FEAR

I had never felt such fear in my life. My body felt like it was about to explode, with tremors surging through me. The premonition of a horrific death made one want to close their eyes quickly—so quickly that everything would be over, that there would be no more pain, no more suffering. But at this moment, I had no way out. I had only one choice: to fight.

Cam and I stood side by side, surrounded by a bunch of bastards with no escape in sight. I turned to Cam, looking to him for support:

"Cam, what do we do now? We're surrounded; there's no escape. If we just stand still, it's like waiting to die!"

Cam fell silent as he scanned the surroundings, observing the situation. After a while, he finally spoke:

"Giang, you know escaping now is nearly impossible. But I have two options. Listen up."

I nodded frantically, my eyes never leaving them. Cam spoke quickly:

"Option one: the 'Eastern Sun, Western Moon' tactic. We send a small group to create a diversion on one side, then concentrate all our strength on attacking from the opposite direction. When they disperse, you and I can find an escape route."

I froze. Just you and me? Abandoning our own brothers? No, I couldn't do that! If we failed, not only would I lose my life, but the entire company would lose all faith in me. I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath:

"What about option two?"

Cam looked at me as if the first option wasn't good, his eyes serious:

"We take down the boss—Dũng Châu. If he falls, the rest will be scared into retreat. Just wiping out about 10-20% of them is enough to break their spirit."

Cam stared at me, waiting for my answer as a heavy silence enveloped us.

Suddenly, a shrill voice cut through the air:

"Are you little bitches shitting your pants? Need me to buy you diapers? Ha ha ha!"

Dũng Châu laughed uproariously, pointing his index finger at us with one hand while clutching his stomach and laughing uncontrollably with the other. His underlings joined in, laughing like a bunch of monkeys gleefully playing with a new toy.

I looked at him, then suddenly burst into loud laughter:

"HA HA HA!"

My laughter echoed, and the entire group fell silent, confused by what was happening.

I stepped forward, narrowing my eyes and locking my gaze on him with a cutting tone:

"I don't need diapers, but it looks like you do, you jackass!"

I raised my middle finger and flashed a defiant smile. Dũng Châu's face turned bright red with rage; he roared and charged at me like a wild beast. I clenched my fists and lunged forward as well.

Cam whispered in my ear:

"So you choose option two, huh."

We crashed into each other like two speeding bullets.

"AAAAAA!"

I unleashed a full-force right punch. He countered with a straight punch to my face. Our fists collided mid-air...

"SMACK!"

Everyone held their breath. But only one person got hit.

In the moment his punch nearly grazed my face, my body instinctively ducked to avoid it. Simultaneously, I launched my left foot forward and threw a punch straight into his stomach.

"THUD!"

He clutched his stomach, staggering backward. Cam roared:

"Beat them! Kill Dũng Châu!"

The brawl exploded into chaos.

Shouts and the sounds of punches and kicks filled the air. Blood splattered, and sweat mixed with dust. But I couldn't ignore him. I focused solely on one target: Dũng Châu.

He had regained his footing, this time more cautious. I charged in, trying the same punch again. But no one falls for the same trap twice. He crossed his arms in an X-shape, blocking my punch from reaching his stomach.

I immediately shifted direction, instinctively dodging to the left. Instantly, a looping kick from him tore through the air—it nearly slammed into my temple!

I staggered back, panting, trying to maintain my composure. But no—I couldn't. Rage flared up like a raging fire in my chest. I glared at Dũng Châu and taunted:

"Dũng Châu, I don't know how much money you've made or how many people you've trampled to get rich, but don't you see how fucked up your business is?"

He sneered, leisurely pulling out a cigarette, lighting it, taking a long, drawn-out drag, then exhaling smoke. He looked at me with an air of contempt:

"You're just a pathetic little punk, with a half-assed attitude. You don't understand. Money is everything. In this deal, I've made nearly twenty million. Do you know what that money has done for me? I can meet girls, enjoy life, indulge in all kinds of thrilling pleasures. Ha ha ha!"

He chuckled, his cigarette smoke swirling around his face like a diabolical veil. I gritted my teeth and growled:

"Do you have any idea how many people you've hurt?"

Dũng Châu looked up at the sky, as if recalling something. He narrowed his eyes, then suddenly burst into laughter:

"Ah, that's right! I once lent an old lady two million VND for her medicine. When she couldn't pay me back, I seized everything in her house—even took her toilet bowl. Ha ha! You know what? Thanks to that, I made ten million VND in one day!"

I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white, my voice trembling with fury:

"I'm gonna kill you!"