Chapter Ninety-Seven: A Car (First Update)

Bang!

A gunshot shocked the entire room. Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at Zhang Yunxi and the pistol gripped tightly in her right hand.

Three seconds later, a circular decorative lamp on the ceiling plummeted to the ground, shattering into pieces with a loud crash.

"A real gun?" The audience began to whisper, but not a single person had the courage to leave. Instead, they grew even more excited, jeering, "Kill him! Kill him! Shoot him dead!"

Han Yuan cast a strange look at the clean break in the ceiling lamp. Taking advantage of the crowd's momentary distraction, he retreated a few steps and sprinted toward the iron cage gate. As he neared it, he leaped, grabbed the overhead iron bar, performed a 360-degree flip, and landed steadily beside Zhang Yunxi. "I've seen the first trick. Don't tell me the second one is just for show as well. If you get exposed, the consequences won't be pretty..."

Zhang Yunxi patted Han Yuan on the shoulder, full of confidence. "It won't be exposed, because I'm about to play the second card! Hand-chopping!" She let out a whistle and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Did you fall asleep up there?"

No sooner had she spoken than a rope descended from the ceiling. Shen Yixia, mimicking Tarzan, thumped his chest, slapped his palm against his mouth to make a war cry, grabbed the rope, and swung forcefully toward Chen Chi with a fierce expression. When he was an arm's length away, he let go, roaring, "Donkey rolling, dog digging, asteroid hits the earth!"

Chen Chi was caught off guard by the sudden chaos. He hunched his shoulders, hurriedly shielded his face with his hands, and retreated repeatedly.

Seeing this, Shen Yixia stopped mid-air, performed a one-and-a-half-turn spin, and landed firmly a step away from Chen Chi. He crouched down, raised his right hand with his palm facing up in a classic Spider-Man web-shooting pose, shrugged, and grinned cunningly. "Turtle spitting!'"

A shadow of a green arrow shot toward Chen Chi’s face. After Chen Chi blocked it with his hand, the green arrow revealed its true form: a small, green snake flicking its tongue. It lashed its tail, wrapped tightly around Chen Chi's wrist, and bit down hard. Two sharp fangs embedded deep into Chen Chi's arm. Moments later, before Chen Chi could react, it slithered away and vanished into the floor.

Chen Chi’s vision blurred, and just as he was about to collapse, he bit his tongue hard to force himself to stay conscious. He struggled to steady himself, swaying on the stage as a roar of applause erupted from the audience.

After releasing the snake, Shen Yixia rolled across the floor, grabbed a kitchen knife that had been tossed onto the stage earlier, and charged toward the audience, screaming, "I'm going to slaughter you bastards who are just here for the show!"

The audience immediately descended into chaos. Everyone scrambled to their feet in a panic, pushing and shoving as they surged toward the exits.

Shen Yixia grabbed a disheveled woman from the crowd, pressed her right hand onto a seat, raised the kitchen knife, and brought it down with a heavy thud.

"Ahhh!" Blood sprayed everywhere, and the woman’s blood-curdling screams echoed through the hall. Panic intensified, with people trampling over one another, screams, curses, and cries blending into a cacophony of terror.

Once most of the crowd had fled, the woman lying on the ground clutching her bloody right hand stood up. She brushed back the hair covering her face, revealing Sun Tiantian’s delicate features. She yanked the kitchen knife from her wrist, pulled a tissue from her pocket, and wiped the blood away, revealing skin as smooth as before. Squinting at Shen Yixia, she said coldly, "Your force was one-third stronger than during rehearsals. Were you trying to actually cut my hand off?"

Shen Yixia felt a chill run down his spine under Sun Tiantian’s gaze. He coughed awkwardly, waved his hands, and apologized profusely. "How could that be... I would never let you get hurt. It was my fault; I got a little too carried away..."

Sun Tiantian narrowed her eyes at him for a few seconds, tossed her hair, turned, and walked to the edge of the stage. She picked up the little green snake and said with feigned generosity, "Forget it, I'll let you off this time. If there's a next time... I don't mind performing a live dissection."

Shen Yixia held up four fingers, swearing, "There won't be a next time! I swear, if there is, I’ll never marry anyone but you..." Seeing Sun Tiantian’s expression grow colder rather than warmer, he hurried over to Chen Chi, snatched the wooden mallet from his hand, gave Chen Chi’s head a triumphant whack, and quickly changed the subject. "Old dog, how does my 'Turtle Spitting' taste? Hmph! I finally got revenge for that diarrhea stunt—putting laxatives in my fried dough sticks, you lowlife!"

Chen Chi spat on the ground. "You’re not much better, attacking from the shadows. Despicable!"

"Look clearly at who is in control now," Shen Yixia said, hitting Chen Chi’s head again with the mallet. He pointed to Chen Chi’s bruised arm. "Do you know what poison you’ve been hit with? 'Seven-Step Collapse'! You’ve only got seven steps left in your life, so stop acting tough with me!"

Chen Chi stood proudly. "It's just snake venom. My master will find someone to cure me..." He took a deep breath, ignored Shen Yixia, and turned his gaze to Han Yuan, sneering, "Han Yuan, don't forget what I told you. If you dare to leave today, your sister will be standing in your place tomorrow!"

Han Yuan glanced at the five hulking men who had remained motionless since the start of the chaos. He frowned, scanning the edges of the stage, and scoffed, "Do you watch too many TV dramas, or do you really think I’m as stupid as you? If I listened to you completely, that would be hurting my sister. As long as I am a free man, you wouldn't dare touch a hair on her head. Am I right, Old Master Chen?"

