Xu Xiaoya was startled: "How is that possible? Zhao Qiang is so powerful, how could he be in danger?"
Hu Qian said, "Don't ask anymore. Just stay at the Water Conservancy Hotel and don't go anywhere. Yang Shiqi has already taken a military plane to Dongyang City and is waiting for us."
Xu Xiaoya turned pale with fright. Never before had Hu Qian been so alarmed. Hu Qian had just hung up the phone when she received another call from Yang Shiqi, saying the same thing: stay put and don't wander off. Exposing someone's location at this time would increase the danger, especially since Xu Xiaoya was a girl with no fighting ability.
Su Xiaosu didn't know what was happening, but she sensed the danger in the atmosphere around her. The two sisters tightly closed the doors and windows, then hugged each other and hid on the bed. Xu Xiaoya was very decisive when it came to money, but she had absolutely no experience with this kind of dangerous situation.
Early in the morning, Yang Shiqi, Hu Qian, Zhang Lingfeng, Wang Meng, Liu Yiyi, Xu Xiaoya, and Luo Xiaowei all arrived at Shan Hongfei's office. Yang Shiqi cursed, "Damn it, are all the traffic cops idiots? Why would they let a container truck into the city?"
Hu Qian said, "Stop cursing. It's nighttime, not daytime. It's impossible to have traffic police guarding every intersection."
Zhang Lingfeng said, "Going south should just be a pretext, because all the traffic cameras show that the container truck disappeared after leaving Dongyang City, and there was no sign of it heading south at all."
Xu Xiaoya's voice trembled: "How could this happen? Zhao Qiang is so capable, he'll be alright."
Liu Yiyi said, "Zhao Qiang's body has suffered an unknown accident, and he is unable to escape using his previous skills, so we must intensify our search and rescue efforts."
Wang Meng stood up and said, "I'll search to the north; the enemy might be using a feint attack."
Hu Qian said, "I'm heading east."
Yang Shiqi said, "Then I'll head west."
Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei had little power in this regard, so they could only stay behind with Liu Yiyi. Before leaving, Yang Shiqi and Hu Qian instructed Zhang Lingfeng to stay here and take care of the remaining women.
Volume 2 [421] Escape
[421] Escape
When Zhao Qiang woke up, he looked at the time on his wristwatch and realized that nearly thirty hours had passed. In fact, he hadn't fainted from hunger, thirst, or being beaten, but rather from the extreme pain he had endured. The pain was a deep, agonizing pain, a heart-wrenching agony. Under such circumstances, his brain automatically chose to fall into a coma; otherwise, Zhao Qiang would have died.
The carriage was pitch black. Zhao Qiang was still covered by a thick wire fishing net, even more layers than when he was first caught. It seemed that the other party was also afraid that he would escape. They must have a great understanding of Zhao Qiang's abilities, otherwise they would not be so cautious.
The carriage jolted occasionally, the road conditions were not good. Zhao Qiang manipulated his X-ray glasses to look out and found that he had entered an unfamiliar city. For the time being, Zhao Qiang could not see the name of the city. The surrounding buildings were sparse, and it seemed to be an abandoned development zone. In the past few years, development zones were launched all over the country, resulting in a large amount of land being left idle. Some factories have never been truly used since they were built.
The container truck stopped. Zhao Qiang carefully observed the truck outside. It shouldn't be the one that had initially taken him inside. This container truck was only one-third the size of the original one.
With a loud bang, the back door of the container opened, letting in a ray of sunlight. It was the morning of the third day since Zhao Qiang was arrested. The group made no attempt to conceal their appearance, shouting as they used long iron hooks to pull Zhao Qiang down from the container along with the fishing net. In fact, they didn't need to do this, because Zhao Qiang's hands were shaking like sieves. He couldn't even hold anything, let alone use a compression gun. His whole body felt like it didn't belong to him anymore, and only his brain could feel anything; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to activate the X-ray glasses.
"Stay away from him!" someone shouted. Another said, "Stun him with an electric shock first, before he hurts us!"
So an electric baton was inserted into the fishing net. Zhao Qiang felt a numbness in his brain. His body was no longer a concern. Only his brain remained conscious. He lost consciousness again amidst the intense electric sparks.
