Chapter 123 - The Shameless Patrol (Part One)

My Rebirth Legend—No Ads

“Bang!” Just as a thug charged ahead, ready to shout and kick me, I unleashed a perfectly executed side kick. Before he could even register my move, I sent him flying. With a miserable scream, his body slammed hard against a nearby concrete pillar, the sharp crack of bones echoing before he collapsed heavily to the ground, completely unconscious.

The thugs lunging at me behind him were too stunned to react. Like clockwork, my body moved seamlessly into their midst. Lion’s tail sweep, black dragon heart strike, tiger’s fierce power, Taiji’s myriad movements, crane standing among chickens… One devastating martial arts technique after another flowed effortlessly from my hands, powered by the formidable Purple Yang True Qi coursing through me. Those punks barely caught a glimpse before I sent each crashing into different corners, writhing in pain.

The clothing store was already a wreck, and with my dozen or so blows, these thugs had further ravaged the place, chaos reigning supreme. I noticed one sprawled into a lingerie shopping cart, prompting a few sales clerks to stifle giggles, only to quickly fall silent.

“How… how is this possible?” The blond thug was utterly terrified by my relentless assault, his mouth agape in shock. I knew exactly what he was thinking: how could I have become so formidable in just under two months? Not long ago, he had pinned me to the ground with his foot like a worthless nobody, yet now the overwhelming aura I radiated made him question if he had mistaken me for someone else. Truth be told, if I saw a man transform so drastically within two months without knowing the circumstances, I’d be just as stunned.

Unfortunately, I was the one who had changed; this guy had not. Today, I was determined to settle every old score once and for all.

I sneered coldly as I approached him. The blond trembled all over, backing away in fear until cornered with nowhere to retreat. Finally, in desperation, he knelt before me, nervously wiping cold sweat from his brow and begging, “Brother, please, don’t hold grudges. I was foolish when I hit you before—I swear I won’t dare again. Just let me go, and I’ll never show my face before you again…”

His incoherent pleas and pitiful expression almost made me sick. Frankly, seeing how his men were either unconscious or groaning in pain, even the toughest would be trembling in fear. And this fellow was nothing but a lowlife scoundrel, living off scraps and trouble.

“Now you beg? Weren’t you acting all cocky when you trashed the store just now? People like you only learn when faced with consequences. If I don’t teach you a proper lesson today, you’ll only make the same mistakes again!” I said icily, reaching to grab his shoulder.

Terrified, he collapsed to my feet, clutching my calf and pleading, “I won’t dare again! Please, sir, have mercy this once…”

“Mercy? If I spare you, the young lady here won’t,” I said, nodding toward Cheng Shan, who blushed slightly. Lowering my voice, I added, “You brought this on yourself. Every cause has its effect. This is the price of your own misdeeds.”

“I was wrong, big brother. I truly know I was wrong. Please, just this once, spare me…” His loud pleas softened my heart a little. After all, he was just a thug, sometimes forced into fighting for survival. He attacked me because of Xia Jianren, and trashed the store on his boss’s orders. He was also a victim, in a way. The tighter I clenched my fists, the more they relaxed.

Seeing my slight hesitation, he begged even more eagerly. I glanced at Cheng Shan, then said to the thug at my feet, “Since you admit your fault sincerely, if the girl you bullied agrees to let you off this time, I’ll drop it.”

Hearing hope, he turned pitifully to Cheng Shan, who, being a girl, saw his sorry state and nodded, “As long as you compensate for the damages to the store, we’ll consider this settled.”

The thug eagerly agreed, looking at me with fear. I glared at him, “What are you staring at? Hurry up and pay for the damages, then get lost!”

“Yes, yes…” He scrambled up, pulling out his wallet and emptying it. I estimated the damage to be at least a few thousand yuan, but he had only a little over a thousand. His face darkened.

Panicked, he gathered some money from his dazed or moaning comrades nearby, finally scraping together a few thousand and reluctantly handed it to Cheng Shan.

Just as she reached to accept the money, several police cars roared up outside. Apparently, the commotion had prompted passersby to call the police. I couldn’t help but wonder about their efficiency—why were they always so slow, arriving only as things were ending?

“What happened? Was there a report of a group fight or brawl?” Eight officers stepped out, clearly 110 patrol cops. Sending so many to a scene meant the story had probably been exaggerated by onlookers. The lead officer shouted questions as he approached, but fell silent upon seeing the sprawled thugs outside the store. Anyone could tell just one person—me—had inflicted this damage.

“Officer Wang? Oh, finally! You’ve got to help me out here…” The blond, seeing the police, quickly withdrew his hands and rushed to the officer with a pitiful look. The officer, about thirty, a bit stout, was clearly the squad leader and seemed to know the blond.

“Isn’t that Guangjun? What are you doing here?” Officer Wang asked, surprised.

“Does this have anything to do with you?” the blond replied, eyes darting.

“Officer Wang, perfect timing. This guy beat my men like rag dolls. Arrest him!” The thug’s earlier pitifulness vanished, replaced by arrogance. Clearly, emboldened by the police presence, he wanted revenge.

“What exactly happened?” Officer Wang frowned, glancing at me. Seeing I was a stranger, he turned to the blond sharply. “Guangjun, isn’t this outside your jurisdiction? How did it get so chaotic?”

“Officer Wang, I recently took over this area, as you know. My brothers and I were out after dinner, patrolling, when we saw this guy arguing with the store staff. Of course, I had to intervene. But he started the fight. Within minutes, my men were down. People like him threaten public order and must be arrested, or Uncle De will have to step in!” Guangjun smirked, signaling I was in for trouble. I didn’t speak, amused to see how he and the police would play this.

“No, officer, please don’t believe his lies. He and his men caused the trouble. This gentleman was just trying to help me…” Cheng Shan tried to explain, but Guangjun snapped at her, “Shut up, woman! This isn’t your business!”

Terrified, Cheng Shan fell silent, shooting me a glance, questioning why I remained quiet. I just smiled, watching her blush and lower her gaze shyly.

“Enough bickering. This is a busy commercial street. What kind of example are you setting? The authorities are cracking down on street order lately. How can we, the police, handle this if you cause such trouble?” Officer Wang adjusted his beer belly, squinted at me, then sighed, “Alright, what’s your name and where do you live? Come with me to the station. Once everything’s clarified, we’ll decide what to do.”

I looked at him like a spectator and sneered, “I’m not a criminal. Why should I answer your questions? If anyone needs questioning, it should be that guy beside you. Besides, interrogation isn’t really your patrol’s jurisdiction. You might be overstepping.”

“How dare you speak to Officer Wang like that! You must be courting death!” Guangjun barked at me, then smiled sycophantically at the officer, “Officer Wang, look at him—disrespectful and rude. He needs a lesson!”

Officer Wang frowned, irritated by my words but even more by Guangjun’s provocation. He nodded, “You’re very impolite. Whether or not I’m overstepping is none of your concern as a mere citizen. I’ll ask you one last time. If you refuse to answer, I’ll detain you for contempt of police!”

“Contempt of police? That depends on what kind of police you are,” I said with a dismissive glance. “Someone like you? I have no interest.”