After running back into the functional area, Ren Yi found himself surrounded by darkness once more. He moved forward with one hand against the wall, clutching a flashlight so tightly that his palm was drenched in sweat. Although the lighting device was right there in his hand, he didn’t dare press the switch. It wasn’t an ordinary flashlight, but a low-powered, makeshift shotgun, and he had only one chance to use it. It might be the very thing that saved his life.
In the darkness, sound was the only thing he could distinguish. Ren Yi strained his ears and listened carefully. He was afraid of hearing gunshots, yet he needed them to guide him.
He had been feeling his way along the wall for a while when gunfire rang out again. This time, it came from overhead!
Ren Yi immediately turned and ran back the way he had come, remembering that he had just passed a staircase.
After climbing the stairs, Ren Yi slowed his footsteps again. The gunshots were very close, which meant the person holding the gun was nearby as well. There was at least a fifty percent chance that the person was his enemy. Darkness and the unknown fed his fear, sending black tendrils creeping from the soles of his feet all the way to the top of his head. Trembling slightly, he continued forward with one hand against the wall.
Suddenly, he heard the faint rustle of clothing behind him. It was very soft and quick, but Ren Yi still caught it. Before he could turn around, he felt a rush of air behind him. With a loud thud, something heavy hit the ground.
Then came a gunshot!
Ever since graduating from the Armed Police University, Ren Yi hadn’t touched a gun, let alone been this close to a bullet. He could clearly feel it whizz past his ear, the airflow along its trajectory stirring the ends of his hair.
It was absolutely spine-chilling.
“Ren Yi, run!” Gong Yingxian shouted.
Ren Yi turned around. By the faint moonlight, he saw Gong Yingxian tackling someone to the ground. It wasn’t Yellow Flame, nor was it the criminal who had disguised himself as a hostage, but an unfamiliar man dressed in black.
There were others?!
Gong Yingxian was pinning the man down with his body. One hand clamped around the man’s wrist as he slammed it forcefully against the ground, trying to knock the gun out of his grip.
But the man in black refused to let go of the gun. In his panic, he fired again, the bullet striking the ground not far from Ren Yi.
“Run!” Gong Yingxian roared at him.
Ren Yi wanted to help Gong Yingxian, but the two men were locked in a struggle, making all the “weapons” he carried useless. He was also afraid of getting shot if he approached at close range, so he could only retreat to a nearby corner, at least ensuring that Gong Yingxian wouldn’t have to worry about him.
Gong Yingxian rolled over and straddled the man’s back, grabbing his arm with one hand and twisting it viciously behind him.
A scream tore through the night sky, and the gun finally slipped from the man’s grasp and fell to the ground.
The man in black kicked backward, striking Gong Yingxian in the head. Gong Yingxian fell to the ground, and the man seized the opportunity to shove him away and get back to his feet, throwing a punch straight at Gong Yingxian’s face.
Gong Yingxian twisted aside to dodge. The fist grazed his temple, leaving a fierce, burning pain.
The man immediately turned to retrieve his gun. Gong Yingxian grabbed his ankle and yanked it backward, then drove his elbow hard into the back of the man’s knee.
The man screamed again, his legs kicking wildly and aimlessly behind him. Gong Yingxian shielded his head and face with both arms as he retreated, while the man once again tried to reach for the gun.
Gong Yingxian sprang forward and threw himself onto the man. Grabbing the back of his collar with one hand, he clenched the other into a fist and struck toward the man’s temple.
The man ducked to avoid the blow and twisted his waist, turning half his body around. Somehow, a dagger had appeared in his hand, and he thrust it toward Gong Yingxian’s eye.
Just as the blade came within little more than an inch of Gong Yingxian’s eye, Gong Yingxian seized the man’s wrist with one hand and grabbed his thumb with the other, bending it back sharply and decisively.
The crisp crack of a broken bone and the man’s agonized scream intertwined to form part of the night’s terrifying symphony.
Gong Yingxian snatched the dagger from the man. His long arm swept outward in an elegant arc, like a great bird spreading its wings, yet the blade slashed open the man’s throat.
Blood gushed from the severed carotid artery, shooting upward in a fountain nearly a meter high.
Watching the blood pour out of the dying man’s body as though desperately trying to escape it, Ren Yi felt that, among all the horrifying scenes he had witnessed over the course of his life, this one could easily rank among the top five.
The man in black went limp.
Holding the dagger, Gong Yingxian slowly rose to his feet.
“Y-Yingxian,” Ren Yi called softly.
Gong Yingxian slowly turned around. His chest was covered in blood, and splatters stained his jade-white, handsome face. He looked like a ferocious beast that had just torn its prey apart.
Ren Yi hardly dared to breathe.
Gong Yingxian asked quietly, “Do you have any tissues?”
“…What?”
“It’s so dirty.” Gong Yingxian lowered his head to look at his clothes.
Ren Yi came back to his senses and hurriedly felt around in his pockets. Sure enough, he found two tissues, though he had no idea when he’d put them there. He walked over and began wiping the blood from Gong Yingxian’s face.
Gong Yingxian stared unblinkingly at Ren Yi. In the darkness, his pupils seemed to reflect a faint, ghostly blue light.
“Why didn’t you run?” Gong Yingxian asked expressionlessly. “Why did you come back?”
“How could I leave you all behind and run away? Where’s Captain Qiu?”
“I don’t know. Weren’t you two together? What about Bai Chicheng?”
