Right on Target (TARGET)
Wei Zhixin struggled to breathe, his body slumping toward the ground as he forced out a few words through gritted teeth: "A... Axiu!"
The steel-blade man behind him immediately switched modes, drawing a blade from his sleeve and slashing toward Xie Zhenshu's position.
Xie Zhenshu tilted his head to dodge, hoisted Wei Zhixin up, and kicked the sofa over. The steel-blade man named Axiu was formidable—he leaped up before the sofa hit the ground and swung his blade.
Wei Zhixin served as a human shield. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Axiu's blade coming at him. Forgetting all about his "big boss" demeanor, he hastily shouted, "Axiu!"
Miraculously, Axiu retracted his blade in time. His black hair was neatly trimmed, and he looked barely of age. Though agile in movement, he seemed somewhat dull as his every action carried out under orders.
The effect of the flashbang was fading. Gunshots rang out at the entrance—bang, bang—instantly killing the front-row bodyguards. Those in the back quickly crouched, seeking cover.
Su Heting, holding a gun looted from Viper, strode right in. Bullets flew wildly across the room as he backhandedly smashed the alarm panel.
The alarm blared with a sharp beep, setting off sirens throughout the entire Colosseum. A few streets away, the monk was in the middle of a meal when he received the news. He flung his chopsticks aside, stood up immediately, and urged the armed team members, "Prepare the aircraft, now now now! We must arrive within a minute!"
Xie Zhenshu dragged Wei Zhixin backward. In his grip, Wei Zhixin resembled a limp ragdoll, unable to stand straight. Seeing this, Axiu frowned and hesitated briefly until he heard Wei Zhixin yell, "Kill him!"
Axiu's empty sleeve flashed as the steel blade reappeared. This time, his target was clear—he leaped forward and stepped onto the coffee table to deliver a downward slash at Xie Zhenshu.
Xie Zhenshu kicked a steel pipe upward. The pipe flipped through the air but was caught by Su Heting. With one hand, Su Heting passed the gun to Xie Zhenshu; with the other, he swung the pipe to clash with Axiu's blade.
A metallic clang echoed as the two collided, steel against steel.
"Long time no see," Su Heting said, spinning the pipe and aiming for Axiu's head. "I've been wanting to test your blade again!"
Axiu parried with his blade. Both sides paused for a split second before erupting into action again, their speed astonishing.
Viper rolled among the fallen corpses, searching for a way to break free. Unfortunately, he hadn't rolled far before the tearful Hermit kicked him. Grabbing Viper by the collar, Hermit mimicked Xie Zhenshu and Su Heting by choking him. "Don't even think about causing trouble!"
Resigned to his bad luck, Viper coughed violently under Hermit's grip. But with something stuffed in his mouth, he couldn't make a sound. He decided to play sick, convulsing his chest and contorting his face in pain.
Afraid Viper might die and add another grievance to Wei Zhixin's ledger, Hermit pulled the gag out of Viper's mouth. "You're sick? You should've said so earlier!"
With his mouth suddenly free, Viper seized the chance to arch his upper body and headbutt Hermit square in the face, knocking him off. His bound hands groped frantically over a dead bodyguard's corpse and miraculously found a gun.
"Boss!" Viper shouted. "I'm coming to save you!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Xie Zhenshu pressed the gun barrel against Wei Zhixin's forehead.
Viper's soul nearly left his body. He flipped over onto his back and blindly fired toward Xie Zhenshu's direction. Unable to see, he could only frantically pull the trigger.
The bullets swept through, shattering the neatly arranged glass ornaments in the room, the "bang" sounds unceasing. Hermit covered his head and bumped into Xie Zhenshu's leg as he rolled, then quickly lunged to grab Wei Zhixin: "Can't kill him, can't kill him!"
Wei Zhixin was Wei Da's son—killing him would be the end!
Urgent footsteps echoed in the hallway. Xie Zhenshu yanked Hermit aside and kicked Wei Zhixin onto Viper.
