. Lowly people like you don’t deserve to open a China Town here in Japan.” As he finished speaking, he suddenly kicked at Zhang Mingyu.  

Zhang Mingyu hadn’t expected him to attack so suddenly. There wasn’t even time to react, and he could only watch helplessly as the kick came toward him.  

Just when he thought he was about to get hit, the man’s foot suddenly stopped mid-air.  

It wasn’t because the attacker had held back. His ankle had been firmly caught by a large hand. The hand belonged to Kuang Dao, who had been standing calmly beside Zhang Mingyu the entire time.  

The man, realizing his foot was caught, reacted quickly, clearly trained in karate. He immediately launched a straight punch toward Kuang Dao.  

But if he had known what the consequences of throwing that punch would be, he would never have done it.  

There’s nothing more terrifying than witnessing your own limbs being broken right before your eyes.

It was as if it happened in slow motion. The man clearly saw Kuang Dao effortlessly intercept his punch, grab his wrist, and, as casually as snapping a twig, twist it backward and then forcefully bend it down. With two sharp “crack” sounds, the man’s forearm was snapped backward at the joint into an unnatural 90-degree angle. The process was so quick and simple that for a moment, the man thought it wasn’t even his arm.

Before the man could react, Kuang Dao’s foot flashed like lightning, striking the man’s knee on his standing leg.

Another two chilling “crack” sounds echoed. In those brief but hellish moments, the man felt his body collapse downward, his knees giving way, forcing him to kneel before Kuang Dao. When he looked down, he saw his leg twisted at an utterly unnatural angle.

At that instant, his pupils shrank into thin slits, and he let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed through the air.

Releasing the man’s foot as if nothing had happened, Kuang Dao raised his head, looked at the group of young men, and said casually, “Next.”

The scene left everyone frozen in shock. Even the gangsters who treated brawls like daily meals couldn’t fathom someone being able to casually cripple a man’s limbs like that. As they watched the screaming man, a cold shiver ran down their spines.

For a moment, no one made a sound. The entire place fell into a deathly silence.

After a while, one of the injured youths—the one with the lightest injuries—suddenly pointed at Kuang Dao and shouted, “It’s him! He’s the one who did this to us. Let’s all go and take him down!”

The shout was sudden and loud, startling many, but the troublemaking youths seemed to be energized by it. Gripping their weapons tightly, they prepared to charge at Kuang Dao. Yet, the shocking display of violence earlier still weighed on them heavily, so they were all hesitating, waiting for someone else to make the first move.

Seeing that the gang was about to attack, the security guards grew extremely tense.

But Kuang Dao, the source of the chaos, remained utterly relaxed, though there was now a burning intensity in his eyes, even stronger than before.

At that critical moment, a young man’s voice suddenly rang out, “Is this some kind of sideshow? Why didn’t anyone invite me?”

Hearing that voice, Zhang Mingyu finally exhaled in relief. He turned his head and saw the crowd parting to create a path. Before long, a young man slowly emerged and walked all the way to the front.

The sudden appearance of this young man puzzled everyone present. Except for Zhang Mingyu, neither the security guards nor the others knew who he was.

“Mr. Gennai,” Zhang Mingyu called out respectfully as the man approached.

The man acknowledged him with a brief nod and then turned his gaze to the large group of weapon-wielding youths.

After a brief pause, the man’s eyes shifted to Kuang Dao, standing nearby. His expression turned oddly curious as he stared at him.

Kuang Dao, too, stared back with an equally strange expression. In fact, from the moment the young man spoke and walked toward them, Kuang Dao’s face had looked unusually conflicted.

After a long moment of eye contact, the corners of Lei Yin’s mouth twitched slightly. “So it’s you, you bastard.”

Even though Kuang Dao had undergone cosmetic surgery, Lei Yin still recognized him at a glance.

At that moment, Kuang Dao gritted his teeth and growled, “Damn it all, it took me long enough to find you.”