Chapter 101 The force used was a bit too much.
Jayden had the advantage of numbers, and the men under him were no pushovers. Some had even been involved in underground boxing. Even though William had shown impressive strength earlier, they weren't intimidated.
After all, he was just one man. Even if they couldn't beat him barehanded, they could always grab weapons.
William, on the other hand, was utterly fearless, dismissing them as a bunch of petty thugs.
Jayden stood up and led his men towards the back.
"William, are we really going?" Wyatt, already somewhat shaken, asked. He'd witnessed William's capabilities, but at the end of the day, he was still just a college student. Facing this gang, it'd be a lie to say he wasn't scared.
"It's fine. None of you get involved!" William instructed, then shot Paul a meaningful glance. "Paul, give me whatever you have on you. We don't want any accidents."
Paul hesitated, speechless. He hadn't told anyone he brought a weapon.
Both Wyatt and Daniel stared at Paul in surprise. Who would have thought that the usually quiet Paul had come armed?
They followed Jayden's group into the alley, where William reached out to Paul.
Reluctantly, Paul pulled a chef's knife from his coat. William weighed the knife in his hand and commented, "Nice knife."
Older chef's knives were crafted meticulously by blacksmiths, while modern ones often came off assembly lines. However, in terms of steel quality and craftsmanship, contemporary chef's knives were still decent.
"Wow! You brought weapons? Impressive!" Seeing the gleaming knife in William's hand, Jayden exclaimed, "Think you're tough with that knife? Try and cut me if you dare!"
Hmph!
William cast Jayden a disdainful glance. Was he really asking to be cut?
Soon, Jayden's gang rummaged for their own weapons. Having hung around this area for years, some had even stashed steel rods here. Those who couldn't find proper weapons grabbed bricks, offering their own form of intimidation.
At a glance, William's side seemed at a disadvantage: just one small chef's knife against a group of burly men armed with steel rods and bricks.
However, William didn't attack. Instead, he stared at the dozen or so men before him, gripping both ends of the chef's knife.
With a simple snap, William broke the chef's knife in half.
For a moment, everyone's eyes were on him.
They'd assumed the knife would be William's ace, never expecting this move. The sheer strength needed to break a knife in half like that was astonishing.
Among Jayden's crew, some had legitimate combat training. They understood the feat William had just accomplished wasn't as easy as it looked. This display of strength made some of them think twice.
"Why are you all scared? His knife was probably fake! Trying to bluff his way through with that trick? Who's he trying to fool?" Jayden shouted, trying to rally his group.
"Jayden, let me handle this! Just a few college kids; I can take them on my own," a burly man with a scar on his face stepped forward, sneering at William, "Enough with the theatrics. Today, I'll teach you a lesson."
His name was Gabriel. He'd trained for two years at the Bronx Budo Dojo. After a fight that left someone severely injured, he was kicked out and had since been hanging with Jayden.
Jayden nodded, "Don't go too far. He's got potential."
"Understood!" Gabriel approached William, his imposing stature evident. "Kid, don't think a couple years of training makes you invincible. If I don't beat the crap out of you today, consider yourself clean!"
William didn't even bother responding and threw a punch straight at him.
On the surface, the punch William threw seemed ordinary and not particularly fast. Yet, for a moment, Gabriel appeared to be in a daze, standing there, allowing the fist to squarely meet his face.
"Thud!"
Gabriel, a robust man weighing 190 pounds, astonishingly spiraled twice in the air and flew back 20 feet, landing motionless beside Jayden, unconscious.
Glancing down, Jayden saw the significant depression on Gabriel's cheek, with blood oozing from his mouth and eyes. Clearly, his cheekbone was fractured.
As William retracted his fist, he murmured, "Perhaps I hit a bit too hard."
Such a devastating punch is something one might only expect to see in movies.
"Jayden, let me handle this. The kid's got something," a sharp-dressed man with a buzz cut, standing beside Jayden, remarked. After catching sight of Gabriel sprawled on the ground, he recognized they were dealing with a tough adversary. Delivering such a punch required decades of training. He, having participated in underground fighting circuits, certainly was more skilled than someone like Gabriel, who had mere martial arts training.
At this point, Jayden was at a loss for words. He intently observed William, recognizing the latter's extraordinary prowess.
William stood still, while his dormitory roommates behind him were in complete shock. Whether it was the effortless snapping of the chef's knife in two or launching a man several meters away with a single punch, it was evident that William was exceptional.
They recalled William once claiming he could take on ten men. It seemed he wasn't just boasting.
William eyed the hulking man approaching with a metal rod, frowning slightly. He admitted to himself that his last move was excessively forceful. Accidentally infusing his punch with his own power might have inflicted permanent cognitive damage on his opponent. Given that this was just a clash between college students, he decided he ought to be gentler this time.
"Kid, don't blame me for what's coming!" The muscular man yelled, swinging the metal rod directly at William's face.
A blow like that could land most people in the hospital with severe injuries, if not worse.
The rod whistled through the air, yet William casually raised his hand, seizing the rod in a tight grip.
As the night breeze blew, everyone held their breath.
The man in front of William trembled from head to toe, sweat beads rolling down his forehead. He stared at William in sheer terror.
Is this guy even human?
Without hesitation, William delivered a swift kick.
"Thud!"
Just like Gabriel earlier, this reputed underground fighter was sent flying. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. That kick felt as if he'd been struck by a speeding truck. His mind blanked for a split second, and upon landing, a ringing sound filled his ears, rendering him thoughtless.
Glancing at the downed man, William clicked his tongue, commenting to himself, "My legs are still too strong. I should've been gentler."
On a dark and windy night, in a narrow alley, all eyes were fixed on William.
At that moment, Jayden's mind went blank. His instincts told him to run, but his feet wouldn't budge.
William slowly approached Jayden.
"What... what do you want?" Jayden, frightened, took a step back. He stepped on a pebble, lost his balance, and fell to the ground, his eyes wide with fear.
"You wanted to talk, right? Let's talk."
William advanced another two steps, and the group behind Jayden retreated in fear.
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