Chapter 131: A Tripartite Balance of Power

Zhang Wei’s loud, foul-mouthed outburst immediately drew the attention of every student nearby.

Some girls and timid boys standing close by trembled in their boots. Zhang Wei had a notorious reputation; not only was he arrogant and dismissive of everyone, but he was also prone to sudden violence, a true demon in human form.

Student union officials who were free to roam the playground noticed the conflict between two of the school’s big-shots and collectively chose to pretend they saw nothing, fearing that getting involved would only bring trouble upon themselves.

Provoked by his sudden verbal assault, Lin Lie was genuinely enraged. Having already decided to follow Lin Yu, he no longer cared about the intimidation Zhang Wei wielded as Zhang Yang’s lackey. He stepped forward and delivered a kick that sent Zhang Wei tumbling.

"You dog relying on his master's power, I’ve wanted to take you down for a long time," Lin Lie cursed. "You pretentious prick, besides hiding behind Zhang Yang’s name, what else can you actually do?"

Seeing Zhang Wei get hit, seven or eight troublemakers from the second year who hung out with him immediately swarmed over, eyeing Lin Lie with malice.

"If you don't want to get expelled, let's take this to the woods," Lin Lie shouted, his face filled with anger as he noticed more and more eyes fixated on them, starting to disrupt the school exercises.

"Let's go, brothers, follow me and take him down! Damn it, I’m going to call my brother to deal with him later. Pretentious prick!" Once helped up, Zhang Wei dusted off his clothes and continued to curse.

Zhang Wei figured that while Lin Lie was quite capable and had studied things like Sanda, he was no match for their superior numbers; he wasn't afraid of the grove. As for the seemingly thin Lin Yu, he didn't give him a second thought. In his eyes, Lin Yu was just a small-time local thug; he looked familiar, but he was definitely not a young master of Zhang Yang's caliber.

In the Purple Bamboo Grove, feeling the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, Lin Yu watched the dozen or so people approaching him with keen interest amidst the rustling sound of the wind in the bamboo.

Having lived through certain events and having taken down a fair few people, looking at these campus bullies—who in his previous life had loomed over him—now felt like watching children. The intense pressure he once felt had long since vanished into smoke.

Once the group shuffled into the depths of the bamboo grove, out of sight of the students on the playground, Zhang Wei shouted with great bravado, "Beat Lin Lie to death! If he dies, I’ll take the blame! If that other kid dares to move, break one of his arms!"

Following his roaring command, the scene descended into chaotic frenzy. Only Lin Yu stood to the side, observing with interest. As he watched, he didn't forget to light a cigarette.

None of these second-year teenagers had any professional combat training, but they were young and had participated in many brawls; they had plenty of experience, and because they believed someone would cover for them if things went wrong, they fought with vicious intent.

Consequently, in the chaos, even though Lin Lie was a fierce fighter, he found himself overwhelmed by the sheer number of opponents.

Seeing Lin Lie being beaten repeatedly, Lin Yu, who had been watching coldly, spat his cigarette filter onto the ground and joined the fray like a tiger descending from a mountain. Out of habit, he struck with heavy blows. Within a few exchanges, several thugs had been kicked in the shins and were rolling on the ground, wailing and clutching their legs.

Three minutes later, these figures who usually ran rampant through the First High School were all laid out on the ground. They had the advantage when it was many against one, but with Lin Yu and Lin Lie joining forces, they were only left to take a beating.

"Just you wait! I’m calling my brother right now," Zhang Wei, the mastermind, threatened while lying on the ground, his face bruised and swollen from Lin Yu’s fists.

"Go ahead and call. Once you're done, I’ll continue," said Lin Yu, who hadn't even broken a sweat. He took out a cigarette, handed it to Lin Lie, and the two sat on a stone bench in the grove, smoking leisurely.

Zhang Wei, who had just scrambled up to pull out his phone, finally got through to Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang hadn't woken up yet, and his tone was laced with irritation.

