Chapter 96 Jiang Kun Appears

The pipes were narrow and covered in grease.

Fang Che had a back injury and climbed slowly.

Seven was behind him, pushing him while keeping watch for what was behind them.

"Seventh Brother," Fang Che asked breathlessly, "why did you help me?"

Seven did not answer.

He didn't know how to answer.

Could it be because of that smile?

Or was it because he was the first person to treat himself as a human being?

That's ridiculous.

He is a tool, a dog.

Dogs don't need reasons.

“Because I want to,” Seven finally said.

Fang Che laughed, despite wincing in pain: "Seventh Brother, that's pretty cool."

The laundry room is at the end of the pipe.

When the two climbed out, there were already people inside.

It was Li Hanzhou.

He was covered in blood, leaning against the washing machine, holding a blood-stained iron rod in his hand.

There were five or six people lying at my feet.

Upon seeing Fang Che, Li Hanzhou's eyes lit up instantly!

But upon seeing Qi, his eyes suddenly turned cold!

"Ache, come here."

Fang Che tried to move, but Qi grabbed his hand.

This action made Li Hanzhou's eyes grow even colder.

"Let him go." Li Hanzhou slowly straightened up, pointing the iron rod at Qi. "Jiang Kun's dog, does he even deserve to touch him?"

Qi didn't let go, looking at Li Hanzhou: "There are at least thirty of Jiang Kun's men outside, along with remnants of the Eastern District and Viper's henchmen. Where do you intend to take him?"

"It's none of your business."

"He will die," Seven said calmly. "You're barely able to save yourself right now."

Li Hanzhou laughed, a laugh tinged with bloodlust: "Even if I die, I will protect him. What about you? Isn't your mission to kill him?"

Seven silences.

“Brother Li,” Fang Che said in a low voice, “Seventh Brother saved me.”

Li Hanzhou was taken aback and looked at Qi.

Qi met his gaze and loosened his grip.

Fang Che withdrew his hand and walked towards Li Hanzhou.

Li Hanzhou reached out and pulled him behind him, protecting him in his arms.

Qi stood up straight, the wound on his arm still bleeding, sweat and blood mingling on his forehead, making his face pale.

“Leave here, take him with you,” Qi said. “It might not be safe.”

Before he could finish speaking, the laundry room door was kicked open.

Seven or eight men rushed in, carrying weapons.

The leader of the mad dogs grinned: "They're all here! Saves me the trouble of searching for them one by one!"

Li Hanzhou and Qi moved at the same time.

Without discussion or eye contact, yet as if they had rehearsed countless times, they rushed forward from the left and right.

Li Hanzhou's iron rod shattered one man's shoulder bone, while Qi's dagger slit open another man's throat.

Back to back, they shielded each other.

Fang Che didn't hesitate either. He picked up the steel pipe from the ground and started hitting his knees.

The three of them actually withstood the first wave.

But people kept coming.

Mad Dog seized the opportunity and chopped Li Hanzhou in the back with his axe!

Li Hanzhou was busy dealing with the two people in front of him and didn't have time to turn around.

"Brother Li!" Fang Che tried to rush over, but was held back by the two men.

In a flash, Qi stepped aside to block Li Hanzhou from behind.

"puff."

The axe slammed into his shoulder, deep enough to reach the bone.

With a muffled groan, Qi turned and plunged the dagger into the mad dog's abdomen.

The mad dog stared wide-eyed, looking down at the hilt of the knife embedded in its body.

Qi drew his sword and kicked him away.

He stumbled and fell to one knee.

"Seventh Brother!" Fang Che rushed over to support him.

After dealing with the person in front of him, Li Hanzhou stepped back to the two people beside him.

He looked at the wound on Qi's shoulder, his gaze darkening.

"Why?" Li Hanzhou asked.

Qi, panting, looked up and said, "For no reason."

"You saved me."

"smoothly."

Li Hanzhou was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "You're quite interesting."

He tore off a corner of his prison uniform and quickly bandaged Qi's wound: "Can you still fight?"

"able."

"Alright." Li Hanzhou stood up, slinging the iron rod over his shoulder. "Then let's fight our way out."

Fang Che helped Qi up, looked at Li Hanzhou's back, and felt a lump in his throat.

This is his brother Li.

In dire straits, always give the toughest answer.

"Which way to go?" Seven questions.

Li Hanzhou pointed to the back door of the laundry room: "There's a maintenance passage in the boiler room that leads to the vicinity of the wall. Zhou Wenxuan's men are waiting outside."

"Zhou Wenxuan?"

“Hong Kong police, my men,” Li Hanzhou said briefly.

Seven, no more questions.

The three men rushed out of the laundry room, fighting their way through, and managed to break into the boiler room.

The room was sweltering with heat, and the boiler roared.

Li Hanzhou lifted the cement slab in the corner of the wall, revealing the passageway.

"quick!"

Fang Che helped Qi down first, then followed.

Li Hanzhou landed last, covering the wooden board again.

The passageway was narrow and covered in grease.

After climbing for about five minutes, light began to shine in from ahead.

It is an export.

Li Hanzhou pushed open the partition and looked outside.

Outside is a thicket of bushes at the foot of the wall, no more than twenty meters away from the wall.

There was still gunfire on the wall, the sound of gunfire intermittent.

But what sank his heart was the person standing in front of the bushes.

Jiang Kun.

His hair was gray, and his posture was upright.

The scar on his face ran from his brow bone to his chin, resembling a centipede coiled up in the moonlight.

Behind him were four bodyguards dressed in black, each carrying a submachine gun.

“Young Master Li,” Jiang Kun said, his voice hoarse, “I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while.”

Li Hanzhou climbed out of the passage, stood up straight, and shielded Fang Che and Qi behind him.

“Jiang Kun,” he said coldly, “it’s time to settle my father’s accounts.”

"Your father?" Jiang Kun laughed, his tone full of sarcasm. "That good-for-nothing Li Donghai? I still remember the way he knelt down and begged for mercy."

Li Hanzhou's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Jiang Kun said, as if he had just remembered, “your mother suffered quite a bit before she died. I had someone ‘take care’ of her for three days, and in the end, she bit off her tongue and committed suicide. She had backbone, but it was useless.”

Li Hanzhou's eyes reddened.

A hatred etched into the very bones!

“Jiang Kun,” he said, emphasizing each word, “today, you must die.”

"You think you can take that?" Jiang Kun sneered. "Li Hanzhou, have you gone mad from being in jail? Look at you, like a stray dog. Oh, and you've got two little dogs with you."

His gaze swept over Fang Che and Qi.

“Xiao Qi,” Jiang Kun’s tone softened, but it was laced with venom, “come here.”

Seven's body stiffened instantly.

"Count to three," Jiang Kun raised his hand, "Come here, you're still my number seven. If you don't come..."

All four gun barrels were raised simultaneously.

"three."

Seven didn't move.

"two."

Qi looked at Fang Che.

The boy was looking at him, his eyes filled with worry, reluctance, and above all, trust.

That trust stung his eyes.

"one."

Qi took a breath.

He strode towards Jiang Kun.

One step, two steps.

Fang Che held his breath.

Li Hanzhou gripped the iron rod tightly.

Qi walked up to Jiang Kun and stopped.

"Kneel," Jiang Kun said.

Seven kneels on one knee.

Jiang Kun laughed and patted his head: "That's more like it. A dog should act like a dog."

He looked at Li Hanzhou: "See this? This is my dog. Obedient, loyal, it bites whoever I tell it to bite."

Li Hanzhou remained silent, staring intently at Qi.

Jiang Kun bent down and whispered in Qi's ear: "Qi, go and capture that kid named Fang Che. He has to be alive. If you do it well, I won't hold it against you for tonight."

Qi looked up and stared at Jiang Kun.

Under the moonlight, his eyes were as still as dead water.

“Mr. Jiang,” he said, “do you remember what you said to me when I was ten years old?”

Jiang Kun frowned: "What?"

“You said that if you’re a dog, you have to be prepared to be thrown away by your owner.” Qi slowly stood up. “Because when a dog gets old and useless, it will be replaced.”

Jiang Kun's expression changed.

"What do you mean?"

“It means,” Seven’s voice was soft, but each word was clear, “that my knife has become dull.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Qi moved!

Like lightning, he pounced on Jiang Kun!

Left hand on the throat, right hand reaching for the waist!

But Jiang Kun was faster!

This old fox has survived this treacherous world for more than just ruthlessness.

He took a half step back and drew his gun at the same time!

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out.

Seven swayed.

The bullet struck his chest.

He didn't stop; the dagger flashed and stabbed towards Jiang Kun's heart!

Jiang Kun's eyes widened; he wanted to dodge, but it was too late.

The dagger pierced the flesh—

But it stopped.

A hand gripped Qi's wrist.

It was Li Hanzhou.

He had rushed over without anyone noticing, and intercepted Qi's hand before the dagger pierced his heart.

"Spare his life," Li Hanzhou said in a low voice. "I want him to repay tenfold for the suffering my parents endured."

Qi looked into his eyes, and after a few seconds, let go.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang Kun kicked Qi aside and retreated behind the bodyguard, his face pale.

"Kill him!" Jiang Kun roared. "Kill them all!"

All four bodyguards opened fire simultaneously!

Li Hanzhou pulled Qi and rolled to dodge, bullets hitting the ground and sparks flying.

Fang Che hid behind a tree, his heart filled with anxiety.

