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墨書 Inktalez
"Is it you?"
It turned out that Li Ping recognized me. I remained silent, on high alert, and secretly tightened my grip on the Steel Rod.
"You were lucky last time; this time, you won't escape," Li Ping said coldly.
A thought crossed my mind. Why not take this opportunity to stall? Ah Huang wasn't a fool; if nothing was happening on their end, they would definitely realize something was off here and would come rushing over if they couldn't reach me. If I could buy some time, why take the risk?
So I continued his line of thought. "You're the one who can't escape. You were behind those three missing persons cases, right? After searching for so long without a trace, did you kill them all?"
"Hmph, you're not a bad cop for finding me. But so what? They all deserved to die."
Hmm? I was somewhat surprised. Did they have some kind of grudge? But considering these individuals didn't know each other, how could they possibly have a vendetta against Li Ping?
"I'm not a cop," I replied calmly.
"Oh? Then mind your own business!" Li Ping snarled.
"Were you in the military?" I asked unexpectedly.
Li Ping paused for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words. "How do you know?"
"Your habits reflect military traits everywhere; you even carry your service cup with you. Plus, you're quite agile and alert. The fake ID you're using is completely untraceable to your real identity; you probably aren't even named Li Ping. But all of this indicates that you're from the military—you're either a veteran or a discharged soldier!" My mind raced as I pieced everything together more clearly.
Li Ping fell silent again, while the large dog beside him growled, ready to attack as if annoyed by our conversation. "Taotie," Li Ping whispered sharply, and the dog immediately quieted down and lay down.
"Hehe, Taotie, we've been recognized," Li Ping said with a strange laugh. He lowered his head to look at his large dog before turning his face toward me. "What about you? You're wearing military officer's shoes; are you also returning to civilian life? Planning to join the police? Working so hard to track me down."
Li Ping's voice lost its coldness and took on a calm tone, with a hint of sarcasm in his last remark.
I straightened my posture. "You're mistaken; I'm an active-duty soldier. I'm investigating you just to help a police friend. Besides, I can't just ignore something like this when it crosses my path."
"You've got some spirit," Li Ping scoffed lightly. After a pause, he added quietly, "Considering you're a soldier, I've changed my mind this time. I won't kill you; you can go."
I was taken aback and stood frozen in place as Li Ping continued, "Aren't you leaving yet?"
I let out a soft breath. "So now I should thank you? However, I can't leave."
"Why?" Li Ping's voice began to chill.
"I have to take you in. Since you dared to kill, you must face the consequences. You can't leave, but you can turn yourself in. Out of respect for our past as comrades, I can plead for you," I said, tightening my grip on the Steel Rod.
"Hahaha!" Li Ping laughed loudly, as if he had heard the funniest joke.
"Fool! Do you think I'm like you?" Li Ping shouted.
"Don't be stubborn; it's not too late to turn back now."
"Tao Tie! Get ready." Li Ping suddenly pulled out a dagger-like weapon from who knows where, its entire body pitch black. I knew it was the kind of combat knife used by Scouts, designed not to reflect light at night with its black blade.
"Li Ping, do you remember your oath when you enlisted?!" I shouted.
Li Ping paused for a moment, then sneered, "Don't give me that crap! When I was in the army, you probably didn't even know where I was! Go!"
Tao Tie let out a low growl and lunged at me!
I pressed against the wall, with nowhere to retreat. I had no choice but to swing the rod and strike back. Who would have thought this dog could still maneuver in mid-air? The rod hit its shoulder, and its massive body sank down, landing right in front of me. The large dog immediately snapped its jaws at my leg!
Just as I was about to retract the rod to stab it, I caught a glimpse of Li Ping silently lunging toward me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him reverse grip the dagger and slash toward my neck.
With no way to dodge, I had to think quickly. I pushed the Steel Rod diagonally to the left, hoping it would block the dagger while my right side would fend off Tao Tie's bite!
There was a clang as I managed to block the attack, but the lower end of the rod was caught in Tao Tie's massive jaws, along with my leg. A sharp pain shot through my leg; I guessed the dog's teeth had sunk into it. However, with the Steel Rod in between, it shouldn't be able to bite down fully.
The coordination between Li Ping and Tao Tie was too good. Li Ping wielded his dagger while I held my rod. He shouldn't have been able to get close to me; at least he shouldn't have been able to reach me. But the problem was that Li Ping always let Tao Tie take the lead. Its sturdy body could take a few hits without issue. Once Tao Tie got close enough, Li Ping would often follow up unexpectedly with a sneak attack. If he missed, he would dodge away and wait for Tao Tie's next round of assault.
I felt too passive; within just a few exchanges, I was already injured. If this continued, I would surely die sooner or later. Panic began to set in.
