"Good, very good. Still acting tough, huh?"
Wang Ba's eyes gleamed with admiration for Lin Xuan.
If it weren’t for maintaining the Black Tiger Gang’s flawless record of completing dark web missions, he might have actually let Lin Xuan go.
Soon, two towering, menacing men strode into the hall.
"Boss," they said respectfully.
"Take him down," Wang Ba ordered.
"Yes."
They advanced toward Lin Xuan.
Wang Ba smirked. "These two are the strongest fighters in our gang. With your scrawny build, you stand no chance. If you beg for mercy now, there’s still time."
"Too much talk," Lin Xuan said impatiently.
He still had to get back to Hua Bao.
Wang Ba’s eyes widened in fury.
As the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, his reputation was feared throughout the underworld—except by the elusive Dark Rose. No one dared disrespect him like this.
If word got out, where would his dignity be?
"Hurry up," Wang Ba snapped coldly. "Grab him now. This time, I’ll personally make sure he suffers."
Did this brat think he could look down on him?
Then he’d teach this naive, arrogant college student a lesson he’d never forget!
But—
Once again, Wang Ba’s expectations were shattered.
He watched in disbelief as Lin Xuan took down both bodyguards in just three moves, leaving them groaning on the floor.
"This… this can’t be…"
Wang Ba gaped at Lin Xuan, his face a mask of shock.
His men were renowned fighters in the underground world—yet together, they’d been effortlessly crushed by Lin Xuan.
This kid was far more skilled than he’d imagined…
Cheng Er pushed himself up from the ground. "Boss, my brother and I weren’t lying. Lin Xuan is seriously strong."
Seeing Lin Xuan’s victory, another underling, eager to prove himself, drew a gun and pulled the trigger. The deafening bang echoed as bullets tore through the air.
Lin Xuan had already noticed the movement.
Before the gunman could fire, he’d slipped on a pair of gloves from his spatial storage.
Then—
He caught every bullet mid-air with his bare hands.
"Incredible!" Wang Ba couldn’t help but rise from his seat.
This marksman was the gang’s best—a near-perfect shot. Yet against Lin Xuan, he posed no threat at all.
Lin Xuan didn’t stop there. In a flash, he appeared before the gunman and twisted his wrist sharply.
"Ah—!"
The man screamed in agony.
"Don’t worry," Lin Xuan said with a faint smile. "I won’t hurt you. I just want your gun."
He snatched the weapon away.
Then, he aimed it at Wang Ba.
The moment his finger touched the trigger, the gang members shouted in panic: "Boss!"
Bang!
A bullet whizzed past Wang Ba’s ear—
And struck the eye of the black tiger emblem painted on the wall behind him.
"He hit the tiger’s eye?!" someone gasped.
The target was no larger than a pea, and from that distance? Impossible!
Wang Ba spun around and saw the bullet hole right where the tiger’s eye should be.
His gaze snapped back to Lin Xuan.
This wasn’t luck.
Lin Xuan had that kind of precision.
Not just unrivaled in combat, but a sharpshooter too…
Someone like this… truly deserved to lead.
But the Black Tiger Gang was his life’s work. How could he just hand it over?
"I admit, you’re impressive," Wang Ba said, his admiration undisguised. "But the Black Tiger Gang isn’t yours."
"You can walk out of here unharmed. No one will stop you."
Lin Xuan chuckled. "I didn’t come here to leave empty-handed."
"If you won’t give it willingly, I’ll have to take it by force."
In a blur, he appeared beside Wang Ba. Before anyone could react—
Crack!
He dislocated Wang Ba’s jaw.
Wang Ba: "???"
Lin Xuan forced a pill into his mouth, poured water down his throat, and made him swallow.
Crack!
He reset the jaw.
"What did you just give me?" Wang Ba demanded, grimacing.
"A poison. Harmless as long as you take the antidote regularly. Without it… you’ll bleed from every orifice and die."
He’d learned to brew such toxins in his spatial storage specifically for underworld dealings.
"So, you have two choices. One—die. Two—become my subordinate."
Lin Xuan slid a hand into his pocket, radiating arrogance.
And he had every right to.
"Though, if you stubbornly refuse the antidote, I’ll still take over the Black Tiger Gang. So really, you’ve only got one path."
Wang Ba felt the weight of despair.
Damn it.
He’d thought the eight million bounty on Lin Xuan would be easy money. Instead, he’d brought back a tyrant.
Now he was screwed.
He was about to become someone else’s lackey.
Resigned, Wang Ba stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and clasped his fists.
"Boss," he said solemnly. "This humble one pays his respects."
The rest of the gang followed suit, dropping to their knees.
"Boss!" they roared.
Lin Xuan smiled. "Rise."
"Yes!"
They stood in unison.
Wang Ba looked up at the ceiling, sighing internally.
This was it. His reputation as the fearsome Wang Ba would crumble—now that a college senior ruled the Black Tiger Gang.
Lin Xuan walked over and patted Wang Ba’s shoulder reassuringly.
"Don’t worry. I’ll rarely interfere. You’ll still run the gang as you always have—just follow my new directives."
Wang Ba’s eyes brightened. That… wasn’t so bad.
"Oh, and the Black Tiger Gang needs a rebrand. From now on, it’s the Golden Dragon Gang."
Lin Xuan might suck at naming things, but "Golden Dragon" sounded way more imposing.
---
Su Hua left work an hour early and returned to Night Garden, but Lin Xuan wasn’t there.
After working upstairs for over an hour, she checked the time—6 PM—and went downstairs, frowning.
"Butler Wang, has A-Xuan returned?"
"Master Lin? He left at noon with food for you and hasn’t come back," Butler Wang answered.
"Still not back?" Su Hua murmured.
She pulled out her phone and called Lin Xuan.
A cold, automated voice replied: "The number you have dialed is currently switched off. Please try again later."
Her frown deepened.
Though Lin Xuan had mentioned having business to handle, an uneasy feeling gnawed at her—like something was wrong.
This was the first time since they’d started dating that she couldn’t reach him.
Su Hua then dialed Lin Xuan’s bodyguards.
The phone kept ringing, unanswered.
"Something's wrong," Su Hua murmured, her face pale. "Something must have happened."
The bodyguards' phones were always on and never left their sides.
Why hadn't the two closest guards protecting Lin Xuan answered their calls?
Su Hua quickly opened her phone—she had installed a small tracking trick on Lin Xuan’s device, allowing her to locate him anytime.
She tapped open the app.
"Lin Xuan!"
At the sight before her, her face drained completely of color, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
