Chapter 42: The Fight
After reaching the rooftop of Building Two, Ye Xing took a piece of cloth from his pocket, tied it around the back of his head, and covered his face. He didn’t want to reveal his identity and attract trouble.
Once his face was masked, he immediately headed down the rooftop stairs.
As he neared the second floor, Ye Xing slowed his steps and heightened his senses. Since becoming a Martial Artist, all of his physical attributes, including his hearing and vision, had improved dramatically. Even without using True Qi, he was far superior to an ordinary person.
Unlike the noisy exterior, it was very quiet inside the building.
By now, the sky had grown somewhat dim. On the second floor, a faint candlelight could be seen filtering out of a room on the right. The abandoned factory had been deserted for years, its power long since cut, so there was no chance of electric lights. The candlelight, therefore, was most likely lit by the criminals.
Ye Xing immediately began to sneak down the second-floor hallway toward that room.
He was only halfway there when a soft footstep suddenly sounded from within the room ahead.
Ye Xing’s expression changed. He quickly circulated his True Qi, tapped his feet lightly on the ground, and shot upwards. He pressed himself against the hallway ceiling, spreading his arms and legs like a gecko to brace himself against the edges, and looked ahead.
The next moment, one of the criminals emerged from the candlelit room, handgun at the ready. He cautiously poked his head out, glanced left and right down the hall, and, seeing nothing unusual, went back inside.
’They’re actually being pretty careful!’ Ye Xing thought. He released his grip and floated down from the ceiling, his feet touching the ground without a sound.
After cautiously taking about ten more steps, he finally reached the candlelit room. Ye Xing peered through the window into the room.
The room wasn’t very large and was piled with trash and broken tables and chairs. A single candle flickered on one of the dilapidated old tables, its flame crackling and swaying in the breeze, casting a dim yellow light that illuminated most of the room.
In a corner of the room were two little boys. Their eyes were wide with terror, their hands and feet bound with rope, unable to move. Each of the two criminals held a handgun, the dark muzzles pressed directly against the boys’ foreheads. Clearly, if the police dared to come up, they would open fire and kill the hostages at the slightest sign of trouble.
Suddenly—
WHOOSH! The candle on the table abruptly went out, plunging the room into darkness. Only the hazy moonlight remained, faintly outlining a few blurry shapes.
"What happened? Why’d the candle suddenly go out?"
One of the criminals tensed up immediately.
"It’s nothing. Probably just the wind!"
The other criminal took a lighter from his pocket, walked over, and relit the candle. A dim yellow glow spread out, and the room was bright again.
"That’s weird. I didn’t feel any wind just now, did you?"
"Yeah, that is a little creepy!"
The two criminals muttered to each other.
Outside the window, Ye Xing picked another small pebble off the ground. He gazed into the room, circulated his Innate Skill, and channeled a wisp of True Qi into his right hand. Pinching the pebble between his index and middle fingers, he gave it a light flick.
Instantly, the pebble shot forward at an astonishing speed and struck the candle’s wick. The flame was extinguished at once, and the room was plunged into darkness again.
"Shit, what the hell? How’d it go out again!" one of the criminals cursed loudly. He walked over and lit the candle once more.
"Kunzi, I heard this abandoned factory is haunted. You think... you think there might be something... unclean in here?" the other criminal asked nervously, looking around suspiciously.
"What could there be? Even if there was a ghost, I’d blow it away with one shot," the criminal named Kunzi scoffed. He then said irritably, "I wonder how Brother Ma’s negotiations are going downstairs. It’s been so long! If it were up to me, I’d pop one of them to scare those cops. I bet they wouldn’t dare refuse us then."
"We were in a hurry when we escaped, and we only managed to grab two hostages. If we kill one, the cops will be even less likely to agree to our demands."
"Dammit, this waiting is pissing me off. Xiangzi, you watch this place. I’m going downstairs to see how the negotiations are going!" one of the criminals said, getting up to leave.
"Kunzi, where the hell are you going? I’ll be here all alone! What if the cops raid the place?!" the other criminal yelled.
"What the hell are you afraid of? If the cops dare to come in, just open fire. Pop one of them first, then we’ll talk," the short, stocky criminal shouted, starting for the door.
The other criminal glanced at the dark, yellowed walls and then at the candle on the table. A sense of dread washed over him, and he yelled, "This room is creepy as hell! If anyone’s going, it should be me. You stay here and watch them."
"You have no f*cking guts!" the short, stout criminal said with contempt. "Fine, you go then. Ask Brother Ma what’s up. If those cops don’t agree, tell him we’ll start by chopping off one of these hostages’ arms."
"Alright, just you f*cking watch them carefully!" the other criminal retorted, standing up and heading for the door.
Outside the room, a cold glint flashed in Ye Xing’s eyes. He tapped his feet lightly on the ground, shot upwards, and once again pressed himself against the top of the hallway.
A moment later, one of the criminals walked out of the room and headed for the stairwell.
Just as the criminal passed directly below him, Ye Xing moved. He dropped from above, his hand held stiff like a blade. The knife hand struck the back of the criminal’s neck as fast as lightning. Before the man could even make a sound, he collapsed, unconscious.
Inside the room,
The short, stocky criminal was guarding the hostages when the room suddenly went dark. The candle on the table had once again been extinguished without any warning.
"Son of a bitch! That’s the third time! Where the hell is this wind coming from? There’s no wind! Why did the candle go out again?!" The stocky criminal flew into a rage. He fumbled in his pocket for his lighter, intending to light the candle again.
Just then—
WHOOSH! A figure flashed past, appearing inside the room and lunging toward him.
"F*cker, it’s the cops! I’ll waste you!" The stocky criminal’s eyes turned savage. He dropped the lighter and raised his handgun.
"You’re courting death!" A cold light flashed in Ye Xing’s eyes. He took out a coin, channeled his True Qi, and threw it. The coin whizzed through the air, shooting forward.
CLANG!
The coin struck the stocky criminal’s wrist with perfect accuracy. He hadn’t even had time to pull the trigger before a sharp pain shot through his wrist, causing him to drop the handgun to the floor.
The criminal’s reactions were extremely quick; he immediately crouched down to pick up the gun.
His hand was perhaps only a fraction of a millimeter from the gun when a leg swept toward him. To his horror, he saw the sole of a shoe expanding infinitely before his eyes.
BAM!
The sole of the shoe planted itself squarely on the criminal’s face. An immense force erupted, and Ye Xing’s kick sent the man flying. His body, like a limp sack, slammed hard against the wall before crashing back to the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust.