Chapter 496

Chapter 496 A Gunshot

Holy crap, a gun?

It really is a gun!

How could there be a weapon like this here?

At that moment, the sudden turn of events sent shockwaves crashing through Er Ge’s mind!

Er Ge’s name was He Licheng. In Jinshan City he was known as “Er Ge,” and his operation ranked second among the underground circles of Jinshan. He was ruthless and vindictive, and after years of fighting and killing, his reputation had gradually grown.

As someone who ran in those circles, he kept several guns at home and had even used them to kill people. But given the special nature of such weapons, they were hard to rely on in Huaxia, so when he came to Ninghai this time, he hadn’t brought any with him.

Not only had He Licheng himself left his gun behind, but to avoid stirring up serious trouble, he had also forbidden his men from carrying such weapons. After all, they were just here to wreck a concert — no need to make such a big production out of it.

But what Er Ge hadn’t expected was that while he had no gun, the other side actually did.

Something he had thought was already set in stone had suddenly taken a dramatic turn.

“Think you’re so tough? Think you’re so badass?” Su Rui pressed the muzzle against Er Ge’s head, his face full of mockery. “Go ahead, try being badass one more time and see what happens.”

Feeling the cold muzzle pressed against his forehead, Er Ge’s expression grew even darker and more sinister. He said nothing, his mind racing as he searched for a way out.

“What an idiot. You really think pointing a fake gun at someone is gonna make it shoot real bullets?”

The one who spoke was a muscular man standing behind Er Ge — He Licheng’s right-hand man, known as Hu San. In matters of fighting and killing, he was a fierce warrior in his own right.

At that moment he was staring at Su Rui with a face full of contempt. He simply didn’t believe that this soft-looking pretty boy could actually produce a real gun out of nowhere.

But some facts leave no room for disbelief.

The moment Hu San finished speaking, a thunderous bang rang out and echoed across the entire stadium.

Su Rui swung the muzzle around without a second’s hesitation and fired a clean, decisive shot at Hu San.

“Aah!”

The latter let out a scream of agony and collapsed to the ground clutching his lower leg.

Su Rui’s bullet had drilled straight into Hu San’s shinbone.

Nobody had expected Su Rui to fire the moment he said he would, without the slightest hesitation. Everyone was stunned.

Among the fan group, some of the girls were trembling with fear, but they knew Su Rui was standing up for them, protecting Tang Ni Lan Duo’er and fighting back against these thugs. So even though they were scared, they could hold themselves together.

“It hurts so much! It hurts so much!”

Hu San lay on the ground, clutching his leg and rolling around in agony. The sight was too gruesome to look at.

“Good, it should hurt. Now is there anyone who still thinks this is a fake gun?”

Su Rui said coldly, casting a mocking glance over the hundred-plus people in front of him.

The group that had been so ferocious just moments ago now wore expressions of disbelief, and some of them already showed signs of panic and helplessness on their faces.

Not a single person dared to answer Su Rui’s question.

When it came to dealing with people like this, Su Rui was very experienced. What he had said earlier was absolutely right — backing down means compromising, and compromise will never bring peace. It will only make the other side push harder.

These thugs might look fierce, but that was only because they had never run into anyone tougher than themselves.

When they did, they would transform into meek little lambs at a speed that even they themselves could hardly imagine.

He Licheng, his expression dark and menacing, also seemed caught off guard. The gunshot had gone off practically right next to his ear, and even now he still hadn’t fully recovered his hearing.

“Brother, which side of the street are you from?” He Licheng asked, fighting through the ringing in his ears.

He was the boss of this group. If he panicked first, there would be no point in continuing.

Hearing the question, Su Rui gave a light smile and said with contempt, “I’m from this street right here.”

With that, he let the muzzle drop naturally, shifting from parallel to the ground to pointing straight down at it.

His finger squeezed the trigger, and another clean, crisp shot rang out.

The bullet entered through the top of He Licheng’s foot and exited through the sole, punching clean through the entire foot.

No more words needed — first shoot you crippled, then we talk.

This shot came even more out of nowhere than the last one.

By the time everyone registered what had happened, all they saw was their boss He Licheng crouching on the ground clutching his foot, howling in pain.

Su Rui didn’t pause for a moment. He raised his gun hand high and brought the grip crashing down hard onto He Licheng’s upper back.

The blow struck his cervical spine. The once insufferably arrogant Er Ge felt his vision go black, and his mind instantly lost control of his body. He lurched forward and slammed flat onto the ground.

The whole sequence of moves was clean and decisive, completely overwhelming everyone present.

Planting one foot on top of He Licheng’s head, Su Rui hooked a finger through the trigger guard and spun the gun in his hand, sweeping a cold gaze over the hundred-odd people around him. “Now who else dares to move?” he said mockingly.

Faced with Su Rui’s overwhelming dominance, these people turned into complete lambs, meek and obedient.

