Hidden Assassin 192

“Ah——”

A sharp scream erupted from Ya Han’s mouth, a choked, mournful sound. Heart-wrenching, it sent a shiver of satisfaction through Dao Ba’s heart. In the four years since, this was indeed the most sorrowful, and the most pleasing, cry he had ever heard. But such a cry could easily attract others, so he quickly covered Ya Han’s mouth with his hand, his gun pointed back at her. “Don’t move!” He didn’t want to kill Ya Han just yet. He wanted to inflict more than just a little pain.

However, ignoring the gun pressed against her head, Ya Han’s eyes seemed to lose their focus as she struggled violently. Like a crazed female leopard, her hands lashed out wildly, tearing at him. Dao Ba’s right hand tightened, but his left hesitated to pull the trigger. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his hand. Ya Han had bitten his hand, hard. Breaking free from Dao Ba’s grasp, Ya Han quickly knelt before Jia Ming, frantically trying to stop the blood pouring from his chest.

“Jia Ming… Don’t joke, it can’t be… Don’t joke… Wake up!”

Ya Han’s desperate struggle took him by surprise. Dao Ba shook his bleeding right hand, the gun barrel still following Ya Han’s movements. He advanced closer, his voice filled with anger. “Damn you…”

“The drama ends here.”

With that sudden voice, a hand, seemingly out of nowhere, grabbed the revolver’s barrel. His heart pounded in his chest, struck with fear. He instinctively pulled the trigger, but as that hand moved, the gun’s outer shell was instantly removed. The gun’s inner workings, springs, and other components clattered to the floor. Jia Ming, who had been lying on the ground, stood up as if possessed. He stood there, his gaze ghostly, staring at Dao Ba. In his left hand, he held a fruit knife.

“Don’t be afraid…”

Getting up after being shot in the left chest. Disassembling a pistol before the trigger was pulled… It was the first time he had witnessed something like this, and it would also be the last. As he spoke calmly, Jia Ming swiftly swung his right hand. A flash of cold steel ripped through Dao Ba’s throat, sending a spray of blood into the air.

“… The pain is just a little.”

Dao Ba staggered back, collapsing against the wall, his throat making meaningless “huh, huh…” sounds. He couldn’t speak, nor could he feel any movement in his body. He only saw the figure, the world, fading away. These were the last words he heard in this world.

The pain is just a little…

At that moment, Ya Han’s eyes widened in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. She looked at Jia Ming, standing beside her, her voice still choked with sobs. “This… Jia Ming… You…”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Jia Ming smiled nonchalantly, dropping the dagger in his right hand. While he couldn’t carry a gun, he always had a dagger on him. “I let him shoot. I calculated the trajectory. The bullet missed my heart. If the doctor comes in time, he won’t be in danger, heh. This kind of thug, I could crush him like an ant any day. It’s no big deal to let him shoot a few more times… Cough, cough…”

Blood continued to flow from his chest. Though his face remained calm, the sudden coughing fit betrayed his injury. Ya Han stared at him, hesitated for two seconds, then suddenly stood up. “I’ll call a doctor!” But Jia Ming grabbed her arm. “Wait!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine for now. I don’t want anyone to know I killed him. So, it’s best if it looks like you acted in self-defense… That way, we still have things to do. From now on, listen to me.” Jia Ming chuckled as he flipped open Ya Han’s handbag that had fallen to the ground, took out a handkerchief, and then picked up the scattered gun parts. With a few clicks, he reassembled the gun. He then pointed it at the wall next to him, fired a shot, creating a bullet hole. He then returned the gun to Dao Ba’s hand.

