Chapter 139: Trap? Counterattack

The bully was counting silver in the shop, shaking his head and humming a little tune, enjoying himself immensely.

Box after box of silver shimmered with a soft glow under the lamplight; they were truly little darlings that caught the eye and captivated the soul.

That is all my money, my money!

Zhou You watched the scene before him, a roar erupting within his heart.

Not paying rent yet still wanting to do business, earning without covering costs—there is no such good thing in the whole world!

Coming here today is for no other reason than to settle the accounts clearly!

"Trial Project (Two-Star Level): Break the bully's ambush and successfully reclaim the wealth."

"Trial Project (Three-Star Level): This matter is not as simple as it appears on the surface; there is a conspiracy hidden behind it and even stronger enemies. You must find the truth while ensuring your own safety."

The text on the panel flashed and vanished.

Faint sounds of breathing reached Zhou You's ears from all around; at least 50 or 60 people were lying in ambush in the shadows.

Looking again at the bully happily counting money, his movements were exaggerated and his expressions over-the-top; he was clearly just acting.

Waiting for the hare to hit the stump, casting a net to catch fish! Zhou You sneered and nodded; this guy was just bait, and someone wanted to use this to lure out Du Yan Lu Zhigang.

If Lu Zhigang did not appear, it would signify weakness and impotence, and the other fields, houses, and even that million catties of grain would be devoured by other wolves until nothing remained.

But once he appeared, the surrounding ambushers would seize the chance to strike.

Not to mention the panel's warning that an even more formidable character was hidden behind the scenes.

Daring to ambush Du Yan Lu Zhigang—besides having guts, their strength was not to be underestimated.

"Boom!"

A person broke through the roof and descended from the sky, landing in the middle of the shop.

The bully, hands clutching two pieces of silver, was suddenly stunned by the rain of broken roof tiles and stood frozen in place.

He shrieked at the top of his lungs, "Someone come, someone come!"

Just as Zhou You's feet touched the ground, he suddenly felt the texture under his soles was wrong.

The floor tiles cracked instantly, and a pitch-black pit appeared in the previously smooth ground, conservatively estimated at 10 meters in diameter.

The light could not reach the bottom of the pit; it was at least over 50 meters deep.

Who would dig a pit in their house for no reason, and a giant pit of such scale at that? Just the excavated earth alone could be piled into a small hill.

Such a massive project, and one that had to be disguised as a trap afterward, was incredibly costly and certainly not a spur-of-the-moment whim.

A 50-meter giant pit was just enough to counter the limit of Lu Zhigang's Lightness Skill.

Whoosh! With nowhere to borrow force under his feet, Zhou You fell straight into the depths of the pit.

The bully clutched his bleeding head and roared, "Quick, quick, quick, do it!"

The surrounding wall panels were pushed over, and the many ambushers who had been waiting for a long time swarmed out, holding various implements in their hands.

The dozen people in the lead held bamboo tubes and sprayed water cannons; the liquid was turbid like milk and emitted a stinging heat.

"Lime water."

They frantically poured quicklime and water into the pit; in the blink of an eye, it was boiling and bubbling.

A pungent odor filled the air, and the ambushers near the edge of the pit were all left with red, irritated eyes from the fumes.

Under these conditions, a piece of pork thrown into the pit would be cooked through on the spot.

The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, clearly practiced more than once, and the target was Zhou You.

In just a short moment, dozens of tons of lime water had been poured into the pit, and the air inside the entire room heated up rapidly.

After the water-cannon team retreated, a massive cast-steel disc descended from the sky, covering the giant pit completely like a pot lid; now, even if 'Lu Zhigang' grew wings, he wouldn't be able to fly out.

The giant pit was like a large pot, the iron disc like a lid, and the lime water was boiling and steaming.

This was a pot of stew, treating Zhou You like fish and meat to be simmered until bone and flesh dissolved.

Planned for a long time and with malicious intent, this was definitely not something a mere bully could orchestrate.

"Is he dead yet!"

