fraternity

Under Captain Colin's sharp gaze, the five guys had no choice but to pull out their money, each dripping blood from their noses. The one with the least had five copper coins, while the one with the most had a little over ten. Without hesitation, Zhang Tie pocketed the money. When it was Barry's turn, the fat guy trembled as he pulled out nine copper coins from his pocket and placed them in Zhang Tie's hand with a forced, awkward smile. "You win..."

Zhang Tie stared at Barry without saying a word, but a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. His outstretched hand remained open. "Are you sure that's all the money you've got? Remember, when we made the bet, we said everything. Everything, you understand..." Zhang Tie emphasized the word "everything." After all these years as classmates, Zhang Tie knew that Barry was always the wealthiest among them, often treating others to meals. It seemed unlikely he'd only have that little money on him.

Barry hesitated under Zhang Tie's intense gaze. The two, both with bloody noses, stared each other down for a few seconds. Zhang Tie's stance grew increasingly imposing, his chest puffing out more and more as he was about to say something. Barry's face twitched, his greasy pimples losing their shine. "Heh... heh... Oh, right, I almost forgot. I do have a little more…" As he spoke, Barry reluctantly reached inside the left side of his coat, and after a moment, he pulled out four gleaming silver coins. With his eyes squeezed shut, he placed them in Zhang Tie's hand without looking.

Seeing the four silver coins, Zhang Tie's eyes widened slightly. He had hit the jackpot! One silver coin was worth 100 copper coins. He couldn't believe this fat guy had actually stolen money from his father again.

This amount was a fortune to Zhang Tie, though it didn't faze Captain Colin at all. As Zhang Tie mercilessly took money from the unlucky guys, Captain Colin crossed his arms and stroked his stubbly chin, one sharp eye fixed on Zhang Tie, with an unreadable expression. Feeling Colin's gaze, Zhang Tie grew uneasy.

"Hmm, interesting. Kid, what's your name?"

"Zhang Tie!"

"You seem to take hits well, betting on fights like this. Alright, I'll remember you!" With that, Captain Colin turned and walked away.

As soon as Captain Colin left, the others, except for Zhang Tie, slumped to the ground, their legs feeling like overcooked noodles. The tension had been unbearable. If Zhang Tie had let something slip, they would have been finished.

"Big Head, we're even now," Barry said, tilting his head back to slow the flow of blood from his nose. "We beat you up, you beat us up. You took our money, but you saved us from Captain Colin. Honestly, we owe you a thank you!"

"No need to thank me…" Zhang Tie mumbled, stuffing some tissue into his nostrils to stop the bleeding. "We're classmates, after all. Fighting doesn't mean much. There's no deep grudge between us. I didn't want to see anything bad happen to you, just like you didn't want anything to happen to me earlier."

With his nose stuffed, Zhang Tie's voice came out muffled, which was annoying, but there was no other choice.

"Got any more tissues?" Barry held out his pudgy hand.

Zhang Tie pulled out all the toilet paper he had in his pocket and divided it among the others. They quickly stuffed it into their noses, following his lead. Within moments, the six of them exchanged glances, realizing how ridiculous they all looked. They were reminded of a saying about sticking green onions in your nose to play the part of an elephant—an apt description. They all wanted to laugh but couldn't quite manage it.

After some whispered discussion among Barry and the others, Barry said something to Zhang Tie that took him by surprise.

"After today, we think you're not a bad guy. So, we're formally inviting you to join our organization—think about it."

"Your organization?" Zhang Tie eyed them with suspicion. These guys were just a bunch of misfits like him. Could they really have an organization?

Seeing Zhang Tie's doubtful look, Barry and the others tried to puff out their chests and look impressive, though with their bruised faces, they weren't very convincing. Still, Zhang Tie could sense their seriousness.