When Zhao Qiang woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky. His whole body was bound by steel chains, and someone was dragging the chains in front of him, causing Zhao Qiang's body to rub against the ground. However, he could not feel any pain, but this was more painful than real pain. His wonderful life had just begun, and who knew that he would encounter such a thing. If he had not been captured by these people, his illness might have been able to find someone to study and treat it, but now whether he could survive was a question.
With a crash, the man dragging Zhao Qiang threw the steel chain to the ground. They had entered a huge factory building, which was somewhat dark. A man was sitting on a row of dismantled equipment, with only the main body remaining.
"Are you Zhao Qiang, the one who killed Leng Qinghu?" the man asked.
Zhao Qiang was speechless. He could only glare at the man. Upon hearing the name "Leng Qinghu," Zhao Qiang understood the purpose of this group. They must be Leng Qinghu's accomplices, perhaps even among the six great masters of the South. He had been wondering why Leng Qinghu's friends hadn't sought revenge on him, thinking he had no friends at all. It turned out they only acted when they wanted to kill him.
The man also noticed Zhao Qiang's abnormality and shouted, "Who did this to him?"
The man who dragged Zhao Qiang in said, "He was hit with a few electric batons, but based on Leng Qinghu's description of him, it shouldn't have been that bad."
The man continued, "Isn't it supposed to be a fat guy? Why did you bring back a skinny one? Are you sure you didn't arrest the wrong person?"
The subordinate said, "We're certain he's the fat guy we caught, but for some reason he suddenly got this thin on the bus, and looks like he's been self-harming."
The man yelled, "Damn it, he can't even speak now. How can I bully him to avenge my brother?"
The subordinate awkwardly suggested, "Should we let him recover from his injuries?"
The man waved his hand: "Lock him up for a couple of days. I'm going to cut off his hands and feet while he's at his most lucid, so he can taste this living hell. You'd better search all his weapons, otherwise if he escapes, I'll hold you accountable."
Zhao Qiang did not regret letting Leng Qinghu live. Even if he had killed Leng Qinghu, his companions would still have been able to find him. The six great masters of the South would not have been so easily fooled.
The group cautiously approached and first took the compression gun and electromagnetic gun from Zhao Qiang's leg. However, Zhao Qiang had set a fingerprint recognition on the trigger, so the two guns would self-destruct if anyone else used them. Therefore, they were not worried that the guns would be used to discover anything. At this moment, Zhao Qiang could only pray that they would not test the guns near him, otherwise he would be in trouble. Fortunately, the group only collected the guns and continued to search Zhao Qiang's body.
The men didn't touch his clothes, but they discovered his armor and took it off. In the process, they inflicted several wounds on Zhao Qiang's body. Poor Zhao Qiang couldn't send any telepathic commands to the armor at that moment, so he could only let them do as they pleased. The screwdriver was also taken, and the bullets in his waistband were also found. In the end, all that was left for Zhao Qiang were his glasses, clothes, shoes, and ring. Then he was carried into a tin repair shop, which was heavily locked with a large padlock. The only thing in the tin repair shop was a small window on the back wall that was too small for someone to squeeze through.
Zhao Qiang lay on the ground for a good half hour before he regained some strength. He first tried to control other parts of his body, but there was no response. He then tried to separate the energy in his body, but there was still no response. He tried to turn the super biochip on and off, but there was still no response. It seemed that all functions had failed.
Looking at his body, Zhao Qiang's expression darkened. Even when he used up a lot of energy, he had never been this emaciated. The phrase "skin and bones" was the most fitting description. This must be because the cells had used up all the energy in his body during the previous division and reproduction process. Xiao Wei was not around, so she did not know the exact condition of his body.
Zhao Qiang tried hard to move his fingers, but he was exhausted and sweating profusely without success. Was he destined to be paralyzed? If so, the man who had asked him the question would have been spared the trouble of cutting off his own hands and feet; he was already practically the same as someone without hands and feet.
