Chapter 148: Armed Clash

"Here they come!" With a thunderous roar, a surging tide of people flooded in from outside. Overlord Liu gripped a long spear and charged in the very front, followed closely by the Four Heavenly Kings. Then, an endless sea of people poured through the windows, upstairs, the back door—every single point of entry saw waves of people continuously rushing in. Yan Bu'er was instantly alarmed, shouting, "Damn it, how can there be so many people?!"

"That's fantastic! Long live Brother Chen, long live Brother Chen!" Those members of the Defying Heaven Gang who had been beaten until their heads were split open and bleeding immediately cried out in astonishment. Brother Chen was truly formidable; he had managed to bring so many people back in just a single trip. Feng Zhixiao was instantly overjoyed, and a sharp glint flashed across Big Black's eyes. Inside the spacious hall, those miscellaneous auxiliary troops immediately stirred into a state of panic. Yan Bu'er roared angrily, "Keep it together! Do not panic!"

"Boss Yan, we are only here to help, not to throw away our lives!"

"Exactly! This time, your Flame Dragon Gang didn't send a single one of your own men. Have you no shame?"

A rabble remains a rabble. They were fine as long as they were winning, but the moment they faced mortal danger, they dissolved into a mob of cowards, instantly plotting ways to escape. The arrival of this mysterious troop led by Ye Chen shocked even Yan Bu'er; this fellow Ye Chen was truly extraordinary. To have mustered so many people overnight—Yan Bu'er looked at those individuals dressed in blue uniforms, each of them looking just like ordinary laborers. They clutched steel pipes, iron rods, hammers, and wrenches in their hands...

"Hmph!" Yan Bu'er let out a cold snort. Staring at Ye Chen, he said, "Ye Chen, do you really think the people you brought today can turn the tide?"

"Why don't we find out?" Ye Chen smiled coldly.

"Come on, all of you, go get them! I refuse to believe that we men of the underworld can't defeat a bunch of factory workers!" Yan Bu'er had already categorized the men Ye Chen brought as laborers pulled off a factory floor. Based on this assumption, he quickly reasoned that workers all had families and would never risk their lives in a real fight. Therefore, he believed that the moment these people witnessed the brutality of gangsters, they would scatter like frightened birds. The lackeys behind him stirred with restless anticipation. Several minor squad leaders of the Flame Dragon Gang took the lead and charged out.

"Damn it, wipe them out!" Several of the squad leaders hollered arrogantly.

Overlord Liu gritted his teeth and cursed fiercely, "Son of a bitch! Daring to go against Brother Chen, you must have a death wish!"

Overlord Liu was trying to redeem himself through meritorious service this time. Ye Chen had promised him that if he could capture Yan Bu'er, he would no longer have to wash clothes and underwear for the other inmates in prison. Therefore, Overlord Liu was utterly determined to capture Yan Bu'er today; he would kill anyone who dared to stand in his way. Charging out in the vanguard, he raised his heavy saber high into the air as the Flame Dragon Gang's squad leaders rushed toward him.

Crack...

With a single sweep of his blade, the head of one of the men was cleanly sliced off, and fresh blood spurted into the air. Like two arcs of crimson light, the blood splattered across the faces of those standing nearby. Yan Bu'er's eyes widened in horror. With his own eyes, he watched the broad-shouldered, barrel-chested Overlord Liu use his massive saber to cleanly sever the head of his subordinate. The shock to his core was simply beyond description.

It was not just Yan Bu'er; all the surrounding thugs were utterly terrified. That single slash not only cut down their momentum, but also dragged the deepest fears from the corners of their hearts. Everyone froze in place, utterly paralyzed and too terrified to move.

"Ye Chen, you truly have a lot of nerve!" Yan Bu'er glared furiously at Ye Chen.

"What?" Ye Chen grinned broadly. "Could it be that you, Yan Bu'er, are planning to surrender?"

"Bastard, what do you take me for!" Yan Bu'er sneered coldly. "Do you really think the people you brought are guaranteed to win?"

With that, Yan Bu'er snatched a machete from the hands of a subordinate and charged directly toward Overlord Liu. What kind of man was Overlord Liu? He was a notorious highwayman who had once run rampant across three provinces and six cities, having taken countless lives. Facing Yan Bu'er, a cruel smile crept across his face. "Heh heh, tough guy, looks like you've got some moves. Come on then, old man!"

Clutching his heavy saber, Overlord Liu met him head-on. Both men glared at each other with fury, radiating an immense, oppressive aura. This surging pressure seemed almost strong enough to knock the surrounding onlookers off their feet.

Clang...

Finally, the two men violently collided. Machete met heavy saber, kicking off a blinding shower of sparks that made it difficult to keep one's eyes open. Overlord Liu grinned widely and said, "Not bad, you've got some strength!"

