Ask for money

"Hey, bosses, busy here?"

As the group of barbecue stall owners huddled together, grumbling about their declining business and brainstorming ways to deal with Jaxon, a somewhat familiar voice rang out from behind them.

The group turned around to see Ox and his men standing there, with Ox himself having just spoken.

"Are you blind? We barely have any customers here. What are we busy with?" one of the owners snapped, still in a bad mood from the situation.

"It's all because of you guys!" another owner chimed in angrily. "You promised us you'd handle that guy, and we even paid you a deposit. Look at how things turned out—his business hasn't just survived, it's actually thriving!"

"Refund! Give our deposit back!" someone else yelled, the frustration evident in their voice.

It was clear the barbecue stall owners were beyond dissatisfied with Ox and his crew's failure to deliver on their promise. Ox and his men had failed to neutralize Jaxon as they'd promised, and now the stall owners were paying the price.

"Refund?" Ox, who had been grinning moments ago, suddenly dropped the smile. His expression hardened. "I didn't come here today to talk about refunds. I'm here to ask for money!"

"Ask for money? What money? You didn't get the job done, and now you still have the nerve to ask for more?" one of the owners retorted, incredulous.

"I'm a reasonable man," Ox said, his voice suddenly smooth and calm, though it was laced with a subtle threat. "Since the job wasn't finished, you don't have to pay the remaining balance. But my brothers here got injured while trying to help you. They spent a lot on medical treatment yesterday. You should cover those costs, right? It's a work-related injury, after all."

"Work-related injury?" One of the owners laughed bitterly. "You call that a work-related injury? What are you guys, actually working?"

"You had all those people, and you still couldn't handle one guy? You got injured and still come here asking for money?" another owner sneered.

"The job wasn't done, and we're the ones who want our deposit back!" one of them shouted.

The barbecue stall owners weren't about to back down. They were already furious seeing Jaxon's booming business while their own stalls were left in the dust. Now, Ox and his crew were trying to take advantage of them, asking for money after failing to do what they promised. There was no way they would pay.

Ox's smile vanished as he looked at them with a dark expression. "So, you're saying you won't pay?"

"We won't pay. What are you going to do about it?" The owners stood their ground, though some of them were beginning to feel a bit intimidated by Ox's demeanor.

Ox's eyes narrowed as he glanced over the group. Without warning, he slapped the nearest stall owner across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Smash their stalls!" Ox shouted, his voice filled with menace.

His men immediately sprang into action, flipping over tables, knocking over grills, and throwing chairs to the ground. The chaos startled the few remaining customers, who quickly fled the scene to avoid getting caught up in the mess.

"What are you doing? Stop it!"

"Stop now! Bastards! Stop it!"

The owners of the stalls screamed in panic. With so few customers already, the disturbance was certain to destroy whatever was left of their business. If word got out, no one would come back to eat barbecue here.

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't misunderstand us," Ox yelled to the onlookers, trying to appear friendly, though his words were laced with threat. "These bosses owe us money. We're just collecting a debt. We mean no harm."

Despite his attempt at a casual tone, none of the onlookers dared to approach. The situation was tense, and the spectacle of a gang of men demolishing stalls didn't inspire much trust or goodwill.

It was the peak of the night market, so there were plenty of bystanders. Even Jaxon, who had been busy at his own stall, glanced over at the commotion.

Ox spotted Jaxon looking and flashed him an ingratiating smile, trying to seem friendly and harmless, completely different from the threatening posture he had taken with the other stall owners.

Jaxon, unfazed, just nodded and returned to his work, ignoring Ox entirely.

Ox's face soured as he got no response from Jaxon. He turned back to the stall owners, his expression once again hardening.

"Smash it! Smash it hard!" Ox ordered his men, his voice colder now.

The reason Ox was here wasn't just to get compensation for his and his men's injuries. He also wanted to ingratiate himself with Jaxon. After the humiliating defeat he and his crew had suffered at Jaxon's hands the day before, Ox had learned a valuable lesson: Jaxon was not someone to mess with. He was eager to make sure Jaxon was satisfied with today's work, lest he earn Jaxon's ire once again.

The barbecue stall owners, desperate and defeated, could only stand there and watch as Ox and his men continued their destruction. No matter how much they yelled and begged, nothing could stop them. The same people who had acted like children in front of Jaxon now seemed like ruthless enforcers in front of the owners. They realized, far too late, that they were no match for Ox and his crew.

Once the stalls were reduced to wreckage, Ox turned back to the owners. "Are you going to compensate us now? If not, we'll come and smash your stalls every night."

"How much?" one of the owners finally cracked, his voice tired and resigned. They just wanted Ox and his men to leave them alone at this point.

"How much?" Ox stroked his chin, pretending to think for a moment. "Alright, each of you pays twenty thousand, and we'll call it even."

"Twenty thousand?!" the owners gasped in shock. They had expected a demand, but this was outright extortion.

"Too much? Don't like it?" Ox's smile vanished, and his face hardened again. "You can refuse. But we'll be here every night, and we won't be so 'polite' next time."

The owners, deflated and with no other option, reluctantly agreed. They knew they had no choice but to comply. They were the ones who had hired Ox in the first place to deal with Jaxon. If they called the police, they would be in trouble too. There was no way out.

One by one, they agreed to the payment, though they all claimed they didn't have the money right now and promised to pay the next day. Ox, satisfied with his haul, agreed without suspicion. With over a hundred thousand coming his way, he was in no hurry.

"Alright, I'll come back tomorrow," Ox said, grinning. "Don't forget to have the money ready."

With that, Ox and his crew left the devastated stalls, leaving the owners to pick up the pieces of their destroyed businesses, their frustration and anger mounting with every step.