“Self-defense murder won’t be a problem. The police will only ask a few questions. You saw me get hurt, and you panicked. You struggled, bit him, and then grabbed a knife from your bag and stabbed him. The situation was chaotic, he didn’t hit you, you were lucky… Understand? Take this knife. It can’t have my fingerprints. As for why you had a knife… well, whatever. After all, we were both kidnapped once, heh…”

Tears flowed freely down Ya Han’s face. She stood there, helpless, watching Jia Ming methodically recreate the scene. She then took the knife and couldn’t speak. The blood continued to ooze from Jia Ming’s chest. The fruit knife, still embedded in his left hand, had been ripped open further when he was thrown back. After finishing, Jia Ming covered his wound and walked to the long sofa.

“Then you helped me to the sofa… Now, you can call for help.”

Crying, Ya Han wiped her tears and ran to the door. “Help! Help me! Help!”

Her desperate cries came from outside. Moments later, she returned, holding the knife. Jia Ming was already lying on the sofa. Ya Han ran to his side and knelt down. She had learned some first aid and nursing in the past, but now her hands trembled, and she didn’t know what to do. Jia Ming smiled. “Put down the knife first. Don’t be scared… heh, you’re crying like a pig nose right now.”

“You… what are you joking about?” Perhaps the “pig nose” comment had brought her to her senses. Ya Han suddenly screamed, dropped the knife, and grabbed his chest, tears streaming down her face. “Why did you let him shoot? I’d rather… you know I almost thought you were dead, I almost thought you were dead…”

“I could see his trajectory when he was aiming. Maybe it’s hard to believe, but that shot was essentially forced. I needed to lower his guard, it was the simplest, most direct way.”

“If it wasn’t for me…”

*逆龙道手打员: 小马甲7号倾情手打*

“It’s not your fault.” Jia Ming interrupted Ya Han’s cries, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. “This was my choice…”

So, to become a skilled killer, a warrior, one must be ruthless, without love, family, or ties. If it had been during normal times, ten or a hundred Dao Ba’s wouldn’t have been able to harm him in the slightest. But by taking a hostage, someone he cared about, he could sacrifice his blood, his life. That’s why Yuan Lai Chao Chuang never dared to express his feelings. That’s why, while he became the king of assassins, he also became one of the weakest people in the world. The path was his own choice, but now that he had chosen it, there was no point in complaining.

This time, it was thankfully a close call. If it had been a professional assassin, things wouldn’t have ended so easily. He would have used a more roundabout and effective method. But the hostage could have been harmed. And that was something he wouldn’t allow to happen.

Outside, voices began to grow closer. Jia Ming slowly closed his eyes. “Someone will be here soon. I need to faint for a while. Ya Han, you…”

“Don’t faint!” Ya Han suddenly cried out. “You can’t sleep, don’t close your eyes. Feed…”

“Please, I’m just going to faint for a moment. It’s fine to keep forcing myself awake, but I’ve lost so much blood. I’m tired. I just need to faint for a bit, it’s okay…”

“Feed, you can’t sleep, don’t sleep! If you sleep, you’ll… Don’t sleep, please don’t sleep…” Ya Han cried out loudly, slapping Jia Ming’s face, coating his face in blood.

“Please, it’s not a movie. Fainting is the body’s automatic adjustment…” Jia Ming groaned, opening his eyes painfully.

Ya Han wailed and cried.

“Stop crying, alright… I’m scared of you, I won’t faint anymore…” Jia Ming muttered helplessly, his eyes darting around. “You’re scarier than that guy.” He thought of the two terrifying figures arriving soon, and he felt a headache coming on. Ling Jing and Sha Sha… He couldn’t tell Ya Han about Ling Jing and Sha Sha. Aaaah… his head was pounding…

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It was the early morning, at the hospital.

Ya Han sat slumped on a long bench in the hallway outside the operating room, her thoughts in chaos. The hallway was crowded with people. Her father and stepmother had come. Her private security guards were there, along with the police. The Huang family’s steward was there, along with Dongfang Wan and Dongfang Lu. Liu Zheng was there too, along with a group of Sha Zhu Gang leaders, a mix of black and white society members. Her father was talking to the police, insisting on a thorough investigation. The Sha Zhu Gang members were yelling at the police, threatening to wipe out the entire Huang family because Jia Ming had clashed with the Huang family the day before. Liu Zheng, his face grim, barked at them to be quiet, and the uproar finally subsided. Soon, a few higher-ranking officers, like the Chief, arrived and tried to calm Liu Zheng down, telling him not to act rashly until they knew what had happened.

