Chapter 19: A Desperate Fight to the Death

The glasses Chen Xuewen had prepared in advance proved useful, at least in shielding his eyes from the lime. Furthermore, he had coated his body, face, and eyes thoroughly with oil beforehand. Since lime can be wiped away with oil, he remained unaffected.

The bodyguards, caught off guard, had their eyes burned by the lime and were completely blinded to their surroundings. Compounded by the oil slicking the floor, many slipped and fell in the chaos, turning the scene into a mess. Taking advantage of the bodyguards’ attempts to shield their eyes, Chen Xuewen charged into the crowd.

The first two were frantically rubbing their eyes; the lime, reacting with the moisture in their tear ducts, caused agonizing pain, leaving them no capacity to focus on anything else. Chen Xuewen reached them and, without hesitation, slashed both their throats with his boning knives. They followed the fate of the previous bodyguard, collapsing to the ground as blood gushed from their necks in a gruesome sight. Chen Xuewen did not pause, immediately charging toward his next target.

Zhou Wancheng, standing at a distance, had avoided the lime. Watching his men descend into chaos and seeing two more slaughtered by Chen Xuewen, he panicked and began to shout, "Hey! Forget your eyes and stop the boy! Don’t let him get close, or you’ll all be dead!"

The bodyguards could hear the screams and knew the situation was dire, but unable to open their eyes, they could only swing their blades blindly in self-defense. They were all huddled in the same area, and as they slashed wildly, the situation grew even more chaotic; several bodyguards were wounded by their own comrades.

Chen Xuewen, crouched low, wove through the crowd, slicing the throats of three more men. By now, six bodyguards lay on the ground, half of them already lifeless. With their carotid arteries severed, there was no chance of survival without immediate medical intervention. Chen Xuewen’s strikes were ruthless; these were the people who had harmed his parents, and he felt no mercy for them.

Watching his men fall one by one, Zhou Wancheng was gripped by terror. At this rate, all his men would die at Chen Xuewen’s hands, and given the boy’s bloodthirsty nature, he knew he would be next. Glancing around, his eyes fell upon a liquor cabinet, and a plan formed. He waved at Zhou Hao, "Hao, quick! The liquor cabinet!"

Zhou Hao realized the intent and sprinted toward the cabinet, hoping to use the alcohol to rinse the bodyguards' eyes. Suddenly, Wu Lihong lunged forward, tackling Zhou Hao to the ground. Taken by surprise, Zhou Hao punched her in the face, roaring, "Let go, you bitch!"

The blow left Wu Lihong’s nose and mouth bleeding, yet she held onto him with desperate strength, refusing to let him move. Zhou Hao struggled, raining punches and kicks upon her, but she would not yield. Unable to shake her off, he could only drag her along as he crawled toward the cabinet.

On the other side, Zhou Wancheng also rushed toward the cabinet, but Li Eryong, enduring agonizing pain, hopped on one leg and tackled him, preventing him from reaching the liquor.

Meanwhile, Chen Xuewen continued his assault, though he was not unscathed. Even with the guards unable to see, their random, frantic slashing posed a threat. Chen Xuewen had already been struck twice. His upper body was protected by his leather jacket, which was slicked with oil—causing blades to slide off—and a layer of cowhide worn underneath, which had already blocked several fatal blows. However, his head remained unprotected. One bodyguard’s blade struck his forehead, causing stars to dance before his eyes and splitting his skin open until blood obscured half his face. Ignoring the pain, Chen Xuewen wiped the blood away, gritted his teeth, and struck again, slitting that bodyguard's throat as well.