Chapter 179: Crisis—Surrounded on All Sides
Nan Xun flopped onto the bed with a dull thud.
Little Eight said, “What are you doing? The big boss is really angry right now.”
Nan Xun snapped back, “I’m angry too. Manman is such a good kid—how can he treat her like a pet? Is that how a brother is supposed to act?”
Little Eight replied, “The big boss gives her fine clothes and food and pays for her schooling. He’s basically the most compassionate villain boss ever, okay? Why do you care what his motive for charity is?”
Nan Xun sighed, pulled the covers over his head, and planned to sleep straight through till morning.
He thought he’d fall asleep quickly, but Yan Man’s situation kept weighing on his mind. He lay there wide awake until three or four in the morning before finally drifting off.
The next day, Nan Xun was jolted awake by Little Eight’s sobbing. “Waaah—dear, I’m so sorry! I just meant to take a nap, but I overslept! Yan Man has already run away from home!”
Nan Xun sprinted downstairs. In the living room, Yan Luo swept a cold glance over a note on the table, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the trash.
Seeing Nan Xun come down, the man’s dark expression softened slightly. “Xiao Bai, why not sleep a bit longer?”
Nan Xun said nothing. He went straight to the trash can, fished out the paper ball, and unfolded it.
Damn it—Yan Man really had run away from home.
Nan Xun’s heart pounded. Thinking of what Little Eight had said about Yan Man’s fate, he grew unbearably anxious.
“Bro, Manman ran away! We have to go find her!”
Seeing how frantic he was, Yan Luo frowned in mild displeasure. “No need. She does this all the time—throws a tantrum and runs off. It’s not the first or second time. Let her be.”
Nan Xun was beside himself. “If you won’t look, I will!” With that, he turned and bolted.
Yan Luo’s face darkened to iron-gray. Without realizing it, Manman had become this important to Xiao Bai?
Though an inexplicable discomfort rose in his chest, Yan Luo still sent two trusted aides after him. City B was his territory—no one should dare cause trouble for Xiao Bai. Two top-tier enforcers would be enough.
He just wasn’t comfortable letting Xiao Bai go alone.
With Little Eight as his cheat code, Nan Xun hurried along the route Yan Man had taken.
The path grew more and more remote, and before he knew it, he’d reached the outskirts of City B.
“Nan Xun, you can’t go any farther!” Little Eight warned urgently. “Up ahead is the Green Tiger Gang’s turf!”
The Green Tiger Gang had once been a major force, but years ago Yan Luo had led his men to wipe them out. Only a handful of insignificant lackeys remained, hiding in the far corners of City B, living miserably day to day.
At that point, even the tAxi driver refused to continue and kindly warned him, “Kid, it’s chaos up ahead. You really shouldn’t go any farther.”
Nan Xun didn’t force him. He paid double the fare and took off running.
Little Eight screamed, “You really can’t go on! People die out there—really, they die!”
Nan Xun’s gaze was resolute. “Little Eight, if I didn’t know, fine. But now that I do, I absolutely can’t let Yan Man end up like that.”
If he died, he still had Little Eight—he could live on in another world. But Yan Man couldn’t. If Su Man of this world died, she would be gone for good.
Just for the way she’d affectionately called him “Xiao Bai” for a whole year, he couldn’t stand by and watch her die—especially not in such a horrific way.
“Little Eight, help me check on Yan Man.”
Little Eight sighed, resigned. “Alright, alright. If you really get yourself killed, we’ll just abandon this world and leave.”
A moment later, Little Eight said gravely, “Looks like Yan Man was targeted from the moment she hailed a cab. The unlicensed driver used to be with the Green Tiger Gang. A lot of his brothers were killed by Yan Luo. When he saw Yan Man flag him down, he recognized her as Yan Luo’s sister, knocked her out, and drove her here. The car has stopped—he’s carrying her somewhere now. Wait! There seems to be an abandoned factory up ahead, with several burly men inside.”
Nan Xun’s eyes sharpened. “No—he can’t meet up with them! Why haven’t the two enforcers my brother sent arrived yet?”
Little Eight sounded helpless. “Those two look too fierce—no one wanted to give them a ride. They ended up commandeering a car. By my estimate, they’ll arrive in about ten minutes.”
Nan Xun nodded and kept sprinting along the route. Five or six minutes later, he spotted a white van parked by the roadside.
Looking ahead, he saw a limping man carrying the unconscious Yan Man toward the abandoned factory.
Thank heavens the guy was a cripple—he wasn’t moving fast. Nan Xun didn’t hesitate and lunged at him.
The limping man was knocked to the ground, and the unconscious Yan Man tumbled down with him.
Nan Xun gave him no chance to shout. He looped an arm over the man’s shoulder and clamped down hard on his throat.
When the man could no longer breathe, Nan Xun grabbed a large stone and smashed it against the back of his head. The man went completely limp.
Nan Xun hoisted Yan Man onto his back and started back—when Little Eight suddenly cried out, “Nan Xun! There are a lot of people coming from behind!”
Nan Xun turned his head. Two or three dozen armed men were already closing in from behind, while seven or eight lackeys poured out of the abandoned factory ahead.
The leader was a muscular man in his thirties or forties, dark-skinned, his arms covered in tattoos—clearly not someone to mess with.
“Hahaha! I thought my underlings were just bullshitting me for laughs—turns out they really did grab Yan Luo’s sister.” His laughter faded into a vicious glare as his eyes fell on Yan Man. “That Yan Luo wiped out my entire Green Tiger Gang—brothers dead, brothers in prison. Today, I finally get to settle part of that debt!”
“Brothers!” the leader snarled. “Let’s chop this girl and this brat into pieces, pack them in gift boxes, and send them to Yan Luo!”
Three to five men rushed Nan Xun at once. With no choice, he set Yan Man down and fought them.
But he wasn’t Yan Luo. Outnumbered, he was on the verge of collapse when a gunshot rang out. Everyone flinched and turned around in unison.
Nan Xun rolled hard across the ground, breaking free of their attack range, then scooped Yan Man up and ran.
The two enforcers who’d been tailing him had arrived. Yan Luo’s most trusted subordinates, both armed, now stood with guns trained on the three to four dozen men.
Anyone who tried to approach Nan Xun and Yan Man was shot dead on the spot. But the road was blocked—Nan Xun couldn’t break out.
The thugs no longer dared advance. Brandishing machetes, they faced off against Nan Xun—while Nan Xun remained trapped within their encirclement.
