What was going on?
Was this a coincidence, or...
No, there couldn't be that many coincidences. They were definitely after me!
Li Jinshui's expression turned grave. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. Even Yao Xiaona hadn't found him, so who the hell was Liu Daqiang to have gotten the news so quickly?
The next moment, something occurred to him. His scalp prickled, and he whipped around to look at the security guard sitting behind the duty desk by the apartment building's entrance.
The other man was looking down at his phone. He seemed to sense Li Jinshui's gaze and slowly raised his head, a mocking smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Shit!"
Li Jinshui cursed under his breath.
I'd had my face covered when I came into the apartment building. How the hell had he recognized me?
"You're Li Jinshui, right? Why are you leaving after just getting here? Captain Liu wants to have a chat with you." The security guard rose from his chair unhurriedly, wearing a faintly amused expression.
"Cut the crap. How strong are you?" Li Jinshui edged backward without changing his expression. The other man looked young, probably fresh out of school, so he couldn't be all that strong.
"Heh. You're just a good-for-nothing who's barely begun Stake Standing, and you're asking how strong I am? Now that's a stupid question."
The security guard scoffed and swung the riot fork in his hand. Qi-Blood power surged around him. "My Stake Standing is close to proficient, and I've long since begun learning Basic Staff Technique. I'm practically a Second-rate Martial Artist. What can you—"
"Oh. Then you can't outrun me." Li Jinshui cut off his boast without hesitation and turned to run.
Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he shot out of the entrance, leaped down the steps, and plunged into the maze of narrow lanes behind the apartment building.
At that moment, Liu Daqiang had just crossed the road and spotted Li Jinshui fleeing through the entrance. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes as he roared, "That's him! Don't let him get away! After him!"
The group immediately sped up and charged forward.
The young security guard from the apartment building also came running out and spotted Liu Daqiang. "Brother Liu, the guy's too alert. He noticed me."
"Doesn't matter. We've got more people. Split up and chase him. We'll corner him in there."
Liu Daqiang waved his hand. The others immediately scattered, moving to surround the area from different directions.
The farther one ventured into the neighborhood's maze of lanes, the narrower the passageways became.
There were no security cameras here, and the lanes branched off in every direction. One wrong turn could lead straight into an enemy at any moment.
Li Jinshui didn't run around blindly. He picked a direction and ran for his life.
Thanks to using the medicinal effects in the training room to get familiar with the basics of lightness skills, he'd had more success using them now.
Mastering martial techniques was like forcing someone who habitually used their right hand to switch to their left. It was bound to feel awkward, and coordinating complicated breathing patterns at high speed only made it easier to mess up.
Li Jinshui was in much the same situation. He hadn't even begun learning Basic Lightness Skill, so running with it was like controlling a laggy game character. Sometimes he would suddenly glide seven or eight meters with amazing grace; other times, his feet would tangle, sending him staggering into a wall.
Even so, his overall speed had surpassed that of an ordinary runner.
Although it took a heavy toll on his Qi-Blood and stamina, the good news was that Heaven Rewards Diligence had responded.
[Practiced martial arts while fleeing danger. Heaven Rewards Diligence: Basic Lightness Skill +2]
Heaven Rewards Diligence gave him feedback every few minutes or so.
What a perfect place to train!
Li Jinshui almost hated to leave. But this time, the situation was too dangerous. If he didn't run, he was dead.
That old bastard Liu Daqiang was far too petty. If he got cornered in these lanes, there'd be no way out alive.
Whoosh!
Just as Li Jinshui dashed out of one lane, a figure darted past the end of another lane ahead.
Li Jinshui skidded to a stop. The figure had already turned back, its gaze locking onto him.
"Found him! He's here! Get over here!" The man immediately shouted at the top of his lungs.
It was the young security guard from the apartment building.
He'd worked here for years and knew the area like the back of his hand. He'd taken a shortcut and somehow gotten ahead of Li Jinshui.
"Li Jinshui, stop running. You can't get away."
