Upon hearing this, the thug just screamed hysterically, and it was impossible to tell what he was saying. Enraged, Tiger raised his hand and slapped the thug across the face six or seven more times before shouting again, "You fucking tell me clearly what that woman used to injure that idiot?"
"There really was nothing there." The thug said innocently, "I saw it very clearly just now. That woman really didn't do anything. In fact, she was sitting there with her arms crossed the whole time, without moving an inch. It was just that when that idiot put his hands and feet into the fitting room, he... he naturally developed a series of bloody holes on his body... There's a ghost... there must be an evil ghost!"
"You're as big as your mother..."
Although Tiger also felt that something was strange about the matter, he naturally wouldn't let this guy disrupt the morale of his side. So he slapped the thug twice more across the face, making the unfortunate guy's mouth crooked. Now he couldn't even spout nonsense.
Tiger thought for a moment, then said to the smallest of the thugs beside him, "Youtiao... you're usually the smartest, so this is your chance to make a name for yourself! Go and drag that woman out, and I'll give you a big commendation. A third of the boss's bonus will be yours..."
Upon hearing this, You Tiao hurriedly waved his hands, desperately declining, saying, "Ah... this... I can't... Brother Tiger, you should let Biaozi handle it! He's stronger... look at my small frame, how could I possibly do it?"
"Shut the fuck up!" Tiger said immediately, annoyed. "I told you to go, so just go for it... If you dare disobey me, I'll beat you into a deep-fried pancake right now, and then I'll see if you dare to talk back to me."
"Okay, okay... I'll go... I'll go right now, alright?"
You Tiao was used to being cunning and sly, and normally he would hide behind others when faced with something so life-threatening. But he could tell that Tiger was really anxious today, probably worried that the man who had just left would come back, and then none of them would get away with it.
If he were to try and negotiate with Tiger at this point, Tiger would definitely not hold back. The guy behind Tiger with his mouth twisted from being beaten is a perfect example of that...
Although this guy didn't dare disobey Tiger's orders, he had his own little plans. He had noticed that the simpleton was fine when he first stood outside the fitting room, but was suddenly attacked for no reason when he put his hands and feet inside. So... he decided that he absolutely couldn't step into the fitting room. But if he didn't go into the fitting room himself, yet still wanted to take the person inside away, then he had to figure out how to force Luan Yuqing out of the fitting room.
You Tiao was much smarter than the other guys. As he walked towards the fitting room, he had already come up with an idea. When he was five or six steps away from the fitting room, he suddenly stopped, reached into his waistband, pulled out a gleaming dagger, and grinned at Luan Yuqing inside the fitting room. He said, "I'm giving you three seconds to get out here right now and come with us obediently, or else... I'll stab this dagger into your face... Hehe... No matter how beautiful a woman is, if she has a scar on her face, she'll look like a ghost. I'll see if any pretty boy will still care about you then."
After saying that, You Tiao raised the dagger in his hand high, aiming at Luan Yuqing's head and face from a distance, as if he was about to throw it at any time.
As expected, Luan Yuqing was startled by You Tiao's move. Just now, she saw the thug who tried to rush into the fitting room to grab her inexplicably fall outside the fitting room. She, who had been in despair, suddenly had confidence in Zhou Ziwei again.
However, although she was the person involved, she was just as confused as Tiger and his thugs. She had no idea what arrangements Zhou Ziwei had made. How could he stop others from taking her away when he wasn't even there?
Now, this cunning guy named Youtiao refuses to come to the fitting room door, but instead tries to throw a dagger at her from mid-air. Will Zhou Ziwei's previous plan still work? If she stays obediently in the fitting room, will she be disfigured... or even stabbed to death?
Thinking about all this, Luan Yuqing felt a surge of anxiety and uncertainty, unsure of what to do...
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 168: Fainting at a Critical Moment
Facing the gleaming dagger in You Tiao's hand, Luan Yuqing's heart pounded wildly. She couldn't understand what Zhou Ziwei had arranged before leaving, how he could have so quietly and seriously injured the person trying to take her away. So she didn't know what to do.
Is it to choose to completely trust Zhou Ziwei, to believe that Zhou Ziwei is omnipotent, and that even if his men aren't here, he can still beat these thugs to a pulp? But that idea is rather naive... and obviously unlikely.
