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Chapter 63.2
by shae.It was an art studio. It was hard to believe such a clean space existed in a place this soaked in sin.
White walls, white curtains, and a single window—the only spot in the entire hidden floor where sunlight could enter.
The room was stacked with paintings of all kinds, and on the easel stood an oil painting still only halfway finished. A light, delicate scent of paint lingered in the air.
With nowhere to hide, Jiang Zhihuo didn’t even bother trying.
“Who’s lying to who?” Jiang Zhihuo said. “You’re asking why I’m here? You tricked me into coming.”
Fu Xiuwang chuckled softly and lit a cigarette.
A breeze blew in from outside, making the white curtains flutter slightly. Fu Xiuwang sat down in front of the easel, took a long drag from his cigarette, the tip burning fast and deep. “I actually thought you were a real fool at first.”
“What did you just go off to do?” Fu Xiuwang exhaled a cloud of smoke, then pressed the barely-smoked cigarette straight onto the painting.
The canvas burned into a black hole where the cigarette touched it, dark edges spreading outward from the center. “You tried to steal my files? No, you probably couldn’t find them. So what did you find? Where’s Wang You? Who sent you? What is it you’re after?”
He fired off question after question. The burnt-out butt fell to the ground, and he lit another cigarette.
Jiang Zhihuo stared back without fear, he scanned the room’s layout through the corner of his eyes.
After the time he’d spent with him and with the detailed background reports, a personality profile was easy to build.
Fu Xiuwang hated being lied to more than anything.
He had a strong desire for control and dominance.
And he was prone to violence.
There was no need to play nice anymore. Talking was pointless now. What Jiang Zhihuo needed to think about was how to fight him.
“Why?”
Fu Xiuwang stepped closer, his questioning vague and twisted.
“I’m doing this for your own good, aren’t I?”
“I’m thinking of what’s best for you.”
“So why can’t you just behave?”
“If you listen, you won’t be hurt. Isn’t that right?”
He took the cigarette from his mouth and spoke into the guard’s internal line, “I was attacked. Get to the hidden floor, don’t let him get away.”
Then he pulled out a knife.
Jiang Zhihuo: “Ah, what you’re doing now is a violation of the Public Security Administration Law. See, the tip of your knife is less than sixty degrees, which makes it a restricted weapon. Carrying a restricted weapon like that can get you up to five days of detention and a fine of up to 500 yuan.”
Fu Xiuwang gave a mocking smile, didn’t waste words, and charged straight at Jiang Zhihuo.
This guy was definitely trying to kill him. The first stab went straight for the heart. Jiang Zhihuo twisted his body just in time to dodge it. He glanced down, aimed a sharp kick at Fu Xiuwang’s knee, then grabbed the arm, while his other hand locked onto the shoulder. With his palm facing down, he pressed hard with the base of his thumb, spun sharply to the left, and executed a textbook arm-lock back throw1[T/N: 抱臂背摔 is a grappling move where the opponent’s arm is pinned and their body is thrown over the shoulder and slammed to the ground.].
Grappling techniques2[T/N: 擒拿术 (qínná shù) refers to a Chinese martial art focused on joint locks and grappling techniques, often used in close combat or self-defense.] rely on size and strength. If it were just bare-handed, Jiang Zhihuo definitely wouldn’t be afraid. But now that Fu Xiuwang had a knife in hand, he had to stay cautious, making his moves clean but still holding back a bit.
However, Fu Xiuwang wasn’t the kind of person to sit there and wait to die. He definitely had enough confidence to take down a high schooler. After being pinned, he pulled both arms back, twisted his wrists, and instantly flipped the direction of the knife, stabbing straight toward the abdomen.
Jiang Zhihuo didn’t hesitate for a second. He bent down, pulled out the stun gun, turned the power all the way up, and drove it straight into Fu Xiuwang’s body.
The stun gun’s power was effective. Fu Xiuwang’s body twitched, and the knife dropped from his hand.
Jiang Zhihuo kicked the knife away, stepped back a few steps, and leaned against the wall. Fu Xiuwang was strong. Those last few moves had taken a lot out of him.
