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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 130: The Younger Generation
The burly men drew closer, and Wang Zhengxiang's palms were drenched in sweat. He turned to Zhang Qiu and said, "Brother Qiu, the difference in strength is too great. These dozens of people are genuine gangsters. Shouldn't we run?"
"Come on, can you stop with the defeatist talk?" Yang Yu shot a fierce glare at Wang Zhengxiang.
Zhang Qiu turned to Wang Zhengxiang and said seriously, "This time, we absolutely cannot run."
Seeing Zhang Qiu's determined expression, Wang Zhengxiang gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the steel pipe. "I’ll follow your lead, Brother Qiu." After that, he cursed himself to bolster his courage and stepped to the front of the group. Hesitation aside, he wouldn’t back down if it came to a fight.
As the six burly men approached within a few steps, they all pulled out gleaming machetes from their jackets. Under the moonlight, each machete looked like a writhing venomous snake, ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment.
Everyone's hearts raced; Zhang Qiu could feel a layer of cold sweat forming on his back. The others were no better off; this was their first experience in such a tense situation.
Just as both parties were about to clash, the Gray Suit Man suddenly ordered the burly men to retreat. Zhang Qiu let out a long sigh of relief; it seemed they had passed the first hurdle.
The Gray Suit Man smiled faintly as he assessed Zhang Qiu. "Not bad, not bad. I didn't misjudge you; you do have some courage."
Zhang Qiu put away the iron pipe and looked at the Gray Suit Man. "Just now they called you Brother Leopard, right? Brother Leopard, there's something I don't understand." Since everyone referred to the Gray Suit Man as Brother Leopard, he couldn't possibly be Scorpion.
Brother Leopard continued to smile lightly. "What is it that you don't understand?"
"I don’t understand why someone as powerful as you would choose to let us join. From my perspective, we high school students are insignificant to you."
Brother Leopard chuckled softly. "That's where you're mistaken."
"Really?" Zhang Qiu became intrigued.
"A society needs to continuously inject fresh blood to develop. Ultimately, this era belongs to the younger generation. You've recently gained quite a reputation in Beilan County. Let me tell you, I've been observing you for quite some time." Brother Leopard took a few steps forward, extending his right hand as if pointing out a grand vision, his eyes sparkling like a revolutionary fighting for noble ideals.
"Observing me?" Zhang Qiu was taken aback; could it be that someone had been following him all along?
"Exactly," Brother Leopard replied. "I started keeping an eye on you when you clashed with that thug named Liu Xiaolong in the ancient city. You must know how much noise you've made?" Brother Leopard laughed heartily at this point.
"I know; I just didn't expect that the strongest gang among the three major factions in Beilan County, the Stone Dagger Gang, would take notice of a high school student like me," Zhang Qiu responded with a smile. He had always thought gang leaders were ruthless and cold-hearted individuals; he didn’t expect Brother Leopard to be so amiable.
"Hahaha, you really know how to talk," Brother Leopard said with satisfaction, squinting his eyes as if he could see right through Zhang Qiu. "Don't underestimate the young. You may just be a high school student now, but after the Ancient City Battle, you went to the hospital seeking revenge on Liu Xiaofei, yet you ultimately held back. My people were watching you the whole time. If you hadn't held back, we wouldn't be meeting like this today."
Zhang Qiu tried to maintain a calm demeanor while looking at Brother Leopard, but inside he was already in turmoil. They had been tracking him all along without him noticing; it was terrifying. Fortunately, they meant no harm. What if they had intended to deal with him? That would have been...
As Zhang Qiu pondered these chilling thoughts, Brother Leopard continued, "The reason I called you here today is that I admire you." As soon as Brother Leopard finished speaking, the man with the Scarred Face beside him stepped forward and said, "Not many can earn Brother Leopard's recognition."
Zhang Qiu smiled slightly and asked, "Are you admiring me or my uncle?"
Upon hearing this, Brother Leopard burst into laughter. "Since we're all smart people here, I'll get straight to the point. Yes, I value your uncle's connections, but that's not the main focus. Remember, the person I truly admire is you. In the future, you'll go further than your uncle."
Zhang Qiu couldn't deny it and smiled.
"Then, are you willing to work with me?"
"I am willing," Zhang Qiu replied directly.
"Have you thought it over properly?"
"No need for that. Since I've come here, I've decided to follow you." Whether Brother Leopard valued his uncle or himself didn't matter; Zhang Qiu would choose to agree. He believed that to develop better, one needed a team rather than going solo in this world.
"Refreshing," Brother Leopard said with a hearty laugh as he stepped forward and patted Zhang Qiu on the shoulder. "You remind me of myself when I was young; I have high hopes for you."
"Thank you, Brother Leopard," Zhang Qiu replied respectfully.
Brother Leopard looked at Yang Yu and the others who were still holding iron pipes and watching closely. He smiled and said, "Your brothers are good; they have loyalty. I hope you can maintain that."