"Sometimes you've got to fight to get to know someone," Barry continued. "We think you're alright, so we decided to invite you in. Don't underestimate us. Who knows? Today's little sapling might grow into a towering tree tomorrow. No one's born a big shot, but if we stick together, there'll be a place for us in Black Flame City sooner or later!"

Barry's words stirred something in Zhang Tie. He hadn't realized these guys had such ambitions. Compared to them, he felt like he was just drifting aimlessly. Seeing that Zhang Tie seemed interested, Barry kept going with his pitch. "We're graduating this year. After graduation, we've all got eight years of mandatory military service ahead of us. Who knows what dangers we'll face? It's tough to make it on your own. Having a few brothers by your side can open up more paths, no matter what happens. Even in the army, having brothers around means you won't be pushed around so easily."

Barry's final argument won Zhang Tie over, piquing his interest in their so-called organization. "What's the name of your organization?"

"The Brotherhood of the Flying Fists!" Barry announced proudly.

The Brotherhood of the Flying Fists? Was that really the name? Zhang Tie remembered walking into class earlier that morning and seeing these guys lined up by the window, rapidly mimicking the movement of their fists. The name gave him an eerie feeling. He had heard that before the Cataclysm, humans had invented machines that could fly through the sky, called airplanes. But somehow, over time, the term "flying fist" had become synonymous with a crude, solitary activity that many awkward teenage boys practiced. Zhang Tie couldn't help but feel disgusted by the thought of standing at the window with Barry and the others, performing the same embarrassing moves in front of Teacher Dana.

"I'll join, but you have to agree to one condition!" Zhang Tie said after a few seconds of thought.

"What condition?"

"No more of that nonsense with Teacher Dana at school!" As soon as he spoke, Zhang Tie felt a sense of righteousness. Though he was still weak, in his heart, he was using his own way to protect Teacher Dana.

"No problem, that's a deal. From now on, you're a member of the Brotherhood of the Flying Fists!" Barry agreed readily. Though it wasn't the first time they had done it, after today's close call, they all realized how risky their actions had been. If Captain Colin had caught them, it would've been game over. Avoiding such risks at school seemed like a small price to pay.

And so, Zhang Tie joined the Brotherhood of the Flying Fists. The mood among the group lightened after recruiting a new member. They seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness of earlier. As for the money in his pocket, Zhang Tie had no intention of returning it. He had already made up his mind: if Barry ever tried to demand the money back in the name of brotherhood, he would quit this ridiculous group immediately. From Barry, Zhang Tie also learned more about the group's structure. Besides himself, Barry, and Doug, the other members were all present—Shavin, Baghdad, Wright, and Sista—all familiar faces from class. The Brotherhood only had one rule for now: everything about it had to be kept secret, even from family members. There was no official leader yet, and all decisions were made through votes.

What Zhang Tie hadn't expected was that even though the Brotherhood had only been around for a few months, they had already established a ranking system. Surprisingly, no one seemed to object, and everyone agreed it was fair. Naturally, Barry held the highest rank. According to the others, Barry had contributed the most to the group, so he was the only second-level member for now. This meant that in any vote, Barry had two votes instead of one. Higher levels meant more votes, and since Zhang Tie had just joined, he only had one vote, like the others.

As they walked out of the small forest, Barry hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Um… about the money…"

"It's mine!" Zhang Tie said, clutching his pocket protectively, eyeing Barry with suspicion.

The fat guy scratched his head awkwardly and let out a bitter smile. "Alright, never mind. Doug will just have to wait a couple more days…"

Hearing this, the other guys couldn't help but grin mischievously.

"Doug's out of luck today, huh," Shavin said with a smirk, winking at the others. "Poor guy!"

"He's been holding it in for two weeks!" Sista shrugged.

"Let him wait a bit longer…"

"If he keeps it in much longer, he'll break out in pimples!"

"Haha…"

Zhang Tie had no idea what they were talking about, but he sensed a strange, suggestive energy in the air.

"You'll understand soon enough. It's one of the perks of being in the Brotherhood!" Barry said mysteriously.