Chapter 40: Can You Hold On?

Li Qi felt an indescribable sense of stifling frustration in his heart; he had recognized that voice. The person who had spoken had even delivered lunch to him earlier that day. How could this be?

Hearing the shout, Wang Fuliang pushed the door open and strode out to meet the newcomer. "Brother Liang, why are you here? Who is this? Why is it a woman?"

"After dark, she rushed straight into the police station, claiming she possessed evidence of the illegal detention of miners at the small mountain coal mine. Fortunately, I was on duty, and it just so happened that everyone else was out on patrol. It took a great deal of effort to trick her into coming back with me, and I had to gag her. You lot need to take her back immediately; she has a camera on her, and she claims it contains many photos. I haven't touched the camera, so you can hand it over to Si Longzi together. Be careful from now on; this kind of thing can cost you your heads. How could you let someone run out like that? I need to get back quickly—make sure you clean this up properly."

The man pushed the person in his custody onto the snow and turned to leave in a frantic hurry. Wang Fuliang called out repeatedly, "Take it slow, Brother Liang! Tomorrow, our boss will surely have his token of appreciation delivered to your home."

Once the man had gone, Wang Fuliang hauled the person up from the snow and dragged her into the dilapidated shack. A voice inside exclaimed, "It’s a woman? How did she manage to get in here?"

"This woman is way too pretty. One look and you can tell she’s not from our village; she looks just like a movie star!"

Wang Fuliang said grimly, "Deep in these mountains, you can’t seal off every single spot; she must have crawled in from somewhere. She even has a camera. Could she be in league with that kid from a few days ago?"

"Then we should send her to the boss quickly. Does this count as us performing a meritorious service? Will the boss give us some money?"

The voices in the room paused, and Wang Fuliang’s tone suddenly shifted. "This woman is beautiful—this figure, this waist, these long legs. What does she put on her face? Why is her skin so fine? She’s much better than that tramp, Liu Yuting."

Another man chuckled. "Brother Fuliang, are you getting worked up again? Go ahead and do your business; us brothers will just watch the show."

"Fine. After I’m finished, you lot can have a taste, too. In any case, we can’t keep this woman, and she can’t do any labor. The boss never keeps useless people around."

Inside the wooden shack, the reporter Tian Miao felt her heart turn to ash, her face frozen in a mask of numbness. Ten days ago, she and her colleague, Li Shi, had arrived in Taihe City. Due to certain concerns, they had bypassed the local police and entered Niuxin Town in secret.

Supporting their mission was a hand-drawn map provided by a secret informant. Following the route described on the map, Li Shi had successfully entered the illegal coal mine, but he had failed to meet her at the agreed-upon time. After waiting for five days, Tian Miao could no longer restrain herself and followed the map into the mountains.

She had spent an entire day freezing in the snow, capturing countless horrific photos. Men wielding leather whips and homemade firearms drove the ragged miners into the pits like livestock, beating them brutally at the slightest sign of resistance. The illegal coal mine was like a small, heavily fortified fortress. Through her lens, she had caught a glimpse of Li Shi; he was being swarmed and beaten, on the verge of death.

In that moment, she had experienced a jarring, surreal sensation—did she truly live in the modern age? Such things were rare even in the years before the Liberation. What kind of greed and what level of audacity could drive men to commit such lawless atrocities?

Driven by that thought, she had used her last ounce of strength to drag her frozen body down the mountain and rush into the police station. Yet, as soon as she finished explaining what she knew, she was subdued and sent right back.

Now, Tian Miao had no strength left, nor did she have a shred of hope. Her father was a powerful official in the provincial government, her mother came from a prominent, prestigious family; she had been destined for a bright future. All of this, however, would be torn to shreds tonight.

A tear traced a line down Tian Miao’s cheek. She did not regret coming to Taihe City; she only sighed, realizing she was destined to sink into the endless darkness, just like Li Shi and so many other exploited miners.

Suddenly, a cry of alarm rang out. "Who's there?"

"Ah!"

"Ouch, my privates!"

The sound of three men collapsing to the ground was followed by the noise of a struggle. Li Qi could not stand by and watch Wang Fuliang violate a reporter from the provincial capital, although the fact that Tian Miao was a woman had taken him by surprise. He had assumed both reporters were men.

He hesitated no longer. Wrapping his face in a black cloth, he kicked through the window and immediately took down the three thugs. However, Wang Fuliang’s ferocity was somewhat beyond his expectations. The man withstood a palm strike and still had enough energy to turn and fight back. Li Qi silently marveled—had he not undergone intensive training with Lu Yan the previous night, subduing Wang Fuliang would have been difficult.

Though the man’s techniques were unrefined and lacked form, his strikes were ruthless and fearless, possessing a desperate, "do or die" momentum. It was no wonder he was the top enforcer under Si Longzi. Even so, he was ultimately just a formidable thug; against military-grade combat techniques, he only lasted five rounds longer than the others.

As the fight ended, a small voice in Li Qi’s mind gloated, "You know nothing of the power of a reborn soul! No more pretending—I’m laying my cards on the table: I am a universe-defying, invincible, reborn Saiyan!"

As Wang Fuliang was knocked down, he instinctively tried to rip the black cloth off Li Qi’s face. Li Qi gave him no such chance, stepping down and crushing his wrist.

Tian Miao looked at the masked man who had appeared like a god descending from the heavens, her mind completely dazed. In that moment, she felt as if she were witnessing a miracle. The thrill of narrow escape, the sudden rush of hope filling a heart that had been completely desperate—it made her heart feel as if it might leap out of her throat.

Li Qi’s eye twitched slightly. "Has this reporter been scared silly? Why is her look so strange? This isn't good. If I rescue a fool, it will be hard to expose the coal mine scandal. Though, this little thing really is beautiful, like the movie stars on a calendar. No, she’s even better looking than that."

There was no time for him to dwell on it; he bent down, scooped up the reporter, and started running. He chose to retreat through the mountain cave; the open snow was too exposed, and if the others discovered them and opened fire, the outcome would be hard to predict.

Li Qi carried Tian Miao over the mountains and through the woods, scrambled into the cave, and climbed down to the bottom using his hands and feet. Suddenly, a muffled sound came from his arms. Only then did Li Qi realize Tian Miao was still gagged.

How absurd. He had thought the reporter was too scared to speak, but it had been his own oversight. After untying the cloth, Tian Miao moved her frozen jaw, gathered her thoughts for a moment, and said, "Thank you for saving me. The town police station is unsafe. We have to go to the city; I need to make a phone call."

Li Qi nodded inwardly. This wild woman was capable and efficient, stating the facts without a wasted word. She was far superior to those types who would just cry and whine at the slightest inconvenience. Some of those people, when you tried to reason with them or explain how to solve a problem, would even slap you with the "mansplainer" label and send you a condescending smiley face. Truly chilling.

But he digressed. Li Qi nodded. Of course, he knew the town police station was out of the question. In fact, ever since he had recalled the case of the black coal mine, Li Qi had known there must be a mole in the town helping Si Longzi and his gang cover up the truth. He just hadn't expected it to be *that* person. It was truly impossible to tell.

"I have a bicycle. It will take about two hours to ride you to the city. Can you hold on?"