But if he doesn't believe Zhou Ziwei can explain the current crisis, then should she really raise her hands, obediently walk out under his threats, and let these scumbags take her away?
No—absolutely not!
Luan Yuqing knew what it would mean if she really got out of here, so in the end she gritted her teeth and chose to believe in Zhou Ziwei this time, even if it was a gamble with her life, even if losing the gamble meant death.
Three seconds had long passed, but Luan Yuqing remained motionless in the fitting room, coldly watching the people outside, her eyes seemingly filled with disdain.
The fitting room door had been torn apart by that simpleton the first time, so it had been wide open ever since. Tiger and the others could see Luan Yuqing's expression from afar. A bad feeling suddenly welled up in Tiger's heart, making him feel a sense of unease.
"Quickly...get out here! If you don't come out, I...I'm really going to stab this dagger into your face."
After waiting for a full ten seconds, seeing that Luan Yuqing still showed no sign of yielding, the hand holding the dagger began to tremble slightly.
After threatening him again, it still had no effect. Finally, You Tiao couldn't hold back anymore. He turned his head and glanced in Tiger's direction, looking at him with a bitter expression and a questioning look.
After all, he wasn't facing just any woman, but someone Mr. Qiao had specifically requested to be brought back unharmed. He, You Tiao, was just a thug trying to make a living, and he dared not disobey Mr. Qiao's wishes on his own. Otherwise, if Mr. Qiao got angry, killing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.
Tiger glanced down at his watch, then looked up at Luan Yuqing, who remained as steady as a mountain in the fitting room. He gritted his teeth, waved his hand sharply, and ordered, "Go ahead! Just don't kill her."
"Alright—little wench...this time I'm really going to make my move...hehe...Tiger has given the order, even if I wanted to be gentle, I wouldn't have the guts...sorry...brother's going to stab you now...hehe..."
After another round of bluffing, seeing that Luan Yuqing remained stubbornly unmoved, he stopped hesitating and lewdly grinned. Then, his eyes widened, and his right hand suddenly swung out. With a "whoosh," the dagger in his hand flew out and swiftly stabbed towards Luan Yuqing in the fitting room.
Because Tiger had said not to kill anyone, You Tiao didn't dare to actually throw the dagger at Luan Yuqing's face. Instead, he lowered the angle slightly and aimed it at Luan Yuqing's shoulder.
"Ah—" Although Luan Yuqing had always appeared calm, her heart was actually pounding. When she saw You Tiao really throw the dagger at her, even though she had a lot of confidence in Zhou Ziwei, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
However, after what happened last time, this time Luan Yuqing kept her eyes wide open the whole time, without even blinking.
She wanted to see what Zhou Ziwei had planned here, and how he had managed to take down that simpleton earlier. And whether he could pull off another miracle this time, facing the dagger thrown by the other party.
With a crisp "ding," just as the dagger shot into the fitting room, Luan Yuqing finally saw a black glint suddenly flash from somewhere, directly striking the flying dagger.
That guy nicknamed "Fried Dough Stick" had put in some effort to practice his throwing accuracy with knives and daggers, but with his amateur level, he could only manage to throw the knife without it slipping off the rake at close range.
The aim was already poor, and the strength was even worse. When it was hit by that sudden flash of black light, the dagger immediately tumbled in the air, spinning around and around a few times, before finally losing its strength and falling outside the fitting room with a "thud".
Even a cold, hard dagger couldn't get into the fitting room.
That small fitting room was like a circle drawn by Sun Wukong, where no demon or monster could possibly step inside...
Tiger and his gang of thugs were all stunned, and the sales assistants and the fat boss in the clothing store were even more terrified.
Especially the fried dough stick guy, he was now filled with lingering fear, knowing that if he hadn't been quick-witted and used the dagger to attack instead, he would probably be riddled with holes in his body and lying on the ground like a fool.
Then, just as Youtiao was congratulating himself and wanted to quietly retreat to the side, vowing never to come up and cause trouble again, he suddenly felt a piercing pain in his wrist and couldn't help but scream in despair.
Looking down, one could see that a transparent hole had inexplicably appeared on the wrist of the right hand that he had just used to throw the dagger. Blood was continuously gushing out from the two holes, a scene that was indescribably terrifying.
Poor Youtiao was already timid, and in his shock and pain, he simply fainted.
