Chapter 0019: The Ugliness of Human Nature

"Ahh! Murder! Someone's been killed!" A hostess screamed in terror, her voice piercing as she stared at the security guard lying in a pool of blood, panic overwhelming her.

"Run! Call the cops!" one of the guards shouted, turning to bolt out of the room. Those standing outside, snapping out of their initial shock, also scrambled to escape, desperate to get as far away as possible from the three vicious brutes.

It was only now that they seemed to realize just how terrifying these middle-aged men were. They also began to understand why Chen Liuhe and Huang Baiwan had kept groveling and trying to smooth things over despite the relentless humiliation. Maybe they'd seen from the start that these three were not to be trifled with.

In hindsight, Chen Liuhe and Huang Baiwan didn't seem like useless cowards after all. Instead, it was the rest of them who looked like fools—mixing in the entertainment scene for so long yet lacking even basic judgment, outdone by two guys who seemed like unpolished country bumpkins.

But in the heat of the moment, no one had time to dwell on that. They just wanted out.

Before they could vanish through the doorway, however, a deafening bang froze them in their tracks. Their legs turned to jelly, nearly collapsing beneath them, and they stopped dead, too terrified to take another step.

The scarred man inside the room had pulled out a pitch-black handgun and fired a shot into the ceiling, blasting a hole through it. This was no toy—it was a real gun!

"Still thinking of calling the cops? Heh, anyone who takes a single step out of this room gets their head blown off!" the scarred man snarled, his face twisted in a savage grin.

Pointing the gun at the three or four people outside, he barked, "Get your asses back in here, nice and quiet. Shut the door tight. Try anything funny, and I'll send you straight to hell first."

Once everyone was herded back inside and the door locked, the metallic stench of blood filled the air. The hostesses and guards paled with dread, some beginning to sob. Ordinary people—who'd ever seen anything like this?

The room felt cut off from the world, the air thick with fear. Some trembled uncontrollably; others were so scared they wet or soiled themselves.

In the entire room, the calmest figure was probably Chen Liuhe, the seasoned veteran. Leaning against the corner, he looked unfazed, a lazy smirk still playing on his lips as if none of this had anything to do with him—just another bystander munching on metaphorical popcorn.

"What a bunch of idiots," Huang Baiwan muttered beside him, his face ashen. He was an ordinary guy too, and no ordinary guy wasn't afraid of death. He was scared shitless.

"Sixth Bro, what do we do?" Huang Baiwan whispered. Chen Liuhe was his anchor, the only reason he could still hold it together—standing next to this mysterious Sixth Bro gave him a shred of composure.

"Let's watch and see," Chen Liuhe replied softly, brushing it off. These fools wanted thrills, and now they expected him to play the savior? Not so fast—he wasn't that stupid.

Glancing at Huang Baiwan, he noticed the man's forehead beaded with cold sweat. "Old Huang, can't handle a little scene like this? That won't do. How are you gonna stick with me for the big stuff later?"

Chen Liuhe's words jolted Huang Baiwan. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he forced a grin. "Sixth Bro, guts are forged in the fire. With that line alone, Old Huang's ready to face anything."

"We're done for, totally screwed…" Among the crouching guards, one whimpered in despair, muttering over and over.

"Please, bosses, let us go! We're just workers, making two grand a month—we don't want to die!" A burly guard, nearly six-foot-two, was on his knees, bawling and begging. All his earlier bravado had vanished.

These three middle-aged men were clearly hardened desperados. Who else would carry a gun? Who else could stab someone in the gut without batting an eye?

They knew they'd messed with the wrong people today, and their lives might be forfeit. Begging was their only option.

Right now, they despised Fu Jianfeng, the idiot who'd tried to play the hero. If it weren't for that bastard, they wouldn't have pissed off these ruthless thugs. How had they ended up in this life-or-death mess?

If Chen Liuhe and Huang Baiwan had handled it, maybe things wouldn't have spiraled this far.

"Haha, bunch of spineless punks! Weren't you all tough earlier? Come on, show me some of that fire now!" The scarred man was the wildest of the trio. He kicked over a guard, sneering as he scanned the room.

When his eyes landed on Chen Liuhe, he froze, then jabbed the gun in his direction. "What the hell are you staring at? You wanna die?"

Chen Liuhe gave a helpless, wry smile. "Big brother, that's a bit unfair. Eyes are for looking, right? And you three are the most eye-catching ones here…"

"You've got some balls, huh? Talking back?" The scarred man cursed, stepping forward to deal with him.

