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墨書 Inktalez
Mao Tong watched as Zhang Qiu charged toward him, thinking to himself that it was a reckless move. He swung his knife, and the Brothers behind him immediately rushed forward with a howl. In the current situation, whoever led the charge would earn merit, and it was clear that the opposing side was struggling. Now was the time to contribute more to the gang—of course, for his own sake as well.
Forty people formed a large circle with three layers inside and out. Whenever someone in the outer layer was seriously injured, they would retreat to the inner layer, and a new person would fill the gap. Zhang Qiu recalled a story he had heard during his school days about a group of ants encountering a fire on their path. If they stopped in place, they would all turn to ashes. So, the ants formed a solid black ball and rolled toward the flames, the sounds of sizzling indicating that the outer layer of ants were being scorched. Although many perished, the ants survived. Were they not just like those ants trapped by fire at this moment?
Zhang Qiu had no idea what the outcome of this gang fight would be. Images of himself and the Brothers being captured and tortured by the enemy kept flashing through his mind. He felt guilty toward the Brothers; it was he who had led them into this den of danger, yet he could not lead them out again. He also thought of Jiang Xue—if he failed, who would save her? Xue'er, where are you?
Suddenly, rain began to pour from the sky without warning, accompanied by a loud rumble. The downpour was torrential, even with the sun shining high above. Zhang Qiu wiped away the rainwater, sweat, and blood from his face, gripping the knife handle tightly as he continued to fight. The dark clouds finally obscured the sunlight, turning the ground into darkness as countless streams of water crashed down upon it and upon people.
A piercing alarm sounded from afar, and through the heavy rain, he could vaguely make out flashing red and blue police lights in the distance. Everyone's gaze turned toward it as Chen Hu emerged from the hall, followed by his men holding up a black umbrella. The rain pounded on top of the umbrella with a dull thud. Chen Hu shouted, "Everyone retreat! Scatter to nearby places quickly!"
The enraged crowd had turned bloodthirsty; Chen Hu's roar did not compel everyone to obey and leave. Mao Tong moved through the crowd with several trusted followers, pulling back those who were too caught up in their rage and urging them to withdraw quickly. In the heavy rain, fighting finally ceased as Mao Tong led over a hundred brothers deeper into the downpour. Chen Hu looked at Zhang Qiu and others still standing in the rain; they resembled gods of slaughter. Chen Hu's brow twitched; he hadn't seen such a scene or such people in a long time.
As he saw the approaching police lights getting closer, Chen Hu shouted again, "Close the door!" The Brothers surrounded Chen Hu as they returned to Azure Blue Rose while raindrops pelted against the closed glass doors. Zhang Qiu looked at the police lights and then at his battered Brothers beside him, shouting, "Hurry up!"
The Brothers supported each other while still tightly gripping their weapons. Yang Yu noticed that Zhang Qiu remained in place and pulled him along, saying, "Brother Qiu, what are you waiting for? Let's go! If we don't leave now, the police will arrive."
Zhang Qiu grasped Yang Yu's shoulder earnestly and said, "Quickly take care of the Brothers' escape; remember to find your sister-in-law for me."
"Brother Qiu, what are you planning?" Yang Yu shouted in the rain as departing Brothers halted and turned back to look at Zhang Qiu, drenched and disheveled.
"Listen to me." Zhang Qiu glanced into the distance where police cars were now clearly visible. "The police will be here soon; they have vehicles so we won't get far. I'll stay behind to hold off the police while you take the Brothers away quickly."
"Brother Qiu, that's absolutely not acceptable! You take care of them; I'll stay!"
"Listen to me; this is not a time for debate! Every second counts for us right now. Look at these lively Brothers; you must ensure their safe return. As for me, don't worry—don't forget what my uncle does."
"That doesn't matter!" Yang Yu firmly opposed him. "Your uncle is a policeman—he's even a chief—but we both know his character; he will never bend rules for his nephew. If you're caught, do you know what will happen? The college entrance exam is just around the corner; you can't get into trouble! I'll stay behind; I have no great future after graduating from vocational school anyway—just go!"
"Who's in charge here? Me or you?" Zhang Qiu roared at Yang Yu and pushed him hard. "Stop talking nonsense! If we delay any longer, we'll all be done for here! Hurry up—follow orders! This is my final demand."
Rui Rui stood up with her face wet from either rain or sweat and said firmly, "Yang Yu, listen to Brother Qiu! You hurry up and take everyone away; I will stay here to take care of Brother Qiu."
"No way! Rui Rui, you have to go with Yang Yu!" The deep blue letters on the police car were now clearly visible as time grew increasingly urgent; yet Rui Rui stepped forward again to cause trouble. Zhang Qiu knew they were only looking out for him but at this moment what he needed most was for them to follow his arrangements.
"I don't care, I'm staying." Rui Rui's determination was unwavering as she pushed Yang Yu, urging, "Hurry up, or it will really be too late. Don't forget, your sister-in-law is still missing; you need to help Brother Qiu find her."
