103 is ruthless enough.

In a fight, there’s no room for mercy—it's the principle of “strike first, strike hard; hesitate, and suffer.” My hesitation cost me dearly as I failed to dodge in time. The slowest pursuer somehow found a stick and struck me hard on the head. Stars exploded before my eyes, and my mind buzzed with pain.

I immediately realized I had made two fatal mistakes: first, I worried about accidentally breaking Huang Daqiang’s ribs and hesitated, losing the chance to escape. Second—and more deadly—I misjudged the man trailing last. He was the fiercest of them all, and underestimating him came at a terrible price.

His first blow was merciless, showing no concern for whether he might kill me. The moment his second blow came, I twisted aside just in time, but the stick still struck my shoulder. Suppressing the sharp pain, I grabbed the stick and with all my strength struck at his groin.

He screamed and collapsed. At that moment, I caught a glimpse of a scar on his forehead. As I prepared to strike again, darkness clouded my vision; I felt blood trickling down my forehead and then everything went black. Faintly, I heard Jin Yulian’s terrified scream and distant sirens before I lost consciousness.

When I came to, I was already in a hospital. Jin Yulian sat beside my bed, eyes wide with fear. Seeing me awake, she threw herself against my chest, trembling. “Feng, you’re finally awake! You scared me to death just now.”

My head throbbed, and my thoughts were sluggish. I exhaled slowly and asked, “Yulian, how did I end up in the hospital?”

She said, “After they knocked you out, I called the police. The sirens scared them off, and then the ambulance brought you here.”

I asked, “What about those guys?”

“They’ve been taken to the police station for questioning,” she replied. “Since it’s a brawl, if the injuries aren’t serious, they usually just detain you for a few days, fine you, educate you, and then release you.” In other words, both sides get punished, then go their separate ways.

I thought to myself, getting knocked out by a stick was about as bad as when I knocked out Bald Leopard with a punch. When someone’s knocked out and wakes up, they’re usually fine. Seeing my silence, Jin Yulian whispered, “Feng, how do you feel now?”

I said, “My head’s a bit dizzy. By the way, what did the doctor say?”

She answered, “When you were brought in, the doctor checked you and said you only have a mild concussion. Nothing serious—it will clear up on its own. But I was really scared. What if you hadn’t woken up…?”

I reassured her, “The doctor said it’s nothing serious. You don’t need to worry.”

Suddenly, I recalled stepping on Huang Daqiang’s chest. I thought I heard a faint cracking sound. Could his ribs have been broken? I asked, “What happened to the guy I kicked down?”

Jin Yulian said, “He’s fine. The only thing you crushed was the phone in his jacket pocket. The one you kicked in the groin seemed more serious, but he might have been faking it.”

I said, “That guy struck without hesitation. He must have been in prison before.” Judging by how fiercely he attacked, he was probably like me, hardened by time behind bars.

It seemed he deliberately lagged behind, playing the fool to lull me into underestimating him. Damn, I thought bitterly, I’ve really hit rock bottom today.

Suddenly, a flash crossed my mind—this scarred man looked familiar, as if I’d seen him somewhere before. But my head was still fuzzy from waking up, and I couldn’t quite place him.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Fatty. He asked which bed I was in, and I was startled. “Fatty, how did you know I’m in the hospital?”

He said, “I called you earlier, but no one answered. Then a woman picked up and told me you were injured and in the hospital.”

I glanced at Jin Yulian, who explained, “When you were unconscious, someone called asking for you, claiming to be your friend. I told him you were injured and here.”

I gave Fatty my bed number, and he said he’d be there soon.

About an hour later, Fatty arrived with Lin Xiaomei, carrying some fruit.

Fatty teased, “So, you really hit bottom in the gutter, huh? How bad are your injuries?”

I said, “Nothing much, just some superficial wounds.”

He laughed, “Don’t pretend to be tough. Look at your head all wrapped up like a mummy—just superficial wounds?”

I asked, “Fatty, why did you bring Xiaomei here? She should be studying; hospitals aren’t a place for her.”

Lin Xiaomei blushed faintly. “Brother Feng, don’t blame Big Fatty. I wanted to come on my own.”

I said, “Xiaomei, you should get back to your homework. This isn’t a place for you.” Then I told Fatty, “She’s a student—take her home quickly.”

Fatty grinned, “Why the rush? Xiaomei’s worried about you. Oh, and here’s some good news—Tietou was discharged from the hospital today to rest at home. I called you to share the good news, but I didn’t expect you’d end up here instead.”

“That’s great about Tietou. Fatty, tell him I’m fine and he should rest well,” I said.

After chatting briefly, Fatty and Xiaomei left. Once they were gone, I remembered the scarred man—I must have seen him in the video of Tietou’s car accident. I hurriedly pulled up the video on my phone and there he was, at the scene of the crash.

I suspected this man knew Huang Yongfa, the driver responsible for the accident. Perhaps Huang Yongfa was the one who had hired him.

Lost in thought, I felt Jin Yulian press her hand lightly against my forehead, concern in her voice. “Are you okay? Did the blow to your head cause any damage?”

I smiled, “I’m fine. I was just thinking how you’re getting more beautiful every day, Yulian.”

She scolded playfully, “Your head’s been hit—you’re getting more and more cheeky.”

I teased back, “Does being serious fill the belly?”

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