Chapter 352: What True Ruthlessness Means

Taking a small can of spray from his pocket, Xiao Yu crouched down and quickly spritzed the severed wrists of the man and woman. The blood that had been streaming from their wounds soon stopped flowing.

“Good stuff,” he said, staring at the can. 

Xiao Yu decided that he would ask Wang Dong and the others for more bottles to keep on hand. As for the pair on the floor, it was obvious they had come for him and for the Yushin-to Blade, otherwise, why attempt an assassination out of nowhere?

Did they realize that what they’d done amounted to treason?

Rising to his feet, Xiao Yu lifted his leg and—

Crack! Crack!

Bones snapped with a sickening sound. 

The unconscious man and woman jolted awake in agony. Before they could even cry out, Xiao Yu kicked each of them in the head, sending them back into oblivion. He had deliberately broken all four of their limbs to prevent them from escaping. For anyone who betrayed the nation, he harbored no mercy.

In all likelihood, their ultimate fate would be either life in prison or the death penalty. He hadn’t simply killed them on the spot because National Security would want survivors—there might be valuable information to extract. The department would arrive soon enough to deal with them, there was no need for him to worry further.

Within ten steps, Xiao Yu was already bolting down the stairs.

***

Outside the mall, Xiao Yu stood in the parking lot with the Yushin-to blade in hand. 

Five minutes passed, and his phone still remained silent. An uneasy feeling took hold of him. Something must have happened on Wu Hanran’s end.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Xiao Yu picked up and spoke in a cold voice, “Where are you?”

“Get in the car and drive,” Wu Hanran answered, sounding weak. “Leave the city and take the XX Expressway.”

He hung up before Xiao Yu could respond. That strained, breathless voice told Xiao Yu that Wu Hanran must be wounded. Without hesitation, Xiao Yu got in the car, started it up, and headed toward the highway entrance at full speed.

Almost immediately after he left, Zhou Lie and Shen Mei arrived at the scene.

“This kid is really ruthless,” Shen Mei commented with a grin when she saw the pair with their limbs broken.

“That’s what you call ruthless?” Zhou Lie shook his head. “I’ve witnessed something else entirely…”

His voice trailed off, recalling a past mission involving mercenaries infiltrating the country. It had happened on a cargo ship. Inside the cabin Xiao Yu had emerged from, there was a criminal. Wang Dong had explained at the time that the criminal had murdered two police officers, causing Xiao Yu to fly into a rage.

Zhou Lie had wanted to see for himself the state of the criminal afterward, but Wang Dong warned him not to look if he ever wanted to be able to eat dinner again. Of course, Zhou Lie’s curiosity only grew, and after the case was concluded, he sneaked a glance anyway.

The criminal wasn’t dead, but the sight made Zhou Lie vomit on the spot. It was the same reaction Wang Dong had had the first time he’d seen Xiao Yu’s methods of punishment. 

Zhou Lie, who’d killed countless enemies and witnessed all manner of brutality, had to admit that by comparison, his own ruthlessness was hardly worth mentioning. 

Breaking a few limbs? That was nothing.

***

On the highway, a police car sped along. Keeping one eye on his phone the entire time, Xiao Yu at last heard it ring again.

“In a few minutes, there’ll be a rest stop,” Wu Hanran said, then ended the call.

‘Damn it,’ Xiao Yu cursed inwardly. 

The feeling of being led around by the nose like this was maddening. And yet, the corners of his lips curved slightly. He had noticed a certain car tailing him the whole way—its driver was not Wu Hanran, but someone else, evidently monitoring his every move. Most likely, that was Wu Hanran’s man.

Pulling the police car into the service area, Xiao Yu got out with the Yushin-to blade. 

Two minutes later, a black sedan arrived. He kept a steady gaze on it. 

The door opened, revealing…a police officer?

The man appeared to be around forty, a second-class police inspector. From his demeanor, it was obvious he was no fake. Xiao Yu’s face fell, dark and ominous. The one thing he dreaded most had come to pass.

The officer strode toward Xiao Yu and suddenly drew a gun.

“Don’t move!” he shouted. “Put down your weapon. Hands on your head!”

“Why?” Xiao Yu asked, voice cold enough to make one’s blood run chill. “Why are you working for Wu Hanran?”

A flicker of shock crossed the officer’s face before he forced himself to appear calm again. “Stop stalling. Do as I say—”

But Xiao Yu took a single step, crossing the three or four meters between them in an instant. He ignored the gun, whose safety had never even been switched off, and stared directly into the officer’s eyes.

“Answer me,” he said icily.

“You…” 

The policeman blanched. But his finger never moved to release the safety, which was the only reason he was still alive. Xiao Yu was giving him one chance to explain himself.

“My life belongs to Brother Wu. He saved me,” the officer finally said, lowering the gun with a conflicted expression. “Give me the blade. Brother Wu only has the one daughter. She’s his life!”

Xiao Yu’s gaze turned from icy to merely cold, and he shook his head. “No. Let Wu Hanran come and get it himself.”

“He can’t come out. If he shows himself, you people will arrest him. That would seal his daughter’s fate.”

“That’s precisely why you should tell me where he is,” Xiao Yu retorted, fixing the officer with a piercing stare. “How can he possibly save his daughter on his own?”

“But…” 

The policeman hesitated, about to say more, when suddenly his expression changed in alarm, looking at something behind Xiao Yu.

It wasn’t a trick to make Xiao Yu turn around. Xiao Yu could sense a figure stealthily closing in, aiming a blow at the back of his head. The force wasn’t lethal. Whoever it was merely wanted to knock him out.

Xiao Yu spun and raised his hand, catching the oncoming strike.

Bang!

A single palm was locked in his grip. 

“So you decided to show yourself after all,” he said, eyes narrowing.

In response, a leg flashed toward him. Xiao Yu could see it clearly. A leg with a bloody bullet wound. He blocked it with his forearm, unmoving, and coolly eyed the middle-aged man standing before him.

Wu Hanran.

His rough, bearded face looked dull and expressionless, yet the muscles kept twitching with guilt and fury. He glared at Xiao Yu, then froze, uncertain. But he did not make another move.

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Yu fixed his gaze on Wu Hanran’s bloodshot eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be so capable? Didn’t you have us National Security agents all dancing in circles? Go on, keep fighting! Attack me again.”

Wu Hanran lowered his head, unable to meet Xiao Yu’s eyes.

“I’ll ask you just one more thing.” Xiao Yu’s voice was harsh. “Do you still remember the oath you swore to the national flag all those years ago?”

Thump.

It was as if Xiao Yu’s words drained every last bit of strength from Wu Hanran’s body. He collapsed to the ground.