Chapter 27: Do You Know Who I Am?

"Well, well… what do we have here?"

A group of thuggish men suddenly appeared in front of Ethan, their faces twisted with ugly grins.

"Hey, dude, you got yourself a hot girlfriend. Mind sharing?"

"Come on, we promise we'll take real good care of her."

One of them let out a low chuckle, twirling a metal pipe in his hand. Others held baseball bats, the typical choice of dime-a-dozen street thugs.

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

Ethan's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing into something sharp and unrelenting.

The gangsters froze.

Something about this man—this guy—was off. A single look from him sent a primal warning through their bodies, an instinctive fear that made their knees weak.

The leader of the group, a bulky man with a scar running down his cheek, clenched his teeth and forced himself to glare back.

"What's with that look, huh?! You know who I am?!"

Silence.

The leader mistook it for hesitation, and a sneer crept onto his face.

"Heh, looks like you don't. Let me educate you, then. I'm Tang Hejiu—boss of the Black Tigers!"

The moment that name left his lips, Lillie's eyes snapped open.

Her gaze cut through the night like a blade, locking onto the so-called 'boss.'

"You're Tang Hejiu?"

There was something in her voice—something cold and lethal.

Regrettably, Tang Hejiu failed to notice. Even if he had, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Oh? So you've heard of me? Then you should know I'm not someone to mess with."

His grin widened as his gaze roved over Lillie's figure.

"How about you ditch that gigolo and come have some fun with us big boys?" He licked his chapped lips, eyes gleaming with sick anticipation.

A deep frown flickered across Ethan's face, concern flashing in his dark eyes as Lillie stood. She smoothed the fabric of her yukata before taking slow, deliberate steps forward.

Tang Hejiu's leer deepened as she approached.

"Heh, you have good taste, I'll give you tha—"

—WHAM!—

A single, lightning-fast kick sent Tang Hejiu flying backward, crashing onto the pavement with a dull thud.

His men stood frozen, mouths agape.

Lillie took a step forward, eyes devoid of any warmth.

"That," she said, voice calm yet razor-sharp, "is the most ridiculous lie I've ever heard."

Tang Hejiu groaned, spitting blood onto the asphalt as he struggled to look up.

Before he could react, Lillie's wooden sandal pressed down against his jaw—hard.

—CRACK!—

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the night as his jaw shattered under the force.

"You run your mouth too much," Lillie mused, removing her foot. "You don't need it anymore."

Tang Hejiu's eyes rolled back as his body slumped to the ground.

Ah. He fainted.

…How disappointing.

Lillie turned her gaze to the remaining men, now trembling where they stood.

"B-Boss, please, s-spare us!"

"W-We were just following orders! We meant no harm!"

"Y-Yeah! Just a joke! Please let us go!"

Lillie cracked her knuckles.

Black Tiger. White Bird. Vermillion Dragon. Azure Tortoise.

The legendary figures of the Underworld.

Tang Hejiu—a Major General who once played a crucial role in helping Lillie unravel Zhang Guan's criminal empire.

And Lillie Bai?

Well. It was obvious, wasn't it?

Ethan watched the entire scene unfold, his heart thundering in his chest.

The sheer precision, the overwhelming force, the absolute control.

His wife…

His wife was so damn cool.