The two tumbled together among tables and chairs. Viper heard the sound of bullets being chambered and, summoning strength from who knows where, pinned Wei Zhixin firmly beneath him. Then he let out a pained cry—a bullet had struck his back.
Xie Zhenshu really was trying to kill Wei Zhixin!
Viper gasped for breath as tears welling in his eyes. He remembered the last time Xie Zhenshu had been like this—silent, yet overwhelmingly oppressive. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "Axiu! Protect the boss!"
Hearing this, Axiu disengaged, retreating a few steps to the coffee table and kicking it toward Xie Zhenshu. The moment he backed off, Su Heting pressed forward. Axiu’s steel blade clashed with the steel rod, sparks flying as the edge nearly chipped!
"Stand down!" A furious shout came from the hallway—it was Monk. "Drop your weapons, all of you, get on the ground!"
The armed unit’s combat boots thudded down the corridor, and someone fired a warning shot. Su Heting immediately abandoned Axiu, smashing the private room’s window with his steel rod and grabbing Xie Zhenshu’s wrist. "Let’s go!"
When he said go, Xie Zhenshu went.
Hermit scrambled to the window, asking, "It’s so high—if we jump, won’t we—ah!"
The three vanished through the window, landing and fleeing.
Monk burst into the room and surveyed the wreckage. Viper had been shot and was yelling at Axiu, "Why didn’t you chase them?!"
Axiu looked puzzled and uttered a few words: "You said, protect the boss."
Viper was speechless, exasperated beyond words. He wanted to curse, but Monk knocked him down with a rifle butt. Monk raised his gun, aiming at Axiu. "On the ground!"
Wei Zhixin, who had been lying on the floor, pushed Viper aside and said coldly, "How convenient that your armed unit arrived—just in time to let them escape."
Monk muttered "Amitabha" under his breath before slamming Wei Zhixin back to the ground with his rifle butt.
He’d wanted to do that for a long time.
His face, hidden behind a gas mask, was livid as he repeated, "I said on the ground! Nobody moves—take them all away!"
The Black Market’s designated activity zone for Hybrids was old and run-down, like an urban village and full of ramshackle buildings. Hermit usually complained about it, but now he was grateful—places like this made it easy to disappear and hard to be found quickly.
Leading the way, Hermit muttered, "Now we’ve really pissed off Wei Zhixin. He won’t swallow this, might even send his thugs after us. Damn it, we’re surrounded by enemies."
Su Heting walked in the middle, speaking softly, "It’s fine. Monk... Xingtian prefers to smooth things over. He won’t pursue this."
He had dared to go upstairs because he knew Chief would protect him, and smashing the alarm was to summon Monk—armed units were the ones to handle shootouts. But he guessed Xie Zhenshu’s Inspector identity couldn’t be exposed, hence the window escape.
Thinking this, Su Heting continued quietly, "Lay low for now. Don’t join the Profanity League’s protests. Wait until things cool down."
Hermit sighed, "Ah, what kind of mess is this? We’re all keeping our heads down, yet trouble still comes knocking. That guy with the steel blade today was fast—did he also tweak his reflexes? You two were moving so quickly, I couldn’t even see—"
As hermit was speaking, Su Heting’s legs suddenly gave way beneath him. He tried to steady himself against the wall but was caught by a pair of arms instead. Su Heting let out a soft "Oh," momentarily dazed. He wanted to say "thank you," but Xie Zhenshu instead seized his hand.
Xie Zhenshu’s fingers brushed against something damp. He lifted Su Heting’s arm higher and saw the cat’s sleeve soaked in blood.
"Sorry," Su Heting mumbled, his face pale under the distant streetlights and his cat ears drooping. "He was pretty quick—got me with one slash."
Hermit turned around in shock. "Why didn’t you say anything?!"
"Forgot," Su Heting tilted his head back, meeting Xie Zhenshu’s lowered gaze. "Carry me to Broken Barrel Alley, No. 101. Please—"
He wanted to call him "sir," but before the word could leave his lips, he unceremoniously passed out.
Su Heting opened his eyes to a triangular roof looming close above him.
