Having lived two lives, Li Zhonglou was no stranger to darkness.
Murder and arson held no particular novelty.
However, today indeed provided him with a new lesson in life.
People who would do anything for money were truly refreshing.
"I've stated my conditions, what more do you want?" The bald man's smile vanished, replaced by shock.
He hadn't expected Li Zhonglou to be audacious enough to hijack him on his own turf.
The reason he had no bodyguards inside was that numerous boxers were stationed outside, and he hadn't anticipated anyone daring to cause trouble here.
Even ten million yuan was considered too little?
A desperate rogue?
"If Xu Lie has an accident, you're dead!" Li Zhonglou's voice echoed again.
The bald man felt a heavy blow to his neck. His vision darkened, and he lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.
After knocking out the bald man.
Li Zhonglou immediately rushed to Scarface's corpse to search him.
He had no time for any pleasantries; the only thing that mattered now was saving Xu Lie.
Empty!
Apart from a mobile phone, his pockets contained nothing else.
No antidote.
What to do?
Li Zhonglou sat down on the ground, his expression extremely grim. For the first time, his thoughts became disorganized.
Previously, he approached every task with composure, confidence, and calm intelligence.
But today, he simply couldn't remain calm.
He had no idea what poison Scarface had administered. With the man dead and no antidote found, was Xu Lie destined to die?
No!
This absolutely could not happen!
Even if there was only a sliver of hope.
Li Zhonglou's somewhat dimming eyes flashed with sharp brilliance. He pressed the lock switch for the office door and closed it from the outside.
He ran to the edge of the cage, and before he could get close, he was stopped by two security guards.
On the octagon stage inside the cage, Xu Lie was already convulsing, his face and half of his body covered in blood. Cheng Jun's storm-like attacks were going unchecked.
An arm protecting his head seemed to have been broken.
Many spectators were already protesting.
Some, fueled by hatred, were viciously cursing Xu Lie, calling for his death.
"Get lost!" Li Zhonglou had no time to trifle with the guards. One slap to each of them knocked them unconscious.
He rushed to Xu Lie's side and, through the cage, pulled out his phone.
He dialed Xu Qianqian's number.
"Brother Xu, pull yourself together, your sister wants to talk to you!" Li Zhonglou yelled loudly as he looked at Xu Lie's vacant eyes.
This shout seemed to have some effect, actually causing a flicker of light to appear in Xu Lie's eyes.
Human potential was limitless.
His master had once said in his past life that if someone on the verge of death could be stimulated by the person or thing they cared about most, they might miraculously recover.
It was akin to a final burst of energy.
It could even cause physiological changes, though the outcome was unpredictable. But at this moment, there was no other option.
He couldn't get into the cage. If Xu Lie didn't recover soon, even if he wasn't poisoned to death, he would be beaten to death.
"Qianqian, Brother is sorry..." Xu Lie mumbled, his voice like a mosquito's hum.
At this moment, Cheng Jun's attacks had also slowed considerably. It was possible the effects of the stimulant were wearing off, or perhaps he had exhausted his stamina.
"Damn it, if you die, what will happen to Qianqian?" Li Zhonglou cursed ferociously.
He never used profanity because it was a sign of helplessness; only the weak used violent language to bolster themselves.
But at this moment, he couldn't help it.
He gripped the iron wires of the cage tightly, the immense force sinking them deep into his flesh, yet he remained oblivious.
Finally, Xu Qianqian's call was connected.
A sweet, clear voice responded, "Brother Li?"
"Qianqian, I'm with your brother. Tell him, if he dies, will you still be able to live?" Li Zhonglou blurted out without thinking.
He had no choice but to have Xu Qianqian ignite all of Xu Lie's anger.
Only then was there hope of turning the situation around.
"Brother Li, don't scare me. What happened to my brother?" Xu Qianqian's voice was close to tears.
"He's dying!" Li Zhonglou roared.
"No, Brother, where are you? I'm coming to find you. If my brother dies, I won't live alone either..." Xu Qianqian burst into tears, her cries heart-wrenching.
She was still just a young girl, easily discouraged by a little heartbreak, lacking any resilience, a girl with no capacity to cope.
How could she face this life-and-death stimulus?
In an instant, she broke down.
But at the same time, Xu Lie's unfocused eyes began to sharpen.
His muscles trembled all over, not from spasms, but from the attempt to control himself.
His body began to arch.
Blood-tinged tears seeped from his injured eye corner.
"Roar—" A sound like a wounded tiger's roar erupted from his throat.
This sound startled Cheng Jun, causing him to retreat several steps, gasping for breath.
He was exhausted from fighting Xu Lie.
Without the stimulant's support, his courage had significantly diminished.
Seeing Xu Lie stirring, he trembled and yelled, "Why aren't you dead yet?"
"If I die, what will happen to my sister?" Xu Lie pushed himself up, his voice slurred and his mouth leaking air.
But his gaze grew increasingly resolute.
He had already disregarded the numerous injuries on his body.
Even his dislocated left arm did not impede him.
He positioned his arm and then yanked it forcefully.
*Crackle!*
His bone reset.
Xu Lie staggered to his feet.
The entire arena fell silent, everyone watching this scene stunned.
"Qianqian, thank you. Once your brother finishes this fight, I'll bring him to see you!" Li Zhonglou abruptly hung up the phone.
