Start with push-ups to gain experience

Chapter 281 Companions, Electric Baton, Ghostly Encounters
Upon hearing the security guard's report, Xu Hao raised an eyebrow.

He then gestured for his underlings to stay put, and strode off alone toward the booth where the commotion had occurred.

Before he arrived, his voice preceded his arrival; Xu Hao roared fiercely:

"Damn it, which bastard is deliberately trying to cause me trouble?"

When the drunkards saw Xu Hao approaching, they not only didn't restrain themselves, but became even more arrogant.

One of the guys, who was holding an empty bottle, was probably drunk and started cursing at Xu Hao as he approached.

"Who the hell are you? How dare you meddle in my business? Get out of my way!"

As he spoke, he suddenly swung the beer bottle, flicked it, and smashed it towards Xu Hao's head!

"what--"

A chorus of barely suppressed gasps erupted from the surrounding crowd.

However, Xu Hao's reaction was surprisingly fast.

He didn't even pause in his steps, only slightly shifting his shoulder just as the bottle was about to hit his head.

"boom!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out, and glass shards flew everywhere!

The flying bottle did not hit his head, nor did it fall to the ground or injure anyone nearby.

Instead, in mid-air, Xu Hao reached out and grabbed it, then squeezed it with all his might, crushing it on the spot!

Glass shards mixed with the remaining liquor splashed everywhere, and a few sharp fragments even pierced his palm, drawing a few drops of blood.

However, Xu Hao didn't even frown, as if the bleeding hand didn't belong to him at all.

He even grinned, revealing a sinister smile, his eyes fixed on the drunkard who had attacked him.

"Yes."

Xu Hao said in a low voice.

The next second, before the drunkard could react, he struck with lightning speed!

He didn't use any complicated techniques; he simply and brutally raised his right hand, which had just crushed the bottle and was still covered in shards of glass and his own blood.

With a backhand slap, the force of the wind cut through the air, and the drunkard's face was struck hard.

Snapped! ! !
The slap was exceptionally crisp, sounding particularly loud even amidst the noisy music in the bar, and even carrying a slight echo.

The tall, burly drunkard was sent spinning like a top by the vicious slap, then lost his balance and stumbled backward onto his buttocks.

With a crash, the table behind him was overturned, and the drinks, glasses, and plates shattered all over the floor.

The drunkard suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and foam, mixed with a few knocked-out teeth. He didn't even manage a groan before his head lolled to the side and he passed out completely.

His companions witnessed this scene and were instantly sobered up. They stood frozen in place, not daring to even breathe.

Looking at the drunkard who had been knocked over, half of his face was a bloody mess, swollen and deformed, and he looked extremely miserable.

Xu Hao flicked his wrist as if he had just swatted a fly.

He lightly kicked the unconscious drunkard on the ground with his toe, then spat at his terrified companions and cursed them with disgust:
"You blind fools! Drag them all out and throw them into the back alley!"

Seeing that their boss had finished showing off, a group of henchmen rushed forward like wolves and tigers, carrying the unconscious drunkard and his several companions who were already weak in the knees away.

Other security guards and service staff also worked together to clean up the scene.

Xu Hao, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened, calmly adjusting the collar of his floral shirt.

He even took the time to give the female waitress who had been bullied earlier a reassuring smile.

Then, with a sharp, warning look in his eyes, he slowly scanned the silent guests around him.

Seeing the fearful reaction of the crowd, he nodded in satisfaction.

He then turned around and, surrounded by his remaining underlings, strode towards the stairs leading to the VIP area on the second floor.

From the corner, Fang Cheng took in everything, his gaze slightly narrowed.

Xu Hao's physical abilities are indeed much stronger than those of ordinary gangsters.

No, to be precise, it has gone beyond the scope of normal humans; it's more like a kind of alienated power.

It seems that during their last match at the club, neither his opponent nor he used their full strength.

Or perhaps, he has made new breakthroughs recently and become much stronger.

Seeing Xu Hao go upstairs, Fang Cheng put down his orange juice and prepared to get up and follow him, looking for an opportunity to get closer to his target.

However, just as he leaned forward slightly and was about to leave his seat, he caught a glimpse of something unusual out of the corner of his eye.

Fang Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and his gaze quickly swept over the other two inconspicuous corner booths.

Almost simultaneously, two other people also stood up.

They were wearing ordinary jackets and had unremarkable appearances, but their eyes were all fixed on the direction Xu Hao had left in.

At this moment, they moved towards the stairwell with a trained caution and efficiency.

It seems they were also targeting Xu Hao.

Fang Cheng's movements froze instantly, and he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

Anyone else?
Who are they? Are they also looking for Xu Hao? And what is their purpose?
The situation seems to be more complicated than expected.

