Chapter 4

The wooden-handled boning knife, with its extremely sharp tip, is specifically used for cutting through meat tendons. The blade also has sharp serrations, making it an essential dining knife for T-bone steaks, and it could also be useful in a butcher's shop.

"Just arm wrestling isn't very interesting. How about we add a little bet?"

Jin Muchen smiled faintly as he approached the table and then lifted the tabletop of the small round table.

"Thud, thud."

The two boning knives pierced through the plywood tabletop, exposing half of their blades. Jin Muchen then placed the tabletop down and gestured with his hand.

All the onlookers, seeing where he placed his hand, couldn't help but feel a chill. This kid is really ruthless!

The sharp tips of the knives were just a few centimeters below his raised forearm. No one expected this guy to be so ruthless!

It was just arm wrestling, but now, if anyone lost, their forearm would be impaled by the sharp, serrated boning knife the moment their arm fell.

This was a serrated knife, and being impaled by such a knife would make it very difficult to treat the wound, possibly leading to permanent disability.

John and the others wanted to persuade Jin Muchen, but they didn't know how to start.

Joey was stunned. He didn't expect this Asian to be so ruthless! Looking at the other's determined eyes, he hesitated.

Jin Muchen smiled faintly. "What? Afraid? Or are you just a pussy who can only talk tough? Feel your crotch, are your balls still there?"

His voice was calm, but it sounded very composed, and this composure was particularly grating to Joey.

Jin Muchen's calm demeanor gave him a transcendent confidence. Those who initially didn't believe in him began to waver, for this kid was really ruthless!

Joey's face turned red with anger. He moved his lips, but finally, he extended his hand and placed it on the tabletop. The two large hands gripped each other, and John held their hands, found the balance point, and then suddenly let go.

Joey exerted all his strength, his face turning red, his neck thickening, and the veins on his forehead almost bursting, but the Asian's hand remained as immovable as if it were cast in iron.

The other's face had a faint smirk, and Joey, in his desperation, even used his other hand, which should have been under the table, to grip the edge of the table for leverage, using all his strength.

The onlookers, who had been cheering and encouraging, were now all dumbfounded. This was not scientific!

Joey was clearly more muscular than the Asian, but why couldn't he move him?

Jin Muchen smiled faintly. "Is that all you've got? I'm about to exert my strength!"

Everyone's minds were already in a state of shock. At this point, this kid still had the strength to speak!

Before they could react, the thinner arm suddenly moved and, in almost an instant, pressed the thicker arm down onto the tabletop with an almost absolute advantage.

The boning knife, without any deviation, pierced through Joey's crab-claw-like forearm.

A scream, almost deafening, echoed through the ears of all the onlookers.

Seeing Joey's hand nailed to the table, bleeding profusely, Jin Muchen felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

He stood up and coldly scanned Joey's companions. The burly men, who were usually tough, now dared not meet his gaze. As his eyes swept over them, they all lowered their heads or turned away like children avoiding a teacher's gaze.

Joey, clutching his impaled forearm, screamed in pain, while his companions, intimidated by Jin Muchen's sharp, blade-like gaze, dared not move. The bar fell into a silence.

"Take this pussy and get out of here!"

This sentence seemed to bring the burly men back to their senses. They immediately scrambled to lift Joey from the ground and dragged him out of the bar.

Just as they reached the bar's entrance, Jin Muchen called out from behind.

"By the way, remember to remind him to brush his teeth after he poops next time."

Jin Muchen's words made the men pause, and then they hurriedly fled the bar.

"That's a good kid."

Doris, holding a Remington, had appeared beside John. John didn't turn around, his voice low and deep.

"Yeah, a good kid, but he might have trouble next."

Doris's plump face wrinkled slightly. "No trouble. Joey's brother is still in prison, and his hand is probably crippled. Do you think his men will follow a crippled fool?"

"Seems like that's true."

John turned his face, but it was now clearly smiling.

