532: Chapter 532: A Fine Line Between Life and Death 532: Chapter 532: A Fine Line Between Life and Death This mountain isn’t part of the Chaotic Mountains; since it’s a burial site, it’s naturally well-maintained, and there’s even a small park at the foot of the mountain.
Therefore, a path leading up the mountain has been constructed.
Although the streetlights are dim, you can still vaguely see the path, which is better than total darkness, right?
The night was dark and eerily silent, with occasional rustling sounds coming from the woods.
Those who weren’t brave would definitely feel scared.
Tangyu and his companion, however, were not afraid at all.
Tangyu looked around and saw that there was not much to admire in the scenery at night.
“Hmm, this is bad, we’re in danger,” Tangyu suddenly felt a strong surge of danger in his heart.
Without any hesitation, he immediately tackled Huangfu Jing to the ground and rolled towards the nearby woods.
At this point, he could not care less about anything else; Tangyu could only try his best to use his body to shield Huangfu Jing from being injured by anything on the ground.
Just as Tangyu had pinned her down, he felt a cold breeze fly over his head, followed quickly by the sound of a sharp object striking a rock – clearly a bullet, which even sparked a trail of fire.
“There’s a sniper.
We were exposed under a streetlight just now; we’ve been ambushed,” Tangyu said, scanning the surroundings with a chilly gaze.
Huangfu Jing was also nestled calmly in his arms, letting Tangyu protect her.
This wasn’t her first encounter with such an event, so she was able to remain composed as if Mount Tai were collapsing in front of her without changing her expression.
Tangyu perked up his ears, watching and listening in all directions.
Soon he heard the sound of footsteps from several people closing in quickly from all around.
“There are five assailants closing in from five different directions, and there might be another sniper lurking around.
If we expose ourselves, we’ll be in danger,” Tangyu said.
He picked up a few pebbles from the ground and threw them; the pebbles traced a cold gleam through the air, precisely breaking all the few streetlights, plunging the area into darkness.
The woods, which couldn’t be reached by the moonlight, were especially dark tonight with scarcely any moonlight at all.
Indeed, in Donglin City, it’s rare to see a bright moon on dark nights.
In the darkness where they could barely see each other, Tangyu assessed the situation, then pulled his head back.
By coincidence, his mouth brushed past Huangfu Jing’s face, it was very soft, smooth and had a very distinctive scent.
Tangyu was stunned, and the two stared each other down in the darkness, face to face: “I’m sorry, that wasn’t intentional,” Tangyu whispered.
Huangfu Jing said, “I know, let go of me, we need to get up and leave this place quickly.”
Tangyu released Huangfu Jing, and they both stood up, taking cover behind a tree.
Tangyu also grabbed a few pebbles to use as makeshift weapons.
The footsteps of the assassins were getting closer and closer, and if they were surrounded, it would be dangerous.
The killers all had bright flashlights, and beams of light flitted past Tangyu and his companion.
If they made any sudden moves, they would certainly reveal their position.
Being exposed would put them in danger.
“We can’t leave just yet; the most dangerous place is often the safest.
We have to wait for them to search this area before we can figure out a way to break through.
Behind us is all mountain; we have two options now.
One is to take the risk and run down the mountain; once we get downhill, we’ll be safe.
These people have clearly been following us all along, and they have waited until now to act because they didn’t dare to in a more populous area.
Second, we can escape into the mountains behind us; it’s so large that I believe these few people surely can’t search thoroughly, and they definitely won’t dare to chase us forever.
As long as we shake them off, we can call for help,” Tangyu said quietly.
Huangfu Jing nodded her head.
“Whatever happens next, make sure to stick close to me.
If necessary, I will tell you to run first,” Tangyu said.
Huangfu Jing nodded again.
Two assassins were approaching, about twenty or thirty meters away, their bright flashlights scanning the area.
Tangyu focused, his hand ready with the pebbles.
As the light shone in their direction, Tangyu spotted the two men and hurled the rocks in his hand.
“They’re here—” before the assassin could finish speaking, a pebble struck him in the forehead, creating a bloody hole, his eyes widened as his life quickly faded, and his body fell straight to the ground, dead on the spot.
The other assassin instantly reacted, and gunfire ensued.
Without hesitating, Tangyu grabbed Huangfu Jing and ran.
It was extremely difficult to navigate the dense forest in the dark.
After running a distance and evading a few bullets from the assassin, Tangyu picked up Huangfu Jing and ran like a leopard through the trees.
He had often lived this way in the past, so it wasn’t a problem for him.
Once their location was revealed, the other killers naturally moved in rapidly from all directions.
Gunshots rang out incessantly from behind, where any misstep could mean death.
And with the pursuers using bright flashlights to track them, escape was difficult.
The killers were very skilled, moving quickly through the complex forest.
