Chapter 33

The members of the "Rushing E Clan" motorcycle club collectively headed to the city's most famous barbecue stall. Over a dozen motorcycles paraded through the city, and surprisingly, the one in the middle was a dilapidated taxi covered in small ads, which was quite a sight.

Shengcheng Didaodao, supposedly a branch of the authentic Jiangbei Didaodao, but insiders knew it was just a name. Even the original Jiangbei Didaodao had changed owners several times and was no longer the same.

The Jinchang City Urban Management Bureau had banned outdoor barbecues, so the skewer stalls were set up in large tents, open on all sides, but the smoke still wouldn't disperse. They had to use high-powered exhaust fans to blow it away. The group set up four tables, ordered a large amount of lamb, ribs, kidneys, and mackerel, and the girls ordered Taiwanese sausages and grilled chicken wings. They brought five cases of beer, all opened, and drank heartily.

After a few drinks, everyone became more familiar. They all loved motorcycles and had started chatting and boasting on forums, eventually forming a club. They played with a variety of bikes, from Harleys to road racers and off-road bikes. The club's president, Tan Shuai, came from a family that dealt in river fresh fish. This guy had always loved cars and had a collection of motorcycles. Shen Huawei's family was also wealthy; his father was a car dealer. The others were from middle-class families, not the best but not the worst. They all bought smuggled motorcycles, and Shen Huawei had connections in that area.

Everyone knew that Liu Handong actually drove a dilapidated taxi and was quite surprised. They said that with Dongge's driving skills, he could easily be a racer. Why was he driving a taxi?

Liu Handong explained that he was just helping a neighbor for a while and wasn't really in that line of work.

Tan Shuai said, "Why don't you come be a coach at our club, Dongge?"

Liu Handong smiled and shook his head; he didn't want to work under a young punk.

Tan Shuai was a bit unhappy, and Huo Lei changed the topic, "Dongge, where did you learn to drive like that?"

Liu Handong said, "I've driven everything in the army, from Jialing 600 motorcycles to heavy trucks."

Everyone's eyes lit up and asked if Liu Handong was a special forces soldier.

Ma Ling interjected, "He was a pig farmer in the army."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Drinking too much beer made their stomachs swell. Huo Lei went outside to urinate and, within a couple of minutes, heard the sound of an argument. He saw Huo Lei confronting a man, with a male and female student nearby, both looking furious. The man, though shorter than Huo Lei, was not intimidated. He called out, and four men stood up from a nearby table, all holding beer bottles, with fierce expressions.

Tan Shuai pushed the table and stood up, and the members of the Rushing E Clan slowly rose as well. The two groups stared at each other, the tension palpable.

Liu Handong remained seated, and only stood up when Ma Ling pulled him. He was older and not interested in this kind of childish gang fight.

"Fuck you, relying on numbers, huh?" the man confronting Huo Lei cursed and retreated, leading his four companions away.

Huo Lei brought the male and female students over and introduced them, "These are my junior classmates, Xue Xueqiang and Wang Li, who hang out with me at the traffic vocational college."

The two greeted everyone, and Xue Xueqiang offered cigarettes to everyone. Wang Li said, "Call me Shangguan Feixue."

Xue Xueqiang said, "What kind of Feixue? Big brother is here, why show off your online name?"

Wang Li kicked him angrily.

Tan Shuai said, "Sit down and join us. What happened just now?"

Xue Xueqiang explained that it was nothing serious, just a bump while walking. The other party, drunk, wouldn't let it go, and it almost came to blows. If it weren't for Big Brother Huo Lei, they would have definitely been in trouble.

Huo Lei said proudly, "People from our college can't be bullied. If those bastards had really fought, we would have crippled them."

Everyone agreed and praised each other.

Liu Handong didn't say anything. He noticed that the group had left in a BMW 3 Series, which they couldn't afford at their age, indicating they weren't ordinary people.

Sure enough, half an hour later, the lights outside flashed, and five cars parked haphazardly outside the barbecue tent. The doors opened, and over twenty men, all tough-looking with short hair and sportswear, holding sticks, got out.

"Shit, those bastards called for backup!" Xue Xueqiang shouted. Everyone stood up, coldly watching the newcomers, and other customers sensed the tension and moved away.

Huo Lei quietly took out his phone and sent a voice message on WeChat.

The leader of the group was bald, with one ear missing, making him look even more menacing. He walked over, cracked his neck, and said coldly, "Which bastard bullied my brother just now?"

The thugs surrounded them, holding their sticks, ready to attack.

"Brother Qiang, it's him!" the young man pointed at Huo Lei.

Tan Shuai stepped forward. As the club president, he had to take the lead in this situation.

"Where are you from? Do you know Brother Pi?" Tan Shuai asked.

