Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Not long after, the dilapidated wooden door of the dormitory was kicked open.

"Bang!"

Wood chips flew everywhere, and a burly figure, reeking of alcohol, burst in.

That's "Wild Dog" Bill.

The bully in this dormitory area, relying on his burly physique and aggressive nature, gathered four or five idle thugs who specifically bullied honest people.

Bill walked in, cursing and swearing, his face flushed, clearly having drunk quite a bit.

"Damn it! What bad luck! It's all bad luck!"

He kicked over a washbasin by the door, spilling dirty water all over the floor.

"What's wrong, Brother Bill?" Several henchmen immediately swarmed over, offering cigarettes and massaging his shoulders.

"Don't even mention it!" Bill took a deep drag on his cheap cigarette, his cloudy eyes bloodshot through the swirling smoke.

"Today they gave out vouchers that look like toilet paper! I went to an underground casino hoping to win back my losses, but the dealer said the vouchers were just toilet paper, not even worth a penny!"

"Those sons of bitches..." Bill gritted his teeth, like a cornered mad dog, "I don't care! I have to win my money back! Anyone have any money? Lend me some!"

The dormitory fell silent instantly; everyone huddled under their blankets, not daring to breathe.

Everyone knows that what is called "borrowing" is actually outright robbery, and it is never returned.

Bill's greedy and violent eyes scanned the dormitory room before finally settling on Siron's bed.

With a blank expression, Xilun got out of bed, took the vouchers, and prepared to go out to buy some food.

Watching Siren's tall figure disappear through the doorway, Bill spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground.

"What are you pretending for... That bastard, he's always so quiet, you never see him spend a penny a month. He's even hiding it from us, what a damn miser! He has absolutely no sense of team spirit!"

"That's right! Brother Bill, I heard that kid has made a lot of money..." The henchman next to him added fuel to the fire in a sinister tone.

Bill squinted, looking in the direction where Siren had left, and licked his gums where a tooth was missing, lost in thought.

"Lend me a few shillings, I'll pay you back once I've made my money back!"

His cold gaze shifted from Xiren, and he growled like a hyena.

……

Xilun did not hear the discussions behind him.

Clutching the crumpled vouchers, he bought two pieces of black bread, as hard as rocks, at "Brothers Store," not far from his dormitory.

Just as he expected, the Brotherhood's shops offered no quality assurance whatsoever; the bread they provided was noticeably less than a fifth of the original weight and contained a significant amount of sawdust and sand.

Walking back through the alley, Xilun felt a little heavy-hearted.

If he continues to receive these vouchers for the next six months, his health will inevitably collapse due to malnutrition. Forget about saving money to go to the club; he won't even be able to maintain an "expert-level" physique.

Five shillings short!

"We must find a way to break this deadlock..."

Xilun took a bite of the crunchy bread, his brow furrowed.

Even if it means borrowing from loan sharks, or...

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps interrupted his thoughts.

Xilun stopped and looked up.

At the end of this dark, damp alleyway, illuminated only by a flickering gas lamp, a familiar figure was looking around.

It's Bill.

Upon seeing Xilen, a hint of joy instantly appeared on Bill's fleshy face, like a hungry wolf finally cornering a lone lamb.

"Hey, you big oaf, still wandering around outside so late?"

Bill staggered over, toying with a boning knife in his hand, the blade gleaming with a chilling light in the dim light.

"Perfect timing, brother. I'm a little short on cash. Lend me the little money you've been hiding to tide me over."

Bill's words were flippant and matter-of-fact, as if Siren was saving money just for him to spend.

In his eyes, honest people like Xilun, who rarely utter a word, were natural prey, deserving to be slaughtered by him.

"I have no money."

Xilun took a step back, his voice tense, as if he had been frightened.

"No money?" Bill scoffed, brandishing the knife in his hand. "Don't pretend! You've been working like a mule these past few years, how could you be broke? Even if you don't have cash now, you should at least have some in that bag, right?!"

He spat and sneered, "You've saved up so much money, and you don't even know how many shillings to give away? It's all for show."

