Chang He’s face blanched. He stared at Zhu Yuanyang in utter horror, unable to believe the drastic shift in her attitude.
Was she not afraid that Hu Wenhai would come after them once he learned of this?
“In the current situation, we have no room for hesitation. Only if there are no witnesses left can we walk away unscathed.” Zhu Yuanyang did not want to do this, but she believed it was now her only option. She understood Li Feng’s character all too well. From everything she had seen of him, he was the type who would repay every slight tenfold. If she had warned him in advance about the attack on Hu Yuanyuan, he might have let her off. Yet Chang He had arrogely disobeyed her and failed to deliver the message. Li Feng would never let that slide.
She had already used Chen Haotian to scheme against Li Feng once before. Even if she saved Hu Yuanyuan now, would Li Feng simply forgive and forget?
Clearly impossible. Since that was the case, Zhu Yuanyang decided she might as well eliminate both Li Feng and Hu Yuanyuan completely and pin the blame on someone else.
Moreover, from the moment this second wave of black-clothed attackers appeared, she knew she had been manipulated from the very start. Why else would they show up neither earlier nor later, but exactly after every one of her own men was dead?
Who was behind it? No need to guess. It had to be Blood Shadow of the Hongmen.
“Will Li Feng really come?” Chang He asked worriedly. “So much time has passed since the attack on Hu Yuanyuan began. If he were coming, he would already be here. Either he is too far away, or he simply does not intend to come.”
“Not intend to come?” Zhu Yuanyang gave a cold laugh and shook her head. “With anyone else, that might be possible. But not Li Feng. He is deeply sentimental. Hu Yuanyuan is his woman, talented and beautiful. As long as he is still in Tianhai City, he will come.”
“Young Miss plans to strike the moment Li Feng arrives? But can the men we have kill him?” Chang He asked gravely.
“We don’t need to kill Li Feng ourselves.” Zhu Yuanyang sneered. She had been played by Blood Shadow and been forced to abandon her original plan. Now it was time to turn the tables. As long as Blood Shadow made a move, the deaths of Li Feng and Hu Yuanyuan would be laid entirely at his door. She would emerge unscathed.
Besides, she knew perfectly well that with her own forces she could never kill Li Feng. He had an Innate-realm expert at his side. Even if every man she had attacked together, they might not be a match for that expert. The moment Li Feng faced mortal danger, that Innate expert would surely intervene. She was actually looking forward to seeing Li Feng clash with Blood Shadow.
Her only worry was that Blood Shadow might not be a match for the Innate expert beside Li Feng. If Li Feng survived, things would become troublesome.
However…
Zhu Yuanyang gave a cold smile and said to Chang He, “Chang He, there is something I need you to do.”
“Whatever the Young Miss commands,” Chang He replied at once.
Zhu Yuanyang leaned in and whispered, “Go now and…”
After hearing her instructions, a sharp glint flashed through Chang He’s eyes. “Rest assured, Young Miss. I know exactly what to do.” With that, he turned and left.
Watching him depart, a flicker passed through Zhu Yuanyang’s gaze.
At the same moment, Wu De also spotted the sudden surge of black-clothed attackers. He gave a cold laugh. “Just as I expected. I knew they would not stop at such a small force. Heaven is truly helping me. We head for Tianya Pavilion now.”
“Now? Without watching the outcome?” The youth beside him was startled. “With this many people, even with fresh reinforcements, Hu Yuanyuan and her group are finished. Don’t you want to see Hu Yuanyuan dead with your own eyes?”
“At this point, whether Hu Yuanyuan lives or dies is no longer important.” Wu De shook his head. He had suspected the attackers had more in reserve, but he had never imagined this many. Faced with such numbers, Hu Yuanyuan was doomed. Although he would have preferred to keep her alive as a tool against Li Feng, even if he intervened now he might not be able to save her. More importantly, he had no wish to make an enemy of a force capable of fielding so many killers.
“So many people have appeared here. Tianya Pavilion must be virtually empty. This is the perfect moment to strike,” Wu De said. His only goal now was to execute his plan: seize Tianya Pavilion, lure the Black Eagle squad out of their suburban training base, and then ambush and annihilate them.
“Young Master Wu, Young Master Wu…” At that moment a middle-aged man rushed into the room.
“What is it?” Wu De frowned.
“Young Master, we just received word. Another group has left Tianya Pavilion. They are heading straight for the attack site,” the man reported hurriedly.
