The pedestrian street was bustling with activity. Jing Lei parked the car by the roadside, and we started walking towards it.
Just then, I felt several dark figures following us from behind, not too close, not too far. I turned to look, but saw nothing; just people hurrying past.
"Keep walking forward. Don't look back," the senior said.
It was clear he had also sensed something was amiss.
I couldn't fathom it. We had arrived here randomly. How could anyone have foreseen this and waited for us here?
Whether it made sense or not, we had to be cautious. Although we had dealt with a few today, perhaps they had sent many, with people everywhere.
This was the only explanation. Otherwise, it was impossible for them to outpace a car. By the time we made the call, they had already arrived here.
If that were the case, it proved they were making a significant move. They wanted to blind me, make me deaf, and prevent me from using my abilities.
"You and Miss Zhang go ahead. I'll stay behind and assess the situation. Remember, no matter what happens, just keep moving forward and protect Miss Zhang."
It was too late to call Wen Siqiang now. I could only brace myself and walk.
The senior slowed his pace, as if casually squatting to adjust his pant leg. Then I saw him twist his head, looking left and right.
At that moment, several dark figures rapidly approached me, passing by him. There were at least four of them.
I saw the senior leap up, grabbing two of them by the scruff of their necks, one in each hand, like a hawk catching chicks, and pull them back. The two stumbled, unable to stand, and both fell to the ground.
I turned to help him, but he glared at me with his eyes, signaling me to continue forward and not worry about him.
He took a few steps forward, kicked the other two who were about to make a move, knocking them to the ground. Then, with a perfect somersault, he landed steadily in place, clapped his hands, and beckoned to these men, "Are you going to roll away, or continue?"
Those who were sitting or lying down dared not fight further. They scrambled to their feet and fled.
The senior ignored them, turned, and quickly walked back to us.
"It's not very safe here. We should leave quickly," he said.
"Alright," I replied, taking Jing Lei's hand and heading towards where the car was parked.
"Don't go to the car. Head towards the main road quickly. There are police there. They wouldn't dare to go there. Take a taxi from there."
The senior's foresight was indeed admirable. If we went to the car now and were surrounded by them, it would be very dangerous.
I admired the senior's decisiveness. At times like this, one couldn't be indecisive. A car could be bought again, but a life couldn't be bought with money.
We weaved through the crowd and ran towards the opposite side of the road.
There were definitely more than those four people here. The sooner we left, the better.
Jing Lei held my hand tightly. Being small, she couldn't keep up with us when running. I simply scooped her up and ran with long strides towards the exit.
Indeed, at that moment, seven or eight dark figures quickly ran ahead of us, forming a fan-like shape to surround us.
We had no choice but to stop. The senior and I sandwiched Jing Lei between us, each of us watching them from our respective directions.
I said to Jing Lei, "When you see an opening, run towards the intersection and call the police. Ask them to help us."
She grunted, her voice tinged with nervousness.
"You two should break through together. I'll deal with them. This is a busy area. As long as we get close to the road, they will retreat."
"There are too many people here. You'll be at a disadvantage," I said.
"We'll both be at a disadvantage. So, you go with Miss Zhang to call the police."
"Then let's break through towards the intersection together!"
"No, Miss Zhang is slow. That would be too dangerous. Listen to me. I'll feign an attack on your side, then turn and strike at those behind. You two take the opportunity to break through."
"Alright," I said, getting into a stance.
"Come on, if you're not afraid of death, attack me!" the senior declared.
Their encirclement had already sealed us in tightly, making it impossible to escape. Breaking through was indeed difficult.
Jing Lei's palms were sweating. This was her first time facing enemies directly. I estimated she was almost suffocating.
She was not just facing danger, but possibly death!
I held Jing Lei's hand tightly, looking for an opportunity to break free.
Their encirclement was too tight, with almost no gaps between people.
"Directly in front of you, when I count one, two, three, you take Miss Zhang and charge forward!"
"Alright," I said, looking straight ahead, and whispered to Jing Lei, "When the time comes, stick close to me. We'll run one or two hundred steps. Once we're past, we win."
Jing Lei nodded. "I will. I'm ready," she said.
"One, two, three, charge!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he had already turned and taken several steps, sweeping his leg at several people directly in front of me, instantly tearing open a gap. I told Jing Lei to run, and we dashed out in one breath. The senior behind grabbed a person blocking my path and pushed him down. The others reacted, and I had already run out.
We ran desperately forward. The pursuers saw us running towards the intersection, followed for a while, then stopped and turned to deal with the senior.
Seeing that they weren't chasing us, I said to Jing Lei, "You go call the police. I'll go find the senior."
Jing Lei understood and didn't stop. I quickly ran back to assist the senior.
At this moment, the senior was already surrounded. Even with the senior's immense skill, their tactic of encirclement prevented him from fully utilizing it.
I rushed over and kicked someone in the waist. These people were professional killers. Direct confrontation was useless. We could only attack their relatively soft spots.
The man's waist buckled, and I seized the opportunity to get to his other side and kicked him again, forcing him to retreat several steps. I quickly slipped into the encirclement, joining the senior. Each of us took a side. I spotted a person throwing a punch and used my knee to hit him in the groin. He immediately crouched to the ground, withdrawing from the fight.
As I said, dealing with them required such underhanded tactics. With precise moves, I couldn't even take down one person alone.
I treated them all as formidable opponents. First, I had to stun them, and then fight them when they were unable to retaliate.
The senior had also knocked down two people. The senior fought with real skill. Wherever he went, killers fell. The remaining ones hesitated and dared not approach.
Just then, a police car quickly approached. Five or six riot police officers got out, carrying batons, and jabbed them into the waists of the killers confronting us. These men instantly fell to the ground.
Pointing to the other downed men, they said, "Everyone, put your hands on your heads and squat. Don't move!"
The men obediently squatted on the ground with their hands on their heads. The senior and I lowered our guards and said to the police, "Thank you. We were going for dinner, and these people stopped us and started a fight. Thank you for helping us out of this predicament."
At that moment, a police officer came from the back door and said, "We'll need you to come with us to explain the situation. Dinner will be a bit late."
"That's fine. It's our responsibility to cooperate with the investigation," I replied.
Just then, Jing Lei also caught up. I said, "We'll drive ourselves. Just tell us where to go."