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墨書 Inktalez
“Luo Yi, how do you plan to resolve this?”
“Hostage exchange.”
Yan Lin retorted, “How do I know there are no police on your side?”
Luo Yi let out a cold laugh.
Yan Lin actually understood that there couldn't be any police around him given what he was currently doing.
Luo Yi said, “If you wait for Lu Xu to intervene, you will never see your son again. Because—I will never hand him over to Lu Xu.”
The malice in the last sentence made Yan Lin grit his teeth.
Handing him over to Lu Xu would at least guarantee Tao Tao's safety; but the current Luo Yi was nothing but a madman!
“Fine! Let's exchange.”
“I'll be at the ancestral hall. Bring Zhou Yao within a minute. Only one subordinate is allowed.”
“Don't you have any backup?”
Luo Yi: "You want to bargain with me when you have a gun?"
Yan Lin fell silent.
Luo Yi: "Let her answer the phone."
"No way."
"Let her answer the phone." Luo Yi repeated.
Yan Lin lowered her hands, taking a deep breath filled with resentment, switched to speakerphone, and walked back to place the phone on the table.
Zhou Yao leaned over the table, staring at the phone, her eyes brimming with tears.
After a second or two of silence, Luo Yi's low voice came through the phone: "Zhou Yao?"
Zhou Yao pouted, tears streaming down her face: "Yeah?"
A few seconds later, he asked: "Does it hurt?"
Zhou Yao covered her eyes with the back of her hand, sobbing: "It hurts."
"It hurts so much." Zhou Yao cried out in grievance, "Boss Luo, they hit me and slammed my head against a rock. Wuwu—"
Luo Yi remained silent, having not spoken for a long time.
Yan Lin felt her scalp tingle from the silence beside her. She wanted to scold Zhou Yao, but the next moment, Luo Yi said, “Yan Lin.”
Yan Lin turned off the speakerphone and held the phone to her ear, but there was no sound on the other end. Yan Lin grew anxious and shouted, “Speak!”
A sound came from the phone, as if something had crashed against a wall three times, followed by a child's heart-wrenching cries.
Yan Lin's eyes turned bloodshot: “Beast!”
“You touch her again,” Luo Yi said before hanging up.
“Beast!”
Yan Lin smashed the phone against the wall, shattering it into pieces. She turned to look at Zhou Yao, filled with hatred and jealousy, wanting to tear her apart, but could only clench her fists tightly.
At this point, Yan Lin had nowhere to escape; she could only fight for her son first and then confront them in a desperate struggle.
...
Luo Yi put down the phone, his eyes filled with rage.
Jiang Peng asked, “Are we really exchanging hostages?”
"No exchange," Luo Yi sneered. "They have guns. If Tao Tao is handed over, Zhou Yao will die. Tao Tao can't be given to Lu Xu either, otherwise Yan Lin will act recklessly."
"What should we do then?"
"I just want to see Zhou Yao," Luo Yi said. "Once I see her, I'll get her back. It's that simple."
Jiang Peng replied, "It's not that simple. Do you know how many people Yan Lin has under her command? They are all armed."
"I've handed it over to Lu Xu," Luo Yi said. "The clues I have are enough to deduce their location."
Jiang Peng looked puzzled.
"I told her I was at the ancestral hall, and she didn't say she was outside the Village and couldn't come in."
Jiang Peng said, "She hasn't withdrawn; she's still in the Village."
"Right. Zhou Yao also hinted at that," Luo Yi didn't elaborate further. "We need to get Zhou Yao out of there first; if the two sides exchange fire, she can't stay there as a hostage."
"You mean—Yan Lin brings Zhou Yao to find you, and Lu Xu leads the SWAT team to raid her hideout, cutting off her escape?"
"Exactly. Yan Lin won't willingly exchange her; this is currently the option with the lowest risk factor for Zhou Yao." Luo Yi turned to call Lu Xu.
Jiang Peng sighed; this choice posed the highest risk factor for Luo Yi.
He turned back to glance at Tao Tao not far away. The child was very cooperative with the assassin, crying on cue and acting convincingly. However, if Zhou Yao really got into trouble, Jiang Peng was uncertain about what would happen to him.
