Assassination Attempt

Time passed. At five in the afternoon, Professor Li dismissed class. Qin Ze slung his shoulder bag over one shoulder, lowered his head to play on his phone, and slowly left the classroom.

"Qin Ze, wait for us at the usual place."

"We'll start playing first. Hurry over when you're done."

His roommates had left him messages in the dorm chat group.

It was only five o'clock, still early. A few rounds of games before going home wouldn't be too late, and it wouldn't delay his modeling coursework. With that thought, Qin Ze happily sprinted toward the internet cafe.

Working hard and striving forward required tremendous willpower. Falling into decadence only required one reason to convince yourself.

He smoked at the internet cafe and fought freely in the virtual world. By the time he finished killing his way through matches at six-thirty, Qin Ze suddenly realized that the sky outside had already turned gray.

"Again, again! I refuse to believe we can lose three in a row." Li Liang clenched a cigarette between his teeth and cursed.

Other than their First Victory in the first match, the four of them had lost two straight games together. Li Liang, who cared deeply about winning and losing, was exceptionally unwilling to accept it and increasingly irritated.

Qin Ze checked the time and remembered that his sister had thrown a tantrum last night. He decisively declined the game invitation sent by gaming-addicted Liu Ziqiang, exited the game, and let the computer settle the results. "You guys keep playing. I've got a lot to do today, so I'm heading back first. We can meet up another day."

If I don't make chicken stew with mushrooms tonight, will Qin Baobao disown me as her little brother?

"Damn it, can't we just play happily?" Li Liang rolled his eyes.

Qin Ze patted his shoulder and said goodbye. "I'm leaving."

He took the elevator downstairs and put a cigarette in his mouth at the entrance of the internet cafe. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted several young men dressed like street punks walking toward him. Jeans, black T-shirts, hair hanging over their eyes—they were somewhere between ordinary people and flamboyant delinquents.

Qin Ze had always kept his distance from people like that. He gripped his lighter and stepped aside. Unexpectedly, the one in front, wearing a silver earring, deliberately slammed his shoulder into him. Qin Ze did not fall, but the other guy staggered and would have fallen if his companions had not caught him.

"**** you, ****." The Silver Earring Youth cursed and kicked at Qin Ze's lower abdomen.

Qin Ze hurried several steps back and dodged the kick. Just as he was about to speak, the young man refused to let it go and shouted, "Get him!"

Several of them rushed him at once. In the chaos, Qin Ze had no idea how many kicks and punches he took. In the past, he would definitely have fallen to the ground, curled up with his head covered, and let them beat him however they liked. But things were different now. His body was strong, and his ability to withstand blows was no longer what it had been.

Five or six people surrounded him, kicking and punching. Qin Ze fought back too, lashing out with a kick that sent one guy sprawling. The man clutched his stomach, curled up, and dry-heaved, unable to get up for a while.

Qin Ze gritted his teeth and endured the rain of blows as he kicked and fought back. Then, in the middle of the fight... huh? Where had they gone?

He swept his gaze around. They were all lying on the ground.

I really am not who I used to be. I'm a fitness expert who can jump a meter high now. If I can leap more than a meter into the air, how strong must my legs be? A surge of heroic spirit rose in his chest, and he almost wanted to let out a long howl.

It was rush hour, and there were plenty of pedestrians on the street. They gathered around to watch, some taking photos or recording short videos on their phones.

Adrenaline surged during a fight, leaving him mentally exhilarated. Now that the heat in his blood had cooled, he realized his whole body hurt, especially his face and around his eyes, where the pain burned fiercely.

Damn it, in novels, the protagonist could counter every move and take on ten people alone. It was all lies. In a real fight, everyone swarmed you at once. Unless you had three heads and six arms, how were you supposed to counter every move?

"Fuck you, you bunch of ****. Just wait until you get sent to the Police Station." Qin Ze spat a mouthful of blood at the Silver Earring Youth and pulled out his phone to call the police.

What era was this? Beating someone came with consequences.

Perhaps hearing that Qin Ze was calling the police made the Silver Earring Youth panic. He pulled out a folding knife from his pocket and slammed into Qin Ze. As Qin Ze staggered from the impact, the folding knife plunged into his abdomen.

His lower abdomen felt slightly cold. It did not hurt as much as he had imagined, but Qin Ze felt a chill creep up his spine as his heart pounded violently.

The little medical knowledge he had told him that pain came from blood flowing and muscles contracting, stimulating the nerves and making one feel pain. Many times, death was not tied to pain. The absence of excruciating pain did not mean you were fine.

I've been stabbed!

I might die!

Overwhelming terror engulfed him. Adrenaline flooded his body wildly, and the savagery hidden in his DNA was awakened. Like a beast on the brink of death, he struck back.

He threw a full-force punch into the Silver Earring Youth's face and broke his nose.

"Someone's been killed! Someone's been killed!"

"Call the police!"

"Call 120 first!"

"Hurry up and take pictures for Weibo."

The bystanders erupted into chaos. Some panicked, some were anxious and unable to bear the sight, some were at a complete loss, and some were excitedly entertained. More and more passersby gathered.

Inside the internet cafe, Li Liang hammered away at the keyboard, moved his mouse, and fought fiercely in the game.

A commotion rose from downstairs, and he vaguely heard someone shouting, "Murder! Murder..."

Those sensitive words triggered his instincts. His heart skipped a beat, and the game instantly became insignificant. He threw aside his mouse, rushed to the security window, and looked down.

