Fang Long and Fang Hu were blood brothers, working in perfect tandem. As soon as Fang Hu charged, Fang Long, without saying a word, lunged forward as well, his gaze fixed intently on Song Xiaodong, ensuring that his dagger would stab unhesitatingly wherever Song Xiaodong tried to dodge.
Song Xiaodong didn't attempt to evade at all, simply raising his foot and aiming a kick at Fang Hu's wrist.
The kick was swiftly executed; if Fang Hu tried to stab again, his wrist would undoubtedly be hit first. Given the force and speed of the kick, it was very likely to break his wrist.
Fang Hu had exceptional combat skills. With a flick of his wrist, the dagger was already slicing toward Song Xiaodong's calf.
By that time, Fang Long had already pounced, his dagger thrusting toward Song Xiaodong's chest.
"Not too shabby. Looks like you guys have been through the military," Song Xiaodong complimented, even in such a perilous moment, and spat the cigarette butt at Fang Long's face.
Fang Long instinctively turned his face aside, but Song Xiaodong already reached out his right hand and grabbed his wrist.
Fang Long was shocked, immediately leaping with a kick at Song Xiaodong to prevent his dagger from being snatched away.
At that instant, he felt a tremendous force on his hand, uncontrollably swinging downward, and at the same time, his leg met the motion—his own dagger stabbing into his thigh.
Song Xiaodong, meanwhile, still stood on one leg, engaging with Fang Hu's wrist for a couple of exchanges, but Fang Hu couldn't dodge, allowing Song Xiaodong to kick his dagger away.
Song Xiaodong then lunged forward, using his shoulder to knock Fang Hu into a tumble. This was not all; he reached out, grabbed the falling dagger, and as Fang Hu fluttered through the air, Song Xiaodong caught up and with a fierce downward swipe, plunged the dagger into Fang Hu's thigh.
All these movements happened in rapid succession, appearing sequential, yet Fang Long and Fang Hu's screams were almost simultaneous.
Fang Long and Fang Hu fell to the ground. Despite their ferocity, they didn't hesitate to yank the daggers from their thighs and lunged at Song Xiaodong once more.
They were fully aware that the crimes they had committed meant certain death if captured. Only by taking down the man in front of them did they have a chance at life.
However, even when they were uninjured, neither man was a match for Song Xiaodong; now, even in desperation, their actions lacked the swiftness they had before. Even with daggers in hand, they posed no threat to Song Xiaodong.
"Thump, thump!" With two muffled impacts, both men were struck in the chest by Song Xiaodong, immediately spreading an intense pain throughout their bodies. They knew well that at least three of their ribs were broken, with the broken bones possibly piercing their internal organs. Now they couldn't even think about moving without experiencing excruciating pain, completely deprived of any ability to fight.
"So boring. You guys are too weak," Song Xiaodong shook his head in disinterest.
"Who are you…?" Fang Long lay on the ground, gritting his teeth to squeeze out the words, each one bringing a sensation like countless knives stabbing into his chest.
Song Xiaodong lit another cigarette, placing it leisurely to his lips, and said slowly, "Who I am is not something you have the right to know. Just blame yourselves for targeting the wrong person."
Unwilling to be caught so easily, Fang Long, despite the severe pain in his chest, said, "If you let us go… we will tell you where we've hidden our money."
Disdainfully, Song Xiaodong replied, "Do you really think I can be fooled that easily? People like you, if you had money, would certainly be out enjoying life and not resorting to kidnapping in a scenic spot. Just lay here and wait for the police to come to your rescue."
After he had finished speaking, Song Xiaodong no longer paid attention to the two individuals. These two guys wanted to run away, but obviously, they couldn't. If they were willing to crawl away, then so be it, because they wouldn't be able to get far. The police would arrive soon and catch them directly.
He went over to the car and, to his astonishment, he did not find any trace of Miao Qingqing inside the vehicle.
When Miao Qingqing was hit by the car, she was knocked unconscious, but she woke up again when the gunshots sounded.
Due to the violent collision, the tape on her arms had loosened. She struggled a few times and regained the use of her hands, then she untied the tape on her legs and crawled up just in time to see the two criminals firing continuously.
Miao Qingqing didn't know whom the two were shooting at, but it was clear that under such gunfire, the other party definitely couldn't escape unscathed, so she hurried out of the car.
But as soon as she left the car, her ankle hurt terribly – she didn't know if a bone was broken or what had happened.
But she didn't dare to check and instead hopped on one foot into the cornfield, and fled blindly forward. At that moment, she couldn't care less. The corn leaves sliced small wounds on her arms, but she didn't feel the pain.
She didn't know how far she had run when the pain in her foot grew more intense. She stumbled and fell to the ground, then continued crawling, only wanting to get as far away from there as possible. Since the gunshots behind her had stopped, it meant the two criminals had killed the person in the taxi and were now coming to catch her.
This way her energy drained even more. By the time she passed through the cornfield, she was utterly out of strength. Fortunately, there was a ditch filled with water nearby, flanked on both sides by tall grass. She immediately rolled into it, hoping that the tall grass might conceal her from the criminals' search.
Having hidden for merely five or six minutes, Miao Qingqing heard footsteps approaching her location. Her heart shot up to her throat, and she covered her mouth with both hands, fearing any sound she made.
The footsteps grew nearer, and Miao Qingqing felt her heart might leap out of her throat. All she could do was pray silently that the person wouldn't discover her and would just pass by.
The footsteps stopped right above her, and then the tall grass overhead was suddenly parted. Miao Qingqing knew she was done for, and had been found. She instinctively looked up.
Song Xiaodong looked down at Miao Qingqing, his face breaking into a radiant smile as he said, "Don't hide anymore, it's me."
"Ah? It's you..." On seeing Song Xiaodong's face, Miao Qingqing felt an overwhelming joy. At that moment, it was as if she had gone from hell to heaven, seeing the most precious person in the world to her.
Song Xiaodong grinned again and said, "Don't worry, I've taken care of those two criminals."
"Really… really?" Miao Qingqing asked, her voice stuttering.
"Of course. Why would I lie to you?" Song Xiaodong reached out his hand.
Miao Qingqing instinctively reached out her hand and grasped Song Xiaodong's. Then she suddenly felt light as he effortlessly lifted her out of the ditch.
As she stood on the ground, Miao Qingqing let out a cry of pain, her body swaying. Song Xiaodong immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her in his embrace, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"My foot..." Miao Qingqing bit down on her lip, the pain in her foot was so severe that she could barely speak.