If this continues, they will all die.

Something has to be done.

He glanced around, his gaze settling on the prison wall not far away.

The previously damaged high-voltage power grid was crackling, and a section of the power line was hanging down, resting on a diesel generator next to the wall.

Fang Che picked up a steel pipe from the ground, took a deep breath, and rushed out from behind the tree!

"Ah Che!" Li Hanzhou's voice rang out.

Bullets followed his footsteps.

Fang Che rushed to the generator, swung the steel pipe, and smashed it down on the dangling power line with all his might!

"Sizzle—!"

The power line was hit and flung towards the generator.

High voltage electricity instantly penetrated the machine.

"boom!!!"

The diesel generator exploded.

A fireball rose up, and the shockwave knocked over people nearby.

The electric grid on the wall overloaded, causing a series of electric sparks, and the lighting along the entire section of the wall suddenly went out.

Darkness descended.

Then came an even brighter flame.

The explosion ignited the bushes along the wall, and the fire spread, producing thick smoke.

"Now's the time!" Fang Che shouted, "Run!"

Li Hanzhou supported Qi, Fang Che led the way, and the three of them rushed towards the wall!

The explosion has caused a section to collapse.

Jiang Kun roared through the thick smoke, "Chase them! Don't let them escape!"

But the fire was so intense that the bodyguards had to retreat repeatedly.

The three rushed over the wall and disappeared into the jungle outside.

Li Hanzhou looked back at the burning prison, his eyes cold.

“Jiang Kun,” he whispered, “this is just the beginning.”

He turned around and hugged Fang Che tightly.

"You scared me to death," Li Hanzhou said, his voice trembling.

Fang Che hugged him back, laughing through his tears: "Brother Li, I'm fine."

Qi leaned against the tree trunk, watching the two embracing.

Blood was still seeping from his chest, but a slight smile played on his lips.

The smile was faint, tinged with bitterness, yet genuine.

He looked up.

There are stars in the night sky.

So it turns out there are stars in the Bangkok night too.

The sound of an engine could be heard in the distance.

Several off-road vehicles broke through the night and came to a stop at the edge of the jungle.

Zhou Wenxuan jumped out of the car, followed by fully armed special police officers.

"Li Hanzhou! Fang Che! Over here!"

Li Hanzhou helped Fang Che up and then went to help Qi.

Qi waved his hand: "I can walk by myself."

The three walked toward the SUV.

Before getting on the bus, Qi took one last look at the burning prison.

The cage that had imprisoned him for so long was collapsing in the fire.

And for the first time, he felt...freedom.

Freedom of the mind.

In the car, Zhou Wenxuan quickly checked the injuries, his expression grave: "We need to get to the hospital immediately. Qi lost too much blood; if the bullet had been just a little off course, it would have hit his heart."

Qi leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

"Seventh Brother," Fang Che said softly as he sat down beside him, "thank you."

Qi didn't open her eyes, only softly humming in response.

Li Hanzhou sat in the front seat, looking at Qi through the rearview mirror with a complicated expression.

The assassin who was supposed to kill him ended up saving him, saving A-Che, and almost killing Jiang Kun.

The world can be truly ironic at times.

“Zhou sir,” Li Hanzhou began, “about Jiang Kun…”

“He’s escaped.” Zhou Wenxuan gritted his teeth. “The fire is too big for us to get in. But he can’t have gone far; the Thai police have already cordoned off the surrounding area.”

“Not enough,” Li Hanzhou said. “I want to catch him myself.”

"But your current body—"

“I won’t die.” Li Hanzhou interrupted him. “Jiang Kun must die by my hand. This is my promise to my father.”

Zhou Wenxuan remained silent.

He understood how deep the hatred ran.

That is a blood debt, and it must be repaid with blood.

"Let's go to the hospital first," Zhou Wenxuan finally said. "We can discuss other things later."

The car sped through the night, heading towards downtown Bangkok.

Fang Che leaned against the car window, watching the lights flash by outside.

This night was too long.

It is as long as it never ends.

But it was almost dawn.

He looked at Qi beside him.

The assassin had his eyes closed, his breathing steady, and his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were in a dream.

Fang Che gently took his hand.

Qi's hands were cold, and his palms had calluses from years of holding knives.

Qi opened his eyes.

“Seventh Brother,” Fang Che said in a low voice, “when everything is over, come back to Hong Kong with me. The barbecue on Portland Street is on me, all you can eat.”

Qi looked at him for a long time.

Then he gripped Fang Che's hand tightly with his own.

"good."

In the front seat, Li Hanzhou saw this in the rearview mirror and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

never mind.

The vinegar can be consumed later.

Being alive is more important than anything else.

As the car entered the city, the hospital's Red Cross stood out prominently in the pre-dawn darkness.