"Bang,Bang,Bang"A rapid burst of gunfire echoed through the air.
Caught off guard, Xiang Ri had been leading the group downstairs, unaware that an ambush awaited them on the second floor.
Thankfully, his quick reflexes saved him. As he dropped to the ground, his weapon spewed a relentless stream of fire, suppressing the enemy's assault. Still, a few of the female bodyguards were unlucky enough to take hits, including the black woman. Fortunately, their injuries were not life-threatening.
"Back to the third floor!" Xiang Ri shouted, unleashing both machine guns slung around his neck in a deafening barrage.
The women wasted no time, retreating swiftly to the third floor.
Firing as he moved, Xiang Ri covered their retreat, while the bodyguards who had reached the third floor provided suppressive fire from above.
Suddenly, his expression shifted. He barked, "Into the room!"
Although puzzled by his sudden urgency, the women hesitated only briefly before dashing into the nearest room by the staircase.
Seeing they were safely inside, Xiang Ri abruptly turned his gun upwards and sprayed a hail of bullets toward the fourth floor before rolling into the ro
A burst of bullets rained down, striking the spot where he had just been, leaving tiny craters in the cement floor.
"What happened?" Tie Wan exhaled in relief as she saw him enter unharmed, though her voice carried a note of alarm.
"There's someone above us," Xiang Ri said, his breathing slightly strained. Had he not caught a glimpse of the danger, they would all likely be dead by now.
"What should we—" Tie Wan began, her face clouded with worry, but her words were interrupted by the sound of retching.
Xiang Ri turned to see the blonde woman bent over, covering her mouth as she dry-heaved. "What's going on?" he wondered. Could she be pregnant? A sordid thought flitted through his mind—was there a child growing in her belly? He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy for the man lucky enough to share such intimacy with this stunning blonde.
"There's... a corpse..." the blonde managed to gasp out before retching again.
"So what?" Xiang Ri shrugged nonchalantly. The room happened to be where he'd killed and looted earlier, so the three bodies on the floor were hardly surprising to him.
Unfortunately, his indifference wasn't shared by the others. Now that they were no longer fleeing for their lives, the women finally noticed the bodies scattered on the ground. While one was tolerable, the other two were a gory mess of blood and viscera. A single glance was enough to churn their stomachs. With the blonde retching nearby, her nausea began to spread, and even the more disciplined among them struggled to keep their composure.
"Did you kill them?" Tie Wan's gaze toward Xiang Ri grew complicated.
"More or less," Xiang Ri replied, scratching his nose, unsure of the emotions behind her question.
"You're disgusting! Don't touch me ever again!" Tie Wan exclaimed, brushing at her clothes as though they were crawling with fleas.
"Uh..." Xiang Ri let out a bitter laugh. Wasn't this all for her sake? Still, he felt some relief that her sense of justice hadn't compelled her to threaten him with arrest.
"Don't act so pitiful. When we get back, make sure to wash yourself thoroughly!" Tie Wan snapped through gritted teeth. Truthfully, she was tempted to peel back his skin and see what kind of creature lurked beneath.
The more time she spent with him, the more bewildered she felt. At first, she thought he was a dangerous drug lord. Later, she assumed he was merely a shameless scoundrel. But somewhere along the way, her feelings had grown tangled—especially after that drunken incident. It became clear that while he was undeniably a womanizer, he still possessed a shred of decency.
Now, though, she had to admit he was also ruthless. Yet, the thought of him risking his life to save her melted away her irritation. There were countless questions she wanted to ask, but with others present, it wasn't the right time. Once this ordeal was over, she vowed to dig deeper into his secrets.
Xiang Ri, oblivious to her inner turmoil, nodded quickly. "Yes, yes..." He didn't dare provoke her further.
Tie Wan huffed in annoyance, turning her attention to the outside.
The gunfire beyond the room had ceased. It seemed their enemies weren't planning to attack immediately. While the pause offered a brief reprieve, it also heightened their vigilance, bracing for the next assault.
"Sir, what should we do now?" the blonde woman asked. Though she had stopped retching, she stayed far from the bodies, positioning her bodyguards between herself and the gruesome scene.
Her pale face betrayed her upbringing—a sheltered princess unaccustomed to violence. Seeing such carnage, especially the grisly deaths before her, left her stomach churning anew.