...
The sky was faintly brightening.
In the village, the crowing of roosters echoed one after another. Yan Lin and Dao San confirmed that there were no police near the ancestral hall, leaving two subordinates to lie in wait at the entrance while they carried Zhou Yao into the hall.
They walked through the misty courtyard, climbed the bamboo steps, and pushed open the heavy door of the ancestral hall. Inside, the light was dim, and the hall was adorned with long silks in white and yellow.
As the wind blew, they fluttered lightly, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
"Luo Yi!" Yan Lin called out, his voice echoing back, "I've brought the person; come out!"
Zhou Yao was bound with black cloth and thrown by Dao San into the center of the hall. She didn't even have the strength to stand up.
Yan Lin shouted, "Luo Yi! You come—"
A candle was lit, and Dao San instinctively raised his gun.
Luo Yi stood not far from the altar, lighting a candle. He glanced at the gun in his hand before looking at Zhou Yao.
After a night of fleeing and torment, she had been reduced to a shadow of her former self. Her body was covered in scratches from branches, her head was smeared with blood, and her hair was matted together with clots of blood.
She collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily, her expression dazed, with only her dark eyes clearly focused on him, staring unblinkingly through the flickering candlelight.
A flash of intense pain and hatred crossed Luo Yi's eyes, only to be replaced by calmness in an instant.
He withdrew his gaze and continued lighting the remaining rows of candles on the stand.
The ancestral hall gradually became bright with candlelight, illuminating the circular three-story Bamboo House.
Yan Lin glanced at Zhou Yao at his feet and coldly said, "I've brought the person. Where is Tao Tao?"
Luo Yi slightly raised his chin and pointed to the sky. "There."
Tao Tao was at the edge of the dilapidated bamboo railing on the third floor of the ancestral hall, ready to fall through the gap, but the child was unaware of the danger and waved at her. "Aunt!"
Behind him, a killer tightened his grip around his waist, positioned in a shooting blind spot. Dao San couldn't shoot without worrying that Tao Tao would fall from the third floor if he did.
Yan Lin felt a surge of fear as he looked at Luo Yi. "You're ruthless!"
Luo Yi finished lighting all the candles and glanced at Yan Lin. "You go up to find your son and leave her here."
Yan Lin turned and walked away.
Luo Yi ordered, "Dao San, go upstairs too."
Yan Lin stopped and looked at Dao San.
Luo Yi said, "You all have guns. Bullets can run faster than people."
"Until I reach the third floor, you are not allowed to take a step forward." Yan Lin raised the gun in his hand.
Dao San remained silent and followed Yan Lin up.
Luo Yi stood still with his hands in his pockets.
The shrine fell into a deep silence, with only the sound of footsteps on the Bamboo House stairs.
Luo Yi and Zhou Yao locked eyes for a long time, their gazes deep and restrained. He calculated the time it would take to rush over to Zhou Yao, pick her up, and hide in a corner.
Yan Lin quietly exchanged glances with Dao San. The candlelight illuminated the interior of the shrine, and as they climbed higher, everything came into view—Luo Yi had only two helpers, controlling Tao Tao and her sister. There were no others.
Yan Lin and Dao San calculated the time needed to reach Tao Tao after reaching the third floor. As long as they reached their target before Luo Yi, they could leave the rest to their guns.
When necessary, they would only save Tao Tao.
Each person harbored their own thoughts, remaining silent as they observed each other's movements.
Long white silk and yellow satin hung from the ceiling, swaying in the breeze. Zhou Yao lay motionless in the center of the shrine, while Luo Yi stood by the candlelight, staring at her, his peripheral vision fixed on the stairs.
Yan Lin and Dao San ascended to the third floor, where the ancestral hall was eerily silent.
Suddenly, a rooster crowed from the mountain stronghold, and Dao San raised his gun and charged towards Tao Tao.
In that instant, Luo Yi dashed towards Zhou Yao in the center of the floor, embracing her and rolling towards the edge. Yan Lin aimed her gun and fired downwards, but the fluttering white fabric obstructed her view, causing her shot to miss.
