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墨書 Inktalez
We stood about two steps apart, both adopting fighting stances. I took a slight step forward, confident that my height and reach would give me the advantage to strike him. But just as I moved, I noticed the Liu Squad Leader opposite me also made a move; I saw his left shoulder twitch.
In combat, you watch the shoulders for punches and the hips for kicks. Seeing his left shoulder move, I quickly raised my right arm to guard my head while keeping my eyes fixed on his right shoulder and lower body. Such tricks were not going to fool me; typically, there would be at least one or two feints before a real attack. His first punch with the left was surely a feint, and only if his right shoulder moved significantly could it indicate a real strike. Even a second punch could easily be another feint, with a kick following that being the real threat.
I hesitated to commit fully to my step, wary of his incoming kick, but then I noticed that his right shoulder not only didn’t twitch but seemed to sink even lower. My heart sank along with it.
What the hell? Why isn’t he following the usual patterns? That was the last thought that crossed my mind.
Then, my right cheek took a heavy blow. It didn’t hurt at first—not immediately. All I could hear was a deep, resonant sound in my ears, and then my body spun away. I must have rotated at least seven hundred twenty degrees because during that dizzying spin, I caught sight of two glaring headlights from cars.
Next thing I knew, I landed on my back in a muddy patch. I could hear the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, the rush of blood flowing through my veins, and the sloshing of my brain like tofu pudding. Yet, there was no sound from the world around me; it felt as if I had been cut off from reality. My eyes numbly gazed at the sky where the moon appeared large and round, surrounded by countless stars that flickered like fireflies—yes, they kept dancing around.
Suddenly, a face emerged among the stars, looking terrified as it stared at me. Its mouth moved rapidly, and the veins in its neck bulged out; it seemed to be shouting something loudly in panic. A hand waved in front of me through the stars for a moment before this person let out a cry as if bitten by a snake and jumped up to run away.
I found it amusing and wanted to laugh derisively. But then the moon and stars abruptly vanished; I thought I had gone blind, followed by my brain going dark.
I don’t know how much time passed before I began to hear some distant noises—faint yet close—like they were coming through layers of cotton into my ears. Gradually, the sounds became clearer until I heard something that nearly knocked me out again: “Don’t take it to heart; it’s okay if he’s dazed; his IQ was never high anyway. The fact that you didn’t kill him with that punch is just luck; at most he’ll struggle with basic life skills.” Then came the lewd laughter of two people.
I realized I was sitting on dry ground with my back against a massive Kapok Tree. My head hung limply on my shoulder as if it might fall off. In front of me sat two people with their backs turned to me, chatting intimately while smoking.
I struggled to straighten my head and felt pain coursing through my body—pain from everywhere. Especially in my head; even slight movements sent sharp pangs through me. Gritting my teeth against the discomfort, I noticed how close those two were; if I just extended my leg, I could trip one of them easily. I decided to kick Fatty first; after all, taking a beating was part of life’s lessons—I could endure that since skill wasn’t on my side this time. But his mocking tone was unbearable; it infuriated me.
I lifted my leg, and instantly every part of me reacted—the pain in my head exploded like fireworks. My leg came crashing down heavily as I bit down hard on my teeth; they clacked together audibly while air whistled through the gaps like a whistle. Sweat drenched me instantly from head to toe.
Sitting in front of me were Fatty and Liu Squad Leader. Hearing the noise, they both turned to look, and my twisted expression clearly startled Fatty. He eagerly asked, "Qiangzi, what's wrong?"
I wanted to kick you to death. But could I? The problem was that I didn't dare to speak, afraid I might bite my own tongue.
Fatty seemed to sense the anger in my eyes and cautiously asked, "Did you overhear our conversation?"
To avoid fainting again, I chose silence. I recalled the first time I met Jack and his question: Do you need to eavesdrop?
You two never intended to keep these words private; it was utterly shameless. Did I need to eavesdrop?
After what felt like a century, the intense pain subsided. Gritting my teeth, I said to Liu Squad Leader, "Are you left-handed?"
Liu Squad Leader looked a bit uneasy yet somewhat smug as he replied, "Yeah, didn’t you know? It seems you're not convinced. Well, this time doesn’t count; get up and we’ll fight again."
Damn it. His strikes were too harsh; I doubted I would recover in three to five days. His words were purely meant to provoke me. Of course, I was unconvinced; who knew he was left-handed? Thinking back, the last time he was in the Underground Passage with a broken right shoulder, he impressively changed magazines with just his left hand. If he was left-handed, it all made sense. How careless of me.
Seeing that I had no response, Liu Squad Leader continued, "So do you agree to take me along?"
I rolled my eyes at him and spat on the ground with a "pah." Even this simple action sent waves of severe pain through my face and head. However, being able to clearly express my denial and disdain made me feel slightly better.
Liu Squad Leader was undeterred: "Brother Gang agreed. If you don’t believe me, ask him."
I turned my gaze toward Fatty. He quickly raised both hands. "This is ultimately your decision; I'm just expressing my personal opinion."
I let out a snort, thinking how the two of them were in cahoots, colluding behind my back. Just from the way they spoke, I could tell they had reached some sort of understanding. But I knew Liu Squad Leader too well; he was paranoid and suspicious, and when he went crazy at a critical moment, not even ten bulls could hold him back. The last time, he nearly got me killed in that alley, and this time, with a gun to my head, I wouldn't let him have his way. He could just give up on that idea.
Liu Squad Leader glanced at my expression and sensed that things were looking grim. He then turned to Fatty, but Fatty's expression gave nothing away; he simply pointed at me, implying that I needed to agree. With no other choice, Liu turned back to me.
"Brother Qiang, I've been practicing my courage lately. I'm not lying; I can spend a night alone in a graveyard. If you don't believe me, I can call Wang to vouch for me," Liu Squad Leader said as he was about to shout for one of the police officers in the car.
"Give it a rest," I replied irritably.
My head was pounding, and I had no patience for his nonsense. Even in my current dazed state, I could immediately tell there was something off about his words; whether he had practiced bravery or not made no difference. If you spent a night alone in a graveyard and someone could vouch for you, then were you really alone or with someone else? I wanted to lash out at him just to regain some dignity, but my mental state was too poor; I was still half-conscious. It seemed like the effects of my concussion would linger for a while longer.
Liu didn't call anyone over, but one police officer jumped out of the car and shouted, "Liu, the substation is asking for our location."
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