Guo Zhicheng himself was about thirty-five years old, tall and thin, almost 1.8 meters tall, with a two-inch-long scar on his right cheek, giving him a fierce look.
Volume 1, Chapter 220: The Unapproachable One
Er Ercheng's face was cold and sinister. After speaking, a mule behind him brought him a stool.
After Guo Zhicheng sat down with an air of authority, he glanced at the people lying on the ground, then at the five people on Zhou Xuan's side. His eyes narrowed, and a sense of apprehension crept into his heart.
Although Wang Liang and his group weren't martial arts experts, they were all construction workers who did manual labor all day and possessed considerable strength. Add to that Wu Yong and Wang Damao, two of Wang Liang's men, who were quite ruthless and would need at least five or six men to deal with them.
Those lying on the ground, upon examining their injuries, realized they were all in vital areas, effective and lethal, yet not fatal or crippling.
When Wang Liang saw Guo Zhicheng arrive, he struggled to sit up. He said, "Brother Cheng, it was just... just those five people. The ones who did the fighting were Guo Zhicheng." He pointed to Jiang Jin and Zheng Bing. "Those two were the ones who did the fighting!"
Guo Zhicheng was even more surprised. There were only two people who made the move, yet they managed to beat Wang Liang and his group of more than a dozen people to the ground. Even though he was small, he couldn't have done it. They seemed to be quite formidable, and he had to test them.
Guo Zhicheng glanced at Zhou Xuan and his group, immediately ruling out Zhou Xuan, Li Wei, and Fu Ying. Wang Liang had pointed to the first two, Jiang Jin and Zheng Bing, whose composed demeanor suggested they were veterans, likely reconnaissance or special forces soldiers; otherwise, ordinary soldiers wouldn't possess such skill. As for the latter three, Zhou Xuan and Li Wei didn't seem like capable fighters, and Fu Ying was a delicate young woman. Therefore, they were even less likely to be considered.
Guo Zhicheng thought for a moment and then asked, "You two look unfamiliar. Where are you from?"
Zheng Bing and Jiang Jin completely ignored him. They coldly stared at his group, clearly indicating that they were about to attack them.
Li Wei, however, said nonchalantly, "The capital is so big, do you think you have the face to know everyone? Even if you wanted to, it's not like people would pay any attention to you. It's none of your business where you come from. Stop talking nonsense. If you want to fight, then tell your men to make a move and get lost with their tails between their legs. But I advise you, it's good that you know what's good for you to get lost!"
Hearing Li Wei say this, Zhang Sinian was secretly amused. This fool thinks he's the crown prince? His tone is so arrogant, he's not afraid of breaking the sky. Who is Guo Zhicheng? Everyone in the northern part of the capital knows him. Even if you don't know anyone else, you'll know Guo Zhicheng. Li Wei's tone would infuriate even an ordinary person, let alone Guo Zhicheng!
Guo Zhicheng was indeed angry. He had originally wanted to test the background of Li Wei and his group, but they were too arrogant and didn't take him seriously. Moreover, they had so many brothers with them. Even if he wasn't angry, his brothers would have been itching for a fight long ago!
However, Guo Zhicheng wasn't exactly an upper-class person. In Beijing, he was at best a rich man's dog, a gofer. So he didn't know Li Wei. If he did, he would have lost all his arrogance long ago. People like him could be tough with ordinary people without any problem. But if they tried to be tough with someone like Li Wei, they'd be doomed!
As the saying goes, even a hero can't defeat a crowd, and two fists can't beat four hands. Li Wei only had four men on his side, while Guo Zhicheng brought thirteen. Knowing from Wang Liang's phone call that it might be troublesome, he specially chose some of his most capable fighters.
His men have never suffered any losses, mainly because they've never encountered anything particularly tough. Furthermore, when Guo Zhicheng takes on a task, he always investigates the background of the person he's assigned. In Beijing, there are many people you can't afford to offend, so he never takes on tasks that aren't rightfully his. Therefore, his men have never experienced hardship, which has indirectly fostered their arrogance; they always act as if they're the most powerful people in the world.
As their leader, Guo Zhicheng naturally had to put on a show of arrogance, and his subordinates only needed to be physically strong but mentally simple-minded.
