Three days later, during the afternoon break, Louis had just walked out of the classroom when he saw Emma standing in the hallway. Feeling somewhat surprised, he asked, "Are you here to find me?"

Emma replied, "Who else do I know here except of you?"

With many people around, Louis smiled and said, "Let's go, we can take a walk on the playground!" He then headed outside.

The students had all gone to have their meals, and the usually bustling playground now appeared empty. Louis and Emma walked side by side on the running track.

They didn't speak for a while, both lost in thought. Emma was the first to break the silence, asking, "Do you have friends?"

Louis paused for a moment, and replied, "Of course I do." Emma shook her head and said, "I mean the kind of friends you can confide in. Would you share your private matters with them?"

Upon being asked by Emma, Louis felt a bit perplexed. Despite valuing his relationships with Jack, Steven, and others, he secretly admitted that when it came to sharing deep thoughts, he shook his head internally. It wasn't that he didn't consider them friends, but he felt that they weren't suitable for more profound conversations. Louis lowered his head, lost in thought, and remained silent for a while. Emma smiled and said, "If you're willing, I hope I can become that kind of friend for you, a friend you can confide in!"

Seeing Emma's sincerity, a warm feeling passed through Louis. Despite having a crowd of followers around him, he harbored an inexplicable sense of loneliness deep within. Louis sincerely replied, "Emma, thank you! Having a friend like you is quite an elevation for me."

Emma joyfully said, "You agree?" Louis nodded, jokingly adding, "I'm just worried that Emma might find me too dull as a friend!" Emma reached out her hand toward Louis, smiling as she said, "From today onwards, we're friends. If you have something on your mind, come talk to me. After all, I'm a bit older than you, and maybe I can help you solve some problems!"

Louis didn't say anything, he simply held Emma's hand. Feeling the gentleness in his grasp, memories of the showdown that day surfaced once again, causing ripples in his heart. A gentle breeze passed by, bringing Louis back to reality. He released Emma's hand.

With a slight blush on her face, Emma changed the subject, "I actually underestimated you. I didn't expect you to defeat Billy so quickly. Now even the principal doesn't dare to touch you. You're a true kingpin here!"

Louis shook his head and said, "Being powerful here in school is just a small achievement. It's not what I really want."

Emma remarked, "It seems you have quite ambitious plans! You already have your guys now, what more do you want?"

Looking at Emma, Louis said quietly, "Honestly, I don't even know what I want myself. I just have this desire to grow, and the current state of things hasn't satisfied me." Louis had asked himself the same question before but had yet to find an answer.

Emma said, "You've reached your limits here. Do you want to expand out into outside?" Louis nodded and replied, "I do have that plan in my mind, and it's already in motion."

Emma held onto Louis's sleeve and said, "You have to understand that people outside are much smarter and more formidable. You might have been a king here in school, but out there, it won't count for much!"

"I know that. I'll be extra cautious."

"If you encounter any difficulties, I hope you'll come to me. Maybe I can help."

Louis nodded and said, "Emma, if there comes a day when I need to, I'll reach out to you."

Louis and Emma walked on the playground and talked for a long time, deepening their understanding of each other. In truth, she wasn't as tough on the inside as she appeared. Like him, she was also uncertain about life, searching for her own dreams. Louis compared her to Emily and felt that they both had their unique qualities: one was mature and steady, and the other was innocent and adorable – both were captivating girls.

As the bell rang, they returned from the playground. Their relationship had clearly grown closer, and Louis said to Emma, "I'll head back to the classroom for now, but we can chat more later!" Emma nodded, somewhat reluctant, and asked, "Do you have time tonight?"

After a moment's thought, Louis replied, "I should be free." Emma suggested, "How about we have dinner together tonight?" Louis agreed. Emma turned and walked away. Louis felt a sense of confusion. He was drawn to Emma's maturity, but in his heart, the innocent image of Emily would occasionally resurface. This dilemma left Louis in a quandary, uncertain of how to proceed. Louis had a habit: if he couldn't make sense of something, he would stop thinking about it, since dwelling on it wouldn't yield any results – a kind of ostrich mentality.

