Chapter 177: The Bad Guest

Suddenly, the banquet hall's main door was kicked open.

The raucous music stopped abruptly, and the men and women on the dance floor froze in surprise. Everyone's gaze was drawn to the uninvited guest at the doorway.

A burly man strode in. He wore an immaculate white suit, but deliberately left his shirt collar undone, exposing his solid chest. His thick brows and large eyes bore a cynical smile, and a cigar dangled from his mouth, the exhaled smoke dripping with provocation.

"What a refined taste," the man grinned, flashing white teeth, "Boss Johnson, such a lively cocktail party—why not let Ma San have some fun?"

"What kind of barbarian is that?" Captain Smith frowned, asking in English in a low voice.

"Just a street thug," Johnson replied disdainfully, also in English, "He used to hang around the docks, now he's taken under Lin Yu's wing."

Seven or eight hulking men followed Ma San, eyeing the guests hungrily. Their waists were bulging, clearly each bearing a weapon.

"Hmph, such lowlifes dare intrude on my banquet," Johnson said in Chinese, his tone dripping with contempt, "Ma San, you'd better have your men leave at once. Otherwise, I don't mind calling the police to deal with this."

"Police?" Ma San swaggered to the bar, casually grabbing a bottle of whiskey, "Boss Johnson, haven't you figured out the situation? In today's Shen City, it's no longer your call."

Colonel Shanben sneered, "What an ignorant sick man of Dongya. You think relying on that thug Lin Yu lets you swagger here?"

"Exactly," the other Foreigners echoed, "Those Chinamen will never learn proper etiquette."

Ma San squinted, his gaze lingering on Colonel Shanben and Captain Smith, "Oh? A Kwantung Army colonel, a Yingjili captain... tsk tsk, such lofty titles."

He suddenly slammed the whiskey he held onto the table, "But in my eyes, you Foreign devils are nothing!"

"Audacious!" Colonel Shanben roared, "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Of course I do," Ma San sneered, "They're just dogs who rely on the concession to run rough. Now the concession's gone, they're nothing!"

The banquet hall erupted in uproar. The Foreigners shouted angrily, yet they dared not act against the hulking men Ma San brought. The gentlemen and ladies who had been chatting earlier now cowered in the corners, both angry and frightened.

Ma San leisurely exhaled a smoke ring, "Johnson, this whiskey's good. But..." He suddenly rose, "Next time you host a party like this, you'd better give Master Lin a heads‑up. Otherwise..."

He gave a meaning‑laden smile, leaving the sentence unfinished. Yet the threat was clear to everyone.

"Snap!"

Half a bottle of whiskey was tossed by Ma San onto the floor, the liquor splashing and staining the expensive Persian carpet with a dark blot. The Foreigners inhaled sharply; it was a pricey fine spirit.

Ma San blew out a smoke ring, lazily pointing at the banner hanging above the stage, "Lao Wu, do you recognize what that says?"

One broad‑shouldered subordinate squinted for a while, then scratched the back of his head, "Boss, that's foreign text... seems like... wait... 'Waiting for Dawn'?"

"'Waiting for Dawn'?" Ma San grinned, the cigar tip glowing red, "Those Foreign devils really love it. Waiting for Dawn? I'd say they're waiting for death!"

His men burst into raucous laughter. The coarse chuckles rang especially harsh in the elegant banquet hall.

"Baka!"

Colonel Shanben could no longer hold back. The Dongya soldier's face flushed red as he strode toward Ma San, "You ignorant sick man of Dongya, I order you to get you and your men out right now! Can't you hear?"

Johnson and the other Foreigners wore smug, gloating smiles. To them, a Kwantung Army colonel disciplining a street thug was perfectly normal.

But the next second, everyone was stunned.

Ma San moved like lightning, snatching the collar of Shanben's uniform. With a sudden surge of his left hand, he lifted the Eastern officer. Shanben's feet left the ground, flailing in the air like a marionette.

"You... you dare..." Shanben's face flushed red with anger and suffocation.

"What don't I dare?" Ma San sneered, pulling Shanben closer with his left hand.

Then, under everyone's horrified gaze, Ma San lifted his right hand slowly, aiming the burning cigar at Shanben's left eye.

"No! Stop!" Captain Smith shouted.

But it was already too late.

"Sss..."

Accompanied by a chilling sound, the cigar's flaming tip slammed onto Shanben's eye. A harrowing scream instantly rang through the banquet hall.

"Ah!!!"

Shanben thrashed like a dying fish, yet Ma San's iron‑clad grip left him immobile.

The banquet hall descended into chaos. The ladies screamed and fled, the gentlemen, though angry, dared not advance. Ma San's men had already brandished their weapons, eyes prowling at everyone.

"Remember this," Ma San released his grip, letting Shanben collapse to the floor, "In Shen City, your good days as Foreign devils are over. Anyone who dares flaunt themselves here, I'll take them down one by one!"

"Ma San!" Johnson suppressed his fury, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

"What?" Ma San scoffed, crushing the cigar onto the priceless mahogany table, "I heard you organized some party, plotting how to deal with Master Lin. I'm here to add some fun!"

He said this while striding toward the dance floor. The Foreigners scattered, except for a lady in a black evening gown who couldn't escape and was seized by Ma San in one grip.

"Ah!" the lady shrieked sharply.

Ma San looked down at the snow‑white skin exposed by her deep V‑neck, his gaze contemptuous, "Tsk tsk, so this is the great ocean horse you brag about? Nothing more than that."

He said it while roughly pushing the lady away; she staggered back a few steps, nearly falling.

"Bastard! How dare you!" a Yingjili gentleman in a tailcoat rushed forward, "I am Lord Stanley! You lowly..."

Before the words finished, Ma San kicked him. Stanley flew out like a kite with its line cut, crashing heavily into the wall and sliding to the floor.

"Lord?" Ma San spat, "I don't care if you're a lord or a grandpa! In Shen City, your good days as Foreign devils are over!"

He scanned the room; wherever his gaze fell, the Foreigners bowed their heads and stepped aside. The gentlemen and ladies who usually held themselves aloft now resembled startled quails, no longer daring any hint of arrogance.

"Remember today's lesson," Ma San grinned, flashing white teeth, "This Shen City belongs to the Lin family!"