"I kill you!"
Huang Shouzu's roar exploded amidst the clamor.
He gripped the hammer tightly, his eyes bloodshot as if they could breathe fire. He transformed into a raging beast, lunging towards the direction of the river.
However, Chuanliu anticipated Huang Shouzu's actions.
Her figure flashed through the crowd, instantly blending into the chaotic throng.
He weaved nimbly through the dense crowd, skillfully using his movements to evade Huang Shouzu's repeated fierce attacks.
Huang Shouzu kept waving his hammer, following behind Chuanliu, carving out a chase route through the crowd with his claws outstretched.
But each time the hammer struck, it missed, the hammer's shadow drawing dangerous arcs through the crowd.
As Huang Shouzu's anger spiraled out of control, his hammer swings became increasingly wild, failing to catch Chuanliu and instead injuring innocent bystanders.
In the crowd, a passerby watching the play was unable to dodge in time and was knocked to the ground by the force of the hammer swing by Huang Shouzu, letting out a painful groan; several weak people were stunned and dared not move; one person tried to protect his companion, but was unexpectedly grazed on the shoulder by Huang Shouzu's out-of-control strike, and blood instantly stained his sleeve, making him pale with pain.
Panic escalated among the crowd, with screams and shouts filling the air, creating utter chaos.
People scattered in panic, pushing and shoving each other as they tried to escape the dangerous vortex.
But Chuanliu seemed detached from all of this, like a nimble loach, weaving freely through the crowd, always running along the most crowded route, continuing her ingenious game of dodging.
Gradually, some people couldn't stand it anymore and started complaining loudly.
"Huang Shouzu, are you ever going to stop?! This second floor isn't your territory alone!"
"Yeah, Brother Huang, you can't just act like a scoundrel in public after your advances are rejected!"
"Exactly! We are all witnesses, you're really bullying this young man."
“The main city of Plum Blossom is now closed off, and we’ll still have to live together after this. Your ruthless approach is making things very difficult for all of us.”
"Yeah, you're holding onto so many empty rooms and you're not satisfied? Do you want to become the boss of the second floor?"
"Huang Shouzu, we had an agreement back then: you would take care of your empty rooms, and we would take care of our respective responsibilities. Are you already trying to usurp power?"
"..."
The doubts from the crowd were like waves, one higher than the next.
Some people with ulterior motives took the opportunity to fan the flames, escalating a simple conflict into public outrage, turning his mistreatment of a young man into a wolfish ambition and a plot to seize power.
"You, you all..."
Huang Shouzu's face turned red with anger, and his attention gradually shifted from dealing with Chuanliu to arguing with the other bosses.
He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart, and retorted in an almost hoarse voice, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Meanwhile, Chuanliu took advantage of Huang Shouzu's distraction while arguing with the others to begin her provocation.
She turned slightly to the side, avoiding the crowd's gaze, first casting a smug look at Huang Shouzu, and then standing behind the crowd, mimicking Huang Shouzu's speech while making one funny face after another, as if mocking his incompetence.
These actions, which only Huang Shouzu could see, seemed to have never happened to others.
Huang Shouzu's anger was reignited, burning fiercely like a flame stirred by a gale.
His hands trembled with rage as he raised the heavy hammer again, his gaze fixed on Chuanliu, and he declared through gritted teeth, "Wait until I've dealt with this kid before I talk to you!"
"Enough!"
A powerful shout rang out from the crowd, instantly piercing through the chaos and bringing everyone to a sudden halt.
Upon hearing the sound, Chuanliu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked in the direction of the sound.
Unexpectedly, the man's two words actually made Huang Shouzu stop and back down, showing a hint of fear.
Huang Shouzu's expression became somewhat complicated, the hammer in his hand unconsciously fell to the ground, and his eyes revealed a mixture of fear and obsequiousness.
He involuntarily swallowed and called out, "Brother Zhang, Brother Zhang."
The man called "Brother Zhang" didn't say much, but gave Huang Shouzu a cold glance with a warning look in his eyes.
He then walked through the crowd and stepped forward.
Encouraged by this, everyone mustered their courage and followed him back into the hall.
With the arrival of Brother Zhang, the chaotic scene gradually returned to order.
"Huang Shouzu, tonight is the first night of the lockdown. Are you determined to cause a death before you'll stop?"
Zhang Ge's words exuded a powerful and authoritative aura. His sharp gaze swept across the surroundings and the flow of people before finally settling on Huang Shouzu.
"Brother Zhang, I... this kid provoked me first!" Huang Shouzu hurriedly shifted the blame, his voice tinged with panic.
Brother Zhang approached with steady steps, patted Huang Shouzu's shoulder twice lightly, and said earnestly, "Huang Shouzu, you already have a lot, calm down."
Sensing the weight of Zhang Ge's words, Huang Shouzu's eyes involuntarily wandered, and he happened to catch a glimpse of a spiked club that Zhang Ge had somehow produced in his hand.
Everyone in Plum Blossom City knows that the spiked club is the exclusive weapon of the Plum Blossom City Guards.
Therefore, in the main city, the spiked club is a symbol of status for members of the guard. While the Plum Blossom Main City Guard is ostensibly established to protect the main city, it actually serves the Plum Blossom leadership.
Offending them, if it gets back to the higher-ups, would be like slapping the faces of the higher-ups.
Therefore, Zhang Ge's status naturally earned him both respect and fear on the second floor.
Normally, Brother Zhang keeps a low profile and rarely shows his face unless necessary, to the point that Huang Shouzu almost forgot he existed.
But at this moment, Zhang Ge's sudden appearance forced Huang Shouzu to temporarily abandon his idea of harming Chuanliu.
"I understand. I apologize for disturbing you all tonight. Please forgive me." Huang Shouzu quickly adjusted his attitude, his tone full of concession.
Brother Zhang nodded in satisfaction, then said to Chuanliu and Xiao Li, "I heard that a few new people just arrived on the second floor today, are you guys?"
Xiao Li nodded quickly. With Brother Zhang backing him up, he mustered up his courage and said, "I want to buy the room that Brother Huang has. Brother Huang took a thousand yuan from me, and I just want my room back."
Brother Zhang glanced at Huang Shouzu.
The latter immediately handed the key to Xiao Li, saying, "Here, here, I was going to give it to you anyway."
Chuanliu looked at Huang Shouzu and said in a slightly timid voice, "I don't dare to buy his house. What if he causes me trouble later?"
"Hmm..." Brother Zhang responded, as if he was thinking about something.
Aside from Chuanliu, no one noticed the smile in his eyes.
A moment later, he said to Chuanliu, "Come with me."
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