Li Wei's arrogant words immediately angered Guo Zhicheng's men, and several of them rushed out to grab and beat him.
Guo Zhicheng's men were clearly far more capable than Wang Liang's, so Zheng Bing and Jiang Jin didn't dare to be careless and attacked together. Their strategy was to first weaken Guo Zhicheng's group, making it easier to ensure Zhou Xuan and the others' safety later. They had been instructed beforehand that Zhou Xuan and Li Wei's safety was paramount; under normal circumstances, they would handle the situation as best they could. If the situation became critical, they would immediately notify their superiors to send reinforcements.
However, given the current situation, Zheng Bing and Jiang Jin weren't entirely confident they could guarantee success. Therefore, they didn't hesitate to attack together, first eliminating a portion of the enemy's forces. After that, dealing with a smaller group would be much easier.
Upon taking over, "a few cracking sounds followed by several muffled groans, and of the five men who rushed out from beside Guo Zhicheng, four had their hands broken, and one had his leg broken."
Knowing that Guo Zhicheng's men were much more difficult to deal with, Jiang Jin and Zheng Bing went all out without holding back. Only after rendering the five men incapable of further attack did they step back and keep a close eye on Guo Zhicheng's group.
Zheng Bing and Jiang Jin went all out, but it wasn't easy. These people were all trained, unlike Wang Liang's group who were easy to deal with. They barely managed to subdue these five people, panting heavily, but their expressions were still like exhausted lions. Although tired, they were still dangerous animals, and if they moved, it would still be fatal.
Guo Zhicheng was startled, and not only him, but also the remaining eight people around him who hadn't yet made a move. They were all astonished!
Of the five men who went up just now, three were top-tier fighters. One of them was usually capable of taking on five or six ordinary strong men, but this time he was easily defeated!
And this all happened in just a few seconds. Within those few seconds, their three strongest fighters were knocked down, rendered incapable of fighting back, because two of them had their right hands broken, and one had his left leg broken!
The injuries these five people sustained were unlike those of Wang Liang's group, who were merely twisted or dislocated. These five, however, suffered complete ruptures, not just dislocations. This is a fundamental difference. Dislocations only require repositioning, while ruptures require repositioning and can take half a month or even more to recover.
Because these people posed a greater threat, Zheng Bing and Jiang Jin, in order to ensure the safety of Zhou Xuan and Li Wei, first had to completely eliminate part of Guo Zhicheng's threat. Guo Zhicheng looked at Zheng Bing and Jiang Jin with surprise and suspicion, and after a long pause, asked, "Gentlemen, judging from your skills, you don't seem like ordinary people. Why would you come to a place like this to compete with someone like Wang Liang for food? Is there some difficulty? If it's about money, you can work for me. Tens of thousands a month is no problem. With your abilities..."
"You bastard!" Li Wei interrupted Guo Zhicheng, cursing, "You're nothing but a fart, and you dare to poach people from me? Looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson today."
When had Guo Zhicheng ever spoken to anyone like that? His face immediately darkened, and seeing that Li Wei and Zhou Xuan were unfamiliar faces, he became even more enraged: "Where did this bastard come from? Don't be so shameless. I, Guo Zhicheng, am a well-known figure in Beijing. If I'm being nice to you, it's because I respect you. Damn it, even if you kowtow and call me grandpa now, I won't let you off the hook!"
"Hahaha!" Li Wei couldn't help but laugh. Guo Zhicheng's defiance was exactly what he wanted. He'd been locked up badly by his grandfather the previous week, and had a bellyful of anger with nowhere to vent it; this Guo Zhicheng was the perfect outlet. Besides, he was with Zhou Xuan today, so he could take the blame; his grandfather wouldn't blame him. And with Zheng Bing and Jiang Jin, the two men his father had sent, he was also at ease; his father wouldn't cause him trouble, so why worry about the consequences?
"You want me to call you grandpa? I don't know if my grandpa would agree, or even my father would." Li Wei said with a smile, not angry at all. He was actually wondering what the reaction would be if he read this to his grandpa and his father, Li Lei.
