"A formidable man?" Louis said, "I'd like to meet him if I have the chance."

Seeing the eager expression on his face, Emily deliberately said, "He wouldn't meet someone like you, a small character!"

Looking at Emily's mischievous and innocent smile, Louis couldn't help but be stunned. Emily saw Louis staring at her foolishly, blushed, and waved her hand in front of his eyes, saying, "Hey! Haven't you seen beauty before?"

Louis snapped out of his daze, grabbed the small hand that was shaking in front of him, and said, "Yeah! I've never seen such a beautiful girl. I wonder if you'd honor me with a lunch?"

Emily's small hand was caught by Louis. After a few unsuccessful attempts to retrieve it, her face turned as red as a sheet, and she softly said, "Okay."

Looking at Emily's bashful face, Louis felt waves of ripples in his heart, wishing he could spend his life like this. The two stood quietly, not saying a word, as if time had stopped. The September sun hung in the sky, and the two figures bathed in sunlight. It felt like a century had passed before Louis snapped back to reality. He saw that he was still holding Emily's hand, his face turned red, and he let go of her hand, murmuring, "I'm sorry, I just..."

Emily placed her hand on Louis's mouth, silencing his explanation, and pulled on his shirt, saying, "Aren't you hungry? I'm a bit hungry too. Let's go eat together! I'll take you to a nice place." With that, she pulled Louis forward.

In the distance came Louis's helpless sigh, "You said you weren't hungry just now!" followed by Emily's playful laughter, "I was teasing you!" The two shadows disappeared at the end of the street.

The afternoon passed without much conversation. In the evening, Louis returned home, had just finished dinner, and received a call from Emily. Louis asked, "Is something the matter?" Laughter came from the other end of the line, "Nothing, I just missed you and wanted to hear your voice! Can't I call you even if there's no reason?"

"Of course, you're welcome to call anytime! Have you eaten?" "Just finished, but I don't feel good at all."

"Why's that?" "I told you, it's all your fault! Since you had a fight with my sister, she's been moody all day, ignoring everyone. It's driving me crazy! It's definitely your fault!"

"You can't say that, I would feel really wronged!" "I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to keep my sister company. Bye-bye."

The call ended on the other side, leaving Louis shaking his head in confusion. He didn't quite understand the meaning behind Emily's call. Girls' thoughts are truly hard to comprehend! Louis put down the phone and went back to his room to read. Louis's dad watched his son enter the room and whispered to his wife, "Do you think our son is in love?"

The next day, Louis still ran to school. When he entered the classroom and saw Jack, he walked over and whispered, "Jack, go find Eric and Alan. I'll be waiting for you guys on the grove!"

Jack agreed without asking why, as he knew that Louis always had a reason for everything. After Jack left, Louis placed his backpack on his chair and walked out of the classroom.

Not long after Louis arrived at the grove, Jack, Eric, and Alan arrived. Louis lowered his head and said after some thought, "Let's discuss a way to deal with Billy. Emperor and I made a bet that if we don't defeat Billy within two weeks, we'll disband."

Jack said, "Louis, I think we should get Steven involved and take him down all at once!"

Louis shook his head and said, "I haven't met Billy yet and don't know what kind of person he is. I'm not familiar with his strength. I'm afraid we might lose if we act recklessly. Emperor isn't an ordinary person. If she agrees to this bet, it means Billy still has power."

Alan took over, saying, "Louis is right. Billy has influence over more than a hundred people within the school, and with the addition of some outsiders he's recruited, his power is definitely substantial."

Jack said loudly, "Alan, then what do you suggest?" Eric, beside him, said, "How about we get a few guys to ambush him on his way home? What do you think?"

Alan bit his lip and said, "That might not work either. Billy is skilled in fighting, and several guys might not be enough to defeat him. If we arrange too many guys, he might escape at the right moment, which would complicate things. Even if we manage to hospitalize him, his guys are still around. Some of the people with him are no less clever than Billy. Because of Billy's loyalty, and the fact that some of the guys owe him favors, as long as they exist, Billy's organization won't crumble. We might also tip our hand and alert them."

Jack said, "So this won't work, that won't work. Are we just destined to lose?"

Louis waved his hand and asked Alan, "So, what do you think we should do then?"

Alan considered and said, "It would be best if we could lure Billy and his core members into a confined space without any defenses, and it should be a trap we've set up in advance. That's the only way we'll have a chance to take them all out. Once they're dealt with, Billy's influence will collapse."

Jack rolled his eyes and responded, "It's easy to say that, but how can we actually get them into a confined space without any defenses? Those people aren't fools!"

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

Suddenly, Louis asked, "How many trustworthy guys does Billy have?"

After thinking for a moment, Alan replied, "Probably seven or eight. These individuals have had life-and-death connections with him."

Louis's mind raced, and after considering for a few minutes, he addressed everyone, "Do me a favor and investigate... and then..."

The others nodded as they listened to Louis, and finally, Jack said hesitantly, "Louis, is this really the right way to go about it?"

Before Louis could respond, Alan interjected, "Jack, sometimes you have to do what it takes. We're in this life, and that means we can't be too scrupulous."

Jack wore a conflicted expression and said, "I get that, it's just that..."

Louis looked at Jack and raised his voice, "What's bothering you? I've never claimed to be a good person. The things we'll have to do in the future might get even worse! If you have doubts, speak them out!"

Unaccustomed to this side of Louis, Jack lowered his head and admitted, "Louis, I was wrong. I won't bring up anything else from now on."

