Chapter 44

Lin Ziyuan hung up the phone to Zhang Daku. It was a gesture of concern for a subordinate!

"Ah? Ah? Ah?" Lin Ziyuan's mouth remained wide open. After a few "ahs," she had already hung up the phone.

"So, the content of your call was just three 'ahs'?" Zheng Xiaotian looked at Lin Ziyuan.

"Zhang Daku is in trouble. Let's go!" Lin Ziyuan said.

Zheng Xiaotian was thus pulled up by Lin Ziyuan, confused and flustered.

In the outskirts of the Development Zone in Sanzhen City, there was a cluster of bungalows. These houses were all marked for demolition. The term "demolition" had been around for decades and continued to exist. Many families had experienced bloodshed, while others moved out joyfully. Zhang Daku's family belonged to the former.

Almost everyone in the area had moved out, leaving only a few households, including Zhang Daku's.

"Come on, if you have the guts, come again!" Zhang Daku shouted.

In front of Zhang Daku stood nearly ten thugs. They were experienced, each holding a rubber bat. They wouldn't kill, but the pain would be excruciating. Initially, he had driven them back, but now they had regrouped and returned.

"For the last time, we kindly advise you to move!" the leader of the thugs said to Zhang Daku.

"Go to hell!" Zhang Daku replied.

Wasn't Zhang Daku just being stubborn? Wasn't he a holdout? Yes, but he had no choice. Initially, the relocation terms offered 80% of the original area, with the remaining 20% to be paid by him. Zhang Daku, a recent struggler, had no money. Moreover, he had never heard of a demolition that didn't offer full compensation. What was this 80% about? Would it still be 80% in the future? Would his house eventually be reclaimed by the state?

So, Zhang Daku held his ground. Then, 80% became 75%, and finally, 40%. The longer he held out, the worse the compensation terms became. This was the attitude of the other side: if you didn't comply, they would use force.

"Go!" the leader raised his hands and made a gesture.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

One by one, they charged at Zhang Daku. In the next second, he was completely overwhelmed.

Although Zhang Daku's martial arts were decent, he was only at the level of a special forces soldier. When had a special forces soldier ever faced ten people head-on? It's true that a special forces soldier could take on thirty to fifty people, but that was in a stealth operation, taking them out one by one. Facing ten pairs of hands head-on, especially when he was already exhausted, was simply impossible.

"Husband..." a beautiful figure called out to Zhang Daku from inside the house.

"Don't shout, or we'll beat you too," a thug raised his rubber bat at the woman.

"Husband!" the woman called out again, defying the threat.

"Are you challenging me? Do you think I won't hit you?" the man tightened his grip on the rubber bat.

"Hit me, come on, if my husband can endure the impact, I can too. Come on, hit me," the woman lifted her head, defiantly.

"I've never heard of anyone making such a request," the thug tightened his grip on the rubber bat and swung it down.

The woman's eyes were fixed on the rubber bat. She watched as it drew closer and closer. Finally, she closed her eyes.

After closing her eyes, the woman didn't know if time had frozen or if she had been knocked out. She didn't feel the attack on her forehead. Could it be that the blow was so powerful that it knocked her out instantly?

"Brother, there's a rule that you don't hit the elderly, children, or women. Are you not a very competent thug? Hitting a woman, isn't that a bit too low?" A hand grabbed the thug's wrist. The rubber bat was now just 0.01 centimeters from the woman's forehead.

"Where did you come from?" the thug looked at Zheng Xiaotian.

"My origin is justice. I come representing justice," Zheng Xiaotian smiled.

"Brothers, there's another one here," the thug shouted.

Immediately, all eyes turned to Zheng Xiaotian. They stopped their assault on Zhang Daku, stood up, and slowly approached him.

Zheng Xiaotian thought that before his穿越 (time travel), if he encountered thugs, he would have avoided them, lowered his head, and tried not to look at them. Thugs were unpredictable; if you looked at them the wrong way, they would get angry and beat you up. What could you do?

But now, things were different. Zheng Xiaotian was strong and had the power to change the small society.

"Wow, quite a few of you. You're planning to surround me, huh?" Zheng Xiaotian smacked his lips.

"If you let go of my hand now, kneel and apologize, we won't beat you. After all, you're not a holdout," the thug next to Zheng Xiaotian said.

"You're so kind," Zheng Xiaotian looked at the thug.

"They say I'm a righteous big brother," the thug smiled.

"Righteous big brother?" Zheng Xiaotian laughed. "A righteous big brother is about to hit a woman. How righteous are you?"

"I am very righteous, a big brother who doesn't sweat the small stuff," the thug said.

"Is that so!" In an instant, Zheng Xiaotian punched the so-called righteous big brother in the face.

With a thud, the righteous big brother fell to the ground. He clutched his injured cheek, pain flooding his brain. His body curled up like a shrimp.

The thugs were stunned. In their group of ten, the other side had acted without hesitation, completely disregarding them. Even if they were just posturing, ten people were enough to intimidate anyone. But here, there was just one person. What was going on?

(End of page)