The next day, just as dawn broke, Zhou Ziwei was still fast asleep when he was suddenly awakened by the ladybug he had casually placed in the hotel lobby.
He slightly opened his eyes, allowing his somewhat muddled thoughts to gradually clear. Then, he frowned and immediately saw through the ladybug's senses that squads of heavily armed soldiers were rapidly entering the hotel lobby. Judging from their posture and the questions they asked at the service desk, they were there to arrest him.
Zhou Ziwei frowned slightly, knowing that these people were mostly related to the Hong family. It seemed that the Hong family had gone into a state of madness because of the death of the second young master, even sending the army to deal with their family affairs. Moreover, they probably couldn't be sure that Zhou Ziwei was responsible for the death of the second young master, but they mobilized such a large force just because of suspicion. It seemed that the second young master's father had lost his mind at this moment!
It is conceivable that, given the other party's status, after all this turmoil, even if they manage to avenge the murder of their son, their current position will certainly be in jeopardy.
Zhou Ziwei had always abhorred such acts of using public office for private gain, so he immediately and without hesitation informed Director Liu of the National Security Bureau of the situation... Although this matter was not under Director Liu's jurisdiction, and Director Liu might not even have any influence over the Hong family, there was no other way. Zhou Ziwei really didn't know any other powerful figures, so he had no choice but to tell Director Liu first.
After all, it seemed that at least a platoon of soldiers had been deployed below the hotel. Although Zhou Ziwei was confident that he could turn the entire platoon into ashes by himself, he did not want to risk his life as a fugitive or to completely change his identity for the sake of a moment of pleasure.
Of course... if Director Liu really can't handle this matter, Zhou Ziwei will not sit here and wait to die. If he really angers him, he can just go back and change his identity. So what if he wipes out the Hong family before he changes his identity?
Five minutes later, just as Zhou Ziwei was telling Liu Xiaofei in the next room that she was all dressed and that she should go to the bathroom to wash up, the door to that apartment was immediately and rudely slammed shut from the outside.
Zhou Ziwei knew that even if Director Liu had made some achievements, he probably couldn't have affected this place so quickly. Helpless, he could only dawdle for a while longer until the solid wood door was almost smashed to pieces by the thugs outside before he finally went over and slowly opened the door.
With a "whoosh," the door suddenly opened, and immediately more than a dozen people rushed into the suite's living room, while the others stood guard in the corridor.
Zhou Ziwei ignored the group of wolves and tigers, opened the door and immediately retreated back to the sofa. While yawning, he pressed the remote control to turn on the 52-inch LCD TV hanging on the opposite wall, completely ignoring the dozen or so guns pointed at him.
"You must be Zhou Ziwei? If you don't want to die, come with us!"
The first soldier, a major, was the only one without a gun. After looking down and comparing a photo with Zhou Ziwei's appearance, he waved his hand coldly, immediately ordering two of his men to come over and drag Zhou Ziwei away.
However, Zhou Ziwei was not going to let them do as they pleased. But he did not offer any obvious resistance to provoke the armed soldiers. Instead, with a slight movement of his soul, he instantly shifted the force field space to protect him. As a result, when the two fierce-looking soldiers' four hands were just a foot away from Zhou Ziwei, they seemed to have touched an invisible wall and could not penetrate even an inch further.
Upon seeing this, the major gasped in shock. He was a man who had seen some of the world, but he could not possibly imagine or know that such a force field space existed that could be freely controlled by a person's soul. However, he was a master of hard qigong who had practiced in the military for many years, so from his perspective, Zhou Ziwei's ability immediately reminded him of the legendary effect of projecting internal energy.
They immediately concluded that Zhou Ziwei must be a master of internal energy cultivation, having just forced his internal energy out of his body, creating a semi-solid state that made it impossible for anyone to get close.
If this guy's thinking was correct, then achieving the level of projecting internal energy outwards was something that he, who had practiced hard qigong for several years, could never hope to reach. Moreover, he immediately felt a sincere admiration for Zhou Ziwei. However, due to orders, he couldn't just retreat. Helpless, he could only approach him personally, cough lightly, and say, "I'm sorry... Mr. Zhou, I have orders from above to take you back for some investigation... Would you please cooperate, Mr. Zhou?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei simply sighed and said, "I won't go with you. You'd better leave quickly! Don't make me really turn against you, otherwise... I can't guarantee I won't accidentally kill you!"
A minute ago, the major would probably have just scoffed at Zhou Ziwei's arrogant words, but now he dared not be the slightest bit negligent. He could only give a wry smile and reply, "Mr. Zhou... we are soldiers, and we can only obey orders. Although I really don't want to clash with someone like you, I... have no choice but to obey orders... please forgive me..."
