Chapter 129: Bottom Lines and Principles

Twenty men rushed toward Zhang Wenhao in a swarm. This massive disparity in numbers, combined with the limited space in the KTV lobby, meant they could not effectively bring their collective strength to bear. Zhang Wenhao, on the other hand, stood alone; looking around, he saw only enemies, so he fought back without the slightest hesitation or restraint.

Only five or six of them could actually reach Zhang Wenhao at once. To him, the beer bottles flying through the air posed no threat. He easily dodged several, then delivered a heavy punch to the man in front of him, instantly shattering the man's nose. Before his fist had even retracted, Zhang Wenhao surged forward, slamming his right elbow into another man, knocking him unconscious.

One attack, two casualties. In Zhang Wenhao’s eyes, their combat effectiveness was practically zero. Even if a beer bottle were to smash against his head, it likely wouldn't cause any damage to his body—which possessed an intensity rating of eleven—let alone grant them a chance to make even the slightest contact.

Seeing the crowd closing in, Zhang Wenhao delivered a powerful side kick, sending one man flying into three or four others behind him. Following this, he took a step, leaped off their bodies, and burst out of the encirclement. Just as they turned to pursue him, Zhang Wenhao dove back into the fray from the outside.

A young man, brimming with confidence, swung a beer bottle at Zhang Wenhao’s face, but just as it was about to land, Zhang Wenhao caught his wrist. With a slight flick of his hand—crack! The wrist bone snapped, leaving the hand dangling as if held together only by a single tendon and a layer of skin.

Zhang Wenhao’s strikes were not only fast but highly efficient; almost every move resulted in someone being taken out of the fight. Though not lethal, they were thoroughly incapacitated. The remaining attackers were seized by terror. One man smashed a beer bottle against the wall and lunged at Zhang Wenhao’s abdomen with the jagged shards.

Zhang Wenhao felt a surge of genuine irritation. He had fought them bare-handed, being careful not to accidentally kill anyone, yet this kid had no such qualms and was trying to gut him with broken glass. Did he want to kill him?

Zhang Wenhao delivered a high kick that shattered the man’s wrist, sending the jagged glass falling to the floor. Refusing to let him off easily, Zhang Wenhao stepped forward, grabbed the man by his collar, and delivered three rapid, vicious punches to his face. The man’s features became a blurred mess of flesh and blood, and he teetered on the edge of consciousness. Still, Zhang Wenhao did not stop; he grabbed the man’s right arm and delivered a sharp knee strike, snapping the bone at the wrist with a sickening crunch.

The bloody, mangled face, the bone shards piercing through the skin, and the constant flow of blood made those nearby shudder involuntarily. No one had ever seen a man use bare-handed combat to reduce another human being to such a state. The brutality was beyond what these thugs could handle.

Zhang Wenhao had come today with the intention of solving a problem. Since it couldn't be settled through normal channels, he would fight until he was satisfied.

The situation reversed instantly. It was no longer the gang surrounding Zhang Wenhao, but Zhang Wenhao chasing the dozen or so men all over the lobby. Whenever he caught one, he would put him down and continue chasing the next. In a very short time, more than half of the twenty men were incapacitated, and the few remaining, terrified by Zhang Wenhao, shoved open the KTV doors and fled without looking back.

Zhao Meng tried to escape as well, but Zhang Wenhao grabbed him. Having already suffered injuries, and having watched Zhang Wenhao easily dismantle twenty men, Zhao Meng was terrified to his core. Seeing the ruthless way Zhang Wenhao had treated the man who tried to use the broken bottle, he was paralyzed with fear, his clothes soaked in cold sweat.

Zhang Wenhao grabbed Zhao Meng and slapped him several times, making his head spin, before asking, "How do you think we should settle this today?"

Trembling, Zhao Meng begged for mercy: "Big brother, I was wrong! I won't ever do it again! I'll clear out the private room for you right now. You can play however you like, and it's on the house tonight, okay?"

Zhang Wenhao spat and said, "What the hell were you doing earlier? You're telling me this now? Do you take me for a fool? Should I go into the room and wait for you to bring more people to cause trouble?"

"I really won't do it again, brother!" Zhao Meng pleaded. "Even if you gave me ten thousand guts, I wouldn't dare go against you again."

Zhang Wenhao dismissed his promise with disdain. "Call your boss and have him come here."

Zhao Meng was shocked. Call the boss? Wasn't that suicide? If the boss saw how incompetent he was—that dozens of men had been beaten to a pulp by one kid—would he ever be allowed to manage this place again?

Zhao Meng hurriedly said, "Big brother, I was definitely in the wrong, but there's no need to bring our boss into this. Our boss has powerful connections in Jiangcheng. Bringing him here won't do you any good."

Zhang Wenhao replied indifferently, "Call your boss now. I want to see if he’s as unreasonable as you are."

Zhao Meng was seething with hatred. *You beat up twenty or thirty of our men, and now you want to talk about being reasonable?*

Just then, Zhao Meng saw a head poke out from the stairs behind Zhang Wenhao. One of his underlings mouthed, "I called the police. They'll be here soon."

