Chapter 83: Strengthening Serum

The billiard hall owner’s words warmed my heart. There are still good people in this world, but he was just an ordinary person after all. How could he possibly help? It was better not to bring him any trouble. I had originally intended to find Li Hong in the hall, but after a moment’s thought, I decided to back out.

However, just as I turned to leave, I was spotted by Li Hong’s group. One of them shouted directly, "Boss, it’s that idiot Yang Yun!"

The group’s gazes all turned toward me. I turned and started walking outside, fearing that a conflict inside the billiard hall would cause trouble for the owner.

Seeing that I wanted to leave, Li Hong and his men were not about to agree. Several of them rushed out to chase me, but just as they reached the door, they were blocked by the owner: "Handsome gentlemen, you haven't paid yet!"

"Damn it, pay? Hell, when have I ever paid when I come here to play? Get out of my way!" one of them cursed at the owner.

"Handsome gentlemen, I’m running a small business here. Once or twice is fine, but I can’t handle this every single day!" The owner looked at them with a troubled expression, though he seemed to be doing it on purpose, as if he were buying time for me.

"Damn it, I think you're looking for death!"

Just as a few of them were about to lay hands on the owner, Li Hong spoke up: "Enough, don't waste time. Pay the money, we need to catch up!"

Hearing this, the man who had been cursing snorted, tossed a red banknote at the owner, and cursed, "Keep the change, use the extra to burn some paper for your family!"

"How are you talking? How did your family raise you? Such filthy language?" A look of anger slowly appeared on the owner’s face.

"Damn it, you're really looking for death!" The man who had been cursing moved to attack the owner. The owner stood there silently, without dodging. As the man rushed over, the owner reached out, grabbed the guy’s finger, and bent it backward. A "crack" sound was heard; just hearing it made one feel the pain.

But to everyone’s surprise, the guy whose finger had been snapped didn't scream at all. Instead, he angrily kicked the owner. The owner instinctively let go of the finger and retreated sharply.

I was watching this scene from not far away, my mouth agape in surprise. I hadn't expected the owner of this shop to be such a formidable expert. Not only was he skilled, but his strikes were ruthless; he looked like a big shot who had spent time in the underworld.

The owner frowned, looked at the man with the bent finger, chuckled, and said, "This must be the strengthening serum. I didn't expect anyone to still be using this. You all have a lot of nerve!"

Hearing the owner’s words, Li Hong’s expression changed. He stared fixedly at the owner and asked, "Who are you?"

"I’m just an ordinary commoner running a shop," the owner replied with a faint, carefree smile, showing no signs of panic or tension.

Seeing the owner’s reaction, Li Hong’s face turned extremely ugly. The man with the bent finger shouted, "Damn you, I don't care who you are, go to hell!"

Seeing this, Li Hong hurriedly shouted at the man: "Chen Feng, stop!"

But it was too late. The owner kicked Chen Feng several meters away. Chen Feng slammed heavily into the wall, his whole body began to twitch, and he slowly foamed at the mouth before passing out.

"Strengthening serum is, after all, just a serum. This guy will likely be an idiot after this. I advise you to stop this crazy behavior, or you will bring a death sentence upon yourself and your family," the owner said, staring at Li Hong.

Li Hong was clearly stunned by the situation. He looked at Chen Feng lying on the ground and then said to the two men beside him, "Send him to the hospital and see if he can be saved!"

Then Li Hong looked at the owner, bowed respectfully, and said, "I apologize for my subordinate’s offense. I will come to apologize in person another day. I have matters to attend to today, so I will take my leave!"

After speaking, Li Hong led his men out. I looked at Li Hong with angry eyes: "Where did you hide Su Xueya?"

"You’ll have to ask Chen Duxiu about that. I don't know!"

"Who are you trying to fool? That guy Chen Duxiu is your follower; how could you not know?"

"I said I don't know, so I don't know. Don't bother me, or I'll kill you!"

Li Hong had no intention of dealing with me right now; he left with his group, likely because his plans had changed due to the sudden appearance of the owner.

After seeing them leave, I walked into the shop and looked at the owner: "Uncle, I didn't expect you to be so powerful! How did you train to be like this?"

"It’s nothing too special, just practiced a lot when I was young. I believe you can do it too in the future!"

"By the way, Uncle, what is this strengthening serum you mentioned? These people suddenly became so powerful; does it have to do with this serum?"

"The strengthening serum dates back to the world war decades ago. At that time, in order to achieve the ambition of unifying the world, the R-country conducted crazy biochemical experiments to research super soldiers, thus developing this serum. After an ordinary person drinks it, their body’s potential is developed to the extreme, and they instantly gain strong combat power while also losing the ability to feel pain—a living combat machine. However, this is only temporary. This intensity can last at most two or three years, and after that, the person’s body will slowly age, their physical functions will degenerate, and within a year or two, they will look older than someone in their sixties. This is because the serum essentially overdraws the person’s physical functions and lifespan. Moreover, if they are crippled during these two or three years of peak combat power, they will become mentally disabled. It is a truly inhumane drug, which is why it was later banned!"

"Ah? There’s such a drug? That’s too terrifying. How does Li Hong have such a thing?"

"That guy is clearly no good. You must be careful. I suspect the people beside him have mostly used this drug. Although the abilities gained from this drug are not worth mentioning to an expert, it is more than enough to deal with a rookie like you who has just stepped into the world of martial arts!"

I nodded. It seems the Li family is currently involved in something quite malicious. I must find a way to collect evidence and bring them to justice as soon as possible, otherwise, I don't know how many more people will be harmed by this drug.

"By the way, is there an antidote for this?" I suddenly asked the owner, because Chen Duxiu and many classmates at school had also taken this drug. If I want to save them, I probably need to find an antidote.