Volume 1, Chapter 17: An Unexpected Incident

As time ticked by, I felt my nerves growing taut. After all, this was my first encounter with rubber thieves, and given the possibility that they might be armed with shotguns, a sense of anxiety was only natural.

"Why hasn't Brother Hu arrived yet?"

The distance from the jeep to this spot was not great, yet more than ten minutes had passed, and Hu Yong was still nowhere to be seen. My heart sank with mounting urgency. Fearing some unforeseen mishap, I peered around from time to time, muttering to myself.

Sure enough, what I feared most came to pass. Despite Hu Yong’s caution, he still ran straight into the thieves.

At the sound of movement, several of the thieves swung their flashlights around, the beams locking onto Hu Yong.

"Hu Yong!"

It was clear that the thieves knew him. After a startled exclamation, they stood frozen in their tracks. Hu Yong, caught off guard by the sudden glare, stood motionless, afraid to make a move. The atmosphere thickened instantly, both sides locked in a tense standoff.

Watching this, my scalp prickled, and my heart hammered against my ribs. I clutched my stun baton tightly, eyes fixed on Hu Yong and the thieves, ready to bolt forward at the slightest provocation. My plan was to neutralize them with lightning speed before they could retaliate.

After several minutes, the thieves regained their composure. One of them, wearing a black hood, stared sharply at Hu Yong and said in a cold voice, "Hu Yong! Be sensible and leave now. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being ruthless—we'll kill you and bury you in a pit."

"Hmph! Do you really think you have a chance to escape? Drop your weapons and kneel down, and I might consider not handing you over to the police station."

Though Hu Yong was terrified, he had weathered many storms in his time. He steadied himself, gripped his stun baton, and took a step forward, barking orders in a stern voice, hoping to intimidate them until reinforcements arrived.

"Hu Yong! I know you're stalling for time, but we won't give you that chance." The man in the black hood remained unfazed; he was clearly a veteran. He sneered at Hu Yong and added, "One last chance—leave now, and stay out of our business. If you don't, I will kill you."

Hu Yong’s face darkened. Realizing how stubborn the opponent was, he stared back and asked coldly, "Who are you?"

"Hu Yong! Since you’re courting death, don’t blame me for being heartless." Seeing that Hu Yong wouldn't budge, the man in the black hood stopped wasting time, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.

"Kill him."

With that command to his cohorts, he drew a short blade from his waist and charged at Hu Yong. The others followed suit, pulling out their own knives and surrounding him.

"Ah!"

At that critical moment, I struck. I quickly incapacitated one man with my stun baton. Before his cry of pain had even faded, I struck another in the waist, sending him collapsing into unconsciousness with a groan. I moved with such speed that, in less than a minute, all four surrounding Hu Yong were down, leaving only the man in the black hood.

The sudden turn of events brought the man to a screeching halt. He looked around at his fallen companions with wide-eyed terror, panic seizing him. Hu Yong was equally stunned, but once he realized it was me acting from the shadows, his shock turned to wild joy. He was astounded by my combat prowess; had he not seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.

"Who’s there! Show yourself! What kind of coward hides in the dark?" The man with the black hood brandished his knife, his voice trembling as he shouted into the void.

"Me."

Since he didn't have a shotgun, only a knife, I had no reason to fear him. I materialized behind him like a ghost and answered softly.

Hearing the voice behind him, the man nearly soiled himself.

"Ah!"

As he spun around to slash blindly with his blade, I jabbed my stun baton into his waist. He let out a shriek and crumpled to the ground like a noodle.

"Yan Feng! Well done!" With the last man down and the crisis averted, Hu Yong walked over and clapped me on the shoulder, unable to hide his praise.

*Bang!*

No sooner had he spoken than a deafening gunshot shattered the air. Hu Yong and I instinctively threw ourselves into the tall grass.

"Brother Hu! Are you alright?" I whispered, scanning the area for the shooter.

"Yan Feng... I've been hit."

Hearing his weak voice, my heart plummeted. Ignoring the hidden gunman, I clicked on my flashlight to assess his wound. While most firearms fire bullets, a shotgun blast sprays countless steel pellets, which are devastating at close range. Several pellets had struck Hu Yong’s lower abdomen. Fortunately, the distance had softened the impact, but he was bleeding profusely, and the situation was dire.

"Brother Hu, hold on! I’m getting you to the hospital." Without hesitation, I hoisted him onto my back and sprinted toward the jeep.

"Yan Feng! Turn off the light... it's too dangerous," Hu Yong rasped, his face deathly pale from blood loss.

I doused the light instantly and changed course, navigating through the pitch-black woods.

*Bang!*

Another shot rang out just as I veered away, forcing me to dive for cover.

"Brother Hu! Are you still with me?" My body ached from the impact, but I didn't care. My only concern was that he might be hit again.

"I'm fine! Be careful... the shooter is likely one of them, just hiding in the shadows. He’s trying to save his partners, so he might be playing for keeps now."

Hu Yong’s voice was fading. Neither of us had expected a hidden gunman, and our lapse in judgment had led to this ambush.

"I understand, Brother Hu! Just hang in there. We're going to the hospital now."

I didn't waste another thought. I stood up, adjusted his weight on my back, and resumed my sprint toward the jeep. This time, I kept close to the rubber trees, using their trunks as shields against any further buckshot.