Zhao Meng felt a wave of relief. He had connections at the Jiangxin District Precinct and even had a good personal relationship with Xing Jiaqiang. Once the police arrived, they would pin everything on this kid. He would use his influence behind the scenes to make this boy regret ever being born.

He said, "Big brother, I'm calling my boss right now and telling him to get here immediately. Are you satisfied now?"

Zhang Wenhao said coldly, "Call him. Do it now."

Zhao Meng pulled out his phone, mumbled a few words, and hung up. Zhang Wenhao frowned and asked, "Are you sure you were calling your boss?"

Zhao Meng hurriedly said, "Our boss said he’ll be here in ten minutes."

Zhang Wenhao snorted. "Hand me your phone."

Zhao Meng hesitated, instinctively wanting to put the phone back in his pocket. Zhang Wenhao snatched it away and checked the logs; the last call was from half an hour ago. He slapped Zhao Meng across the face. "Still trying to play games with me?"

Just then, several police cars pulled up to the entrance, and a group of officers rushed in. They were stunned by the sight: injured people covered the floor, and Zhao Meng was pinned against the wall by someone holding his collar. A police officer shouted at Zhang Wenhao’s back, "Let him go!"

Zhang Wenhao turned around. Two of the officers froze the moment they saw him, cold sweat instantly soaking their backs. These were the very same officers who had been ordered by Chen Ru to take Zhang Wenhao to the station. After Lei Zhanjun had brutally slapped the Police Chief, Xing Jiaqiang, and the District Mayor, Chen Ru, in the precinct courtyard, these men had been terrified. They felt lucky that Zhang Wenhao hadn't settled the score with them, and they never expected to run into him here.

All the nightclubs and KTVs in the Jiangxin District had ties to the local precinct, often involving under-the-table money. The police usually favored these establishments when trouble arose. Today was no exception; they had rushed over hoping to help the "Melody" KTV resolve the issue and earn some favors, never imagining that the person causing the trouble would be Zhang Wenhao.

Zhao Meng saw them like heavenly soldiers arriving to save him. "Officer Liu! This guy is causing trouble in our shop and has beaten up over twenty of our people!"

The officer called Officer Liu was Liu Chuan, one of the men who had taken Zhang Wenhao to the station. He was a precinct captain in charge of this jurisdiction. He had a good relationship with Zhao Meng and had taken plenty of kickbacks, but seeing Zhang Wenhao, he knew he couldn't afford to provoke him, or he would be finished by tomorrow.

Zhang Wenhao recognized him, smiled, and asked, "Officer, what a coincidence. We meet again."

Liu Chuan forced a smile. "Mr. Zhang, it's you. Long time no see, long time no see..."

Zhao Meng, seeing that Zhang Wenhao hadn't let him go and was actually chatting with Liu Chuan, blurted out, "Officer Liu, this man is committing intentional assault! You have to take him to the station. We have over twenty victims here who can testify!"

Liu Chuan ignored him, looking instead at Zhang Wenhao. "Mr. Zhang, what’s going on here? Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

Zhang Wenhao said flatly, "There is no misunderstanding. I booked a private room here this afternoon and paid the deposit. He wanted to give the room to someone else. I refused, and he ordered his men to attack me. I told him I’d come back tonight to settle it. When I arrived, I tried to talk to him about the principles of business and first-come-first-served, but it seems that when Manager Zhao was born, the delivery clerk forgot to pack his brain. Not only is he unreasonable, but he gathered dozens of people to try and hurt me."

Zhang Wenhao then asked curiously, "Officer Liu, does this kind of organized gang activity count as underworld behavior? How do you usually handle these people?"

Liu Chuan was drenched in cold sweat. *Zhao Meng, who are you provoking? This kid even beat up the District Mayor's son! Who do you think you are? Just because you manage a venue, you think you’re the king of Jiangcheng?*

More importantly, Liu Chuan knew Zhang Wenhao’s background went far beyond his connection to Lei Zhanjun. He had heard that Zhang Wenhao was solely responsible for capturing Li Chunyuan, and there were rumors that a woman with a massive background from Yanjing had come specifically for this matter. Zhang Wenhao’s connections were unfathomable.

Liu Chuan wasn't stupid. Looking at the scene, he knew it couldn't have been Zhang Wenhao just running in to cause trouble. Hearing the account, he knew Zhang Wenhao was telling the truth. He couldn't arrest Zhang Wenhao, nor could he admit that Zhao Meng’s group was a criminal gang. He tried to smooth things over with a smile: "Mr. Zhang, I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding. Zhao Meng is actually a decent guy; he just has a bit of a loose tongue."

Zhao Meng was furious. *I serve you food and drink, give you expensive cigarettes and liquor, and pay you money, and now when I need you, you don't help me and you call me loose-tongued?*

Liu Chuan gave Zhao Meng a secret look, signaling that he couldn't afford to provoke Zhang Wenhao. He then put on a formal tone and asked coldly, "Zhao Meng, this is wrong of you. Since Mr. Zhang booked the room and paid the deposit, how could you go back on your word?"

