He could no longer hold back. Clutching a knife, he vaulted over the balcony and leaped straight onto a raft below, landing right in front of Su Li and his group.
Now there were reinforcements arriving from Building B. Though he had no idea why Rui Ge and his two companions had suddenly lost their minds and jumped into the water to swim, the remaining people were still more than enough to handle the eleven in front of them. In terms of numbers, they held a significant advantage—seventeen in total. The opposing side had eleven, but three were women, one of whom was a child, clearly lacking any combat capability, just there to pad the count.
Unlike the hawk-nosed man’s fury, the eleven who had just arrived from Building B mostly wore strange expressions, their faces varied. None of them spoke, nor did they step forward to back him up.
The hawk-nosed man had taken over Golden Eagle No. 1 Building A early yesterday, so he had no idea what had happened in Building B, nor did he know that Ding Shijie had left and never returned overnight.
In a world as dangerous as this, many people had a vague understanding of what an overnight absence meant. Coupled with Rui Ge and his two companions’ haggard escape back yesterday, everyone harbored an ominous premonition.
Just now, when Rui Ge and the others saw Su Li’s group, they fled for their lives without a second thought. As long as these people weren’t completely dense, they likely understood what was going on. At this point, who would dare to step forward?
The hawk-nosed man jumped down, brandishing his knife with an angry, aggressive stance, only to realize that the eleven behind him were just standing on the raft, not echoing his move. This left him feeling awkward. He didn’t dare charge in alone, but retreating now would be a loss of face. So he turned his head and said, “Brothers, these people are too arrogant. Let’s all go together and teach them a lesson. The boss said before that anyone who dares to provoke outsiders can be killed without mercy—no need to hold back.”
He was invoking Ding Shijie’s name, hoping to warn these people into joining him against Su Li and the others.
The eleven on the two rafts exchanged glances, each watching the other’s moves, but none of them budged.
Ding Longyun found the scene both bizarre and amusing. He couldn’t help but grin, lifting his steel rod and saying, “You guys are acting like a bunch of sissies. If you want to fight, fight; if not, don’t. Why are you all just standing here dumbfounded? Hey, hawk-nose, if you want a fight, your grandpa here will play with you.”
The hawk-nosed man’s face turned an ugly shade. Even as dense as he was, he finally sensed something was off. The behavior of the group from Building B was too strange.
First, Rui Ge and his two companions had abandoned their raft and fled. Now these ten were silent, standing there unwilling to act. What did that mean?
A flicker of panic crept into the hawk-nosed man’s heart. His knife hand trembled, and as Ding Longyun stepped forward, he stumbled back a few paces.
Ding Longyun looked baffled. “Weren’t you about to fight? Why are you backing off now? What the hell are you playing at?”
Gong Xiao also leaped over, her phoenix eyes glinting coldly as she surveyed the crowd. “We’re taking these three buildings,” she said icily. “Either submit to us, or leave immediately. If anyone’s not convinced, they can try to stop us now.” As she spoke, she revealed the military spike in her hand.
She had been in a foul mood since waking up this morning, finding everything irritating, and was itching for a fight. She fixed her gaze on the hawk-nosed man, waiting for him to make the first move.
Before setting out, Su Li and Jiang Shuijue had told them to aim for a peaceful takeover of the Golden Eagle Alliance, avoiding conflict if possible and not striking first. If not for that, she would have already acted.
The hawk-nosed man’s face flushed red and pale by turns. He took another step back, now desperately wanting to jump into the water like Rui Ge and his companions and escape.
He was a Level 6 Source User with decent skills, but with the other eleven refusing to take a stand, how could he face Su Li’s group alone? Especially after Rui Ge’s terrifying display—he knew Rui Ge was stronger than him.
If even the stronger Rui Ge had been scared off, what was he doing here, foolishly charging in to fight?
He wanted to slap himself seventeen or eighteen times, cursing his own stupidity for doing something so idiotic.
As Ding Longyun and Gong Xiao closed in, his courage faltered. He couldn’t muster the nerve to fight, backing away until his face turned a beet-red shade.
Seeing that these people neither dared to fight nor wanted to leave, and no one offered to surrender, Su Li frowned slightly. He was about to lead the group into Building A, ready to strike down anyone who blocked them to establish authority.
Suddenly, Jiang Shuijue, who had been standing beside him, spoke up: “Look, more people are coming over there. This is getting lively.”
Gu Mingfeng, standing next to her, immediately added, “That looks like people from Shimao Center.”
