“What do you guys think you’re doing? Let him go!”

Henry Clark shouted sternly.

These damned bastards, they even bully someone as pitiful as Julian, who’s mentally challenged! Memories of his own experiences in the clan flashed through his mind, and Henry Clark was furious.

A sudden intervention, so unexpected, startled the group. But soon, several of the young men nearby, all with ruffian faces, slouching postures, and a roguish air, quickly reacted.

“Damn! Someone’s actually stepping in! I’ve been running around Pingchuan County for so long, and this is the first time this shit’s happened! Kid, tell me, how do you want to die?”

A gang leader with a sinister face and gloomy aura cracked his sore knuckles menacingly as he closed in on Henry Clark. The other thugs around also looked hostile, crowding in and surrounding both Henry Clark and Billy Clark.

“Boss, I know this kid, his name’s Henry Clark, he’s from the Yang family, but he’s a nobody. Damn it, daring to meddle in our business—Henry Clark, are you tired of living?”

One of the thugs glared viciously and shouted loudly.

“Crap!”

Henry Clark’s expression changed slightly. When he rushed over, he hadn’t thought it through, acting purely on impulse and courage, never considering that he’d be facing a gang of ruthless, domineering thugs.

“I didn’t expect it to be them… This is bad. Not only might I fail to help Billy Clark, I might even get myself into trouble.”

Henry Clark’s heart sank.

In this world, martial prowess reigns supreme. Even thugs sometimes practice breathing techniques to strengthen their bodies. With Henry Clark’s third-level breathing technique, he could handle a one-on-one fight, but one against five or six… the outcome probably wouldn’t be much better than Billy Clark’s current situation.

“This kid’s in trouble!”

“Too impulsive. He thinks we don’t want to help, but we just can’t.”

“These guys are capable of anything.”

“Shut up, be careful.”

…

Many onlookers around cast sympathetic glances, some even openly gloating. Not everyone can meddle in such matters—if you want to stand out, you have to be ready to pay the price.

Henry Clark ignored these people. Seeing the thugs closing in, he grew anxious, but he also knew that at times like this, he absolutely couldn’t lose his composure.

“Calm down… calm down! There are too many of them, I can’t beat them all by myself. I have to find a way to stall them, break their morale with words, intimidate them!”

In a flash, countless thoughts raced through Henry Clark’s mind, making him even calmer.

“Bang!”

In the blink of an eye, Henry Clark moved. With a heavy stomp, he stepped forward, meeting the gang leader’s gaze and glaring back fiercely:

“You bastards, who dares to make a move! You’d better think it through first. Do you really think you can take me down?”

“Hahaha, trying to scare me?”

The gang leader was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing angrily, a vicious glint in his eyes. “You little bastard, don’t think I don’t know—in the Yang family, you’re nothing but a servant, unloved and unwanted, and you still want to scare me?”

As thugs in Pingchuan County, the reason they could run rampant for so long wasn’t because no one could deal with them, but because they were cunning enough to investigate thoroughly before acting, knowing exactly who in the area could be messed with and who couldn’t.

So even though this was the first time Henry Clark had confronted them, someone had already dug up all his background and reported it.

Henry Clark had ruined their business, and now he was even threatening them—this stirred up a murderous intent in the gang leader’s heart.

“Brothers, get him! Teach him a lesson!”

A cold gleam flashed in the gang leader’s eyes as he suddenly flipped his hand and pulled out a knife. The other young men’s faces turned grim as they too drew knives, each blade glinting coldly, with faint traces of blood—these knives had seen blood before.

“Hiss!”

A collective gasp came from the crowd. The onlookers, who had been watching for fun, now looked terrified and scattered like the plague, not daring to get involved.

These people were lawless—clearly, they were ready to kill!

Henry Clark felt a chill in his heart. He’d heard of these thugs’ vicious reputations, but only now, face to face, did he truly understand their brutality.

Without a strong enough background, these people really would kill in broad daylight!

But Henry Clark also knew that now was not the time to panic or retreat—he had to hold his ground.

These people were notorious for preying on the weak and fearing the strong. If he backed down and let them see his fear, they’d devour him without leaving a bone behind.

In the blink of an eye!

Just as the thugs drew their knives, Henry Clark suddenly lunged forward and, without a word, slapped the gang leader hard across the face.

He put all his strength into that slap, hitting so hard that the gang leader saw stars, staggered backward, and the right side of his face turned visibly purple, quickly swelling with a clear handprint.

Gasp!