CHAPTER 573: CHAPTER 573: JOKE

The men he had brought along were dealt with as if they were nothing more than fragile watermelons, which filled the man with a sense of shame and anger. However, this emotion quickly transformed into fear when his gaze met those of Xu Ke and Ariel who were both looking in his direction.

Earlier, he had six people standing by his side, but now he was practically alone. Reflecting on his reckless provocation just now, paired with Xu Ke and Ariel’s combat power, made his knees nearly give way.

Xu Ke and Ariel moved towards the man.

"What do you want to do, stop right there, don’t come any closer, if you take another step, I’ll call the police, stop!" The man instinctively stumbled backward until he hit the car and stopped.

Xu Ke and Ariel ignored the man’s words. As expected, the man took out his phone, the hand holding the phone trembled slightly, "I’m not joking, if you take another step forward, I will call the police."

"Heh." Ariel let out a sneer, looking at the man as if he were a complete fool.

"You brought people to fight us, got beaten by us, guess how the cops would define such an incident when they arrive? We’re clearly acting in self-defense. Besides, do you think you can call the police faster than we can deal with you?" Xu Ke asked the man with a playful smirk on his face.

The man’s legs weakened at Xu Ke’s smile, and if he hadn’t had something to lean on behind him, he might have collapsed directly onto the ground.

"What do you want to do?"

"What do you think we’ll do?" Xu Ke and Ariel simultaneously flashed a seemingly innocent yet unsettling smile.

The man grew apprehensive under their smiling gazes. Though he couldn’t fathom their intentions, the mere thought of being in a secluded alley where none of his backup remained, confronted by the very people who annihilated his forces, was terrifying. This was exactly his current state.

"How am I supposed to know what you want to do?" The man’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke, "But whatever you intend to do, please don’t hurt me."

Xu Ke halted, an evident look in his eyes that screamed, "Why should I?"

"If I said everything today was a misunderstanding, and I only intended for my men to talk to you, would you believe me?" The man’s mind was blank, his mouth working faster than his thoughts as he blurted out.

"Do we look like idiots to you?" Ariel couldn’t help but laugh at his words, "How did you think of using such a pathetic excuse?" Ariel asked perplexedly.

The man realized the foolishness of his previous statement, "I’d rather die than live in dishonor. If you want to do something, do it quickly. There’s no need to play games with me." He fought back the urge to tremble, swallowed hard, and with a steely resolve, acted as if ready for whatever might come.

The man believed that putting on such a brave front would persuade Xu Ke and Ariel to let him go; after all, why would an elephant bother with an ant? Yet Xu Ke and Ariel weren’t the type to follow conventional expectations.

"Since he insists, we should grant his wish," Ariel suggested to Xu Ke.

"Your call." Xu Ke had no objections to Ariel’s suggestion.

Watching from against the car, the man realized they were indeed planning to act against him. Panic replaced his previous facade, but before he could speak, Xu Ke’s fist landed on his abdomen while Ariel’s punch struck his face. The blows fell almost simultaneously, their brutal impact leaving him in tears.

Cradling his abdomen, he slid down the car onto the ground.

"No more, no more, I know I was wrong, I apologize." The fear in his voice caused it to crack, his initial bravado vanished as if it never existed.

"I just had a momentary lapse in judgment, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I listened to someone else’s instigation and came here. But deep down, I didn’t commit any heinous acts, nor did I intend to truly harm you. I just wanted to scare you a little. Look, although I brought people, they weren’t very strong, were they? You defeated them with ease, didn’t you? So, I only came up with this lousy idea because I was coaxed by someone else. Since you’re okay and have taken your anger out on me, let’s let this matter be." A conciliatory smile appeared on his face.

"We’re unharmed because of our strength, not because of anything you did. Don’t act so innocent. You’re just as manipulative as those green tea characters in TV dramas." Ariel, having watched plenty of domestic TV shows lately, instinctively thought of this phrase hearing the man’s excuses and immediately applied it to him without hesitation.

The man froze for a moment, instinctively wanting to retort, but upon noticing Ariel’s hands hanging by her sides, he swallowed hard, unwilling to acknowledge his fear, pretending not to hear anything as he did his best to play deaf.

Ariel noticed that despite everything she said, the man remained silent, utterly committed to his tactic of not responding, no matter what Xu Ke and Ariel might say. He fully embraced his silent strategy.

The man’s determination in maintaining his silence was evidently strong and intuitive. Seeing the man shrink into the corner, mouth tightly shut like a quail, anyone unaware of the situation might assume he had suffered great injustice.

Eventually, feeling it was pointless, Ariel closed her mouth.

"Let’s just leave it for today, let’s go on a date instead. Wasting time here is boring," Ariel remarked with a side glance.

It wasn’t just Ariel who found it boring; Xu Ke did too.

If his opponent resisted, Xu Ke might still consider spending some effort on him, but the man’s spineless demeanor left Xu Ke uninterested.

"Alright, let’s go," Xu Ke said nonchalantly, addressing the man who was still sprawled on the ground, "Next time, avoid us, don’t show up in our path again, understand?"

Xu Ke’s warning was spoken like a territorial lion, cautioning an invading intruder, carrying a fierce air that compelled the man to nod frantically.

Only when Xu Ke and Ariel’s figures disappeared down the alley did the man stand up, his gaze lingering on the direction they had left, his expression complicated.

"None of this gets out, if I find any of you blabbing, you’ll regret it," the man, while powerless against Xu Ke and Ariel, still had control over those that remained.

The thugs acknowledged the man’s warning, nodding to show they understood.