In that fleeting moment of clarity amidst fear, I suddenly shouted loudly and kicked my left leg hard to the side while pressing down on the middle of the Steel Rod with my left hand. The rod split into two pieces as I swung one half down toward the dog's head.
There was a dull thud as my strike landed solidly on its head. Even though the large dog was strong, it staggered back a few steps after taking that hit.
Li Ping dodged my kick effortlessly, and I ended up kicking nothing but air.
Seizing the opportunity despite the pain in my leg, I maneuvered between a person and a dog, gripping a short Steel Rod in each hand as I stood in the courtyard, facing my adversary.
"You've got some skills. Are you also a Scout?" Li Ping asked, surprised.
"No, I'm from the Engineer Corps," I replied honestly, hoping to buy some time and undermine Li Ping's confidence.
"That's quite rare! What are those things in your hands? They look strange," Li Ping seemed momentarily taken aback by my stance.
"Dog-beating sticks!" I retorted irritably. The courtyard was spacious; even though it was one against two, at least I had room to dodge. I was confident that I wouldn't be taken down anytime soon. As long as I could hold on until Ah Huang arrived, we would definitely catch Li Ping!
As I momentarily lost focus, Li Ping shouted, "Go!" He and Taotie lunged at me simultaneously. This time, the big dog aimed to bite my leg while Li Ping thrust his knife toward my waist.
With two Short Staffs in hand, I felt much more at ease. I quickly stepped back, taking advantage of Taotie's speed. My left stick swung down toward its head. The clever dog anticipated my move and quickly shifted to the side, changing its target from my left leg to my right.
I had already predicted this maneuver; my right stick was ready. With a swift motion, I struck down hard on its head.
Taotie shook its head and paused for a moment. Just then, Li Ping's attack came. My left stick swept across toward his head while my right stick shot upward to deflect his thrust.
Before my stick could reach him, Li Ping retreated and hid behind Taotie—how cunning!
I took another step back, positioning myself with both sticks ready, facing them defiantly.
My strategy was primarily defensive; I sought not to achieve glory but merely to avoid defeat. As long as I could hold out a little longer, it would be a success. And as long as I remained standing, they couldn't escape. Of course, Taotie could flee, but Li Ping couldn't. Thus, this confrontation had unwittingly devolved into a life-and-death struggle—neither side willing to relent.
Having taken two heavy blows to the head, even the Tibetan Mastiff couldn't endure much longer. It growled lowly while shaking its head as if trying to shake off the pain. Its thick skin and tough flesh meant that hitting its body had little effect; this was the only method I had left.
"Charge again!" Li Ping commanded once more. This time he rushed forward first while Taotie hesitated before launching itself at me as well. The two of them nearly reached me simultaneously—damn it! When did dogs become so smart?
Li Ping aimed his knife at my chest. He was clever enough to know that slashing with the knife against my long weapon would be ineffective and easily deflected. But stabbing was different; he needed to either parry or deflect my staff while also dealing with the dog below me. It was impossible to guard against both threats at once; if I failed even once, I'd be vulnerable to an attack from Taotie.
No joke—one bite from that dog would be unbearable!
There was no more time to waste. I had no choice but to suddenly shift my body to the side, narrowly avoiding Li Ping's thrust. At the same time, I swung my short staff downwards, determined to take a hit if it meant bringing down the Vicious Dog!
To my surprise, after taking two hits from me, the Taotie seemed to have learned its lesson. This time, instead of trying to bite me, it lowered its head and charged directly at me with incredible speed. My staff struck its back, but the weight and momentum sent me staggering back two or three steps until I fell face-first onto the ground.
The moment I hit the ground, I knew I was in trouble. Sure enough, before I could even straighten up, a heavy body leaped onto me— it was the Taotie!
I barely managed to cross my short staff in front of my face just in time. With a loud clang, the Taotie bit down on the steel rod. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead; if that bite had landed on my head or face, I would have been finished!
The Taotie pressed down with all its might while I struggled to hold up the steel rod, hoping to push it away. But this beast had both front legs resting on the rod as well, and I felt an overwhelming force pushing down on me. The steel rod was forced closer to my face!
I was in despair; in this position, if Li Ping came back for another strike, I would be done for. But there was no choice—I had to deal with the Taotie first! With all my strength, I held the Taotie's massive jaws at bay with my staff. The foul stench of its breath was right in front of me; I could even feel its saliva dripping onto my face!
I had a premonition that my chest and abdomen would soon be pierced by a knife or several knives. Ah, I wondered if dying here would count as being a Martyr? What the hell! Why was I thinking about this now? Just hold on.
After several tense seconds of stalemate, I suddenly realized that Li Ping hadn’t followed me!
(To be continued, more exciting developments tomorrow!)
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