As the major finished speaking, he suddenly reached out and touched the edge of Zhou Ziwei's force field. Upon sensing the invisible barrier in the air, the major's expression immediately tensed up. He crouched slightly, his face turning bright red, and at the same time, his hands seemed to swell slightly. He then let out a sudden roar and grabbed forward with all his might...
"Crack—" A crisp sound of bone breaking rang out, and the major's face instantly turned from flushed red to deathly pale. His body trembled violently, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
It has to be said that this guy is really strong. His hard qigong is still far inferior to that of Yelü Xiaosu, but it is still quite good. However, if his hard qigong had not been quite advanced and his strength was not so formidable, he would not have suffered such serious injuries in this head-on collision.
It should be noted that Zhou Ziwei's force field space, as long as it is supported by soul power, can even stop missiles. Therefore, with the major's limited skills, trying to forcibly destroy Zhou Ziwei's force field space is simply wishful thinking. Yet, he insisted on showing off and rushed in with all his might, so the result could only be this.
The major was in excruciating pain, his body drenched in cold sweat, yet he remained stubbornly silent, only taking two steps back. He no longer dared to dream of fighting Zhou Ziwei alone. He bit his lip hard, barely suppressing the urge to cry out, and said in a trembling voice, "Everyone is here… General Hong's orders… This Zhou Ziwei is a dangerous individual. If he resists arrest, kill him on the spot…"
After saying this, the major turned to Zhou Ziwei again, took a deep breath, and said softly, "Mr. Zhou... there are orders from above, please cooperate, otherwise... bullets have no eyes, if you are injured... that would be bad."
Zhou Ziwei gave a soft snort, slowly shifting his gaze from the LCD TV to the major's face. He shook his head slightly and said, "If you don't want all your men to die... then don't mess with me... Hmm... if you're a smart man, wait a little longer! I believe your order to retreat will come down soon. If you insist on forcing me to take action now... then I have no choice."
The major paused for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded slightly, waved his hand again, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, take your positions. Put the safety on your guns first. I need to talk to Mr. Zhou again. This is a public place. Although we are on a mission, we can't just fire indiscriminately..."
After finding a reason for himself, the major dragged his almost completely useless hands and slowly walked to sit down next to Zhou Ziwei.
Although the pain in his hands caused him to break out in a cold sweat, he was quite tough. He didn't utter a sound because of the pain, and even when he sat there, his posture remained as straight and upright as usual, without the slightest sign of weakness.
Seeing this, Zhou Ziwei nodded approvingly and said, "You're quite good... Since you're just following orders, I won't make things difficult for you..."
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, he flicked his fingers twice at the major's hands, which were covered in broken finger bones. Instantly, the major felt a strong tingling sensation coming from the fractured areas of his hands. After a short while, when the strange sensation disappeared, the major was horrified to find that not only did his hands no longer feel the excruciating pain, but even his fingers had regained their freedom of movement.
"Ah...you...how did you do this...how is this possible?" The major simply couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes. As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. Generally speaking...for a serious injury like his today, even if he were immediately sent to the hospital for treatment and received the best medicine and the most meticulous care, it would be quite difficult for him to fully recover in two months. And to fully return to his pre-injury condition...that would be almost impossible.
After all, bones aren't like iron rods; you can't just weld them back together after they break and use them just like before...
But now the major discovered that when Zhou Ziwei lightly tapped his fingers twice, his hand injury not only healed completely in an instant, but also left no aftereffects whatsoever. At least now he did not feel any decrease in the strength of his hand compared to before.
"Hmph..." The major saw that Zhou Ziwei only responded to his exclamation with a faint smile, then turned back to watch the news on TV, ignoring him completely. He no longer felt there was anything wrong with Zhou Ziwei's attitude... Even if he was arrogant, he had the right to be arrogant...
A few minutes later, as the major waited anxiously, the call finally came again. The major was really hoping for orders to immediately withdraw, but unfortunately... this time, the order was to urge them to complete the mission...
The major hesitated for a moment. He first looked at his hands, which had just recovered, then at Zhou Ziwei, who sat calmly not far away, and then at his bewildered comrades around him. After a long while, he sighed heavily in resignation.
Volume 2: The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 350: Living and Dying Together
Zhou Ziwei simply amplified his hearing a few times, and the entire conversation between the major and his superior immediately reached his ears without missing a single detail.
The person on the other end of the phone was furiously urging the major to complete the mission quickly, even stipulating that they must hear a report on the mission's completion within five minutes.
Zhou Ziwei frowned slightly. He believed that since Director Liu of the National Security Bureau had already seen that he was a person with special abilities, he would naturally not be indifferent to his safety.
It seems that the Hong family wields considerable influence in Beijing, especially within the military, and even the National Security Bureau is unable to interfere with them.
