“Young Madam, run!”
Zhong Shuhui never imagined she would encounter an assassin here. The instant she saw the killer draw his pistol, she kicked open the car door without hesitation and charged out.
She knew her car was not bulletproof. Staying inside against an armed assassin meant certain death. If she got out, she might still have a slim chance.
Of course, her greatest worry was Hu Yuanyuan. Although Hu Yuanyuan had reached the second layer of Houtian, her combat experience was pitifully lacking. Faced with a professional killer, she probably would not even manage the most basic reaction.
There was no time to think. After leaving the car, Zhong Shuhui rushed straight at the assassin. Her only thought now was to neutralise him as quickly as possible.
The assassin was a middle-aged man. Seeing Zhong Shuhui charging, a cold smile curved his lips. He aimed at her and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Zhong Shuhui’s expression changed. Without thinking, she threw herself flat. The bullet struck the road behind her, blasting a deep crater.
Whoosh!
She sprang back up. A soft sword appeared in her hand as she slashed at the assassin’s wrist.
The assassin’s face shifted. He stamped hard on the ground, shooting backwards. At the same time, he levelled the gun at Zhong Shuhui and fired repeatedly.
Bang bang…
Zhong Shuhui twisted and dodged the hail of bullets, but at such close range, how could they be easy to avoid?
Bang!
A bullet tore into her shoulder. She grunted, nearly collapsing.
“Damn it.” Her expression darkened. She had not expected the assassin to be both armed and an ancient martial artist, roughly at the second layer of Houtian. Combined with the gun, she could not deal with him quickly.
“I can’t wait any longer.” Resolve flashed in her eyes. She knew that unless she disarmed him, taking him down would be troublesome.
With that thought, killing intent surged. Her soft sword flew from her hand.
Swish!
It turned into a streak of cold light, shooting towards the assassin’s wrist.
His expression changed drastically. He had never expected Zhong Shuhui to throw away her weapon just to disarm him. For an ancient martial artist, a weapon was their second life.
He tried to retreat, but it was too late. The chilling light was already upon him. He faced two choices: drop the gun or lose his wrist to the flying sword.
Not wanting to lose a hand, he instantly tossed the pistol aside and stamped the ground, retreating at top speed.
Clang!
Thud!
The sword and the gun hit the ground at almost the same moment, ringing out twice.
At the same instant, Zhong Shuhui stamped the ground herself and leapt towards the assassin. Despite the gunshot wound and the loss of her sword, she was confident she could kill him.
Seeing her pounce, the assassin gave a cold smile. Instead of retreating, he advanced to meet her.
While Zhong Shuhui fought the assassin, trouble also found Hu Yuanyuan.
When the assassin appeared, Zhong Shuhui had charged out immediately. Hu Yuanyuan, alerted by her shout, reacted quickly. But instead of jumping out right away, she unbuckled her seatbelt and crouched down.
She knew the enemy had a gun. Rushing out recklessly would make her a living target. Although only one assassin had appeared so far, no one knew if he had accomplices.
Hu Yuanyuan understood her own limitations. Although Li Feng had ordered Zhong Shuhui to give her special training recently, most of her energy went into work. Her training time was limited. Facing professional killers, she would surely die.
So she decided the best thing to do was wait, wait for the bodyguards tailing them. She was certain that the moment they were attacked, the guards following behind would rush over.
And indeed, just as she expected, five bodyguards, including Wang Jian, arrived the instant the attack began.
Seeing Wang Jian and the others, Hu Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out of the car. At that exact moment, Zhong Shuhui forced the assassin to abandon his gun. Seeing Zhong Shuhui injured, Hu Yuanyuan grew anxious and wanted Wang Jian’s group to help.
But right then, black-clothed figures wielding blades suddenly emerged from both sides and charged towards them. Though running, their speed was astonishing. In mere moments, they closed in.
“Not good.” Hu Yuanyuan’s expression turned ugly. Their speed made it clear they were no ordinary people. They were ancient martial artists.
“Protect the Young Madam!” Wang Jian shouted, drawing his pistol and firing at the black-clothed men.
Bang bang bang…
But the bullets posed little threat. The black-clothed figures shifted, dodging gracefully. Though Wang Jian was an expert marksman, out of ten shots, only one found its mark.
“Damn it.” Wang Jian’s face fell. His magazine held only ten rounds, and there was no time to reload.
“Wang Jian, they are ancient martial artists. Bullets aren’t much use against them,” Hu Yuanyuan said calmly. “How long until people from the company or Tianya Pavilion arrive?”