A wave of relief washed over him—he had made it to Broken Barrel Alley, No. 101. He glanced to his left and saw his slashed arm neatly bandaged. Then, feeling a weight on his right side, he turned his head and found Xie Zhenshu curled up beside him while gripping his hand tightly.
It was an attic—cramped and low-ceilinged, with barely any space to spare. There were no chairs or tables, just thick bedding spread over wooden planks and a few haphazardly placed pillows, creating a makeshift resting spot.
The night was still dark, and with no lights here, Xie Zhenshu’s tall frame curled beside him resembled a shadowy mountain, blurry at the edges. It was impossible to tell how long he had been keeping watch.
Su Heting didn’t move. First, because it was strange—why were they holding hands? Second, because he simply didn’t feel like moving.
He had been in and out of the Punishment Zone, fighting in matches and brawls nonstop for days. He was exhausted, and the injury gave him a perfect excuse to lie still a little longer. After a while, though, boredom crept in. Unable to resist, he rolled his eyes sideways to study Xie Zhenshu.
Xie Zhenshu seemed worn out, half his face buried in the pillow, dead to the world. He still wore his nebulizer and his breaths so faint that Su Heting instinctively leaned closer, worried he might have stopped breathing altogether.
"Hey…" Su Heting’s voice was barely a whisper.
Xie Zhenshu didn’t stir.
Reassured, Su Heting let his curiosity take over. Despite his pale complexion, Xie Zhenshu didn’t seem frail. Even in sleep, the strong lines of his shoulders and arms were unmistakable. His fingers were curled tightly around Su Heting’s hand and pulling it close to his chest as if Su Heting were some kind of lifeline.
They had shaken hands in the Punishment Zone before, and that night at the bar, Su Heting had touched them again through his modified eye. Two encounters with Inspector’s hands, plus everything else that had happened—there was no way he could mistake them.
Just as Su Heting was scrutinizing him, Xie Zhenshu abruptly opened his eyes. The two of them locked gazes, caught off guard.
"You’re awake," Xie Zhenshu said.
"Yeah," Su Heting’s tail flicked lazily against the bedding. "For a while now."
"Does the wound hurt?"
Su Heting, ever concerned with his pride—passing out had already dented his image—answered immediately, "No, not at all!" Realizing how forced that sounded, he quickly added, "Been in enough fights—this is nothing."
Xie Zhenshu didn’t reply. Nor did he let go of his hand.
Su Heting swiftly changed the subject. "Where’s hermit?"
It was strange. Without anyone asking, both of them were speaking in hushed tones.
Xie Zhenshu heard him ask about Hermit and looked at him for a moment. "Sleeping downstairs."
"Oh," Su Heting accepted this without question, as if it were only natural. "Mom Fu doesn’t have many bedrooms here, so he has to sleep on the sofa. By the way, have you met Mom Fu yet?"
The "Mom Fu" he mentioned was the owner of this place.
Xie Zhenshu gave a slight nod. He had just woken up, so his expression was lazy, yet he didn’t seem any more relaxed than usual—as if even his dreams had been rough.
Su Heting, having had no one to talk to earlier, now let his words spill out like beans. "Good that you’ve met her. Don’t let Mom Fu’s temper fool you—she’s a great doctor. She performed my modification surgery." As he spoke, his tail had already brushed against the back of Xie Zhenshu’s knee, though he remained completely unaware. "There are only a few doctors in the Black Market who can adjust neural reflexes, and Mom Fu is one of—"
THermit, frowning in his sleep, stirred restlessly under his small blanket. Hearing faint rustling sounds from the attic, he figured Su Heting must be awake. In a burst of excitement, he scrambled up and poked his head out. "You’re up? I heard you two—"
Halfway through his sentence, he choked and his head sank slightly in the eerie silence, leaving only his eyes visible as they darted between Xie Zhenshu and Su Heting. He ventured cautiously, "What are you two talking about that requires holding hands like this?"
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
Advanced chapters are now available up to chapter 110 on my Ko-fi page!
If you appreciate what I do, please consider supporting me on kofi. Thank you!
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•