"What kind of joke is this? If we really go and steal from your sister, I don't know if Seraphina will come after you, but she'll definitely chop me into pieces!"
"You stop right there!" Julia grabbed Lucian's arm, fuming with anger. "You're a grown man—how can you be such a coward?"
"This isn't about courage. It's about principles," Lucian said patiently. "And I'm telling you, don't even think about pulling something like this. What does a high schooler like you need that much money for anyway? Isn't a hundred grand a month enough? If you keep acting like this, aren't you worried your sister will be heartbroken?"
"Don't talk like you know everything!" Julia snapped. "I'm not spending the money on myself—I need it to save someone's life!"
"To save a life?" Lucian turned around, surprised. "Someone in your family sick?"
"No!" Julia barked. "If you're not going to help, then shut up! I'll figure it out myself. Hmph. And to think I kept calling you brother-in-law—you're just a spineless coward!"
"Hold on. If you really have a good reason, I'll lend you the money," Lucian said calmly.
"Really?" Julia's eyes lit up with hope, grabbing onto his arm. "You actually have money? I need five hundred thousand!"
Lucian's knees nearly gave out, but he forced himself to stay calm and said, "Relax. If it's really to save someone's life, I'll find a way to get you a million if that's what it takes."
He didn't have that kind of money, but Firecannon and Weisen weren't exactly strapped for cash. If he asked them, a few hundred thousand—or even a million—wouldn't be a problem.
Seeing that Lucian wasn't joking, Julia quickly blurted out, "Tonight's my classmate's birthday, so we all went to a bar to celebrate. Everyone got pretty drunk, and we ended up getting into a fight with some gang members. One of the guys in my class split someone's head open—"
"So now they're demanding compensation?" Lucian asked.
"Compensation?!" Julia was furious. "That's not compensation—it's extortion! The guy just had a little blood on his head! A quick trip to the hospital, some bandages, a shot or two—what, a few thousand tops? But they're asking for five hundred grand!"
Lucian now understood Julia's predicament. He casually lit a cigarette and said, "Didn't you say your allowance is a hundred grand a month? And a head wound only costs a few thousand to treat. What are you doing with all that money—cooking with fire made of cash?"
Julia muttered angrily, "I've got a lot of friends. Just one dinner out can cost thousands. Of course it goes fast!"
Lucian chuckled. Now he understood why this little princess liked to call herself a heroine. Immature, maybe even foolish—but which teenager didn't want to live large? Even back in his day, hadn't he gone around standing up for people, getting himself beaten up more than once, yet never learning his lesson?
On the flip side, you had to admit—Julia was loyal. Her classmate messed up, and she was the one out here in the middle of the night trying to bail them out.
He smiled, flicked his cigarette away, and asked, "So your classmates are being held somewhere?"
"Yeah," Julia nodded quickly. "They said if we don't come up with the five hundred grand tonight, they'll cut off one of my classmate's hands!"
"Why didn't you call the cops?" Lucian asked. "Even if you guys started it, they have no right to do something like that."
Julia's expression changed slightly, and she said in a low voice, "They're not just some random gang. Calling the cops won't help."
"You guys really have a death wish," Lucian said, frowning. "A bunch of high school kids getting into street fights with gangsters—do you even know what danger looks like?"
Julia realized how serious things had gotten and asked helplessly, "Then what should I do? The fight already happened. What am I supposed to do—just watch my classmate get their hand chopped off?"
Lucian gently patted her head to calm her down. "Don't panic. Since they're asking for money, they probably won't hurt anyone—at least not right away. Come on, I'll go with you to get your friend out."
Julia nodded gratefully, then suddenly looked worried. "Wait… did you bring any money? They're gangsters—they only take cash."
Gangsters?
Lucian smirked to himself. Kid, back when I was dealing with street thugs, you were still playing with dirt in preschool.
Julia chose to celebrate her classmate's birthday at a mid-range nightclub called "Maple Leaf," located near the university town, which primarily catered to students. The venue typically attracted a student crowd, and compared to the high-end clubs in the city center, "Maple Leaf" maintained a relatively relaxed atmosphere. Even if drunken brawls occasionally broke out, they were usually kept under control and not chaotic.
When Lucian and Julia arrived by taxi at around 1:30 AM, the energy of the club had noticeably faded. The once lively dance floor now had only a few tired students lazily swaying their hips in a last-ditch effort to attract attention. Most guests were either too inebriated or preparing to leave. "With your monthly allowance of 100,000, you call yourself a 'little rich lady,' and yet you bring your classmates to this mediocre place to celebrate? Aren't you worried they might talk behind your back about your family's wealth and slowly distance themselves from you?" Lucian commented, lighting a cigarette and casually scanning the dance floor.
The few girls dancing there had decent figures but average faces, and their moves were amateurish at best. Lucian couldn't help but leave a lackluster review of "Maple Leaf."
"I'm nearly out of money by the end of the month. For this outing, I even borrowed from a middle school classmate," Julia admitted candidly, not shy about her financial situation.
"Where have they locked your classmates up?" Lucian discreetly scanned the area and noticed several bar staff eyeing him suspiciously. He quickly decided to keep his voice down.