“Excellent. With them gone, Tianya Pavilion is defenceless. If we don’t take it now, when will we?” Wu De’s face lit up. He turned to the youth. “We leave immediately.”
“Very well.” The youth nodded and followed Wu De out.
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
At the convenience store entrance, shouts of battle rang out incessantly. The confined space prevented the black-clothed attackers from bringing their numerical superiority to bear. They could only attack in waves of ten. Though individually not exceptional, they were well-trained and coordinated, launching relentless assaults against Zhong Shuhui’s line.
Zhong Shuhui and five Black Eagle members held the doorway, repelling wave after wave. In just a few minutes they had cut down more than a dozen attackers, yet still more charged forward without regard for their lives.
Inside the store, Hu Yuanyuan watched the fighting with a deathly pale face. She had never imagined anyone would be so brazen as to deploy so many assassins in the heart of Tianhai City. Did these people no longer fear the government at all?
But no matter how much she thought about it, she was powerless. Faced with this unending suicidal onslaught, even with Zhong Shuhui and the others holding the line, Hu Yuanyuan knew they could not last much longer.
“What do we do? What do we do?” She paced anxiously, repeatedly dialling the police, yet had no idea when they might arrive. By the time they did, everyone here could already be dead.
“Young Madam, do not worry. Reinforcements will be here soon,” Xu Jie tried to comfort her.
Yet Xu Jie knew full well this was only self-consolation. Tianya Pavilion had perhaps twenty Eagle Eye Elites at most. Even adding the security guards from Fengyuan Group, their numbers were pitiful. Could they possibly stand against this horde?
The Eagle Eye Elites were death warriors who feared nothing, but the Fengyuan security guards were different. They were not Li Feng’s trusted core. Most were simply retired soldiers. Expecting them to fight these killers to the death was unrealistic.
“Xu Jie, can we escape through the back?” Hu Yuanyuan pointed to a door deeper inside the store, possibly leading to a rear exit.
“Young Madam, that is impossible. Anything we can think of, the enemy will already have considered. The back is almost certainly guarded,” Xu Jie shook her head. Against such an organised and premeditated force, slipping out the rear was out of the question.
Their only hope was to hold out until help arrived. This was, after all, downtown Tianhai City. The government could not ignore prolonged bloodshed here. Once the authorities reacted, the black-clothed attackers would withdraw.
Of course, that required them to survive long enough.
Hu Yuanyuan’s expression shifted. She understood Xu Jie’s reasoning perfectly, yet watching the men and women protecting her fall one by one to the attackers’ blades made her heart bleed.
At this moment she hated herself with a passion. If not for her, none of these people would be dying. Without her to protect, Zhong Shuhui and the others could have fought their way out long ago.
She hated herself for not cultivating harder in ordinary times. If she possessed even a fraction of Li Feng’s strength, she could have dealt with these attackers herself.
“Xu Jie, Zhong Shuhui and the others are faltering. Go and relieve them,” Hu Yuanyuan said as she saw another Black Eagle member take a severe wound.
“Understood.” Xu Jie did not hesitate. She led the remaining three Black Eagle members outside.
“We’re going too,” Grey Eagle and Wang Jian said at once.
“You stay here,” Hu Yuanyuan ordered firmly. In their condition, going out now would not be fighting. It would be suicide.
“Young Miss, I can still…” Wang Jian began.
“Stay. In case someone comes through the back…” The moment the words left Hu Yuanyuan’s mouth, her face drained of colour.
Da-da-da…
The unmistakable sound of footsteps came from the door at the rear of the store.
“How is this possible…” Hu Yuanyuan paled. She had spoken of the very worst scenario, and now it was happening. Xu Jie and the last three Black Eagle members had just gone to the front. Beside her now were only the gravely wounded Wang Jian and Grey Eagle. How could they hold against attackers from behind?
“Young Miss, hide at once,” Wang Jian said.
He and Grey Eagle moved toward the rear door, weapons ready and on full alert.
Wang Jian levelled his pistol two metres from the door, the dark muzzle aimed straight ahead, cold killing intent blazing in his eyes. Grey Eagle gripped a machete and took cover to one side.
BANG!
With a tremendous crash, the door was kicked open.
Without a second thought, Wang Jian squeezed the trigger.
Bang-bang-bang…
A burst of gunfire cut down the first several black-clothed men who charged in. Yet their deaths did not slow the assault. Their bodies were dragged aside, and more attackers poured through the opening.
Battle erupted instantly.
