At that moment, one of the thugs suddenly came to his senses. Giving up on attacking Chu Cheng, he turned and charged at Wang Xiaoke instead.

Wang Xiaoke, seeing him rush at her, nimbly dodged his attack. Seizing the perfect opening as he missed her, she acted like a skilled hunter. With a swift over-the-shoulder throw, she slammed him hard onto the ground.

Chu Cheng, who had already braced himself for a one-against-many brawl, stood dumbfounded, watching Wang Xiaoke’s fierce moves.

Wang Xiaoke showed no intention of running away. After taking down three or four of them in quick succession, she turned her sharp gaze toward the remaining thugs.

These men had never encountered such a brutal woman before. When her eyes locked onto them, they instinctively took a few steps back, each terrified they’d be her next victim.

“You go!” one thug said, pushing the man next to him.

“No, you go. You’re the one who said earlier that you wanted to ‘get her.’ Now you’re chickening out? I’m usually just the cleanup guy, anyway,” the pushed thug retorted, shoving him back with an exaggeratedly modest expression.

“You spineless coward! Stop hiding behind me. It’s just a woman—what’s there to be afraid of?” The first thug gritted his teeth as Wang Xiaoke steadily approached. With a heroic facade, he barked, “Let go of me!”

Obediently, the other thug released him. Puffing out his chest, he faced Wang Xiaoke and declared, “As a gentleman, I never hit women.”

He glanced at their fallen leader and added loyally, “But don’t worry, boss. I won’t hit her, but I can take care of him first.” He pointed at Chu Cheng.

The group finally realized that the girl was too skilled to handle, but there was still a guy they could gang up on.

Seeing their companion charge toward Chu Cheng, the rest quickly followed suit, eager to avoid being Wang Xiaoke’s next target.

Chu Cheng stood stunned, watching as the group suddenly shifted their focus and rushed at him.

“Get him, boys!” shouted the lead thug.

Chu Cheng, seeing their determined charge, clenched his fists tightly and prepared himself for the imminent fight, his face set in grim seriousness.

The gap between them closed rapidly. Chu Cheng kept his eyes fixed on the incoming thugs.

Four meters…

Three meters…

Two meters…

Here they come, he thought to himself, throwing a punch like lightning toward the nearest thug.

But then, something utterly unexpected happened.

The thug veered just enough to dodge Chu Cheng’s punch and ran right past him. Without a hint of guilt or hesitation, the thug turned and fled, leaving the others to deal with the fight.

Seeing this, the other two or three thugs quickly followed his example. Each chose a direction and bolted without a second thought.

Chu Cheng was left standing there, utterly humiliated. Not only had he failed to impress Wang Xiaoke, but the thugs sudden retreat robbed him of his chance to prove himself;

He clenched his fists in frustration and thought bitterly, These guys have absolutely no sense of professionalism. What a bunch of cowards!