"They're in a private room on the second floor," Julia explained. "After a fight, the other party wouldn't let us leave until they collected the money. They said if we don't get the cash before dawn, they'll chop off one of my classmate's hands."
"Aren't the club owners going to intervene?" Lucian found a seat at the bar and ordered a strong tequila, savoring the taste as he took a sip.
"The owner wouldn't dare interfere. Those guys are hardened gangsters. Just getting through the night without any trouble is a blessing." Julia noticed Lucian was surprisingly relaxed while drinking and felt a pang of urgency. "Brother-in-law, I invited you here to help rescue them, not to drink. Can we focus on something serious?"
"The only serious thing to do at 2 AM is sleep beauty sleep," Lucian said nonchalantly, catching the worried expression on Julia's face. "Have you heard the saying? You need to know your opponent's strengths to enjoy the game."
"What do you mean?" Julia furrowed her brows. "Our enemies are in the private room upstairs. Aside from a few patrons, it's just the bar staff here. What can you learn about their strength?"
"You've been here before, haven't you?" Lucian smirked.
"A couple of times," Julia replied absently.
"The owner treats you well? Always giving you drinks?" Lucian asked.
"How did you know?" Julia was surprised. "The owner is really nice. There was one time we had a dispute, and he helped mediate."
"Naive!" Lucian frowned. "With your spending habits, of course, the owner treats you well. If he helped you before, why would he help this time? Don't tell me it's because they're ruthless gangsters. Anyone who runs a bar knows a few guys from the underworld. If you were the owner, would you let small-time thugs cause trouble in your establishment and risk losing customers?"
Julia's expression hardened. "So you're saying the bar owner isn't a good person either?"
"Maybe the owner and the ones extorting you are in cahoots," Lucian smiled.
"What!?" Julia's anger flared, and she slammed her hand on the table. "Why would that scumbag do this? I've never defaulted on a payment!"
"Maybe you're just too generous with your money. They could easily see your wealthy background and think they can extract a lot from you. Why not set a trap and make a quick buck?" Lucian replied with a grin.
"I can't let them get away with this! I'm going to call the police!" Julia insisted angrily.
"Call the police?" Lucian chuckled, incredulity on his face.
"If you dare to call, they will actually chop off your classmate's hand. Those gangsters only care about their image. If they get caught by a bunch of high school students, how will they ever show their face again?"
"Then what should we do?" Julia asked frantically.
Initially, she thought the issue was her fault. Although the amount they were asking was high, she believed if she could gather the money, they could settle things. But now, after hearing Lucian's insights, she realized she'd been tricked. Given her fearless nature, Julia was not the type to let this slide.
"Just follow my lead when the time comes." Lucian finished his drink, grabbed his pack of cigarettes, and stood up, ready to head to the second floor and negotiate for the release of her classmates. Just then, a noticeably overweight man came bustling over, sweating profusely and looking pale. "Miss Julia, do you have the money? Those guys are getting impatient."
Under normal circumstances, Julia might have felt guilty about involving the club owner, but after Lucian's reminder, she simply replied coldly, "Do you not see that I've brought someone substantial?"
The owner glanced at Lucian, forcing an awkward smile. "Sir, what do you prefer to be called?"
"No need for pleasantries. Let's just head upstairs and negotiate," Lucian replied, leading Julia toward the second floor.
The owner followed behind them, observing Lucian's calm demeanor, which hinted at a certain coldness. In his eyes, a glint of cunning flashed. He subtly signaled to the staff downstairs, indicating that it was time to close up.
There were seven or eight private rooms on the second floor, already quiet except for one larger room at the end, inside which lights flickered. The corridor was eerily silent, adding to the tension.
Lucian walked ahead while Julia anxiously grabbed his arm, her initial courage evaporating. Especially upon hearing the call for closing time downstairs, her heart raced with worry about whether Lucian could gather the money and if they would endure torture.
Thinking along those lines, Julia stealthily reached into her bag, preparing to call the police if things took a turn for the worse. But just as she began to reach for her phone, the owner sneered from behind, "Miss Julia, they've warned you. If you dare to call the police, they will definitely chop off one of your classmate's hands."
Julia shivered, quickly retracting her hand and gritting her teeth. "They're nothing but a bunch of thugs!"
"Thugs kill and rob," the owner laughed grimly. "Don't insult thugs; they're beneath that."
Upon hearing this, the owner felt anger rising, but his mind was already set on taking revenge on Lucian now that he got his hands on money.
"They're right in there!" Julia pointed at a door ahead.
"Okay," Lucian replied casually and pushed the door open.
As the door swung wide, a blinding light filled the room, momentarily dazzling Julia, who instinctively shielded her eyes. Lucian, however, remained unfazed, walking calmly into the spacious private room.
The room was about fifty square meters, decorated in a dark, low-key style, fitting for rebellious students throwing large parties. The disco lights were off, and the giant screen simply played music videos without sound. As Julia followed Lucian inside, she was taken aback by the scene before her!