Bill approached step by step, his sinister grin growing increasingly menacing: "Hand it over obediently, or I'll make you bleed a little."

Xilun didn't say anything, but just held the two pieces of black bread, panting heavily, and retreated step by step into the shadows deep in the alley.

It was a dead end; not even the gas lamp could reach it.

Bill's excitement intensified as he saw Xiren cornered.

He most enjoyed watching the expressions of fear, despair, and tears on the faces of honest people when confronted with violence. It gave him a sense of control and exhilaration.

"Running? Why did you stop running?"

Bill grinned as he stepped into the shadows, his boning knife flashing out—a ruthless strike he'd honed in street brawls.

However, the expected screams and pleas for mercy did not occur.

In the darkness, Xiren, who had been trembling, suddenly stopped.

He slowly raised his head, and there was no trace of fear in his deep brown eyes. There was only a calm as deep as a well, and a faint trace of pity.

Why are you forcing me?

Xilun sighed softly.

He didn't want to kill anyone, but in this cannibalistic world, if such a greedy and unscrupulous fool wasn't killed, he would only become a persistent nuisance and cause great disaster sooner or later.

Since that's the case, then let's kill them.

The next instant, Bill's thrusting knife stopped.

It wasn't that he wanted to stop, but rather that his wrist was gripped tightly by a large, iron-like hand.

Instead of dodging, Xilun used his superior speed to precisely intercept the attack.

With the help of the [Heavy Object Handling (Expert)] skill, his muscles tensed instantly, and his fascia bounced under his skin, emitting a low hum similar to the tightening of a cable.

His arm was no longer flesh and blood, but a piston rod full of violent kinetic energy.

Siren clenched his fingers, the force of which was ruthless, precise, and unstoppable, crushing Bill's wrist into powder.

Click!

A sharp, teeth-grinding cracking sound rang out in the quiet alley.

With a blank expression, Xilun loosened his fingers, and the white bone fragments pierced his skin, causing blood mixed with minced flesh to gush out.

"ah--!"

Before Bill's scream could even fully escape his throat, a dull, heavy punch slammed back into his stomach.

boom! boom! boom!

That was the dull thud of a fist slamming into flesh.

Every punch from Siren landed precisely on Bill's ribs and abdominal muscles.

There are no fancy moves, just pure power release.

Ten seconds later, Bill collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, his sternum caved in, his face covered in blood, and all his previous arrogance was gone.

He was panting heavily, constantly shifting his muddy body, fearfully trying to get away from Xilun.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. His mouth was full of broken teeth and blood, and his body was trembling violently.

Xilun bent down and picked up the boning knife that had fallen into the sewage, gripping the handle tightly.

"Since you want to bleed, then so be it."

puff.

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh is faint yet deadly.

Xilun calmly drew his dagger, not glancing at the gradually cooling corpse for even a second.

He crouched down and began to skillfully grope Bill's body.

Soon, a greasy cloth bag was pulled out. Xilun didn't examine it closely, simply stuffed it into his pocket, then stood up, straightened his collar, and walked out of the alley as if nothing had happened.

Back in his sweaty dorm room, Xilun climbed into bed as usual, unscrewed a bottle of cheap gin, and took a swig. The spicy liquid flowed down his throat, washing away the bloody taste in his mouth.

Under the dim light, he quietly opened the cloth bag under the covers.

Xilun's pupils contracted slightly.

Inside was a heavy handful of coins—worth three shillings.

Most of them were old coins and copper pennies with worn edges, but there were also two brand new silver shillings with the Queen's profile printed on them.

"ha!"

He quickly started calculating in his mind.

"I had saved up nine pounds and 10 shillings, but I was still 10 shillings short of the ten pounds needed to pay for the expensive tuition at the Iron Cross Fighting Club."

"I originally thought I'd have to move goods for another month, and that I might never be able to collect enough due to the issuance of vouchers..."

Siren gripped the three-shilling coin in his hand, his dark brown eyes gleaming.

"With this money, it'll be just enough."