Chapter 1: Took Out the Pope

“George Washington! Hurry up and get out here, the boss wants us to wait at the entrance of the Yumeiren Gym in the Taidong District right now. Don’t forget to bring your gear.” An urgent voice came through the phone.

“Got it.” I casually hung up, stretched lazily, and climbed off the small wooden bed. The girl I’d just met at the bar last night was still sound asleep beside me.

Ever since I became an adult, fighting has basically become a daily necessity in my life. I don’t even know what I’m chasing anymore—it’s like I’m just living for the sake of living.

I quickly got dressed, splashed some water on my face, grabbed a slightly blackened towel from the washstand and wiped my face a few times, stuffed the half-foot-long dagger from the table into my jacket, and headed out, firing up my motorcycle and tearing through the city.

For guys like us, the police are terrifying. To avoid their harassment, I bought a small house in the countryside on the outskirts. The people here are pretty simple—no one ever asks what I do, and no one looks down on me for my rough life. In fact, during the holidays, the neighbors even bring over some of their homemade specialty dishes.

Speeding at nearly 100 kilometers per hour, I blasted through more than a dozen red lights in the city and finally arrived at the entrance of the Yumeiren Gym.

By then, more than forty brothers had already gathered at the entrance. I knew most of them, only a few new faces I didn’t recognize.

“Chancellor! You’re here? How was that chick last night?”

I grinned at the guy who’d called me: “What do you think? She was wild! Went crazy in bed.”

“Damn! You might not be good at much else, but you sure know how to pick up girls.”

Just then, a Santana 2000 sedan pulled up next to us. Out stepped a guy in a suit—our boss, Viper! He glanced at us and shouted, “Cut the chatter! Today, if we wipe out the Axe Gang, we’ll be the bosses of Taidong District.”

He says that every time we fight, but every time the next day, I still hear the same thing.

With the economy so bad these days, more and more people are out of work. A lot of folks who can’t make a living end up turning to the underworld. As long as society stays like this, the gangs will only keep growing.

Just as I was thinking this, a group of guys showed up not far away, each holding a small axe.

Turns out the Axe Gang got the news pretty quick—just as we finished gathering, they charged right at us.

I remember an old-timer among the hoodlums once said: fighting skills are important, but courage matters more. As long as you’re ruthless enough, others will fear you.

So when I fight, I always avoid the crazy ones who don’t care about their lives, and square off against the cowards like me. Usually, by the end of a fight, I’m the only one who hasn’t gotten hurt. That’s why I’ve never killed anyone.

The two gangs quickly clashed, everyone swinging their weapons at each other.

I had just pulled out my dagger when I saw a big, burly guy on the other side, holding a razor-sharp axe and staring straight at me as he charged.

Damn! Come on, man! We’re all just trying to make a living—no need to be so dedicated, right? I held my dagger and backed away, keeping an eye on my surroundings. The guy was clearly out to get me, chasing after me with his axe.

Four meters, three meters, two meters!

Just then, some idiot who was fighting nearby got kicked and stumbled backward, and—unluckily for me—the force slammed into my back, sending me stumbling forward.

The sudden movement caught the axe-wielding guy completely off guard. Because of my forward momentum, my dagger plunged deep into his heart. Blood started trickling down the blade. The guy stared at me and slowly said, “I... I just wanted to scare you into a quiet place, so I could tell you... after the fight... we could...” Before he could finish, his head slumped and he was gone.

I’ve been in countless fights, but this was my first time killing someone. Seeing the twisted look on his face as he collapsed to the ground, I freaked out, let go of the dagger, turned, and ran for my life.

I jumped on my motorcycle and sped all the way back to my little tile-roofed house in the wilderness on the outskirts, then locked the door with two big padlocks, leaning against it and gasping for breath. The girl who’d been lying on my bed when I left had already gone.

Just as I was still in shock, there was a loud boom and a hole was blasted in the roof of my house. Dust immediately filled the room.