“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, my lord, my lord! Zhu, Grandmaster of Blades, Zhu, Grandmaster of Blades! The other guy’s a complete rookie, damn it—he just drove straight off the cliff!!”
“I’m not blind, I saw it.”
They all got out of the SUV, standing at the edge of the Wildlands, and looked down. Amidst the wreckage of twisted, ruined cars, faint traces of black liquid could be seen trickling out.
“Grandmaster of Blades, how about we go down and finish the job?” Huang Mao suggested at this moment.
“Finish what? Can’t you see the car’s on fire? Give it a few more minutes and it’ll explode. Besides, what do you call this? This is a car accident, a slip off the cliff—if it ever goes to court, it’s not on us!
And get a video of that car down there—just say it was our doing. Take it to Overlord Liu and get paid.
I don’t believe it, a guy who sits in an office all day surviving something like this.”
They quickly shot the video, then took three Electric Scooters out of the SUV, splashed engine oil all over the SUV, and destroyed the evidence.
Grandmaster of Blades Zhu stepped forward, flicked the ash off his cigar, the ember igniting the gasoline, and with a whoosh, flames soared skyward!!
The three of them rode off on their Electric Scooters, vanishing into the pouring rain.
Pain!
Agonizing pain!
Unbearable pain!
In the midst of dizzying vertigo, Zhao Yicheng forced his eyes open. Ignoring the intense pain coursing through his body, his first thought was to check on the person in his arms.
Xu Yinsheng was fine, not even a scratch, just her nose had become even redder.
“Are you alright?”
Xu Yinsheng shook her head, signaling she was okay.
Only then did Zhao Yicheng breathe a sigh of relief, but his face instantly turned pale. He nearly gasped for air—sharp pain flared beneath his ribs, as if several were broken.
At the very instant of the crash, he’d shielded her in his arms, absorbing almost all the force from the fall himself.
“I’m—” Noticing the worry in Xu Yinsheng’s eyes, he wanted to reassure her, but instead coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The blood dripped down his lips, staining his collar a deep red.
“Don’t talk, I’ll call the Rescue Vehicle right away.” Xu Yinsheng hurriedly dug her phone out of her pocket.
But for some reason—maybe from the impact—the phone wouldn’t turn on, the screen remaining black.
“Forget the Rescue Vehicle for now.” Zhao Yicheng managed to cough a few more times.
“I can hear the gas tank leaking. Get me out of here first.”
His voice was weak, but it carried a steady authority—no one could doubt his judgment in such a critical moment.
Xu Yinsheng didn’t waste words, quickly dragged him out of the driver’s seat, and, supporting him, rushed forward as fast as she could.
They had barely made it out when the wrecked car was consumed by flames.
The rain was still pouring.
The relentless downpour soaked them both through. Xu Yinsheng half-dragged the injured Zhao Yicheng dozens of meters away before finally stopping.
Looking back at the burning remains of the car, Xu Yinsheng set Zhao Yicheng down. The two of them sat back to back, gasping for breath.
“We actually made it out alive this time.” Xu Yinsheng looked at the towering cliff and the burning car wreckage below, her voice tinged with relief.
“Yes.” Zhao Yicheng nodded, but the motion must have pulled at his wounds—he started coughing violently, hacking up another mouthful of blood.
Fingers digging into the muddy ground, he forced himself upright with his right arm, straightening his back, and handed his phone to Xu Yinsheng.
“When we get back, I’ll give you—and myself—an explanation.”
“These people… sooner or later…” Before he could finish, he was out of breath and had to cough up several more mouthfuls of blood.
“I’ve heard Business War is dirty, but I didn’t know it was this dirty.” Xu Yinsheng muttered, taking the phone. She didn’t call the Rescue Vehicle right away; instead, she gently patted his back as if that might help him feel better.
“Stop talking, I don’t want to watch you cough up blood and die here. Also, is this your only phone?” The agony in his gut left Zhao Yicheng a bit dazed; he didn’t notice anything odd about what she’d said.
“Yeah, just the one today.”
“Any other tracking devices or anything on you?”
“There’s a Locator in the car, but besides that…” Zhao Yicheng’s answer was cut off by another harsh cough. He could feel at least three ribs broken, one of them possibly piercing his left lung—the pain was excruciating.
He closed his eyes slightly, trying to steady his breathing, hoping it would ease the pain a little.
“Say, if Li Yuan finds out you didn’t return to the company, would he realize something happened and send people to look for you?” Zhao Yicheng shook his head with his eyes closed.
“No. I’ve been hands-off for two or three months, left almost everything to my subordinates. Even if I disappear for a day or two, no one at the company will care for a while.” As he spoke, another mouthful of blood spurted out.
“That’s good…”
As soon as Xu Yinsheng said that, a shattering sound rang in his ears. Zhao Yicheng forced his eyes open, turning his head.
He saw Xu Yinsheng swinging a Crowbar, smashing the phone on the muddy ground with all her strength!
Once!
Twice!
Thrice!
Shards flying, glass and circuits mingling—chips and casing dancing together, debris and splinters everywhere! In the darkness overhead, a bolt of lightning slashed across the sky, the white light illuminating her pretty face—now twisted and fearsome.
“Xiao Yin, you—”
Before he could finish, a small hand seized his hair and yanked hard. Then a kick landed squarely in his abdomen, sending him sprawling to the ground.
“You want to know what I’m doing, don’t you!”
Xu Yinsheng grabbed the Crowbar at hand, her eyes bloodshot, and yelled out each word:
“Of—course—it’s—to—kill—you!”
A bolt of lightning ripped through the night, lighting up the entire sky! The Crowbar came down, smashing heavily on Zhao Yicheng’s right arm!!
“AH!!!”
A wretched scream echoed across the sky.
“Haha… suffer and die for all I care…”
Xu Yinsheng’s eyes blazed red as she looked at the fractured arm, her laughter growing more deranged.
“I’ve fucking waited for this moment for far too long!!” With that, another swing of the Crowbar.
This time, it was his left leg!
Zhao Yicheng’s face turned ashen, veins bulging, sweat beading on his brow as he stifled a groan.
He looked up at Xu Yinsheng. But there was no hatred in his eyes—only confusion and dazed disbelief.
“W-why?”
“Why? How dare you ask me why!” Xu Yinsheng’s face was twisted with rage. She tossed the Crowbar aside, then pulled out a Fruit Knife from her tattoo.
She stabbed it deep into his right leg, twisting the blade as she gritted her teeth, her voice as chilling as a vengeful spirit:
“Two years ago you burned my family’s villa, locked me in a cage, shattered my dignity, made me ‘die,’ turned me into an Outlander, made me unable to go home, unable to use my own money!
You should’ve known this day would come!!”