Clap, clap, clap! A round of applause rang out from the right side of the stage. Old Master Chen waddled onto the stage, gave Han Yuan a thumbs-up, and praised him, "Not bad, not bad. Quick-witted and calm under pressure—that alone is more than enough for you to be my granddaughter's husband. How about it? Why not reconsider? If you change your mind now, the past will be wiped clean, and everything that just happened will be as if it never occurred..."

"Indeed a cunning merchant; that abacus of yours is clicking quite loudly," Zhang Yunxi interjected. "If Han Yuan really believes you, he’ll lose everything for nothing. You’re trying to pass off a massive loss as a favor—you truly deserve to be called 'cunning and treacherous'."

Old Master Chen stood beside Chen Chi and gestured to the five hulking men. Once they had returned to his side, he sighed, "Business, after all, has its gains and losses. If you don't want to do things my way, tell me, what kind of business do you want to conduct?"

"It’s simple, for example..." Zhang Yunxi secretly tried to aim her pistol at Old Master Chen, but no matter how she shifted the angle, one of the hulking men always blocked her line of sight. She sighed and pointed at Chen Chi. "I can give him the antidote for the snake venom, but he has to get on his knees and act like a dog!"

"No need," Chen Chi sneered. "My master can find an antidote for me in minutes... right, Master?"

"Yes and no. I can find someone to formulate an antidote for you, but it requires many procedures and takes time. So, finding the antidote is no problem, but whether you can survive until it's ready is another matter..." Old Master Chen patted Chen Chi on the shoulder. "A-Chi, a poet once said, some people live, yet they are already dead; some die, yet they still live... Do you understand?"

Chen Chi paused, then nodded with a bitter face. "I understand!"

"The antidote is right here," Sun Tiantian said, pulling a syringe from her pocket, her face dimpled with a sweet smile. "If you want it, beg me. If I’m in a good mood, I might just spare your pathetic life. Hurry! Get on the ground and bark like a dog. Otherwise, you're really going to be a goner!"

"A gentleman can be killed, but not humiliated!" Chen Chi took two steps forward, head held high. "I would rather die than submit!"

Zhang Yunxi coolly racked the slide of her gun, aimed it at Chen Chi’s head, and chuckled, "I didn't expect you to be so tough. I underestimated you—you're really planning to sacrifice your life for justice? Fine, fine! No need to wait for the venom to take effect; I'll grant your wish right now!"

Chen Chi’s Adam's apple bobbed. He glanced at Old Master Chen behind him, then dropped to his knees with a thud. "Woof! Woof-woof!" He looked up at Sun Tiantian with a fawning expression. "My lady, was that a good bark? If not, I can change it!"

Sun Tiantian glanced at him with disgust and stuck out her tongue. "Disgusting!"

Zhang Yunxi curled her lip. "I actually think it was pretty good—very lifelike. If you could wag your tail, it would be even more convincing!"

"My ladies..." Chen Chi lay on the floor, forcing an ugly smile, wiggling his rear end happily. "I’m an expert at this! Look, is this better? Woof, woof, woof!"

Sun Tiantian clutched her stomach, laughing until she was bent over, clapping her hands. "How fun!" She tossed the syringe in her hand to Chen Chi. "I always keep my word. Catch it—that’s the only antidote there is!"

Chen Chi scrambled on the floor, carefully catching the syringe with both hands. He hurriedly jammed the needle into his arm and depressed the plunger until the tube was empty. He pulled it out, tossed it aside, and let out a long breath of relief. He stood up, dusted himself off, and said with a venomous look in his eyes, "You’re finished! Even if you crawl like dogs, you won’t survive this!"

Han Yuan looked at Zhang Yunxi, frustrated. "How could you give him the antidote so easily? What were you thinking... this deal was a massive loss. You really aren't cut out for business," he pointed at Chen Chi. "That old dog has no shame; getting him to kneel was easy. Trading the antidote for it wasn't worth it! We should have made them agree to let us leave safely! Now that the antidote is gone and we've lost our leverage, whether we make it out alive depends on luck. You blew it!"

Zhang Yunxi shook her head. "If I had traded the antidote for our safety, that would have been a real loss. Do you really think they would let us go just because of an old dog? He’s just a dog; his death would only save a few mouthfuls of food." She stared at Old Master Chen with interest. "I know you and this old dog are just stalling for time. Whether we give him the antidote or not, you aren't going to let us leave, right, Old Master Chen?"

Old Master Chen’s lips curled upward. "Interesting. Since you knew that, you should have quit while you were ahead and slipped away! But now..." He clapped his hands, and a group of people in black uniforms poured in from all sides of the stage, surrounding Zhang Yunxi and the others ring by ring. The five hulking men began to crack their knuckles. "My men have arrived. Even if you wanted to leave, you can't!"

"Is that so?" Zhang Yunxi smiled mysteriously. "How do you know I wasn't just stalling for time, too? As it happens, my people have arrived as well..."

The moment she finished speaking, a thunderous crash echoed through the hall. A large truck roared through the main entrance, charging onto the stage like a gale, tearing a hole in the circle of men in black. Pipes with burning fuses flew from the driver's cabin, and the stage was instantly engulfed in thick smoke.

A disheveled old man poked his head out of the truck window, waved at Zhang Yunxi and the others, and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Get in the truck!"