“Alright.” Ye Zhan rubbed his hands eagerly. “Mouse, do you have a plan? When do we start? What’s the name of this operation?”

“We start tonight.” My words startled everyone, their eyes widening in surprise. “This time the plan has a rather unpleasant name: the Web-Breaking Plan.”

“Never mind the name for now.” Ye Zhan said, “But what’s the move for tonight? We can’t just rush to Su Xiaobai’s house, can we?”

“No, it’s not just about beating up Su Xiaobai.” I said, “To deal with Su Xiaobai, we can’t rely on physical force; we need to destroy him mentally. Unlike Maizi, Su Xiaobai isn’t a thug, and he’s not good in a fight. Even I can beat him, so that’s not the goal.”

“Mental destruction?” Ye Zhan pondered, while the others listened quietly.

“You once told me,” I looked at Ye Zhan, “that any thug in Chenggao, no matter their rank, owes Su Xiaobai a favor, so his network spans the entire school.”

“Yes.” Ye Zhan nodded. “Su Xiaobai might not be a thug and doesn’t hold a position like Old Dog or Maizi, but if he asks, the entire school’s thugs will come out for him. He’s never done it, but everyone knows this. If we go against him lightly, we risk angering everyone, making our lives difficult.”

“Heh.” I chuckled. “Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Favors are as thin as paper, and circumstances change like a game of chess’?”

Seeing their puzzled expressions, I continued, “Favors are something people are willing to extend when it’s within their power. But if what’s asked is beyond their capability, the value of that favor diminishes.” I looked at Ye Zhan again, “This is true for most people. If it’s someone like you, a loyal brother, you’d do anything, no matter how difficult.”

Ye Zhan laughed, “Not necessarily. If you were after Su Wan, I’d fight you, no matter the favor.”

Thinking of the loud-mouthed girl, I laughed too. “Forget it, dealing with Xia Xue and Taozi is already a headache.”

“Mouse, continue.” Ye Zhan asked, “Even if favors are as thin as paper, what does that have to do with Su Xiaobai?”

“I mean, Su Xiaobai himself has no real power. Unlike Maizi and others, he doesn’t have his own followers and relies on accumulated favors.” I squinted my eyes. “For instance, if Old Dog decided to take Su Xiaobai out, and no one could persuade him otherwise, how many thugs in Chenggao would come to help Su Xiaobai?”

Ye Zhan froze, then thoughtfully replied, “Probably none.” The others nodded in agreement. After all, it’s human nature not to offend the more dangerous Old Dog for Su Xiaobai’s favor. But there are exceptions. Ye Zhan would stand by me against Maizi, which was my luck finding such a good brother.

If I didn’t know Ye Zhan and had to fight Su Xiaobai, Ye Zhan would probably oppose me. So, fate favored me by putting Ye Zhan by my side. I continued, “Take tonight for instance. If Su Xiaobai wanted to take down Old Dog, could he convince Chenggao’s other thugs to ambush Old Dog?”

Everyone laughed and shook their heads. Ye Zhan added, “That’s impossible. No one would go.”

“Right.” I said, “In the end, it’s because I’m not strong enough. If I were as strong as Old Dog, with a reputation as great as his, who would dare help Su Xiaobai ambush me? Don’t be fooled by my title of ‘New Rising Boss’; I’m still a paper tiger. Upperclassmen thugs might not even respect me.”

“So, what are you planning to do now?” Ye Zhan’s voice grew excited.

“Tonight.” I declared firmly, “I want all of Chenggao to know I’m not much different from Old Dog. Whoever helps Su Xiaobai will face dire consequences!” I stood up, looking at the twelve people in the dorm. “This is the Web-Breaking Plan: first, break Su Xiaobai’s proud network of relationships!”

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I had Ye Zhan gather the first-year thug leaders who had shown interest in joining me.

About half an hour later, they all arrived. Most were local students, with a few dorm residents. The dorm lights were already out, but they crowded in anyway. “Hao Ge, what’s up this late?” “Hao Ge, waiting for your whistle, any action tonight?” “Hao Ge, are we going to make a big move in Chenggao?”

