If a gangster doesn't use his brain, he'll remain a pawn forever.

Jiang Chengyue was the first to get out of the car. She still held her phone in her hand, the call screen glaringly bright, displaying the emergency number.

Behind her were Brother Li, clutching a camera with a pale face, and the driver.

As expected of a male-oriented story! The first instinct is to call the police.

However, distant water cannot put out a nearby fire.

Jiang Chengyue held up her phone, her voice cold and steady. "I have already called the police. They will be here any minute. It's not too late for you to back off."

However, the leader, Scarface, merely glanced at her phone, a hint of mockery appearing on his face.

Distant water couldn't quench an immediate thirst.

The police? By the time they arrived, it would be way too late.

His gaze bypassed Jiang Chengyue and fixed dead on the camera in Brother Li's arms.

"The memory card, hand it over."

He held out his hand, his words concise and to the point.

"I'll count to three. If we have to take it ourselves, we might just have to rip off a few of your parts."

The air seemed to freeze.

Brother Li subconsciously hugged the camera even tighter to his chest.

Jiang Chengyue did not mention her connection to the Tianyun Century Group.

Because she knew that with these kinds of desperadoes, throwing your weight around and trying to reason with them would only backfire.

In this kind of situation, the name of Tianyun Century Group might not be a protective talisman, but a death warrant.

She knew full well that the world wouldn't coddle her like a mother; often, throwing around titles would only make the other party strike even harder.

Taking a deep breath, she shot a look at Brother Li. Her tone was completely devoid of emotion: "Brother Li, give it to him."

Brother Li's lips moved. Looking at the dozen or so burly men glaring at them like tigers eyeing their prey, he finally deflated.

Resigned to his fate, he opened the card slot and, with slightly trembling fingers, took out the tiny memory card.

Scarface stepped forward and pinched the memory card between two fingers.

It seemed the matter was resolved just like that.

But he showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he waved a hand behind him.

A lackey immediately understood, grabbing a black DV camcorder from their minivan and respectfully handing it over.

Scarface took the camcorder, skillfully opened the memory compartment, shoved the card in, and pressed the power button.

Seeing this, Brother Li's pupils suddenly shrank, and a chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his skull.

Jiang Chengyue's heart also sank to the pit of her stomach.

Brother Li looked nervously at Jiang Chengyue. She took a deep breath, and in the next second, immediately yelled, "Run!"

Before her voice even faded, she abruptly turned and bolted toward the inner street.

Startled awake by her shout, Brother Li and the driver let their survival instincts take over. They took off running in different directions, instantly scattering like birds and beasts.

Leaving only the minivan full of thugs standing there in a daze.

"Fuck!"

Scarface was the first to react. A flash of furious rage at being played crossed his face. He shoved the camcorder into the arms of the lackey next to him and roared, "Split up and chase them! Get after them! Break their legs when you catch them!"

As she sprinted, Jiang Chengyue's heart pounded wildly in her chest.

Earlier, while they were being chased, she had told Brother Li to secretly swap the memory card.

What they had handed over was just an empty card.

She had bet on the fact that the other party would immediately retreat once they got the item.

But despite all her calculations, she never expected this gang to be so professional that they actually brought their own damn playback equipment!

Scarface's gloomy gaze was locked dead onto Jiang Chengyue's frantically fleeing back.

"Catch that woman first."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, chilling authority.

A woman wouldn't have as much stamina, but one look was enough to tell she was the most important figure among the three. The item was probably on her.

Jiang Chengyue certainly knew she couldn't run fast. Even though she was wearing flat shoes, her stamina was definitely no match for a man's.

She plunged headlong into the narrow inner street, her gaze sweeping rapidly across her surroundings like a searchlight.

Hurry! Find a place to hide!

With her fading stamina, she hoped to find somewhere to take cover.

However, although this alley was dirty and cluttered with discarded cardboard boxes and trash cans, it couldn't hide a person at all. You could see straight to the end at a glance.

A sense of despair gradually gripped her heart.

Gritting her teeth, Jiang Chengyue could only pin all her hopes on her legs, dashing forward with all her might.

She had barely taken a few steps when a hand suddenly shot out from the side, clamping down on her wrist like a pair of iron tongs.

"You run pretty fast, little lady. Where are you trying to go?"

A thug with a head full of blond hair, Blondie, blocked her path. A malicious smile hung on his face, and the force of his grip on her wrist was terrifyingly strong.

Jiang Chengyue struggled for a moment but couldn't overpower Blondie.

However, Jiang Chengyue had practiced Taekwondo. In this critical moment, her body's instincts reacted faster than her brain. Using all her strength, she raised her leg in a side kick aimed straight at Blondie's lower body.

This was the most direct and effective move in Taekwondo.

Yet, Blondie just let out a weird chuckle, his other hand directly clamping her leg tightly against his ribs.

"Oh, aren't you proactive?"

His murky eyes brazenly looked her up and down. The hand clamping her thigh was about to grope it.

As he spoke, he was just about to reach out and feel up Jiang Chengyue's thigh.

The next second.

"Aargh!"

A shrill, miserable scream echoed through the inner street.

Blondie felt as if his wrist had been gripped by a red-hot branding iron. Severe pain instantly spread from his wrist through his entire body, making him involuntarily recoil.

"Bastard! Let go of me right fucking now!"

By this time, he had released Jiang Chengyue's wrist and leg, and swung his freed fist toward the figure holding his wrist.

Before he could finish his sentence, his fist hit nothing but air.

The figure merely tilted his head slightly, effortlessly dodging the furious strike.

Immediately after, a fist rapidly magnified in Blondie's field of vision.

Bam!

A muffled sound of impact.

With just one punch, Blondie went completely limp, collapsing to the ground like a puddle of mud, his eyes rolling back in his head.

Jiang Chengyue gasped heavily for air, her traumatized brain finally starting to function again.

She abruptly turned her head to look at the tall, straight back of the figure standing in front of her.

"It's you?!"

Lin Mo watched as the seven or eight burly men armed with clubs caught up, completely surrounding the two of them.

Seeing Blondie collapsed on the ground, one of them immediately shouted, "Fuck! Cripple him!"

Then, roaring in anger, he charged forward.

Lin Mo didn't even spare Jiang Chengyue a glance. With a blur of motion, he rushed head-on into the crowd.

His movements were so fast they were almost invisible, and his strikes were completely devoid of any unnecessary flashiness.

Only a series of dull thudding sounds could be heard, mixed with the crisp cracks of dislocating bones and suppressed groans of pain.

The burly man leading the charge had only raised his club halfway before a punch slammed into his abdomen. His body bowed like a cooked shrimp as he was sent flying, crashing into the wall and rolling onto the ground, unmoving.

The second, the third...

For each person, it only took a single punch.

The entire process took less than ten seconds. The seven or eight men who had been so fierce and aggressive just moments ago were now lying haphazardly all over the ground, leaving behind nothing but agonized groans.