The young man gratefully accepted the car keys from Xiao Xun. He hadn't been drunk initially, but the beer had a stronger kick than he expected, and the cold wind had amplified its effects, making him feel quite dizzy.
Xiao Xun gave the young man the address and then lay back in the rear seat, closing his eyes to rest.
The young man drove extremely fast. Xiao Xun was even jolted by a bump, which instantly sobered him up. As he came to, he realized something was amiss.
If this young man was truly as hard up as he claimed, how could he have a driver's license and a car?
The more he thought about it, the more it didn't add up. Xiao Xun said to the young man, "Little driver, could you please turn around and head back to the shop? I forgot something."
The young man agreed, but showed no signs of slowing down or turning around. He even ran through a few red lights.
As Xiao Xun was contemplating what to do, two cars ahead blocked their path.
"Boss, hold on tight."
The young man showed no intention of slowing down and actually rammed the two cars aside.
Following this, several black sedans began a frantic pursuit. However, the young man was supremely confident in his driving skills. With skillful maneuvers, he managed to shake off the pursuing black sedans and drove the SUV into an abandoned factory.
As the car stopped within the factory, a group of people surrounded them.
Xiao Xun recognized the leader as Li Chenggang, whom he had committed to a mental institution. Li Chenggang had a prominent scar on his left cheek, the origin of which was unknown.
After the young man turned off the engine, his demeanor and attitude underwent a dramatic shift. He directly roared at Xiao Xun in the back seat, "Get out of the car."
Knowing he couldn't escape, Xiao Xun opened the car door and got out obediently.
Li Chenggang walked over, arms crossed, "Mr. Xiao, long time no see! I've missed you."
Xiao Xun looked at Li Chenggang expressionlessly, "You're doing well too! Managing to escape from that place. Tell me, how were you released?"
Li Chenggang shouted hysterically, "Shut up! It's all your fault. You sent me to that godforsaken place. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be disfigured!" As he spoke, he pointed to the scar on his face.
"Today, I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done."
Xiao Xun chuckled, "I truly don't understand. If I call you foolish, you seem more shrewd than anyone, always calculating. But if I call you smart, you abandon a great future to pursue a woman who is completely out of your reach."
Li Chenggang lunged forward, intending to slap Xiao Xun. Xiao Xun grabbed Li Chenggang's wrist with one hand and bent his fingers backward with the other.
"Ah!"
The pain in Li Chenggang's right hand made him collapse to his knees. Sweat immediately streamed down his forehead. "You, let go!"
Xiao Xun looked down at Li Chenggang expressionlessly, "If you want me to let go, tell me, who is your mastermind?"
Li Chenggang looked up at Xiao Xun, "You, what do you mean? Mastermind? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't know?"
Xiao Xun increased the pressure on his hand. The pain caused Li Chenggang to grab Xiao Xun's leg, "It hurts!"
"Still won't talk even though it hurts?"
Suddenly, Li Chenggang, drawing on some unknown strength, disregarded the piercing pain in his hand and violently yanked himself free.
Fearing he might genuinely injure him, Xiao Xun released his grip as the other man fought desperately.
Li Chenggang stumbled due to the momentum and fell to the ground. He pointed at Xiao Xun and yelled at the people around him, "What are you all waiting for? Attack together!"
Xiao Xun glared at the group of young men with a murderous look, "If you want to fight me, come on!"
These young men were accustomed to fighting recklessly and bullying others. Seeing Xiao Xun's arrogant demeanor and his refined appearance, they collectively surrounded him.
Although Xiao Xun hadn't extensively studied combat techniques, he had tried it in the detention center: if surrounded, pick one you think you can beat and go all out.
He protected his head and lunged forward. Some people grabbed Xiao Xun's arms, while others tore at his clothes.
Xiao Xun leaped up, grabbed a skinny guy in front of him, pinned him to the ground, and started raining blows down on his face, completely ignoring those tearing at him from behind.
He used all his might, with no regard for technique. Initially, the skinny guy tried to shield his head with his hands, but after Xiao Xun's repeated attacks, he lost consciousness.
The surrounding individuals had never witnessed such a scene. None dared to step forward, and they all started shouting, "He's killing him! He's killing him!"
Xiao Xun slammed the skinny guy's head against the ground a couple more times, then stood up and pointed at the young men, "Don't you like to win against the odds? Come on!"
The young men were impulsive but not fearless. Seeing Xiao Xun's fierce expression, they instinctively retreated.
Seeing them retreat, Xiao Xun shouted even louder, "Come on! A bunch of cowards. With this little courage, you dare to try kidnapping."
As he spoke, he turned to get back into the car.
Unexpectedly, as he turned, his lower back suddenly stung. He tightly gripped the door handle and strained to turn his head.
As Xiao Xun turned, Li Chenggang, with blood all over his hands, retreated behind the group and pointed at Xiao Xun, "You forced me, you forced me."
Xiao Xun turned to look at his lower back. A glinting three-sided bayonet was plunged halfway into him. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground. Dark red blood flowed down his pant leg. He felt his body temperature rapidly draining away.
He had never imagined that this "simp" would dare to use a knife.
When these young men saw a knife being used, the situation changed entirely. With a scream, they all wanted to flee. However, Li Chenggang shouted, "Everyone stop! If you run, you'll be accessories."
At this moment, the young man who had posed as a designated driver looked at the blood-covered Li Chenggang, "We merely 'invited' him back. We didn't participate in anything else."
Li Chenggang pulled out his phone, "Didn't participate? Do you think I was doing nothing just now? Everything you did is clearly recorded here."
Another person said, "So what? You're the one who stabbed him."
Li Chenggang pointed to his head, "I'm mentally ill. I have a doctor's certificate. At worst, I'll go back for treatment. As for you..." He let out a sinister chuckle.
Finally, someone couldn't help but ask, "Then what do you want?"
Li Chenggang shrugged, "I don't want anything. I just want you to help me dispose of his body."
Someone whispered, "But he's still alive..."
Li Chenggang roared, "No, he's dead. You are all accomplices. If you don't help me, no one leaves today."
Several people exchanged glances, finally focusing their gaze on the young man who had posed as the designated driver, as he was the one who brought the person back.
That young man already regretted his decision a thousand times over. He and Li Chenggang hadn't known each other initially. Later, by chance, he accepted Li Chenggang's help.
At first, he thought this guy was loyal, so he started hanging out with him.
He said that a rich second-generation person had offended him and his girlfriend, and he wanted to abduct him to vent his anger. He promised to take responsibility for whatever happened, and out of loyalty, the young man agreed to help.
The other young men had come to help because they wanted to curry favor with Li Chenggang's wealthy girlfriend. None of them expected anyone to die.
Facing Li Chenggang's relentless pressure, the young men in the scene divided into two factions. One faction insisted on their principles: they had already made a mistake, and they couldn't make another one.
The other faction intended to cover up the matter with Li Chenggang, or else their lives would be ruined.
Seeing the two factions arguing fiercely, Li Chenggang roared, "My girlfriend said that if you help me dispose of that person's body, she'll give each of you a million yuan and send you abroad for further studies."
He thought to himself: as long as these people agreed, they would be bound to his service for life.