Brother Qiang sneered, "Fuck you, little punk, trying to scare me with Pi Paradise. Do you know who I am? I'm Nan Qiang from Shifeng Group!"

Everyone was taken aback. Today wouldn't end well. Shifeng Group was the biggest criminal organization, and the Rushing E Clan, being small-time hooligans, were no match.

Some of the guys were already trembling, but they refused to back down.

Tan Shuai swallowed hard and was about to speak when Liu Handong stood up. He had been sitting behind others, and when he stood up, Nan Qiang's expression changed dramatically.

"Oh, you're Nan Qiang. I thought you were One-Ear," Liu Handong said mockingly.

Huo Lei couldn't help but laugh, but stopped when he saw no one else was laughing.

The atmosphere became even more tense, the hostility turning into a killing intent.

Ma Ling also stood up, placing a hand on Liu Handong's shoulder and saying casually, "Brother Qiang, sorry about your ear."

Nan Qiang was an underling of Gu Changjun, a special security guard for Shifeng Group. On that night, Ma Ling had shot off his ear with a Type 64 pistol, a true case of meeting an old enemy in an unexpected place.

The Rushing E Clan, who had been intimidated, suddenly felt more confident. They realized the other side wasn't scary; they were just the defeated enemies of Sister Ling and Brother Dong. The numbers were even, and they weren't afraid. They picked up beer bottles and stools, ready to fight.

The sight of old enemies made everyone even angrier, and a large-scale brawl seemed imminent. Suddenly, a large group of people, at least a hundred, mostly teenagers, rushed over, all holding weapons, ready to attack. The situation changed again.

Huo Lei said proudly, "I don't care what group you're from. On our college turf, even a tiger has to lie down. Otherwise, I'll cut you to pieces!"

Nan Qiang's face darkened. Today was his unlucky day. What should have been an easy job turned into a nightmare. The Shifeng Group's reputation was useless here, and the worst part was that these kids had called over a hundred more thugs. Teenagers were the most ferocious, ready to kill without hesitation for their brothers.

"Fuck you, you're tough!" Nan Qiang said and turned to leave, but his path was blocked by the students.

"Let him go," Liu Handong said. He knew a real fight would end in fatalities. These thugs were one thing, but the students were their parents' treasures, and dying in a gang fight was not worth it.

Huo Lei almost immediately followed Liu Handong's advice and waved, "Let him go!"

The students cleared a path, and the Shifeng Group thugs left reluctantly.

As the cars drove away, cheers erupted inside and outside the tent.

Defeating the enemy made everyone happy. Huo Lei gave a student money to buy two packs of cigarettes to send the hundred thugs away, and they continued drinking.

"These are all my little brothers. I just need to whistle, and they come," Huo Lei said proudly.

The barbecue stall was not far from the traffic vocational college, a five-minute walk. A WeChat message from Huo Lei, and the students gathered from internet cafes, billiard rooms, and game rooms, arriving without delay.

Everyone toasted to Huo Lei, and of course, they admired Liu Handong and Ma Ling even more. The events proved they weren't just boasting; they had indeed confronted Shifeng Group and injured a special security guard.

By tomorrow, this incident would spread throughout the Jinchang underworld. Nan Qiang's reputation would be ruined, and the Rushing E Clan's fame would rise even higher.

The barbecue cost over 2,000 yuan, paid for by Tan Shuai. They planned to go singing, but Ma Ling declined, saying she had to work the next day. Liu Handong naturally offered to take her home, and the two left first, while the others continued their night out. A group of motorcycles roared through the city streets, their music deafening.

Liu Handong drove the three-wheeler to Huanghua Neighborhood and dropped off Ma Ling. There were no sweet goodbyes or lingering farewells. Ma Ling jumped off and said, "I'll get your application form tomorrow. Wait for my call."

"Got it," Liu Handong said.

Ma Ling turned to go upstairs but suddenly turned back, "Actually, I don't usually hang out with them. They're just kids, and they don't know any better."

"Pretty good, very exciting," Liu Handong said. He understood Ma Ling's point. To ordinary citizens, these kids were no different from gangsters, but to real criminals, they were just kids.

Of course, Ma Ling wasn't a gangster. She was a bus driver with a legitimate job, and her father was a police officer, making her fundamentally different from the others. This was what Ma Ling wanted to convey.

Ma Ling was a good girl.

Liu Handong drove away, the sound of the motorcycle engine piercing the quiet neighborhood. Ma Ling went upstairs and met her mother, Wang Yulan, who was using the bathroom. She asked drowsily, "Why are you back so late? Your father is being discharged tomorrow, don't forget."

Ma Ling responded and was about to go into her room when Wang Yulan, standing by the window, asked, "Who brought you back?"

"No one, I took a three-wheeler," Ma Ling said, feeling a bit guilty.

"Oh, that's why I heard the sound of a three-wheeler," Wang Yulan said.