“Can you detect how many people are following me?”] Shen Yuqing adjusted his backpack and tightened his grip on his unfinished milk tea, planning to throw it at his pursuers before making a run for it.
The system replied: [“Two.”]
The system added: [“Host, it seems they’ve been tailing you since you left the bar. Both are alphas.”]
They came prepared.
Shen Yuqing stared at the long alley ahead. He shouldn’t have taken this shortcut. These narrow lanes were always ripe for trouble.
He quickened his pace slightly. Noticing his speed, the two alphas also sped up, even overtaking him. It was clear they were about to strike.
Shen Yuqing clenched his fist, scanning the surroundings for any makeshift weapon.
No luck not even a stick in sight.
The system suddenly alerted again: [“Host! Another alpha has joined them.”]
Damn.
Was tonight really this unlucky?
Though the original host had some combat training, Shen Yuqing himself had none. Apart from being fit and strong, he had no fighting skills. Even the original host wouldn’t stand a chance against three!
Shen Yuqing exhaled sharply. He should’ve waited longer for a ride.
Regret was useless now. While walking briskly, he dialed Lin Sui the only one who could reach him quickly. But no one answered.
[“Host, they’re closing in! Run!”] the system shrieked.
Shen Yuqing immediately bolted toward the alley’s exit.
The two pursuers, nearly upon him, watched as he dashed away like a startled rabbit. Realizing they’d been spotted, they gave chase only to be struck from behind.
“Ouch!”
One of them yelped. Turning around, they saw a man in bartender attire standing a short distance away.
They recognized him, the most striking alpha in the bar, codenamed “A’Zhuo.”
“The hell’s wrong with you?”
Song Wangzhuo tossed the empty bottle in his hand. “You’re the ones with issues.”
The two alphas, drunk and reckless, exchanged glances. If they couldn’t catch the one who fled, this alpha would do just fine, he looked just as enticing.
Song Wangzhuo observed their leer with icy detachment. Having spent years in this neon-lit underworld, he knew exactly what their gazes meant.
He rolled his shoulders, gripping the bottle tighter as they inched closer.
When they were near enough, he asked coolly, “Together, or one at a time?”
The alphas grinned obscenely, their cheap pheromones flooding the alley. A feeble attempt at dominance their pitiful mental pressure bore down on Song Wangzhuo, trying to force submission.
Yet his expression never wavered. The moment they lunged, he swung the bottle with ruthless precision striking so fiercely he seemed a world apart from his usual meek demeanor.
Moreover, the force with which the bottle was smashed down was quite deliberate. One of the men let out a pained scream, his head spinning as he reached up to touch it, only to find his palm damp with cold sweat.
Before he could even curse, a powerful kick landed squarely on his chest.
Already drunk from the night’s drinking, the force sent him stumbling back several steps before he collapsed onto the ground.
The other man, startled by Song Wangzhuo’s swift movements, quickly regained his composure and pulled out a small knife from his pocket, lunging forward.
Song Wangzhuo frowned slightly, sidestepping the blade effortlessly. He seized the man’s arm and yanked him hard toward the wall. The impact against the unyielding surface knocked the wind out of him, but he quickly steadied himself and retaliated.
Song Wangzhuo’s gaze remained icy. Unlike his opponents, who were panting and drenched in sweat, he moved with an almost ethereal grace every motion fluid and precise, as if this were less a fight and more a performance.
The man who had fallen earlier, seeing Song Wangzhuo’s back turned, ignored his own pain and scrambled up, pulling out another knife. His face twisted with aggression as he charged.
But his plan backfired.
A shabby chair smashed into his back, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground.
The commotion drew Song Wangzhuo’s attention. Still restraining his opponent, he glanced back only to see Shen Yuqing returning, breathless as if he had sprinted the entire way.
“I’ve already called the police,” Shen Yuqing panted. “You two are done for. My family has hundreds of lawyers on retainer enough to make sure you rot in prison.”
No sooner had he spoken than the distant wail of sirens echoed through the alley, as if the police were indeed on their way.
The two alphas, clearly experienced, seized the moment of distraction to shove Song Wangzhuo away and flee.
Just as Song Wangzhuo was about to give chase, Shen Yuqing called out, “Don’t bother.”
Turning back, Song Wangzhuo saw Shen Yuqing with his hands on his hips, still catching his breath. “I lied,” he admitted. “I didn’t actually call them.”
Now that the police were involved, Song Wangzhuo would have to go through the hassle of dealing with them something entirely unnecessary.
Shen Yuqing had already had his system record the men’s appearances. Tomorrow, the Shen family would track them down, avoiding any further complications.
After a moment, Shen Yuqing finally steadied his breathing.
His gaze lingered on Song Wangzhuo. Though the alley was dim, he could still make out the other’s expression.
He had initially run away, but his system had informed him that the alpha who arrived later wasn’t allied with the attackers. In fact, he seemed to be helping, now locked in combat with the two assailants.
Unfortunately, the system was too useless to identify who it was.
After some deliberation, Shen Yuqing had grabbed a discarded chair from a nearby doorstep and hurried back.
If someone had helped him, he couldn’t just abandon them. Besides, two against two improved their odds.
Not to mention, he still had his cheat. The police siren had been the system’s doing.
But he never expected to return and find a familiar face.
The sight of Song Wangzhuo’s effortless, almost mesmerizing movements left him utterly stunned.
Normally, he appeared too lazy to speak, enduring any bullying quietly and only putting up minimal resistance to protect himself.
But these moves suggested he could take on their entire group single-handedly.
Shen Yuqing looked at Song Wangzhuo with a hint of confusion. Of course, he knew protagonists were never pushovers but why?
Why didn’t he fight back when bullied at school, when he clearly had the ability to?
Song Wangzhuo was also momentarily stunned when he saw Shen Yuqing. He hadn’t expected the two to be chasing after him. And judging by Shen Yuqing’s expression, he had witnessed every move of the fight clearly.
The two stood a few steps apart, silently sizing each other up, each lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, Shen Yuqing broke the silence first: “Aren’t you… supposed to be at work?”
Right, shouldn’t Song Wangzhuo be working at this hour? What was he doing here?