"What is it now?"

Hearing his cousin’s sour mood, Zhang Wei rolled his eyes and feigned pity. "Brother, your little brother got beaten up at First High; my mouth hurts so much I can barely speak. You have to come and stand up for me. Otherwise, it’s not just me who’s losing face—your reputation is at stake too, right?"

"Did you tell them you’re my brother?" Zhang Yang, who had been in a groggy state, instantly sobered up with a surge of fury upon hearing his brother had been beaten.

"They knew I was your brother and they still laid hands on me. Brother, hurry up and bring some people over! Crush their arrogance, or your brother won't be able to survive at First High anymore," Zhang Wei said in a pitiful tone.

This left Zhang Yang truly enraged. He had been repeatedly thwarted by Lin Yu recently and was already feeling bitter; now, hearing his brother had been attacked, the bond of blood made him explode with rage.

"Keep them there. I’ll be there in ten minutes," he said, hanging up the phone to gather his clique of wealthy heirs.

Because he had suffered consecutive losses recently, he had his cohorts bring along some extra tough thugs to bolster their numbers. He figured that if he was going to stomp on someone, he might as well make a grand display of it to vent his recent frustrations.

"Will it be okay when Zhang Yang gets here?" Lin Lie asked with some trepidation as Zhang Wei made his call; deep down, he was still terrified of Zhang Yang.

"What could possibly happen? The big tree that is Jia Quan is likely to fall completely. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Although his father, Zhang Kailai, is the head of the Urban Management Bureau and has some capability, those in the know understand that the only reason no one dares to provoke Zhang Kailai is because of his relationship with Jia Quan. Otherwise, do you really think the Urban Management Bureau has a higher status in the government than the Personnel Bureau?" Lin Yu explained indifferently.

He knew that as one era came to an end, the good times for certain people were also about to conclude.

As for how much shock Jia Quan’s "end of days" would bring and how many people’s peace and stability would be affected, it was hard for Lin Yu to guess. But regardless, his own father’s status would certainly rise with the changes in the upper echelons of the government.

"I understand what you're saying, but I know Zhang Yang’s personality better than you do. He might just go for broke and retaliate against you. He knows some big-shot figures in the underworld of Bincheng," Lin Lie said worriedly. He was clearly more familiar with the underground forces than Lin Yu.

"Oh? There are existences that ordinary people find hard to contend with?" Lin Yu asked curiously. He had heard of certain hidden powers in his previous life, but due to his lack of strength, he had never been able to touch upon those transcendent existences.

Because Lin Lie used to hang out with Zhang Yang, he had encountered a few big-shot figures; though his contact was shallow, he had a clear understanding of Bincheng’s power dynamics.

He took a few deep drags of his cigarette, cast a disdainful glance at Zhang Wei and the others who were standing nearby, eavesdropping, and began to speak. "Our Bincheng is divided into three administrative districts: the East District, the Coastal New District, and the Longwan District. The most prosperous one, Longwan District, is controlled by Liu Zhen of the Northeast Gang. The Coastal New District, near the sea, is controlled by Boss Hou of the Chaozhou Gang. The suburban East District is controlled by Wu Laosan of the local Daxing Gang. Among them, Liu Zhen of the Northeast Gang is the strongest."

"Haha, a tripartite standoff, then," Lin Yu chuckled, flicked his cigarette butt into a trash can, and asked, "That’s the general picture, but apart from them, are there any other big figures with real power?"

"Of course there are," Lin Lie continued. When talking about these powers, he felt his blood boiling.

"These three bosses are very powerful, with countless underlings. The territories between them are clearly defined, and they rarely engage in conflict. Aside from them, there’s the richest man, Qi Dazhu, the owner of Impas, Zhan Jie, and a dozen other figures who stay out of the disputes but possess immense power. Even those three bosses wouldn't dare to provoke them lightly."