Huang Baiwan instinctively shuffled forward a bit. He was terrified, but he knew when to show loyalty. Backing off now would ruin any chance of earning Sixth Bro's trust down the line.

"Third, get back here," the man who seemed to be the leader of the trio growled, his eyes sizing Chen Liuhe up carefully.

After a moment, he spoke. "Didn't expect I'd misjudge you earlier. You're not simple, brother. Seen some real shit, haven't you?"

"You're flattering me, big brother. I'm just an ordinary guy—what big scenes could I have seen?" Chen Liuhe replied, feigning humility.

"But look at them, scared out of their minds, and you? You don't seem fazed at all," the leader pressed.

"You've got it wrong. I'm more scared than any of them. Just got a tougher head on my shoulders, that's all," Chen Liuhe bullshitted casually.

The leader smirked coldly but didn't push further. Pointing at the cowering group, he said, "You two, get over there and squat. Stay quiet, or bullets don't care who they hit."

"As long as you spare our sorry lives, you call the shots," Chen Liuhe said, dragging Huang Baiwan over to join the others.

The scarred man then stalked over to Fu Jianfeng, who'd gone pale as a ghost. Grabbing him by the hair, he sneered, "General manager, huh? So, do we have the right to throw our weight around now?"

"Y-Yes… yes, you do! Please, bosses, don't stoop to our level. We were blind fools—didn't recognize greatness. Just let me go like I'm a fart, okay?" Fu Jianfeng whimpered, practically sobbing. He was terrified—more than anyone. Under a gun barrel, dignity and authority were dogshit.

"Weren't you all high and mighty before? Turns out you're just a gutless coward too?" The scarred man scoffed, smashing the butt of the gun into Fu Jianfeng's head.

Before Fu Jianfeng could scream, the scarred man yanked him up. "The three of us are in a real bad mood now. You pissed us off—what do you suggest?"

Fu Jianfeng stammered in panic, "Easy, easy! Whatever you want, bosses, I'll pretend I saw nothing!"

At that, every woman in the room shot him venomous glares. This animal had just sold them all out.

"Heh, we're definitely gonna have our fun. But if I don't kill a few people, this fire in me won't die down," the scarred man said, pressing the gun to Fu Jianfeng's head.

Fu Jianfeng nearly shit himself, his bladder threatening to give out. "No, please don't kill me! Kill them—those two!" He pointed frantically at Chen Liuhe and Huang Baiwan. "They're the ones to blame—one's the GM, the other's the security captain. They screwed up dealing with you. Kill them—they're the ones who deserve it!"

The moment he said it, the people squatting near Chen Liuhe and Huang Baiwan scrambled away in terror, leaving a wide empty space around the two, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Huang Baiwan exploded, "Fu Jianfeng, can you sink any lower? You lit the fuse, and now you want me and Sixth Bro to take the fall? Screw me over like this, and I'll drag you down with me even if I die!"

"Bullshit! You're the security captain—if you don't step up, who will?" Fu Jianfeng's ugliest side was on full display.

Chen Liuhe's face paled too, feigning terror. "Bosses, please see reason! The guilty should pay, not the innocent!"

The scarred man glanced between Chen Liuhe and Fu Jianfeng, grinning wickedly. "Fair point. All three of you bastards deserve to die."

He kept the gun trained on Fu Jianfeng's head. "But who to start with? Guess it's you first!"

"No, no, please! If you kill me, you won't get away either! Let me go—I swear I won't call the cops. I'll act like nothing happened!" Fu Jianfeng begged through tears.

The scarred man kicked him over. "Cops? You think I'm scared of them? Truth is, the three of us have blood on our hands already. One more kill's nothing—what's there to fear?"

That sent the room into deeper despair. These were confirmed killers—fugitives with nothing to lose. All hope drained away. Having seen their faces, no way would they let witnesses live.

"Third, hold off on the killing. It's been a week since I last got laid—grab a couple of girls for Second Bro to enjoy. Dead bodies nearby kill the vibe," the second-ranked man said.

"Haha, well said!"

With that, the scarred man dropped Fu Jianfeng and scanned the crowd with predatory eyes, yanking two shrieking hostesses from the group.

As he moved, he caught Chen Liuhe staring. "Fuck your mother! What are you looking at? Keep staring, and I'll blow your brains out right now!"

With a brutal kick, he sent Chen Liuhe sprawling to the floor, pressing the gun to his head, finger itching on the trigger.