Zhao Qiang sighed and turned his gaze to the ceiling of the maintenance room. There was a spider web on one corner of the cold steel plate. Although he didn't see any spiders on it, Zhao Qiang suddenly remembered an idiom he had learned when he was a child. It was about a general who had lost a battle and hid in a cave. He saw a spider repeatedly spinning its web without being discouraged by defeat. The general was greatly inspired, regrouped, and finally defeated the enemy.
Zhao Qiang said to himself, "Zhao Qiang, are you really going to admit defeat like this? So many women are waiting for you to cherish them; you can't just give up hope like this."
So Zhao Qiang mustered his spirits and repeatedly sent commands to his brain to control his fingers. He didn't know how much time had passed when the iron plate door was slammed open and a man carrying a lunchbox came in, cursing as he entered: "Damn it, you still have to wait on me? Next time I'll mix some shit and pee into your food."
Zhao Qiang glared at the man, who cursed, "What are you glaring at me for? If you piss me off, I won't feed you!"
Zhao Qiang did not give in to him. He knew that this man could not make any decisions. As a result, he had to obediently squat down and use a spoon to scoop rice into Zhao Qiang's mouth one bite at a time. Zhao Qiang did not refuse and chewed slowly. He needed to replenish his energy, so the idea of starving himself was simply out of the question at this time.
The man only fed Zhao Qiang half a bowl of rice before becoming impatient. He threw the bowl into the lunchbox and said, "Damn it, as long as you don't starve, all that food will just turn into shit." With that, the man picked up the lunchbox and walked out of the iron house, and the room returned to darkness.
With food in his stomach, Zhao Qiang felt a warmth in his body. He pressed his advantage, repeatedly sending commands to his brain to control his fingers. Once wasn't enough, twice, three times… a hundred times, two hundred times… Just when Zhao Qiang thought he was trapped in a vicious cycle, the finger in his vision suddenly twitched.
Zhao Qiang dared not relax and immediately continued issuing commands. Finally, he felt a sensation in his thumb and successfully flexed and extended it. Then he moved on to his index, middle, ring, and little fingers. Finally, Zhao Qiang suddenly clenched his entire fist. The ring on his finger immediately received the command and instantly transformed into a glove to protect his fist.
"Yes, I succeeded!" Zhao Qiang cheered inwardly. Then he tried to move his arms, and one movement after another was achieved. It seemed that the super biochip was regaining control of his body. Half an hour later, Zhao Qiang's other hand also successfully received the command. After practicing for an hour, Zhao Qiang was finally able to use both hands to support his body and change a posture. The original posture made his head very tired.
When night fell, Zhao Qiang ate most of a bowl of rice. After the person who fed him left, Zhao Qiang was able to stand up on one leg. Although the wound on his leg was still bleeding, Zhao Qiang didn't care. He continued to try to regain control of his other leg. According to the time on his digital watch, he finally regained feeling in both legs at 11:30 p.m.
Zhao Qiang plopped down on the steel plate. He was exhausted. The little food he had eaten that evening wasn't even enough to fill a tooth gap, and it was impossible for him to eat another grain of rice unless he escaped. However, Zhao Qiang gently tried the door of the tin shack. It was extremely tight and thick, definitely not something he could handle.
Zhao Qiang looked up at the small window, barely big enough for his head to pop out. He wished it could be enlarged. Outside the window was a patch of wasteland. Looking out, he saw no one patrolling. They must have assumed Zhao Qiang was too weak to escape, so their security was lax. Zhao Qiang began to consider how to use his equipment to escape.
Although the three-proof shirt protected vital areas such as the chest, other exposed parts of the body were still injured. However, Zhao Qiang felt much more at ease with this shirt. Although he couldn't use it to escape or attack enemies, it could at least block bullets for a while.
With running shoes, as long as he could enlarge the window, Zhao Qiang was confident he could escape from there. Moreover, as long as his body remained under his brain's control, the chances of the enemy catching up with him were slim.
The X-ray glasses, which also function as head armor, are arguably the most important piece of equipment. With them, one can see through the surrounding enemy situation. The person who searched Zhao Qiang's belongings earlier only thought they were ordinary glasses, so they kept them for him.
