Chapter 7: Kill to stop killing

The thugs came snarling. Lin Xiao’s eyes flashed cold. He didn’t flinch—he struck first, hurling himself straight into the oncoming gang.

“Ha, he’s truly courting death!”

“This country bumpkin must be scared witless!”

Upon witnessing Lin Xiao’s defiant advance, the thugs erupted into scornful laughter.

To them, when faced with a mob of over ten, the smart choice was to run. But this bumpkin? He charged straight in, bold and brainless. Did he really think he could take them all on by himself?

Their mockery didn’t last long.

In a blur, Lin Xiao closed the distance, his speed shocking. Before the lead thug could react, a sharp kick struck his chest.

Thud!

The man flew back over a meter and crashed to the ground with a wail of agony.

The alley echoed with more dull impacts and pained screams. Like a tiger tearing through a flock of sheep, Lin Xiao weaved through the crowd. In under a minute, every thug was sprawled on the ground, groaning and broken.

Lin Xiao hadn’t held back. His attacks were brutal, deliberate. Bones cracked, joints twisted—none of them would be standing again anytime soon.

“This… How is this possible?”

Brother Tiger and Blondie, who had been spared only because of their distance, stood frozen in place, mouths agape, eyes wide with disbelief.

Just moments earlier, they’d been smug, already picturing Lin Xiao on his knees, begging for mercy. But now—now their men lay crumpled on the ground, groaning in agony.

Not a single one still standing.

Lin Xiao stood nearby, calm and unbothered, not even a bead of sweat on his brow. Brother Tiger felt his knees go weak. That’s when it hit him—

He’d messed up. Badly.

This wasn’t some clueless country bumpkin. Not a laborer, not a rookie. This was something else entirely. A demon in human skin.

Over ten men—armed, seasoned, and ready—had been taken out in under a minute.

Brother Tiger, for all his years in the underworld, had never seen anything like it. His so-called fighting skills? Pathetic by comparison.

In front of Lin Xiao, he felt like a lamb facing a wolf. No—facing the reaper.

Only moments ago, he was boastfully dismissing this man, not taking him seriously at all. Reflecting on his hubris now, it was akin to courting death.

As Lin Xiao drew nearer, Brother Tiger’s complexion grew increasingly pale. He found himself cursing the blond man by his side. He wouldn’t be in this dire situation if it hadn’t been for Blondie’s lust for revenge.

Brother Tiger was seething, directing his anger toward the blond man.

Blondie, however, wasn’t thinking straight. He was utterly terrified, well aware that he was the root cause of this calamity.

Regret washed over him like a tidal wave. If he could, he would give himself a slap for each of his previous missteps: visiting that inn, clashing with the young couple, and seeking revenge. None of this would have happened.

Unfortunately, it was too late. He had wholly enraged this fearsome figure.

With Lin Xiao only a few steps away, Blondie knew he needed to act, or he’d be done for. He had already lost one hand and couldn’t bear to lose the other. Judging from Lin Xiao’s face, he suspected the consequences would be graver this time.

With a sudden thud, Blondie fell to his knees, begging and pleading, “Father, Father, I was wrong. Truly, I won’t dare do it again. Please, Father, spare my life.”

“Shut up!” Lin Xiao retorted, visibly disgusted. “I don’t have a son like you.”

“Yes, Grandpa, I deserve to die. Please spare me. I—”

Before Blondie could finish, Lin Xiao silenced him with a piercing gaze.

Seeing that Blondie finally shut up, Lin Xiao shifted his attention to Brother Tiger. In contrast to Blondie’s lack of spine, Brother Tiger showed some resilience. Despite his ashen face and trembling body, he had not knelt or begged for mercy.

“Brother Tiger, do you still wish to kill me?” Lin Xiao said coolly.

A nervous twitch passed over Brother Tiger’s face. Had he known Lin Xiao’s true strength earlier, he would never have dared provoke him. But as a gang leader, he knew he had no other choice but to swallow his pride.

“I’ve lost this round. Tell me, what must I do to make amends?”

However, Lin Xiao could see no sincerity or remorse in his eyes. He knew that Brother Tiger was essentially a ravenous wolf. This time he chose to concede due to circumstances. But if Lin Xiao showed even the slightest weakness in the future, this wolf would pounce, ready to feast and tear into him. Just like Blondie, who hadn’t been hurt badly enough the first time and had gone looking for Brother Tiger to help him get revenge.