Four or five boys, beaten and battered, were kneeling on the floor, their faces resembling unrecognizable masses of bruised flesh. A couple of sobbing girls sat on a circular sofa, surrounded by one or two muscular young men. The petrified expressions of the girls and their more disheveled appearances hinted at the trauma they had endured. Lucian could only guess about any further violations, as his own experience with such things was blissfully unaware.
Certainly, Lucian's first time was with Seraphina, but back then, he hadn't comprehended what was happening and couldn't recall any details.
But even with his ignorance, Julia was filled with anger, her face turning crimson!
"How can you shamelessly beat someone like this? I already said I would bring you the money!" Julia shouted through gritted teeth.
Her sudden appearance seemed to boost the spirits of the desperate girls, while the boys, forced to kneel, were more vocal now, barely able to speak, the impact of the beating lingering in their minds. Seeing Julia's arrival, they desperately clung to her as their last hope for rescue.
The circular sofa was spacious, accommodating not just the weeping girls but at least seven or eight brutish men sitting around. The atmosphere felt stifling with close to twenty people in the room, pressing down on them with a suffocating weight.
The room was enveloped in a haze of smoke, with the guys looking fierce and intimidating. Had it not been for Lucian standing beside Julia, she would surely have been frightened and avoided making eye contact. Despite Lucian's presence, a part of her was worried about whether they could resolve the situation without further injury to her classmates.
"We've been waiting for too long; we need to have some fun," one of the men, looking to be in his thirties, lit a cigarette and smiled at Julia. "Miss Julia, originally, if you could've brought the fifty thousand by midnight, I would have let them go easily. But now? I want a million."
As he spoke, two burly young men forcibly lifted one of the sturdier boys, placing their foot on his wrist while brandishing a gleaming switchblade, ready to strike.
This particular student was the one who had been beaten the most. With several visible fissures on his face and blood everywhere, one leg was limply hanging at an odd angle, clearly dislocated from the beating. However, he remained stoic; despite the pain, he didn't scream. Now, facing the imminent threat of losing a hand, fear flickered in his eyes.
"Let him go!" Julia cried out. "You just want money, right? I'll give you what you want!"
The young man waved his hand dismissively. "Money can be discussed. What do you have for us?"
"You just asked for fifty thousand, and then suddenly it's a million! Where am I going to get that much?" Lucian said in dissatisfaction.
"Borrowing isn't that hard," Julia urged.
"Then hurry and borrow!" Julia pressed him.
Lucian casually glanced at Julia and shot a wink. "I can call to borrow the money right now. But how do I know after I give you the cash, you'll let us go?"
"If there's one thing to uphold, it's our word," the young man replied, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
"Going from fifty to a million is quite the leap. I can't trust you," Lucian responded, adopting an attitude of bargaining.
His skepticism was met with a cold stare from the young gangster. "What do you suggest?"
"Let them go first. Then I'll help you with the money," Lucian offered, pulling out a bank card. "This holds fifty thousand. I can give you the PIN right now, and then you can send someone to collect it."
Lucian's cooperation seemed to sway them. He subtly glanced at the owner behind him, receiving a confirming nod before the young man stated, "They may go. But you and Miss Julia are required to stay."
"That's fair enough." Lucian tossed the card casually, turning to the frightened girls. "What? You're leaving without helping the boys up?"
Several girls exchanged guilty glances, rallied by Lucian's words, and hobbled over to assist the boys.
The student who had taken the worst beating staggered over to Lucian, mumbled incoherently, "I'll stay with you guys."
"Loyalty!" Lucian patted the boy's shoulder with a bit too much force, causing him to wince in pain.
"I just let them go. Now you can tell me the PIN and how to borrow the money." The young man smiled, glaring eagerly.
But Lucian simply relaxed on the sofa, taking a sip of strong liquor. "The PIN is six ones. As for borrowing money, I need to craft a plausible reason; otherwise, no one will lend me any cash."
"That sounds reasonable. Take your time," the gangster nodded, handing the card to a nearby thug. "Let's head to the bank to get the cash."
"What do you mean go to the bank?" Lucian clarified. "This card doesn't have online banking; you'll need to hit an ATM to grab the money."
"No online banking?" The gangster frowned, his disdain palpable. "What is this, the dark ages? You don't even have a card with online banking?" As he ranted, he instructed some of his mates, "Let's go to the bank to withdraw. Bring a suitcase; fifty thousand is a lot of cash."
As his words left his mouth, the chubby owner, filled with rage, rushed forward, snatching the bank card from the gangster's hand while cursing, "Idiot! ATM limits are five thousand bucks! Who's ever available to get cash at this hour?"
"What are we supposed to do now?"
"Call and verify if this card has fifty thousand!" The owner's voice was rife with ire; he somewhat fantasized about being swindled. He turned back to glare at Lucian, sternly warning, "If you're scamming us, you won't see the sunrise tomorrow!"
"Can't you see it's obviously a scam?" Lucian chuckled, appearing unfazed. "You are one dumb pig."
As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere in the room dropped to an icy chill.
Scam?
No money?
Exposed identities, and they had wasted an entire night?
The owner's gaze grew menacing, and the gangsters' eyes turned predatory, ready to strike at any moment.