With no weapon and half his body numb, Fu Xiuwang was clearly at a disadvantage.
He raised his hands and stepped toward Jiang Zhihuo. “I lost. You’re impressive.”
Like hell he’d actually admit defeat!
Jiang Zhihuo didn’t dare let his guard down, but the art studio room was far too cramped. He had already backed up as far as he could and could no longer keep his distance. He had no choice but to keep fighting. In the tight space, Fu Xiuwang suddenly lunged at him again. There was actually a short, pointed weapon in his sleeve!
They were too close. Jiang Zhihuo had no time to dodge! The short, pointed weapon was sharp, and just as the stun gun touched Fu Xiuwang again, the pointed weapon stabbed straight into Jiang Zhihuo’s side.
Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t hold back and cursed, “F*ck, what are you, a damn ninja?”
Having hidden weapons all over your damn body.
Sharp pain spread from his waist. The skin there was the most fragile, and the pain hit the hardest. He could even feel the blood flowing out.
Fu Xiuwang was just numb. Since the shock hadn’t reached his neck, it wasn’t enough to make him pass out. After recovering slightly, he picked the knife back up and raised his hand—
Bang!
A heavy blow rang out.
Yan Mu suddenly appeared at the door and struck Fu Xiuwang hard on the back with a stick.
No one could withstand a blow like that taken with full force. Fu Xiuwang immediately collapsed.
“Go, now,” Yan Mu said. “The place is full of people.”
He had entered the hidden floor a few minutes ago, but suddenly a group of bodyguards rushed at him. That damn manager turned around to call for backup, wasting a lot of time.
“He’s the one who called them! Go first!” Jiang Zhihuo forced himself up. The situation was urgent. He couldn’t worry about the wound on his waist. If they really got caught by all those bodyguards, no one would be able to save them.
Jiang Zhihuo took a deep breath, convincing himself he wasn’t hurt. He forced his mind to overcome the pain and let Yan Mu pull him out.
The way to the ground floor was already blocked. Crowds of people had shown up. Fu Xiuwang had never planned to let them leave this place.
Jiang Zhihuo gasped. “Damn, this is way too much!!”
Since the way to the ground floor was a dead end, they had no choice but to run upstairs. They had to run wherever they could, whether it was to the second or third floor. Luckily, Jiang Zhihuo had the key and managed to unlock the second-floor passage door without trouble.
It was a little after 7 p.m., and the second-floor entertainment area should have been fairly crowded. But right after receiving an internal call from Fu Xiuwang, the staff quickly cleared everyone out of the main hall and moved them elsewhere.
It was December 26, only one day after Christmas. The decorations were still up, and even the background music was still looping through the Christmas playlist.
Right now, the speakers across the entire floor were playing ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas.’
The empty corridor echoed as the emergency door suddenly burst open. Two boys ran out hand in hand, chased by a group of bodyguards in black. In the background, the music kept singing ‘Merry Christmas.’
It was a pretty absurd scene, like something straight out of a movie.
[We wish you on a Merry Christmas; we wish you on a Merry Christmas.]
These bodyguards were all professionally trained. There was no reason they couldn’t catch up to two teenage boys. A few of them grabbed Yan Mu, pulling off his glove in the struggle. The moment their skin touched, Yan Mu let out a low growl.
With his waist injured, Jiang Zhihuo didn’t have much strength left to fight. He had to rely on whatever was around; he knocked over the Christmas tree set up in the corridor and started throwing the gift boxes behind him one by one.
The boxes were stuffed with filler, and bits of plastic foam flew everywhere, sticking all over their heads.
[We wish you on a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.]
Jiang Zhihuo held onto Yan Mu and kept running, glancing back from time to time. “Sh*t, are we making this way too big of a scene?”
“No,” Yan Mu replied.
Jiang Zhihuo was slightly out of breath. “This feels like we’re filming a damn action movie. I mean, I only came in to plant a signal jammer. How did it turn into all this chaos? Yan-ge, how did you even get in?!”
[We wish you on a Merry Christmas; we wish you on a Merry Christmas.]
The bodyguards were naturally more familiar with the layout of the clubhouse than they were. Back when the boys reached the second floor, some guards had already taken a different route. Now they came rushing out from a corner ahead, cutting them off with another team closing in from behind.
