Chapter 127: Slaying the Wild Man

When Yonan activated his D-rank skill, the explosive force surging through his body instantly forced Wang Ling’s hands off his shoulders. Amidst the glow of the skill, the gang leader’s eyes widened, a low intake of breath rattled in his throat, and he dropped into a horse stance, thrusting both fists forward simultaneously.

Though they were merely two fists, they transformed into a blur of explosive shadows upon impact. Each strike was like a bombardment, flying toward Yonan’s front and blanketing a vast area ahead!

"A-da-da-da-da-da-da..."

Amidst the fierce shouts, Yonan hammered his fists forward frantically, and countless fist shadows collided with Wang Ling’s body, accompanied by the sound of air snapping under the pressure.

"It’s here! It’s here! This is Leader Yonan’s secret ultimate technique: the Hundred-Crack Fist! Every punch he throws explodes into five distinct shadows—top, bottom, left, right, and center! Striking with both hands at a rate of one punch per second, he unleashes over a hundred fist shadows in ten seconds! Anyone caught in this barrage will have every bone in their body pulverized. It is the invincible fist! The great Leader Yonan will crush any opponent into dust under his blows!"

Kudo, the burly, thick-necked man who had been flattened on the ground, had finally regained some strength. Having suffered a humiliating defeat against Wang Ling earlier and fearing future punishment, he seized the opportunity to flatter his leader with desperate, screeching praise, cheering on the execution of the skill.

Some of the delinquent youths, who had never witnessed their leader in combat before, watched in shock and excitement as Kudo’s shouts were validated by the leader’s display of overwhelming power and the sheer destructive force of the skill.

In this world where fists reigned supreme, strength commanded respect and admiration. These delinquents had always worshipped the strong and trampled upon the weak.

Faced with this frenzied technique, Wang Ling curled his arms to block. However, every shadow in this barrage possessed the force of a physical strike, and the range was simply too wide to be fully defended by his arms alone. As numerous blows landed on him, he felt the metallic tang of blood rise in his throat, and a tightness in his chest indicated he had suffered internal injuries.

Under the rhythmic thudding of fists against skin and bone, the sleeves of Wang Ling’s shirt and his T-shirt were shredded by the sheer force of the impact. Had this technique been unleashed on an ordinary person, it would not have been just the clothing that was shredded, but flesh and blood as well.

The ten-second duration of the skill quickly ended. Yonan’s eyes were wide, Kudo’s eyes were wide, and the watching delinquents’ eyes were wide. Everyone stared at Wang Ling in disbelief; under such a vicious onslaught, the mysterious youth still stood perfectly upright, having not retreated a single step.

"Even an iron man should have fallen by now—how is this possible!"

The most horrified of all was Leader Yonan. As the one executing the Hundred-Crack Fist, he knew its power better than anyone. Yet, his opponent had blocked it completely. Through the tatters of his ruined shirt, one could see that while the skin bore red fist imprints, there were no open wounds, suggesting that even if the skill caused damage, it was far from fatal. Just how strong was this guy?

Wang Ling lowered his arms. He stuck out his tongue and licked away a thin trace of blood that had seeped from the corner of his mouth, revealing a wicked smile. "A truly impressive skill. You’ve had your fun—now it’s my turn."

As he spoke, Wang Ling’s arms coiled around Yonan in an instant. The still-shocked leader struggled violently to break free, only to discover that while his opponent’s hands were not particularly large, they were as powerful as iron clamps. He could not break the hold; the very bones beneath the skin gripped by those fingers throbbed with pain.

Then, something even more terrifying occurred. A sudden flash of light erupted from Wang Ling’s body. Yonan roared in shock, "You, too, have mastered a secret combat technique?"

"Enough talk!" A bloodthirsty smile curled Wang Ling's lips.

The grappling check succeeded. Yonan was instantly paralyzed by the force channeled into his body. The next second, the two soared into the air, rising five meters high. As they ascended, Yonan’s body was flipped entirely over; his legs were held firmly in a powerful embrace, his waist locked, and his head tucked beneath his opponent’s rear.

"Die!"

Wang Ling let out a sharp, piercing cry. The two spun like a top, becoming a blurred shadow as they plummeted toward the hard bluestone pavement of the street below, crashing down like a solid iron weight.

*BOOM!*

A dull roar echoed from the ground. A ring of shockwaves exploded from the point of impact, followed by a spray of red blood! This "Plum Blossom Sit" had crushed Yonan’s cervical vertebrae into tiny fragments upon impact. The blood sprayed from his mouth painted a vibrant plum blossom pattern on the ground amidst the shockwave, and beneath the pattern, the bluestone pavement shattered into a web of countless cracks.

