Boom!
With the force of a single punch, the earth trembled as if the end of days had arrived. The mountains and rivers seemed to change color, and the sun and moon grew dim.
Xu Mo's right fist, still barely touching the face of the young man before him, struck the wall behind him. But that young man could no longer bear the intense shock and collapsed, his eyes rolled back as he passed out.
The sound of cracking, like exploding beans, echoed from inside the wall. The cracks on the surface of the wall spread rapidly, and after two powerful "Zero Burst" impacts, the single-layer red brick wall finally gave way to its own weight. The center of the wall collapsed, leaving a hole nearly one meter wide.
"I'm a high school student, and you're a gangster. We won't cross paths again in the future."
Xu Mo, with a calm expression, brushed past the bald man and walked to the front of the private room to pick up his clothes from the floor, gently brushing off the dust and shoe prints.
Once he put his coat back on, he returned to his unremarkable teenage appearance. But the terrifying, deathlike aura he had just exuded was now etched into the hearts of every member of the Northern Dao gang present, forever haunting their nightmares.
"Oh... right."
Xu Mo suddenly stopped and quickly scanned the surroundings. His gaze eventually landed on a young female waiter, who had been trembling in the corner, too scared to escape.
"Tell your boss that all the damages, including this wall, are to be paid for by these people."
After speaking, Xu Mo turned back to the "Jade" private room. To his surprise, the door was locked from the inside. He quickly guessed what had happened and sighed softly. Raising his hand to knock, he put it down and turned to walk downstairs.
The thirty or so gang members of Northern Dao gang had been blocking the stairs. When they saw Xu Mo coming down, they all froze in fear, as if afraid that he would dismantle them like the wall. They nervously hugged each other, parting to create a narrow path for him.
Just as they had finally let out a breath of relief, Xu Mo turned back and walked straight up to one of them, pointing at a half-open pack of cigarettes peeking out of his pocket.
The gang member, startled by Xu Mo's presence, almost had a panic attack. He was so terrified that he didn't even think twice before pulling out the pack, along with his lighter, and handed them over, trembling.
"Soft Zhonghua? Not bad... but the lighter's pretty lame."
Xu Mo smiled politely, took the cigarettes and lighter, and casually walked down the stairs, shoving his hands into his pockets as he left the restaurant.
This time, he was really leaving.
As the Northern Dao gang members surged up the stairs to clean up the mess, they carried the injured leaders down to their cars for a hasty trip to the hospital. As they passed the wall that was on the verge of collapsing, they couldn't help but touch it, confirming its former strength, and marveled at the destruction Xu Mo had caused.
With the upper-level leaders defeated, a relatively junior member took on the task of passing messages. He walked up nervously to the bald man and asked, "Boss... what should we do now? Should we call in other brothers from the gang?"
"No," the bald man quickly replied. "Tell the others not to engage with that person again, unless I give the order."
The bald man wasn't just a thug who shouted for bloodshed; he could sense the warning in Xu Mo's words. They were from two different worlds. Though there had been a conflict today, Xu Mo didn't want to pursue it further, nor did he want any more trouble. If anyone dared to retaliate without permission, they would have to face the consequences.
The lower-ranking members, who had just escaped being cannon fodder, seemed relieved. They quickly went about their business, as if afraid their boss might change his mind.
The bald man continued to gaze at the hole in the wall, still haunted by Xu Mo's overwhelming aura when he had thrown that punch. It was a presence he had only felt from the elders of Northern Dao gang, but there was a crucial difference. The elders' power came from influence and resources, while Xu Mo's power stemmed from an unimaginable strength that made even the most hardened criminals fear for their lives.
Power is what keeps you safe; it grows stronger with time, unlike influence, which can falter.
A person like that would eventually rise to dominate, perhaps even looking down from the heavens themselves. Although it might be impossible to befriend such a person, one could never afford to offend them.
"Hey," the bald man called to a passing underling, "Go to the opposite private room and find out everything you can about that guy. The more detailed, the better."
"But boss... didn't you say not to provoke him anymore?" the underling asked, quivering.
"When did I say anything about revenge? Just go ask!" The bald man slapped a few hundred yuan into the underling's hand. "Buy a fruit basket, say it's for an apology... and remember to be polite!"
...
The smoke swirled lazily in the cool night air, glowing faintly red, like a mischievous spirit dancing in the darkness, both alluring and eerie.
Cough cough... "Guess I was too ambitious trying to smoke for the first time."
Xu Mo's face turned red as he threw the cigarette he had just taken a puff from to the ground and stomped it out. He then irresponsibly placed the remaining half pack of cigarettes and the lighter into a beggar's bowl, where the beggar was smoking a cigarette.
Despite the violent outburst earlier, Xu Mo still hadn't been able to shake off his regret about Xu Bilin becoming someone else's girlfriend. He tried to numb himself with the cigarette, but the effect wasn't as strong as he had hoped. In fact, his frustration seemed to worsen. Perhaps this was what they meant by "drinking away sorrow only to find more sorrow"?
A dirty hand suddenly reached out from beside him, and Xu Mo looked up to see a young girl begging. She appeared to be no older than fifteen or sixteen, with her face covered in grime.
Even with the existence of aid stations, the city was still full of pitiful souls like this one who had nowhere to turn.
It was freezing cold, the middle of winter, and in weather so harsh that water could freeze before it hit the ground, only the most resilient of beggars would continue to beg on the streets. So, Xu Mo, seeing her, didn't think twice. He pulled out a one yuan coin and gently placed it into her hand.
He wasn't trying to be stingy, but there were simply too many people who needed help in the world. What could one person do? All he could do was offer what little he could, seeking only a sense of inner peace.
The girl, with her hair in disarray and her face covered in mud, showed no sign of gratitude or sorrow. Her eyes were a dull gray, like the ashes of a fire that had long burned out. Without a word, she slowly used her hands to support herself, crawling toward another passerby.
She seemed to have completely lost the ability to walk. After several pedestrians avoided her, she dragged her heavy body toward a small food stall, holding out the one yuan coin to buy some buns. The stall owner, annoyed at how the girl's presence was affecting his customers' appetites, shouted at her to leave.
The girl didn't argue. She clutched the coin tightly and crawled away, her eyes still filled with that same, heart-wrenching deadness.
Xu Mo, watching from a distance, went to the stall and bought two baskets of buns. After having them packed in a take-out box, he caught up to the girl, gently placed them in front of her, and tried to offer some comforting words. But seeing her state, all words seemed utterly meaningless. He could only sigh softly and walk away.
There were countless pitiful people in the world, and what were his emotional struggles compared to that?
It wasn't clear if it was because he had helped someone in need or if he had come to terms with his own emotional turmoil, but in that moment, Xu Mo's suffocating feelings of frustration and depression vanished as if they had never been there. Although a faint pain still lingered when he thought of Xu Bilin, it no longer carried the heavy, dark emotions it once had.
Just then, his phone rang—it was Xu Bilin calling. Apparently, the others had lost interest in continuing their celebration after the events at the restaurant. After a token cake-cutting, everyone left. Xu Bilin, concerned for Xu Mo's safety, was calling to check on him.
Xu Mo politely declined her offer to come over, reassured her that he was fine, and ended the call. After all, she now had Ouyang Ning by her side, and he couldn't let her keep mingling with him.
Avoiding suspicion was really about protecting each other from harm.