The ring was his only offensive weapon, but Zhao Qiang hadn't fully controlled his limbs yet, so he couldn't punch anyone. Its function also seemed insufficient to help Zhao Qiang escape. If only he had the freakish screwdriver, he might be able to use it to pry open the large window.
Zhao Qiang kept observing the situation outside the tin shack. In fact, the repair shop was still inside the factory building, but a few steel plates had been welded onto one of the original walls. Some old parts and screws were scattered in one corner of the shack. Zhao Qiang then looked into the distance. At the end of the factory building was the original office, where the lights were still on, and it looked like someone was working overtime.
Zhao Qiang continued to zoom in through the X-ray glasses, and what he saw startled him. It turned out that Leng Qinghu's friend was checking Zhao Qiang's equipment, and his finger was already on the compression gun. Zhao Qiang was so frightened that he immediately covered his ears with both hands and shrank into the corner of the repair shop. Then there was a loud bang, and the super battery on the compression gun was detonated.
The massive explosion then detonated the electromagnetic gun's battery, instantly pulverizing Leng Qinghu's friend. The entire factory was blasted apart by the shockwave. Zhao Qiang felt a sharp pain in his head as the collapsed factory building crushed his head. At that moment, Zhao Qiang's brain issued a command, and the X-ray glasses immediately disintegrated into a helmet-like shape. Zhao Qiang heard a crisp impact and then his head jolted, causing him to faint.
He was only knocked unconscious, so Zhao Qiang regained consciousness in a very short time. However, his ears and head were still ringing, and one of his thighs and the exposed arm seemed to be injured. Zhao Qiang pushed away the debris on his body and realized that the surroundings were empty. The tall factory building was gone. If it weren't for the steel plates of the repair shop that blocked most of the blast wave, he probably wouldn't know where he was now. Of course, the head armor and the three-proof shirt also played a great role in protecting him.
Zhao Qiang struggled to his feet, his thigh pierced by an iron rod, and one of his arms seemingly fractured. His already limited body control was now even worse. Fortunately, the explosion had sent the surrounding enemies flying, allowing Zhao Qiang to leave unhurriedly. He had only dragged his leg a few steps when something was kicked to the side of the road with a clatter. Zhao Qiang turned his head and glanced at it—a monstrous screwdriver? It had been blown over there.
Zhao Qiang bent down in delight to pick it up. He knew the explosion would attract many people, possibly including enemy comrades, so he immediately assembled the monstrous screwdriver into a cane and used it to quickly leave the area. He didn't have time to check the rubble for his armor; escaping was the priority. As long as he was alive, he could always rebuild.
What started as a small flame from the explosion behind him grew stronger and stronger as Zhao Qiang left, eventually destroying all the evidence. When the police arrived at daybreak, they found nothing.
(Thanks to Jingheng, qwer123 [3 photos], Qiexiangsui, Shihaomutou, and Zhiweiniゑ猦誑 for their monthly ticket support. Because I can only go online once a day, this list may not be complete. Please understand. Xiaoqiang is sincerely grateful to all the friends who support me.)
(Thanks to Mo Shou Cheng Gui, Yi Ran Xi Huan, Wo Shi You Qian Ren - Meng Zhong, and Zhi Wei Ni ゑ猦誑 for their donations)
Volume 2 [422] Reboot
The night was dark, and even with advanced night vision, Zhao Qiang couldn't walk far. He had to rest every so often, not because his legs were tired, but because he was simply too weak. After much hardship, he finally entered the city before dawn, but the streets were deserted, and no one noticed his arrival. Zhao Qiang had only one thought in his mind: to call Yang Shiqi and tell her to come pick him up immediately.
Zhao Qiang was severely injured, with several wounds still oozing blood. His energy was almost completely depleted, and the super biochip had not been activated. Otherwise, it would have automatically begun repairing his body. Now, Zhao Qiang could only endure the pain.
A newsstand had a sign with the post office and telephone number. Zhao Qiang knocked on it as hard as he could, but no one answered. It seemed that no one was on duty inside and the owner would not arrive until dawn. But Zhao Qiang couldn't wait. He knocked on the doors of the shops along the street. Surely someone was sleeping in some of them, but no one would dare to come out after hearing such urgent banging. So Zhao Qiang couldn't borrow a phone.