A month later, in the residential area near Ghost KTV.

A series of knocks on the door, followed by an impatient voice from inside the room, "Who's there? What do you want?"

"Hello, I'm from the electric company, here to collect the electricity bill!" said a tall, thin, and relatively young boy.

"Damn it, didn't we just pay? Why are you here again to collect!"

The boy's face changed upon hearing this, but he quickly responded, "Recently, there have been reports of electricity theft in this area. I've come to inspect specifically. Please open the door so I can take a look!"

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"Such a hassle. Give me a moment!" A commotion was heard from inside the room. After a while, the door opened, and a young man in his early twenties stepped out. As soon as he came out, he saw a crowd of people gathered at the doorstep. Realizing this was a trap, he turned to run. However, it was too late. Several people in front of him pulled out knives from their clothes and attacked the young man. He fell down without uttering a word.

The others didn't stop, they rushed into the house and attacked whoever they saw. In a moment, more than ten people in the room were caught off guard and were being beaten. Some even tasted crystal, not understanding what was happening, and ended up getting slashed several times. Over ten people were lying on the ground. The attackers gathered the crystal, taking everything with them. One of them asked the boy who had spoken earlier, "Eric, there are a few women in this house. What should we do with them?"

The boy named Eric walked over upon hearing this, took a glance at the frightened women huddled together, and said, "Leave them alone, let's go."

The group quickly left the room, hiding the knives in their clothes, and headed straight for Ghost KTV, with Eric leading the way.

Ghost KTV is one of the booming KTV businesses. It is run by an organization named "Cheer," which has moderate strength. Their success today can be considered quite fortunate. The leader of Cheer is nicknamed "Sexy Kitty." Today at Ghost KTV, they encountered several unfamiliar and young beautiful girls, igniting lustful desires. Accompanied by a few people, they persistently harassed these girls. Everyone in the KTV knows them, and no one dares to intervene. Sexy Kitty embraced the most beautiful one among them, his hands constantly roaming over her body, emitting lascivious laughter.

"Sexy Kitty is in high spirits!" A chilly voice cut through the KTV's blaring music and reached Sexy Kitty's ears. Hearing it, Sexy Kitty let go of the girl and stood up to find the person speaking.

A teenager walked through the crowd and approached. Sexy Kitty looked at him and said, "Was it you who spoke to me just now?"

The teenager nodded but didn't speak. Despite his young age, he exuded a strong aura that made Sexy Kitty not underestimate him. With a chuckle, Sexy Kitty said, "You've come here either to play or..."

The teenager interrupted, "I'm not interested in playing. But I am very interested in this place."

Sexy Kitty was taken aback, his expression darkening. He asked, "What? Are you planning to take over my territory?" The young man smirked, "Exactly! I see you're old enough. Why not take a few women home and enjoy the rest of your life? What do you think of my idea?"

Sexy Kitty stared at the teenager, "Who are you?" His subordinates sensed the hostility and discreetly drew their knives. The people dancing around recognized the tension and fled, leaving behind thirty-something guys, the henchmen brought by the teenager.

Someone brought a chair over, and the teenager sat down, lightly tapping the armrest with his hand. "I'm Louis!" he said.

"Louis?" Sexy Kitty looked puzzled. He hadn't heard of this name before. He signaled to a person nearby. This small action didn't escape Louis's notice. He looked at Sexy Kitty and said, "You don't need to look for your subordinates. Unless something unexpected happens, they're waiting for you at the hospital!"

A shock went through Sexy Kitty, his face turned pale. He exclaimed, "You... What have you done?"

Louis cut him off, "They can't get up anymore. " Sweat appeared on Sexy Kitty's forehead. He wiped it away and asked, "Do we have a grudge?" Sexy Kitty didn’t remember he had a conflict with Louis.

