Qiao Huali looked back and saw flickering torches on the shore, with the sounds of a clear fight still audible.
“Report!” A swordsman rushed forward, “The police are here.”
Qiao Huali peered into the darkness. Though he couldn’t see clearly, he checked his watch, “Three minutes left, hold him off!”
With that, Qiao Huali put on his mask and returned to his chair.
Hearing that the police were coming to the dam, Hu Jia’s dislike turned to anxiety. Qiao Huali might not dare to kill him, but he would show no mercy to those others.
He didn’t know who had come, but no matter who it was, they would surely be his brothers and sisters, perhaps even his lover.
Hu Jia turned and ran towards the shore. He figured that as long as he was present, the swordsmen would have some reservations.
*Bang!*
Another gunshot, then a continuous barrage.
Had they already engaged?
Hu Jia grew more anxious. In truth, they rarely resorted to actual gunfire during investigations. Hearing the commotion now, the battle must be fierce.
Hu Jia ran ahead, the swordsmen in pursuit.
One step, two steps…
The pursuers behind him grew more urgent, and Hu Jia stumbled more and more. His head felt heavier, as if tangled in a ball of yarn.
It was bad. He was about to lose his memory.
Hu Jia was frantic. Hurry, hurry! He was the only one who knew Uncle Liu was Qiao Huali, and he knew exactly what had happened back then.
If he lost his memory, everything tonight would be for naught.
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.
The more anxious he was, the more chaotic his thoughts became.
He desperately wanted to shout, “Dao Liu Ye is Qiao Huali.” But he dared not, because he knew that if he uttered those words, those who came to rescue him would truly not survive.
Qiao Huali would surely cut the weeds and eradicate the roots, killing indiscriminately rather than letting anyone who knew the secret escape.
“Boss!” a familiar voice called out.
“Li Yang!” Hu Jia rejoiced and looked in the direction of the sound. A figure emerged from the grass.
He was drenched, as if he had just crawled out of the river.
“Quick, let’s go!” Hu Jia immediately cut off whatever questions Li Yang was about to ask. “Hurry back to shore, there are too many of them, you can’t fight them.”
“Together! Wen Wu and the others are over there…”
Before he could finish, Hu Jia interrupted, “Then Qiao Huali will… Huh? Li Yang, what are you doing here? What happened to you, did you fall into the river?”
Li Yang: “…”
No way, was it past midnight already?
Originally, according to Lv Qingqing and the others, Dao Liu Ye arranged to meet Hu Jia on Sunday night precisely to take advantage of Hu Jia's amnesia at midnight. Whether through deception, coercion, or appeasement, they planned to lure Hu Jia away.
To thwart Dao Liu Ye’s plan, they had deliberately created a major disturbance before midnight. The gunshots earlier were all orchestrated by Lv Qingqing and her team. In reality, there was no real exchange of fire.
After all, Lv Qingqing and her team were self-aware and knew they were outnumbered. Thus, they only fired a few shots to attract the swordsmen’s attention.
The real contingency plan was Li Yang. He had been lurking nearby, and in the chaos, he swam ashore. As long as he could find Hu Jia at midnight when he lost his memory, there would be no worries about Hu Jia being tricked.
Because everyone knew that Hu Jia, entering his amnesiac state again, would only trust his own people.
Everything was proceeding as planned. Seeing Hu Jia speaking incoherently, Li Yang immediately understood that the time had come.
He cast aside any pleasantries, “Boss, it’s time to fight.”
Saying that, he lunged towards the swordsmen chasing Hu Jia. Hu Jia was completely bewildered, what was going on? Who was trying to attack his brother?
Hu Jia didn’t have time to think and quickly joined the fight!
One punch, one defeated opponent. My god, there were also sabers. Hu Jia glared fiercely at Li Yang. What trouble had this kid gotten into now, to be chased and attacked like this?
Li Yang flinched, narrowly dodging a swinging saber. He retreated a few steps, feeling as if not only was he being chased by swordsmen, but his boss also seemed very displeased with him.
“Did you steal someone’s wife or something? Why are you fighting so hard?” Hu Jia and Li Yang fought back-to-back.
“Huh?” Li Yang was utterly confused by the question, then realized, “Boss, I came to save you! They were trying to attack you!”
“Me?” Hu Jia didn’t believe it. He considered himself a gentleman.
“Yes, you. You were caught holding someone else’s wife,” Li Yang said.
Hu Jia: “Excuse me? Did you hear what you just said?”
“Enough!” Sixth Master emerged from a group of swordsmen. He couldn’t listen anymore. What was this about holding his wife? She was your aunt!
Hu Jia looked at the man, wearing a mask, how absurd. Then he turned to look at Li Yang, who was warily watching the masked man in front of him. Hu Jia mused to himself, had this kid seduced this masked man’s concubine or stolen his daughter? That’s why so many people were sent to attack him.
Hu Jia was now certain that Li Yang hadn't stolen the other man's wife, because judging by the masked man’s attire, he was likely an old man, and Li Yang probably wouldn't be interested in his wife.
“Who is he?” Hu Jia asked Li Yang.
“Dao Liu Ye!” Li Yang’s eyes remained fixed on the man in front of him.
“Whose relative?” Hu Jia asked.
Uh…
Li Yang almost cursed, “It’s Sixth Master, not Grandpa Liu, an enemy, you and my enemy!”
Hu Jia froze and turned to look at the masked man.
Just as he was about to ask, the masked man spoke, “If you want to take him away from here, talk less.”
The words left Hu Jia utterly confused, but Li Yang understood. This Sixth Master wanted him to shut up, because if he exposed the feud between Hu Jia and the swordsmen on the spot, given Hu Jia’s personality, it would undoubtedly lead to a fight to the death. And with the current numerical disadvantage, the swordsmen would likely win, leaving them both dead.
“What did you just say? What enemy?” Hu Jia asked Li Yang.
This time, Li Yang didn’t reply. He stared at Sixth Master, “What do you want to do?”
Sixth Master glanced behind Hu Jia and Li Yang, “Your people are here, let’s go.”
Li Yang heard footsteps approaching from behind, not many, but he knew it must be Lv Qingqing and the others.
Seeing Li Yang’s still suspicious expression, Sixth Master said, “Consider it me repaying a debt again.”
With that, Sixth Master turned and left, followed by the swordsmen.
Li Yang didn’t move; he couldn’t dare to.
Hu Jia didn’t move; he didn’t understand.
“Xiao Jia!” Ouyang Wen ran up from behind and as soon as he approached Hu Jia, he grabbed his hand, looking him up and down. Seeing no injuries, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“What are you doing here?” Hu Jia’s face turned grim as soon as he saw Ouyang Wen. “Looking for fault with me, saying I’m causing trouble outside, and using it as an excuse to kick me out of the police force?”
Uh…
Ouyang Wen stiffened. Damn it, how could he forget? This kid had reverted to how he was eight years ago.
“Hu Jia!” Lv Qingqing also stepped forward to call him. Although seeing his attitude towards Ouyang Wen, she knew Hu Jia had forgotten things, she still wanted to step forward and confirm he was safe.
Hu Jia glanced at Lv Qingqing. This woman felt so familiar; he couldn’t help but feel a desire to be close to her. However, he felt like he had never met her before.
Lv Qingqing looked at the wound on Hu Jia’s forehead, her eyes full of concern. She quickly took out a handkerchief from her pocket. As she wiped his wound a couple of times, Hu Jia instinctively dodged backward. Oh dear, could what Li Yang said be true? Did he really lay hands on a married woman?
“Are you that masked man’s wife?”