Chapter 29: The Brawl

At Blackskin’s command, more than a dozen men surged forward behind him. These were all followers he had gathered, lured by promises of reward for teaching that kid a lesson—at least one pack of Zhonghua cigarettes each. So they threw themselves into the fight with enthusiasm. As soon as Blackskin gave the order, they all rushed in together.

Zhang Wenhao knew they were here to cause trouble for him. Without hesitation, he leapt down from the concrete platform, fists ready. Since they had singled him out, there was no need to wait for them to make the first move—he would strike first and gain the advantage!

He was already in a foul mood. Not only had he been thrown into the detention center, but Chen Ru still refused to leave him alone. Anger boiled inside, and he was desperate for an outlet. Striding forward, he unleashed his first punch with full force, smashing into the throat of the leading attacker, who collapsed to the ground in convulsions.

Another man punched at him; Zhang Wenhao caught the fist, twisted it hard so the elbow bent upwards, then hammered down on the joint. There was a sickening crack—the arm was broken.

“Damn, this kid’s vicious! Brothers, hit him with everything you’ve got!” Blackskin bellowed. The gang swarmed Zhang Wenhao, raining blows and kicks. He couldn’t avoid all of them and took a few hits. Just then, Meng Ge flicked his cigarette butt to the ground and cursed, “Son of a bitch, you don’t know what’s good for you. Brothers, get in there!”

The others had been itching for action. Seeing Zhang Wenhao take out two men right from the start only stoked their fighting spirit. They surged forward, breaking up the crowd around Zhang Wenhao.

At that moment, Chen Feng jumped down and shouted, “Damn it, I haven’t thrown a punch in years—today I’m going to enjoy myself!”

The guards at the detention center had already been tipped off. When they saw the brawl erupt on the yard, they pretended not to notice and didn’t intervene at all. The other inmates gathered around to watch, cheering and jeering—the noise echoed across the whole yard.

With the pressure eased, Zhang Wenhao grabbed an attacker, landed a punch on his left shoulder, then seized both arms and twisted sharply. The man was thrown to the ground, his arm dislocated.

The others were no less fierce. Chen Feng was a formidable fighter; one punch to a man’s face knocked him out cold. Meng Ge and Old Ji each handled their opponents with ease. Even Qinglong and his crew, now facing only half-strength opposition, found two-on-one fights effortless.

Blackskin, frantic and enraged, charged straight at Zhang Wenhao, leaping with a flying kick aimed at his chest. But Zhang Wenhao didn’t dodge; instead, he surged forward, punched Blackskin’s leg aside, and collided with him directly.

Blackskin had jumped in midair—he lost all balance from the impact and was sent flying. Zhang Wenhao only staggered back two steps before regaining his footing, then advanced again, seized Blackskin’s arm, and hauled him up from the ground with brute strength. With a mighty toss, he flung Blackskin away once more.

Zhang Wenhao pressed forward, throwing him down several times. Blackskin’s body was coming apart, wracked with pain, but Zhang Wenhao was relentless. Grabbing Blackskin’s collar with both hands, he hurled him onto the concrete platform, then leapt up himself. On the half-meter-high platform, he lifted Blackskin overhead and, with all his strength, flung him down hard.

This time, Blackskin was utterly broken, crashing to the ground in a parabolic arc. The grit-strewn yard scraped his face raw, leaving bloody wounds. Zhang Wenhao strode over, turned him face up, and smashed a punch into his face, coldly saying, “From now on, every time I see you, I’ll beat you.”

He landed another punch, growling, “Why aren’t you crawling away?”

Another punch: “Let’s see you show yourself again!”

Another punch: “Your skin’s thick enough, huh? Are you going to get lost or not?”

Another punch: “Still not crawling? Fine, I’ll keep beating you until you do!”

Another punch: “Why is it always your damn face? I told you, every time I see you, I’ll beat you. Don’t you get it?”

Another punch: “What happened to your face? You think flattening it and smearing it with blood will keep me from recognizing you?”

The rest had already finished fighting. Everyone on the yard stared in shock as Zhang Wenhao’s fists pounded Blackskin’s face like smashing garlic, again and again, for reasons so maddeningly absurd that no one could believe it.

“Enough, enough!” Qinglong rushed forward to pull Zhang Wenhao away. Right now, Zhang Wenhao was like a blood-crazed beast. Everyone believed that if someone didn’t stop him, he would keep beating Blackskin until exhaustion.

Qinglong wasn’t strong enough to restrain Zhang Wenhao alone and shouted to Old Ji, “Old Ji, help out! Someone’s going to die if we don’t!”

Old Ji hurried over, and together they managed to drag Zhang Wenhao off Blackskin. The sight was horrifying—Blackskin’s face no longer had distinguishable features, just a bloody mess.

Even Chen Feng was stunned. He finally understood why Chen Ru was so determined to destroy Zhang Wenhao. If his own son were beaten like that—even if it was entirely his son’s fault—he wouldn’t forgive Zhang Wenhao. This kid was ruthless!

The police realized things had gotten out of hand and rushed in with batons. They dispersed the crowd, called for an ambulance, and then cuffed everyone from cell 307. A duty officer arrived, furious. He knew Zhang Wenhao was being targeted, but never expected the ones sent after him would end up half dead themselves.

“Lock Zhang Wenhao up in solitary!” the officer barked. “And cancel yard time for cell 307 for a week!”

Zhang Wenhao was shoved into a solitary cell barely four square meters in size. A policeman kicked him in the back, sending him stumbling inside, then slammed the door shut without removing his handcuffs.

With both hands cuffed behind his back, Zhang Wenhao sat on the hard bunk, coldly sneering.

This was surely another scheme by that bastard Chen Ru.

Chen Ru, what tricks do you still have left?