The sound of splintering bamboo!
Dao San rushed towards Tao Tao, but the wooden floor beneath him shattered, and he fell through to the second floor in an instant.
It was a trap!
Yan Lin was caught off guard and immediately aimed at the assassin, who was holding Tao Tao and leaping down from the building!
“Tao Tao!” Yan Lin shouted.
The assassin was well-prepared, pulling out a rope and descending to the first floor in two seconds.
Jiang Peng also slipped away, leaving only her sister tied up in fear and tears. Yan Lin had no time to worry about her; Zhou Yao had been taken, and Tao Tao had been captured. She was utterly defeated.
Yan Lin disregarded the possibility of attracting police attention and fired into the sky to summon her two subordinates outside the ancestral hall.
Dao San jumped up and chased down the stairs, firing several shots.
Ke Jiangpeng knocked over the candle holders, and the white silk and yellow satin instantly ignited. Flames danced inside the ancestral hall, making it impossible to see Luo Yi and the others.
Two subordinates rushed in, but instead of helping, they opened the door to a strong wind, causing the burning white silk and yellow satin to swirl throughout the hall, igniting the wooden walls of Bamboo House.
Yan Lin roared, "Call all the Brothers!"
As soon as he finished speaking, gunfire erupted from the direction of the old ancestral hall on the mountaintop, accompanied by the booming sound of Brothers' firearms.
The group stood frozen for a few seconds, and one subordinate exclaimed, "It's a shootout! The police have found our hideout!"
"Impossible?!" Yan Lin shouted. The old ancestral hall where they were located had been abandoned for nearly half a century, and few in the village knew about it; it wasn't even on any map. How could the police possibly find it?
A scene flashed through Yan Lin's mind, and he suddenly realized.
Zhou Yao cried out, "Boss Luo, they hit me and slammed my head against a rock. Wuwu—"
Slammed against a rock?
Zhou Yao was hinting to Luo Yi that the building was made of stone. The entire Village was constructed of bamboo and wood; only the old ancestral hall built a hundred years ago had stone walls.
Luo Yi did not let the police intervene in Zhou Yao's rescue operation for fear that Yan Lin would discover something detrimental to Zhou Yao. However, he allowed the police to go and surround her old hideout. He must have calculated everything perfectly; with the police surrounding that area, they were just waiting for Luo Yi to rescue Zhou Yao and send a signal before launching their attack.
Yan Lin's eyes were filled with rage; he hated that even beating her into a sieve wouldn't relieve his anger.
"Sister Yan," one of the subordinates said anxiously, "what should we do?"
Yan Lin quickly calmed down. "You two go find the villagers. Hurry up!"
The two were taken aback but immediately understood. "Yes!"
Yan Lin and Dao San went to chase after Luo Yi and the others. The ancestral hall was engulfed in flames, and it was empty; the people had already escaped through the windows.
...
The sun had not yet risen, but the sky was already bright. The red dawn hung over the distant mountains.
A few people were fleeing rapidly, with the assassin carrying Tao Tao in front and Luo Yi holding Zhou Yao behind. Jiang Peng noticed that Luo Yi was drenched in cold sweat and suggested, "Let me carry her; you're injured."
Luo Yi ignored him and walked even faster.
He whispered, "Zhou Yao."
"Mm?"
"Hold me a little tighter."
"Okay." Zhou Yao tightened her grip around his neck, her damp cheek pressed against him.
Luo Yi lowered her head, pressing her chin tightly against her forehead, as if needing to bond with her to feel secure.
Having regained what was lost, there was no time for words; only their bodies tightly embracing could soothe the panic within.
Behind them, gunshots and cannon fire erupted.
Jiang Peng cursed, "Damn it, they have more weapons, even firearms. But they definitely won't be a match for the police. Just hold on a little longer; Lu Xu and the others will be here soon!"
"They won't make it." Up ahead, the assassin suddenly stopped. He stood at the edge of a small cliff, overlooking the village in the morning light.
Old women, middle-aged women, young girls, and little girls all rushed out towards the gunfire, trying to block the police and standing in front of the guns to save their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers.
