Desolate Road
A Cheng opened the car door, and a cool breeze, unique to suburban nights and carrying the scent of earth and plants, instantly rushed into the warm car, making Wei Guangyuan in the back seat shiver.
He didn't leave immediately, but stood there warily, his eyes scanning the darkness ahead and on both sides of the road like a hawk. Apart from the black SUV (he could see the model clearly) blocking the middle of the road and its hazard lights flashing, there was only the rustling of the wind through the grass, and nothing else seemed out of the ordinary.
He took a deep breath, tucked the dagger tucked into his waistband deeper to make sure it was covered by his clothes, and then strode towards the broken-down SUV. His steps were light, his muscles slightly tense, maintaining a posture that suggested he could either explode or retreat at any moment.
As he got closer, he could see the car clearly. It was an older black Great Wall Haval H6, its right front wheel seemingly stuck in the soft soil on the curb, and the car was tilted slightly. Two men were standing next to the car, both wearing dark jackets. One of them was slightly overweight and was kicking the tire in frustration, while the other was taller and thinner, leaning against the car door smoking.
Seeing A Cheng approach, the slightly overweight man immediately came forward, his face plastered with a smile that was a mixture of anxiety and apology, "Oh, brother, I'm so sorry! What a damn unlucky thing, this damn car suddenly broke down and it's crooked here, blocking your way, right?"
A Cheng didn't reply, his face cold as his gaze quickly swept over the two men. The slightly overweight man had large, rough hands with black grime under his fingernails, suggesting he was a manual laborer. The tall, thin man's eyes were somewhat unfocused, and the way he smoked carried a roguish air. The two looked like ordinary people walking alone at night who had run into trouble.
"Dude, think of something and move the car quickly," A Cheng said, his voice low but carrying an unyielding tone.
"Move? We'd love to move!" The slightly overweight man spread his hands, his expression even more miserable. "The Key's broken and it still won't start. I don't know if the battery's dead or the damn engine's broken! We're stuck in the middle of nowhere, who knows when we'll get a tow truck!"
The tall, thin man next to him threw his cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out, and walked over, his tone impatient. "That's right, what's the rush? Can't you see we're in a hurry too? Who wants to stay in this desolate place in the middle of the night?"
A Cheng's brows furrowed even more. He glanced back at his boss's car a few dozen meters away. The tinted windows blocked out the view, but he could feel the anxious gaze directed at him from behind. Time was of the essence.
He paused for a moment, then reached into his inside pocket, pulled out his wallet, and took out a thick wad of hundred-yuan bills. Without counting them, he handed them directly to the slightly overweight man, his tone softening slightly but still commanding. "Brother, do me a favor. Consider this compensation; it'll be enough for your car repairs tomorrow. Please, right now, find a way to move your car and let me through."
Upon seeing the stack of bright red banknotes, which must have been at least four or five thousand, the eyes of the slightly overweight man and the tall, thin man lit up instantly. They exchanged a glance, and their faces immediately broke into enthusiastic smiles, as if they were eyeing money with greed.
"Oh! Brother, why are you being so polite!" The slightly chubby man said, quickly taking the money and stuffing it into his pocket, as if afraid A Cheng would change his mind. "Move it! You have to! You're so kind, we can't be ungrateful, can we?"
But then he looked troubled, pointing to the crooked SUV: "But brother, you see, this car is incredibly heavy. The two of us can't push it! The wheels are even a little stuck." He rubbed his hands together, looking at A Cheng with a fawning smile, "How about... you lend a hand? The three of us can push it a little to the side of the road, just enough to get your car through! Otherwise, the three of us will be stuck here all night."
A Cheng stared at the two men's faces, quickly weighing his options. He'd already paid, and their attitude had changed; they seemed like just two ordinary passersby trying to take advantage but lacking real strength. Three people pushing the cart would indeed be much easier than two, and it would be the quickest way to resolve the problem. He didn't want to waste too much time here; every second he stayed increased the risk.
"Hurry up." A Cheng said in a deep voice without hesitation, then walked to the back of the SUV and assumed a pushing posture.
"Alright! Thanks, big brother!" The slightly chubby man beamed and quickly called to the tall, thin man, "Skinny Monkey, don't just stand there, come on, let's give it our all!"