Su Li turned to look at the distant Shimao Center, a forty-two-story building. In front of it, three rafts packed with people were rapidly approaching.
“Interesting,” Su Li said with a slight nod. It seemed reinforcements weren’t just coming from Building B—Shimao Center had sent people too.
“Let’s wait until they’re all here and settle it in one go.” Su Li wasn’t in a hurry; he had plenty of patience.
Seeing that Shimao Center had also sent a group, the hawk-nosed man’s courage swelled, and he steadied himself.
Shimao Center had dispatched a sizable force, spread across three rafts, totaling seventeen people.
The distance to Shimao Center wasn’t far—no more than 1,500 meters in a straight line. The three rafts soon arrived before everyone.
On the central raft stood four people. Two men were on either side, paddling, while a man and a woman stood shoulder to shoulder at the front.
The man was around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, not old, but sporting a short beard. He wore a faint, enigmatic smile—not particularly handsome, but exuding a rugged charm. Beside him stood a young, pretty woman, the only female among the seventeen. They held hands, standing side by side, with her leaning against him, looking very affectionate.
“Brother Wu!” the hawk-nosed man recognized him and called out from a distance.
He had met this man once while following Ding Shijie, knowing his name was Wu Feng, the leader of Shimao Center. His status was similar to Gao Shupeng, the former head of Building A, and even Ding Shijie had to show him some respect.
Wu Feng had personally brought his people, naturally because he’d noticed the conflict here.
The hawk-nosed man knew Wu Feng, but Wu Feng had no memory of him. Hearing the enthusiastic greeting, he merely nodded without responding, then sized up Su Li, Jiang Shuijue, Gong Xiao, and the others.
The three rafts slowly came to a halt, leaving about four or five meters of water between the two sides. They sized each other up, weapons in hand. With Wu Feng’s group from Shimao Center arriving, the atmosphere grew tense.
“Where are you all from? Why is everyone stopped here?” Wu Feng broke the silence with a faint smile, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Shuijue, then Gong Xiao, and finally settling on Su Li and Ding Longyun.
The hawk-nosed man quickly spoke up, “Brother Wu, they came out of nowhere and suddenly said they’re taking over our Golden Eagle Alliance. They told us to either submit or get out right now. The boss isn’t here, so we’re counting on you to make the call.”
Wu Feng didn’t know Ding Shijie was in trouble. Hearing this, he looked at Su Li and Jiang Shuijue with surprise. “You want to take over the Golden Eagle Alliance?” He then glanced at the hawk-nosed man and muttered, “Ding isn’t here? Where’s he run off to now?”
The young woman leaning on Wu Feng let out a tinkling laugh. “Feng Ge, are these people crazy? Saying something so stupid. They want to take over the Golden Eagle Alliance? Hey, hawk-nose, are you making this up?”
The hawk-nosed man hated being called “hawk-nose,” but knowing Wu Feng doted on this woman, he didn’t dare show his displeasure. He forced a dry laugh. “I’m not lying. That’s what they just said.”
Hearing this, the young woman turned to Su Li and Ding Longyun, smiling. “Hey, I’m asking you. Did you really say you’re taking over the Golden Eagle Alliance?”
Su Li replied, “That’s right. I’ve taken a liking to these three buildings. If you’re willing to stay, you’re welcome. If not, leave now. I won’t stop you. It’s all up to you.”
At Su Li’s words, the young woman was genuinely stunned. Wu Feng’s group was equally taken aback. They exchanged looks, and a few couldn’t help but laugh.
“Kid, that joke isn’t funny. It might get people killed,” Wu Feng said, his smile fading as he studied Su Li, then glanced at Jiang Shuijue beside him. He felt a pang of disappointment, realizing the girl next to him was prettier than his own woman, which made him feel outdone.
Su Li smiled faintly. “So you’re saying you’ll stop us from taking over these three buildings?”
Wu Feng said, “Where are you from? You don’t look crazy, but do you know where you are? I’m Wu Feng. I run Shimao Center. I’ve got over forty people under me alone. Add in the people from these two buildings, and we’re over a hundred. We’ve formed an alliance called the Golden Eagle Alliance. Kid, you say you want to take over this place? With just these eleven people?”
Ding Longyun grew impatient. “Who cares where we’re from? The point is, we’re taking these three buildings today. Anyone willing to submit can stay—we’ll welcome them. Anyone who doesn’t want to, get the hell out now, before we change our minds.”