Exhausted and anxious, Zhao Qiang collapsed onto his stomach in front of a clothing store. If it weren't for his running shoes, he might not have even made it into the city. He was truly at his limit; a strong wave of sleepiness washed over him. Suddenly, Zhao Qiang felt incredibly relaxed. Memories flashed through his mind like slides, a feeling that was both unreal and somewhat disheartening. Zhao Qiang didn't know what was happening, but a tear rolled down his cheek. He gently wiped it away, and then, looking at the back of his hand, he was shocked. His once somewhat rosy hand was now as rough as a withered tree trunk!
Zhao Qiang forcefully pulled his clothes up, revealing skin on his arms that resembled dry tree bark. He was emaciated with bulging veins. Looking up, he saw his reflection in the clothing store's glass window again. Although the light was dim, he could still see clearly. He waved his hand in disbelief, and the image in the window waved back. Zhao Qiang touched his head, and the person inside touched their head as well. It was definitely him. Zhao Qiang screamed in agony and then fainted again.
It wasn't that Zhao Qiang was too weak to faint so easily, but rather that the sight before his eyes terrified him. He clearly saw an old man in the glass window—an old man with white hair and white eyebrows! How could this be? Even if Zhao Qiang was thin, how could he turn into an old man overnight? If it were just white hair and eyebrows, it would be understandable; it could be due to worry and anxiety, like the legendary hero Yang Guo. But Zhao Qiang had also checked his skin, and it had become like that of an old man. Why was this? Had his life aged overnight?
Zhao Qiang slowly woke up. The scene in the glass display case was still the same, proving that Zhao Qiang hadn't imagined it. He touched his teeth and found that they were loose. With a little too much force, one of his teeth was pulled out. Zhao Qiang was covered in sweat, terrified. Could his life have slipped away in an instant? Overwhelmed with grief, Zhao Qiang collapsed to the ground and wept bitterly.
"Grandpa, why are you crying here?" Suddenly, a slightly childish voice spoke beside Zhao Qiang. A cold wind occasionally swept through the quiet street, and occasionally a straw fluttered in the wind. Coupled with the chill before dawn, the voice sounded somewhat ghostly, which made Zhao Qiang break out in a cold sweat even faster. Oh no, he'd encountered a ghost!
"I...I..." Zhao Qiang looked up and quietly glanced at the "ghost." It was a little girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a thick winter coat, carrying two large bags, wearing a cotton hat, and with a long braid.
"...I..." Zhao Qiang repeated the word "I" several times. The girl said, "You, what, grandpa? What's your name? Where are you from? Why aren't you home on the street?"
Zhao Qiang suddenly froze, realizing that his mind was completely blank. Fu Liang's memories seemed to have been lost in the slideshow and never returned. Just a few seconds ago, he knew who he was, but now he was confused. "What's my name? Where did I come from?" Zhao Qiang muttered to himself like a fool. He racked his brains but couldn't remember anything.
The girl sighed, "I can tell you're the kind of person who's easily frightened and has dementia. You must have run away from home. Poor thing. You should find a warm place to hide away. It's really cold this morning. I have to deliver fried dough sticks to the school, so I can't keep chatting with you." After saying that, the girl picked up the two bags of fried dough sticks and walked away.
Zhao Qiang's mind went blank. Suddenly, all his memories vanished. Women, money, enemies—he had no idea where they had all disappeared to. He didn't know where he came from or what he should do. Seeing the girl walking forward, he got up from the ground and followed her. The girl was scared and quickened her pace, so Zhao Qiang quickened his pace as well.
The girl suddenly turned around: "Hey, old man, what are you following me for?" She seemed annoyed, so she even called him "old man." Zhao Qiang was hunched over, with white hair, white eyebrows, and rough skin. What else could he be but an old man? And not just any old man.
Zhao Qiang, who had lost a tooth, spoke with a lisp, which sounded ridiculous. "I...I don't know. I don't know what to do if I'm not with you."
The girl pulled a fried dough stick from her bag and handed it to Zhao Qiang behind her, saying, "Here, I'll give you a fried dough stick. You just stand here, and I'll deliver it to the school up ahead and come right back to find you, okay?" The girl was still very kind.