“At least five minutes,” replied the burly man beside Wang Jian. He was Cang Ying, the Black Eagle squad’s small team leader in charge of protecting Hu Yuanyuan today.
“Five minutes.” Hu Yuanyuan’s expression grew grim. Among her five guards, only two were from Black Eagle squad. Wang Jian and the other two were elite soldiers sent by her father Hu Wenhai. Though skilled in the military arts, they were clearly insufficient against ancient martial artists.
“It seems we can only buy time,” Hu Yuanyuan said with a bitter smile. The two Black Eagle members were probably not even as strong as she was. Despite their combat experience, they were no match for these black-clothed attackers.
Cang Ying and the other Black Eagle member exchanged a glance, then positioned themselves protectively behind Hu Yuanyuan, staring coldly at the oncoming assassins.
Wang Jian and his two comrades did the same. They drew their military daggers, eyes icy. They were not ancient martial artists, but they were soldiers, fearless soldiers. To protect their Young Madam, death was nothing.
“Kill!” The black-clothed men swung their blades at Cang Ying and the others.
“Come on, let me see what you scum can do.” Murderous intent blazed in Cang Ying’s eyes. Strength did not matter. Anyone wanting to kill Hu Yuanyuan had to get past him first.
Whoosh!
One black-clothed man fixed a cold gaze on Cang Ying, then charged forward. His machete sliced through the air, drawing a chilling arc as it slashed lightning-fast towards Cang Ying.
Cang Ying’s heart jolted. This attacker was around the second layer of Houtian, while he himself was only at the first layer, though his combat power matched the second. Against one, he could hold his own. Against several, he would only be slaughtered.
Realising this, Cang Ying dared not meet the blade head-on. He dodged aside, evading the strike, then punched out. His fist carried fierce qi as it blasted towards the attacker.
“Not good.” The black-clothed man’s expression changed. Cang Ying’s strength exceeded his expectations. He could only retreat hastily while another attacker rushed in, swinging at Cang Ying. Cang Ying’s face shifted; he could only parry with his dagger.
At that moment, the retreating attacker charged back in. Now flanked left and right, razor-sharp blades flashed coldly through the night, forcing Cang Ying into desperate defence.
Cang Ying fared poorly, and the others fared worse. Especially Wang Jian’s group. They were military elites, utterly fearless, but against second-layer Houtian ancient martial artists, they were helpless. In mere moments, one bodyguard was cut down on the spot.
Hu Yuanyuan watched the battle ahead with an ashen face. Cang Ying and one Black Eagle member held the left flank, Wang Jian’s trio the rear. The enemy was strong and numerous. Cang Ying and the others would not last long. She wanted to help, but she knew that with her abilities, she would only hinder them.
Just as Hu Yuanyuan’s group came under attack, not far away in a room atop a high-rise building, Blood Shadow watched the scene coldly through binoculars.
“How many people did Zhu Yuanyang send this time?” Seeing Zhong Shuhui take a bullet, a cold smile flickered across Blood Shadow’s lips. He turned to the black-clothed man beside him.
“More than a dozen,” the man replied quickly.
“More than a dozen? What is their strength?” Blood Shadow asked with a sneer.
“Roughly second and third layer Houtian.”
“Just that? It seems Zhu Yuanyang does not truly intend to kill Hu Yuanyuan,” Blood Shadow said coldly, icy killing intent flashing in his eyes.
The black-clothed man was stunned. He glanced at Blood Shadow in confusion. In his view, over a dozen second- and third-layer Houtian experts were more than enough to kill Hu Yuanyuan. How could that mean Zhu Yuanyang was holding back? He knew the strength of Hu Yuanyuan’s bodyguards, but could they really withstand more than a dozen Houtian second- and third-layer ancient martial artists?
“Even ignoring the others, that Zhong Shuhui alone has reached the peak of third-layer Houtian. Though she is wounded, the moment Hu Yuanyuan is in mortal danger, she will erupt with terrifying combat power. These dozen or so men probably cannot even handle Zhong Shuhui,” Blood Shadow said with a cold laugh.
“Lord Blood Shadow, that cannot be. Zhong Shuhui is already tied up by that assassin, and the others are closing in on Hu Yuanyuan’s group. They will not hold out much longer. Even if Zhong Shuhui wants to save her, she may not make it in time,” the man said, glancing at the battlefield where several black-clothed figures were already bearing down on Hu Yuanyuan.
“Not necessarily.”
A glint flashed in Blood Shadow’s eyes. He sneered. “Today, whether Zhu Yuanyang truly wants Hu Yuanyuan dead or not, Hu Yuanyuan must die. If Zhu Yuanyang will not kill her, then I will do it for her.”