"I don't care what your reaction is!" Guo Zhicheng roared. "Beat him! Break that bastard's legs, smash his mouth, and see how the hell he runs and acts arrogantly now!"
Li Wei chuckled and said, "Company Commander Zheng, just do as he says, break his legs and smash his mouth, let's see how arrogant he can still be!"
Li Wei's words were unintentional, but they startled Guo Zhicheng!
"Xiao Man." Guo Zhicheng reached out to stop the person next to him, looking at Zheng Bingjiang Jin and Li Wei with surprise and uncertainty. Li Wei had just called out "Company Commander Zheng," which was what surprised Guo Zhicheng the most!
No matter how arrogant people like Guo Zhicheng are, they all understand in their hearts that in this country, officials and soldiers are people they cannot afford to offend. Ordinary people can act tough without consequence, but if you offend officials or soldiers, you will face endless trouble. This is because they live in the gaps of the system, unlike foreign gangs and mafia. In this country, under the powerful state apparatus, all other forces are so powerless. They can wipe you out without lifting a finger!
"Are you two from the military?" Guo Zhicheng asked in surprise. At that moment, one of his subordinates whispered to him from behind, "Boss, these two are from the military, and not just any ordinary soldier. I was in the army. They were using close-quarters combat techniques—special forces!" Guo Zhicheng was stunned. All his arrogance and anger vanished. After a moment of hesitation, he lowered his voice and asked, "Um...you there...where are you from? What's your name?"
Guo Zhicheng could tell that although Zheng Bing and Jiang Jin were capable, they weren't the main figures; the ones in charge were Zhou Xuan and Li Wei. He was even more surprised. The fact that a special forces company commander could so obediently follow their orders made their identities suspicious. However, judging from their age and behavior, they clearly weren't from the military; they were likely the children of high-ranking officers—that possibility was especially high!
The thought of the consequences terrified Guo Zhicheng!
When Li Wei saw Guo Zhicheng suddenly show signs of weakness, he immediately felt disappointed. However, he still did not intend to pursue and destroy someone who had yielded.
"You want to ask me my surname? You're not qualified." Li Wei waved his hand dismissively. He wasn't being arrogant on purpose; in fact, for someone of his status to talk to a nobody like him was hardly arrogant. If it were someone else, like Wu Jianguo, and Guo Zhicheng had offended him, the suffering would have been far more than just hardship; it would have been a major disaster!
Li Wei's words were still arrogant. But Guo Zhicheng didn't find them so offensive now, because some people, even if they are arrogant, have the right to be. Li Wei was probably one of those people. And if that was the case, then Guo Zhicheng was truly in deep trouble!
"Well, I, Guo Zhicheng, am a man of some renown in Dongcheng, and I have many friends from all walks of life. I believe I am a man who has been fair to my friends. I was blind today, so please forgive me if I have offended you in any way!"
The more Guo Zhicheng thought about it, the more uneasy he felt; the more plausible it seemed. He spoke cautiously, "Young man, could I be your friend?"
Li Wei chuckled and said, "Guo Zhicheng, you're famous in Dongcheng? I've never heard of you. I've heard of Jiang Zhenyuan and Luo Guangwei, but Guo Zhicheng? Hehe, never heard of him."
Guo Zhicheng's face turned pale, and his body trembled. Jiang Zhenyuan and Luo Guangwei were well-known figures in Beijing. Jiang Zhenyuan was the boss of a security company, and Luo Guangwei ran an entertainment nightclub. They were both top figures in both the legitimate and criminal worlds.
Guo Zhicheng was considered a small fry under Luo Guangwei, one of his henchmen. Luo Guangwei also assigned some small business to Guo Zhicheng to keep him a living. Guo Zhicheng was well aware of Luo Guangwei's abilities. If Luo Guangwei said something, Guo Zhicheng would have to treat it like a royal decree. If Luo Guangwei was dissatisfied, Guo Zhicheng would have no way to survive in Beijing and would have to run away with his tail between his legs!
Now, Li Wei casually uttered the names of Luo Guangwei and Jiang Zhenyuan, without the slightest hint of respect. Guo Zhicheng wasn't oblivious; if he still couldn't understand, he would truly be blind and deaf!