"Leave your body intact, then!" Li Zhonglou retorted coldly.
Through two lifetimes, everything he had done was to gain complete control over his destiny and protect those he loved.
He would spare no effort, even walking through fire.
For him to surrender his life to an assassin? A pipe dream!
As long as he drew breath, he would never bow his head.
"You're seeking death!"
Venomous intent exploded in the assassin's eyes. "No matter who you are, daring to resist us will not only be your own death sentence."
"None of your nine generations, not anyone who loves you, nor anyone you love, will survive."
"Kid, your worthless life is doomed. But if you don't want your family to seek revenge, you'd best surrender and die obediently."
He couldn't fathom Li Zhonglou's trump cards.
Nor was he confident in taking Li Zhonglou down. The fact that even his unerring marksmanship could falter made this person deeply wary.
To avoid complications, he resorted to psychological warfare.
Unfortunately, these words were a joke to Li Zhonglou.
Only those lacking confidence would resort to empty threats to bolster their courage.
If they wanted to kill his family and friends, they wouldn't be leaving this club alive.
Although he knew it was a bluff, Li Zhonglou's gaze still turned cold, killing intent surging.
He had never killed anyone.
But for the words spoken just now, this person would die today, no matter what.
"Protect yourself, and don't try to save me under any circumstances," Li Zhonglou instructed Liu Pinger, seeing she had already put on her bulletproof vest.
Before Liu Pinger could react, he lunged out from behind the pillar.
*Pop, pop, pop!*
A series of shots followed him like a shadow, kicking up dust from the ground.
The bullets landed closer and closer to him.
These two assassins were adapting to his speed. In three seconds, once they got used to his extraordinary speed, he would surely die.
But Li Zhonglou needed those three seconds.
The riot baton in his hand transformed into a black streak, flying towards one of the assassins.
The assassin never expected Li Zhonglou to be so ferocious, not only not fleeing but charging towards them.
He also didn't expect his only weapon to be used to attack him.
With rapid speed and superhuman strength, the hurled riot baton, in both velocity and power, was comparable to an arrow shot from a seventy-pound bow.
It instantly shattered one of the assassin's arms.
The AK fell to the ground.
The other assassin watched his comrade get injured without a flinch.
Just as Li Zhonglou closed in, he finally adapted to his speed and pulled the trigger.
A bloom of red erupted from the side of Li Zhonglou's left thigh, unprotected by the bulletproof vest. His body, like a torn sack, instantly lost its balance.
He tumbled to the ground, sliding more than three meters.
His left side clothing was shredded against the ground, revealing flesh and blood.
But Li Zhonglou never uttered a sound, gritting his teeth tightly.
As he fell, he slammed his hands onto the ground, forcing himself to sit up.
He scrambled behind the nearest pillar for cover.
Fortunately, the club building Liu Pinger rented was an unfinished shell. To maintain its style, it had hardly been renovated.
There were load-bearing pillars everywhere.
At this moment, these pillars became his pillars of life.
Watching it all from a distance, Liu Pinger clamped her hand over her mouth, tears welling in her beautiful eyes.
Filled with self-blame and regret.
She hated her own recklessness, her willingness to investigate anything, which led to this calamity.
She regretted her utter uselessness, only able to hide and watch Li Zhonglou get shot.
If only she had been more mindful, hidden a real gun, she wouldn't be so passive now, utterly unable to fight back.
What should she do?
Were they all going to die here today?
A sense of immense fear washed over Liu Pinger.
Li Zhonglou was much simpler than she imagined.
He tore a strip of cloth from his body, endured the pain as he tied it around his thigh, then grabbed a nearby brick and smashed it with a palm, instantly shattering it into several pieces.
The reason he had hidden behind this pillar was also because there were several red bricks here.
There was no time to cry out in pain, no time for sentimentality.
The only thing to do now was to fight off these ferocious assassins.
If he could find an opportunity to kill one or two more, that would be a bonus.
The two assassins had suffered a setback.
One had a fractured right arm. He could still shoot with his left hand, but his accuracy was greatly diminished. Sweat beaded on his forehead from the pain.
However, the discipline of an assassin allowed him to continue executing the mission.
The other assassin's gaze was considerably more serious and tense than before, as Li Zhonglou's desperate throw was terrifying.
He had risked being crippled by a single shot to disable one of his comrades.
Looking at the group in the training area, while his two companions had advanced considerably, they still couldn't break through the glass bead defense of the members.
More critically, these members were accustomed to teamwork during their training. Now, with their lives on the line, they dared not slacken even a bit.
The dozen or so people, originally in two groups, had now merged into one, their coordination seamless.
They had beaten the two assassins black and blue, nearly blinding them.
Two real firearms being suppressed by over a dozen glass bead guns was truly an unprecedented legend.
This situation only fueled the anxiety within the assassins.
*Swish, swish, swish…*
Just then, Li Zhonglou picked up several brick fragments the size of marbles and, taking advantage of the assassins' distraction, flung them out in rapid succession.
Though thrown by hand, their power was even greater than the glass bead guns.
The two assassins had no time to dodge and could only protect their heads and faces, enduring the impact.
They yelped in pain.
They were completely unable to return fire.
The uninjured ones quickly sought cover behind pillars.
Li Zhonglou seized the opportunity to smash the temple of the assassin with the broken arm, knocking him unconscious on the spot.
But the good situation ended there.
The assassin hiding behind the pillar, disregarding his comrade, frantically fired at Li Zhonglou's location.