The village was in chaos.
Luo Yi cast a cold glance and continued forward. He never expected anyone to help; he instinctively held Zhou Yao tighter in his arms.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang as a bullet struck a nearby tree trunk. Luo Yi immediately ducked behind the tree for cover, and the assassin and Jiang Peng quickly took shelter as well.
Turning back, he saw Yan Lin and Dao San's figures in the distance.
They were catching up.
"What do we do?" Jiang Peng panicked.
Luo Yi said, "You take Tao Tao and Zhou Yao and go first. I'll hold them off."
Jiang Peng exclaimed, "Are you crazy? They have guns!"
Zhou Yao tightened her grip around Luo Yi's neck, tears welling up in her eyes as she silently resisted.
"If this continues, we will all die," Luo Yi stated. He looked up and suddenly froze, spotting the golden spires of a roof peeking through the mango trees, shimmering softly in the morning light.
The scene from Boss Gao's family photo had unexpectedly appeared at this moment.
...
Luo Yi led everyone toward that direction.
It was a temple, with white walls and golden tiles, the bells at the corners swaying in the wind.
The four quickly hid inside the temple and closed the door, where a Golden Buddha smiled down upon them.
The assassin made a decision and said to Jiang Peng, "I'll stay behind to help Boss Luo deal with them. You take this child and Miss Zhou and get out."
"Alright," Jiang Peng agreed, handing the knife to the two of them.
Zhou Yao was unwilling but knew they had no choice but to separate. She lowered her head, pouting her lips as tears streamed down her face. Luo Yi's eyes also turned red; he silently kissed her forehead without saying a word.
The assassin climbed up to the second-floor window and peered outside.
Luo Yi had brought Zhou Yao and Jiang Peng to the back door of the temple but hesitated to let go.
Jiang Peng knew he was worried and said, "Leave her to me. I promise I won't let her get hurt again."
Luo Yi looked down at Zhou Yao, whose face was streaked with tears.
Luo Yi then looked back up at Jiang Peng and asked, "What if we can't hold out much longer? If Yan Lin and Dao San come to hunt you down and catch up with you, what will you do?"
Jiang Peng was taken aback.
Luo Yi said, "I can't hand her over to you."
Jiang Peng grew anxious. "But it's safer with me. Do you have a better plan?"
Luo Yi suddenly smiled without any humor and said, "You take Tao Tao away. I'll hide Zhou Yao in a safer place."
Jiang Peng quickly understood; Luo Yi intended to hide Zhou Yao in the temple. If he and the assassin really died, Yan Lin would think that Jiang Peng, Tao Tao, and Zhou Yao had escaped first and would chase after them.
Jiang Peng replied, "Take care."
Luo Yi closed the door.
Turning around, he saw the assassin running towards him, holding a black velvet bag, and handing it to Luo Yi. "This was found at the foot of the Giant Buddha Statue. It's what you've been looking for."
Luo Yi hooked a finger around the rope; as the bag weighed down, he already had a sense of its contents.
The assassin said, "They've entered the courtyard. I'll find a way to stall them for a while. You need to get her settled quickly."
...
Luo Yi carried Zhou Yao to the basement and set her down on the floor, placing the black bag beside her.
Zhou Yao quietly looked at him, not speaking to distract him, but tears flowed uncontrollably, never stopping.
"Don't be afraid, Zhou Yao. I won't die."
"Mm." She nodded like a chick pecking at rice, tears streaming down her face.
"Do you trust me?"
"I trust you."
Time was pressing,
"Zhou Yao, be good and listen to me." He cupped her face with one hand, gazing deeply into her eyes. There were countless words he wanted to say, but in the end, only one came out: "Stay here and don't run around."
Zhou Yao nodded obediently, tears welling in her eyes.
"Did you hear that?" Luo Yi asked for confirmation.
"I heard," Zhou Yao replied with a cry, "Boss Luo—"
Luo Yi raised his right hand, palm facing her.
With tears in her eyes, Zhou Yao bit her lip tightly and lifted her right hand, striking his palm forcefully.
It was a vow.