I had Gong Ning fetch a few flashlights and looked at these prominent first-year thugs. There were seven or eight of them, all on par with Li Jie and Ye Zhan, each with at least four or five followers. However, since Ye Zhan and I took down Maizi, his status had risen above theirs. Now, they greeted him warmly as well.

Following my previous instructions, Ye Zhan said, “Mouse and I are in trouble and need your help.”

“What’s the trouble?” One thug said indignantly, “Who dares mess with Hao Ge and Ye Ge? Tell us, and we’ll deal with them tonight.” This was Hu Jianmin, tall and thin, also a prominent figure.

“Yeah.” Another thug echoed, “Hao Ge, Ye Ge, let’s move out now.” This was Dai Zude, dark and stout, not much of a talker but loyal, according to Ye Zhan.

The seven or eight thugs expressed their willingness to help. But I guessed if I mentioned Su Xiaobai directly, they’d all back off. Sensing it was time, I stood up, shining a flashlight on myself. “I got attacked tonight.”

They looked shocked, exclaiming, “Who dares hit Hao Ge?” “Who did it?” “What class?”

“I was ambushed outside school.” I said, “I was alone, and they had four people, one with a stick. Not sure who exactly, but they said I shouldn’t compete with Ye Zhan for boss, clearly trying to stir trouble between us.”

Ye Zhan added, “I was furious when Mouse told me. Who needs others to decide who’s boss between us? These guys are trying to make us fight each other!”

The others were indignant, cursing, “We’ll kill them if we find out who!” “Hao Ge, any leads?” “These bastards, causing trouble for no reason!”

“I called you because we have a lead.” I smiled. “I told you, when the time comes, we’ll make a big move in Chenggao, turn the place upside down!”

They were thrilled, eagerly asking what to do next.

“The four who ambushed me definitely aren’t local to Beiyuan. You could tell from their accents,” I said. “And they’re not first-years either. I figure they’re second or third-year thugs. They probably can’t stand seeing Ye Zhan and me, two first-years, making a name for ourselves, so they pulled this disgusting stunt.”

Hu Jianmin exclaimed excitedly, “So, these four guys must be in this boys' dorm building?”

“Exactly.” I nodded. “Why should second and third-years bully us? I called you here to see if you dare to fight these second and third-year thugs with me and show them that we first-years aren’t pushovers!”

These words got my blood boiling. It felt like we weren’t just dealing with Su Xiaobai, but truly fighting against the oppression from the upper years. The crowd was riled up, the atmosphere electric: “Let’s go, Hao Ge, let’s find those guys now!” “Raiding the second and third-year dorms, just thinking about it is exciting.” “This is like taking on higher-level bosses. Without Hao Ge, we’d never get this chance!” The group was brimming with excitement.

“This is going to be dangerous.” I said seriously, “Think it through. If anyone bails at the last minute, don’t blame me for being harsh.”

“What’s Hao Ge saying?” Dai Zude said in his gruff voice, “Hao Ge, calling us this late, anyone with half a brain knows something big is up. But since we’re here, we’re not planning on going back. Let’s see who dares to stir up trouble between you and Ye Ge. We’ve got a just cause; no one can criticize us for this!”

“Alright.” I handed out flashlights to a few people, and our group, about twenty strong, left the dormitory in a formidable procession. Ye Zhan and I led the way, followed by the first-year thugs, and behind them were Gong Ning and the others.

When we reached the stairway landing, I called over Liu Zihong, “Keep an eye out here. If the dorm supervisor comes, let us know immediately.”

Then we headed up to the second-year dorm floor. In a school like this, it’s fairly easy to distinguish between different year groups, whether by appearance, height, or an indescribable aura and presence.

It was a key high school, and during rest time, hardly anyone wandered around. A few guys in shorts heading to the bathroom saw our large group and quickly retreated back to their rooms in fear.

I abruptly pushed open the first dorm door and shone my flashlight inside. A student sat up halfway, shirtless, groggily asking, “Who is it?” I shone the light in his eyes, making him squint.

“I’m Wang Hao.” I said, “I’m looking for a few people. Everyone show your faces.”

The Web-Breaking Plan had officially begun.

Tonight, I would make everyone know that I’m not to be messed with, just like Old Dog. Let’s see who still dares to side with Su Xiaobai!