*Da da da…*
Dust billowed everywhere, making breathing difficult.
Not to mention visibility.
"Brat, you're finished today!" Seeing that his tactic was effective, the assassin jumped out from behind the pillar and unleashed a barrage of shots.
As soon as the bullets ran out, he swiftly changed magazines, maintaining a suppressive fire.
Li Zhonglou was pinned down, unable to even peek out, and thus couldn't throw any more broken bricks.
He could only brace himself as the assassin rapidly closed in.
His heart sank.
In both his past and present life, he had brushed shoulders with death many times.
But never had he been this close, almost able to foresee his own fate.
No matter how powerful stones and human effort were, how could they contend with guns?
In the end, he might truly not escape this predicament.
Liu Pinger felt no differently. Watching Li Zhonglou engulfed in muzzle flashes and smoke, with the assassin drawing nearer, the anxiety in her beautiful eyes turned to resolve.
With a loud shout, she charged out from behind the pillar.
Drawing the handgun she had kept on her outer thigh, she drew the assassin's attention.
Seeing this, the assassin's pupils dilated, thinking the handgun was real.
He instinctively rolled several meters on the ground.
But upon not hearing Liu Pinger's gun fire, he quickly realized his mistake.
Still on the ground, he aimed at Liu Pinger and fired a burst.
*Pop, pop, pop…*
Three shots, forming a triangle, struck Liu Pinger's chest from front to back, the terrible impact launching her delicate body backward.
Simultaneously, it took her breath away, causing her to pass out instantly.
However, it was precisely her suicidal charge that bought Li Zhonglou precious time.
Still within the smoke, Li Zhonglou had already closed his eyes.
He had no vision, but his hearing was far superior to that of ordinary people.
He clearly heard the location of the gunshots. If it were just one shot, he wouldn't be so sure, but three consecutive shots made it a certainty.
"Die!"
Li Zhonglou gritted his teeth and, with all his might, hurled a sharp-edged red brick.
*Whoosh!*
The brick emitted a sharp whistling sound as it flew through the air, covering dozens of meters in an instant, striking the center of the assassin's forehead with unerring accuracy.
The red brick was made of relatively soft material, instantly exploding into powder.
But the force it carried was real.
It struck the assassin squarely on the head, causing him to roll his eyes and fall stiffly to the ground.
The next second, Li Zhonglou emerged from the smoke, saw the unconscious Liu Pinger lying on the ground,
and dragged his injured leg to her side.
He reached out to feel her pulse; she had stopped breathing.
His heart tightened.
At the same moment, the two assassins in the training area had finally broken through the defenses and were about to unleash carnage.
*Woo woo woo…*
Just then, sharp siren sounds echoed from outside the building.
The initial explosion and continuous gunfire had finally alerted nearby residents, who had called the police.
The police arrived with remarkable speed.
Hearing the sirens, the two assassins immediately panicked.
They no longer cared about killing and turned to flee to their armored vehicle, withdrawing from the club.
They didn't even glance back at their unconscious comrades.
Finally safe!
Li Zhonglou knelt on the ground, cradling Liu Pinger in his arms, and helped her unbuckle her bulletproof vest.
Seeing no bullet holes in her chest but blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, he knew her ribs must have been broken by the impact.
So she wasn't truly dead, but in shock.
Unlike him, who had cultivated the "Sheepskin Scroll" technique and possessed a highly resilient body,
She was just a delicate female boss.
"Liu Pinger, hold on…"
With broken ribs, chest compressions were impossible.
The only emergency measure was artificial respiration.
Looking at the beautiful, gentle woman, Li Zhonglou's eyes held no trace of lust.
Without hesitation, he pinched Liu Pinger's nose and blew into her red lips.
"Li Zhonglou, you motherf***er, let go of Pinger!" Just after two breaths, Xu Tianyou's furious roar erupted through the hall.
But it was immediately drowned out by the police swarming into the building.
Xu Tianyou's face was ashen. Stopped by the police from a distance, he glared at Li Zhonglou and Liu Pinger, who appeared to be kissing.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he gnashed his teeth, wishing he could skin Li Zhonglou alive.
Liu Pinger had been his dream girl since childhood. While fighting the assassins, his heart had been constantly worried about her. As soon as he was safe, he rushed out.
Who knew he would witness this scene?
Li Zhonglou heard his shout but didn't react.
Compared to saving a life, being misunderstood by Xu Tianyou was insignificant.
Finally, after several attempts at artificial respiration, Liu Pinger suddenly convulsed and regained her breath.
Her beautiful eyes widened, staring intently at Li Zhonglou, who held her in his arms.
The bone-chilling pain throughout her body couldn't divert her attention at this moment.
She only felt an immense warmth and safety.
As their eyes met, it was as if lightning and thunder flashed between them, and everything else around them seemed to stand still.
Ripples of emotion stirred within Liu Pinger.
From childhood, whether it was the brothers in the orphanage or the wealthy businessmen who pursued her after entering society,
None had ever made her heart flutter.
But now, lying in Li Zhonglou's arms, she clearly felt her heart peeling away layer by layer, like an onion.
This feeling made her almost not want to wake up.
Her breathing grew heavy.
She gently closed her eyes, as if to say she still desired Li Zhonglou's warm, solid lips.
"Are you two alright?"
The next second, a deep voice sounded beside their ears, interrupting this beautiful scene.
Several police officers had rushed to their side, apprehending the unconscious assassins on the ground.
Instantly, Liu Pinger's face flushed red all the way to her ears.