Zhao Yan tried to keep her breathing steady, pretending that nothing had happened.
In her heart, she counted, judging from the shadow, the killer was about three-quarters of a step away.
Zhao Yan picked up a book from the table again, pretending to place the book she was holding back onto the table.
As the shadow behind her overlapped with hers, Zhao Yan quickly turned around, combining two books to increase their thickness.
As the axe swung down, the books in her hand blocked her view.
An axe blow landed on the books; the front book was already split through, and half of the axe could be seen on the back one.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thankful that the book on the table was the 1987 "Xinhua Dictionary."
If it were any other book, it wouldn't have been thick enough, and she would have been cleaved through by the axe.
After blocking the axe, she could clearly feel her tiger's mouth going numb, her waist pressed tightly against the table.
As she released her grip, she dodged to the right.
With a "bang," the axe, along with the books, smashed onto the fiberglass.
The fiberglass was of good quality and did not shatter, but it was cracked in the middle.
The attacker had not expected Zhao Yan to be skilled, nor had they anticipated her quick reaction.
Especially seeing no fear on Zhao Yan's face, her eyes filled with excitement.
For Zhao Yan, this was twenty thousand yuan on the move.
The attacker was cautious, wearing a black hat and a mask.
They were half a head shorter than her, likely between 1.64 and 1.65 meters tall.
Zhao Yan glanced at the axe in the attacker's hand.
It was a splitting axe, about 40 to 50 centimeters long, and the axe head weighed around 375 grams.
She primarily focused on the attacker's hand movements, judging the direction of the axe swings by the motion of their hand.
The attacker swung the axe twice; the first blow was intended to kill her by surprise.
The second axe swing was simpler, aimed at her neck.
From these two actions, it was evident that the attacker lacked skill and relied solely on brute force.
Fear often stemmed from imagining the murderer.
No matter how vicious they were, they were ultimately a fifty-something old man, not Superman wearing his underwear inside out.
Even so, Wang Qinqin, at her height of 1.6 meters, wouldn't have been killed so easily.
Either the attacker had somehow gained Wang Qinqin's trust, or they possessed some kind of drug.
The attacker's eyes were fixed on Zhao Yan, their right hand gripping the axe.
In the less than fifteen square meter dormitory room, with two large iron beds behind them, the distance between them was less than two meters.
Zhao Yan stared intently at the attacker's other hand.
The attacker suddenly reached into their back pocket, and Zhao Yan delivered a high kick towards their left hand.
As she kicked, the attacker surprisingly released the axe with their right hand.
Seeing the axe fall, Zhao Yan felt a sudden sense of unease.
The attacker's reach into their pocket was a feint; the real move was with their right hand.
A small bottle slid down the sleeve into the attacker's right hand, and they raised it to spray Zhao Yan.
"Chh!"
A mist sprayed from the mouth of the small bottle.
Simultaneously, Zhao Yan's high kick connected with the attacker's arm.
She kicked the attacker onto the large iron bed.
Zhao Yan quickly covered her nose and, in that instant, still caught a whiff of the smell.
The scent instantly made her head feel dizzy and her eyes sting.
Sensing danger, Zhao Yan quickly crouched down and picked up the axe from the floor.
She swung the axe towards the attacker on the iron bed.
As she swung down, the stinging in her eyes intensified.
With a bang, the axe struck the iron bed.
Seeing the attacker transform from one person into two, her vision quickly filled with the attacker.
At close range, Zhao Yan didn't care if she could see clearly.
Even a master could be defeated by random blows, let alone her holding a tool axe.
She swung the axe wildly forward without any pattern.
The axe hit the iron bed with a series of bangs.
Zhao Yan frantically swung left and right; hitting the attacker just once was enough for her.
Seeing Zhao Yan's frenzy, the attacker's eyes showed fear.
What the hell kind of crazy woman was this?
They sprayed the small bottle forcefully towards Zhao Yan, hitting her eyes, but found Zhao Yan's eyes still glaring fiercely, as if unaffected by the drug in the bottle.
This drug, once sprayed into the eyes, would cause intense itching and stinging, making normal people unable to bear it and constantly rub their eyes.
Zhao Yan not only didn't rub her eyes but gripped the axe even tighter, her reddened eyes like a god of slaughter descending.
The attacker, however, nearly lost their life to Zhao Yan's axe due to the sound of the small bottle spraying.
"Damn it! Come on! You beast!" Zhao Yan, seeing she had missed, pressed herself tightly against the wall, moving by feel to a triangular corner of the wall.
Pressing herself tightly into this corner, she only needed to watch the left and right sides.
Zhao Yan gripped the axe tightly with both hands, her eyes fixed ahead.
Although her vision was blurry, her hearing was unaffected.
As Wu Jiaxin got on the electric scooter, she immediately dialed the emergency number. After explaining her purpose, she was quickly transferred to Jiang Yu's phone.
Wu Jiaxin drove the electric scooter towards the city, thinking she would eventually encounter a police car if she drove around.
She had initially considered waiting by the roadside, but then it occurred to her that if the attacker passed by and saw her standing there, she'd be in trouble.
It was better to keep herself and the scooter moving than to stand there foolishly.
After about twenty minutes of driving, she saw a police car approaching her.
She quickly stopped the electric scooter and waved frantically.
The police car stopped in front of her, and the window rolled down. Seeing Jiang Yu, Wu Jiaxin pointed towards the sheet metal factory.
"Officer Jiang, hurry to the sheet metal factory! Sister Zhao said the attacker is very likely inside the sheet metal factory."
Although she had said it on the phone, Wu Jiaxin quickly repeated it.
She was extremely worried about Zhao Yan's safety.
She abandoned the electric scooter and got into the police car.
"Sister Zhao, please be safe. Buddha, Jade Emperor, Guanyin Bodhisattva, please protect Sister Zhao," Wu Jiaxin muttered with a choked voice.
Upon arriving at the sheet metal factory, many police officers climbed over the fence. With the help of the officers, Wu Jiaxin successfully climbed over.
Fortunately, Zhao Yan had walked back and forth by the river, leaving mud on her shoes.
Following the muddy tracks, they arrived at the fourth floor of the girls' dormitory.
Upon reaching the door of room 406, they were shocked by the scene inside.
Zhao Yan was pressed tightly against the corner of the wall, her hands gripping the tool axe, ready to strike forward at any moment.
She remained motionless in this posture, like a stone statue.
Yet, one could clearly sense a killing aura emanating from Zhao Yan, a "stay away" presence.