William Carter cursed the two guys in his heart for being blind fools, but seeing how miserable they looked, Edward Harris and his gang had really gone too far. In this situation, the only thing to do was to bow his head and admit fault.

Edward Harris pushed the bottle of Erguotou in front of William Carter: “Since you’re apologizing on their behalf, I want to make things difficult for you—finish this bottle of liquor, and I’ll let them go.” William Carter bit his lip, grabbed the bottle of baijiu, and tilted his head back, gulping it down in big swallows. Edward Harris hadn’t expected this kid to actually have the guts to down it all in one go, his eyes went wide in surprise.

William Carter placed the empty bottle on the coffee table, the burning sensation in his lower abdomen quickly spreading through his whole body. Although he could hold his liquor, a whole jin of Erguotou was still a bit much, and William Carter knew he had to leave before he passed out: “Fifth Brother, can we go now?”

Edward Harris suddenly burst out laughing: “Alright! You’re a real man. Give them their clothes!” William Carter hadn’t expected Edward Harris to agree so readily. He stood up: “Thank you, Fifth Brother, we won’t keep you from your fun!” But Edward Harris pulled him back down: “Brother, don’t be in such a hurry, stay and chat with me for a bit before you go.” William Carter felt like his stomach was churning, but he forced himself to hold back the nausea: “Fifth Brother… we… really don’t want to bother you…”

Edward Harris’s expression changed: “What? Not giving me face?” “No, it’s not that…”

“That’s more like it, brother!” Edward Harris’s face broke into a smile again. He pulled out another bottle of Erguotou from behind him: “That last one was for your brothers, this one is my toast to you!” He opened the bottle cap with his teeth, took the first half-jin himself, then handed the remaining half to William Carter: “Brother, finish it…” William Carter was already dizzy, but he could tell Edward Harris was just trying to make a fool of him. He knew there was no way he could drink any more.

“I’ll drink it for him!” Samuel Clark and Iron Dan shouted loudly.

“Bullshit! You two aren’t worthy!” Edward Harris glared at them menacingly, then patted William Carter on the shoulder: “Forget it! I’ll let you off the hook today!” William Carter nodded, quickly stood up, and staggered toward the door.

“Brother!” Edward Harris called from behind. William Carter turned his head.

“Take this with you!” The glass bottle crashed down hard on William Carter’s head, blood streaming down from his temple. The strong liquor seeped into the wound, burning like a knife. Almost at the same time, William Carter kicked Edward Harris in the groin, and Samuel Clark, quick on the uptake, hit the light switch, plunging the room into darkness.

The three of them dashed for the door as if their lives depended on it, while Edward Harris clutched his crotch and yelled, “Cut those bastards down for me…”

The deafening music was still blasting, the people on the dance floor still lost in their own worlds, as if the chaos outside had nothing to do with them.

The alcohol had gone to his head, and William Carter was so dizzy he could barely move. Samuel Clark and Iron Dan propped him up, desperately pushing toward the exit. In a daze, he heard Samuel Clark say, “Damn, Edward Harris’s little sister Little Emily Harris, that chick in the red dress…” William Carter looked up and saw a long-haired girl trying to hide in the crowd ahead. Iron Dan shouted, “Hurry, there’s no time…”

Behind them, Edward Harris and more than twenty of his men were chasing after them. William Carter shouted, “Grab that girl…” Samuel Clark and Iron Dan rushed forward, grabbed the girl by both arms, and dragged her over. William Carter, swaying, picked up a beer bottle from a nearby table and smashed it against the edge, then pressed the jagged half-bottle to Little Emily Harris’s neck.

“Let go of my sister right now, or I’ll kill you bastards!” Edward Harris was thrown off by the sudden turn of events.

“Fuck you!” William Carter, his face covered in blood, pointed at Edward Harris and shouted, “If you so much as come closer, I’ll take this chick out first!” William Carter was going all in, ready to go down with the ship. Seeing things had escalated, Iron Dan started to get nervous and whispered, “Dayu… careful, or the cops will show up…” William Carter glared at him fiercely: “Shut your damn mouth!”

Edward Harris, afraid of hurting his own, didn’t dare move forward. William Carter and the other two forced Little Emily Harris out through the main doors of Jiejie. Brian Cooper, who had been waiting outside, hurried out of the car to help, but the driver, seeing the scene, panicked and sped off.

William Carter cursed Brian Cooper for being a dumbass, and Edward Harris’s gang surrounded them again. William Carter grabbed Little Emily Harris: “Liangzi! Give me the car keys, you guys run first…” Brian Cooper and the others exchanged glances: “But…” “Cut the crap!” William Carter roared, and since Brian Cooper and his crew always followed William Carter’s lead, they quickly handed over the keys and ran toward the main road.

William Carter pressed the bottle against Little Emily Harris’s lower back and shouted at Edward Harris: “Get all your people back inside the club!” Edward Harris was shaking with rage: “Damn it, kid, you’ve got a death wish. Just for taking a hostage, you’ll go to jail!”

“Aren’t you supposed to be so tough? Now you want the cops to help you? I don’t care anymore, a life for a life!” Maybe it was the alcohol, but William Carter looked like he didn’t care if he lived or died.

“If you’ve got the balls… don’t say I didn’t warn you—if my sister loses even a hair, I’ll see your whole family dead!” Edward Harris was nearly driven mad with rage. William Carter, staggering, forced Little Emily Harris to the car and made her sit in front of him.