The slightly overweight man was on the left side of the car, the tall and thin man was on the right side, and A Cheng was in the middle of the rear of the car. The three of them shouted, "One, two, three, push!" and started to push together.
The heavy SUV creaked and groaned as its tires scraped against the soft earth and rocks, and the vehicle began to move slowly. A Cheng felt a little relieved; it seemed there wasn't much of a problem. He bent over, putting more weight into his arms and shoulders.
As the vehicle was slowly pushed forward, A Cheng's attention became completely focused on the weight in front of him, and his vigilance towards the two people beside him unconsciously decreased. He lowered his head, looked at the ground, and tried his best to push forward.
Just then, the tall, thin man who had been pushing the cart to his right quietly slowed down and moved as lightly as a cat around to A Cheng's back.
Unaware of anything amiss, A Cheng was secretly relieved that the vehicle had moved smoothly and was preparing to press on.
Sudden!
An extremely intense, indescribable pain and numbness, like a high-voltage electric current exploding from his kidney area in his lower back! It felt as if countless red-hot steel needles were simultaneously piercing his body and churning wildly inside!
"Well--!"
A Cheng only managed to squeeze out a short, painful groan from his throat before his entire body trembled violently and uncontrollably, like a leaf falling in the autumn wind, as if all the bones had been removed. His eyes rolled back instantly, his mouth opened involuntarily, and white foam mixed with gastric juices gushed out, flowing down the corners of his mouth. He couldn't even see where the attack came from before his consciousness, like a power source cut off, plunged into boundless darkness. His body slumped limply to the ground, his limbs still twitching slightly.
The whole process took only two or three seconds.
Inside the car behind, Wei Guangyuan, who had been intently watching the situation ahead, suddenly felt his heart stop beating!
He watched as A Cheng approached, spoke, paid, and the three of them began pushing the cart. Everything seemed to be progressing in the direction of resolving the problem. However, the sudden turn of events unfolded like the most terrifying nightmare before his eyes! He saw the tall, thin man move behind A Cheng like a ghost, saw the fleeting, chilling blue arc of electricity, and saw A Cheng collapse to the ground as if struck by an invisible giant hammer!
That wasn't an accident! It was an ambush!
A wave of overwhelming fear washed over Wei Guangyuan like ice water. Without thinking, his survival instincts drove him to react—run! Get out of the car immediately!
He frantically unbuckled his seatbelt and shoved the car door beside him with his right hand. The click of the door lock opening sounded so clear and jarring at that moment.
However, just as he stepped one foot out of the car, before his body was fully out of the vehicle—
"Bang!"
His forehead slammed solidly into an object as hard as iron and warm to the touch.
Wei Guangyuan was so shocked by the impact that he saw stars and instinctively looked up.
What came into his view was a tall figure standing like an Iron Tower beside the car door. The other person was dressed in a black combat uniform, and his extremely burly figure blocked out almost all the light from outside the car door, casting a shadow that completely enveloped Wei Guangyuan. In the darkness, he could not see the other person's face, but he could only feel a tangible, cold sense of oppression.
He didn't even have time to make any second move, nor could he utter any cry for help.
In the tall figure's hand, a short stick-like object was now in his grasp, its tip crackling with tiny, dangerous arcs of blue electricity.
The stun gun, gleaming with deathly light, struck his exposed neck with precision and swiftness, as his terrified pupils widened.
"Sizzle!"
A tingling and excruciating pain, even more intense than when he saw A Cheng being knocked down, swept through every nerve in his body like a tsunami. He felt as if his brain had been thrown into a boiling pot of oil, and all his thoughts and consciousness were completely torn apart and shattered in that instant.
Everything went black before his eyes, and all his senses vanished.
Wei Guangyuan remained in an awkward position with half his body sticking out of the car. His body stiffened for a moment, then he collapsed limply at the car door like a puppet with its strings cut, losing all feeling.
Silence returned to the desolate road. Only the SUV that had broken down still had its hazard lights on, and the engine of Wei Guangyuan's sedan, still running, hummed low, as if silently recounting the brief but efficient hunt that had just taken place.