Outside the door was a burly man, followed by three lackeys, all armed with kitchen knives, baseball bats, and other weapons.

Lin Hao quickly forced a smile.
"Oh, it's Brother Zhang. What... what can I do for you?"

The man named Zhang pushed Lin Hao aside without hesitation, knocking him off balance, then walked in with his three lackeys. He sat down arrogantly on the sofa.

Sasha, who was hiding by the door of the study, coldly watched everything through the gap.

Zhang pulled out a cheap cigarette, and one of his lackeys quickly ran over, eager to light it for him. He took a long drag, the cigarette burning down rapidly. Then, he exhaled a cloud of smoke, filling the room with the strong stench.

In his rough voice, he said, "I came to collect rent."

Lin Hao froze and asked in confusion, "Brother Zhang, didn’t we just pay a few days ago?"

One of Zhang's lackeys glared at Lin Hao and immediately snapped, "What are you arguing about? Kid, the rules have changed. Instead of collecting rent every two weeks, it’s now every week."

As he spoke, he shoved Lin Hao, deliberately provoking him.

Lin Hao, clearly irritated but unwilling to explode, realized that these bullies had likely seen him returning with the meat and vegetables and were now eyeing a share.

"Also, from now on, whatever you scavenge, it’ll be a 3/7 split."

Zhang flicked the ashes from his cigarette onto the floor and grimaced as he announced the new "rule."

"Thirty-seven percent every time?" Lin Hao's face darkened immediately.

Scavenging was already a risky task, where a single mistake could cost a life. But these thugs, armed and numerous, had been frequently collecting "protection money" from the residents. Now they were pushing their luck further.

“You’re dreaming! It’s 7 for me, 3 for you,” Zhang said mockingly, a smirk on his face.

"What... what did you say?!" Lin Hao couldn’t believe how shameless they were.

Zhang laughed bitterly. "You’ve been out scavenging a lot, huh? Must be hard for you~"

He waved his hand, signaling his lackeys to gather up the bags of food that had been stored in the kitchen.

"You... you might as well just rob me!" Lin Hao could barely control his rage, his face twisting with emotion as his glasses crooked from the anger.

"Hey~ What did you say?" Zhang suddenly stood up, grabbing Lin Hao by the collar.

He casually flicked his cigarette butt onto the previously clean floor without even stepping on it. Leaning in close to Lin Hao, he breathed out smoke directly in his face and sneered, "We, of all people, are very civilized."

Then, with a forceful knee, he struck Lin Hao’s stomach!

"Ah!" Lin Hao was caught off guard and let out a pained scream.

Zhang let go of him as casually as discarding garbage, sending Lin Hao crashing into the coffee table.

"Next time, watch your words. When we say 3/7, we mean 3/7," Zhang taunted.

To his lackeys, he ordered, "Leave him a little something."

Turning back to Lin Hao, who was struggling to get up, he said, "See? We keep our word."

"But looking at your scrawny frame, this should be enough for you, right?"

One of the lackeys rummaged through the bags for a while and called out, "Boss, it’s all raw ingredients. This guy plans to cook every day!"

Zhang shot Lin Hao a displeased glance, "You, kid, next time bring back something that keeps longer. This stuff doesn’t count."

Then he turned to his lackeys, "Let the women handle this, make sure it gets cooked."

Lin Hao, having finally gotten back on his feet, his face conflicted with emotions, seemed to be holding back a storm of fury, "Please... please leave me some of the meat... I... I won’t have enough to eat!"

Zhang raised an eyebrow, scoffing as he turned his head, spitting on the floor. "If I say no... ah!!!"

Suddenly, he screamed in pain as Lin Hao, seemingly out of nowhere, had grabbed a fruit knife and stabbed it into Zhang's arm.

Zhang’s face contorted in pain, and with a swift backhand, he delivered a powerful punch to Lin Hao’s face!

Lin Hao's glasses shattered, sending shards flying, and blood sprayed from his face. Staggering back a few steps, he collapsed to the ground, but quickly got up again, ignoring the blood streaming down his face.

"Do you all think you can bully good people just because we’re kind?!" Lin Hao’s anger boiled over as he yelled, though his voice was hoarse from the pain.

"You took my meat... none of you are leaving here alive!"

His words were venomous, but unfortunately, threats weren’t enough.

Zhang was built like a tank, and though his arm hurt from the stab, he was used to these kinds of injuries. Lin Hao, on the other hand, was like an elementary student throwing punches, while Zhang was clearly experienced in combat.

With a quick motion, Zhang cracked his neck and gritted his teeth. His muscles bulged as he hissed, "I see you’re asking for death!"

Lin Hao lunged at him again, blood from his head wound dripping down to his white shirt.

Seeing him charge, Zhang quickly delivered a brutal kick to Lin Hao’s chest, sending him flying across the room.

Zhang then pulled a military knife from his boot and, as Lin Hao was still trying to get up, he plunged the knife into Lin Hao’s calf, twisting it sharply.

Lin Hao cried out in agony.

"Ah!!!"

The pain was excruciating, sending shockwaves of discomfort through his entire body. His vision blurred, and breathing became labored.

With his face contorted in pain, Lin Hao tried to rise but couldn’t. Zhang, still holding his foot on Lin Hao, mocked, "Little Lin, we’re civilized here. You suddenly pull out a knife, and it really puts me in a tough spot."

Lin Hao, pinned to the ground, could only weakly mumble, his lips barely touching the floor, "Leave... leave my food... leave the meat... you bastards!"

【Ding! Task: 'Name of Love' Progress Updated】
【Task: 'Name of Love' (2/?): Ensure Lin Hao’s life safety】

Inside the study, Sasha heard the task update notification from the system.

She had initially thought this was just a minor issue, not wanting to intervene. But now, it was escalating into a violent altercation.

She didn't want to lose the attribute points she had carefully earned.

Sasha casually opened the study door, straightening the fallen table and chairs, before walking into the living room.

Zhang, hearing movement behind him, didn’t loosen his grip on Lin Hao’s leg. Turning, he was taken aback to see a little girl in a nice dress approaching.

"Is this your sister? She’s quite a looker. That was her with the backpack downstairs, huh? What a shame."

He chuckled sinisterly.

Bending down, he pulled the military knife out of Lin Hao’s calf, causing Lin Hao to scream again.

With his mind made up, Zhang intended to finish this and leave no witnesses.

Lin Hao, in pain, glanced at Sasha. He shouted desperately, "You... cough... what are you doing out here?! Hurry... hurry up and run! These guys... they’re dangerous... ah!!!"

Seeing that Lin Hao was still moving despite his injuries, Zhang crushed his calf wound again with a vicious stomp, silencing him.

Sasha remained calm, undisturbed by Zhang’s words or Lin Hao's cries for help.

She walked towards Zhang with cold, indifferent eyes, her expression icy.

Raising her right hand with grace, she slightly spread her fingers, and in an instant, a crimson-red Tang knife appeared out of nowhere in her grasp.

The cold glow of the blade made Zhang squint his eyes, and the air seemed to hum with the sound of a sword being drawn.