Chapter Sixteen: The Harbinger of Misfortune

Fat Dragon stared for a long time before he finally realized that the person before him was the very same kid whom he’d been asked by Chen Chong and Zheng Xiaohe to teach a lesson near No. 1 High School that night. If Zhang Wenhao hadn't mentioned it, Fat Dragon might have forgotten even his name, but under this dim light, he could still recognize Zhang Wenhao’s face.

Those who knew Fat Dragon were well aware that he was not someone to trifle with. Anyone who crossed him without absolute strength would only invite a harsher reprisal. Right now, Fat Dragon was grinding his teeth in his heart: Zhang Wenhao, is it? Once tonight is over, I’ll make sure you pay the price! You’ll learn what it means to mess with me.

Yet Fat Dragon also understood that a true man knew when to bow and when to rise. Tonight, with just a single encounter, his group of four had been taken down by Zhang Wenhao. He didn't know why this seemingly frail boy could fight so fiercely, but it was clear there was no chance of turning the tables now. Fat Dragon made a snap decision: play it soft for now, survive tonight’s ordeal, and look for another opportunity to strike back later.

“Brother Zhang,” Fat Dragon stammered, his voice thick with fear and guilt. “That night I was blind to your greatness. You’ve vented your anger tonight, let’s call it even. From now on, if you look kindly on me, I’ll greet you as Brother Zhang whenever we meet. If you don’t, I’ll never appear before you again.”

“Oh, is that so?” Zhang Wenhao sneered. “What you’re really thinking is how to survive tonight, and then how to get back at me, right?”

Fat Dragon’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected Zhang Wenhao to be so hard to fool. He quickly said, “Brother Zhang, on the street we have a saying: ‘The mountains don’t turn, but the rivers do.’ You let me go today, and I’ll remember your kindness. I won’t cause you trouble ever again.”

Suddenly, Zhang Wenhao strode up to him, lifted his foot, and stomped hard on Fat Dragon’s chest, pinning him to the ground. Only then did Zhang Wenhao speak coldly, “Fat Dragon, I don’t like leaving any future trouble for myself. This is just the beginning. Tonight, I’ll make you regret what you’ve done from the bottom of your heart.”

He withdrew his foot, but in the blink of an eye, kicked Fat Dragon hard in the stomach.

A wave of pain churned through Fat Dragon’s gut, making it nearly impossible to breathe. Acid burned in his throat, and he broke into a fit of violent coughing. Each cough sent searing pain through his chest and belly.

“Br-Brother Zhang,” Fat Dragon pleaded, tears streaming down his face. “I was wrong, I beg you to be merciful, please let me go!”

“Are you really sorry?” Zhang Wenhao frowned, then stomped hard on Fat Dragon’s thigh, twisting his foot into the flesh. Fat Dragon howled in agony, but Zhang Wenhao only said calmly, “Why don’t I believe you at all?”

“I’m really sorry!” Fat Dragon sobbed. All these years, he’d always been the one bullying others, never suffering like this. Now he finally understood what real pain was.

Zhang Wenhao didn’t let up. He switched to Fat Dragon’s other leg and twisted his foot down for another two minutes. By the end, Fat Dragon’s legs were burning with pain, especially the inside of his thighs, which felt as if they’d been torn apart. Sweat soaked his body; those two minutes felt longer than two days.

“Brother Zhang, please, I was really wrong, I truly know I was wrong!” Fat Dragon begged.

Zhang Wenhao ignored his pleas, reached for Fat Dragon’s belt, unbuckled it, and yanked it free. He folded the long belt in half, and the sight of it nearly made Fat Dragon cry out loud in terror. This fiend—how could he be so cruel? Fat Dragon hadn’t even gone that hard on him that night, but Zhang Wenhao showed no sign of stopping.

Staring at his own belt in Zhang Wenhao’s hand, Fat Dragon dared not imagine what it would feel like landing on his body. Zhang Wenhao, expressionless, ordered, “Turn over. Take off your pants.”

“Brother Zhang, I was wrong! Please, have mercy!” Tears gushed from Fat Dragon’s eyes, and his voice trembled with fear.

But Zhang Wenhao suddenly lashed the belt across Fat Dragon’s face, swelling his cheek instantly. Fat Dragon screamed in pain. Zhang Wenhao raised the belt again and snapped, “If you make another sound, I’ll smash your mouth to pieces!”

Fat Dragon clenched his teeth, stifling any noise. At that moment, Zhang Wenhao said, “I know your kind—bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. You're pretending now, but once you get through tonight, you’ll be out for revenge. I’m not afraid of you coming after me; I just want you to understand something: if you give me an inch of respect, I’ll give you a mile in return.”

With that, Zhang Wenhao barked, “Take off your pants!”

Fat Dragon felt utterly hopeless. Judging by Zhang Wenhao’s posture, if he didn’t strip, the belt would land on his face again without hesitation. Given the choice between face and backside, Fat Dragon decided in less than ten seconds to sacrifice his behind.

Seeing Fat Dragon yank down his pants and lie flat on the ground, exposing a mound of unsightly flesh, Zhang Wenhao raised the belt and struck him a dozen times, each blow nearly tearing the skin.

Just then, a young couple happened to walk by, saw the beating, and fled in terror, leaving Fat Dragon to call for help to no avail.

