The one thing Xiao Luo hated the most was being threatened, especially by a woman. To begin with, he already had a great dislike for this woman, and now this verbal assault was just making it worse. Irked, Xiao Luo got up and walked to the balcony to get out of earshot. When he got there, he suddenly laughed into the phone and said, "It's been a while since I last saw you, Officer Gu. It seems you haven't changed one bit—you're still as charming as ever!"
"Whether or not I've changed isn't any of your business. I'm warning you to leave my younger sister alone, do you hear me?" Gu Qianlin screamed.
"I'm not going to leave her alone just because you tell me to. Wouldn't it be an insult to my manhood if I just do as you say? Mmm, just so you know, we'll be having a shower later, then we'll probably not put our clothes on when we go to bed. Yes, she'll spend the night with me," Xiao Luo said with a cruel smile.
"B*stard, I dare you to do that?" Gu Qianlin threatened.
"I don't even have any qualms about killing. Do you think I wouldn't have the guts to bed a woman?" Xiao Luo retorted.
Over the phone, all that could be heard was Gu Qianlin's heaving and puffing. She was outraged and about to explode. But, she couldn't think of anything to say.
This was precisely the outcome Xiao Luo had hoped for, and he still didn't let up. He laughed and said, "Your younger sister is much more feminine than you are. Don't worry, I'll be gentle."
Having formed a nasty mental picture in Gu Qianlin's mind, Xiao Luo immediately put the phone down without giving Gu Qianlin a chance to say anything. Shallow as it may seem, it still made him feel so much better afterward. He was quite sure that he had gotten under her skin and hoped that she wouldn't be able to sit still. Ideally, she would not be able to even get a wink tonight.
When he turned around, he was shocked to find Gu Qianxue standing right behind him. Her face was slightly red with embarrassment. "Xiao Luo, you... you were deliberately trying to make my sister angry, right?" she said.
Oh-oh, did she hear all the things that he had just said?
Xiao Luo's face turned lobster red. He had only said those things to Gu Qianlin to rile her, but now Gu Qianxue had heard all of it. This had suddenly become terribly awkward.
He coughed in embarrassment and tried to calm himself down. "Yes, you don't have to worry about a thing. I won't do anything to you," he said.
Gu Qianxue shook her head and said, "I wasn't worried about that."
"That's good. It's getting late, you should rest early. You can sleep in the bedroom, I'll sleep outside, just call me if anything happens," Xiao Luo responded, quickly changing the subject.
"Hmm, alright!" Gu Qianxue said, nodding her head.
...
It rained the entire night without respite, but the next day the sky cleared up. It turned out to be a sunny day, and the air was exceptionally fresh.
Gu Qianxue had recovered well and felt a lot better now, especially after having a good night's rest. She had woken up very early and was already all dressed by six in the morning. She was naturally wearing Su Li's clothes, and they fit her like a glove.
Xiao Luo's plan was to accompany her and bring her on tour around Xiahai City before sending her home later. He still had many things to do and couldn't be by her side every single day. Besides, it was already kind of weird that they were both were living together.
"Xiao Luo, let's head out now," Gu Qianxue said. She was excited to go out and have some fun and seemed to be really looking forward to it.
"Hmm."
Xiao Luo nodded his head. After recalling what Su Li had said about their contractual relationship last night, he dropped the idea of informing her and headed out with Gu Qianxue.
"Stand right there!"
As soon as they arrived on the ground floor of Crescent Bay Hotel, a booming voice called out.
From the sofa in the lobby, a man who looked like he was in his mid-thirties stood up and walked toward Xiao Luo at a brisk pace.
The man had a strong military bearing, and it caused Xiao Luo to furrow his eyebrows. "Is there a problem here?" he asked.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm the commander of the Xiahai Military Region, Zhuo Yuze. I have heard that you're strong and skillful, and I'm here to enlist you on behalf of the country," he said.
"Commander of the Xiahai Military Region?"
Xiao Luo gave the man a critical once over. Then he noticed two rows of soldiers in military fatigues filing in purposefully. Clasping onto their assault rifles, their faces looked grim but not angry. Still, their appearance intimidated the staff of Crescent Bay Hotel.