Louis's expression softened as he said, "Jack, I'm not blaming you. In this world, if you want to survive, to thrive, you need a cold heart."

Jack nodded and replied, "Louis, I understand now. Anyway, I'll follow your lead no matter when."

Louis nodded in acknowledgment and then looked at the three of them, asking, "Is there anything else you want to say? If not, you can go back to the classroom. I need some time to consider a few things."

The three said, "No, that's all." Louis nodded, signaling their dismissal. As the three walked away towards the classroom, Louis remained in the grove, lost in thought about his own concerns: even if he managed to defeat Billy and dominate the school, what would that really achieve? Collect some insignificant protection fees? Steven was right – relying solely on the university wouldn't lead to real growth; it would only bring in a small amount of money. But to make quick money, he'd have to venture into illegal industries. However, those industries carried immense risks. A single misstep could not only harm him but also his guys. There was also the option of making money through controlling territories, but currently, even the thriving businesses were under the control of the three major criminal syndicates. Even the less profitable spots were occupied by smaller groups. It seemed like he really needed to go ahead with the plan he discussed with Steven.

With this realization, Louis sighed, feeling a sense of determination that wouldn't waver. He walked briskly back towards the classroom.

Three days later, an unexpected calm settled over their studies. The three rival factions with power hadn't clashed even once. Yet beneath the surface tranquility, a storm was brewing. The tempest was about to strike, and this place would be cleansed by the storm, forging a new order.

Three days later, at night, Henry was walking on his way back home. As he recalled the discussion he had just had with Billy and others during the meeting, his mind became restless. Dealing with the conflict with Emperor earlier was already troublesome, and now there was this sudden rise of Louis, making the situation even more complex. Fortunately, Louis and Emperor were at odds, so there wasn't a chance for them to cause trouble in his direction. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly encountered five guys blocking his path ahead. The leader among them was a stout, overweight figure with a scar across his face, and his gaze was fixed firmly on Henry.

Henry paused for a moment and asked, "Why are you blocking my way?"

The stout man chuckled, "You must be Henry, right? My boss would like to have a word with you. I wonder if you would do us the honor?"

A slight unease washed over Henry as he looked at the people behind the stout man, and he understood the situation. He replied, "Your boss must be Louis, I assume? But I have no interest in meeting him. If he wants to see me, he can come in person!"

The stout man was Jack. He said, "Henry, are you being a little too arrogant? But don't worry, Louis said if you're unwilling to come on your own, we can assist you!"

Narrowing his eyes, Henry retorted, "Do you really think you can stop me?! What a joke!"

Jack's expression turned serious as he said, "I've heard that Henry is one of Billy's top generals. Today, I want to see what you're made of. Are you brave enough for a one-on-one duel?"

Just as Henry was about to respond, a voice from behind made him swallow his words. "Jack, you're always so impulsive. Did you forget what Louis told you? Hurry up and finish this. Louis might get impatient waiting!" The speaker was Eric.

Henry turned around to look at the person speaking. He saw that behind him, seven or eight guys had appeared. Leading them was a young man about 1.77 meters tall, and he was the same person who had just been speaking. Henry laughed heartily and said, "Your boss thinks quite highly of me, sending more than ten people to invite just me. If I don't go, wouldn't that be disrespectful?"

Before he could finish his words, he lunged toward Jack like an arrow, aiming a punch at his face. However, he had underestimated Jack. Although Jack's body was somewhat plump, he was agile enough to dodge, evading Henry's strike and countering with a punch to his abdomen. Henry realized that Jack wasn't easy to deal with, so he had to retreat. Over ten people surrounded him. Jack looked at him with a wicked smile and said, "I'll remember your greeting!"

Henry inwardly sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to leave today. The rapid rise of Louis in just a few days wasn't a coincidence. Nodding slightly, Henry stood tall and said, "Take me to meet your boss. I also want to meet him."

Jack also had some admiration for Henry. Facing over ten people without showing any fear was impressive to him. "Impressive. Let's go together," he said.

Jack, Eric, and the others led Henry to a restaurant with a "Closed" sign hanging at the entrance. Jack pushed the door and announced, "Henry's here!"

Henry glanced at Jack, hesitated for a moment, and then walked in with big strides. Jack and the others followed, locking the door behind them. Henry was surprised but calmed himself, thinking, "What's the worst that could happen? I'll just fight if I have to." With this thought in mind, he smiled and followed Jack's lead into the inner room. The room wasn't large but held quite a few people. Sitting on a leather chair in the center was a teenager, around sixteen or seventeen years old, leaning on one hand as if taking a break.

Pushing aside his fear, Henry asked loudly, "You must be Louis, right?"

Just as he finished speaking, someone came from the side and slapped Henry across the face, saying, "How dare you talk to Louis like that?"

Wiping the blood from his mouth, Henry ignored the person beside him and stared at Louis, saying, "I never knew this was how Louis treats his guests."

A person next to him raised their hand, about to strike again. Louis opened his eyes, waved his hand, and the person stepped back. Looking at Henry, Louis smiled and remarked, "You’re quite a tough guy. Billy's lucky to have a guy like you. Jack, bring over a chair. Our invited guest doesn't need to stand."

Jack agreed and soon placed a chair behind Henry, saying, "Please have a seat."

After a moment of consideration, Henry sat down and got straight to the point, "Louis, you didn't bring me here just to sit around, did you? If you have something to say, go straight."

Louis lightly tapped the armrest of the chair and said, "I want Billy's influence to be expelled."