"Of course we will," Zhang Qiu replied with a smile.
Brother Leopard chuckled again and patted Zhang Qiu's shoulder once more. "Don't think everything will be perfect; you'll understand later."
Zhang Qiu didn't quite understand what Brother Leopard meant by that but decided to set it aside for now.
At that moment, a group of people walked out from the alley nearby, laughing. "Oh, Second Brother is recruiting disciples now? What's next? Are you taking in kids too?"
Zhang Qiu and Brother Leopard both looked over. Brother Leopard was still smiling, but there was a glint of sharpness in his eyes. The leader of the group appeared to be around the same age as Brother Leopard, but with a fierce and intimidating demeanor, along with a face full of excess flesh, it was clear he was not a good person. Behind the leader, dozens of people were wielding machetes, and whether intentionally or not, the blades kept scraping against the walls, creating a clanging noise.
Zhang Qiu noticed an interesting detail: Brother Leopard's men were all reaching into their outer garments. Zhang Qiu exchanged a glance with Yang Yu and smiled wryly. Did they really have to get involved with gangsters right after joining? What a coincidence.
Brother Leopard squinted at the man who spoke and said, "Third Brother, when did Second Brother start letting you take charge of things?"
"Second Brother is just having a laugh. I happened to pass by and saw Second Brother here, so I came over to say hello," replied the man referred to as Third Brother, though his tone was mocking.
"Hmph." Brother Leopard snorted coldly. "Third Brother, don't go too far. The boss is still around; you shouldn't be so eager. Besides, can Scorpion tolerate this from you?"
Third Brother chuckled mockingly. "What are you talking about, Second Brother? I have no such intentions. But you, Second Brother, you're recruiting people and even reaching into high schools; what do you think you're doing? Do you need me to tell you?"
"Third Brother, what I do is none of your business; don't turn this around on me."
"Hahahahaha." Third Brother laughed wildly, making his already terrifying face appear even more sinister in the darkness, like a ghost.
"Don't go too far!" Scarred Face, standing behind Brother Leopard, raised his knife and pointed it at Third Brother.
"Ha ha ha! Second Brother, your men are so unruly; should I teach them some manners?" Third Brother looked at Scarred Face with disdain.
"Abiao, step back."
"Brother Leopard." Scarred Face, referred to as Abiao, was seething with anger.
"Step back," Brother Leopard emphasized.
"Sigh." Abiao let out a deep sigh and lowered his knife, retreating behind Brother Leopard.
"Now that's better. Second Brother, why not just let your men come over here? I can help manage them for you?" After saying this, Third Brother laughed again along with his followers.
"Third Brother, I don't need you to worry about my men. Since we are brothers from the same sect and have bled together in the past, I don't want to fall out with you. But don’t push me repeatedly," Brother Leopard said angrily, veins bulging on his forehead like worms crawling on his skin.
Zhang Qiu noticed that Brother Leopard's expression was extremely grim. From their conversation, he could tell that this Brother Leopard was the second-in-command while the fierce-looking man opposite him was Third Brother. The boss must be Meng Tuanjie. Additionally, since Brother Leopard mentioned Scorpion, it matched the information he had gathered. However, since they were all part of the same gang as brothers, why did it have to escalate to such hostility? This certainly didn't resemble good brothers; it felt more like enemies.
The situation became somewhat complicated, as the largest gang in Beilan County was embroiled in internal strife. Zhang Qiu felt speechless, unsure if joining was the right decision. But now that he was in it, he could only take a gamble.
"Second Brother, things are different now; I've changed. What about you? Haven't you changed?" Third Brother stared at Brother Leopard.
Brother Leopard met Third Brother's gaze. "Third Brother, have you eaten gunpowder or something? Do you really want us brothers to turn on each other?"
Third Brother put away his sinister smile, his tone darkening. "Since we're at this point, let me lay it out for you: the boss is not well. If there really comes a time for that position, it should be me."
Brother Leopard sneered. "So you've finally revealed your true thoughts. No matter how you twist it, it's all for that position. Is it really that important? The boss is still alive; even if there were such a time, there's still Scorpion around. How could it possibly be yours? By doing this, aren't you just letting the Brothers down? What happened to loyalty?"
"If the position isn't important, then why don't you give it up?" A sinister smile returned to Third Brother's face. "What is loyalty anyway? In this line of work, who still cares about loyalty?"
Brother Leopard's emotions flared. He knew this confrontation would come eventually but didn't expect it to happen so soon. In the past, everyone understood the unspoken rules, but no one had ever brought it up openly. Tonight, Third Brother had laid it bare; didn't he fear it would reach the boss's ears?
"What good is it to come out here without loyalty?"
All attention focused on Brother Leopard and Third Brother as both parties gripped their knives tightly; at the boss's command, they would charge without hesitation. However, no one expected a young man to step between them and reprimand Third Brother.
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