At this moment, he couldn't concern himself with Xu Qianqian's feelings.
Xu Lie had risen again, this ferocious tiger, never to admit defeat!
"Violent Wild Tiger, Victory!" Li Zhonglou shouted the slogan.
He had initially thought such a thing was childish, but to his surprise, he found himself shouting it uncontrollably.
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
More and more people were drawn in by his cry, echoing his chant.
The atmosphere became boisterous once more.
In the distance, several security guards pointed at Li Zhonglou and began to rush towards him.
"It's my turn." Xu Lie's bloodied eyes glanced at Li Zhonglou, a grim smile appearing on his face.
"You're already like this, and you still want to beat me? Dream on!" Cheng Jun, his face filled with fury, gathered all his strength and threw a fierce punch at Xu Lie.
This punch concentrated all the remaining strength in his body, intending to kill Xu Lie with a single blow.
But the moment his fist reached Xu Lie, Li Zhonglou moved.
With a slight shift of his body, he ducked down as if appearing and disappearing.
Before Cheng Jun's eyes could even register, a bloodied face appeared before him.
Immediately, his jaw felt a violent impact, as if his brain matter was being shattered. A deafening roar accompanied by multi-colored illusions flashed before his eyes.
The world spun, he fell to the ground, and then completely lost consciousness.
The next second, Xu Lie was pinning Cheng Jun down, his entire body limp like mud.
But on his face, he maintained a ghastly smile.
"Announce it quickly, announce the result!" Li Zhonglou yelled at the stunned referee.
Several more security guards rushed to his side, each grabbing an arm to restrain him.
But with a single glare from Li Zhonglou, they froze, not daring to move.
The light emanating from his bloodshot eyes was ferocious enough to devour people!
Anyone who dared to lay a hand on him was surely courting death.
They were all employees; none were willing to risk their lives for the boss.
Besides, the boss hadn't made a sound yet, so why take such a risk?
"The 'Violent Wild Tiger' Xu Lie wins!" the referee finally reacted, his voice trembling as he announced.
Before the match, the boss had given him instructions: if Xu Lie didn't die, the match wouldn't be over.
But now, the outcome was clearly different from what was expected.
However, the roaring crowd of spectators made him hesitant to declare anything contrary to the truth, so he had to steel his nerves and bravely state the result.
Boom!
The entire arena erupted.
Those who had bet on Xu Lie embraced each other in celebration, while those who had bet on Cheng Jun turned ashen.
The bookies were completely in a panic.
Li Zhonglou ignored the gamblers. As soon as the iron cage was opened, he darted forward.
He scooped up Xu Lie in a fireman's carry and charged out, shouting, "Make way, all of you, get out of my way!"
The burst of potential had allowed Xu Lie to turn the tide, but the poison within him could not be eliminated by this alone. Any delay could be fatal.
He rushed outside, placed Xu Lie on the back seat, and drove onto the road himself.
He weaved through the city center at a steady hundred and forty kilometers per hour, without any hesitation, heading straight for the nearest armed police hospital.
Only after entering the emergency room did Li Zhonglou lean against the wall, gasping for breath.
Covered in blood, he paid no mind to the strange looks from others and once again dialed Xu Qianqian's number.
He asked her to come to the armed police hospital.
Two hours later.
In a surgical ward, Xu Lie was bandaged like a mummy, hooked up to an IV drip.
Xu Qianqian was sobbing, her head resting on the edge of the bed.
"Fortunately, the poison he was administered is a slow-acting one, not immediately fatal, only causing general weakness," the doctor's words finally allowed Li Zhonglou's heart to relax completely.
With his life and luck, he had narrowly escaped disaster. It was all worth the effort he had put in.
He hadn't even collected the eight million yuan he had won to send Xu Lie to the hospital.
"Brother Li..." Xu Qianqian, tears blurring her vision, turned around, wanting to say something.
Li Zhonglou shook his head, stopping her. "Your brother and I are brothers. There's nothing to say."
"Zhonglou, come here..." In the next second, Xu Lie's weak voice called out, beckoning with his finger.
As Li Zhonglou leaned closer to the bedside, a fist suddenly smashed into his face, sending the unprepared him tumbling to the ground.
Half his face felt like it was splitting open.
Given Xu Lie's formidable strength, even in his injured state, the force of his punch almost gave Li Zhonglou a concussion.
"Brother, what are you doing?" Xu Qianqian screamed in terror upon seeing this.
Li Zhonglou stood up and waved his hand. "Don't worry, let him vent his anger."
He was not surprised by Xu Lie's actions at all. After all, he had used Xu Qianqian to stimulate him to save him, making Xu Qianqian fully aware of what her brother was involved in.
His reputation, built up since childhood, was ruined in an instant, and it had almost caused Xu Qianqian's psychological breakdown.
For Xu Lie, who valued his sister more than his own life, it would be bizarre if he let Li Zhonglou off so easily.
He knew he deserved this punch.
"You scoundrel, wait until I'm better, and I'll train you to death every day." Xu Lie's expression was unclear, whether he was smiling or angry, but his words relieved Li Zhonglou.
Despite being in such a sorry state, he was still thinking about teaching him combat skills.
It seemed his anger had been vented.
"Rest well, I still have things to do," Li Zhonglou said, rubbing his face.
With that, he strode out of the ward.
The eight million yuan, including the stake, could not be lost. He had to go and get it back now.