Lan Xinyu curled her lip. "Do you think breaking through to become a Martial Artist is that easy? Don't you know there's a huge, huge threshold between a Martial Apprentice and a Martial Artist?"
Tang Guo refused to concede. "Thresholds and all that simply don't exist for my Big Brother Xiao Fan."
"Heh."
Lan Xinyu chuckled, and Tang Guo chuckled too.
Hearing this, Jiang Fan helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead.
Children were children. Even in this much danger, they could still bicker.
Just then, the three men drinking began to talk.
"Bing 78, do you think Ancheng No. 9 Middle School suddenly hiring a Middle-Stage Second-Rank Martial Artist might be a case of the wine lover having his sights on something other than wine? On the surface, this Second-Rank Martial Artist is there to teach those exam candidates in Ancheng No. 9 Middle School's special training class, but could he actually be there to arrest us?"
Bing 78 furrowed his thick, nearly joined eyebrows. "It's not impossible. After all, Ancheng No. 9 Middle School has never hired a Middle-Stage Second-Rank Martial Artist to give its students special training before. And according to rumors, that Martial Artist came from the Divine Wind Camp."
Ding 123's face abruptly went pale. "Th-then let's hurry up and run, Bing 78. You're strong, but you're still only at mid-stage first rank. If that Second-Rank Martial Artist targets us, we're done for."
A Middle-Stage First-Rank Martial Artist!
Jiang Fan's gaze locked onto Bing 78, his heartbeat accelerating.
He had originally been thinking of finding an opportunity to take them all out, but judging by the current situation, these people who addressed one another by code names did not seem to be ordinary criminals. They appeared quite organized and disciplined.
Especially since one of them was a Middle-Stage First-Rank Martial Artist.
With his current strength, fighting these people head-on would give him nine chances of death and only one of survival.
Right! Jiang Fan suddenly remembered something. He took the business card Old Wu had given him out of his pocket, then composed and sent a text.
Jiang Fan: Found the criminals. Address: Villa 13, Imperial View Villa District. Five criminals in total. One is a Middle-Stage First-Rank Martial Artist. The other four's strength is unknown.
When Old Wu received the message, she visibly froze.
He found their hideout so quickly? How did that boy find it?
Of course, now was not the time to consider that. The boy was keeping watch near the hideout alone, and his situation was extremely dangerous.
Old Wu also composed and sent a text: Don't act rashly, whatever you do. Wait for me to bring people over.
After sending the message, she immediately looked at Xiao Qian beside her.
"Quick! Notify the bureau and have them send reinforcements! One of the criminals is a Middle-Stage First-Rank Martial Artist! Hurry!"
Jiang Fan had just been about to put his phone away when the criminals made a major move.
Bing 78 said, "Ding 123, you have a point. Although we can't be certain whether that Second-Rank Martial Artist who came to Ancheng No. 9 Middle School is targeting us, it's not the ten thousand things we expect that we fear, but the one unexpected thing. We need to hurry and move these children to headquarters."
The third criminal said, "But there are only thirty-three children here. Our task was to capture fifty. We're still seventeen short. How are we supposed to report back? The higher-ups will definitely blame us for failing at our jobs."
Bing 78 said, "Ding 145, your concerns aren't unreasonable either, but urgent times call for exceptions. If we're discovered, I'm afraid we won't just lose every last one of these thirty-three children-we might lose our lives too."
Hearing this, Ding 145 fell silent.
"I'm your superior. Do as I say," Bing 78 ordered.
"Go. Take those children away."
"We should've done this ages ago. Ding 145, you worry too much about what's ahead and behind. If you keep being this indecisive, you'll definitely die before us. You need to learn from me: be decisive when it's time to decide, and ruthless when it's time to be ruthless. That's how you live longer."
After looking at Ding 145 with his nose in the air, Ding 123 went over to Wu Yun, who was closest to him, and roughly grabbed the little girl's hair.
"Ah! Waaaah-it hurts!" Tears streamed down Wu Yun's face.
Ding 145 immediately intervened. "There's no need to be that rough, is there? Have you forgotten our faith's teachings? Do good deeds and be good people to create a better future. Treating her like that goes against our teachings."
Ding 123 refused to accept that. "How am I not doing good deeds and being a good person? Taking these children away is for the sake of their futures too. Once they become one of us, rise above the crowd, and bring glory to their ancestors, they won't be able to thank me enough."
As Ding 123 spoke, he reached over to drag Tang Guo along too, likewise grabbing her hair.
"Let go of me! You big villain! It hurts-don't pull my hair! Waaaah-"
Guoguo!
Jiang Fan grew frantic, clenching his fists.
From the start, he had not intended to act.
After weighing the pros and cons and analyzing the situation, he knew that with a Middle-Stage First-Rank Martial Artist on the other side, the gap in strength was already far too great. On top of that, the others probably weren't all ordinary people either. If he started fighting them directly, he feared he would fail to save anyone and get himself killed as well.
Jiang Fan was not actually worried about getting himself killed. He was afraid he would fail to save Guoguo.
"Let go of me! Let go!" Tang Guo opened her mouth and bit Ding 123's hand.
"Ah!" Ding 123 cried out in pain and violently flung Tang Guo away.
Tang Guo hit the floor hard. With a clatter, the Qi and Blood Raw Stone in her pocket tumbled out.
Instantly, all three criminals' gazes landed on the Qi and Blood Raw Stone, greed showing in their eyes.
"It's a Qi and Blood Raw Stone! This little brat actually has a Qi and Blood Raw Stone on her!"
"That's mine! It's a present from Big Brother Xiao Fan!" Tang Guo quickly picked up the Qi and Blood Raw Stone and hugged it to her chest.
Ding 123 kept advancing toward Tang Guo. "You little brat, give me that Qi and Blood Raw Stone in your hands, or I won't be nice."
"No, I won't! Big Brother Xiao Fan gave this to me!"
"Fine, then. You refuse the toast only to drink the forfeit."
With that, Ding 123 stretched his demonic hand toward Tang Guo.
Terror appeared on Tang Guo's face. Her little face was deathly pale, and she closed her eyes in fear.
The situation was critical! Jiang Fan could no longer spare a thought for anything else. He pulled out the fruit knife he had swiped from the fruit stand earlier and threw it, attaching Psychic Power to it as he did so. Controlling the fruit knife, he sent it flying like an arrow loosed from a bow. With a whoosh, it pierced the glass and finally plunged into the major artery in Ding 123's neck.
Ding 123 opened his mouth. He wanted to speak, but in the end, he could not utter a single word. His eyes closed, and he collapsed to the floor. After his feet twitched, his head lolled to one side, and he died.
"Aaaah!" After being scared witless, the children shrieked and huddled together.
After a brief moment of stunned distraction, Bing 78 and Ding 145 immediately went on guard.
Hearing the commotion, the two criminals guarding the entrance exchanged a glance and rushed inside together. The moment they entered, they saw Ding 123 lying dead on the floor, his eyes unclosed.
"What happened?"
"Don't throw yourselves into disarray! All of you, be quiet!"
At the crucial moment, it still fell to Bing 78 to keep things under control.
Bing 78 went over to the dead Ding 123 and examined the wound. An exceedingly grave expression immediately appeared on his face.