Hidden Assassin 214

The lights in the corridor flickered, illuminating the silhouettes of a dozen students stumbling and running towards the back of the grand hall.

A wave of unbearable pain surged through my chest. The blow I received from the Gods Without Mind a while ago had left me feeling like my bones were shattered. I had thought my talent and perseverance, along with years of training, would make me strong, but facing these elite assassins and warriors, I realized how terrifying they truly were.

My mind drifted to the young man, even younger than I, who had defeated Yuan Lai Chao Chuang and slain the Da Nei Chang Du. According to the Yan Huang Jue Xing investigations, he was an ordinary boy, orphaned and dependent on the Huang family. He was known for being reserved and proud, his life simple and straightforward. It was impossible to fathom how he possessed such incredible strength. Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine.

Recalling the events that unfolded since I had fallen for Ye Lingjing, I couldn’t help but shake my head and chuckle bitterly. Looking back, I realized I had danced on the brink of death countless times.

Amidst the chaos, the girl beside me kept chattering about the dangers of her escape with Dongfang Wan earlier. As we reached a fork in the corridor, there was a commotion from the side path. Several students trying to escape from there had encountered hired mercenaries and were forced to flee back. The remaining mercenaries, though not skilled enough to control the students’ panicked escape, wouldn’t simply stand by and watch them run past.

“There… there are people with guns over there, shooting at us!”

“The front door is also blocked!”

“Quick, this way!”

Fear choked their voices, their whispers and murmurs blending into a strange din. The girls were already crying in terror, many of them collapsing from sheer panic. The boys weren’t much better, their silhouettes flitting back and forth, overwhelmed with fear. Suddenly, the unmistakable roar of a machine gun echoed, its fiery sparks flashing across the ceiling of the corridor. Bits of plaster rained down as a harsh voice barked in broken Chinese from the far corner of the corridor: “Go back!”

Screams and shouts erupted once again. The students in front of me scrambled back towards the hall. Seeing this, the girl who had a crush on me grabbed my hand and turned to run. I quickly shook her off, dashed forward a few steps, and dived into a nearby room.

The screaming crowd surged back towards the hall, the girl calling out to me with tears in her eyes, wanting to follow, but fear ultimately won over. She turned back with tears streaming down her face and joined the fleeing crowd.

Gunfire roared from the front, driving the students back into the hall. I closed the door and drew the curtains, hoping to wait until the mercenaries passed before leaving. But I hesitated, feeling uneasy. Finally, I climbed onto a table in the room, ignoring the throbbing pain in my chest, and pulled myself up into the ventilation shaft above.

I crawled along the shaft for about twenty meters, reaching a bend. Calculating the distance, I opened the third ventilation grate I came across. Through the grate, I could faintly see a room filled with costumes: princess and prince outfits, a full-body Black Cat Sheriff costume, a bear suit, rabbit costumes – all tossed haphazardly about. I wondered which one Dongfang Wan had worn. As I called out “Little Wan,” a loud bang echoed from the door below, and I quickly closed the ventilation grate. A mercenary carrying a machine gun cautiously entered the room, apparently drawn by my earlier call.

Through the grate, I could still see the situation below. The mercenary cautiously surveyed the room, glancing at the scattered costumes before his gaze landed on something else. I followed his gaze and saw that the window on the side of the room had been smashed, a pile of debris scattered at its base, clear signs of someone having jumped from there.

Could it be… my sister escaped from here?

Just as this thought crossed my mind, the mercenary, about to inspect the debris, stepped on the paw of the large grey bear costume. The other hand of the bear suddenly moved. The mercenary sensed something amiss beneath his feet and turned his gun. At that moment, I pushed open the ventilation grate and leaped down!

“Run!”

Bang!

Boom!

A dark figure plunged down, colliding with the wall behind the mercenary. The bear, with incredible agility, leaped from the ground and bolted out of the door.

Though I was no match for the Gods Without Mind, the gap between me and these mercenaries was not insurmountable. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, I sent the mercenary reeling with the force of the impact. I, however, escaped with minimal injuries and followed the bear.

The mercenary inside the room, oblivious to the unfolding scene, was unaware that the large white rabbit costume suddenly began to move. But I was already racing away at a breakneck speed. The mercenary cursed under his breath and gave chase. The white rabbit hopped a few steps, then stopped at the doorway, only to see the back of the frantically pursuing mercenary. In the darkness, faint sobs escaped from the white rabbit: “Brother…”

Hearing a commotion from the other end, the rabbit hopped back to its “dead” position, assuming a strange posture and staying still.

The bear and I didn’t get far.

As we rounded a pillar in the corridor, a gun butt slammed into my face, knocking me to the ground. The attacker aimed his machine gun at the bear. Then, the mercenary I had knocked around earlier arrived and raised his gun, ready to fire, but another mercenary who had blocked my escape stopped him.

I spat out a mouthful of blood, my face swollen. The bear stood with its arms raised, its short legs trembling. The two mercenaries exchanged a few words in Thai before one of them spoke in Chinese: “Who are you? Speak!”

“Please… let her go. I can pay you, I can be your hostage…” I managed to scramble to my feet, leaning against the wall for support. I knew their Chinese was not very good, so I switched to fluent English. The two mercenaries exchanged glances before replying in English: “Who are you?”

“Please let her go… ugh!” Before I could finish, a powerful kick slammed into my stomach, sending me doubling over in pain.