So, Director Liu is probably somewhat powerless to help him right now...
After receiving the order, the major sighed helplessly, looked at Zhou Ziwei apologetically, slowly raised his hands which Zhou Ziwei had just healed with his powerful soul force, and suddenly roared, spreading his fingers wide, straightening his chest, and then slamming them hard against the wall next to him.
With a crisp "crack," the major's all-out attack left ten small holes of varying depths on the snow-white wall. However, at the same time, three of his fingers were also broken off in this violent blow.
The intense pain contorted the major's once handsome face into a grotesque grimace, and large beads of sweat dripped onto the floor with a soft, yet deeply shocking sound.
However, even though he had already broken three fingers, the major showed no sign of stopping. He continued to slam his hands into the hard wall with all his might until all ten fingers were broken. Only then did the major stop, trembling violently.
"Everyone is here..."
The major's face was completely covered in sweat, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound from beginning to end. Now that he had finally broken all ten fingers again, the major seemed to have let go of the slight guilt he felt towards Zhou Ziwei. His voice was solemn with a hint of coldness as he issued the order: "General Hong orders... the Third Detachment of the Special Operations Brigade of the Kyoto Military Region to launch a full-scale attack and capture or kill the target, Zhou Ziwei, within five minutes. Any violation will be dealt with according to military law..."
"Yes—" Everyone, whether they were crammed into the suite or gathered in the corridor outside, responded loudly. Then they all raised their guns, deftly disengaging the safety switches and pointing the muzzles at Zhou Ziwei's vital points.
Now all that's left is the major's final order, and he will pull the trigger without hesitation.
Although many of these people admired Zhou Ziwei's imposing manner, and those who knew the inside story all believed that the young master Hong, who had died inexplicably that day, was a spoiled brat who should have died long ago, they could only helplessly raise their guns when the order was given by their superiors...
This is the tragedy of being a low-ranking soldier. They have no right to question right or wrong, and all they can do is unconditionally obey the orders of their superiors.
“Ziwei…”
Just as the tension between the two sides reached its peak, and a life-or-death struggle was about to erupt, the tightly closed bathroom door was suddenly pushed open forcefully. Then, Wang Xuewei, who had just changed into a white dress, rushed to Zhou Ziwei's side and unhesitatingly shielded him with her slender body...
"What are you trying to do? Why are you pointing a gun at him?"
Seeing so many dark gun barrels pointed at her, Wang Xuewei's body trembled involuntarily. She was clearly terrified, but stubbornly resisting her fear, she stood firmly in front of Zhou Ziwei, refusing to budge.
Wang Xuewei was already extremely beautiful, and with this snow-white gauze dress, she looked even more like an angel descended from heaven, pure and beautiful without a trace of worldly charm. Her eyes, as bright as lake water, seemed to speak volumes as she glared at the iron-blooded soldiers in front of her, her anger bursting forth without any attempt to conceal it.
The dozen or so soldiers crammed into the living room felt a sudden tremor in their hearts under Wang Xuewei's angry glare, and their hands lowered their guns slightly. However, without orders from above, not a single soldier would move their guns away.
Although no one would be willing to shoot at such a beautiful woman who seemed like a dream at this moment, if the major really gave the order, no one would hesitate for a moment.
Zhou Ziwei stared in astonishment at the woman who had rushed out like a little lioness to block his way, a strange feeling rising in his heart.
More than three years ago, he was also in a life-or-death crisis. The woman he had loved for years betrayed him and chose to stand on the side of his enemy. She even pushed him hard when he was halfway down a cliff.
Three years later, when Zhou Ziwei faced another life-or-death threat, a stunningly beautiful woman resolutely stood in his way.
Although this so-called life-or-death threat was nothing but a joke to Zhou Ziwei, Wang Xuewei was unaware of just how strong Zhou Ziwei really was. In the eyes of any normal person, facing a dozen guns and surrounded by dozens of armed men, Zhou Ziwei would surely die if he dared to resist.
Under such circumstances, Wang Xuewei still chose to stand up and shield Zhou Ziwei... Zhou Ziwei felt that at least he had not lived this life in vain... His wife did not abandon him in times of crisis... Even though the two of them had never been a real couple for a single day.
With a soft sigh, Zhou Ziwei reached out and gently placed his hand on Wang Xuewei's thin shoulder, saying helplessly, "What are you doing? Didn't I tell you to hide in the bathroom and not come out? I can handle this little thing."
"You lied to me... This... this is a small matter?" Looking at the dark gun barrels in front of her, Wang Xuewei bit her lip hard to keep herself from crying out in fear.
"I know I've never been a good wife, but... now I think I must fulfill my duties as a wife... I may not be able to help you much, but... at least I can share your hardships and your death... let's die together!"