"I don't know," Xiang Ri admitted, his confidence waning. Knowing their enemies had heavy weapons like rocket launchers, he couldn't make any bold claims. "But if the police don't show up, there's a good chance we'll die here."
"Even you can't help us?" The blonde beauty's voice trembled. After learning that the three corpses were the work of this rogue, she now saw him as a demon. Haunted by memories of having once "offended" him, she was filled with unease. Yet, given their dire situation, she had no choice but to suppress her fear for now.
"Do you think I'm a god?" Xiang Ri shot her an exasperated look but suddenly noticed the window behind her. His eyes lit up. "Damn it! Why didn't I think of that?"
"You've got a plan?" Tie Wan turned to follow his gaze just in time.
"Yes, we can escape through the window," Xiang Ri announced, moving toward it. But before he could proceed, a strange voice interrupted him: "Your Majesty, are you still there?" The words, spoken in French, echoed from the stairwell on the fourth floor.
"Who's there?" Xiang Ri stopped in his tracks and called out. The voice, amplified by what sounded like a loudspeaker, responded immediately.
"I am James… wait… no, you're not Her Majesty! Who the hell are you? Bastard! I know who you are—you're the one who killed David and the others. Damn it! How did you get in here?"
"Obviously, I walked in, idiot! What, did you crawl in?" Xiang Ri retorted, his tone dripping with mockery. While he wondered how the speaker knew about his earlier kills, he figured they must have been connected. Their prolonged silence likely gave away their demise.
"I'll kill you!" The voice was furious.
"If you've got the guts, come in here yourself. If not, shut your mouth," Xiang Ri sneered, his sharp tongue in full force. Had the man understood his native curses, Xiang Ri would have unleashed a barrage of colorful insults.
"You filthy son of a bitch! You're not escaping. Soon, I'll cut out your tongue!"
"And I'll make sure to cut off your little toy! Idiot. Watch me escape right now!" Xiang Ri's words brimmed with confidence, but unease gnawed at him. Why was the enemy so certain of their advantage?
When Xiang Ri finally reached the window, his heart sank. Outside, their opponents had stationed men armed with rocket launchers—his worst fear come to life.
"Hahaha... you're not getting away! My men just informed me someone peeked out the window. Let me tell you, I've got two rocket launchers aimed right at you. I suggest you surrender now, or I'll order them to fire!"
"Shit!" Xiang Ri clenched his fists, his rage urging him to charge out and kill the speaker. But he quickly dismissed the idea—if they were revealing their setup, they likely had a trap ready.
"Still not coming out? Fine. I'll count to ten. If you don't surrender by then, I'll have them fire. Ten... nine..."
The countdown was like a death knell. Gritting his teeth, Xiang Ri's eyes gleamed with determination. "Screw it," he muttered before turning to the group of women. "Move back! Get as far away from me as possible!"
"What are you planning to do? Xiang Ri, don't you dare do something stupid! If you die, I won't go on living either!" Tie Wan, misunderstanding his intent, ran toward him, her voice choked with emotion.
"Idiot, I'm not looking to die!" Xiang Ri felt a surge of warmth but quickly pushed her aside gently. "Trust me. Just back away and stay by the far wall. That's all I need you to do." He pointed at the foreign women. "And you—move too! Quickly, there's no time to waste."
"Seven..."
Seeing his serious expression and the tension etched across his face, Tie Wan reluctantly obeyed, retreating to the wall with a hurt look. The blonde woman and her bodyguards followed suit without hesitation.
With everyone safely out of the way, Xiang Ri suddenly turned and delivered a fierce punch to the cement wall. A loud "bang" resounded, but the wall remained intact. However, the echo gave him confidence—it would only take two more punches to break through.
What is he doing?
As the women looked on in shock, Xiang Ri struck again. This time, cracks began to spiderweb across the wall.
Oh my god...
It was sheer, brute force.
Before they could recover from their astonishment, Xiang Ri channeled all his strength into a final punch. This time, the sound wasn't a "bang" but a deafening "crash."
The cement wall collapsed, leaving behind a gaping hole three meters tall and two meters wide. Dust billowed into the air as Xiang Ri, ignoring his bleeding fists, waved the group forward. "Go! Now!" Without waiting, he led the charge into the adjacent room.
The women hesitated only for a second before rushing after him, their trust in him unshaken despite the madness of the moment.