Tiger's face turned ashen upon seeing this, his expression becoming even more chilling and frightening... They hadn't even seen the enemy yet, but two of his men had inexplicably fallen. What if that person came back...?
Tiger hesitated for a moment, rummaging around in his pocket for a while... but finally pulled out a cell phone, dialed a number on the speed dial, and then asked anxiously, "How is it... where is the target now?"
"Reporting, Tiger... The target has withdrawn the money and is currently taking a taxi back. They should be back at the clothing store in about six or seven minutes..."
"Six or seven minutes."
Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Tiger gave a bitter smile, knowing that if he continued to stay here, he would only be asking for trouble and would gain absolutely nothing.
So he waved his hand decisively and said, "Take Er Lengzi and You Tiao... let's go!"
After issuing the order to retreat, Tiger immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, muttering to himself in a voice only he could hear: "Sure enough... even a light cough from him would be enough to kill us all... but Ninth Brother's words don't seem quite right... why would he need to cough? He probably only needs to have that thought... and we lowly soldiers are doomed... could he be some kind of legendary deity... otherwise... how could he control the situation here when he's not even here?"
Tiger had a gun in his pocket, but after seeing what happened to You Tiao, he didn't have the courage to draw it.
How could that youtiao tube still have a chance to throw the dagger? He estimated that if he actually pulled out the gun, he would definitely not have a chance to shoot, and several transparent holes would immediately appear on his wrist.
Tiger was still pondering what methods Zhou Ziwei had used, while the remaining thugs breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. What they had encountered today was truly bizarre, so bizarre that it made their scalps tingle. Even if they were facing a madman with an automatic rifle, they might still have had a little courage to fight to the death.
But just now, they couldn't even see what the enemy looked like, and their own men were getting injured and falling one by one. They were really afraid that Tiger would send them up to their deaths again. If that happened... they didn't know if they would have the courage to go to the front of the fitting room.
When Zhou Ziwei returned to the clothing store with a bag of cash, Tiger and the others had already vanished without a trace. Zhou Ziwei didn't need to ask anyone; as soon as he entered within two hundred meters of the clothing store, he could immediately establish a soul connection with the ladybug. Not only could he hear and see what was happening around the ladybug through its senses, but he could also receive the ladybug's memory images through this soul connection, thus gaining a complete understanding of everything that had just happened.
Seeing that the ladybug could easily handle the thugs and didn't harm Luan Yuqing at all, and that the ladybug could even control its behavior and obey Zhou Ziwei's orders without killing indiscriminately, Zhou Ziwei immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared to amoebas, the ladybug's evolution and intelligence growth are obviously much faster. Now, the ladybug's intelligence is roughly equivalent to that of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old. People at this age are most prone to rebellious tendencies. Moreover, the ladybug's intelligence has evolved too quickly, but it has only been in contact with this world for a few short days.
Moreover, unlike humans, it cannot read books, go to school, or listen to others explain various principles to it and understand right and wrong...
So... it's not necessarily a good thing that this little ladybug's intelligence is growing too fast. Zhou Ziwei is very worried that if this little thing develops a violent and bloodthirsty personality, that would be very troublesome.
Although this little ladybug needs Zhou Ziwei to replenish its soul power once a day in order to survive, which means that Zhou Ziwei has the lifeline of its life, if this little ladybug really develops into an evil little creature, Zhou Ziwei can also cut off its lifeline at any time, making it not live for more than 24 hours.
However, Zhou Ziwei had raised this little ladybug for so long, expended so much of his soul power on it, and invested so much emotion in it, so naturally he didn't want it to come to this.
Watching this little ladybug grow stronger little by little, and feeling the wisdom of its independent soul maturing day by day, is just like watching your own child grow up. How could such a bond be so easily severed?
"Hehe...I'm back..."
Zhou Ziwei walked into the clothing store carrying a bag of cash. He glanced at the fat owner standing to the side, and the fat man immediately trembled and collapsed to the ground.
The thugs might not be fully aware of what had just happened, but the fat boss knew perfectly well. He had personally heard Zhou Ziwei tell Luan Yuqing a few words before leaving, saying something like... as long as she didn't leave the fitting room, he guaranteed that no one could take her away...
