Chapter 70: I Can Strike You!

“Damn you for screwing me over!”

The slap stunned the middle-aged man. The strength of an Awakened was immense; with just one blow, one side of his face swelled up, and several teeth were knocked out. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Han Ke cursed under his breath, feeling that it wasn’t enough, and gave the man a hard kick. Only then did he turn to Kong Zhe, instantly swapping his expression for a smile.

“Brother, today’s incident was all a misunderstanding. I apologize to you right here—let’s call it quits, shall we?”

Kong Zhe glanced at him, already knowing he had instilled fear in the man. But at such times, one must appear even more imposing.

“You think you call the shots? Who do you think you are?” Kong Zhe sneered. “Let’s settle the damages to my door first.”

“You brat, don’t push your luck!”

Before Kong Zhe finished speaking, someone behind Han Ke stepped forward and shouted. Han Ke turned and glared fiercely, silencing him instantly.

A cold glint flashed through Han Ke’s eyes, quickly hidden behind a façade of cheerful smiles. He glanced at the broken door, knowing ordinary compensation wouldn’t suffice to appease Kong Zhe. After thinking for a moment, he took eight silver coins from his inventory and said, “We were clearly in the wrong. How about this: I’m not wealthy, but take this money as a token of friendship.”

Kong Zhe took the coins without ceremony, weighed them in his hand, and showed a satisfied expression. He then looked coldly at Han Ke and said, “Take the corpses and get out of here—quickly.”

“Yes, yes, we’re leaving now, right away!” Han Ke forced down his anger, kept his posture low, and walked away with a sycophantic smile. Yet as soon as he turned his back, his expression darkened. He signaled to his men.

“Move!”

His followers hurriedly carried off the two corpses, dragging the trembling middle-aged man behind.

Only after they descended the stairs did Han Ke finally lose control. He punched the concrete wall outside, leaving a deep dent and a web of cracks.

Those around watched in terror, swallowing hard, afraid even to breathe.

Blood streamed from the scraped skin on Han Ke’s right hand, but he didn’t even look at it. He raised his gaze toward the upper floors, recalling his humiliation just now, and his eyes seemed to blaze with fury. Ever since becoming Awakened, everything had gone smoothly for him—he’d grown to feel as if he could trample the whole world underfoot. Yet just on his second day, he had met his match at Kong Zhe’s hands.

“I’ll reclaim my dignity sooner or later!”

With a silent roar, Han Ke turned to the middle-aged man.

“What are you planning to do?” The man swallowed nervously. Han Ke’s gaze was so cold, it was as if he were staring at a dead man, making the man’s heart skip a beat.

“What am I planning? Heh!” Han Ke sneered, then ordered his men, “Hold him, don’t let him escape. And bring his son as well...”

With that, he strode away, his followers hurrying after him.

From the window atop the building, Kong Zhe watched the situation below. Only when he saw Han Ke’s group leave completely did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He wasn’t afraid of this lot, but there were others to consider. These men had guns; if a fight broke out, he and Tuan Tuan would be fine, but the three remaining women were ordinary people—easily caught in the crossfire.

Yet Kong Zhe knew he had thoroughly offended Han Ke now. The man would surely bear a grudge, perhaps even seek revenge. As the saying goes, it’s not the thief you fear, but the thief who remembers you—a hidden enemy is the most troublesome. Kong Zhe resolved to find an opportunity to eliminate this threat.

Turning around, Kong Zhe found the women all staring at him. Xiao Lei’s face was still marked by terror, while Xue Feifei looked away in embarrassment, clearly blaming herself for what had happened. Hong Ling, meanwhile, gazed at him with wild admiration.

“Hmph, those scoundrels were nothing but riffraff. Before the great Queen of the Blood Clan, they had no power to resist—scared out of their wits, fleeing in panic... Hahaha...”

Tuan Tuan showed not a hint of fear, covering one eye and amusing herself.

Taking in everyone’s expressions, Kong Zhe said nothing further. He sat on the sofa and called the three women over—excluding Hong Ling.

“One last confirmation: are you sure you want to follow me to the city center of the new district?”