“Captain Qiu went after Yellow Flame. Bai Chicheng tried to escape, but I caught him, beat him unconscious, and handcuffed him to the gate.”
“You shouldn’t have come back!” Gong Yingxian said coldly. “You should either have waited for us somewhere safe or taken him away. We agreed that you’d follow orders. What happened to that promise?”
Under normal circumstances, Ren Yi would certainly have argued back. But when he glanced at the man on the ground, still bleeding, he suddenly didn’t dare retort at all. He pressed his lips together. “Let’s leave together.”
“We can’t leave right now.”
“Why not?”
“There are others, and we don’t know how many.”
“What? Who is this man?”
“Besides Yellow Flame, those two ‘hostages’ were also their people. Purple Flame arranged for others as well. Every one of them has a gun, and every one of them is trained. They were sent here to make absolutely sure we die.” Gong Yingxian gritted his teeth. “We won’t get out of here unless we kill them all.”
Ren Yi was stunned.
Gong Yingxian glared at him. “That’s exactly why you shouldn’t have come back!”
“Then all the more reason I should have come back. At least that gives you one more person to help. No, we need to find Captain Qiu as soon as possible. She’s a woman on her own out here. It’s too dangerous.”
“She can protect herself better than you can.” Gong Yingxian picked up the black-clad man’s pistol from the ground and removed the magazine to inspect it. Then he searched the man’s body, only to say disappointedly, “There are only two bullets left.”
“Your gun is out of bullets too?”
Gong Yingxian shook his head.
“Captain Qiu took the gun from the man who was disguised as a woman and went after Yellow Flame. Isn’t Yellow Flame extremely dangerous? I’m really worried about her.”
“I’m worried too, but we have no other choice right now. I don’t know how many people Purple Flame sent. These men seem to be hired assassins.” Gong Yingxian gritted his teeth. “At least we have cover here. If we leave and there’s a sniper outside, we’ll be sitting ducks in the open.”
Ren Yi was at a loss for words. Although their situation was terrible, at least they could look out for each other as long as they stayed together. But what about Qiu Yan? Could she really protect herself out here alone? On top of that, she was going up against a wanted criminal who was exceptionally dangerous.
“We need to find her,” Gong Yingxian said. “First, let’s take stock of what we have on us. I don’t even know how many enemies we’re facing.”
The two counted their remaining “weapons.” They had only two bullets left, one flashlight, seven light-bulb grenades, more than thirty small explosive bottles, and two daggers.
Gong Yingxian handed Ren Yi the flashlight and more than half of the small explosive bottles.
“The light bulbs are a little dangerous. The wicks don’t burn at a uniform rate, so they might detonate prematurely. I’ll handle those. You take the rest.”
“Okay.”
Gong Yingxian then began taking off his jacket.
“What are you doing?”
Under his hoodie, Gong Yingxian was wearing a bulletproof vest. He was going to take it off.
Realizing what Gong Yingxian intended, Ren Yi immediately pressed down on his hand. “Don’t give it to me. You’re in much greater danger than I am.”
Gong Yingxian pulled his hand away, removed the vest, and ordered, “Put it on.”
“I’m not wearing it. You’re the one who needs it more. This thing is like my protective firefighting gear. Whoever goes into battle wears it, and whoever wears it goes into battle.” Ren Yi glared at Gong Yingxian. “Are you planning to make me the main fighter?”
Gong Yingxian’s tone was hard and uncompromising. “Put it on, or I’ll put it on you myself.”
Ren Yi pressed his lips together.
Gong Yingxian pulled Ren Yi’s arm aside and started forcing the vest onto him. Ren Yi struggled with all his might, but Gong Yingxian grabbed his chin and kissed him roughly on the lips, even biting his lower lip—not hard, but firmly enough to make his point.
Ren Yi let out a soft grunt and tried to push Gong Yingxian away. Taking advantage of the moment, Gong Yingxian seized his arm and slipped it through one armhole of the vest, then caught his other arm and pushed it through the other.
Ren Yi protested and tugged at the front of the vest, trying to pull it off. Gong Yingxian seized both his wrists with one hand and pressed them firmly against his chest. With his other hand, he held the back of Ren Yi’s head and deepened the kiss, leaving Ren Yi nowhere to retreat, forcing him to accept a close, uninterrupted kiss.
Gong Yingxian kissed Ren Yi until his head was spinning. Taking advantage of his dazed state, he pulled up the zipper of the vest before finally letting him go.
Ren Yi gasped for breath and glared at Gong Yingxian, but his glare had absolutely no intimidating power. Because their intimate moment had just ended, even the corners of his eyes still held a lingering, tender flush. To Gong Yingxian, it looked more like an invitation to tease him.
At that moment, Gong Yingxian didn’t dare let himself dwell on it. He merely scolded, “Make sure you keep it on.”
Ren Yi tugged at the bulletproof vest he was wearing and had no choice but to accept it.
As Gong Yingxian tucked various homemade weapons into his clothes, he said, “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely get you out of here safely. No matter how many enemies there are, even if I have to fight my way through a sea of blood, I’ll make sure you get home safe and sound.”
Ren Yi gazed silently at Gong Yingxian.
It seemed that no matter what danger they encountered or what enemies they faced, Gong Yingxian would always be able to protect him.
More importantly—and this was a thought he really shouldn’t have—even if he died here with Gong Yingxian, he would have no regrets.