Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 24: Brawl

The Heavy Industry Zone lay deep within the mine shafts. The two walked a long way and had clearly reached a lower level. Up ahead was a conspicuous sign bearing nine large characters: “Heavy Industry Zone—Danger: Keep Out.” A member of the Supervision Team had already been notified. Spotting the two approaching, he immediately waved them over. “Come this way.” He led the two to their work site. Along the way, they saw quite a few people in groups of three or five digging, chiseling stone, and pushing carts; upon seeing the newcomers, they all stopped what they were doing. “Whoa, look at this fair-skinned, delicate-looking kid! Nobody better try to snatch him from me—he’s mine!” a man with a crew cut and stubble on his chin chuckled. “What’s with the old guy showing up too? Are these two grandfather and grandson?” The remark set the crowd around them roaring with laughter. “You’re killing me with laughter. I know that old guy—he’s ‘Blackhead’ from the South District. The other one looks like a junior brother from our Outer Sect.” “Smooth-skinned and delicate—you can tell he hasn’t suffered much in his life, haha. A pretty-boy’s here—this is gonna be fun.” “What’s all the noise about? If any of you fail to turn in enough Source Stones today, I’ll reward you with a whipping!” The Supervision Team shouted angrily, and with a sharp crack, the whip in his hand lashed heavily against the ground. The group of people who had been shouting nonstop quieted down a bit. It seemed like it had been a long time since any newcomers had arrived here, causing a crowd to rush over to gawk. Su Mu followed them all the way to a spot near the shadowed area. He could see that it was sealed off with iron plates and secured with chains. If a demon beast broke through the iron gate at night, it would make a tremendous noise, so that the people inside could hear it. Workers in the Heavy Industry Zone rarely saw sunlight for half a month. Some had offended Song Dachui and been exiled here; others had violated the zone’s rules. In the eyes of the people, the Heavy Industry Zone was nothing more than a prison. Su Mu had been transferred here; as long as he completed his daily tasks, he could leave and return to camp. As for the others, they needed to submit a special request to go out. After all, the reason he was here was quite different from that of these other workers. The foreman had someone bring over the tools, gave a brief set of instructions, and left—all the while putting on a show of warning the others to “take good care of these two new friends who’ve arrived here.” As soon as the foreman left, Su Mu tested the digging tool on the wall. It was covered with layer upon layer of black gravel, extremely hard. The spot he’d been assigned might very well be the hardest to dig in the Heavy Labor Zone; if he applied too much force, the tool would break. He tossed the digging tool to the ground, gathered all his strength in his palm, and struck the wall with a single blow—but it only dislodged a thin, flaky layer of black gravel. “Don’t waste your energy. Not a single person assigned to dig here has ever managed to break through. Forget about getting even a single Source Stone. What kind of trouble did you get yourself into? Are they deliberately trying to make your life miserable?” Su Mu turned his head and saw a square-faced teenager approaching from a short distance away. His face bore three scars that looked as if they’d been inflicted by claws. “Who are you?” “My name is Chen Li. I’m here to give you a heads-up: trouble is coming your way very soon.” “Is that so? Are you one of them?” Su Mu had already spotted more than ten people approaching from a short distance away, some of them carrying shovels and sledgehammers. Chen Li shrugged. “No, no. I’ve always been neutral around here.” “Then get out of the way. If you’re just here to gawk, don’t get in the way.” Chen Li laughed heartily. “You’re pretty cocky. Well, I’ll be watching to see how this plays out. Oh, and by the way, there are quite a few petty bosses in the Heavy Industry Zone. The ones coming over now are Old Hu’s men—and believe it or not, some of them are mentally unstable. You’d better watch your back.” “How bad can a fight get around here before the foreman steps in?” Su Mu asked offhandedly. “Just don’t maim anyone.” “Old Hei, step back a bit.” Su Mu pulled out his wooden stick. More than ten people closed in on him. The man with the scruffy, flat-topped haircut—the “Old Hu” Chen Li had mentioned earlier—was scrutinizing Su Mu as if he were admiring a beautiful woman. The way he looked at her was unsettling, filled with an extremely abnormal desire. “Not bad, not bad. You’re pretty pale. Don’t be afraid, little junior brother. As long as you stick with me here, no one will lay a finger on you.” “Get lost!” Su Mu’s reply consisted of just one word. “What did you say?” Old Hu paused for a moment, then burst into laughter at his young henchmen. “You’ve got quite the temper. Looks like I’ll have to teach you a lesson.” “Kid, Brother Hu has taken a liking to you—it’s a blessing you earned in a past life. Don’t force us to get rough.” “I’m counting to three. If you don’t get the hell out of here by then, you won’t be leaving.” “No need to count. Pin him to the ground!” Old Hu waved his hand, and the men on either side immediately pounced. Su Mu immediately unleashed the Tiger-Subduing Staff Technique, targeting the body’s vulnerable spots with precision; with his first strike, he knocked down four men. He struck with brutal force; a single blow to the head sent blood spurting instantly. There were a few fairly skilled fighters among the group; one swung a sledgehammer, and with a loud thud, the staff snapped in two! Though Su Mu was now weaponless, he remained completely unflustered. He possessed a wide range of martial arts skills—fist techniques, palm strikes, Iron Head Technique, finger strikes, leg techniques, and more. A series of agonized screams rang out as those surrounding him were struck one after another and fell to the ground. The burly man wielding the sledgehammer launched a sneak attack from behind, but Su Mu spun around, reached out, and grabbed the hammer’s handle with a firm grip. “Hand it over!” A burst of strength surged through him, and the burly man’s grip instantly slipped as Su Mu yanked the hammer away. Su Mu’s eyes were bloodshot with fury. He swung the sledgehammer and smashed it down with a thunderous crash onto the giant’s chest, sending him flying backward as he spat blood. Chen Li watched from the sidelines, his eyelid twitching. Old Hu had really misjudged this one—he’d picked a fight with a real demon. Hu Fo was completely dumbfounded. He stared wide-eyed at the man writhing on the ground in agony, while Su Mu, holding the iron hammer in one hand, had already walked up to him. “W-wait! I think there was a misunderstanding just now!” Hu Fo cried out in a panic. Without a word, Su Mu swung the hammer down; Hu Fo, terrified, ducked his head in a panic. Su Mu’s kicks were lightning-fast; he landed three consecutive kicks on his opponent, sending him crashing to the ground. “You’re really interested in me, aren’t you?” “No, I was just joking with you earlier. This really is a misunderstanding!” “A misunderstanding, huh? Fine, then I’ll play a little joke on you too!” Su Mu delivered a vicious kick straight to Hu Fo’s groin!