Zhao Meng was incensed. "The person who wanted the room was Young Master Xu, the son of Chairman Xu of the Jiangyu Group! He's upstairs in the room with his friends right now. Why don't you go talk to him yourself?"

Liu Chuan was also getting angry. *You really don't know when to quit. The Jiangyu Group is powerful, worth hundreds of millions, but can they compare to the Deputy Commander of the Military District? You're trying to use Chairman Xu to pressure me? What the hell does that have to do with me?*

Liu Chuan said, "Wanting to please Young Master Xu is your business, but you shouldn't have infringed on Mr. Zhang’s rights to do so. You violated business ethics and incited a mob to assault Mr. Zhang. Do you understand that this is breaking the law?"

Zhao Meng was truly furious. He knew Liu Chuan was unreliable, but he still didn't believe that a seemingly ordinary youth like Zhang Wenhao could have such powerful backing. He gritted his teeth and said, "Liu Chuan, since you're turning your back on me, then let our boss talk to your Chief directly."

"Chief?" Liu Chuan thought, *Zhao Meng, you're asking for death! The Chief was beaten like a child by Lei Zhanjun and didn't even dare to fart. He practically covers his face whenever he hears the name 'Lei Zhanjun.' You want your boss to talk to him? He’ll probably want to kill you!*

But Liu Chuan thought, *I gave you a way out and you didn't take it. If you want to die, I won't stop you.* He said, "Fine, call him then."

Zhang Wenhao handed the phone to Zhao Meng. "Call him."

Zhao Meng grabbed the phone and called his boss. "Boss, some kid is causing trouble here and beat up twenty of our men. Officer Liu is here but isn't doing anything. What should we do?"

No one could hear what the person on the other end said, but Zhao Meng quickly nodded. "Right, you should call Chief Xing."

As he said this, Zhao Meng glared at Liu Chuan, as if to say, *Just you wait, the Chief will settle this score with you personally.*

Liu Chuan didn't back down. "Remember to tell your boss that the person causing trouble is named Zhang Wenhao."

Zhao Meng had never heard the name before, so he blurted out to the phone, "Boss, Liu Chuan wants me to remind you that the person causing trouble is named Zhang Wenhao."

Within ten minutes, a middle-aged man in a suit pushed the door open. Zhao Meng saw his savior. "Boss, you're here."

The boss gave Zhao Meng a cold look, then walked toward Zhang Wenhao. "You must be Mr. Zhang, right?"

Zhang Wenhao nodded.

The man said, "Nice to meet you. My name is Zhou Xinquan. Is there some kind of misunderstanding regarding today's events?"

"Misunderstanding?" Zhang Wenhao looked at Zhao Meng, then released him. "Ask him yourself."

Zhou Xinquan shouted, "Zhao Meng, tell me, what is going on?"

Zhao Meng looked aggrieved but didn't dare to lie. He explained the situation. Seeing his boss's expression darken, he added, "Young Master Xu insisted, and I had no choice, Boss. Didn't you tell me that if Young Master Xu came, we had to satisfy his every request?"

Zhou Xinquan was troubled. When Xing Jiaqiang heard the name "Zhang Wenhao," he had reflexively said he had been blind and mentioned that Zhang Wenhao had ties to the military district and couldn't be provoked. Zhou Xinquan knew Zhao Meng had caused trouble, but hearing "Young Master Xu" made him hesitate. His business wasn't as large as the Jiangyu Group, and he was currently negotiating a partnership with them that would be invaluable for his future.

Stuck between someone he couldn't afford to provoke and a massive business interest, Zhou Xinquan thought for a moment and apologized to Zhang Wenhao. "Mr. Zhang, it was my subordinate's fault. I apologize to you on his behalf." He then said in a negotiating tone, "Mr. Zhang, how about this? Let's just let today pass. I will personally compensate you twenty thousand for your trouble. You are a magnanimous man, please don't hold it against Zhao Meng."

Zhang Wenhao shook his head. "I don't want your money. I paid the deposit, and I want the room."

Zhou Xinquan was even more troubled. Young Master Xu was sitting in that room; he couldn't just kick him out. But if he didn't, how could he handle Zhang Wenhao?

"Zhao Meng," Zhou Xinquan asked coldly, "who is in the other three ultra-large rooms?"

Zhao Meng shook his head. "I don't know."

Zhou Xinquan said, "Offer one of the other guests a full refund plus ten thousand in compensation to leave and vacate the room for Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Wenhao had clear principles. He would fight for what was his, but he wouldn't take a cent that wasn't. He had come for an explanation, not a compromise. "I have only one requirement, and it is a fair one: I want the room I booked. The room number is on the deposit slip: 6888. That is all I want. I don't want your refunds, I don't want a single bottle of beer, nor even a piece of watermelon or a sunflower seed. Just give me the room I booked."