Fat Dragon lay on the ground, his backside a mass of welts and torn skin. The pain was no longer in waves but constant and unyielding. Tears streamed down his face without pause as fear and regret overwhelmed him. Only now did he realize that, for all his cruelty, next to Zhang Wenhao he was nothing but a petty villain before a true fiend.

Zhang Wenhao was a demon, a true extremist. Such a man would never admit defeat as long as he drew breath. And whatever was owed to him, he would claim back double.

Zhang Wenhao knew too that since he’d already acted against Fat Dragon, he had to leave a scar on his memory—a shadow that would haunt him whenever he thought of Zhang Wenhao, so that Fat Dragon would never again have the courage to seek trouble with him.

Seeing Fat Dragon completely broken, Zhang Wenhao finally stopped, nudged him over with his foot, and asked, “Tell me, who put you up to this?”

“It was Zheng Xiaohe,” Fat Dragon blurted out without the slightest hesitation. “He found me, gave me three thousand yuan to bring my men and teach you a lesson. He wanted to warn you to stay away from Su Ruoran. But he was working for someone named Chen Chong.”

Zhang Wenhao frowned. So it was Chen Chong behind it all. Although they’d been classmates, they’d never really interacted—barely exchanged three sentences. Yet just because he’d grown closer to Su Ruoran, Chen Chong had someone attack him. Did that bastard really think, with a father who was district head, he could do whatever he pleased?

Zhang Wenhao tossed the belt in front of Fat Dragon and said coolly, “As of now, this matter between us is settled. If you’re not satisfied and want to get even, I welcome you anytime. But before you come, think carefully—if I catch you again, I’ll cripple you for good!”

With that, Zhang Wenhao walked to the corner, wheeled out his bicycle without a backward glance at the four men sprawled on the ground, and rode away.

Fat Dragon lay there for half an hour before his battered friends finally managed to help him up. By then, Fat Dragon felt half-dead, his whole body wracked with pain, especially his thighs and buttocks—every movement sent fresh waves of agony.

Someone, still dazed, clutched his dislocated jaw and mumbled painfully, “Fat Dragon, was that really the guy we beat up the other day? He couldn’t even fight back then. How’d he get so strong all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know either,” Fat Dragon replied, his spirit utterly crushed, as if his soul had been sucked out.

Another, less injured, thought for a while and said, “Fat Dragon, I think he let us beat him on purpose the other day. With his skills, if he fought back, we’d have been no match for him. But since he had no grudge with us, he guessed someone was pulling the strings. So he took the beating to find out who was behind it, then struck back today and got the names of Zheng Xiaohe and Chen Chong, so he could deal with them next.”

“That’s very possible,” another chimed in. “He’s obviously playing the fool—waiting to take us and Zheng Xiaohe and Chen Chong down one by one. He went after us today, but Zheng Xiaohe and Chen Chong have no idea who they’re really facing. Who knows when he’ll go for them? Should we warn them?”

“No!” Fat Dragon said firmly. “If he finds out we tipped them off and ruined his plans, we’ll be in trouble again. That guy is too ruthless—he’s not even human! We mustn’t provoke him any further.”

“So what do we do?” someone asked. “Just let it go?”

Fat Dragon, utterly deflated, replied, “We can’t handle him. If he wants to go after Zheng Xiaohe and Chen Chong, let him. Zheng Xiaohe’s father is the office director of Jiangxin District, and Chen Chong’s father is the district head. If Zhang Wenhao tries to retaliate, with their families’ power, they’ll have no trouble dealing with him.”

“Yeah,” someone sighed. “That kid is tough and ruthless, took out the four of us like it was nothing. We can’t afford to mess with him, but if he goes after Chen Chong and Zheng Xiaohe, their families won’t let him go.”

“We’ll wait and see,” Fat Dragon said weakly. “Don’t tell anyone else about this. Let’s see what happens when he clashes with Chen Chong and the others.”

Meanwhile, on his way home, Zhang Wenhao finally felt the anger in his chest dissipate. The only way to deal with bullies like these was to be even more ruthless and cruel than they were—otherwise, they’d just keep coming back. As for Chen Chong and Zheng Xiaohe, Zhang Wenhao made a mental note to settle accounts with them. But since both came from powerful families—especially Chen Chong—if he sought revenge recklessly, he’d only bring trouble not just on himself but his family as well. He would have to wait for the right moment, and when it came, he’d make those behind the scenes pay.

Real combat skills were certainly useful, but the strength he’d shown tonight was only a fraction of what he could achieve. To truly reach a higher level, he needed to practice constantly and improve his physical condition.

Though his victory tonight was never in doubt, this bit of strength was far from enough. He could not afford to slack off in his training if he wanted to be prepared for anything.

As he neared home, the system’s notification sounded in his mind: “Today, the achievements gained by using the real combat skill have been recognized by the system. The system rewards the user with 50 points.”

Zhang Wenhao couldn’t help but smile. The system’s response was prompt; he’d just used his combat skills and the reward was already issued. Still, only fifty points—slightly disappointing. He now had only ninety points left, so he could not afford to slack off in earning and accumulating points in the future.

His total points now reached five hundred and ninety, still forty percent short of his first chance at the lottery draw.