Chapter 170: Fight

Following the sound, Lu Cheng looked over; steam rose from the pool, and the man's bald head was bright like a light bulb, a round skull, looking about thirty‑something and very sturdy.

"Old Sun, who is this person? He looks unfamiliar."

"We've had many unfamiliar faces these past few days, but I recognize this bald guy; some call him Guo Tuzi, apparently he lives around the shantytown area."

"Shantytown?" Lu Cheng was surprised. "Come all this way just to bathe?"

The Bathhouse culture in Capital City has been thriving since the Ming and Qing eras.

With Capital City's population around eight million, there are nearly hundreds of Bathhouses of all sizes to serve them, and more will appear as Educated Youth return to the city in large numbers.

Every winter, the Bathhouses are overcrowded.

Basically, in every district, a short walk brings you to a Bathhouse; there's no need to go far.

Old Sun explained, "That's not even your idea; everyone came here to have Comrade Li Huiying fix their feet."

So that's why, after that day, Li Huiying was exhausted to the point of gasping.

Finding the gun was urgent, and Lu Cheng ignored Guo Tuzi.

Fortunately, most people in the Bathhouse were familiar faces; seeing Lu Cheng's anxious look, they opened their lockers for inspection.

In fact, seeing everyone so proactive, Lu Cheng knew nothing could be found.

The fact was the same: after searching all lockers, they found no Handgun, and finally their eyes fell on the only remaining locker, number 62.

"Whose is locker number 62?" Old Sun shouted hoarsely.

No one answered; everyone watched as if it were entertainment, eager to catch the thief and then drag him to the nearby Police Substation.

Seeing no one speak, Old Sun gave Xiao Qin a look, meaning to use the spare key to open it.

But just as Xiao Qin was about to turn toward the counter, Guo Tuzi, who had been bathing all along, slowly stood up.

Along with Guo Tuzi, three more people stood up beside him, clearly a gang.

Guo Tuzi shouted, "My locker."

Old Sun looked over, smiling, and said, "Comrade, something was lost in our Bathhouse; please open it for us."

"Not opening."

"No, Comrade…"

"I said, not opening! My ears are deaf! Whoever dares open it today, I'll smash your Bathhouse."

Old Sun tried to be courteous, but Guo Tuzi's attitude was hard; he clearly looked like a thug.

Old Sun was at a loss; after all, without certainty it was stolen and with no cooperation, there was no reason to force a search.

"Lu San'er, looks like we have to call the police."

Lu Cheng nodded; after all, he was a hard‑boiled cop, and when the officers arrived—though not from the same department, they were all part of the police family.

Immediately, Old Sun went to the counter and dialed the emergency number; the police would arrive in a while, and while waiting, Lu Cheng sat at the counter doorway to keep watch.

Sure enough, when Guo Tuzi saw the police had been called, he and the three others stopped scrubbing backs or fixing feet, dried themselves in the pool, put on their clothes, and walked out.

Just as they reached the doorway, Lu Cheng thrust his foot forward to block them.

Guo Tuzi glanced, "What's this? Not letting us go?"

Lu Cheng said calmly, "You just said I have no right to search you, so we'll wait for the police."

"What if I don't wait?"

"Then you can't leave."

Seeing Lu Cheng's resolve, Guo Tuzi looked at the three companions, and they all laughed.

"That Sun kid's pretty badass, standing here all big‑shot."

One of them, wearing a dog‑skin hat, muttered something, stepped forward, and grabbed Lu Cheng by the collar.

"You think you can look me in the eye? You're looking for trouble, move fast or I'll… ah! Pain, pain, pain!"

Lu Cheng shrugged, shook off the hand, then quickly seized the opponent's wrist and twisted it downward.

The opponent, in sharp pain, grimaced and shouted hurt, and involuntarily knelt on the ground.

"Let go of me." Guo Tuzi, not expecting the kid to resist, barked.

But Lu Cheng quickly pulled the man up, then kicked him over two meters away, sending him flipping onto the counter.

Old Sun jumped in surprise, "Lu San'er, no fighting."

"It's fine, Old Sun, they made the first move; these guys don't look like they're here to bathe properly, and my hands are itchy today, so I'll teach them a lesson."

Guo Tuzi, enraged, said, "You kid are pretty reckless, up you go, I'll beat you to death."

Hearing Guo Tuzi's words, the other two swung their wrists, shook their heads side to side, and slowly approached.

One flat‑head said, "Heaven has a road you don't take."

Another replied, "Hell, hell, no hell, nothing…"

Lu Cheng laughed; so he was a stutterer.

Being mocked, Ping Tou shouted dissatisfied, "Liu Zi, stop it, beat him."

The two lunged with fists, but when they were a step away, Lu Cheng leapt, kicking Ping Tou in the chest.

His foot never touched the ground; his body spun mid‑air, then another kick swept across Jie Ba's head.

Jie Ba fell onto his side, his neck stiffened, and he croaked, "No… no door, still trying to break in."

After saying that, he finally collapsed onto the ground.

Watching the three, they were knocked down in an instant, rolling in pain, and Guo Tuzi's heart skipped a beat.

"I didn't see it, kid, you're still a practitioner."

Lu Cheng patted his clothes, "No nonsense, you're their leader, right? If you're not satisfied, we'll spar one‑on‑one."

The other three helped each other up; Ping Tou shouted, "You're way too reckless, you can still apologize, spar with our bald old man one‑on‑one, you're no match."

Lu Cheng, who often trained in martial arts, could tell at a glance that Guo Tuzi was also a practitioner; even if not, he'd spent years doing heavy labor, so his strength was undeniable.

But Lu Cheng has never been scared of anyone.

"Whether he's a match, you'll only know after we spar."

In front of the junior, Guo Tuzi certainly can't lose face.

He glanced toward the outside and signaled: "We can't play here, let's head to the road and make a path. Whoever falls today, don't call for mother."

"Whoever shouts, they're the grandson!"

Guo Tuzi nodded; he didn't expect the kid to be so daring, and in two steps walked outside, assuming a stance.

There was a spectacle to watch; the doorway was crowded, because he had just come out of the Bathhouse wearing only a big pair of underpants, and was suddenly freezing and shivering.

Even so, not a single person went back to the Bathhouse; watching a fight was too exciting.

Lu Cheng brushed his arms, stared intently at the opponent, Guo Tuzi charged first, his punches coming fast; Lu Cheng sidestepped just in time, about to strike back, when a whistling sound rang from the entrance.

"Stop, no fighting allowed."

Lu Cheng turned his head and saw that it was the police called by Old Sun.

After all, retrieving the gun was urgent, the fight secondary; Lu Cheng lowered his stance, and Guo Tuzi, being sensible, stood upright obediently.

Three police officers in uniform arrived, but when Lu Cheng saw one of them clearly, he felt a sense of familiarity.

Suddenly he remembered, that wasn't Qin Shou, was it?

The reason he recognized him: first, he had yanked this guy's pants on the train; second, the guy's name was "Beastly".