"Pity about my table and the two dining knives."

The old lady looked at the door and muttered. John responded.

"Put it on my tab."

"Forget it, I'll make Joey the fool pay me back."

The old lady winked at John and then turned back to the bar.

After this incident, the atmosphere in the bar changed completely. The rough men who didn't know Jin Muchen before now looked at him with a mix of respect and fear, and they dared not meet his gaze.

Occasionally, someone would sneak a glance, but they wouldn't dare to look directly at Jin Muchen.

Paul, in particular, kept pestering Jin Muchen. "Hey, buddy, you're not playing fair. Do you know how worried I was for you? Come on, tell me, have you trained? Do you know martial arts?"

Paul, with his typical thick nerves, gestured in the air and made grunting sounds.

The other coworkers also leaned in, eager to learn more about Jin Muchen's unexpected skills.

Jin Muchen didn't act too arrogantly; he just scratched his head and chuckled, acknowledging it.

"Hey, buddy, can you teach me? I'll be your disciple."

With that, the big guy Paul actually knelt down in front of Jin Muchen, clasped his hands, and said awkwardly, "Master..."

This drew a burst of laughter, and the tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

By the time they left the bar, it was already past ten o'clock. Everyone was quite tipsy, so many didn't drive. Since they lived nearby, some chose to walk home, while others called friends to pick them up.

Jin Muchen said goodbye to his new colleagues and slowly walked towards the bus stop.

He lived on Flaubert Street, at the southern end of Brooklyn, while he was currently at the northern end. Getting home would be a bit difficult.

He didn't have a car, and the bus service was limited, with some routes stopping at eight in the evening.

Jin Muchen planned to walk a few more blocks and then call a taxi, even though the fares were expensive, but it was better than walking through Brooklyn at night.

Just as he was about to reach the next intersection, a car's headlights flashed, and an old Ford Mercury stopped beside him. The window rolled down, revealing a beautiful face.

"Hey, thanks for today. Where are you going? I can give you a ride."

It was the waitress from the bar, who looked like a supermodel. Jin Muchen didn't hesitate and got into the car.

"Hi, I'm Candace. What's your name?"

A typical Anglo-Saxon girl, with blonde hair, blue eyes, a slender figure, and a figure that could make eyes pop out of their sockets. She was also very outgoing.

"I'm Jin Muchen. Nice to meet you."

Jin Muchen smiled and shook her hand lightly.

She withdrew her hand and gripped the steering wheel. "Where do you live?"

"Flaubert Street, under the Brooklyn Bridge."

"I know, it's the street next to Atlantic Mall. Hehe, by the way, how can you live there without a car?"

Candace gently pressed the gas, and the Mercury turned onto the street, heading south towards the southern end of Brooklyn.

"I had a car before, but I sold it."

"Ah, I see! By the way, I haven't thanked you for earlier."

"Don't mention it, it was nothing."

"By the way, do you know? I've seen you before."

"Oh? Really?"

Jin Muchen turned to look at the girl. Candace was focused on the road, her face small and delicate, very beautiful, but Jin Muchen couldn't remember where he had seen her.

"It was in front of the Columbia Business School building, last semester, during the final exams. You forgot? I borrowed a lighter from you."

Candace said, and Jin Muchen finally remembered. On the day of the exam, he had arrived early and was wandering around the building before the exam started. Candace and a few other girls were smoking at the entrance.

All of them were beautiful, with Candace and another blonde girl being the most striking. He had been secretly admiring them from a nearby bench.

Later, one of the girls came over to borrow a lighter, and as Candace mentioned it, the image of the girl who borrowed the lighter gradually overlapped with Candace.

"Oh! I remember now."

"Ha, you remembered! So, we're Columbia alumni!"

Since they were alumni, they quickly became more familiar, and the atmosphere became more relaxed.

After ten o'clock, the streets of New York were no longer congested. They quickly arrived at Flaubert Street, in front of the apartment building where Jin Muchen lived.