“I hate it when people don’t answer my questions! Who are you? Tell me!”

“I am… the heir to the Dongfang family in Jiang Hai City. I can arrange for my family to pay your ransom… just let her go…”

The mercenaries were in Jiang Hai for money. Knowing that the Dongfang family was the most powerful force in Jiang Hai, they had naturally conducted their due diligence. Hostages didn’t matter in numbers, what mattered was capturing someone whose release would guarantee payment. Hearing my identity, the mercenary’s expression softened slightly. However, one of them sneered: “We already have you…”

“You don’t…” With a flick of my wrist, I straightened up, a dagger clutched in my left hand, pressed against my chest. “No one pays for a corpse. You can either take the money peacefully or make enemies for life… you choose…”

“Drop the knife!” the mercenary who had intercepted me barked.

“She’s the most important person to me.” Glancing at the bear, I continued, “If she can die for me, I can die for her. Don’t doubt my resolve…”

“I said drop the knife!” The mercenary’s voice rose.

“…”

“Bullshit…” The mercenary suddenly pointed his gun at the bear, then reached out and ripped off the bear’s costume head. At that moment, both the mercenaries and I were stunned.

Beneath the head was the chubby, terrified face of Fu Yanjie, his face a ghastly shade of purple, stained with blood and sweat. The mercenaries looked at my still-handsome face, then at the pathetic, wretched pig face, speechless for a long time. I blinked, the dagger clanging to the floor as I stared at Fu Yanjie, eyes wide with disbelief. “This… that…”

“I… no… don’t…” Seeing the gun pointed at him, Fu Yanjie just shook his head frantically, unable to understand our English. He repeated the few foreign phrases he knew in a trembling voice: “No… don’t… yà, yā diē…”

“The most important person to you… **bullshit!**” Since “she” and “he” are different words in English, the mercenary remembered my use of “she” clearly. One of them pointed his gun directly at my forehead, pulled back the hammer with a sharp click, and roared with fury: “I hate you faggots!”

…

…

“Go!”

With a bang, Xun rolled onto the ground. On the other side, Sha Sha was sent flying with a kick. She struggled to her feet, clutching her aching side, her eyes blazing red as she stared at the towering figure in the distance.

“Go…”

It was Xun’s voice again, weak and strained. A bullet had pierced her arm, another her abdomen, and her body was drenched in blood. She had little strength left to even crawl. She struggled for a moment before collapsing. Sha Sha wiped away the tears on her face and gritted her teeth, “I won’t go.”

“Can you go?”

The gun barrel aimed at the struggling girl. A smile spread across Tank’s face. He was just as battered as she was, with blood streaming from his arm, wounds covering his body, and blood staining his face. However, his internal injuries seemed to be less severe than his outward appearance, so he had finally caught the two girls.

If he had to choose between them, he would definitely keep one as a hostage. After the long chase, he had learned that Sha Sha’s strength was insignificant. She would be an ideal hostage. He wasn’t planning on harming Sha Sha, at least not for now. As for Yuechi Xun, she had learned from the Flower-Picking Great Thief Yujinxia, the bomb, the knife, the resistance, and the counterattacks all the way had been orchestrated by her. She was a high-risk target. He didn’t plan on letting her live, at least not without crippling injuries.

“I’ll treat you well, Miss Yuechi Xun,” he said, his voice laced with malice.

Sha Sha cried out, “Stay away from her!”

Tank shifted the gun barrel with a click, the bullet whizzing past Sha Sha’s ear. Her loose hair flew up in the air as she instinctively ducked. Sha Sha seemed to be frozen in terror, but Tank just chuckled, “Want to die? You?” He aimed the gun at the struggling Xun again.

“I told you to stay away from her!” Sha Sha shouted once more. Tank tilted his head: “What if I said no?” Another shot rang out, piercing Xun’s right arm. The girl who had been trying to get up collapsed onto the ground, her trembling right hand pressed against the wound in her abdomen. She gasped for air, unable to rise again.

“Go…”

The air was filled with a suffocating silence, broken only by the faint, barely audible words. Tank’s chilling laughter echoed in the air, along with Xun’s ragged breaths and Sha Sha’s wide eyes and parted lips. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and screamed: “AAAAAAA!”

“Heh, you…” Tank was about to speak, but paused, his eyes widening in surprise. Sha Sha lifted her bloodshot eyes, the grenade she had been carrying in her pocket clutched in her hand. She limped towards him, slowly and resolutely.

“I said… stay away from her. Now, we’ll die here…” She sniffled, tears streaming down her face, “We’ll die here…”

The two of them were only about two meters apart. If Sha Sha detonated the grenade, he would have no chance to escape. They would all die here. If she hesitated, he could still get away, but… he didn’t believe that an untrained person would dare to detonate a grenade in his presence. What was this girl… The thought flashed across his mind. Sha Sha pulled the pin of the grenade and charged toward him.

“Damn…”

Tank spun his gun, aiming as he retreated. At the same time, a dark figure darted between them. Sha Sha crashed into the figure’s arms, her hands instantly grasped. From the back, it looked like they were embracing.

The gunshot rang out. Tank fired accurately at the suddenly appearing figure as he retreated. However, the two figures seemed to freeze in place, their bodies locked in an embrace. It was a transition from movement to stillness in a split second, but it felt like an eternity.

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