Luo Yi's eyes also became moist; he blinked for a moment and looked up to see slight gaps in the wooden boards, faintly revealing the scene above.
Luo Yi removed the black cloth from her hands and covered her eyes with it, tying a knot at the back of her head.
He whispered softly in her ear, "Don't be afraid." Then he cupped her face and pressed a deep kiss on her lips, saying, "Wait for me."
He quickly stood up and left. With her eyes covered, Zhou Yao reached out gently but only grasped at air.
Zhou Yao curled herself into a ball and sat quietly without pulling off the black cloth over her head. She heard intense gunfire above her, bang, bang, bang, hitting the wooden wall and the Buddha statue.
Bang, bang, bang.
With each gunshot, she experienced a spasm. But no one died. Luo Yi and the assassin nimbly dodged, creating commotion here and noise there, feigning their bullets.
However, the last shot could not be avoided, hitting the assassin in the abdomen, and she heard a scream of agony.
Luo Yi dragged him behind a statue to hide, while Yan Lin and Dao San pursued closely, only to find that Luo Yi had calculated their bullet count—there were none left in their guns.
Luo Yi drew her knife to confront them, and Dao San stepped forward with his own blade. The two fought fiercely, but Luo Yi was heavily injured and struggled to attack, barely managing to defend herself.
Yan Lin pulled out a dagger for a sneak attack. Luo Yi was restrained by Dao San and unable to turn around, receiving a stab to her back. Yan Lin withdrew her knife and stabbed again; veins bulged on Luo Yi's forehead as she pushed Dao San aside and swung her knife toward Yan Lin's neck. Yan Lin tilted her head back, sustaining a shallow cut across her throat. Luo Yi then delivered a powerful kick to Yan Lin's chest, sending her flying.
Behind her, Dao San struck Luo Yi's arm with his knife. Luo Yi turned around and gripped the back of his blade tightly, driving her own knife into his side.
Dao San screamed in pain, struggling to pull his knife free, the blade slicing into Luo Yi's waist as blood sprayed.
Yan Lin fell to the ground but finally regained some strength, reaching for the dagger on the floor to launch another attack. The heavily injured assassin beside her had veins bulging on his forehead; he exerted all his strength to lunge at Yan Lin, gripping her hand and the dagger tightly before slashing it across her neck.
Yan Lin's eyes widened in shock as blood gushed from her mouth.
The assassin's eyes were filled with blood as he clutched her throat tightly, both of them collapsing to the ground. Yan Lin clutched her neck and convulsed on the floor, unable to resist any longer.
In a fit of rage, Dao San shouted furiously as he swung his weapon at Luo Yi. She raised her knife to counter him, but her abdominal wound burst open again, blood staining her clothes once more.
Dao San kicked at Luo Yi's abdominal injury; she staggered backward repeatedly, her face pale and cold sweat pouring down.
Luo Yi shook slightly, using his knife to support himself on the ground. He raised his head, his gaze fierce, the intense pain nearly causing him to lose consciousness. But he held on, letting out a cry as he charged forward once more, meeting the blade head-on.
The two men fought like crazed beasts, their blades clashing, both drenched in blood.
Luo Yi was covered in wounds, each one bleeding profusely. His vision was a sea of red, yet his will remained unyielding as he braced himself against every strike from his enemy.
Are you tired? It seemed so.
Does it hurt? It seemed so.
Should you stop? Not yet.
Beneath a thin layer of wood, there was a little girl he was fighting to protect with all his might.
At that moment, she sat blindfolded on the ground in the dusty basement.
He had planned it out; if he died, the enemy would chase after Tao Tao and would not think that Zhou Yao was right there in the temple, just beneath him. But he could not die—not before the enemy did. He feared what might happen otherwise.
He could not take even a one-in-a-million risk.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he felt himself faltering. The blood flowed more freely, his body grew slower, his strength diminished, and his consciousness became increasingly hazy.
No, he couldn't collapse; he had to keep fighting with all his might.
The next strike, will it be enough to bring the opponent down?
The sun has risen, and sunlight streams through the window, illuminating the golden Buddha statue.
In that moment, it felt as if the light of the Buddha was shining everywhere.
