Li Xiaoqiang had seen this middle-aged man before. The day before yesterday, while watching TV at Xia Ke'er's house, the Jin Nan TV station reported the identity of this middle-aged man as an international fugitive.
This fugitive had taken more than a dozen lives, and he was heading in the direction of Su Xiaoya.
Li Xiaoqiang had just turned the corner on Garden Road when he saw a dagger appear in the hands of the fugitive, who was approaching Su Xiaoya. Li Xiaoya cried out in panic, "Su Xiaoya, be careful!"
Upon hearing Li Xiaoqiang's warning, Su Xiaoya had just turned her head when she was embraced by the fugitive, who held the dagger to her neck and said in a deep voice, "Don't come any closer, or I'll kill her!"
Faced with this situation, Su Xiaoya was already completely panicked, on the verge of tears, her legs trembling, her face instantly turning pale.
Li Xiaoqiang did not stop because of the fugitive's words, as he spotted police officers nearby.
At that moment, Director Xiao, holding a pistol and pointing at the assassin, walked up beside Li Xiaoqiang and whispered, "We've been tracking this guy all the way here; I didn't expect him to take a hostage."
Upon seeing it was Director Xiao, Li Xiaoqiang frowned and asked, "Director Xiao, how skilled is this fugitive?"
While the two were talking, dozens of police officers had already surrounded the fugitive.
However, the fugitive had found a rock to shield himself from snipers and was negotiating terms with a negotiator.
Director Xiao's expression darkened as he said, "He's quite capable; he was once a commando in a special forces unit of a certain country, then joined a mercenary group after retiring. Now, he serves as a personal bodyguard for a major drug lord in South Africa and also works as an assassin."
"If it comes to individual combat, there isn't a single officer in our police station who can match him."
Hearing this, Li Xiaoqiang nodded slightly. Although his body had been enhanced by the Mysterious Fate Technique, making his strength comparable to that of an international strongman, he lacked combat skills. Facing someone trained by special forces, he was just a man of brute strength.
After just ten minutes, the fugitive became intent on killing; his demand was for a helicopter, or else he would kill Su Xiaoya.
Li Xiaoqiang, staring at Director Xiao, said, "Director Xiao, the fugitive fears the destruction of the helicopter; he might bring Su Xiaoya into the helicopter. Are we just going to watch my classmate fall into danger?"
Hearing Li Xiaoqiang's words, Director Xiao's face also looked very grim, as this assassin had been a tough target to capture.
Seeing that Director Xiao was also at a loss, Li Xiaoqiang said in a deep voice, "Director Xiao, let me go."
"You go?" Director Xiao hesitated, then frowned and said, "Li, the adversary is an ex-special forces commando, and not to mention your classmate's safety, if you go and things turn sour, I probably won't be director much longer."
Seeing that Director Xiao did not believe in him, Li Xiaoqiang took a deep breath and proposed, "How about this, Director Xiao? If you don't trust me, I understand. Choose the strongest police officer from your department to fight me one on one. If I win, I'll go save Su Xiaoya. If I lose, I naturally won't act recklessly."
Director Xiao thought for a moment. Li was very measured in his actions and wouldn't act rashly.
Considering that no one in the police station had the strength to confront the fugitive and that there was no time to request directives from superiors or deploy SWAT teams, they had no choice but to proceed with whatever they had at hand.
Perhaps, Li Xiaoqiang had an unknown side to him.
Director Xiao nodded and said, "Alright, let's go over there."
Director Xiao and several officers moved to a nearby open space. As soon as everyone had stood still, Director Xiao's walkie-talkie rang. The person on the other end spoke anxiously, "Director Xiao, we're almost losing control."
Director Xiao responded coldly, "Are you negotiation experts just filling your stomachs? If things go wrong, all of you will get out of the police station. Stall for five more minutes!"
From the walkie-talkie came a submissive voice, "Yes, Director Xiao."
Taking a deep breath, Director Xiao said to Li Xiaoqiang, "Li, let's start!"
Li Xiaoqiang nodded slightly, then a police officer in uniform approached him and said, nodding, "Brother, be careful. If you can't handle it, just say so. If I hurt you, Director Xiao will blame me."
Li Xiaoqiang didn't dally. With Su Xiaoya's life hanging by a thread, he rushed towards the police officer and said solemnly, "You'd better be careful."
Li Xiaoqiang threw a punch at the police officer, who indeed was well-trained with exceptional reflexes, and slightly sidestepped to grab Li Xiaoqiang's hand, attempting to push him to the ground.
But to his surprise, Li Xiaoqiang's arm was like stone, unmovable. His body was like a rock rooted to the ground.
Realizing he was in a bad situation, he quickly attempted to retreat, but it was too late. Li Xiaoqiang countered by grabbing the police officer's arm, and with a push of his elbow and a arch of his waist, he lifted the officer's entire body into the air.
Bang!
The officer's body traced a parabola and was slammed to the ground by Li Xiaoqiang.
Struggling to stand, the officer took a deep breath and choked out, "Your strength is too great, probably at least over six hundred kilograms. It's terrifying."
The nearby officers all gasped in surprise, such strength was extremely rare indeed.
Taking a deep breath, Director Xiao said, "I didn't realize Li had such strength; truly a young hero. Xiao Wang, hurry and make arrangements. Use the helicopter specially modified by our experts. Have Li hide in it and deliver a critical strike at the crucial moment to secure the hostage's safety. We must take precautions to protect Li's life."
