Qiqi grabbed his hand. "I'm fine."
They exchanged a glance and both flushed with embarrassment. Rong Yi hastily set her down, then leaned against the wall, gasping for air.
He had heard Qiqi's cries for help from afar but couldn't reach her in time. Seeing that man about to strike her, he picked up a stone in desperation and threw it, hitting the man's wrist. But he was too far away, and could only watch helplessly as the brick struck Qiqi's chest. By the time he sprinted to her side, he had already exhausted all his strength. Yet when he saw that man still pressing down on Qiqi, he mustered a surge of anger and kicked him over—unfortunately, he had no inner energy now, or he would have sent him straight to the eighteenth level of hell.
That group of city inspectors fell, seven or eight men writhing and wailing on the ground, immediately drawing the attention of others nearby. Those inspectors left a dozen men to guard the Ai family, while the rest charged toward Gu Qiqi.
Qiqi inwardly cursed—what were city inspectors? Y City's special forces! They killed gods when they saw them, destroyed Buddhas when they met them. They could punch the nursing home on South Mountain and kick the kindergarten on North Sea. Up in the sky, they could shoot down planes; down on the ground, they could destroy tanks; rising into space, they could take out satellites; diving into the sea, they could sink aircraft carriers. Invincible in battle, unstoppable.
If you didn't want to die, you'd better run.
Qiqi grabbed Rong Yi and fled, but after a few steps, he stumbled and fell to his knees. His face was pale as if he might faint at any moment. He pulled his hand free from hers. "Qiqi, go now. Don't worry about me."
He really couldn't go on. He was afraid that if he took one more step, he would collapse.
"How can I do that? We go together or not at all." Qiqi crouched down and hoisted Rong Yi's arm over her shoulder. "Hold on a little longer. Just a few more steps, and the neighbors will be here. Once we hide behind them, we'll be fine."
That was right. In the distance, brilliant lights were shining. The neighbors had come out in full force, each holding flashlights and sticks, like a band of rebelling peasants.
Shouts and cries rang out, deafening. Gu Qiqi and Rong Yi were like two wounded soldiers charging into the line of fire, hoping for rescue from their own troops.
Closer, closer, even closer. Qiqi supported Rong Yi, struggling to move forward. She could almost see the dawn of hope—the faces of Uncle Li and Aunt Wang, the leaders of the holdout residents.
But suddenly, the weight on her shoulder grew heavier, then lighter. Rong Yi was snatched away.
Gu Qiqi spun around and saw Director Liu's snake-like eyes.
Beside him stood sixty or seventy men, all broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, as strong as special forces. Among them, one in a white coat rushed to Rong Yi's side and, before he could resist, pulled out a syringe and stabbed it viciously into his arm.
"Rong Yi—"
Qiqi was terrified, her heart nearly bursting. "Director Liu, what are you doing? What did you inject him with?"
Rong Yi's sharp, sword-like gaze instantly dimmed. Then, with a crash, he fell to the ground, motionless.
"Rong Yi—"
Qiqi lunged forward but was grabbed by an inspector. Director Liu clapped his hands, as if he had just dealt with a nuisance. "This man again. He really came to cause trouble. But luckily, I was prepared."
Director Liu hadn't forgotten the humiliation he suffered at Gu Qiqi's door that day—that man named Rong Yi was so formidable, making him lose face completely, a memory etched into his mind. So, from that day on, Director Liu made extensive inquiries and gathered information on Rong Yi. He knew this man lived with Gu Qiqi, and since she was so meddlesome, they might interfere with tonight's operation. Thus, Director Liu prepared in advance, having the police station assign a prison guard to carry a large dose of anesthetic—no matter how skilled Rong Yi was in martial arts, he couldn't withstand the power of the anesthetic, could he?
*****
Someone said they've read this book, haha, I'm so happy to meet an old reader. Earlier this year, there was a site-wide crackdown on explicit content, so this book got unfortunately blocked. After so long, I can finally release it openly again. Hehe, thanks to everyone who cares, mwah.