After a short silence, the tavern burst into laughter.
"Just when Xiao Wu left, another one comes. Magistrate Ma is truly sincere!"
"You still dare to mention it? If you hadn't gone too wild yesterday, would that Xiao Wu have been scared off? That kid was so honest and obedient. It would have been great to keep him around for a few more days..."
"But this one looks better than yesterday's. Good-looking too."
"Go easy today, Lao Qian said. If we scare this one away, there'll be no one left..."
"Run? No one's running this time." A gaunt man slowly stood up, his sunken eye sockets staring at Chen Ling like a zombie, "Not bad, young and in good health. The organs should fetch a good price."
"Gudao, this is going too far. It'll be hard to clean up later..."
"Hmph, the Ice Spring Street was massacred by disasters. It's clearly the law enforcers' dereliction of duty. What? Can't we ask for compensation?" The gaunt man called Gudao sneered.
Everyone in the tavern sized up Chen Ling at the door, like a pack of greedy and hungry beasts eyeing their prey.
Chen Ling stood there as if he hadn't heard their words. He took out a pen from his pocket and tapped it on the form.
"Gudao, right?" Chen Ling wrote down the name,
"Let's start with you... Where were you the night Ice Spring Street was massacred?"
Seeing this teenager dare to speak, everyone exchanged abnormal glances. They remembered that when Wu Youdong saw this scene yesterday, he was too scared to even utter a word... Was this kid truly bold, or just stupid?
Gudao narrowed his eyes. He stood up and slowly walked up to Chen Ling.
"Where was I?" Gudao blew on his black nails, then his pale knuckles clawed at Chen Ling's neck like an eagle's talons!
"I was in your mother's bed!!"
In a flash, a cold light flickered in Chen Ling's eyes. His right hand holding the pen stabbed backward, the tip instantly piercing through Gudao's palm!
In excruciating pain, Gudao let out a scream. Before he could react, a palm rapidly expanded in his field of vision and pressed down on his head, slamming it heavily to the ground!
Military Divine Path, [Judgment] Path, Third Rank —— [Killing Dance]!
Bang——!!
Wood chips flew, and blood trickled.
Everyone only saw a blur, and Gudao was smashed into the floor by the teenager's single hand. The thick cotton coat fluttered slightly, and the entire tavern fell into dead silence.
"Assaulting a law enforcer, a serious crime." Chen Ling said calmly.
He slowly straightened up, patted his blood-stained palms, and swept his gaze across the crowd.
[Audience Expectation +2]
[Audience Expectation +2]
[Audience Expectation…]
After a short silence, the crowd in the tavern finally came to their senses. The astonishment and shock in their eyes were replaced by furious. Three of them even drew their guns on Chen Ling!
"Damn, a tough nut?!"
Chen Ling had long known they had guns. The moment they drew their weapons, he flipped over the nearby wine table!
The huge table flipped in mid-air. A group of figures immediately retreated to both sides, causing chaos in the front. At the same time, Chen Ling ducked out from under the table, swung a wine bottle, and smashed it into the face of the nearest gunman!
Slap!
The bottle shattered, and sharp fragments scraped the man's cheek, leaving several bloody marks.
Chen Ling struck back with an elbow, directly knocking him unconscious.
In an instant, two bursts of firelight erupted in the distance, and howling bullets shot straight at Chen Ling!
In the dim light, Chen Ling's figure moved like a ghost. The thick cotton coat fluttered and turned, pierced by two bullets, but none hit Chen Ling's body.
This was Chen Ling's first time using [Killing Dance]. The most obvious feeling was that his body felt weightless like a ghost.
In such a narrow and chaotic tavern, he could move as freely as a fish in water. As long as he could observe the enemy's gun-lifting movements in advance, he was confident to avoid bullets... of course, provided the number of gunmen was small.
As he took down the first gunman, the other two immediately felt a sense of crisis as if locked by a wild beast.
They tried to track Chen Ling's position with their eyes, but with Chen Ling flipping over tables and chairs to block their view, it was almost impossible. A whistling sound rang in their ears, and the next moment, their heads were struck hard, losing consciousness.
Chen Ling took down another gunman, grabbed the gun with his backhand, and pulled the trigger at several大汉 (burly men) rushing forward with knives.
Bang bang bang——!
Blood flowers bloomed on their legs, and they let out screams, falling to the ground one after another.
Wails, curses, gunshots, and the sound of tables and chairs falling sounded one after another. In just 30 seconds since Chen Ling entered, the entire tavern was in chaos. Thirteen out of the original fourteen people in the tavern were knocked out!
Chen Ling casually threw aside the empty pistol, stepped over a (burly man with four broken ribs, and as the man let out a scream, he unhurriedly walked to the only intact chair in the room and sat down.
"Boss, a glass of whiskey." Chen Ling kicked the man again, and another scream rang out, "Charge it to him."
The one-eyed boss standing behind the counter finally came to his senses, looking at Chen Ling with eyes full of fear.
Being able to run a tavern on Ice Spring Street and make it a gathering place for most residents, this one-eyed boss was naturally no ordinary person. He had traveled through the seven districts and met many people, but he had never seen a young person as decisive and ruthless as Chen Ling.
Is this guy a probationary member?!
He would even believe if someone said this guy was a law enforcer!
The one-eyed boss wisely put away the revolver he had secretly held in his hand, bowed his head to take out a wine glass, and began preparing whiskey.
"Name." Chen Ling crossed his legs, put the form on his lap, and said coldly.
In the silent tavern, no one answered.
"I'm asking you!"
He kicked the man's broken ribs.
"Aaaaaah... Li Mang! Li Mang!" The man immediately gave in.
"Where were you the night the disaster invaded?"
"I... I was right here in this tavern."
"Did you see the appearance of that disaster?"
"I think I did... I happened to come out to relieve myself and saw it flash by on the street... It should be humanoid." The man trembled and told the truth.
Chen Ling didn't speak again. He stood up, took the whiskey from the counter, swirled it twice, and the clear ice cubes clinked against the glass wall.
Then, he picked up the glass and slowly poured it over the man's bloody wound...
"AAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!" Heart-wrenching screams echoed through the street,
"I was telling the truth!! It's all true!!!"
"Do you know that without solid evidence, reporting situations to law enforcers with words like 'think' and 'should' is considered spreading rumors." Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly,
"I'll ask you again... Did you see it?"
"I... I... I really..."
The glass in Chen Ling's hand gradually tilted, and more and more alcohol poured onto the wound, making the man tremble with pain!
"...No!! I didn't see it!! I saw nothing!!!"