Chapter 30: Battle on the River!
Zhang Xiao unexpectedly ran the fastest, throwing himself against the railing, half his body hanging over the edge, his anxious gaze searching for that slender figure he so desperately wished to see.
What had he discovered today?
He had uncovered truths he never knew before, the hidden past of this girl. Like a butterfly whose wings had been broken at birth, forced to crawl with fragile feet along a harsh road, passing through wondrous fields of flowers, using her solitude to dream of a sky filled with dazzling colors, drawing rainwater from brown earth, storing bitterness in her tender chest.
And yet, she was willing to bear the burden of another dying butterfly.
But these people, who prided themselves on their righteousness, had treated her as nothing more than a filthy, contemptible worm, eager to crush her underfoot.
Zhang Xiao felt a sting in his eyes, and for a moment, he wished he could drift away with the surging river.
“Look!”
“Over there!”
Zhang Xiao turned to see...
A boat drifted slowly across the river, heading downstream, passing ancient bridges and old trees, and traditional houses...
The water flowed swiftly, blood spread in swirling patterns... At the bow, a blood-soaked body—an older man, the boatman. And now, there were two more people on board!
A man and a woman!
At the bow, the killer’s gun was trained on Sui Yi.
“In all these years, this is the first time I’ve been cornered like this,” the killer said, his cracked lips twisting into a sinister expression.
“Is that a compliment?” Sui Yi glanced at the bleeding boatman lying at the bow, her eyes icy cold.
The killer smiled, quietly tightening his grip on the gun. “No, this is my farewell gift to you before you die. Goodbye, lovely girl...”
Bang!
The gun fired again! The weapon was kicked into the boat, the bullet bounced, and Sui Yi’s fist struck like lightning at the killer’s chest!
Thud—the impact rang out!
A draw? The killer was stunned!
He was trained, with strength surpassing even robust soldiers or elite commandos, but Sui Yi...
It was a stalemate!
Bang, bang, bang!
Her delicate, pale fists clashed with his! The force of their blows was sharp as the wind!
A flying kick! Splash! She extended her long legs, leaped, spun!
Such a slender person, yet her agility and reflexes challenged the killer!
What frustrated him most was the rocking of the boat beneath their feet...
In a moment of miscalculation, Sui Yi’s fist turned into a knife-hand!
With a swift, merciless chop to the killer’s neck, she nearly severed his nerve, sending him reeling toward the water... yet he grabbed her arm!
With a violent twist!
Splash!
He flipped sideways, his legs skimming the water, then landed on the other boat’s bow, reaching for the gun!
Smack!
Sui Yi’s leg snapped out, kicking his hand!
The gun remained on the boat’s floor, while the two fought fiercely in the center of the boat...
By then, downstream, the river had left the old district, the current was swift, the banks wide, numerous boats passing by...
On both sides, elegant tea houses and tourist markets lined the river, bustling with locals and visitors.
It was lively, but amid the noise, a strange disturbance arose!
Under an arch bridge, a boat glided through, and hundreds of people on the banks witnessed the fierce struggle aboard!
A man, a high school girl? And a wounded body at the bow?
Fists and legs flew, swift as the wind!
Blows thundered like storms!
Their speed was so dazzling, the crowd could hardly see their faces!
What was this?
A performance?
“Are they filming a movie?”
“Ah! No wires!”
“Amazing! It looks so real!”
Some tourists shouted from windows!
Others laughed, “Look at the guy lying at the bow—an extra? He’s bleeding... wow, how much tomato sauce did they use...”
A streak of blood traced the water.
The boat drifted, approaching other boats ahead...
“There are people... just in time...” The killer grinned savagely at Sui Yi, her expression darkening—damn, this lunatic...
Splash!
The killer suddenly leapt onto an approaching boat, flashing a thin blade, and slashed viciously at the curious boatman’s neck!
“Oh my god!!!” Someone finally realized... something was wrong!
“Police!”
“Get away!”
“Quick, move!”
“Police!”
Zhang Xiao and his team rushed madly along the riverside corridor, pulling out their guns and aiming at the chaos on the water...
Sui Yi grabbed a bamboo pole from the boat’s side...
She hurled it at the killer!
The knife flew out of his hand... the two boats collided!
Three tourists were aboard the other boat...
Violent rocking, screams erupted!
Chaos reigned!
Sui Yi barely managed to grab the boatman, whose chest had been slashed, then—laughter sounded behind her.
People on both banks watched as the killer stood on the original boat, aiming his gun at Sui Yi.
Meanwhile, Zhang Xiao and his team trained their weapons on the killer.
The crowd regained their senses.
Damn, was this a real police shootout?
“Wait, isn’t that Chief Lin Quan?”
“It’s real!!!”
“That man’s a murderer!”
“Ah!”
The banks erupted in agitation! Some reached for their phones... (Oh, the modern crowd and their devices~~).
Yet, suddenly, silence fell.
The river flowed quietly, two boats wedged in the middle, three tourists and the unconscious boatman unmoving, Sui Yi motionless, her back to the killer.
Any movement from her could ignite the deadly standoff.
He was wary of her.
But the killer smiled at her, just as he had when they first met.
“How interesting... This is the most thrilling hunt I’ve had in years...”
Pervert!
Zhang Xiao and the others cursed, while Lin Quan shouted, “Drop your gun! Or we’ll open fire!”
“Heh, go ahead. Let’s see whose gun is faster... Maybe I’ll blow her head off, let her brains spill into this beautiful Nanxun River...”
The killer laughed, aiming at the back of Sui Yi’s head.
Lin Quan and his team sweated, nerves taut.
Damn, where did this terrifying killer come from? He was a professional, a true psychopathic murderer!
He’s about to kill! About to shoot! Hide, quickly!
Chaos spread across the banks, people pressed together!
On the river, Sui Yi gripped the bamboo pole tightly; as the killer’s smile turned cold—
She spun around!
Bang!
A gunshot rang out!
The bamboo pole shot forward!
It pierced the killer’s chest, driving him and the pole into the river, while Sui Yi—fell into the water!
Blood spread in a red tide across the surface.
At that moment, several people holding phones or cameras saw their screens blur suddenly...
An illusion?
A few heartbeats passed.
Lin Quan found his voice.
“Into the water!”
Splash, splash, three or four police officers jumped in.
Water churned and splashed.
The phones and cameras finally responded, shutters clicking in a frenzy!
White flashes... starlight speckled the scene.
-----------------------------
“Where is she?”
“Where is she?” Zhang Xiao surfaced, asking the equally drenched Lin Quan!
“Here!” A colleague emerged, holding someone, and Zhang Xiao, overjoyed, rushed over...
“Sui Yi!!!”
But before he could embrace her, he was startled by the man’s face—he choked on water.
Damn, it’s the killer’s corpse? He’s dead?
“It’s the killer! Sui Yi isn’t here!”
“Save them! That one’s still alive!”
Two unlucky boatmen—one severely wounded and near death, the other unconscious and bleeding... Police and others scrambled to rescue them.
But where was Sui Yi?
Many people raced along the riverbank, and other boatmen searched urgently for the girl...
“My god, that scene was incredible! She pierced the murderer’s chest with a bamboo pole!”
“It looked just like a movie! But I never saw her face!”
“There were too many people, all I caught was this—wait, this is ultra-high resolution, how could it be so blurry~~...”
Amid the confusion, the water of Nanxun River continued to flow, tenderly winding through its ancient course...