The reception dinner venue.

Old Li, past fifty, was grappling one-on-one with Han Xian, who was of similar age. Though both had military experience, their time in the office far outweighed their military training. Add to that their advanced age and clumsy physiques, and their brawl was utterly lacking in finesse, even bordering on the unsightly.

Inside the hall.

Old Li grabbed Han Xian by the collar, deliberately tripping his supporting leg, aiming for a shoulder throw. But after two attempts, he couldn't manage it. They were stuck! Locked in a stalemate!!

Han Xian was slightly stronger. While grappling with Old Li, he managed to slap the leader on the back of the head a couple of times.

Originally, Su Tianyu wanted to let the leader handle things himself. But upon closer inspection, he realized that apart from his well-developed brain, the leader's physical strength was utterly deplorable, and he was currently at a disadvantage.

Furthermore, both men had had quite a bit to drink, their footsteps were unsteady, and there was no strategy to speak of, so it was hard to say who would maintain the upper hand in their tangled mess.

This was The Dragon City Rises, after all! Their home turf! If their own leader was beaten down by an outsider, they'd lose all face.

"Stop fighting, Leader!" Su Tianyu shouted, striding forward. "Calm down, everyone, let's stop this."

Li Yuan, hearing this, rushed up and asked, "Didn't we say we'd watch the leader handle it? What if we get scolded for interfering?"

"Are you an idiot? If the leader gets beaten, won't you get scolded too? He's dazed, he can't handle anything, let's go!" Su Tianyu retorted, dashing forward.

Why was Gou Liuzi the true crown prince? Why could he always be in the spotlight, always favored?! It was because of his extraordinary bootlicking skills!

Su Tianyu was the first to rush forward, pulling Han Xian away. "Leader, calm down, there are... so many people here, it's not appropriate for you to get physical."

As soon as he spoke, Jin Maohui, Li Yuan, and the others also rushed up, immediately pinning Han Xian's hands.

"Leader, can't we talk things out? No need to fight!"

"Leader, isn't it just a drink? I'll drink two bottles, okay?!"

"……!"

Han Xian was restrained, and his men were immediately embraced by the local cadres in the room. Everyone was shouting, telling them not to fight, not to get physical, to calm down.

One of Han Xian's subordinates was a deputy bureau-level cadre. He was hugged around the waist by four people, desperately trying to protect Han Xian, but unable to break free from their well-intentioned persuasion.

The two sides remained locked in a stalemate for a while, exchanging curses. Finally, the extremely irascible deputy bureau-level cadre collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.

He fainted from anger! Someone fainted from anger on the spot!

"Quick, call an ambulance!" While pulling Han Xian away, Su Tianyu also had to manage the situation on the scene. "Don't let them anger the leader to death, quick, get him out of here!"

In the center of the crowd, the drunken Old Li didn't care about any kind of martial ethics. Although he was shouting for everyone to get out of the way, his hands didn't stop moving.

"Slap!"

"Come on, let's have a one-on-one today. I've long disliked you bastards!"

"Slap!"

"Fight back?! Don't be a coward!"

"……!"

Li Mingsheng slapped Han Xian across the face, one slap after another, with great enthusiasm.

Old Li really hated this, he wasn't opposed to the higher-ups making demands of him, but he absolutely couldn't accept his team, which he had built up with his own hands, being completely controlled by others.

No one knew what kind of struggles and efforts Old Li's team had gone through in The Dragon City Rises. Today's empire wasn't built by him alone.

He had to make a scene, he had to fight, otherwise, the following things wouldn't be resolved.

Han Xian's nose was bleeding from the beating, and he was screaming in anger, but it was useless, because his entire body was being held by at least a dozen hands, and he couldn't even move a step, let alone fight back.

Two or three minutes later.

Su Tianyu felt that the time was about right, because if they continued to fight, and something bad happened to Han Xian, there would be no way to end things.

"Alright, leader, stop fighting, stop fighting...!" Su Tianyu pulled Li Mingsheng, and quickly walked towards the door.

"Don't pull me, I have to beat him to death!" Old Li was still shouting wildly.

Su Tianyu dragged Li Mingsheng to the door, and softly persuaded him, "They're all our own people, don't... don't act anymore, leader."

Old Li gasped, wiping the sweat from his face, and touched his nose, realizing that he was also bleeding. This must have been caused by accidentally getting hit a couple of times during the earlier scuffle.

"Huff...!"

Old Li gasped and cursed, "This body isn't what it used to be, I... I can't even catch my breath."

"Yes, yes, take a rest!"

"Hey, did I get the short end of the stick just now? It was at least a fifty-fifty situation, right?" Old Li still asked Su Tianyu, stubbornly, "I... I'm telling you, if I were twenty years younger, I could beat two of him."

"Yes, once you made your move, he basically had no ability to resist." Su Tianyu gave him a thumbs up. "You beat him so badly that he can't even lift his arms."

"Not bad, although my body can't take it anymore, the old foundation is still there." Old Li stretched his limbs.

Su Tianyu almost laughed when he heard this, thinking that if it weren't for the help of twenty or so people, it wouldn't be certain who would have ended up under the table, him or Han Xian.

"Let's go, leader, let's go back, let's go back to the hospital."

"...Ah, let's go!"

……

Early the next morning.

Inside the sanatorium designated by the city leaders, Old Li stood in front of the mirror, looking at the bruises and minor cuts on his face, and asked in a daze, "Did it get this intense?"

"You fought for at least five minutes," Su Tianyu replied.

Old Li was really drunk last night. He remembered fighting, but the specific details had been completely forgotten. "This guy, Old Han, is a ruthless fighter, he even scratched my eyelid...!"

"You won, you beat him pretty badly too." Su Tianyu immediately replied, "He's getting an IV drip in the hospital today!"

"Mm." After sobering up, Old Li returned to his state as mayor, bent down and sat back on the bed, and sent Ouyang Zhen a simple text message. The content was very concise.

"I resign, you guys replace me."

After sending the message, Li Mingsheng directly turned off his phone, lay down on the bed, and said, "Don't let anyone see me today, let me rest for a while..."

……

Hua Fu, inside the People's Political Council.

Ouyang Zhen looked at the text message and shook his head helplessly. "Ah, that old bastard... he's really not human, he never lets me have an easy time."

Across the conference table, a white man was holding a phone, listening to Han Xian's report.

"Mr. Ford!!! If you don't remove Old Li's position as mayor, I will definitely resign!" Han Xian roared in a cracked voice. "He's too arrogant! I waited for him in The Dragon City Rises for three days, and he never showed up. At the start of last night's reception dinner, he forced me to drink. I said I wouldn't drink... and he came up and hit me!"

"Han, my Chinese isn't very good, speak slower... speak slower!"