The fat boss didn't know someone was coming to arrest Luan Yuqing. Even if he had, he would have dismissed Zhou Ziwei's words. If Zhou Ziwei had shoved an AK47 into Luan Yuqing's hand before making those boastful remarks, it would have seemed more plausible.
However, what happened next made the fat boss finally understand the true meaning of Zhou Ziwei's words... So when he saw Zhou Ziwei again and felt Zhou Ziwei's expressionless, cold gaze sweep over him, he simply chose to faint.
Although the fat boss wasn't very brave, he wasn't so easily frightened by a single glance from Zhou Ziwei. He just didn't know how to face Zhou Ziwei later, so he deliberately put on this act.
So that when Zhou Ziwei actually tries to pay him with that bundle of cash, he won't know whether to charge the normal price, give Zhou Ziwei a 50% discount, or... the cadre might as well not take a penny and just give the goods away.
Moreover, the fat boss was worried that Luan Yuqing would tell Zhou Ziwei that he had shamelessly betrayed her, which would put him in a terrible situation.
So... in a pinch, it's best to just faint! Let your subordinates handle any troublesome problems...
"How was it? Did I scare you?"
Zhou Ziwei walked to the fitting room, looked at Luan Yuqing who was still sitting inside, not daring to move, smiled slightly, then stretched out a hand and reached directly into the fitting room, stopping only in front of Luan Yuqing.
"Come out! It's alright now."
"Wah—" Luan Yuqing was stunned for a moment, looking at that dry and strong hand, she suddenly grabbed it, then stood up and threw herself into Zhou Ziwei's arms, bursting into tears.
Although she appeared calm and composed, as if nothing was wrong, she was actually terrified. She only managed to hold on because she was inexplicably filled with confidence by Zhou Ziwei's nonsensical remark.
Now that Zhou Ziwei had finally appeared before her, her fragile nerves could no longer hold back, and she let out a heart-wrenching cry, releasing all her fear, worry, and anxiety...
"It's alright...it's alright...don't worry...don't be afraid of anything..."
Zhou Ziwei was held tightly by Luan Yuqing. Sensing the fluctuation in Luan Yuqing's emotions, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. He quickly threw the bag he was carrying onto the cash register in the distance and said, "I've got the money back. Please take the payment!"
Upon seeing the bag full of cash, the cashier immediately faced a dilemma. If the boss hadn't fainted, she could have consulted him about how to handle the money... After all, even if a thug of Tiger's caliber came to the store, they wouldn't be charged the full amount. But this person had just been humiliated and slunk away by Tiger. So... how should this person be treated?
"Please hurry... I'm in a rush..."
Zhou Ziwei comforted Luan Yuqing for a while, then turned around and saw the cashier still standing there in a daze. He frowned and urged her to hurry up.
Upon hearing this, the cashier finally stopped dawdling and simply charged the cashier the original price of the item.
As for whether Zhou Ziwei would get so angry that he would smash up the store... the cashier couldn't care less.
Luan Yuqing finally managed to control her emotions, wiped away her tears, picked up the large bag of clothes she had chosen for Liu Xiaofei, and followed closely behind Zhou Ziwei out of the clothing store...
"I need to go to a friend's house first, you..."
Zhou Ziwei glanced back at Luan Yuqing. He felt that he had just had that kind of relationship with Liu Xiaofei, but in the blink of an eye, he was bringing a woman of unknown origin who looked quite pretty to someone else's house. This... could easily lead to bad associations.
However, Zhou Ziwei hesitated for a long time, thinking that he had only been gone for a dozen minutes and so many thugs had come to arrest Luan Yuqing. He couldn't bring himself to let Luan Yuqing fend for herself. He could only wave his hand helplessly and say, "Alright... come with me first! But when we get there, don't say anything out of line!"
"Okay, okay... I understand."
When Luan Yuqing saw that Zhou Ziwei hadn't chased her away, she immediately smiled happily and nodded repeatedly, saying, "I know... You're going to see your girlfriend, I understand... I promise I won't let your girlfriend misunderstand our relationship..."
Seeing how clever Luan Yuqing was, Zhou Ziwei felt more at ease and immediately took her straight to Gu Dongfeng's house without further delay...
Just then, in a blue minivan in the distance, a tall, thin middle-aged man wearing frameless glasses stared in the direction Zhou Ziwei had disappeared, a cold glint flashing in his eyes…
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 169: Without Desire or Want