The first thing he saw was Qin Ze sitting collapsed on the ground, his lower abdomen drenched in blood, with several groaning young men lying nearby.

Li Liang's pupils instantly contracted into pinpoints. A chill rose within him, as though he had fallen into an ice cellar. He shouted, "Qin Ze's been stabbed!"

Zhao Baliao and Liu Ziqiang, who rushed up behind him, felt their hearts sink. Their minds roared as fear, rage, panic, and countless other emotions surged up.

"Call 120..."

"Call the police!"

"Hello, hello, Professor Qin... Qin Ze's been stabbed. He's at... at Xi Yu Internet Cafe near the school gate..."

Bright fluorescent lights illuminated the small room of just over thirty square meters. The walls were painted white, and there was a sofa, a television, and a single bed. The air carried the faint scent of alcohol swabs and disinfectant.

Qin Ze lay pale-faced on the hospital bed, dressed in blue-and-white striped patient clothes. An IV drip was connected to his right hand as he cooperated with the police officer taking his statement.

Master Qin sat on the sofa with a dark expression. Not long ago, he had been driving home when he received a call from one of his students saying that his son had been stabbed. The old man had exploded on the spot, yanking the steering wheel into a perfect arc. He ignored driving against traffic and running red lights as he sped straight for the school. The old man, who had always followed the rules, slammed the accelerator to the floor and drove through the city at highway speeds. He reached the scene in just five minutes and saw his son lying in a pool of blood.

At that moment, an ambulance happened to arrive as well. There were two hospitals near the university district, only a few kilometers away.

Qin Ze was rushed to the emergency room for treatment. The old man paced anxiously outside, grabbing Li Liang, Zhao Baliao, and Liu Ziqiang to ask what had happened. The three were equally dumbfounded. They said they had no idea. They had been gaming in the internet cafe when they heard someone downstairs shouting about murder. When they went over to look, they found that Qin Ze had been stabbed.

Half an hour later, the white coat doctor emerged from the suturing room. The old man's heart immediately leaped into his throat, terrified that the doctor would say, "We did everything we could."

The Lao Qin Family would have no descendants left.

Fortunately, Qin Ze was not fated to die. The doctor said that luckily, the folding knife was only five centimeters long. The wound was not too deep, and it had not pierced any organs, arteries, or other dangerous areas. His life was not in danger. He had simply lost a fair amount of blood and would be fine after resting properly for a while.

The old man nearly wept with joy. He thought to himself that his son had been mediocre and useless since childhood, and mediocre people ought to live to a hundred.

He arranged a private hospital room for his son. After the nurse gave Qin Ze a tetanus shot, the old man also sent Li Liang and the others away, thanking them and saying he would treat them to a meal another day.

Before long, the police arrived.

"Do you know them?" The officer taking the statement was in his early thirties and questioned him meticulously.

"I don't!" Qin Ze's voice was weak, mainly because of the pain. The anesthetic had worn off, and the wound hurt so badly that the corners of his mouth kept twitching. Even breathing tugged at the wound in his abdomen.

The officer carefully recorded the statement and asked again, "How did the conflict happen?"

"I don't know either. He rammed into me for no reason. I moved aside, then he kicked me and called his companions over to beat me up."

"What happened afterward?"

"I defended myself. I couldn't just stand there and let them beat me, right? They couldn't beat me, so they ended up all over the ground. I was just about to call the police when that ****... guy pulled out a knife and stabbed me. At the time, I thought I was going to die, so I punched him. Oh, right, officer, how are those guys doing...?"

More than ten minutes later, the statement was finished.

The police officer said, "The attackers have been detained at the Police Station. The person who stabbed you is also in this hospital. You broke his nose, and he is currently under investigation as well. We will obtain the internet cafe surveillance footage. Depending on the injury report, if it constitutes the crime of causing minor injury or worse, he will be prosecuted according to the law."

The old man saw the police officer out, then returned to the hospital room with a grim face.

Qin Ze said, "Dad, where's my sister?"

"I told her to pick up your mom. Your mom will stay here tonight to take care of you." The old man pulled out a cigarette, then suddenly remembered that this was a hospital room and put it back into the pack.

Qin Ze smiled. "Dad, if you want to smoke, just smoke. Close the door and open the window, and... light one for me too."

"What are you smoking for? You're in this state and still thinking about cigarettes." The old man was heavily addicted to smoking. Encouraged by his son, he closed the door, opened the window, and stood beside it smoking.

After taking a few puffs, the old man calmed down somewhat, though lingering fear remained. He angrily lectured Qin Ze, "You were lucky this time. Keep your eyes open from now on and stop causing trouble everywhere. If you can't beat them, you can run. Why stubbornly endure it? Fighting is the most foolish thing. If you win, you go to prison. If you lose, you go to the hospital."

Qin Ze remained silent. I'm a modern-day Dou E, okay? Who was causing trouble?

The rhythm of the father and son's relationship was basically one person lecturing while the other listened.

"What about school..."

"I'll help you take leave. Stay in the hospital for a few days. Once your injury improves, go home and recover. Don't worry about exams. You can take the make-up exam next semester."

"Okay."

The father was the authority of the son. Qin Ze had always been afraid of Dad.

Just then, the hospital room door was pushed open, and Qin Baobao and her mother burst in like a whirlwind.

The old man's hand trembled, and the cigarette nearly fell to the floor in fright.