The more I ran, the calmer I gradually became, and a voice inside me kept roaring: "Fight him!"
spell?
My heart turned cold, and I immediately suppressed that voice!
Stubborn brat!
Don't be so stubborn!
Call me a coward, call me despicable, call me anything! All I care about is getting out of here alive!
The old cat behind me couldn't catch up with me and gradually became anxious. Suddenly, he let out a whistle.
Oh? You've brought help?
I sneered and looked back. Sure enough, I saw that the old cat had slowed down. I took the opportunity to run a few steps, and then, seeing a tree pit in front of me, I jumped down.
The tree pit was long and narrow, about ten meters long. I didn't rush forward. Instead, I fell into the pit and ran to either side, then quickly circled around to the other end. I was now on Old Cat's side. I spotted a big tree and, despite the excruciating pain in my left arm, struggled to climb up it.
The tree was quite tall. I squatted on the trunk, about three meters above the ground, using the branches and leaves to hide myself, and then coldly watched the old cat in the distance.
My whole body was tense and my muscles were taut, yet my mind was still so clear. My eyes were fixed on the old cat, and I even felt as if I had transformed into a wild beast!
Strange... why am I not angry at all now?
Stubborn! I really am fucking stubborn!
As the old cat slowly approached, I held my breath...
A full minute.
Normally, holding my breath to this extent would be easy for me. But I had just run such a long distance, and I was injured and weak. Holding my breath for even a minute immediately caused a burning, tearing pain in my chest.
strangeness……
Why am I so calm even though my lungs are in so much pain?
It's so cold! As cold as ice!
Pain? Haha! Pain? What's there to be afraid of in pain!
I was almost like a predatory beast, seemingly possessing boundless patience. Despite the excruciating pain in my body, I remained motionless, hidden in the bushes, quietly watching the old cat.
He slowed his pace and walked slowly towards this spot.
At this moment, the excruciating pain in my body seemed unable to interfere with my thinking; I was simply calculating his distance and angle in my mind...
Finally! I suddenly pounced down from the tree! Old Cat's reaction was quite sharp, but he had a leg injury and had been running for so long. He took a step back, but didn't go far enough! I, on the other hand, had already anticipated his reaction!
puff!
A sharp pain shot through my chest. We both rolled on the ground. I quickly jumped up, then staggered back a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a thud, panting heavily!
A dagger is stuck in my right chest... it has pierced my lung, and blood is flowing non-stop.
The old cat stood up, his body trembling. He waited for me, spread his arms, and seemed to take two steps with difficulty. His eyes stared at me in disbelief, and then his hands seemed to try to grab his throat. Finally…
With a thud, the old cat knelt on the ground, making gurgling sounds in its throat, but it could no longer utter a single word.
A dark, gooey object was sticking out of his throat!
That was a sharp, hard branch that I just broke off from the tree trunk!
“…Anything can be used as a weapon to kill.” I said slowly, panting heavily, and struggled to get up from the ground. I stumbled to the old cat, who was already out of breath. His eyes seemed to be unable to move, and he just stared at me.
“…Anything can be a weapon to kill…You taught me that, haven’t you forgotten…Teacher!!” I said, then forcefully pulled the dagger out of my chest.
A teacher is a teacher after all. Even though I suddenly appeared out of nowhere, he was still able to accurately stab the dagger into my chest!
I pulled out the dagger, and a spurt of blood shot out from the wound, splattering onto Old Cat's face. I was in excruciating pain, but I wore a cold smile on my face.
Even the constant twitching of my cheek muscles from the excruciating pain couldn't erase that smirk from my face!
"Is it painful? Let me help you!" I whispered in the old cat's ear as I watched him struggle one last time.
Then, I raised my hand and slashed the old cat's throat with the dagger!
Strangely, just as my dagger fell, an unusual calm appeared in the old cat's eyes... It didn't seem to be anger, nor resentment... but rather a sense of relief! As if a heavy burden had been lifted!
Seeing the old cat fall at my feet, a pang of sadness rose within me...
Yes, that's right, it's sadness, isn't it?
Watching the teacher who taught me to use a dagger die by my own dagger... that feeling must be sadness.
But then I slapped myself hard across the face...
Stubborn!
What a stubborn brat!
When he kills you, will he hesitate?!
My cheek was almost numb from the pain. I quickly searched Old Cat's body and found something familiar! Sure enough, an old hand like Old Cat would always carry some first-aid supplies with him.
I grabbed the small first-aid kit, checked the direction, and ran back home!
I quickly retraced my steps and ran to the fat man's body. I sat down, panting, and frantically tore open the first-aid kit, desperately pressing gauze against the dagger wound in my chest. Breathing was becoming difficult… probably due to the injury to my lungs.