Louis stood up. "Sexy Kitty, let me tell you, I'm here to take over. No need for pointless chatter. Do not waste time." With a wave of his hand, he walked to the side. The guys he had brought understood this as a signal to attack. Drawing their knives, they lunged at Sexy Kitty's group. Though Sexy Kitty's guys were adults, they were outnumbered, surrounded by dozens of guys. They struggled to defend themselves. The attackers were young and fierce, using their knives without hesitation. Within a short time, several of Sexy Kitty's guys had fallen. Among the people who had brought the chair for Louis was Jack. With a loud roar, he drew his knife and charged at Sexy Kitty.

Sexy Kitty saw Jack was coming, he knew he might not be able to win. He pulled out a black pistol from his waist and aimed it at Jack. Jack was startled and immediately stopped in his tracks. Sexy Kitty laughed loudly, "Come on! Let's see if your knife is faster or my gun!"

A drop of sweat slid down Jack's face. It's hard not to be afraid when someone points a gun at him. His hand holding the knife was trembling. Just as Sexy Kitty was feeling triumphant, a sudden immense pain shot through his arm holding the gun. His arm went numb, and the gun slipped from his hand, falling to the ground. Sexy Kitty looked incredulously in that direction, only to see the girl he had harassed earlier holding a dagger, deeply embedded in her arm, a slightly seductive smile on the girl's face.

Sexy Kitty screamed and pushed the girl away, then turned and ran. Jack quickly grabbed a chair and threw it to Sexy Kitty. The chair whistled through the air and crashed into Sexy Kitty's back, shattering upon impact. Sexy Kitty let out a miserable cry and fell to the ground. Normally, a blow like this would render him unable to get up, but now, in this live-or-dead moment, his strong survival instinct kicked in. Despite the intense pain in his back, he managed to crawl back to his feet and ran towards the back door.

Jack hesitated for a moment, then swiftly pursued him. Sexy Kitty reached the back door, knowing that if he could just make it outside, his familiarity with the terrain would make him hard to track down. He pulled the door open but suddenly stopped. A tall man, nearly six feet tall, stood at the door, holding a long knife. In the instant he opened the door, the knife plunged deep into his abdomen. Sexy Kitty grabbed the man's hand, looking at him with disbelief and resentment.

The man smirked coldly and kicked Sexy Kitty in the chest. He stumbled back several steps, touching the wound on his abdomen, muttering, "I can't accept this..." The man walked forward, using his clothes to wipe the blood off the knife before tucking it back under his attire. He then took out a black piece of paper from his pocket and placed it in Sexy Kitty's shirt pocket. Without a word, he turned and left. The most unforgettable aspect of Sexy Kitty was the conspicuous scar between the man's eyebrows.

Sexy Kitty's body went lifeless, and as he fell, the blood from his abdominal wound traced a beautiful red arc in the air.

Inside the KTV, a few of Sexy Kitty's guys remained standing. Those still standing were barely holding on, their bodies swaying. The big man entered through the back door and surveyed the scene, a smile playing on his lips as he nodded at Louis.

A violent clash erupted near Ghost KTV. The leader of Cheer, Sexy Kitty, was killed, and several of his guys died, with dozens more seriously injured. At the time, the underworld was rife with conflicts and deaths, so the police, accustomed to such incidents, treated it as a simple case of gang revenge without much investigation. The matter eventually faded away. However, those in the underworld knew that a black card was found on Sexy Kitty's body, the meaning of which remained unclear.

The day after Cheer's downfall, an organization led by Louis took control of Ghost KTV. Although some nearby gangs resisted, after clashing with Louis a few times and gaining no advantage, they eventually had to compromise and stop challenging him. From that point on, Louis became the new boss of Ghost KTV, acknowledged by the other gangs.

Louis had finally stepped into the bottomless quagmire of the criminal underworld.