These punks were far weaker than those who truly walked the streets. Zhang Fan casually grabbed a long wooden stool and, without any discernible technique, began to smash it wildly at the charging troublemakers.
Though it lacked skill, each strike was accurate. After a few blows from the stools, the group of ruffians who had been so aggressive moments before were all lying on the ground.
"Ouch, my head is bleeding. Call an ambulance quickly!"
"My hand is broken, I can't call. You guys do it."
"My phone was smashed, I can't call either..."
The punks wailed loudly. Although they weren't seriously injured, their years of street fighting experience told them that this young man was a master of brawling. At the very least, they knew they couldn't take him on all at once, and any further confrontation would only result in more pain. It was better to lie on the ground and feign injury for comfort.
Seeing this, Zhang Fan couldn't help but smile. He knew exactly how hard he had hit, and these little punks were quite good at acting.
The customers at the barbecue stall were surprised by the exceptional skills of this clean-cut young man. Those who had been worried were now relieved, sitting aside and enjoying their barbecue, their eyes wide with surprise as they watched the young man single-handedly intimidate a group of thugs with a long stool.
The attractive woman who had ordered fifty skewers of pork skin, along with her fair-skinned classmate, were also staring intently at Zhang Fan. They hadn't expected this handsome young man to be so skilled not only at grilling barbecue but also at fighting. In this day and age, it was truly difficult to find someone as accomplished in both martial and literary arts.
"See? I told you Zhang Fan ge is good at fighting," Zhao Qingqing said, trying to comfort her parents who looked worried.
Zhang Xin did indeed breathe a sigh of relief. Zhao Yongchang, however, sighed inwardly. This wouldn't end here, but since it had already happened, he couldn't stop it and could only let events unfold.
...
Zhang Fan walked directly up to Xiao Qiang ge. Before Xiao Qiang ge could react, Zhang Fan smashed him to the ground with a stool. Zhang Fan then stepped on his chest, looking down at him and saying, "You're so weak, yet you dare to come out collecting protection money. You can't even protect yourself, how can you protect others?"
Xiao Qiang ge felt bitter. "It's not that I'm too weak, it's that you're too strong, big brother."
But he definitely couldn't say that here, as it would ruin his reputation and make it difficult for him to continue his 'career'. Moreover, with so many students watching, he couldn't show weakness.
Xiao Qiang ge said fiercely, "I'm just the weakest underling of my boss. Protecting people is my boss's job. I'm just responsible for collecting money."
He tried his best to look fierce, but he forgot his current predicament. Lying down, even a tiger would look adorable.
Zhang Fan smiled upon hearing this. "Oh? You have a boss? Then call him and tell him to come pick you up. I'd like to see if he has the strength to collect protection money."
Xiao Qiang ge's heart leaped with joy. He hadn't expected this naive kid to give him a chance to call his boss. He certainly wouldn't let it pass. He quickly fumbled for his phone and dialed.
When the call connected, Xiao Qiang ge immediately complained with a pained expression, "Brother Leopard, I've been beaten at Qingqing Barbecue Stall near Donghai University. He's holding me captive and wants you to come pick me up."
"How many people are there?" came a deep voice from the phone.
"Just one," the flat-haired Qiang said with shame. After all, their group had been beaten by just one person, and a teenager at that. It was indeed rather embarrassing.
"A bunch of cowards! Tell him to wait for me. How dare he detain my subordinate Chongtian Leopard! He's courting death," came an angry roar from the other end of the phone, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"Chongtian Leopard?" When Zhao Yongchang and the surrounding university students heard the name, their faces paled. Chongtian Leopard's reputation in the university town area was notorious. All the entertainment venues in the entire university town were his territory.
It could be said that Chongtian Leopard was the local overlord, and no one dared to offend him. And it seemed the young man just now had offended Chongtian Leopard?
Some timid customers quickly finished their meals and paid to leave, fearing that the scene might turn bloody and they could get caught in the crossfire. Others, bolder, stayed to watch, as such a spectacle was rare.
Zhao Yongchang and Zhang Xin looked very anxious. However, things had escalated to this point, and they could do nothing but pray that Zhang Fan truly had the ability to resolve this.
Call the police? The captain of the Beicheng branch was rumored to have a good relationship with Chongtian Leopard.
Zhao Qingqing, on the other hand, was much calmer. Her eyes had sparkled when she saw Zhang Fan's might earlier.
Not long after.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Suddenly, everyone felt the ground tremble. They looked over and saw a dense black mass at the end of the street, like an approaching storm. Hundreds of youths armed with baseball bats were marching with heavy steps, completely surrounding the street, and walking coldly towards the barbecue stall.
"Haha, kid, you're dead meat!" Xiao Qiang ge, still pinned under Zhang Fan's foot and unable to move, sneered triumphantly as he saw his boss arrive with hundreds of formidable subordinates.
Brother Leopard was a rather handsome young man, dressed in a black designer suit, not at all the flamboyant type Zhang Fan had imagined.
"What a waste," he muttered, glancing at Xiao Qiang ge pinned under Zhang Fan.
"Kid, you have guts to make me come pick up my subordinate," Brother Leopard said after scolding Xiao Qiang ge, then turned his gaze to Zhang Fan, scrutinizing him.
"You're Xiao Qiang ge's boss? Your strength isn't much either. You've probably only just cultivated a trace of internal energy. And you dare to collect protection money?" Zhang Fan said, looking at Chongtian Leopard.
Chongtian Leopard's strength was probably about the same as Lin Ruyue. Such a novice could be a boss? Zhang Fan was somewhat disappointed. He had hoped for a slightly more skilled opponent to fight, but this Brother Leopard was so much of a rookie that Zhang Fan had little interest in fighting.
"Oh? You know about internal energy? You must be a martial artist too. Shall we have a one-on-one match?" Brother Leopard was somewhat surprised. This young man seemed to be an internal energy practitioner as well. Since when did internal energy practitioners become so common, with any random street kid having it?
"Courageous," Zhang Fan said with a smile. "However, few who fight me end well."
"Kid, you're overdoing the act!" Brother Leopard roared and charged directly at Zhang Fan. He was bare-handed, but with the boost of internal energy, his punch packed three parts more destructive power than an ordinary steel pipe.