Watching Su Rui take the upper hand so effortlessly, Tang Ni Lan Duo’er let out a long breath of relief.

Her beautiful eyes locked onto Su Rui once more, slowly lighting up with a radiant glow.

Every time, it was him — giving her strength in the most desperate moments, giving her hope of survival.

“He’s only one person with one gun. There are ten bullets left in the magazine at most. If we all rush him together, I don’t believe he can shoot us all dead!”

At that moment, a defiant voice rose from within the crowd. This person was trying to incite the others to resist.

Su Rui seemed to raise his hand almost casually, without even a glance, and fired a shot in the direction the voice had come from.

Let’s see who’s more reckless.

That was a crowd of people standing together. Watching Su Rui raise his hand and fire without even aiming, the group was scared half out of their wits.

Bullets don’t have eyes — collateral damage would be the most natural thing in the world.

As the shot rang out, a man in the crowd went down.

He clutched his shoulder as blood poured wildly through the gaps between his fingers.

Er Ge’s men were completely stunned. That was the very person who had just been shouting from behind, urging everyone to charge together.

Su Rui had done nothing more than raise his hand — without even seeming to aim, firing purely in the direction of the sound — and still hit with that kind of precision.

The bullet had threaded through so many people and still found its target. The accuracy was nothing short of freakish.

Under these circumstances, who would dare make a reckless move? Who would dare shout again about using sheer numbers to go up against his bullets?

This was a top-tier marksman.

Nobody dared to set their sights on Su Rui anymore. They all stood rooted to the spot, trembling, terrified that the next bullet would find them.

Bullets don’t have eyes. This one had hit a shoulder — the next one might go straight through someone’s skull.

Su Rui stood with his foot on He Licheng’s head and gave a cold smile. “Ready to talk yet? Who’s your backer?”

He Licheng seemed to have some backbone after all. His cervical spine had taken a brutal blow, his foot was bleeding heavily, and his head was spinning — yet he still gritted his teeth and said, “I was paid to do a job. I’m not talking. If I did, what face would I have left to show in these circles?”

“Not going to talk, are you?” Su Rui applied slight pressure with his foot, grinding the man’s head down into the grass at the center of the stadium.

What filled his nose and mouth was no longer air, but the sharp, bitter smell of soil and grass.

He Licheng’s limbs thrashed desperately, but he couldn’t move at all. With his head pinned down, his whole body had no leverage, so how could he possibly break free from Su Rui’s crushing force?

The foot pressing down on the back of his skull kept bearing down harder, nearly tearing up the turf beneath him.

God only knew how much force Su Rui was using. By now He Licheng’s nose and mouth had been completely ground into the earth, with not a single gap between them and the soil. He couldn’t even manage the simplest act of breathing, and it felt as though his head was about to be crushed.

A fear of death unlike anything he had ever felt before began to spread through him, and quickly enveloped his entire body.

“I love people who act tough like you.” Su Rui smiled and lifted his foot. “To be more precise, I love breaking people who look tough.”

As he said this, Su Rui deliberately stressed three words — “look tough” — and his tone carried an unmistakable note of mockery.

It was clear that Su Rui had seen through him. He Licheng wasn’t as tough as he appeared on the surface. The fact that he had already said something like “I was paid to do a job” meant he had definitely collected a deposit upfront. If the job didn’t get done, the large sum that followed would vanish into thin air.

Men die for money just as birds die for food — that truth was far too simple. And when that “money” was large enough to leave a person breathless with shock, anyone could go mad, lose all reason, and stop at nothing for it — just like now.

Even as He Licheng was being half-tortured to death by Su Rui, he still refused to open his mouth.

“No matter what you do to me, I won’t say a word. That’s the most basic code of conduct… and it’s what I stand on in these circles.” He Licheng said breathlessly. The feeling of breathing fresh air again was nothing short of wonderful.

For the sake of the deposit that had blown his mind, He Licheng decided to hold on a little longer.

“What you stand on?” Su Rui’s eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of his mouth curling up. “A lot of money, wasn’t it?”

He Licheng froze. He had no way to answer that question.

“Looks like my guess was right. Someone paid you a huge sum — enough to change your entire life — to wreck a concert and destroy Tang Ni Lan Duo’er’s reputation. Unfortunately for you, things didn’t go as planned, because you ran into me.” At that, Su Rui’s eyes turned cold. “Otherwise, you might have actually pulled it off.”

He Licheng was completely speechless. Su Rui’s deduction was entirely correct.

“Tell me. Who is it?”

Su Rui placed his foot on the back of He Licheng’s head again, looking every bit like he would simply stomp him to death if he didn’t answer.

“I won’t say it. I absolutely cannot say it. I was paid to do a job, and if I talk, I…”

Bang.

He Licheng, his face covered in dirt and grass, never finished his sentence. A gunshot cut him off.