Loot supplies

In the small forest near the school, Zhang Tie had barely wrestled with the guy on the ground for a while, and before he could take full advantage of the situation, he had only landed two punches when a powerful force suddenly struck him from behind. Zhang Tie was kicked off the guy by a single blow.

With that heavy impact, Zhang Tie rolled forward and swiftly stood up in a smooth motion. As soon as he was on his feet, two people from either side rushed at him simultaneously. Zhang Tie kicked at the one on the right, but the guy was tough. He twisted his body and raised his leg, dodging the blow to his waist and using his thigh to block Zhang Tie's kick head-on. Although it clearly hurt, the guy gritted his teeth and grabbed Zhang Tie's right arm. Zhang Tie tried to swing his left arm, but it was quickly caught too. Both of his hands were firmly restrained. Just as he was struggling, a heavy kick landed on his abdomen, instantly draining all the fight out of him.

The fight was over in less than thirty seconds. With both sides having comparable strength, Zhang Tie had no chance in a one-versus-six scenario, especially when the other side ambushed him. Even if someone else were in his position, the result would've been the same. Compared to those who had surrounded him, Zhang Tie was clearly much smaller. At 15 years old, Zhang Tie was 1.75 meters tall, while the shortest among his attackers was about the same height. The tallest one was nearly 1.8 meters tall and weighed about 1.5 times as much as Zhang Tie. There was definitely a gap.

Bent over and retching, Zhang Tie's arms were pulled back as someone grabbed and lifted him. The few people who had surrounded him earlier were now rubbing the spots where Zhang Tie had managed to hit them, smirking as they closed in again. The guy Zhang Tie had pinned down and beaten earlier got up, feeling something wet and salty in his mouth. He touched his face and realized his nose was bleeding. Instantly enraged, he stormed over in two strides and punched Zhang Tie in the nose. Zhang Tie saw stars, and a sharp pain shot through his nose. A salty, metallic liquid flowed into his throat, making him cough uncontrollably. He cursed inwardly—payback sure came fast.

Just as the punch landed on his nose, another flurry of fists and kicks followed, pounding Zhang Tie relentlessly. In an instant, he had been hit over a dozen times. If he hadn't been held up by someone, he would've collapsed to the ground long ago. Even so, Zhang Tie could barely breathe at this point, gasping like a fish out of water, unable to move a finger.

The guy wanted to punch Zhang Tie in the nose again but was stopped by someone next to him.

"That's enough, Doug. One more hit, and his nose will be ruined. It'll be hard to handle if things get too serious."

"Yeah, we agreed to just teach him a lesson today to blow off some steam. No need to make a big scene," another chimed in.

"Who would've thought? This kid's tough when he fights for real. If there were only two of us, we probably wouldn't have been able to take him down!" said the chubby guy, Barry, who had greeted Zhang Tie earlier in the day and was known as a troublemaker in class.

Doug, still stuffing tissues up his nose to stop the bleeding, grumbled, "You guys try it! Six of us against one, and I'm the only one who gets hurt!"

As he spoke, Doug, still fuming, kicked Zhang Tie in the stomach again. This kick made Zhang Tie's stomach churn, and he immediately vomited, spraying the remnants of his lunch like a fountain, right onto Doug's head. Everyone around froze for a second. Seeing Doug standing there with tissue stuffed in his nose and covered in vomit, they all stepped back, holding their noses to suppress their laughter. The guys holding Zhang Tie quickly let go, worried he might throw up again.

"Argh…" Doug let out a strange yelp before running off, presumably to clean himself up.

Once Doug was gone, the remaining group relaxed and burst into laughter. Zhang Tie, after vomiting, felt a little clearer. He panted heavily and struggled to get up. When they saw him stand, a few of the guys nearby instinctively took a step back, as if afraid he might launch another "liquid attack."

Zhang Tie shakily got to his feet, forcing a weak smile. "Captain Colin…"

"Ha! Zhang Tie, are you thinking of pulling another stunt while we're distracted? We're not that stupid!"

"Do you want another beating?"

"That trick's too old. I haven't used it in years…" The chubby Barry laughed shamelessly, his shoulders shaking as his body jiggled with his laughter.

"Is that so?" A calm voice came from behind, instantly freezing the smug smiles on their faces. Their expressions changed dramatically as their bodies stiffened, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads, and their legs began to tremble. Even Zhang Tie couldn't help but admire their acting skills.

The most feared person, Captain Colin, strolled out of the small forest with his arms crossed. His single eye glinted coldly like a wolf eyeing helpless prey as he glanced around at the group.

"C-C-Captain Colin!" The five of them stammered.

"What's going on here?" Captain Colin raised his head slightly, looking down at them as he questioned.

"We were just… just…" Barry stuttered, trying to explain, but was cut off by Captain Colin's sharp voice.

"Shut up! Did I ask you to speak?" Colin glared at them before turning to Zhang Tie. He pointed a finger at him. "You. Tell me what's going on here."

Upon hearing that Colin was asking Zhang Tie, the faces of Barry and the others turned pale, their eyes filled with terror and pleading. They knew that if Zhang Tie told the truth, Captain Colin would make them regret it for the rest of their lives.

"Reporting, Captain Colin! We were gambling…" Zhang Tie made up his mind. Fights between boys weren't a big deal, and he didn't want to make this a huge issue. However, since he had taken a beating, he figured he deserved something in return.

"Gambling?" Captain Colin frowned, looking at Zhang Tie before turning his gaze to Barry and the others. "He says you were gambling. Is that true?"

The five nodded their heads in unison like chickens pecking at grain.

"What were you gambling on? What was the stake? Do you think you can lie to me?" Captain Colin glared at Zhang Tie, clearly suspicious.

"We bet on whether they could beat me. If they lost, whatever money they had on them would be mine." Zhang Tie wiped the blood from his nose as he spoke. Then, in one swift motion, he punched each of the five in the nose and kicked them in the stomach, leaving them all with bloody noses. Once they stood up, Zhang Tie stretched out his hand, making a gesture for them to pay up.

Beating them and then taking their money—Zhang Tie couldn't help but think that life was pretty sweet right now.