Paul Carter spoke, pretending to be serious, but there was a strong sense that he was just watching the show. Chief Grant was speechless, forced to play along with his boss, fumbling with his phone to contact a few off-duty field agents.

Meeting point: in front of the Physical Education University’s main gate.

Mission: to surveil a group of mountain bikers.

Chapter 10: Who’s More Ruthless

Lamb skewers, roasted sweet potatoes, plus a handful of popcorn—this was the highest standard Eric Foster could use to treat his brothers. It hurt him a bit to spend the money, and as these good-for-nothings were almost done eating, still no one had come out.

Charles Wright, the handsome young guy who came along, couldn’t take it anymore. It was too cold. He tossed the sweet potato skin and asked, “Eric, they still haven’t come out. What if they don’t come out at all? Why don’t we come back tomorrow?”

“Hey, you traitor, you finish eating and want to bail? Wait a bit longer.” Eric Foster was not pleased.

“What if they never come out? It’s been two hours. A gentleman’s revenge can wait till tomorrow—do we really have to freeze out here?” said James Thompson. Because his name was Erdong, everyone in the class called him “Second.” Ethan had just agreed that Second made sense when Eric Foster kicked him. Seeing morale start to waver, Eric Foster explained, “Brothers, this is something we need to settle quickly and decisively. I don’t even know what’s going on right now. What if more people come after me tomorrow? What if I’m alone and not at school?”

“True, Eric, you haven’t done anything bad outside, have you?” asked Robert Evans, still suspecting the problem lay with Eric Foster.

“No way, if I did something bad, wouldn’t I have called you guys?” Eric Foster blurted out, giving them a look that said he was wronged.

Exactly. The brothers all nodded. Whether it was drinking, playing cards, strolling around, or even going to the art school or Shanda to check out pretty girls, they always went as a group. They’d always had a strong sense of team spirit. Even the little money Mouse and Ethan tricked out of freshmen was usually split up as public funds.

“They’re out—the ones Eric kicked Second for.” Mouse, sharp-eyed, was the first to spot them. Eric Foster looked over—three people, two had come out. After messing around for hours, they were probably hungry. The two went to buy food at the school gate. Eric Foster let go, and these police academy cadets scattered like they were in a capture drill, quickly spreading out in twos and threes to form a big encirclement.

Mouse casually picked up a few pieces of sweet potato skin, quietly clutching them in his hand; on the other side, Eric Foster pulled up his hood and lowered his head. It was close to 9 p.m. now. On both sides of the school gate, a row of street vendors, the dazzling lights wafting with the aroma of all kinds of food. The two frustrated guys coming out of the security office were complaining—what rotten luck. When fighting with other schools, the Physical Education University was always victorious, but running into the police academy guys, they were totally outmatched. Not only were they accused of peeping in the women’s restroom, but they also got a scolding from their own security office. If it weren’t for Adam Parker being a rich guy, the group would have ended up with a terrible reputation.

The two had just passed a pancake stall when suddenly someone whistled flirtatiously. One of them turned around and saw Eric Foster standing at the school gate, got startled, and quickly pulled his companion. The two looked over, and Eric Foster flicked his hand—clang—a baton snapped out, and he stared at them provocatively, looking like he was about to charge.

In a fight, it’s all about making the first move. The two had already experienced how tough this guy was. Their morale was already gone. With a glance at each other, they split left and right and bolted, not daring to run back into the school, but straight out onto the street. Eric Foster chuckled, not chasing at all, leisurely tapping the ground and starting to put away his baton. The direction they ran was right into a trap.

The one on the left didn’t get ten meters before a big guy blocked him. Mouse slapped a piece of sweet potato skin onto his mouth before he could even shout. Four or five people crowded him against the wall, and the beating began. Student fights never need much reason—once they catch you, they just beat you senseless, not caring how hard they hit. After a few blows, Mouse grabbed him and asked questions. Wow, he was very cooperative and confessed immediately.

The one on the right ran a bit farther, looked back and saw Eric Foster wasn’t chasing, just caught his breath, but then everything went black—his head was covered, and he was beaten and kicked while muffled cries came out. He didn’t even get a chance to fight back. Ethan hadn’t gotten in on the action earlier that afternoon, so he took advantage now, kicking away until he quickly got the truth out.

It all happened fast. By the time bystanders noticed something was off, the police academy pests had already split up, running in different directions, faster than they fought. After a long while, some brave soul went to check on the guys who’d been beaten in the dark and was stunned—such a big guy, crying with snot and tears, muttering, “This is too much… way too much…”

There was plenty of sympathy from the onlookers. To beat a kid like this—ah, too much. His shoes had been pulled off and thrown away, his belt taken, and his mouth smeared with some yellowish, disgusting stuff. The other one crawled out, couldn’t find his shoes anywhere, both of them on the verge of tears. Their pitiful state was enough to win the sympathy of the street vendors. The lamb skewer seller handed over some tissues, saying, “Kid, wipe your face…”

Sympathy aside, fights in school weren’t rare—just a bunch of petty nonsense. Soon, security staff came out after hearing the commotion, asked what happened, and then called the police academy’s security office, shouting, “Your police academy cadets have gone too far, coming over here to beat up our students.”