Seeking Revenge
Since the formation of the Young Master's Gang, their morale had never been as low as it was today.
Luke Shaw looked at them apathetically, his voice carrying an edge of cold menace compared to his usual tone.
"Why are all your heads hanging? Are you scared? Are you looking for comfort from me?"
Wang Hu shouted loudly, "Boss, we're not scared. We're just frustrated."
"Right, frustrated."
"It's too frustrating."
Everyone was filled with righteous indignation, grinding their teeth as they recalled what had happened.
Luke said deeply, "It's right that you feel frustrated. At least it means you're still men."
"Heal up well. The fight has just begun."
The men's expressions hardened, and a murderous intent appeared on their scarred faces. The few nurses changing bandages quickly hid inside the patient rooms, not daring to peek out.
Luke called the doctor over to check on the situation. After confirming that everyone was merely injured to varying degrees and not in life-threatening danger, he left Carol and went alone to the VIP area.
Danny was staying there; he was the most severely injured among the group of brothers.
Seeing Luke, Danny's face was tight, his eyes filled with deep guilt.
"I'm sorry, Boss. I let you down."
Luke shook his head. "When you're the boss, don't say 'I'm sorry.' This wasn't your fault."
"But I lost. I lost badly."
Luke picked up an apple and began peeling it, speaking as he worked. "My grandfather told me when I was little: As a man, you can be defeated, but never surrendered." He looked up, staring directly at Danny.
"Tell me, are you going to surrender?"
Danny clenched his jaw, shaking his head resolutely.
"I won't surrender, even if I die."
"Now that's the aura of a boss." Luke placed the peeled apple in front of him. "Heal up well. You're a gang leader. Some matters need to be settled by your own hands."
With that, he turned and left.
Outside the VIP area, he summoned Wang Hu, Tony, and Dio to an empty patient room.
"Talk. What happened?"
Tony couldn't help but roar, "That bastard was just looking for trouble!"
Luke glanced at him. "Looking for trouble?"
"Yes!" Tony clutched his swollen right cheek, his voice full of outrage. "Tonight, we were helping Danny deal with some loose ends. Who knew that guy would suddenly barge in, talking about maintaining justice and fighting crime? Bah! Our Young Master's Gang hasn't dealt in drugs or sex trafficking for years. We only run nightclubs, the docks, and casinos. Without us keeping the peace, Coast City would be a total mess. And that jerk actually called us criminals! Damn it, I want to take him apart."
Luke looked at Dio and Wang Hu.
"What about you two? Do you also think he's asking for it?"
Wang Hu nodded. Dio, however, had a different idea.
"I think he's showing off."
"Showing off?"
"Yes."
Dio nodded seriously. "The Green Lantern only appeared in Coast City today; we'd never heard of him before. And his ability is strange—it doesn't seem like a superpower, but some kind of special energy, like the purple light girl who showed up at the Entertainment District." He paused, looking up at Luke. After getting a nod, he continued,
"Coupled with the flighty personality he displayed in combat, I deduce that he must have only recently acquired this power."
"Acquiring power and immediately rushing to a gang's headquarters to provoke them, injuring people without killing them—combining all that, he is showing off."
A flash of admiration crossed Luke's eyes. Dio was indeed the most composed person in the Young Master's Gang. In terms of intelligence alone, he was streets ahead of the others.
Wang Hu and Tony looked thoughtful, acknowledging that Dio's analysis made sense, yet they felt something was missing.
Dio continued, "Typically, the purpose of showing off is validation. It's like a poor kid who was bullied, grows up to become a billionaire, and naturally goes home to flaunt his wealth. It's human nature."
Tony rubbed his head, confused. "Even if he wants to show off, why target us?"
Wang Hu said coldly, "He has a grudge against the gang."
Dio shook his head, looking Luke directly in the eye, and said word for word,
"He doesn't have a grudge against the gang. He has a grudge against you, Young Master."
The moment the words landed, Tony and Wang Hu were stunned. "That can't be right. All the Boss's enemies have been fed to the sharks in the ocean. Where would he get another one?"
"I don't know, either. Perhaps a fish slipped through the net, or maybe it's for another reason."
"Young Master, you need to be careful these days. Your next target might very well be you."
Luke suddenly laughed, a somewhat strange, knowing laugh. Others didn't know who the Green Lantern was, but how could he not?
Hal Jordan!
Future Green Lantern, you truly are asking for death!
Bad End for a Best Friend
In an apartment in the west district of Coast City, an excited Hal Jordan paced back and forth. His best friend, Tom Kalmaku, sat anxiously on the sofa.
"I don't understand why you're going after the Young Master's Gang."
"It's fine, Tom."
Hal, having just experienced his first real combat, was highly euphoric. He grabbed his hair, his face filled with disbelief.
"Do you know? I took down dozens of their men all by myself! Those are the Young Master's Gang members, with all their high-tech gear! The rush of fighting them fiercely like that was so thrilling!"
Tom frowned, saying in a low voice, "I think you're overexcited right now. Don't forget, you only have superpowers when you put on the ring. Without the ring, you're just a normal person. If they find out your real identity, you're finished. They'll definitely throw you into the ocean to feed the fish."
"Relax. I wore a mask and the green battlesuit. No one can recognize me."
"That's still no reason to go to their headquarters..."
Tom's face was etched with helplessness. He felt his friend's actions were deeply problematic, like a poor boy who struck it rich overnight—yes, a total nouveau riche mentality.
Getting the ring and immediately running to their headquarters to show off his power and humiliate Luke Shaw—it all boiled down to Carol.
Tom suddenly lost the desire to stay. After drinking a couple of glasses of liquor, he got up and left.
Exiting the building, he was immediately met by a shadow. He subconsciously looked up, and his pupils contracted sharply when he saw the massive figure in front of him.
"You..."
Thump, thump, thump!
Thump, thump, thump!
A heavy knocking echoed in the hallway. Hal opened the apartment door. Seeing his friend outside, he asked confusedly,
"Why are you back?"
"I-I lost my p-phone. C-can you help me look for it?"
Hal didn't notice the strange look on his friend's face. He turned to look for the phone.
"Tom" pulled a baseball bat from his backpack. He aimed at his "friend's" back of the head and swung down without hesitation.
Bang!
Blood splashed. Hal Jordan, who had just been celebrating his "might of a thousand men," collapsed directly onto the floor.
"Tom" walked into the room and found the glowing green lantern and the uniquely styled green crystal ring in the bedroom. Then, he hoisted his "best friend's" body onto his shoulder and headed downstairs.
The heavy footsteps pressed on the wooden stairs, making a creaking sound.
The sounds slowly faded away, leaving only the bloodied baseball bat rolling across the hallway floor.
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