I gritted my teeth and hastily secured the wound, then took one last look at the fat man's body, his face still bearing the smile he had before his death.
No… I felt a pang of sadness in my heart, and I whispered, “Fatty, go in peace. I won’t be so stubborn anymore.”
My plan is to return via the long route! Old Cat's whistling just now was definitely a call to his nearby accomplices. But if I return along the same route, the safety factor is much higher!
As for the fat guy...
"I'm sorry, Fatty." I struggled to hold back the tears welling up in my eyes. "I can't bury you... You're a江湖人 (jianghu person), your江湖路 (jianghu road) is long... I'll apologize to you after I die! And... thank you for teaching me so much!"
After saying that, I strode away without looking back!
**********
The icy river water almost made me faint, but with only my movable arm, I swam across the river again, left the hill, and returned to the path next to the town!
The more dangerous the place, the safer it is! There was a fierce battle here before, they wouldn't still be here now, they're probably still searching the mountains!
I struggled to climb ashore, lay on the ground panting heavily, and then coughed so hard that blood spurted from my mouth and nose.
My lungs... my lungs hurt so much, it feels like they're convulsing with every breath.
I don't know how much longer I can hold on, but there's always a thought in my heart that's keeping me going!
I crawled on the ground for a while, regained some strength, and then slowly left the shore, moving my body to a dry place.
If you are seriously injured, do not stay in the water, otherwise your body heat will gradually be lost and you will die.
Hmm... who taught me all this... oh, I remember now, it was Old Cat!
I suddenly felt like laughing, I really wanted to burst out laughing.
But I don't dare! I don't even dare to make a sound now!
I even grabbed a handful of fallen leaves from the ground, mixed with dirty soil, and stuffed them into my mouth, because that would make my coughs a little quieter!
You stubborn brat! Do you know that all of this is punishment for your stubbornness?
I looked up and glanced around.
Hmm...it seems somewhat familiar...
I remember now, this is the place where we were blocked by the enemy's smoke screen this afternoon!
Is he back again?
The sky was still somewhat bright. The corpses on the ground were gone, and even the bloodstains were gone. A new layer of soil covered the path, concealing the stench of blood.
snort……
I looked at the sky... What time is it? I don't know, my watch fell off a long time ago.
Tu... he should be back by now. He must be looking for me everywhere. I wonder if he's run into the other person?
I know I can't just sit here and wait to die. But I really don't even have the strength to walk anymore. I can only lean against a big tree by the river, panting quietly like a dog!
It's happening again...it's happening again.
They were being chased and killed like dogs!
I vaguely remember making a ridiculous vow... Oh right, I swore I would never let myself go through something like that again!
But...but, you stubborn brat! These are all punishments for your stubbornness!
Your heart isn't hard enough, your hands aren't ruthless enough, and you're not cunning enough... You stupid, stubborn brat!
I felt like I was going crazy; these strange voices kept surfacing in my mind. Then, just as I was about to close my eyes in exhaustion, I saw someone!
This was clearly a hasty, chance encounter. A guy appeared on the side of the path, and I saw him slowly walk out and stand there, staring at me as if incredulous! He probably didn't expect me to come here!
Um……
Short hair, medium build, muscular physique, and a hideous scar on his face that splits his face in two!
This is the expert with the bayonet.
He was clearly injured, and it was unclear how he ended up here.
But that doesn't matter anymore. He saw me, froze for a full two seconds, and then suddenly burst into laughter: "Good! Good! I never thought that the famous Little Fifth Brother would still fall into my hands!"
After saying that, he cautiously walked towards me.
"You're really something." He noticed my weakness. As he approached, he cautiously kept a safe distance... but this time, he had a gun!
"So many people searched the mountain, and you still managed to escape... Huh?" He stared at the dagger I was still clutching in my hand: "This dagger, is it Old Cat's?"
"Yes." I could even manage a laugh. "I just used this dagger to kill Old Cat. Now, do you want to try it too?"
"Hmph, you're something else!" the guy sneered. "But if you can still stand, why waste your breath on me?"
After saying that, he raised his gun and pointed it at me.
flutter!
With the help of the silencer, the sound of the bullet was suppressed to a minimum.
I watched helplessly as a bullet pierced my left leg. My body shuddered, but I laughed and said, "Good shot! Good shot! First, take care of my mobility... Looks like you've learned your lesson! Was it that knife I gave you that taught you a lesson?"
A flash of anger crossed the guy's face. His chest was still wrapped in bandages, and blood seeped through them—the "mark" I had left on him earlier.