For people like these, the only solution was to frighten them, to hurt them so much that they would abandon any thoughts of revenge and learn their lesson.

Only by killing can one stop someone from killing. Only by meeting violence with violence can one put an end to it.

Lin Xiao’s gaze turned icy. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. This smile, in the eyes of Brother Tiger, was as menacing as a devil’s.

“I don’t demand much. Since you previously wished for one of my arms, it’s only fair that I reciprocate. I’ll just take one of your arms in return.”

Brother Tiger trembled, his face turned even paler. Sweat dripped down his forehead like rain. Yet, he remained silent.

Lin Xiao didn’t mind Brother Tiger’s silence. He was steadfast in his decision. Moreover, Brother Tiger had brought this upon himself. If it were an ordinary person, his arm would have been broken by now.

He approached Brother Tiger and suddenly delivered a kick to his stomach. Although Brother Tiger tried to evade and retaliate, he was no match for Lin Xiao and was effortlessly knocked to the ground.

“What are you doing? This is against the law!”

In a panic, Brother Tiger tried to get up and run, but Lin Xiao pinned his right hand to the ground.

“Law? You have the audacity to speak of the law now?” Lin Xiao sneered.

He then picked up a steel pipe that was lying nearby, raised it, and, under Brother Tiger’s terrified gaze, smashed it down.

With a painful scream, the sickening crack of Brother Tiger’s arm echoed in the air.

Casually tossing the steel pipe aside, Lin Xiao crouched down and looked at Brother Tiger, who clutched his broken arm in silence, too consumed by pain to speak.

“Remember, brother Tiger, I’m always open to your revenge attempts. But this time, I only took an arm. Next time, the price might double.”

“Big brother, I… I dare not anymore. Rest assured, there won’t be a next time. I promise!”

Trembling all over, Brother Tiger was as meek as a mouse in the presence of a cat. His previous arrogance vanished and nodded fervently.

“That’s good.”

Satisfied, Lin Xiao nodded, then shifted his gaze to the whimpering thugs lying on the ground. Seeing Lin Xiao’s attention turn towards them, they quickly stifled their groans and buried their heads in the ground, fearful of attracting his notice.

All of them were intimidated by the ruthless measures Lin Xiao had just taken, scared that he might subject their arms to the same punishment. Thankfully, Lin Xiao didn’t focus his attention on them but instead looked at the instigator of the entire ordeal, the blonde-haired thug kneeling on the ground.

Upon noticing Lin Xiao’s gaze, Blondie shuddered and retreated in absolute fear. A cold light flickered in Lin Xiao’s eyes. Compared to Brother Tiger and his lackeys, he despised this blond ruffian even more.

While Brother Tiger’s actions were also unforgivable, he at least showed some backbone. In contrast, this blond mna was an absolute coward and a lowlife who took advantage of others and acted tough but was weak at heart.

For such types, Lin Xiao naturally wouldn’t show mercy. Ignoring Blondie’s pleas for mercy, Lin Xiao broke his other hand and one of his legs with an icy expression.

“Ah! It hurts,” Blondie screamed like a pig being slaughtered. His face twisted with pain, his tears and snot flowing freely.

Lin Xiao frowned and struck Blondie on the back of his neck. Blondie’s screams suddenly stopped. His body convulsed a few times before he collapsed to the ground, his consciousness slipping away.

Lin Xiao didn’t plan to kill him . He just found him annoying and knocked him out. Yet this action still terrified Brother Tiger and the others. Despite having been in the underworld for many years, Brother Tiger had never encountered anyone as ruthless as Lin Xiao.

Seeing Blondie’s miserable condition, Brother Tiger felt a wave of secret relief that he had only suffered a broken arm.

Lin Xiao didn’t care about Brother Tiger’s thoughts. He knew he had sufficiently frightened them off, preventing future revenge or conflicts. He then prepared to leave.

“Halt, raise your hands!”

Just at that moment, a pleasant voice entered Lin Xiao’s ears. Simultaneously, a group of people emerged from all directions, encircling Lin Xiao, Brother Tiger, and the others completely.