The nature of the Plum Blossom Sit was such that the harder the ground, the greater the damage dealt. This bluestone was even harder than concrete. As a low-level boss and a strength-specialist, it would have been a miracle if Yonan had survived such a fierce C-rank throwing skill.

Without even a chance to utter his final words, Yonan’s head tilted at an unnatural angle, his pupils dilated, and after his legs kicked a few times, he was dead.

The entire street fell silent. Every delinquent still lying on the ground looked at Wang Ling with the gaze one might reserve for a deity. The wild, ferocious execution of that Plum Blossom Sit and its immense power were branded into the hearts of every youth present.

Wang Ling paid them no mind. His eyes were fixed on the key that had dropped upon Yonan’s death—a black iron key. As he picked it up, a prompt appeared on his Dream Badge: "You have killed a low-level boss, Yonan, leader of the Dongmu Syndicate. You have instilled fear and reverence in the members of the Dongmu Syndicate. Your reputation has increased by 120."

"Killing a gang boss really does significantly boost reputation. But why do these delinquents feel reverence in addition to fear? Are these guys masochists?"

Wang Ling was already taller than these short thugs, and since he was standing while the others remained prone, he looked down at them with a sweeping gaze. Every delinquent he looked at lowered his head, fearfully avoiding his eyes.

Kudo, caught in his gaze, felt the thick flesh on his face tremble violently. He gritted his teeth and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Our new leader possesses divine power and boundless strength! He shall conquer Shanhoku and rule the streets with an iron hand!"

Wang Ling’s mouth twitched, and a row of black lines seemed to hang over his head. Yet, led by Kudo, the other delinquents began to shout along with him, and the street suddenly became boisterous. In this hot-blooded world where strength was everything, he had first defeated them all with raw power and then eliminated Yonan with a devastating ultimate technique; his strength was more than enough to intimidate these delinquents.

Regarding Wang Ling’s earlier declaration of becoming the new leader of the Dongmu Syndicate, none of the members present felt any resistance. After all, the Dongmu Syndicate, which could only hold its ground at Shanhoku High, was not even a second-rate force in Kanagawa—barely third-rate. Having a powerful new leader would only give these subordinates more confidence.

In this chaotic, hot-blooded world, death was common. Soon, the Dongmu Syndicate’s medical logistics team—which was, in reality, just the Shanhoku High school infirmary staff—arrived. Doctors dragged Yonan’s body away and transferred the injured to vehicles to be taken to the hospital. They were busy for several hours.

Wang Ling naturally did not involve himself in these affairs. He was currently in a beverage shop on the street—one of Yonan’s secret properties used for monitoring his subordinates, which now belonged to him.

"Leader Ling, the Dongmu Syndicate has a total of 250 members, including reserves. As for Yonan’s death, it won’t cause a ripple in Kanagawa. Our syndicate is too weak; the powerful factions won’t pay us any mind, so you don’t need to worry."

Kudo, the burly man, bowed and scraped as he spoke, then handed over a briefcase. Inside were high-denomination yen notes and a roster.

Wang Ling had no great interest in the yen; he couldn't take it back with him, and besides, the currency wasn't worth much. He picked up the roster, flipped through it casually, and then spoke to Kudo, who was serving him after having his chest bandaged: "I’ve seen the overall strength of the Dongmu Syndicate, and it’s truly pathetic! As for your former leader, Yonan, his strength was merely mediocre. Are there no other powerful fighters in the entire syndicate?"

Kudo’s face showed an embarrassed expression. "Because Kanagawa is a dense area for high schools, students can choose their own schools. Those powerhouses mostly enter top-tier schools like Blood-Hot, Cold Peak, Garden, or Shion Mountain. Those with weaker strength choose schools like Baoling, Guhua, or Banshu, so..."

"So, only the weakest choose to enter a third-rate school like Shanhoku. I understand now... However, in my hands, Shanhoku High will soon become a powerful school, and the Dongmu Syndicate will undoubtedly become a top-tier organization!" Wang Ling said dismissively, tossing the roster back into the briefcase.

Kudo’s lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but he held back. In a top-tier school like Cold Peak, even the most ordinary low-level grunt was stronger than him. The gap between Shanhoku and those schools was vast—a distance that seemed impossible to bridge.

However, after witnessing his new leader’s strength—especially that terrifying ultimate technique that had killed Yonan in one blow—a glimmer of hope rose in his heart, as if, perhaps, it was not entirely impossible.