What Kind of Being Are You Facing

After dealing with the thugs, Lu Chen saw that the scar-faced man couldn't even speak properly, so he grabbed one of the smaller goons instead.

"Where are the drugs you brought? Where did you stash them?"

"And the camcorder, rope, duct tape—hand over everything."

Gu Cheng's plan had been downright vicious. He wanted to abduct Venti on his usual route home, take him to some warehouse, tie him up, and inject him with illegal substances.

If the plan had succeeded, V.T. would've become addicted. A teacher and rising star turned drug addict—the fallout would've been catastrophic. Even with Starlight and Tony backing him, there'd be no way to salvage his reputation.

Whether or not Gu Cheng's plan to flip public opinion would've worked didn't matter. Even if he couldn't save himself, he intended to take someone else down with him—and poor V.T. was the perfect scapegoat.

Luckily, V.T. wasn't just anyone. Gu Cheng had no idea who—or what—he was actually dealing with.

Still, the sheer cruelty of the plan stunned Lu Chen. Even someone as jaded as him was shocked. That a massively popular celebrity like Gu Cheng could be so rotten inside...

"Let us go... we were just following orders... please..."

The scar-faced man had finally come to. He collapsed on the ground, pleading.

"Let you go?" Lu Chen grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head up. "From how practiced you are, I'm guessing this isn't your first time. Why should I let you off?"

"I can pay you, a lot! Please—don't kill me..."

"Money? I've got plenty," Lu Chen said with a calm smile. "But if you want to live, there's only one option."

The man's eyes lit up—only for Lu Chen's next words to leave him dumbfounded.

"You're going to do to your boss, Gu Cheng, everything you planned to do to us. If you do that, I won't kill you. Deal?"

The man fell silent, stunned. Whether it was from Lu Chen exposing his employer or the task itself, he didn't say a word.

"Not up for it?" Lu Chen's tone turned cold.

"N-no... It's just... that's not something people in our business usually do..." the man stammered.

"Oh? Didn't think you had such a moral code," Lu Chen said with a sneer, eyes like those of a man looking at a corpse.

The scar-faced man trembled under his gaze.

Lu Chen kicked him aside like a stray dog, then turned to Ei.

"Looks like our new friend's not feeling cooperative. What do we do?"

Ei tilted her head, thinking. Her beautiful face remained serene as she delivered a chilling answer.

"Hmm... better to silence him first. We'll deal with Gu Cheng some other way."

"Sounds good," Lu Chen replied casually.

The scar-faced man panicked at their exchange. "Wait, don't kill me! I'm still useful! Please, heroes—!"

"Too late!"

Before he finished, a flash of violet lightning ripped through the air, too fast to see. The alley was instantly filled with blood-curdling screams.

And the sickening crack of bones breaking.

The man looked forward in horror. His comrades—who'd barely been able to stand—were now collapsing one after another into pools of blood, their fate unknown.

"You... you killed them?!"

He trembled as he stared at the three figures. In the dim alley, they looked like demons.

Lu Chen glanced at a thug whose chest still moved slightly.

"Preliminary diagnosis: comminuted fractures in both arms and legs, cranial trauma. Without immediate medical attention... best case, vegetative state. Worst case..."

He smiled.

"Worst case, we call the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."

The scar-faced man didn't know what that was—but from the name alone, it didn't sound good. He shuddered.

"I'll give you one last chance," Lu Chen said, stepping in front of him with a smile. "You look like a squad leader. Go get me a new crew. Get it done clean—no evidence. Got it?"

The man stared blankly, then nodded numbly.

"Remember, just because I'm letting you walk today doesn't mean you can forget our deal." Lu Chen gestured to Ei, then added slowly,

"I want you to understand what kind of being you're up against."

In the bright evening sky, a bolt of lightning tore across the horizon, turning the alley stark white.

A thunderclap followed—a roar loud enough to split the world apart.

To shatter Scarface's will, Lu Chen had asked Ei to give a little demonstration.

When it was over, her glowing purple eyes faded back to normal.

Scarface had wet himself. Literally.

The stench in the air made the cleanliness-loving Ei frown slightly. Lu Chen waved his hand, motioning her and Venti to leave the filthy alley.

"Did you understand everything I said?" Lu Chen asked.

The scarred man nodded blankly.

"Don't try anything stupid."

Lu Chen pointed to his eyes, then to the sky.

"We're watching you."

...

A long time later, the scar-faced man finally stopped shaking as he watched Lu Chen walk away.

He stared at the wreckage in the alley and trembled again.

What kind of people had he just provoked...?

No—what kind of fool was Gu Cheng?

Did he have any idea what kind of being he had just pissed off?