I'm Going After the Gao Family!

The thunderous crash shook everyone!

Who was it?

Yue Xiaofei jolted and looked sharply toward the door.

A tall figure blocked the entrance.

It wasn't Zhao Mengsheng!

Xiaofei didn't know the man, yet he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

His taut nerves eased a little.

"What blind bastard dares come here and cause trouble?"

The Buzz-Cut Thug cursed at the top of his lungs.

The Meathead Thug rolled up his sleeves and spat as he shouted, "Got a death wish? Do you know whose place this is? The Gao Family's! Get lost while you can, or we'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!"

He had barely finished speaking!

The two turned, saw the man at the door, and fell silent.

The arrogance on their faces froze into terror.

Jin Dapao stood there like a god of death on the battlefield!

His square face was sharply defined, his beard as bristly as steel needles!

His gaze was sharp as a blade. No one dared meet it.

But what mattered most was—

The crisp white police uniform shirt he wore.

A police officer who wore a white shirt held at least a senior post, on par with the head of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

And thugs feared police the way mice feared cats. A white-shirted officer was worse.

Clang!

The dagger slipped from the Buzz-Cut Thug's hand and struck the floor.

Thud!

His legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees, stammering.

"Sir, is there some mistake? We work for the Gao Family! We're on the same side!"

The Meathead Thug went deathly pale. His earlier viciousness had vanished.

"Yeah, we work for Young Master Gao. Are you sure you've got the right place?"

"I'm going after the Gao Family!"

Jin Dapao stepped forward and swept out a hand. "Take them!"

Before his words had faded—

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

More than a dozen figures burst from the shadows behind him.

The Flying Tiger Squad Members wore black tactical vests and camouflage paint. Their assault rifles gleamed coldly.

They also carried a full complement of counterterrorism gear!

"Don't move!"

"Get down!"

The Flying Tiger Squad Members moved like lightning. Before the two thugs could react, they pinned them to the floor, knees pressed into the backs of their necks. Neither could budge.

Shit!

What was going on?

Was this the provincial Flying Tiger Squad?!

The two thugs were dumbfounded.

They had spent enough years in the underworld to recognize the real thing.

Who hadn't heard of the provincial Flying Tiger Squad?

Word was that a deputy department chief who had transferred from the military had built the unit from the ground up a few years earlier.

At last year's national special police competition, they had taken first place overall.

Marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, counterterrorism assaults—they had placed first in everything!

Why had an elite unit trained to fight terrorists come after two petty thugs?

It was like using an antiaircraft gun to swat mosquitoes!

But they had no idea this was only the first wave!

Someone even more formidable was on his way!

After the squad dealt with the two small-time thugs, Jin Dapao turned and walked toward Yue Xiaofei.

When he saw Xiaofei's blood-smeared face...

This hardened man, who had never shed a tear even when gravely wounded, found his eyes filling!

The resemblance!

It was uncanny!

Those young but stubborn eyes and brows made it seem as though Company Commander Yue, in his younger days, stood right before him.

There was no mistaking it!

This was Company Commander Yue's son!

After being forced to leave the military, Jin Dapao had asked about Yue Changlong, but every time, he had been told the information was classified.

He had never imagined he would meet Company Commander Yue's son like this!

In a basement where daylight never reached!

Xiaofei had been beaten black and blue, and cold iron shackles still bound his ankles.

"Kid..."

Jin Dapao's voice caught, his eyes red. "I'm sorry I came so late!"

He crouched, pulled a pair of bolt cutters from his toolbox, and freed Xiaofei from the shackles.

"Sir, who are you...?"

Xiaofei looked up at him.

"I'm Jin Dapao!"

He wiped his face and forced a smile.

"I served under your dad. I was the artillery platoon leader in the 7th Armored Company. Now I'm deputy chief of the Jiangbei Provincial Public Security Department. Your Uncle Zhao called me just now. He's on his way!"

At those words—

Xiaofei's eyes lit up.

Uncle Zhao hadn't lied to him. Help had really come!

The agonizing pain and the hopeless wait had all been worth it!

"Hiss..."

He braced a hand against the floor and tried to stand.

But the moment he put any strength into it, every wound burned as though salt had been rubbed into it. He sucked in a breath and staggered.

"Careful!"

Jin Dapao hurried to steady him. Seeing the extent of his injuries, he felt furious with the thugs and angry at himself.

If only I'd arrived a few minutes sooner...

"It hurts, doesn't it? Hang on. I'll take you to the hospital right now!"

Jin Dapao moved as gently as he could, afraid of hurting Xiaofei further.

Even a hardened man had a tender side.

"I can hold on, Uncle Jin!"

Xiaofei shook his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked toward the two thugs. "But they hit me 1,086 times. Please get revenge for me!"

What?!

Jin Dapao and every Flying Tiger Squad Member felt a jolt in their chests.

Not a thousand times!

Not 1,080 times!

Exactly 1,086 goddamn times!

Counted down to the last blow!

What did that mean?

With every punch, the boy had gritted his teeth and counted.

With every kick, he had endured the pain and kept counting silently.

Here in this dark basement, he had held on to those numbers, one after another, to keep himself from going down.

Jin Dapao had seen vicious drug traffickers and terrorists fighting to the bitter end. But he had never seen a boy like this—

Beaten black and blue, yet able to remember every blow!

Trapped with no way out, yet still holding on to hope!

Those weren't just numbers.

They were defiance etched into his bones!

They were the refusal to yield running through his blood!

He was a son of the Yue Family, the child of a hero!

"Hah..."

Jin Dapao drew a deep breath. His chest heaved as he looked at the two thugs on the floor.

"We were wrong! We really were!"

Every hair on their bodies stood on end, and they begged desperately for mercy.

"It was the Gao Family! Gao Zisheng told us to do it! We were just following orders!"

"Please, have mercy! Let us live!"

"Let you live?"

Jin Dapao gave a cold laugh. His voice held no mercy.

"Did you think about sparing my nephew when you beat him half to death?"

He turned and gave the Flying Tiger Squad Members a grim order.

"Kidnapping, unlawful detention, aggravated assault... These aren't ordinary criminals. We need to hit them hard!"

"Work them over!"

"Exactly 1,086 blows!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Flying Tiger Squad Members answered in unison, barely containing their anger.

They had been itching to act, their fury ready to boil over.

Then—

Jin Dapao supported Yue Xiaofei as they walked out of the dark basement, step by step. Behind them rang the two thugs' agonized screams.

"Xiaofei, as long as I'm here, no one will bully you again!"

Jin Dapao's voice was firm, as though he had sworn a solemn oath.