The security guard stood in the narrow lane with a vicious grin. He spun the riot fork in his hands, its cold gleam pointing straight at Li Jinshui.
"Go to hell!"
Li Jinshui's chest heaved as he panted heavily, then he charged into a lane in the opposite direction.
The situation was much worse than he'd expected. He had to break through the encirclement quickly, or he was dead.
But the security guard clearly knew the area well. If Li Jinshui kept running like this, it was only a matter of time before they surrounded him. He needed to find a way to turn things around.
There wasn't the slightest hint of panic on Li Jinshui's face. As he sprinted, he occasionally glanced up at the space above the narrow lanes, a glint of icy calm flashing in his eyes.
He looked back. The security guard wasn't chasing him. Clearly, he was taking another shortcut to cut him off.
If I turn around and run back...
No! That's exactly what he wants.
Liu Daqiang and his men must be closing in from behind. If I run back, the apartment building's security guard will circle around too, and the encirclement will only tighten.
"Heh. You have the advantage of knowing the area better than I do, but I've got an information advantage too!"
Li Jinshui didn't turn back. He sped up and charged ahead.
At the same time, outside the exit at the end of the lane, the apartment building's security guard silently emerged from another side passage.
"Heh. The game of cat and mouse is over!"
A look of contempt flashed in his eyes. He pressed himself against the wall in the blind spot beside the lane's entrance, staying out of sight.
Hearing hurried footsteps approaching from inside, he slowly raised the riot fork in his hands, waiting for his prey.
The footsteps quickly drew closer.
The young guard held his breath, judging the distance by sound.
"Now!"
The footsteps were right on top of him. He sprang out to the lane's entrance, Qi-Blood power surging into the riot fork. He raised it high and brought it crashing down with a shrill whistle that tore through the air.
"What? Where is he?"
The fork missed and slammed into the ground, sending sparks flying.
The expression on the guard's face froze. The lane before him was completely empty!
Whoosh!
At almost the same instant, an almost inaudible whistle came from directly above him!
The guard realized what was happening. His face changed drastically, but he had no time to react. All he could do was roll his eyes upward in terror.
In his vision, Li Jinshui plunged from above like a great goose flapping its wings.
"Let's see if you can block this straight punch, strong enough to rival a Second-rate Martial Artist!"
Qi-Blood surged and roiled through Li Jinshui's body. He circulated his small heavenly cycle to its limit, gathering his immense Qi-Blood power into his right arm before smashing his fist down at the guard's head!
There was no technique, no flourish—just Qi-Blood power behind a straight punch of pure, overwhelming force!
Bang!
A muffled boom echoed through the lane.
His fist struck the young guard's head like a heavy hammer, crushing his skull visibly inward.
The guard's expression shifted from blankness to terror. Then the light quickly faded from his eyes, and crimson blood flowed from his nose and mouth. He fell straight backward, dead on the spot!
Confusion still seemed to linger in his unseeing eyes. Wasn't this guy supposed to have only just begun Stake Standing? Why had the Qi-Blood power behind that punch truly been comparable to that of a Second-rate Martial Artist?
"I told you, you couldn't outrun me. You couldn't, because lightness skills aren't just for running—they can make you fly too, you idiot!"
Li Jinshui panted heavily and shook out his wrist, taking several deep breaths. "Now that was a satisfying street fight!"
Then he quickly crouched down and searched the guard's body.
Phone, wallet, necklace. He took them all.
The riot fork... Forget it. It was too conspicuous and hard to sell.
The uniform was worth a few hundred, but there was no time to strip it off.
"Time to go!"
Li Jinshui moved swiftly and efficiently, grabbing the loot before taking off.
In his mind, Heaven Rewards Diligence still glimmered faintly.
[Fought back and killed one pursuer while fleeing. Heaven Rewards Diligence: Basic Lightness Skill +30]
[Killed an enemy with one punch while fleeing. Heaven Rewards Diligence: Basic Fist Technique +30 (Fist technique not learned)]