Henry Lawson bent down to pick up the student ID that had fallen at his feet and opened it. On the first page of the student ID was the owner's information.

“Ashley Young, Donghai University, Department of Computer Science.” Looking at the cold and beautiful face in the one-inch ID photo at the top right corner, Henry Lawson couldn't help but mutter, “Beautiful person, beautiful name. Ashley Young, I’ll remember that.”

He casually stuffed the student ID into his pocket and walked toward the group led by the guy with the tuft of hair.

After disarming Ashley Young of her only “weapon,” the guy with the tuft of hair reached his greasy hand toward Ashley Young’s fair wrist. At that moment, a brick-sized object flew over and hit his wrist with precision.

The guy with the tuft of hair winced in pain and angrily looked at the “weapon” that had ruined his plans. On closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t a weapon at all, but a domestic knockoff phone with a twelve-channel ringtone, extra loud, and loaded with various entertainment features. The phone was still lying on the ground, playing the viral song “Can’t Afford to Be Hurt.”

“Such a beautiful woman, I like her too. How about we talk this over?” Henry Lawson said nonchalantly, hands in his pockets, a wicked smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

“You again, punk!”

Recognizing who it was, the guy with the tuft of hair was instantly furious—this was the same person who had ruined his plans on the subway. But instead of immediately attacking as Henry Lawson expected, he said, “Want to butt in? No problem. Help us grab this chick, and after we’re done, it’ll be your turn.”

“But I don’t have a habit of playing with secondhand goods—no, thirdhand goods.” Henry Lawson shrugged at the guy with the tuft of hair, looking troubled.

“Then you’re asking for death!”

With a shout, the guy with the tuft of hair threw a punch at Henry Lawson. Henry Lawson didn’t dodge, a faint wicked smile still on his lips, watching as the fist came straight for his face. Just as the punch was about to land on his nose, Henry Lawson shot out his hand like a pair of pliers, gripping the guy’s wrist so tightly he couldn’t break free. Realizing something was wrong, the guy with the tuft of hair tried to pull away, but Henry Lawson kicked him hard in the knee.

The guy with the tuft of hair lost his balance and fell toward the ground. Henry Lawson suddenly raised his knee and slammed it into the guy’s chin. Crack! Dazed from the blow, the guy with the tuft of hair was sent flying, leaving a long skid mark on the ground.

The two henchmen who had come with him were shocked to see their boss taken out so easily. But they didn’t want to lose face, especially with a beauty watching. Overcome by lust, each grabbed a brick from the ground and charged at Henry Lawson with a wild yell.

As the two rushed at him, Henry Lawson still didn’t dodge. He lifted his foot and kicked one of them into a pile of construction debris, then grabbed the second thug by the collar, yanked him close, and drove his knee into the man’s stomach. As the thug doubled over, Henry Lawson’s right hand curved, fingers spread, palm bent back, elbow flexed, and he struck upward at the man’s jaw.

Bear paw?!

Ashley Young’s eyes narrowed as she recognized Henry Lawson’s move. The “bear paw” was a signature killing technique of the special forces—specifically, the Dragon Shadow Unit. Simple and brutal, if delivered with enough force, the shockwave could directly damage the opponent’s cervical vertebrae or skull base, resulting in instant death.

According to regulations, using killing moves on civilians was strictly forbidden. Even though he had been expelled from the Dragon Shadow Unit, Henry Lawson still clearly remembered his master’s warning when he left the base: “If you ever use what you’ve learned on civilians, I’ll personally deal with you.”

If a student ever stood on the wrong side of society, it was the teacher’s duty to clean up the mess himself. That was the rule of the special forces, and of the Dragon Shadow Unit.

So Henry Lawson didn’t go for the kill. Even though he controlled his strength, his blow still left the thug dizzy and unsteady on his feet.

“Damn you, I’ll kill you!”

The guy with the tuft of hair wiped the blood from his nose and pulled out a switchblade. But before he could make a move, Henry Lawson rushed forward and kicked him down again, pinning his chest with a Nike sneaker.

With a flick of his wrist, a silver butterfly knife danced in Henry Lawson’s hand like a real butterfly, its cold blade pressed against the guy’s carotid artery. Henry Lawson spat out a single word, cold as ice: “Get lost!”

The guy with the tuft of hair wanted to talk tough, but as he felt Henry Lawson’s grip tighten and the blade begin to cut into his skin, he wisely swallowed his threats.

His two henchmen helped each other over, pulling their boss out from under Henry Lawson’s foot.

Once he was back on his feet, the guy with the tuft of hair touched the small cut on his neck left by Henry Lawson, shot him a venomous glare, and called to his men, “Let’s go!”

Watching the three of them leave the path, Henry Lawson bent down, picked up the things that had fallen from Ashley Young’s handbag, put them back in, and handed the bag to her. “Your things.”

“Thank you so much for today.” Ashley Young took her handbag without checking if anything was missing, which conveniently helped cover up the fact that Henry Lawson had kept her student ID.