Zhang Qiu tightly grasped Yang Yu's shoulders. "Rui Rui is right; you must bring Xue'er back safely."
"Don't worry, Brother Qiu, I will definitely find her safely." A tear rolled down Yang Yu's cheek as he steeled himself. He waved to the Brothers and shouted, "Let's go!"
Yang Yu handed the knife in his hand to Yang Yu, who accepted it. Rui Rui then tossed her baseball bat and helped Zhang Qiu drape an arm over her shoulder for support. Looking into Rui Rui's determined eyes, Zhang Qiu felt a pang of guilt and said slowly, "Rui Rui, you shouldn't stay behind."
"No," Rui Rui shook her head firmly. "I should; I want to stay with you."
Zhang Qiu watched as a police car stopped in front of them. Two unfamiliar police officers emerged: an older officer in his forties accompanied by a young police officer in his twenties. The two officers got out with umbrellas, the flashing lights on top of the police car creating a dreamlike effect in the rain.
"Master, what should we do? Should we call for an ambulance?" the young police officer asked the older one.
"Just watch me; this kind of situation doesn't happen often. Follow along to gain some experience."
The older officer glanced at the blue cursive letters above the entrance that read 'Blue Rose Entertainment City.' The bloodstains left from the fight had been washed away by the heavy rain, and the discarded weapons had been cleaned up by Azure Blue Rose's people. The older officer approached Zhang Qiu and looked at the injured young man and the beautiful girl supporting him. His eyes flickered as he asked, "Are you a student from No. 1 High School?"
Zhang Qiu nodded, glancing at his school uniform that he hadn't had time to change out of. "Yes, I am a student from No. 1 High School."
"You were fighting, right? Come on, let's go back to the station."
The older officer pushed Zhang Qiu and Rui Rui into the police car and locked the doors. Outside, the young police officer asked, "Master, should we pursue the ones who escaped?"
"No need; those two are our breakthrough point." The older officer's wise gaze pierced through the layers of rain and fog toward the distance.
While patrolling with his apprentice, he suddenly noticed a large crowd gathered in the distance. With his experience, he immediately understood what was happening. He activated the siren and pressed down on the accelerator toward the scene. The crowd began to disperse as he drove while calling for backup. However, he knew that most of those fleeing would likely not be caught by his team. He didn't want to continue chasing with his apprentice; having this man and woman was enough. Although a sudden downpour had washed away many traces, the boy's injuries and the numerous surveillance cameras around would effectively reconstruct what had happened.
Inside the Santana police car, four people sat in silence, each lost in their thoughts. Rui Rui looked fearfully at the two police officers in front of her, especially at the young police officer whose hand rested on his waist. Although he wasn't armed with a gun, the array of non-lethal weapons made her uneasy. Zhang Qiu sat comfortably in his seat; he was exhausted and finally able to rest for a moment.
Seeing Zhang Qiu close his eyes amidst her fear made Rui Rui panic. She shook him vigorously while calling out, "Brother Qiu! Brother Qiu! Are you okay, Brother Qiu?"
The older police officer glanced at them through the rearview mirror and reminded them, "Be quiet; no talking in the car."
Zhang Qiu opened his eyes and squeezed out a faint smile at Rui Rui. It was the first time Rui Rui had seen Zhang Qiu so weak, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes as she clutched the iron bars of the car and shouted, "Officer, officer, let's hurry to the hospital! He might not make it!"
"Officer?" The old policeman savored the word and glanced back at the rear seat. "Don't worry, he will be fine."
"But he's lost so much blood!" Rui Rui held onto the iron bars tightly, her voice hoarse from shouting.
The old policeman ignored her. When he was escorting Zhang Qiu into the police car, he had already observed the young man's injuries. Several wounds were knife wounds; they weren't deep, but the amount of blood was alarming. It wasn't yet critical enough to require immediate hospital treatment. The decision of when to go rested with him; the police station was only a ten-minute drive away. The old policeman wanted to handle Zhang Qiu's wounds simply at the station first. With so many people on the run, it was essential to conduct interrogations quickly. There was no need for sympathy towards these societal scum.
"Go to the hospital!" Rui Rui continued to shout while tightly gripping Zhang Qiu's hand. "Zhang Qiu, you mustn't sleep! You can't sleep!"
The old policeman pressed down on the siren and sped down the road. The Young Police Officer looked at the distraught Rui Rui and shouted, "Be quiet! Be quiet! Don't forget where you are!"
Zhang Qiu reached out and grabbed Rui Rui's arm. She snapped back to reality and looked at him with concern, her pain evident in her eyes. Rui Rui cried out, "Zhang Qiu, you mustn't be in any danger!"
Zhang Qiu pulled Rui Rui into his embrace weakly and said, "Don't worry, I will be fine. We will both be fine."
Rui Rui felt the warmth of Zhang Qiu's body as tears flowed freely from her eyes. Zhang Qiu held her tightly, his emotions complex as he looked at the two policemen in front of him. He thought of Jiang Xue, who he didn't know where she was or how she was doing, and of the prison disaster that awaited him. He sighed deeply.
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