The pebbles Tangyu had were quickly used up; apart from knocking out one assassin at the beginning, the others were only injured, not killed.
Tangyu ran wildly, not knowing how long he had been running when suddenly, there was a cliff in front of them, blocking their escape route.
“There’s no way out,” Tangyu looked around, noting the mountain cliff stretched for over a thousand meters.
There was no time to detour now, as pursuers had already caught up.
In the pitch darkness, Tangyu couldn’t tell just how deep the cliff was.
“We won’t be able to escape,” Huangfu Jing’s face remained calm, numb to such situations by now.
Tangyu gritted his teeth, “No, we’ll be fine with me here.
There’s always a way out.
Worst case, we fight them—we’re not completely without a chance.
I’ve always been lucky; I refuse to believe today will be the end for me.
Let’s take them on.” This was the first time Tangyu had encountered such a perilous situation.
Although the darkness hampered their pursuers’ visibility, it also limited his own.
Tangyu would have preferred to face this scenario in daylight when he would have been more confident in taking down the assassins one by one and securing victory.
The night was a significant disadvantage, especially with Huangfu Jing at his side needing protection.
Had he been alone, escaping wouldn’t have been an issue, even if defeating the assassins was uncertain.
Tangyu was confident in his abilities to escape.
“Let’s hide behind that tree,” Tangyu said, pulling Huangfu Jing behind a tree and snapping off a tree branch.
Soon, a bright light shone their way as an assassin charged forward.
Opportunity!
Tangyu suddenly burst out from behind the tree, swinging the branch forcefully at the assassin’s hand, resulting in a sharp ‘snap’.
Surprisingly, despite the heavy blow, the assassin managed to hold onto the gun, only dropping the flashlight.
Seizing the advantage, Tangyu charged at the assassin, aiming to take him out quickly.
But then, several more assailants arrived, their flashlights cutting through the darkness.
If he revealed himself, he would be shot; these men were clearly skilled marksmen and couldn’t be given the slightest chance.
Without hesitation, Tangyu grabbed the assassin, using his body as a shield, and retreated swiftly to Huangfu Jing’s side.
Understanding the situation, she quickly took cover behind him.
Tangyu forcibly grabbed the assassin’s gun hand, struggling to control his weapon.
The assassin fought back fiercely, and the other four quickly closed in, their guns trained on Tangyu.
He noticed that among them, four had white skin and one was black—all obviously foreign assassins.
They closed in relentlessly.
Tangyu could see from their eyes that even with their comrade in his grasp, they wouldn’t hesitate.
But there was nowhere to retreat—the cliff was behind them.
“We’ve already called for backup.
If you know what’s good for you, leave now, or none of you will get away,” Tangyu said, not caring whether they understood him.
The four assassins seemed unswayed by his words, their murderous intent growing more intense.
“We’re trapped; they’ll stop at nothing to finish the job,” Tangyu thought grimly, realizing he had little power to resist.
If they attacked, both he and Huangfu Jing would surely die.
Biting his lip, Tangyu communicated wordlessly with Huangfu Jing, then, holding the assassin, he leaped off the cliff.
As he plummeted, a thought flashed through Tangyu’s mind: “Is this how it all ends for me?
I don’t even have a wife yet, and to add insult to injury, I’m still a virgin.
Life can’t be this cruel, right?
All I wanted was to be a hero.
Is that so enviable?
Where’s the justice in this?”
Huangfu Jing closed her eyes, holding onto Tangyu tightly.
A strange thought emerged in her mind: Dying alongside him might not be so regrettable.
In that moment, her heart was touched.
A man willing to sacrifice his life for hers could move any woman.
Despite being a ‘queen’, Huangfu Jing was still a woman with a woman’s heart.
Over the years, Tangyu was the only man who could make her smile, laugh, and feel moved.
If possible, she would rather die alone than drag him down with her.
“Tangyu, I’m sorry.
If there’s an afterlife, I will repay you properly.
You are a good man,” Huangfu Jing braced for death, knowing the cliff was deep.
“Damn it,” Tangyu thought, “I imagined dying old or handsome, even worn out, but never from a fall.
My life’s brilliance, gone in a flash.
Master, I’m sorry, I failed the mission you gave me, and I can’t take care of you anymore.” Feifei, Liu Shanshan, Sister Min, Momo, Xiao Ya, Song Qingyu, Liu Shiyi, Mo Xiaoqing…
Faces of women he couldn’t forget flashed through Tangyu’s mind.
He didn’t want to die.
He was young, just got a girlfriend, had a sacred mission to fulfill, a bright future, and many women who depended on him.
He couldn’t die.
“No, I can’t die, and I won’t,” Tangyu’s strong desire to live filled his mind.
He positioned the assassin beneath him to cushion the impact; perhaps survival was possible.
There’s always hope, no matter how slim.
Life is precious!