Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 45: The Riot

The next morning, friction began to arise among the group from the Heavy Industry Zone. Two factions started trading barbs. Su Mu knew they were deliberately putting on a show for him, so he stepped in to mediate the conflict. A few minor incidents also occurred in the afternoon—not just directed at Su Mu, but also at those around him: Chen Li, Black Hand, and Zhong Da all ran into a bit of trouble. Finally, night fell. Though they couldn’t see the Sun set from the second level of the mine shaft, as soon as someone called out, “Dinner’s ready,” everyone stopped working. Guo Yan had arrived quite early, having brought some fine wine with him, and the group sat together eating and drinking. The two groups that had clashed that morning started causing a commotion again, and the noise grew louder and louder. Su Mu slammed his fist on the table. “This is outrageous! Does my word not carry any weight here? Send someone over there and bring all the troublemakers to me. If they’ve got the guts, let them fight right in front of me—I’ll see who dares to strike first!” Zhong Da acknowledged the order and got up to go. As soon as Zhong Da spoke, the two ringleaders of the troublemakers got fired up; with a wave of their hands, a group of men charged straight over. These two troublemakers—one named Dachuan and the other Laodia—were both burly and towering, and they wouldn’t even look people in the eye. Su Mu stood up from his chair, a wine bottle in hand, and glared back and forth at the two men. “You guys are something else. You complain about being tired the moment you have to work, but you won’t shut up when you’re causing trouble. Are you trying to start a rebellion?” Dachuan snorted, “What I have with this guy is none of your business.” “You like to fight, huh? Do you think you’re some kind of tough guy?” “So what if I am? You’re sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. As long as we turn in enough Source Stones every month, your job is done. You’re just a member of the Supervision Team assigned here to supervise—you’d better not meddle in matters unrelated to the work.” Su Mu walked straight up to Dachuan, coming so close their faces were almost touching. “What did you just say? I didn’t catch that. Say it again!” “What, you want to fight me? Well, you’d better ask these brothers behind me if they’ll let you!” Da Chuan didn’t back down, grinning widely. “Get lost! If you dare lay a finger on Brother Chuan, I’ll make you pay!” “Get lost. Who do you think you’re trying to scare? Old Diao, have you been secretly teaming up with him? Are you guys scared, which is why you went to him for help?” Lao Diao immediately erupted into a tirade, “Fuck you! I’ve never given him the time of day, let alone any of you!” The two groups immediately erupted into a chaotic exchange of insults. “Don’t just talk the talk—show me what you’ve got! Stop acting like a bunch of sissies who can only yell—you’re all a bunch of losers!” Su Mu joined in, fanning the flames. “Who are you calling a good-for-nothing?” Dachuan threw a punch straight at Su Mu’s face. Bam! Su Mu dodged to the side and smashed the wine bottle right onto Dachuan’s head! Once he struck, there was no turning back—he followed up with the “Falling Sand Palm,” leaving his opponent no chance to struggle. Smack, smack, smack—three consecutive strikes left Da Chuan spitting blood; his injuries were far more severe than anyone had anticipated. After severely wounding Dachuan, Su Mu spun around and jabbed his “Iron Finger Technique” fiercely into Lao Diao’s ribs, then sent him flying with a powerful kick. “Let’s take him down!” “Brother Chuan’s been hurt—let’s finish him off!” “Brother Diao’s coughing up blood—don’t let that bastard get away!” “Go for it!” As Su Mu attacked, Zhong Da, Chen Li, and Black Hand immediately moved in on the two people shouting the loudest on either side, striking without mercy. Instantly, the three groups were locked in a chaotic brawl. The situation spiraled out of control. Su Mu punched and kicked, and the people surrounding him fell to the ground with constant screams of agony. Some grabbed sticks, shovels, hammers, and other weapons, swinging them at him without batting an eye. Su Mu sent several men flying with a single punch, snatched up a stick, and unleashed a flurry of strikes—slashing down and sweeping upward in the “Subduing the Tiger” staff technique—so that for a time, no one could get close to him. Suddenly, as he swung the staff, something happened—Su Mu’s arm went limp, and the staff fell to the ground before it had even completed its swing. “What’s going on? How could my strength drain so quickly?” Caught off guard by this sudden turn of events, Su Mu took a kick to the back and tumbled to the ground in a most disheveled state. Immediately, two massive hammers came crashing down toward his head. He hurriedly rolled to dodge, pushing off the ground with both hands as his feet kicked out to either side like an open pair of scissors. This was a move from the Wind Scissors Leg Technique. The two men swinging the hammers were struck and sent flying backward onto their backs. Su Mu seized the opportunity to scramble to his feet; with a sweeping strike of his staff, he forced the oncoming attackers back. Zhong Da, Chen Li, and Black Hand all found themselves in similar situations; by now, the three of them had already charged up to Su Mu. “Mu Ge, it looks like we’ve been poisoned! Our limbs are weak—how are you holding up?” Zhong Da, whose forehead was split open and bleeding profusely, shouted. “Same here! There’s poison in the wine!” Su Mu shouted. “Guo Yan, come out here! You ungrateful scoundrel!” “Mu Ge, he’s long since gone into hiding. Let’s get out of here fast!” Chen Li urged. The four of them charged northward, struggling to break through the encirclement, and without a moment’s hesitation, sprinted toward the iron gate. “After them!” “Quick, chase them! They won’t get away!” A crowd behind them immediately gave chase. Erhu and Tang Kuan were standing nearby watching the spectacle, witnessing with their own eyes as Su Mu and his three companions were chased around like stray dogs by the crowd. “Hahahaha, Kuanzi, it’s our turn to make an appearance.” “That was a blast! That kid Su Mu really can hold his own. If we hadn’t used the Paralyzing Powder, it would’ve been a real challenge to take him down.” “So what if you’re a tough fighter? If you go up against us, you’re still doomed!” As they spoke, the two of them walked toward the iron gate. Da Chuan, severely wounded by Su Mu, was being carried over on the back of one of his comrades. Erhu glanced over. “Dachuan, I’ll avenge you later. Just focus on recovering—hurry up and get him to camp for treatment!” The two continued walking forward, and Guo Yan approached them with a smile. “I’ll have to leave the rest to you two. Su Mu already knows I was the one who drugged him. If he doesn’t die, I’m as good as dead.” “Don’t worry. Do you really think we’d let him get away?” Tang Kuan patted him on the shoulder. “Just stay here and wait for the good news.” The two ran toward the iron gate, while Guo Yan watched their retreating figures, snickering coldly to himself.