Chapter 126: Persuasion

The alley was short. Xu Fei followed the two men and soon reached the other end, where a clearing appeared. It was not particularly large, overgrown with weeds and surrounded by dilapidated factory buildings.

There was no cargo to unload, nor were there any other people—only the three of them.

"Hey, guys, where’s this truck you were talking about?" Xu Fei glanced around, an uneasy feeling already stirring in his gut.

The man in sunglasses stepped forward and placed a hand on Xu Fei’s shoulder, a cold sneer tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Buddy, you still don't get it. We didn't bring you here to work."

Xu Fei frowned. "What do you mean? If you didn't bring me here to work, then what do you want?"

The man with curly hair had already moved to the mouth of the alley. Aside from the way they entered, the area was hemmed in by abandoned buildings. To leave, one would have to climb through windows, some of which were boarded up, while others were fitted with steel security bars.

The curly-haired man pulled out a switchblade. He kept his head down, rhythmically pressing the button to flick the blade out and snapping it back in—*click, clack, click, clack*. It was a blatant threat that anyone could understand.

"Look, pal, you’ve offended someone you shouldn't have. Someone paid us to teach you a lesson." The man in sunglasses took off his glasses and hooked them onto his collar. He had single-lidded eyes, and as he smiled, the corners drooped downward, giving him a sinister look.

Xu Fei brushed the man’s hand off his shoulder. "Just the two of you?"

"Haha, did you hear that? He thinks the two of us aren't enough. What, are you looking for a beating?" The man’s tone turned dark. He reached out to grab Xu Fei by the collar.

But before his hand could make contact, Xu Fei grabbed both of his wrists, twisted them back, and executed a swift shoulder throw, sending the man flying.

"Damn it!" The man hit the ground with a painful cry. "Number Seven, get him! Take him down!"

The curly-haired man, seeing this, brandished his switchblade and shouted, "You’re looking for a death wish! I’ll gut you!" He lunged at Xu Fei with the knife.

"Don't move!" Xu Fei commanded, pointing at him. His foot was already planted firmly on the shoulder of the man in sunglasses. "Unless you want his arm to be useless for the rest of his life."

The curly-haired man hesitated. He was only a meter away.

"You... let him go."

"I can, but first, throw that thing away," Xu Fei said, gesturing to the knife.

"Damn it, Seven, don't listen to him! If you drop the knife, what if he doesn't let me go?"

Seeing the man in sunglasses still blathering, Xu Fei applied pressure with his foot. A sickening tearing sound came from the man's joint.

"Argh!" The man screamed, sweat instantly beading on his forehead from the agony. "You bastard, what are you doing? I’m telling you, let me go now, or you’ll regret this!"

Xu Fei sneered and struck the man on the head. "Shut up, you talk too much. Regret? I never regret anything I do." He pointed back at the curly-haired man. "Drop the knife!"

Seeing his companion being handled, the curly-haired man cursed and tossed the blade aside. Now that his opponent was disarmed, Xu Fei felt more in control. He pressed down harder with his foot, causing the man beneath him to howl in pain.

"You piece of trash, you went back on your word! You said if I dropped the knife, you’d let me go!"

Xu Fei replied coldly, "When did I say I’d let you go? Listen well: tell me who sent you."

The man in sunglasses paused. "Screw you. We live by a code of loyalty. You think I’d tell you? Keep dreaming!"

Xu Fei snorted. He knew that without a bit of force, this man’s mouth would never open. "I’ll ask you one more time. Who is it?"

"Save your breath."

Xu Fei gritted his teeth. *Crack!*

"AHHH!"

Both the man in sunglasses and the curly-haired man were stunned. The man’s arm hung limp, like a noodle, in Xu Fei’s grip. The man in sunglasses finally realized what had happened. "My arm...?" He couldn't even feel the pain anymore; he stared at his dislocated limb, his face a mask of fear and fury. "Seven, get him—"

Before he could finish, Xu Fei kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious. The curly-haired man turned to retrieve the switchblade he had tossed away, but before his hand could touch it, he saw a shadow flash before his eyes. By the time he understood what was happening, Xu Fei had already kicked him across the ground.

Xu Fei walked over to the switchblade and picked it up. "Not bad. You even sharpened the blade. This makes it a lethal weapon. If you use this to injure someone, you’re looking at a minimum of three years in prison. Since there are two of you, that’s conspiracy—you’re looking at ten to fifteen years."

Xu Fei’s words left the curly-haired man, who was sprawled on the ground, completely bewildered. "You... what did you say?"

"Are you legally illiterate?" Xu Fei shook his head in frustration. "Kid, if you’re going to carry something like this, you’d better learn the law. Don't wait until you're in real trouble to regret it."

"Who are you calling illiterate?" The curly-haired man stood up, unconvinced, and pointed at Xu Fei. "Don't think I don't know anything. It’s just a switchblade, right? If I stab someone, I’ll just get detained at most. How could I go to prison?"

Xu Fei looked at the curly-haired man and gestured to the unconscious man in sunglasses. "Did he tell you that?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"He was lying to you. You’re clearly clueless. Kid, you’re lucky you ran into me today. In the future, stay away from people like him. He’s just using you as a scapegoat. Think about it: if the penalty were really as light as he claimed, why didn't he carry a blade himself?"

The curly-haired man was swayed. He scratched his head. "Yeah? You... you have a point."

Xu Fei smiled and shook his head. "Kid, go find a real job. Don't hang around people like him, or you’ll end up behind bars. Understand?"

The curly-haired man nodded.

"Get lost."

Xu Fei waved him off. The curly-haired man, knowing he was no match for Xu Fei and having been shaken by the reality check, turned to run toward the alley. After a few steps, he turned back. "The one who sent us is a guy named Fan from the Art Academy."

"Fan Dongcheng?"

The curly-haired man thought for a moment. "Yeah, that’s the name."

"Thanks." Xu Fei nodded with a smile, and the curly-haired man vanished into the alley.