"Hmph!" Inwardly, Yan Bu'er was deeply shocked. This fellow's physical strength was truly formidable—he had actually managed to withstand his full-force strike. It seemed this guy was definitely not an ordinary laborer; perhaps they weren't workers at all. Yan Bu'er thought to himself, if these people aren't workers, what could they possibly be? Where on earth did Ye Chen find such men? Could it be that Ye Chen had been secretly concealing his true strength? At this thought, Yan Bu'er was struck by a wave of profound shock. Ye Chen was truly formidable; it seemed he could no longer be allowed to live. While battling shock within, Yan Bu'er roared at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, it's time to act! If anyone slaughters Ye Chen today, I, Yan Bu'er, will reward them with ten million!"

As the saying goes, heavy rewards attract brave men. This adage held absolute truth. The terror planted in everyone's hearts earlier when Overlord Liu sliced that lackey in half was now completely swept away. At once, the crowd cheered in ecstatic excitement, "Charge! For the ten million!"

In an instant, the two forces collided head-on. The prisoners in their blue uniforms, wielding steel pipes and machetes, clashed fiercely with the punks dressed in brightly colored clothes.

According to Yan Bu'er's calculations, these men should have been low-skilled individuals with no social standing. The moment a real fight broke out, they would inevitably turn tail and run. However, Yan Bu'er had no idea that these men were society's most psychologically hardened dregs, every single one of them carrying heavy criminal records on their backs. Whether it was murder or robbery, their psychological endurance far surpassed anyone else's, not to mention their sheer viciousness in a brawl.

"Damn it, how dare you lay a hand on your granddaddy here! When I was out fighting street wars, you were still playing with the two nuts in your diaper!"

"Son of a bitch, watch how I beat the living daylights out of you! When I was out taking lives, you were still playing in the mud!"

Before long, the battlefield shifted into a completely one-sided suppression. Yan Bu'er glanced over his shoulder and saw that the blue ocean had completely swallowed the multicolored flowers. The blue wave swung their weapons mercilessly, beating the punks to a pulp. Those petty thugs were fine when it came to bullying ordinary citizens or shaking down small-time street vendors, but when truly confronted with these criminals who fought with no regard for their own lives, they were instantly outmatched.

"Brothers, run for your lives!" A lackey screamed in terror.

One person fleeing immediately triggered a stampede, creating a domino effect. One after another, they turned and bolted—after all, they weren't even formal members of the Flame Dragon Gang. Yan Bu'er was not a loyal leader; he had only brought a few dozen of his own men, while the rest had just tagged along for the ride. At a critical, life-or-death moment like this, who would be willing to throw their life away for Yan Bu'er? Thus, the lackeys scattered in all directions.

"Damn it, nobody runs!" Yan Bu'er's loyal subordinates immediately moved to block them. But the moment they stepped forward, they were tackled to the ground by the fleeing mob, who trampled right over them one after another. Those pathetic Flame Dragon Gang lackeys were beaten to a pulp within moments, their clothes covered in footprints. Struggling back to their feet from the mud, they shouted in furious rage, "Assholes, stop running!"

It wasn't that they genuinely wanted the others to stay out of solidarity, but rather that they needed human shields to protect their own lives. If everyone else ran, there would likely be no one left to protect them. Yet, a mere handful of men could not possibly stop the fleeing tide. Within a matter of minutes, the crowd Yan Bu'er had mustered was completely gone, leaving not a single person behind—except for Yan Bu'er himself and a few remaining Flame Dragon Gang lackeys who had quickly thrown themselves onto the ground to play dead. The entire scene was left with only Yan Bu'er standing alone.

"Old Second Yan, you've lost!" Ye Chen smiled coldly.

"Hmph, I haven't lost yet!" Yan Bu'er casually pulled a cigar from his pocket and said, "In Jianghuai City, no one dares to kill me, nor does anyone dare to touch a single hair on my head!"

"Is that so?" Ye Chen smiled faintly.

"That's right!" Yan Bu'er nodded smugly.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ye Chen walked straight toward Yan Bu'er. Startled, Yan Bu'er caught sight of the heavy machete gripped tightly in Ye Chen's hand, and a trace of cowardice flickered within him. Others might play by the rules, but Ye Chen certainly didn't. This unpredictable fellow had taken down Bold Zhang, trampled Crown Prince, and yet somehow walked away without spending time in prison after taking lives. Despite extensive inquiries, Yan Bu'er had never been able to uncover the truth behind it. Consequently, Yan Bu'er felt extremely nervous.

"What do you want?" Yan Bu'er glared at Ye Chen.

"Oh, didn't you just say that no one dares to kill you, and no one dares to touch a single hair on your head?" Ye Chen grinned broadly. "I indeed wouldn't dare kill you, because doing so before uprooting your foundation would bring me a hundred disadvantages and no benefits. However... I certainly dare to touch a hair on your head!"