Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 25: No One’s in Charge

“Ah! My balls… my balls are shattered!” After kicking him, Su Mu ground his foot down hard, and Hu Fo rolled around on the ground in agony. The other gang leaders were watching the commotion closely. After Su Mu beat up Hu Fo’s crew, two or three dozen people quickly surrounded him. Su Mu flung the sledgehammer in his hand toward the wall to one side. With a thud, the hammerhead embedded itself directly into the wall—a testament to the astonishing force of his throw. “What’s the deal? You guys want a rematch?” Chen Li immediately stepped forward. “You all saw it clearly just now—it was Hu Fo who came over looking for trouble. He got beaten because he wasn’t a match for us; he had it coming. This junior brother of mine didn’t come over here looking for trouble.” “Chen Li, don’t stick your nose in here. You know full well who’s the boss in the Heavy Industry Zone, don’t you?” shouted a menacing, burly man with dark skin. “Of course I do—it’s our Brother Da, naturally.” “Kid, what’s your name?” the burly, dark-skinned man asked. “Su Mu。” “You’ve got some skills, but you’d better keep a low profile around here. Don’t get too cocky. You’ve got to pay your respects to the boss first—don’t you know even that basic rule?” “You’re not asking for a bribe again, are you?” Su Mu chuckled. “I haven’t even given Song Dachui his gift yet. Is this ‘Brother Da’ even more powerful than that foreman over there?” “Hey! You’ve got some nerve, kid. You’re getting a little too cocky!” The burly man said as he swung a punch at him. “No one’s the boss around here!” Su Mu countered with a punch of his own. Their fists collided, and the burly man was sent reeling back six or seven steps, his blood and qi churning violently. “Rebellion! Everyone, attack!” “Hold on!” Su Mu shouted. “I’m always up for a fight, but first, take me to meet the boss of the Heavy Industry Zone.” Chen Li leaned in and whispered, “Zhong Da is a real tiger—you’d better keep your cool around him.” “Is this guy one of Song Dachui’s men?” “He used to be part of the Supervision Team, but later fell out with Song Dachui over a woman. The two of them are still deeply at odds.” Su Mu’s interest was piqued. This was someone he could team up with. If he could turn an enemy into an ally, perhaps he could turn the tables and take the initiative. After all, one person alone can’t make a sound; he needed to form an alliance and gather some brothers to stand up to the Supervision Team led by Song Dachui. “These guys are just like a prisoner escort,” Su Mu thought to himself as he walked. Soon he arrived at a secluded area where a dilapidated tent had been pitched. Outside the tent sat a bare-chested, heavily chained burly man on a chair, gnawing on a massive mutton leg with his feet propped up, his mouth smeared with grease. “Big Brother, Su Mu’s here,” the burly man called out. “It was really noisy out there just now. Who was fighting?” Zhong Da finished off the leg of lamb in a few big bites and asked, licking his fingers without a care for his appearance. “It was him—Su Mu. Hu Fo’s crew got beaten to a pulp.” “That guy again who’s into soft-skinned men? If it weren’t for the fact that he works his ass off, I’d have fucking crippled him ages ago! Good job, really good job. Guys like that only learn their lesson when they get punched in the face.” “If he dares mess with me again, I’ll really take him out.” “I’m here mainly to keep order. Fights happen all the time—in this hellhole, if you don’t find something to do, it’ll drive you crazy. Just don’t kill anyone. If you really do cripple him, the Source Stones he’s supposed to turn in will fall on your head. As long as you can hand them over, I won’t hold it against you.” The big black guy shouted, “Big Brother, that kid just said nobody’s word counts around here!” Zhong Da looked at Su Mu with a smile. “Really? Does nobody’s word count here? Is that what you said in front of everyone?” Chen Li cleared his throat twice and chimed in, “Brother Da, he just got here and has no idea how things work around here. Plus, Black Hand and his crew were eyeing him, ready to gang up on him. When someone’s in the heat of the moment, it’s only natural to spout a few tough lines to psych themselves up, right?” “No one’s word counts around here. Right in front of you, I’ll say it again,” Su Mu suddenly said in a deep voice. The atmosphere instantly fell silent—a silence so thick it was almost terrifying. Chen Li shook his head repeatedly—he’d never seen anyone so stubborn. Zhong Da threw his head back and roared with laughter. “Guts! I actually have something I’d like to discuss with you properly. I was just afraid you’d be all talk and no action—but it looks like I’ve underestimated you.” As he spoke, he stood up from his chair. “Cao Shang from the Supervision Team came to have a drink with me yesterday—we’re on somewhat friendly terms. He’s quite interested in what goes on inside the Outer Gate and often asks the new junior disciples about it. Recently, he heard that Zhong Qiang got beaten up by a guy named Su Mu—knocked out with a single punch on the disciplinary platform in front of a hundred people, and was called a good-for-nothing by his opponent. That Su Mu—is that you? There aren’t two people with the same name, are there? I’m just making sure.” “That’s me.” “Well, do you know what kind of relationship I have with Zhong Qiang?” Su Mu raised an eyebrow. “He’s my own younger brother! Tell me, as his older brother, how should I avenge him?!” Su Mu inwardly groaned—it suddenly dawned on him. Song Dachui had planned this all along: transferring him to the Heavy Industry Zone wasn’t just to make his work difficult; the real reason was Zhong Da, the boss of the Heavy Industry Zone. Because of what happened to his younger brother, Su Mu had no way out. What a brilliant move—using someone else’s hand to do his dirty work. He’d originally planned to turn the tables and build up some allies in the Heavy Industry Zone, but it looked like that was going to be difficult now. “What? That kid dared to mess with Brother Da’s younger brother? No need for small talk—let’s take him down!” “Make him kneel and kowtow to admit his mistake—let him play the big shot!” “He refuses to recognize Brother Da as the boss and went and messed with his brother—either one of those is enough to give him a world of trouble. Go get him!” Su Mu had nothing left to say—all that was left was to fight! “Everyone, stop it, for fuck’s sake!” To everyone’s surprise, it was Zhong Da who shouted to stop. The crowd, which had been closing in on him, stopped in their tracks and looked at him in astonishment. “Stand back! This kid used to be Elder Qingsong’s disciple. One of his senior sisters and one of his senior brothers are both big shots in the sect. Cao Shang didn’t come to drink with me with any good intentions either. Song Dachui wanted to take him out but was wary of his background, which is why he passed the job off to me. If I were to cripple him in a fit of rage, I’d actually be doing Song Dachui a favor—and I’m not that stupid!” j Kujiang;) Net is the only official source; all others are pirated copies.