“F*ck, why does a damn clubhouse owner need this many bodyguards?!”
His waist hurt like hell.
The short, pointed weapon had a wide diameter, and with all the running, the wound had long since torn open. Blood kept pouring out. Jiang Zhihuo’s breathing grew heavier, his legs went weak, and he could barely lift them anymore.
“Yan-ge, pull me! Go right!”
[We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.]
There was another path on the right, Jiang Zhihuo had found it the day before. But it was a dead end, so the bodyguards hadn’t even considered blocking it.
Although it was a dead end, it had a fire emergency button!
Yan Mu smashed the glass and pressed the red button.
The lights across the entire floor dimmed, then started flickering nonstop. Black and red lights flashed back and forth before their eyes, while a sharp, drawn-out fire alarm blared in their ears.
The emergency sprinkler system kicked in, and icy water poured down from the ceiling.
At the same time, sirens wailed from downstairs.
Police cars surrounded the entire clubhouse.
Jiang Zhihuo finally let himself relax, gasping for breath.
He called out, “Yan-ge.”
“It’s over now,” Yan Mu said softly, gently rubbing Jiang Zhihuo’s back.
Both of them were soaked.
“It’s over,” Yan Mu repeated.
The bodyguards couldn’t do anything even if they wanted to. The situation was clear now. The main entrance was surrounded, none of them had a chance to escape.
Yan Mu supported Jiang Zhihuo as they headed downstairs. The ground floor lobby was a chaotic mess.
The floor was littered with broken glass. A red sports car with its front smashed in. There were police officers, staff members, yellow tape, and Fu Xiuwang, who was handcuffed, on the ground.
The police officers were urgently trying to calm the customers inside the clubhouse and checking everyone’s identities.
Yan Mu and Jiang Zhihuo walked out, dripping wet, their hair stuck to their foreheads.
A tall, upright, middle-aged officer entered. The teammate beside him called out, “Captain Li!”
It was Li Hao.
But Li Hao didn’t even glance at Jiang Zhihuo.
Jiang Zhihuo acted like he didn’t know him either.
They brushed past each other.
No one’s a god, lasting this long after being stabbed with a weapon was already pushing the limit.
Jiang Zhihuo’s face was pale as paper, but he didn’t want anyone to see. So he let his body go limp and buried himself in Yan Mu’s arms.
“Yan-ge, help me up; don’t let me fall. That’d look awful.” His voice grew weaker. “There’s an ambulance over there. Can you ask if I am allowed to get on? I’ve got no strength left.”
Yan Mu looked down; his palm was red, stained with blood.
“Jiang Zhihuo! Jiang Zhihuo!” Yan Mu kept calling out to him.
Jiang Zhihuo closed his eyes, completely unresponsive.
Yan Mu helped him into the ambulance. He Miaomiao was already inside, her head wrapped in bandages, while the medical staff performed emergency treatment on Jiang Zhihuo.
Jiang Zhihuo lay on the portable stretcher. His clothes were soaked and stuck to the wound, so they had no choice but to cut them open.
The movement tugged at his injury, and he winced in pain.
Yan Mu never let go of his hand and gently smoothed out the frown on his brow.
He said, “Xiao Zhou, it’s over now…”
His voice was soft, carrying a gentleness no one had ever heard from him before.
Jiang Zhihuo: “!!”
Jiang Zhihuo wasn’t completely unconscious. He was in excruciating pain. When the scissors lifted the fabric of his clothes, they nearly stabbed into his skin. He just didn’t have the strength to open his eyes or react.
He was used to pain. His head felt heavy and foggy, and Jiang Zhihuo honestly wanted to get some sleep. It wasn’t the kind of wound that would kill him anyway, so he decided to simply let himself pass out.
However, before he fully lost consciousness, he could still hear the sounds around him.
And so, in the very last second before blacking out, Jiang Zhihuo had only one thought in his mind.
F*ck, who the hell is Xiao Zhou?!
The author has something to say:
Sorry for being late~~
Love you all, darlings!!!
Happy Chinese New Year!!!!!!
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