"Okay," Zhao Qiang took the fried dough stick and stood straight by the roadside, motionless. Somehow, a half-foot-long white beard had grown under his mouth, fluttering in the wind. If he were wearing a blue robe, he would have a bit of an ethereal and otherworldly air about him. However, Zhao Qiang's eyes were lifeless, like those of a mentally challenged person, so even if he wore a blue robe, he probably wouldn't become an immortal.
As the girl walked forward, she said, "So he has something wrong with his head. Luckily, I managed to fool him, or he would have entangled me."
Zhao Qiang, carrying the fried dough stick, soon couldn't stand up anymore. It wasn't that he wanted to run away, but his back ached so badly it felt like it was about to break. He touched his chin and saw that his newly grown white beard had fallen out strand by strand, and all his teeth were starting to fall out. In a moment, Zhao Qiang became a toothless old man. He plopped down on the ground, his back bent like a shrimp. If the exclamation mark had turned into a period, he might have died. Strands of white hair on his head fell to the ground with the wind. Soon, an old, toothless monk appeared, his eyelids wrinkled and his lips turned outwards due to old age. He looked as ugly as could be.
If Zhao Qiang regained his memories and saw himself like this, he would definitely want to kill himself. But now he has no idea who he is, so there is no need for him to feel ashamed. He still holds the fried dough stick and sits on the ground stupidly, his eyes lifeless as if he has been dead for thousands of years.
The girl switched the two bags of oil to one hand, then pulled out a card from her pocket and said, "Hey, Meng Jiangbo, get out here right now! You're making me wait for you at the school gate? Are you even a man?"
Before long, a boy wrapped in a towel rushed out of the school and took two bags of fried dough sticks through the gate. "Little Spicy Girl, thank you. I'll treat you to karaoke tonight. Don't forget to dress up nicely and make me look good in front of others."
The girl retorted, "Stop dating those shady men! I'll get physical with them when I hate them!"
The boy chuckled and said, "Who told you to have such big **? What man wouldn't like that?"
The girl picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at him: "Meng Jiangbo, go to hell!"
Meng Jiangbo dodged the stone: "Who would want you if I died? Remember, I'll pick you up at eight o'clock tonight, and at one o'clock."
The girl angrily retraced her steps, but suddenly her gaze was drawn to the old man who had been able to stand and walk steadily just moments before. Now, he looked so old that he was almost curled up in a ball. The girl didn't care about being bothered by him anymore and ran over to him, saying, "Old man, how come you've aged so much again? Are you some kind of old monster? It's not even dawn yet, don't scare people like that."
Zhao Qiang's hands and feet trembled so badly he couldn't speak. This time, the trembling wasn't from physical pain, but from genuine old age. Zhao Qiang pointed at the girl, wanting to say something, but his finger suddenly fell to the ground halfway out, and he deflated like a punctured balloon. The girl was startled and ran away, screaming, "Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"
Unfortunately, people these days don't like to meddle in other people's business, so no one came out to see what was going on after the girl called for so long. They probably thought it was a crazy woman shouting in the street. The girl ran more than 200 meters before she dared to look back. The terrifyingly old man was still motionless. The girl didn't dare to linger and hurriedly ran to her family's fried dough stick stall. Her mother had already fried more than 10 kilograms of dough sticks, and people were coming to buy breakfast one after another. Only when she saw these few pedestrians did the girl feel a little relieved.
Zhao Qiang lay motionless on the ground, seemingly dead from old age. A gust of wind blew by, and suddenly it felt as if a crack appeared on his scalp. Another gust of cold wind blew by, and a crack appeared on his face as well. Then the cold wind blew very hard, and his body made cracking sounds. All the skin on his arms and neck began to burst, and his whole body looked like he was peeling. The old skin that burst off turned to powder in the cold wind and disappeared with the wind.
What was originally the body of an extremely old and frail man has now become a vibrant and radiant baby-like man with skin so fair and tender that it would drive women crazy. However, he is bald and has no eyebrows, which makes him look somewhat ridiculous.