The young man named Xiao Wang promptly saluted, "Yes!"
Seeing Li Xiaoqiang follow Xiao Wang away, Director Xiao nodded and thought, "Li is extraordinary. I need to quickly contact the chief inspector; this matter relates to our police station's capabilities."
Li Xiaoqiang wore a bulletproof vest and carried a pistol and a dagger. In a hurry, he practiced a few shots.
He then approached a helicopter parked in the plaza. Underneath the rear seat of the helicopter, next to the fuel tank, experts had specially fashioned a compartment that was just big enough to hide a person.
Li Xiaoqiang had hidden inside just as the helicopter took off.
The helicopter landed on the square next to the garden. The assassin shielded Su Xiaoya in front of him, and cautiously walked toward the helicopter.
The assassin directly entered the helicopter. Su Xiaoya sat in the co-pilot seat, and the helicopter began to rumble loudly.
The hurricane made the cheeks of the nearby police sting. The assassin laughed from the helicopter, shouting, "You bunch of useless fools, hahaha, I'm leaving, goodbye!"
After he finished speaking, the helicopter ascended into the sky and flew away from the area.
Xia Ke'er looked at Director Xiao anxiously and said, "Director Xiao, can Li Xiaoqiang handle it?"
Director Xiao sighed, "I still tend to believe in Xiao Li."
Although others perceived uncertainty in his words, they all hoped for the best and could only pray for a miracle now.
If the hostage were injured, their punishment would go beyond a mere verbal reprimand for incompetence.
Director Xiao looked at Xia Ke'er and ordered, "Send the command, don't lose them, be ready to provide support at any moment."
Li Xiaoqiang felt that the helicopter had been flying for a few minutes. He peeked through a small glass window beside him and saw they were now flying above a forest.
Li Xiaoqiang carefully climbed out of the rear cabin, holding a dagger in his hand. His entire body poised like a hunting cheetah, ready to strike at any moment. He eyed the assassin's seat at the front and moved closer.
Two meters!
One meter, fifty centimeters!
But just then, the assassin suddenly frowned. A sense of imminent danger enveloped him immediately—an instinctual reaction every special operative should have.
He raised his dagger and quickly turned around. Li Xiaoqiang internally cursed at the misfortune.
In this situation, Li Xiaoqiang, facing the assassin's back, couldn't stab him. Shooting was certainly not practical. The helicopter was shaking, and with his spear technique, he was likely to accidentally shoot himself.
Li Xiaoqiang had no choice but to resort to the most primitive, clumsiest, most barbaric method.
His body shot forward like a cannonball, and heavily slammed into the seat. The assassin, who was wearing a seatbelt, was jolted forward, and his seat bent as if he was lying over his own knees, gasping for air. Unable to restrain himself, the assassin cursed, "Damn it, you freak!"
The plane plunged directly downward. Li Xiaoqiang's body tumbled forward, feeling as if he was about to fall out.
Li Xiaoqiang landed a punch on the smuggler's head. His punch, with its monstrous strength, knocked the smuggler out cold.
Su Xiaoya had already started crying, her hands clutched tightly at her chest.
In that moment, she couldn't bear the shock any longer and burst into loud crying, "Ahh! Wah, wah, wah!"
Li Xiaoqiang didn't know how to pilot a helicopter and the seat was bent. Li Xiaoqiang felt helpless as the helicopter neared the ground. He quickly tore off Su Xiaoya's seatbelt and said in panic, "Hold on to me."
Seeing this familiar face, Su Xiaoya, not knowing why, felt her anchorless heart find solace as she instantly embraced Li Xiaoqiang.
Li Xiaoqiang, holding Su Xiaoya, jumped out of the helicopter. As they rushed out, the fierce wind scraped against their faces like needles, making it hard to breathe.
Li Xiaoqiang saw dense trees below and breathed a sigh of relief. If it had been flat ground, he feared he might not die, but he would certainly be crippled.
During the descent, Su Xiaoya held on to Li Xiaoqiang tightly.
Li Xiaoqiang grabbed a tree branch, feeling like his arms were about to break. The branch snapped with a crack, and Li Xiaoqiang quickly grabbed another as they descended further, breaking dozens of branches.
Li Xiaoqiang felt as if his back and arms were no longer his own. The two finally landed safely, Su Xiaoya still clutching him tightly. Li Xiaoqiang's face was pale.
He stared at Su Xiaoya, who was in his arms, and spoke with a choked voice, "Finally... finally... safe... safe now!"
Just then, a loud bang echoed from afar, deafening.
It was only then that Su Xiaoya slowly released Li Xiaoqiang, but when she saw him, her hands covered her mouth, and tears started flowing.
Because Li Xiaoqiang's entire arm was drenched in blood, and his back seemed as if it had been clawed by a cat.
Su Xiaoya trembled and said, "You... how are you? I... I..."
Li Xiaoqiang managed a weak smile, "As long as you're okay... it's... fine... fine..."
Seeing this smile, Su Xiaoya didn't know why, but she felt her entire heart lifting.
He... he really mustn't be harmed! Please, you mustn't be harmed!
Li Xiaoqiang quickly directed the Healing Qi in his body towards his wounds and damaged internal organs, without worrying about his external injuries.
However, internal injuries were different. Fortunately, the Healing Qi was very effective on himself. His organs were stabilized in a blink, and his wounds started to heal slowly.
The moment Li Xiaoqiang fainted, he thought bitterly, "Playing the hero really isn't humanly possible, damn it!"