Ling Jing and Sha Sha were also there. They were still in their pajamas, having rushed straight from their home. Ling Jing had lost one of her slippers on the way, and they were both sitting there, silently crying, their bodies draped in adult clothing, waiting for the results of the surgery. When they first saw Ling Jing, Dongfang Lu had taken off his jacket to cover her. But when she saw it was him, Ling Jing, always well-behaved and polite, threw the jacket to the ground and continued sobbing. She was now wearing a jacket belonging to one of Liu Zheng’s men.

According to the police station’s report, Dao Ba had recently escaped from prison, but after Liu Zheng’s intelligence network did some digging, another piece of information came to light. Dao Ba had been aided by the Huang family’s top lieutenant after his escape. For a moment, the situation seemed clear. Although Liu Zheng didn’t say anything, he had clearly started planning to attack the San Qing Gang. The police seemed a bit helpless, because even Zhang Jing An had joined Liu Zheng and some of the police, their faces gloomy, discussing the situation. This had almost hurt Ya Han, and the Zhang family would certainly intervene and investigate thoroughly. Her stepmother was shouting abuse, declaring that this wouldn’t end.

Ya Han sat there, dazed, occasionally letting out a sob.

Around three in the morning, the operating room door finally opened. Duan Jing Xian, the head of surgery and orthopedics, stepped out. Ling Jing ran to her, crying. “He’s okay, Jia Ming’s okay…”

“He’s fine, everyone, don’t worry. Jia Ming was very lucky. The bullet passed by his heart. If it had been a centimeter or two off, the consequences would have been dire. The surgery is now complete. Jia Ming needs to rest. He can’t talk to everyone now. Everyone, come back tomorrow to visit. Today, you… If you want to go in, you can. I think… Sha Sha, you go in. Ling Jing, feed, Ling Jing…”

According to Ye Mama, Sha Sha was Jia Ming’s girlfriend, so it made sense for her to go in. But Ling Jing, right behind Sha Sha, ran in barefoot. Duan Jing Xian could only smile helplessly and then closed the door.

Now that they knew Jia Ming was okay, everyone lost interest in visiting. Liu Zheng and the others probably had murder on their minds. Zhang Jing An, nodding to him, would certainly be involved in taking down the San Qing Gang. The police were gathered in a corner, discussing the matter with heavy hearts. Among the crowd, Ya Han had stood up. She stared at the door, her face a mixture of tears and a sense of relief.

He was okay. But… From the moment Jia Ming rushed in to save her, was shot, and was freed from danger, to the moment he was sent to the hospital, she had thought of everything she could do for him. No matter how pathetic or degrading it was, she had thought of everything. She wanted to be with him, to thank him, to repay him. Like all the hero-saves-the-damsel storylines in books and on TV. But… Ling Jing and Sha Sha had arrived. They were crying…

They had gone in. They were with him, behind that door. And she was standing outside. No one thought to let her go in, no one thought she was entitled to be there. After all, he wasn’t hers…

Her stepmother walked over, put her arm around her shoulder, and offered words of comfort. Ye Mama also came over, smiling and comforting her. She also considered Duan Jing Xian her mentor. Dongfang Wan also came over and said something. Then, the Sha Zhu Gang’s little leaders left. She didn’t know how long it had been when her father came over, patted her shoulder, and said it was getting late. Let’s go back. You can see him tomorrow. She stood up, looked at the door one last time, and left with her father.

Yes, it was getting late. I should go back. Ling Jing and Sha Sha can be with you. And I can only come to see you tomorrow, properly and legitimately, like a good friend.

He’s okay, that’s all that matters…

Finally, she thought…

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