Chapter 12: The Firearms Case (Part Two)

"Speak! Who sent you?" Zhao Jiangshan glared at us fiercely, twirling a sharp dagger in her hand. Seeing our silence, her anger grew; she kicked over a wooden barrel nearby. "Refuse a toast, and you’ll drink a forfeit instead!"

Immediately, the bandits began to beat us mercilessly. Whips lashed across our bodies, searing pain biting deep, yet Zhou Jie and the other three remained silent, clenching their teeth and holding steadfast to justice. I watched their reactions carefully.

Zhao Jiangshan grew impatient. She picked up her gun and aimed it at Zhou Jie, the dark muzzle seeming to swallow everything in its path. She glanced at me, as if waiting for my response. I closed my eyes and gave a slight nod. It was an unspoken understanding between us; I trusted that Zhao Jiangshan knew her limits.

The next moment, something miraculous happened. Zhao Jiangshan fired, but it was as if she had become a living outline artist—every shot struck, but none hit anything vital, grazing or missing altogether. Zhou Jie was hit in a few places, but they were all mere flesh wounds.

At that instant, Lu Yun and Wang Qing, quietly using shards of glass they’d picked up from the ground, managed to cut through their ropes. They leapt up to resist, their agile movements allowing them to dodge the female drug lord’s bullets, and with a swift counter, they brought her down.

They hurried over to untie me and Feng Danyan. I was about to make a run for it when I saw another group of drug traffickers emerge from the depths of the cave. From a distance, I signaled Zhao Jiangshan to escape quickly. She saw and immediately began climbing up the mountain.

Now, it was just us against the remaining bandits.

Seeing this, the bandits surged forward. Lu Yun charged first, executing a brilliant spinning kick that knocked down the two in front. Zhou Jie was not to be outdone—quick as lightning, she closed in on the bandits, using close-quarters combat skills to dispatch several in a flash.

I took a deep breath and focused. For a moment, everything around me seemed to slow down; I could clearly see the bandits’ movements and easily dodge their attacks. Each strike I made landed precisely where it counted, taking them out of the fight.

Wang Qing, meanwhile, searched for opportunities, using the environment to her advantage. Spotting some stacked wooden crates in the cave, she hurled a stone at their supports. The crates crashed down, blocking part of the bandits’ advance.

Feng Danyan didn’t join the combat directly, but she cheered us on from the sidelines, keeping a sharp lookout and warning us of any sneak attacks from behind.

Still, the bandits outnumbered us, and we began to struggle. A burly bandit swung a hefty wooden club at Lu Yun. Lu Yun dodged to the side, but the club still grazed his shoulder, causing him to wince in pain.

Zhou Jie, seeing this, rushed to help. She snatched a dagger from the ground and stabbed the burly bandit in the arm. With a cry of pain, he dropped the club. Zhou Jie seized the chance to kick his knee, bringing him down for good.

I continued weaving through the bandits; my abilities gave me a clear advantage, but the prolonged fight was wearing me down. Just then, a bandit crept up behind me, raising his gun for a lethal shot.

"Watch out!" Feng Danyan shouted. Instinctively, I dodged aside; the bullet tore past my clothes. I spun around, eyes flashing coldly, and charged straight at him, landing a punch on his jaw that sent him flying backward, crashing to the ground.

The battle reached its climax, the cave echoing with shouts and clashes. We exchanged blows with the bandits, both sides suffering injuries. Suddenly, I noticed the bandits were maneuvering us into a corner of the cave—it was a trap. I shouted urgently, "Careful, everyone! Don’t let them drive us into the corner!"

Lu Yun and Zhou Jie heard me and adjusted their tactics. Instead of pressing the attack, they began to fight while retreating, keeping their distance from the bandits. Wang Qing continued to use the environment; she found an oil lamp, threw it into the crowd of bandits, and as it shattered, flames erupted. Some bandits caught fire and fled in panic.

Taking advantage of the chaos, we launched a counterattack. I charged first into the bandits’ encirclement, my invincible skills allowing me to move freely among them, forcing them back at every turn. Lu Yun and Zhou Jie followed close behind, working in perfect harmony—one on offense, the other on defense—leaving the bandits powerless to fight back.

Wang Qing joined the fray as well. Though not skilled in hand-to-hand combat, her agility and quick thinking made her a formidable force. She grabbed weapons off the ground and threw them with precision, each one finding its mark.

Feng Danyan provided crucial support, gathering fallen weapons and handing them to us, ensuring we were well-armed.

After nearly two hours of fierce fighting, we finally subdued the remaining bandits. Exhausted and wounded to varying degrees, we nonetheless wore expressions of triumph.

We escorted the deputy drug lord Liu Shun out of the cave, struggling but determined. Outside, the sunlight was blinding as we drove back to the police station. There, we gave a detailed account of our ordeal to the authorities.

Thanks to this operation, we successfully destroyed a major drug trafficking stronghold, for which the police awarded us the second-class merit medal.

Though injured, looking at the gleaming medal, we all felt it had been worth it. This experience only strengthened our resolve to fight crime. No matter what challenges lie ahead, we will stand together, upholding justice.