Fang Cheng sat up straight again, his gaze under the brim of his hat becoming even more profound.

We decided to hold back for now and see what these unidentified people were planning to do.

....................................

The VIP rooms on the second floor are far removed from the noise downstairs. Once the heavy soundproof doors are closed, only luxurious tranquility remains.

Xu Hao dismissed most of his followers, leaving only two close confidants and a few formally seated female escorts trying to liven up the atmosphere.

He sank into the soft sofa, picked up an expensive bottle of liquor, poured himself a full glass, and tilted his head back to gulp down most of it.

Blood was still seeping from his hand that had just crushed the bottle, but he seemed completely oblivious, not even flinching.

"Brother Hao, are you alright?"

Seeing this, one of his trusted henchmen cautiously approached and whispered:
"I bet those clueless bastards downstairs are sent by the East City Gang to cause trouble. Damn it, they dare to act like this on our turf. Should we... take some men over tonight and teach them a lesson?"

"East City Club?"

Xu Hao snorted coldly, leaning lazily against the back of the sofa, his legs casually propped up on the coffee table in front of him.
"Sending such low-class trash to test me, do they think I, Xu Hao, am easy to bully? Those old men are really getting more and more regressive as they get older..."

"Hey, Hao-ge~ stop talking about all this fighting and killing, it's such a downer."

Before he could finish speaking, a heavily made-up, scantily clad hostess leaned against him with a coquettish laugh, her entire body almost pressed against Xu Hao, and said in a sickeningly sweet voice:

"Shall we sing some songs? I love listening to Hao Ge sing the most!"

Xu Hao wasn't angry at being interrupted; instead, he was amused by the deliberate flattery and laughed heartily. He then reached out and wrapped his arm around her soft waist, giving it a squeeze.
"Oh? Really? You're so sweet-talking! Fine, then I'll be generous today and sing you a song to fulfill your wishes."

He then grabbed the microphone from the coffee table and skillfully selected a heavy metal rock song.

When the energetic intro started, everyone present unconsciously straightened their backs and showed an expression as if facing a formidable enemy.

When Xu Hao gripped the microphone and roared out the first sound, the faces of several of his henchmen and the hostesses twitched uncontrollably.

The girl who suggested singing was now being stared at by everyone with "you're dead" looks. The deafening, thunderous music, along with Xu Hao's singing that resembled a pig being slaughtered, instantly filled the entire private room, assaulting everyone's eardrums.

Everyone instinctively wanted to cover their ears, but with Xu Hao, the "lead singer," right in front of them, they could only endure this torture-like torment.

They forced exaggerated smiles, clapped vigorously, and cheered loudly.

However, the helplessness in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.

Just as everyone was suffering, "knock knock," "knock knock," the door of the private room was gently knocked repeatedly.

Seeing this, one of the underlings seized the opportunity to offer a reminder.

The rock star's carefully built-up enthusiasm was abruptly interrupted. Xu Hao, extremely impatient, abruptly stopped singing, turned around, and yelled towards the door:
"Who is it?! Can't you hear me singing? Get lost!"

There was a moment of silence outside the door, followed by a timid, hesitant female voice:
"Brother Hao, it's me, Xiao Qing... I saw your hand was injured, so I brought the first-aid kit."

Upon hearing the name "Xiao Qing," Xu Hao's impatience instantly subsided.

He glanced at his right hand, which was still bleeding slightly, and his eyes flickered with a complicated expression.

After a moment of silence, he waved to the others in the private room: "Alright, everyone, get out."

The henchmen and hostesses were overjoyed and quickly opened the door to the private room, letting the person waiting outside in before filing out and closing the door behind them.

The woman who walked in was Xiao Qing, the waitress who had been harassed by the drunk man downstairs.

She had changed out of her bar uniform and was wearing a simple white T-shirt and light blue jeans. She had washed off her light makeup, revealing a clean and pretty face, and was holding a home medicine box in her hand.

When her gaze fell on Xu Hao's injured hand, her eyes revealed obvious worry and heartache.

"Brother Hao, your hand..."

"It's just a minor injury, not worth making a big deal out of."

Xu Hao's tone remained firm, but his gaze softened considerably compared to before: "Didn't I tell you to go home right after get off work? What are you doing here?"

"I...I'm worried..."

Xiao Qing lowered her head, walked to his side, placed the first-aid kit on the coffee table, opened it, and took out tweezers, disinfectant, and gauze.

"Let me help you clean it. There are glass shards in the wound. If it's not cleaned properly, it will become inflamed and infected."

Xu Hao did not refuse again, letting her carefully use tweezers to remove the tiny glass shards embedded in her flesh and clean the wound with a cotton swab dipped in disinfectant.

The alcohol contact with the wound caused a sharp stinging pain, and Xu Hao's muscles tensed up involuntarily, but he remained silent.

Xiao Qing's movements were very gentle, her eyelashes were lowered, and her expression was very focused.

The only sounds in the private room were the soft noises of her tending to her wounds and the slightly awkward yet subtly ambiguous atmosphere between the two.

"okay."

Just as she was about to finish bandaging, Xu Hao broke the silence: "This little injury will be fine in a couple of days."

"Then you still need to be careful..."

Xiao Qing muttered to herself as she carefully tied the last knot.

Just then, a series of urgent knocks sounded on the door again.

Xu Hao raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but shout again:
"Who is it? Will this ever end?"

Before any response came from outside, the door to the private room was quietly opened from the outside with a "click".

Two men in jackets with expressionless faces barged in.

Their eyes were cold, their movements swift, and their target clear—they pounced on Xu Hao on the sofa!
"who?!"

Xu Hao reacted extremely quickly, jumping up from the sofa almost the instant the door opened.

With an almost instinctive sense of danger, he grabbed the nearest heavy crystal ashtray and smashed it hard into the face of the person charging at the front without thinking!
However, his opponent had clearly anticipated his skills.

The man on the left ducked down, nimbly dodging the bottle, and at the same time flicked his right hand, sending a dark light straight at Xu Hao's lower abdomen.

Xu Hao's pupils contracted sharply, and he narrowly dodged to the side, only then realizing that it was a military dagger with serrated edges!
At the same time, the man on the right had already closed in, and a black object in his hand emitted a "sizzling" sound of electricity as he suddenly stabbed it towards Xu Hao's side.

That was an extremely powerful stun gun!

Caught between two attacks, Xu Hao roared and suddenly kicked over the heavy coffee table in front of him.

With a loud crash, the overturned coffee table successfully blocked the attack of the man on the right with his stun gun.

Taking advantage of that brief opening, Xu Hao suddenly leaned back, dodging the dagger sweeping from the man on his left with an incredible bridge-like stance!
However, he was injured after all, and was caught off guard by the two men attacking him, so his movements were still a little sluggish.

The man on the right missed his first strike, then flicked his wrist, and the stun baton shot out like a venomous snake, emitting a terrifying blue arc of electricity once again, precisely aiming for Xu Hao's neck!
A fierce glint flashed in Xu Hao's eyes. Just as he was about to risk injury and endure the attack to take down one of them, he caught a glimpse of Xiao Qing, who had accidentally fallen during the melee.

His heart tightened suddenly, and he hesitated for a moment.

In a battle between masters, victory or defeat can be decided in an instant!
Shila-

A blinding flash of electricity erupted! The tip of the stun gun struck Xu Hao squarely in the shoulder!

A powerful electric current surged through his body instantly, and Xu Hao felt his muscles spasm violently. Before he could retaliate, he was kicked hard in the forehead.

Xu Hao's vision went black, and his body convulsed uncontrollably as he collapsed.

Before his consciousness completely faded, he mustered his last strength and roared:

"Don't... hurt her!!"

The two men in jackets did not stop moving at all.

One person quickly stepped forward and used restraints to firmly bind the limp Xu Hao, while the other person walked towards Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing stared wide-eyed in terror, wanting to scream and call for help.

The man acted swiftly, delivering a light but not too heavy chop to the back of her neck.

Xiao Qing didn't even utter a sound before collapsing softly onto the carpet.

They did not harm any outsiders; their target was Xu Hao from beginning to end.

The two worked together seamlessly, scanning their surroundings warily before dragging in the two henchmen who were lying down by the door.

Then, one person carried the unconscious Xu Hao on their back, while the other closed the door again and quickly left through a hidden back door in the private room.

The entire process of attacking, subduing, and evacuating took only a dozen seconds.

Clean, efficient, and silent, demonstrating exceptional professionalism and well-trained skill.

But just as the two of them disappeared through the back door with Xu Hao...

A blurry black shadow swept past at an abnormal speed from the other end of the corridor.

Almost reaching the extreme!
It even stirred up a sudden gust of strong wind, causing the hem of a waiter carrying a fruit platter who happened to be passing by to flutter.

The waiter felt a blur before his eyes, as if something had "whooshed" past him without him being able to grasp its exact shape, leaving only a strange chill down his spine.

His heart suddenly raced, and he couldn't help but rub his eyes, looking around in surprise and uncertainty.

But upon closer inspection, the corridor was empty, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

"Strange... Could it be a ghost...?"

Upon thinking of this, he shuddered and quickly hurried away.

(End of this chapter)