"Bringing the wolf into the house?"
The senior said, "Go deliver Brother Hui's order, tell the men in black to return to the hall. We'll wait for them here. As soon as they enter, we..."
This was undoubtedly a good plan, but would it be seen through? Also, doing it this way would take a bit longer than a direct assault.
However, there was no better plan.
The senior looked at Xiao Zhang, telling him to put on a black mask and pretend to be one of the men in black inside the room, then call A Zhan and the others back.
Xiao Zhang walked out of the room without hesitation. I closed the door and we took positions on both sides to ambush.
This room backed onto the plaza, so the situation with the gantry couldn't be seen from the windows.
Time ticked by, and we held our breath, not daring to slacken even a little.
After about five or six minutes, it felt like a century.
Faint footsteps could be heard outside, very light. Undoubtedly the men in black were returning. Only they walked so quietly.
There was no talking, only shuffling sounds.
The door was gently pushed open, and A Zhan's voice came through, "Where's the boss? Why is no one here?"
Perhaps A Zhan had sensed something was wrong. The hall was empty, not a soul in sight.
There had been three men in black guarding here just moments ago. They were not allowed to enter the inner chambers. Even if Brother Hui wasn't there, they should have been.
"Brothers, it's a trap!"
As soon as A Zhan spoke, the footsteps behind him halted. I heard Xiao Zhang say in a disguised voice, "The boss sent brothers out on patrol. The boss is in the inner chamber and will be out soon."
He was imitating the voice of one of the men in black.
It was the one who had been our sparring partner when we trained here earlier. I had broken his ribs and he had been taken to the inner chamber.
A Zhan walked in suspiciously, followed by the other two.
After they had taken two or three steps, Xiao Zhang, holding a dagger, suddenly stabbed the last man in black in the lower back. At the same time, I shouted, "Attack!"
The senior lunged towards A Zhan, striking his back as A Zhan was about to turn.
A Zhan leaned forward, dodging the senior's palm, and drew a short blade.
A Zhan was not unworthy of being the leader of the men in black; his martial arts skills were not to be trifled with.
He didn't dare to stop, thrusting his blade towards the senior's chest.
The senior had already struck a palm, and before he could retract his force, the dagger was upon him. He had no time to dodge, so he kicked A Zhan in the waist. A Zhan's hand was deflected, and the blade slid down the senior's left shoulder.
It was only by a centimeter, otherwise, the senior's arm would have been cut like mine.
After breaking A Zhan's dagger, the senior spun around and kicked A Zhan's leg. A Zhan leaped back a few steps before reassessing us.
Xiao Zhang had taken down one of the men in black, and the other three were now ganging up on the remaining one. The situation became one-sided, and the men in black gradually lost their strength and were knocked to the ground.
With only A Zhan left, the senior quietly said to me, "Attack from both sides!"
Understanding, we both attacked simultaneously, charging at A Zhan from left and right.
A Zhan seemed to anticipate our simultaneous attack. He suddenly ducked and came up through the middle. As we rushed towards him, he pushed with both arms, landing a punch on both our abdomens.
The force was so great that it sent us staggering back a few steps.
"You're Li Hua, aren't you? You've been tricking me for so long, even making me train you guys privately. It's a shame, you're still weak and destined to be eaten. You think you can deal with me? Come back in a few more years!"
I had to admit, A Zhan's skill was indeed formidable. Neither the senior nor I were his match.
None of us spoke. After all, it was four against one now. No matter how strong he was, we were confident we could take him down.
However, we couldn't delay for too long. Firstly, we were worried about the people in the inner chambers waking up, and secondly, the situation outside was critical. Every second we delayed was an extra second of danger.
We faced off for a few seconds. I exchanged a glance with the senior and feigned an attack, rushing towards A Zhan. A Zhan looked at me scornfully. Before I could reach him, he grabbed the front of my shirt. I froze, unable to move.
The senior seized the opportunity, suddenly producing a nunchaku from his waist and swinging it hard at A Zhan's right arm.
A crisp cracking sound, the sound of a bone breaking, reached our ears.
He didn't release his grip on my shirt. After taking a blow to his right arm, he used his strength to fling me away.
I flew several meters like a sack and crashed heavily onto the ground.
The force of that throw was comparable to the big guy I encountered yesterday morning.
And this was after his right arm had been broken by the senior.
A Zhan didn't stop. After throwing me with his left hand, he suddenly pulled out a revolver, spun the cylinder, loaded a round, and pulled the trigger towards the senior. His movements were fluid, and despite using his left hand, there was no hesitation.
I shouted, "Be careful!"
The senior's nunchaku accurately struck A Zhan's hand, and the gun clattered to the ground.
It was only a microsecond before A Zhan could exert full force, otherwise, the gunshot would have completely reversed the situation.
Seeing blood seeping from the back of A Zhan's hand, he didn't let go. He lunged towards the senior with his injured hand.
A Zhan's right arm was broken, and his left hand was injured, yet he never cried out. He was truly a tough man.
At this moment, Xiao Zhang and the other two rushed forward and pounced on A Zhan. A Zhan tensed his body, throwing them all off. The senior lunged forward and drove his elbow hard into A Zhan's chest.
A Zhan took a solid blow from the senior. He hunched over, nearly falling to his knees. By then, I had already gotten up, dagger in hand, and lunged.
With a "plop," blood gushed out, covering my hand.
I twisted it inside him. A Zhan fell backward like a sack.
He stared at me intently, blood flowing from his mouth. He never uttered a word, just stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes.
"Let's go!" I said to the senior and the Taoist brothers, ignoring A Zhan, who was clutching his stomach, and we hurried towards the plaza.
Dealing with A Zhan had taken considerable time. Now, we had to expedite matters outside.
We ran towards the gantry in the center of the plaza.
Ah Bei on the gantry was no longer screaming, but he wasn't dead yet. Through the firelight, we could still see him writhing in pain.
We were wearing the clothes of the men in black and masks, so these henchmen didn't find anything unusual and watched excitedly from the side.
I walked over and said to the men standing by, "The boss has ordered that this person is still useful. Extinguish the fire and bring him down."
The henchmen didn't suspect anything, quickly doused the firewood, and then loosened the ropes.
Watching them bring down the half-dead Ah Bei, my heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. I walked up, looked at Ah Bei, who was blackened by smoke, felt for his breath, and then told the Taoist brothers to carry Ah Bei into the room.
Then, I turned and loudly announced to all the henchmen, "Security is lifted for today. Hurry back to your rooms and rest. Await further orders!"
Watching the henchmen disperse, the senior and I dared not delay and quickly headed for Brother Hui's room.