Suddenly, a familiar-looking man wearing glasses walked in behind the troops. Xiao Luo immediately recognized that he was the very guy who was known as the number one paparazzi in Xiahai—Zhuo Wei. The arm that Xiao Luo had broken the other night was now in a cast and slung across his chest. Xiao Luo immediately realized what was going on here.
Xiao Luo glared at the commander. "What's the relationship between you and him?" he asked.
Zhuo Yuze's eyes glowered, and he replied, "He's my brother."
"Oh, so that's how it's going to be," Xiao Luo said.
He gave the man a mocking smile and said, "As a commander, you should be around the rank of senior colonel, correct? You should be about 34 this year. To already achieve the rank of senior colonel when you're only 34... hmm, I bet you climbed your way up through some family connections? Have you ever attended military school? You don't even know how to sit or stand properly, so it seems to me like you got in through the back door."
"You b*stard, so cocky when you're about to die. Is your brain filled with nothing but sh*t?" Zhuo Wei snarled.
Zhuo Yuze raised his hand, signaling his brother not to say anything. He stared at Xiao Luo with glowering eyes and scowled, "You want to know something? You're the first person who has the guts to speak to me like that."
"You're also the first person who has the guts to talk to Xiao Luo like that," Gu Qianxue said, suddenly joining the fray.
Hmm? What an innocent and beautiful looking young girl!
Zhuo Wei's anger-filled eyes glinted when he saw Gu Qianxue. Just you wait, you little girl, once I get rid of this Xiao Luo, I'm going to come and conquer you, he thought to himself.
"Why are you looking at me? Look at me again, and I will gouge your eyeballs out!"
Gu Qianxue hated the lewd look in Zhuo Wei's eyes. She was definitely not the kind of girl who shied away meekly.
"Hahaha..."
Zhuo Yuze laughed crudely and said, "I see... so you're a savage horse! My younger brother loves savage horses because it's going to be so much more enjoyable to ride on one."
Hearing the commander speak in such a salacious manner, a cold light gleamed in Xiao Luo's eyes. He discreetly scanned his surroundings and analyzed the situation. He took note that there were two platoons of armed soldiers, and they were undoubtedly carrying live ammunition. He decided to hold back as this was not a suitable place for him to take action now.
Gu Qianxue might be innocent, but it was not like she didn't understand what was happening, and her face turned red in anger. As long as Xiao Luo gave her some sort of signal, she would make sure she beat these bunch of people up.
Zhuo Yuze looked at Xiao Luo once again and said, "Let's go, I'm representing the country, and I'm here to recruit you!"
The commander spoke in a casual tone that sounded like there was only one path that Xiao Luo could take.
As long as he recruited Xiao Luo, he could make life difficult for him at any given moment. The commander had been through thick and thin with Zhuo Wei since they were kids and were really close to one another. Since Zhuo Wei was assaulted so severely, he swore that he would make the other person pay a hefty price for it.
"Can I refuse?" Xiao Luo asked, looking at the commander without any defiance. There was no need for him to show anger toward someone who was about to die.
As if he just heard a joke, Zhuo Yuze laughed like a madman and said, "What do you think?"
Zhuo Wei was incensed. "B*stard, to be so cocky just because you're a little capable... You must be the husband of that slutty Su Li. You can't fool me. I've already told you, I'm not someone you should mess around with. You better move while you still can. Otherwise, we'll just drag you along," he said, and gloated, "The moment my brother gives the order, that slut Su Li upstairs right now will be thrown off the building. It'll be in the headlines tomorrow, and the public will read that the national goddess Su Li had committed suicide after jumping off the building due to depression, hahaha..."
Evidently, someone had already entered Su Li's apartment and was in control of Su Li right now!
Xiao Luo read between the lines and understood this from Zhuo Wei's words. He slowly clenched his fist tightly, and a murderous intent formed from this provocation.
Xiao Luo contained his urge to murder these people outright by complying with the commander's demand for the time being. "Alright, I'll go with you," he snarled.
"A wise man submits to their fate; I look up to people like you."