The Buddha gazed compassionately at the man fighting desperately below.
A voice asked, "Luo Yi, do you believe in Buddha?"
At that instant, he suddenly saw his entire life.
He lost everything he loved, and those who loved him betrayed him. Yet he never hated, never complained, did not blame fate for its mockery, nor did he resent the world for its disappointments. Joy and sorrow, fortune and misfortune, all come from destiny.
"Luo Yi, do you believe in Buddha?"
No, he does not.
In this life, he has long since let go of everything.
Life is merely a balance of suffering and joy, calamity and blessing; understanding this truth frees me from the confusion and fear of life. — Achieving this makes belief in Buddha unnecessary.
But at this moment, this suffering and calamity, this endless confusion and fear, is a burden he cannot bear in this lifetime.
This time, I cannot bear to lose again.
Just cannot bear to lose again.
Buddha, if I believe in you, can you bless that little girl at my feet, granting her joy and peace, sunshine for miles?
At that moment, he let go, allowing Dao San's long knife to pierce through his body.
Luo Yi raised his head, eyes blood-red, staring fiercely at Dao San, watching the exhausted Dao San loosen his grip on the knife and laugh heartily...
Blood dripped from the tip of the knife, falling onto the wooden planks, seeping into the cracks, slowly gathering, dropping onto Zhou Yao's forehead like a bright red beauty mark.
The floor shook violently, dust swirling.
Zhou Yao was blindfolded, expressionless, not moving. Listening to the sorrowful and heroic cries above, hearing the muffled sound of the blade piercing once more...
In the Buddhist hall, there seemed to be a faint scent of sandalwood. The long night passed, sunlight flooded the earth, shining on the Golden Buddha, illuminating the temple with its white walls and golden roof, casting light on the endless mango trees outside the temple, full of life.
Shining on the frenzied villagers, their faces like demons, nowhere to hide.
At the moment the sun rose, Lu Xu shot dead a woman who tried to seize a gun, ending the farce. Those who attacked the police and caused chaos were all arrested. The stronghold was taken down in one fell swoop.
Lu Xu rushed to the temple with a small team and pushed open the door to a scene of bloodshed.
Blood was everywhere—on the floor, on the walls, and on the Buddha statue.
Yan Lin and the assassin lay on the ground, bleeding and barely alive.
And Luo Yi—
He was covered in blood, his head lowered, silently standing next to the enormous Golden Buddha Statue, blood dripping down his sharply defined jawline.
A long knife had pierced his body. Meanwhile, the knife in his hand had stabbed Dao San, pinning him against the wall with his back to the door.
It seemed that Luo Yi understood there was no chance of winning any further; instead, he decided to deliver a final blow while the enemy was distracted and turning away.
He was prepared to exchange his life for another's.
His colleagues were stunned and rushed over.
Lu Xu felt blank in his mind as he wandered into the temple, everything around him appearing surreal, accompanied by a deafening roar in his ears.
Jiang Peng and Tao Tao were brought back, and Jiang Peng searched for Zhou Yao. The group eventually lifted the hidden door leading to the basement.
Upon reaching the bottom,
Zhou Yao sat on the ground with his eyes covered, expressionless, hugging himself as light streamed in.
Dust fell on her head, and blood dripped onto her forehead.
Beside her, a black cloth bag dropped, revealing a Jade Buddha Pagoda radiating soft light.
Lu Xu's tears fell instantly as he trembled and removed the black cloth from her head.
Zhou Yao quietly watched him, neither sad nor happy.
Lu Xu knew that she had heard everything terrible that had happened above.
He held back his tears, stood up, and pulled Zhou Yao: "Let's go."
Zhou Yao gently brushed his hand away and hugged herself.
"Zhou Yao, it's safe now. I'll take you home."
Zhou Yao shook her head, hugging herself tightly and remaining still.
"Sister." Jiang Peng's eyes were red as he patted her head, "It's okay now. I'll take you home. Be good."
Zhou Yao still shook her head, holding herself tightly. After a moment, she obediently said, "Boss Luo said to stay here and not run around. I only listen to him."
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