Chapter 40: Astonishment

"Seeking death, are you!" Yang Er roared in fury as Mo Han dared to strike first, preparing to retaliate.

Yet, barely had the thought of counterattack crossed his mind before a resounding slap landed squarely on his face.

Mo Han did not hold back. Yang Er's massive body spun in place from the force of the blow. His vision filled with stars, and his ears rang.

Everyone stood frozen in shock. No one had expected Mo Han to actually slap Yang Er.

Xu Jing, too, was dumbfounded. He truly hadn't anticipated Mo Han would take action.

"Are you awake now?" Mo Han asked coolly.

"Dammit, kill him for me!" Yang Er came to his senses, shouting in rage.

Behind him, forty or fifty thugs bellowed as they charged toward Mo Han.

"Manager, maybe we should run first!" Xu Jing's face changed drastically. His pupils dilated, ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

A cold glint flashed in Mo Han's eyes.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, plunging straight into the crowd.

Xu Jing was stunned. Seeing Mo Han rush into the mob, he felt caught between advancing and retreating.

After a moment's deliberation, he resolved to charge in, rescue Mo Han, and then escape.

But as soon as he approached, all forty or fifty thugs were already writhing on the ground, groaning.

Xu Jing was utterly astonished, shaken to his core.

One man against fifty, and not even a minute had passed before they were all knocked out.

Was this even human?

Yang Er stared at the carnage, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.

His reaction was much like Xu Jing's. Looking at Mo Han, his gaze was filled with terror.

One against fifty—apart from being possessed by the God of War, he couldn't imagine anyone capable of such a feat.

Even the writers wouldn't dare depict this!

If Mo Han knew what was going through Yang Er's mind at that moment, he would surely scoff, "God of War? That's nothing!"

"Can we now discuss compensation?" Mo Han dusted off his hands and walked toward Yang Er.

Yang Er's spirit trembled. At this moment, Mo Han seemed nothing short of a demon in his eyes.

"What do you want?" Yang Er's heart quaked as he watched Mo Han approach, fear overwhelming him.

He'd been in the underworld for years, commanding ruthless men who'd even committed murder.

But for the first time, Yang Er felt genuine fear.

"I have powerful backers. If you dare lay a finger on me, my boss Yu Hu will never let you off!" Yang Er instinctively retreated.

The next instant, Mo Han moved again.

A shadow flickered where he stood, followed by Yang Er's anguished howl.

Xu Jing's heart leapt as he looked up to see Yang Er rolling on the ground, his cries mournful.

"Looks like you're just a small fry. Asking you for fifty million in compensation was a stretch," Mo Han said, stepping on Yang Er's chest. His voice was icy: "Tell your boss Yu Hu if he doesn't come to the pharmaceutical factory and find me by five this afternoon, I'll break his arms and legs!"

Turning to the groaning thugs on the ground, Mo Han barked, "Shut up, all of you!"

His voice thundered like a bolt from the blue. The thugs shuddered, not daring to utter another word. None even had the courage to meet Mo Han's gaze.

"Whose bus is parked outside?" Mo Han asked coldly.

He'd noticed the bus when he arrived, clearly brought by these thugs.

"It's mine," one thug stammered.

"The keys."

The thug hurriedly fumbled for the keys, stood up, and approached Mo Han, his legs trembling.

Mo Han took the keys and tossed them to Xu Jing. "Take them all back."

"Huh?" Xu Jing caught the keys, bewildered.

"Is there a problem?" Mo Han looked at him.

"No, no."

Xu Jing snapped to attention, shaking his head quickly. He turned to the thugs still lying on the ground and barked, "You have three seconds to get up and get outside!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the thugs scrambled to their feet, most in under two seconds.

Outside, they lined up in two rows before the bus. Mo Han spoke coldly:

"You smashed up my factory. Starting today, you'll work for me for free to pay off your debt. When I decide you've paid enough, you'll be free."

The expressions on the thugs' faces were spectacular, but none dared voice a single objection.

Yang Er's pitiful cries had thoroughly terrified them.

Meanwhile, Xu Jing had turned the bus around. At Mo Han's command, the thugs boarded the bus.

Once they departed, the bar's staff finally trembled as they called the police and summoned an ambulance.

At that moment—

Pharmaceutical factory.

"Why haven't they returned yet?"

In the office, upon learning that Mo Han had gone to confront Yu Hu with only Xu Jing in tow, Li An'an was as anxious as a cat on hot bricks.

None of the three major families in Qiancheng liked to provoke the underworld. Those people were ruthless and had committed plenty of crimes—their hands were anything but clean.

For Mo Han to confront Yu Hu with only Xu Jing—it was as good as courting death.

Now, Li An'an found herself somewhat dependent on Mo Han. If anything happened to him, she wouldn't know what to do.

Just as Li An'an was fretting, Ma Jiaojiao rushed in.

"Director Li, they're back! They've returned!" Ma Jiaojiao's face still bore traces of shock, as if she'd witnessed something terrifying.

"They're back? They're not hurt, are they?" Li An'an breathed a sigh of relief, then asked.

"No."

Ma Jiaojiao shook her head. "Not only are the two of them unscathed, they've brought a whole busload of thugs!"

"A busload of thugs?" Li An'an was puzzled.

Ma Jiaojiao nodded.

"What happened?" Li An'an asked, perplexed.

"I brought you some free workers. Just feed them, no need to pay wages," Mo Han said, entering the office.

"Free workers? Where did you recruit them, and why won't you pay them?" Li An'an eyed Mo Han skeptically, finally reassured to see he was unharmed.

"They smashed up the factory. Making them work off their debt is already more mercy than they deserve. They dare demand wages?" Mo Han replied.

"You mean all those dozens are the thugs who vandalized our factory?" Li An'an's mouth fell open, incredulous.

Ma Jiaojiao was equally shocked. How was this possible?

"Yes," Mo Han nodded.

Li An'an and Ma Jiaojiao exchanged glances, then looked at Mo Han as if he were a monster.

"How did you do it?" Li An'an asked, unable to believe her eyes.