As soon as he spoke, all three instinctively began to nod. Kong Zhe held up a hand to stop them, adding, “Don’t be so quick to answer. Understand that once you agree, we’ll be a team—at least until we reach Golden City. I expect you to have some sense of teamwork. I won’t give you suicidal orders, but anything I say, you must obey! If you don’t, don’t blame me for taking action to enforce discipline.” He looked at the trio seriously. “If you feel you can’t manage this, you’re free to quit now.”

“Kong Zhe, I promise I’ll listen to you!” Xiao Lei hurried to assure him.

Xue Feifei thought for a moment, then nodded earnestly. “I understand. Don’t worry.”

As for Tuan Tuan, she waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, got it—so naggy...”

“Especially you, Tuan Tuan!” Kong Zhe glared at her.

“Hmph!” Tuan Tuan pouted, clearly displeased at being singled out for criticism. Still, she didn’t retort, wrinkling her nose and grumbling, “Fine, I’ll listen to you. Geez, why are you always glaring at me?”

Kong Zhe’s eyelid twitched—did this girl really understand the situation? Well, at least she agreed. He couldn’t expect her to be as obedient as Xiao Lei.

He opened his panel and navigated to the mission page, confirming the escort mission candidates as the three before him.

Ding: Mission candidates confirmed. No further changes allowed. Please escort the personnel to the new district as soon as possible.

Staring at the prompt on his panel, Kong Zhe sighed. Now, their fates were intertwined.

“...Hehehe...”

He noticed a peculiar giggle from nearby. Turning, he saw Tuan Tuan snickering.

“...Hmph hmph hmph... Haha! You fell for it!”

Tuan Tuan laughed louder and louder, until she was howling with delight, pointing at Kong Zhe triumphantly. “I know your mission now—you have to protect us, right? No matter what dangers we face, you’re obligated to save us, aren’t you? Ha, now you’re caught in my trap!”

As a half-awakened, Tuan Tuan had a panel herself—so when Kong Zhe confirmed the mission, she received a notification.

“So? What do you want?” Kong Zhe replied coolly.

“What do I want? Hmph, nothing much. From now on, you’re my bodyguard—responsible for the safety of Her Majesty the Queen. As my bodyguard, you must obey my every command. Otherwise, I won’t mind risking a little danger!” Tuan Tuan grinned wickedly, secretly thinking, Serves you right for bullying me. This time, I’ll make you pay!

“Are you finished?” Kong Zhe looked at her coldly.

“Hmph... I’m finished... So what?” Noticing that Kong Zhe didn’t look flustered as she expected, but instead was smirking coldly at her, Tuan Tuan felt a little uneasy and tried to steady herself.

He stood up, fists clenched, walking toward her. Tuan Tuan grew nervous, took a step back, and shielded her chest with her hands. “What—what are you going to do? I’m your mission target—you can’t kill me!”

“No, I can’t kill you,” Kong Zhe replied with a cold smile, grabbing her and pressing her onto his knee.

“But I can punish you!”

With that, he raised his right hand and slapped her hard.

Smack!

The sound echoed through the room.

“Ah! You—you bastard, this is my house! How dare you hit me!”

Tuan Tuan was mortified and furious, kicking and punching wildly, but Kong Zhe held her fast—she couldn’t break free.

“What’s stopping me? So what if I hit you?” Kong Zhe said, delivering another slap.

“Ah!” The pain made Tuan Tuan cry out, glaring at Kong Zhe, her tiny fists pounding him like a mosquito, but he simply ignored her.

Now Tuan Tuan panicked, quickly looking to Xue Feifei.

“...Sister... Holy Maiden, aren’t you going to stop him from hitting me?”

Xue Feifei glanced at her, sneering, “Now you remember this is your home? Hmph, a little discipline is good—it might stop you from causing trouble all the time!”

“You!” Tuan Tuan shouted in indignation, then turned pleadingly to Xiao Lei.

Xiao Lei, caught off guard by her friend’s gaze, blushed, instinctively placing her hands behind her.

“Xiao Lei, ignore them—let them be. Come help me!” Xue Feifei pulled the hesitant Xiao Lei into her room.

“Hmph, so much for loyalty!” Tuan Tuan shouted angrily, then looked nervously at Kong Zhe—only to find him grinning wickedly.

“Let’s see what you do now!” Kong Zhe lifted her onto his shoulder, carried her into his room, and tossed her onto the bed.

“Ah! You—I warn you, don’t come any closer, or I—I’ll curse you!”