Zhuo Yuze sniggered and said, "Tie him up for me!"
"How dare you?" Gu Qianxue could no longer hold it in. The anger in her body was about to explode.
Xiao Luo checked her aggression. "It's alright, I'll go with them. Please go and have a look at the apartment just opposite of mine. If you happen to see anything dirty, get rid of it for me," he said. Of course, he meant for her to make sure that Su Li was safe first.
"Yes, come back quickly and bring me out to have fun," Gu Qianxue said, understanding his intentions.
Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei were not expecting Gu Qianxue to be a martial arts expert and were naturally unaware of the threat she posed. At that moment, all they did was laugh at how innocent she was. To think that she even thought that Xiao Luo would be coming back! But what they didn't know was that they were getting closer and closer toward their own deaths.
*****
Xiao Luo's hands were tied behind his back, and they brought him into a six-seater military vehicle. Two fully armed soldiers were in the back guarding him, along with Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei.
"I've always respected soldiers because they're a group of people who contribute without asking for anything in return, and they silently protect this country and its citizens. But you guys are the black sheep of the military," Xiao Luo said.
The faces of the two soldiers beside him changed a little. They knew what they were doing, and all the more understood what their commander Zhuo Yuze's motive was. There was nothing to be proud of having mobilized a fully armed platoon just to deal with a mere citizen, as well as taking his girl as a hostage. It was just despicable and shameless. But as soldiers themselves, they didn't have a choice either as following orders was something they had to do.
Zhuo Yuze, who was sitting in the middle, immediately got up. He gave Xiao Luo a good slap across his face.
SLAP!
It stung. Zhuo Yuze glared at Xiao Luo and said, "Brat, when you're with me, you better remember, if I do not allow you to say anything, then you better keep your mouth shut!" He then glanced at Zhuo Wei feeling good about himself. "Brother, what kind of dog sh*t is this? Are you sure he was the one who broke your arm? Why did he turn into a dog all of a sudden?" he mocked.
Zhuo Wei giggled. "No matter how cocky or arrogant he is, he won't have the guts to jump and hop around in front of you, brother," he said.
Xiao Luo sneered in his heart. He closed his eyes and tried his best to suppress the urge to kill them where they sat.
There were another two vehicles behind their military truck. They headed directly toward the Xiahai Military Region headquarters located in the suburbs. Soon, they were passing through Wild Wolf Mountain. The road was narrow with the mountain wall on one side and on the cliff on the other. The route was sure to make any newbie driver tremble in fear.
Zhuo Yuze handed a piece of paper to Xiao Luo and said, "Sign your name here. You will then be inducted into the military system and shall become a glorious soldier from then on."
After listening to the word "glorious," the faces of the two soldiers who were sitting beside Xiao Luo turned a little red.
Xiao Luo kept his eyes closed and ignored him. He couldn't be bothered to answer a guy who was going to die soon.
Suddenly, the handphone inside his pocket started ringing.
He opened his eyes, turned his head toward one of the soldiers beside him, and said, "Please help me pick up the phone!"
The soldier hesitated a little, and although he was within Zhuo Yuze's sight, he still took out the handphone from Xiao Luo's pocket nonetheless and went ahead to receive the call.
"Xiao Luo, where are you right now?" Su Li's anxious voice could be heard coming from the handphone.
"I'm inside a military vehicle right now."
Xiao Luo took a look at the documents that Zhuo Yuze handed over. He laughed playfully and said, "Seems like they're trying to recruit me into the military."
"You try to hold them off for now. I'll think of something and come save you. What these people are doing is kidnap! I'll be sure they send you back in one piece," Su Li said.
"You don't have to do that. I'll be back in just a bit. Right, I'm guessing Gu Qianxue must have taken care of the hooligans who barged their way into your apartment?" Xiao Luo asked.
"Yeah, she's already dealt with them," Su Li replied.
A smirk could be seen coming from the corner of Xiao Luo's mouth. A murderous intent started exuding from his body. "That's great!"
The next second, the rope that bound him burst apart, and he was suddenly free.
The two soldiers right beside him were shocked. With just his brute strength alone, he had managed to rip the coir rope that would easily keep two adult men restrained. What kind of monster was this?
Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei were equally shocked as well. They refused to believe what they had just witnessed.
"It's my turn."
Xiao Luo sneered. He was like a devil that had broken free from his shackles. His entire body was filled with a murderous aura.
The two brothers, Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei, didn't even have the time to react as Xiao Luo grabbed them by their necks. His five fingers were so strong that they felt like steel pliers. He held tightly onto their trachea and esophagus. Forget screaming; even breathing became difficult all of a sudden! Their faces turned red immediately, like a pig's liver.
The driver was surprised and stepped on the brakes immediately. At the same time, he shouted into the walkie talkie that was equipped inside the vehicle: "There's a problem here, there's a problem here, the target has broken free, he's grabbing the commander's neck and choking him now."
The two soldiers who were beside Xiao Luo were about to take action.
"Don't forget your commander is in my hands now, just a light pinch, and he is going to die!" Xiao Luo warned, giving the soldiers a grim smile.
The two of them were stunned, and in that moment of hesitation, Xiao Luo let go of Zhuo Yuze and Zhou Wei's neck. He decided to take care of those two soldiers before he had some fun with Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei later.
Thump! Thump!
He smacked their shoulders with open-handed strikes that hit them like a blunt knife, and the two soldiers fainted immediately. Xiao Luo decided not to kill them since both of them didn't really do anything too cruel.
The driver was so scared that he had already opened the door and ran out of the truck. The soldiers in the other two vehicles behind seemed to be aware of what was going on. A troop of soldiers got out of those vehicles and pointed their assault rifles at Xiao Luo.
"Let go of our commander. Otherwise, we're going to shoot!" The soldier at the front shouted with a loud and clear voice.
Xiao Luo looked at Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei, who were both coughing violently. He opened the door and strolled out of the vehicle.
Just when Zhuo Yuze thought he would surrender himself, Xiao Luo surprisingly charged toward his platoon like a cheetah.
The soldier right in front was shocked. The murderous aura coming from Xiao Luo's body indicated that danger was imminent. He screamed and shouted loudly: "Open fire, shoot and kill this guy!"
Bang, bang, bang!
All of a sudden, sparks were flying in all directions. Bullets were all over the place, and like flame moths, a countless number of shots scattered in the path of Xiao Luo as if he was inside a zone of shells.
"Just die! I was worried I wouldn't have to chance to kill you. But not anymore. Attacking the commander who tried to recruit you on behalf of the country, this crime alone is enough for you to die, hahaha..." Zhuo Yuze howled derisively and started laughing.
Zhuo Wei said, "That fool, he actually walked right into those bullets! Brother, thank you for your help."
"We're brothers. Whoever has the guts to bully you is just courting death!" Zhuo Yuze said, his eyes gleaming with pride.
The gunshots stopped after a couple of seconds. Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei got out of the vehicle and was sure that no matter how capable Xiao Luo was, he would surely be dead this time. His body was going to be riddled with holes like a honeycomb, thanks to the hail of bullets. But they were dumbfounded as soon as they got out of the vehicle to take a look. All the soldiers were lying sprawled on the ground; not a single one was on his feet.
Huh?
The two brothers gasped. This was a platoon of soldiers, and they were armed with assault rifles. How was it possible that all of them were lying on the ground? What in the world happened here?
Xiao Luo was the only guy standing, and Zhuo Yuze was staring at his back, dumbfounded. He mumbled to himself in trepidation, and his face was pale with fear. Cold sweat started dripping like spring water, for he realized a problem here—this guy was an extremely terrifying person.
"Commander Zhuo, are you still thinking of recruiting me?"
Zhuo Yuze suddenly heard a voice right next to his ear, and a hand was resting on his shoulder. He took a good look, and it was Xiao Luo! He was standing beside Zhuo Yuze, and he somehow got there without making a single sound at all.
Oh, God, how... how was this possible...
He looked at the spot where Xiao Luo was just moments ago and took another look at Xiao Luo, who was standing right beside him now. His face turned pale.
Zhuo Wei was so scared he was already sitting on the ground, and he looked at Xiao Luo with trembling eyes.