After Wang Xuewei finished speaking, the tears that she had been holding back finally flowed uncontrollably from her beautiful eyes, like two strings of exquisite pearls, gently gliding across her flawless, white cheeks and lightly wetting her equally white gauze dress.
However, although tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, after Wang Xuewei finished speaking, it seemed as if her confidence had been strengthened once again. Her trembling body suddenly straightened up, and facing those sinister gun muzzles, her expression seemed to have lost all fear.
The major, whose ten fingers were all severed, was also stunned by this sudden turn of events. He didn't expect that at this moment, someone would dare to run out and stand in front of Zhou Ziwei under the gun barrels of more than a dozen guns.
Are they husband and wife? But... don't people say that couples are like birds in the same forest, flying away separately when disaster strikes? I never imagined there were such devoted and loyal lovers in this world...
Normally, the major wouldn't have taken this too seriously, since the military has strict regulations for carrying out missions, and it's generally not allowed to harm innocent civilians.
But this time was different... because the order he received was—anyone who obstructs him must be killed without exception.
So... if Wang Xuewei really refuses to move aside, then he will have no choice but to order his men to fire.
The thought that such a beautiful woman, as lovely as an angel, would soon be killed by his order, her clothes stained with blood, her soul vanishing, made the major temporarily forget the excruciating pain in his fingers that pierced to the bone, because... at this moment, he was heartbroken.
However, the major didn't have much time left. General Hong's thunderous roar on the phone just now gave him five minutes to report on the mission's completion, and now... it seemed that only one minute remained.
Therefore, he had to shout out that heart-wrenching command in that final minute, no matter what...
"All personnel are alert... Aim at the target... Fire..."
"Wait a minute..."
However, just as the major was about to utter his order, Zhou Ziwei suddenly waved his hand lightly and said calmly, "Your general's order seems to be to capture me or kill me, right? Hehe... Since your Hong family army thinks so highly of me, actually sending so many people to invite me... then I... should give him some face, shouldn't I?"
Upon hearing this, the major's expression immediately relaxed, and he asked with delight, "You mean... you're willing to surrender?"
Zhou Ziwei frowned deeply, gave a soft snort, and said, "What do you mean by surrender? Since the Hong army is so eager to see me, I'll just give them a chance, hehe... But if that's how you want to interpret it, then so be it. Let's go! Oh... should I put some handcuffs on them or something?"
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, he calmly stood up amidst the guns of more than a dozen men, and with a gentle reach, he pulled Wang Xuewei directly into his arms...
Wang Xuewei was slightly taken aback. Although she and Zhou Ziwei had been married for more than a year, they had hardly ever held hands, let alone had any intimate contact.
Wang Xuewei, who has always been chaste and self-respecting, has never had this level of contact with any man before. Therefore, when Zhou Ziwei put his arm around her slender waist, she instinctively wanted to resist.
But when Zhou Ziwei pulled her close to his chest, Wang Xuewei clearly felt the faint masculine scent emanating from him. Her body stiffened instantly, then went limp, as if she had suddenly lost all her strength and no longer had the ability to struggle...
When Zhou Ziwei asked if he should be handcuffed, the major couldn't help but smile wryly.
They are military special operations forces, not police officers maintaining order, so where would they get handcuffs from?
Moreover... having just witnessed Zhou Ziwei's terrifying strength, how could the major not know that handcuffs, a form of torture that restricts the movement of ordinary people, are no different from a child's toy to Zhou Ziwei?
So the major could only shake his head slightly and say, "We don't have handcuffs, and I believe Mr. Zhou is a man of his word. Since you have agreed to come with us to see the general, you certainly won't leave halfway, right?"
Zhou Ziwei smiled faintly and said, "Of course... then let's go!"
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, he gently stroked Wang Xuewei's soft, black hair and said, "Wait for me here, I'll be right back..."
"No...don't leave me!" When Wang Xuewei saw that Zhou Ziwei was going to see that so-called general alone, she couldn't believe that the other party had mobilized so many people to capture Zhou Ziwei, and that they would not easily let Zhou Ziwei go back. She gritted her teeth and said, "If you're going, then go together!"
Seeing Wang Xuewei's expression of wanting to share life and death with him, Zhou Ziwei was somewhat moved. He didn't say anything more, but simply nodded and said, "Alright then! Let's go together!"
He then gently put his arm around Wang Xuewei's slender waist, completely ignoring the guns in the soldiers' hands, and strode towards the door...
Compared to Wang Xuewei's resolute acceptance of death, Zhou Ziwei showed absolutely no concern.
Although he may be facing the country's most elite violent institutions next, after his recent adventure in Myanmar, the threat posed by these ordinary people to him is negligible.