Half of his cheek instantly swelled up, revealing clear five-finger marks. A burning pain shot straight to his head, his ears were ringing, and his vision blurred. For a moment, he collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.
The skinny monkey, taking advantage of the situation, maliciously mocked:
"You slut! Weren't you so arrogant just now? Now you know how tough I am, huh?"
The bandits in the cave burst into laughter at Zhou Qiqi's disheveled appearance, and even Brother Long revealed a cruel smile.
They have long been accustomed to the pleasure of bullying the weak, and watching others struggle in pain only arouses their greater excitement.
The more miserable they are, the more smug they become.
Inside the cave, the bandits' unrestrained laughter had not yet subsided.
On the ground, Zhou Qiqi's cheeks were swollen and red. She lay on the ground, seemingly unconscious, looking utterly miserable.
The bandits were watching with glee, when suddenly, the light at the cave entrance went out.
A thin, wiry man stumbled in, drenched in sweat, his face deathly pale. Before he could even stand properly, he cried out in a tearful voice:
"Brother Long! Something terrible has happened! Something...something horrific has occurred!"
This man, nicknamed Gray, is a distant cousin of Brother Long.
He was usually just a lookout and errand boy in the gang, and Brother Long never gave him a second glance.
Seeing his flustered and disappointed appearance, Brother Long's anger flared up instantly. His face darkened, and he kicked him, cursing:
"What the hell are you yelling about? Can't you see I'm busy? Get out of here, the sky isn't going to fall!"
He kicked the ashes away, still feeling that watching Xu Zao slap her wasn't enough, and wanted her to continue so he could watch more of the fun.
They've done this kind of bullying of the weak far too often; it's become commonplace for them.
But the ash-covered fellow, kicked and falling to the ground, scrambled back on all fours, grabbed Brother Long's leg, and his voice trembled uncontrollably:
"Brother Long! Something really...something's really happened! This is terrible! You have to go and check on this!"
Brother Long was so annoyed by his nagging that he grabbed him by the collar, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.
"Damn it! Spit it out! If it's nothing serious, I'll shoot you dead!"
Hui Zi was so frightened that he trembled all over, his teeth chattering. He said, "Oh!"
"Outside...outside...at the foot of the mountain, there are people everywhere! Police, and troops, a dense array of flashlight beams, have surrounded this mountain!"
"What?!"
Brother Long's expression changed drastically, and he demanded an explanation in a stern voice.
"Did you see clearly? Who are they? What are they after?"
Hui Zi pointed tremblingly at Zhou Qiqi on the ground:
"I...I didn't dare get too close. Judging from that group, they were all in military uniforms and carrying flashlights, they were probably...probably looking for her..."
Before Brother Long could speak, Skinny Monkey next to him jumped up, his face full of disbelief:
"Bullshit! Gray, are you blind? We've only had them tied up for a few hours! We haven't even handed over the invoice yet, how could they find us so quickly? How well hidden is this place Brother Long chose? It's surrounded by more than a dozen mountains. I took seven or eight detours on my way back. How could they find this place? Did they fly here with wings?"
The other bandits echoed this sentiment, all finding it unbelievable.
For so many years, they have been committing crimes on the run, and with Brother Long's meticulous planning, they have always managed to outmaneuver the police. They have never been caught in their hideout.
Hui Zi was so anxious she was jumping up and down, tears welling up in her eyes:
"It's absolutely true! We've really kicked a hornet's nest this time! You...you'll understand once you take a look at the cave entrance!"
With a gloomy face, Brother Long stopped listening to his men's commotion, took a few steps to the edge of the cave entrance, and looked down the mountain.
Upon seeing this, his heart sank!
In the distance, at the foot of the mountain, the once pitch-black wilderness was now shimmering with countless points of light.
Although it was hard to see clearly from a distance, it was clearly the light from a large number of flashlights that had indeed surrounded the mountain!
"Damn it! How could this happen?!"
Brother Long cursed under his breath.
Skinny Monkey and the others also came over to take a look, and everyone was dumbfounded, cold sweat pouring down their backs.
What Hui Zi said was actually true! They really were trapped like dumplings!
The skinny monkey suddenly turned around, grabbed Xu Zao, who was already terrified, by the hair, and asked fiercely:
"Xu Zao! You jinx! Didn't you say her man was just a nobody platoon leader? Huh?! A mere platoon leader can mobilize so many men? And surround the whole mountain?!"
Xu Zao was in excruciating pain from the pulling, and was so terrified that she cried out incoherently:
"I...I don't know! How would I know any of this? He, he seems to be a battalion commander, or maybe a regimental commander...No one in my family is in the army, I don't know anything about this! Does a regimental commander...does a regimental commander have this many men under his command?!"
She only knew that Shen Huaichuan was a military officer with some ability, but she never expected that there would be such a large-scale operation!
Upon hearing this, the skinny monkey's eyes turned red with anger, and he slapped Xu Zao hard across the face.
"Damn it! Commander?! You've got us all killed!"
This slap was even harder than the one Xu Zao had given Zhou Qiqi earlier.
Xu Zao was beaten until he saw stars. He scrambled to Long Ge's feet, clung to his leg, and cried out in despair:
"Brother Long! It's not my fault, Brother Long! It must have been that bitch Zhou Qiqi who pulled the strings! She's the one who ruined us..."
But at this point, Brother Long was no longer willing to listen to any explanations.
The thought of possibly being targeted by a regimental commander sent chills down his spine.
He kicked Xu Zao hard in the chest, sending her flying a long way. Still not satisfied, he rushed over and slapped her several more times, cursing:
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