The bully clutched his forehead and walked close to the giant pit, looking carefully—there was no movement. The other ambushers remained silent; they could not leave without orders, though, of course, the one giving the orders was not the bully.

Gurgle, gurgle! The sound of boiling lime water came from the giant pit, yet there was not a single scream or wail.

It sounded as if 'Lu Zhigang' had already melted in the pit.

Was it really that simple? "Pah, still the Poison Goose? I've got you dead to rights, giving you a hot bath."

The bully laughed heartily, hands on his hips, and spat into the giant pit.

As the spit landed on the net, the other ambushers curled their lips in disdain; that was just too classless.

Sizzle, sizzle! Sizzle, sizzle!

The iron disc, a fist thick, actually began to melt! This iron disc was specially cast to counter Lu Zhigang's poisonous palm wind; how could it be melted by a glob of spit? It was the corrosion of the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm!

In the blink of an eye, yellow, turbid, rusty molten iron flowed everywhere, and needle-sized holes began to pierce through the disc, the holes rapidly expanding and melting open.

The original environment of the room was filled with rising lime particles and steaming heat, foul and suffocating, making one feel fierce.

After the holes appeared, a gust of fresh air suddenly blew up from the bottom of the pit.

The bully was laughing heartily when, hit by the fresh breeze, his body from the waist down went numb on the spot, losing all sensation.

He could no longer move.

The ambushers nearby turned black in the face and fell to the ground dead one after another, their expressions frozen at the final moment of their lives.

The poisonous palm wind burst through the holes, silently taking dozens of lives.

With a loud bang, the iron disc was sent flying into mid-air, shattering into pieces!

Zhou You jumped out of the pit and looked down at the stiff bully, who was foaming at the mouth, his body twitching incessantly.

His eyes held pleading and hope as he blinked at Zhou You, begging for mercy.

"Who ordered you? Forget it, I suppose you wouldn't know anyway."

Zhou You snapped the bully's neck with one kick, sending him to the afterlife.

Traps, lime, iron covers, and well-trained men—gathering all these conditions requires a massive amount of manpower and resources; an ordinary person could not do it!

Zhou You twitched his eyebrows and turned to collect all the silver in the room; after a rough count, it was enough for him to refine another 20 Heart-Protecting Pills.

He carried the money box on his back and walked out of the room.

"Du Yan Lu Zhigang, the reputation is well-deserved."

Two figures by the street had been waiting for a long time, clapping and cheering for him.

Zhou You recognized them; one was the severely wounded and fugitive leader of the Lost Dog Gang, while the other looked somewhat unfamiliar, as he had never seen him before.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Bao Fan, and my master is Hall Master Bao of the Tiefeng Martial Arts Hall."

The person who was clapping and cheering introduced himself.

He then pointed to the Lost Dog Gang leader beside him, "This is my junior fellow apprentice, whom you have already met."

"Lu Zhigang, you are really not being a friend; we were in a bloody battle with the local gangs, why didn't you come to help?"

The Lost Dog Gang leader said indignantly, "Many brothers who came from Su City are dead."

"None of my business!"

Zhou You interrupted cleanly and decisively, "Today's events were instigated by you."

Just as he made a move to strike, Bao Fan on the opposite side spoke up to stop him, "We used a greedy fool; if we hadn't done that, we wouldn't have been able to get you to show yourself."

"Dozens of lives, plus a sum of silver, should be enough to appease your anger."

"Rest assured, after today, no one will dare to covet your wealth."

Zhou You shrugged, "You don't need to worry about my affairs; Bao Tiefeng has been having a hard time lately, you had better look after your own business."

Bao Fan thought to himself that the rumors were true: Lu Zhigang's temperament had changed drastically; not only had his strength advanced by leaps and bounds, but he had also become heartless and stubborn, seeing only tangible benefits in his eyes and ignoring any sense of friendship.

If it were not so, they would not have gone to such great lengths to set up today's trap to lure him out.

Such a desperate outlaw is truly troublesome!

(End of this chapter)