Chapter 120: Coming to the Rescue

Ren Xiadong paced back and forth twice in the Cipin Hotel, carefully confirming his escape route. He smiled bitterly to himself, thinking, “If Liusheng were here, his abilities would be enough to protect both of us. Then I wouldn’t have to worry so much about planning an escape.”

When Ren Xiadong reached the door of Hu Yinghe’s private room, he saw two bodyguards standing guard. If he shot and killed them, it would surely alert Hu Yinghe inside; but if he didn’t, he couldn’t get in.

As Ren Xiadong hesitated, a waiter pushing a food cart slipped past the bodyguards without being searched and entered the room. Suddenly inspired, Ren Xiadong moved to an empty corner. When the next waiter came by, Ren Xiadong struck him unconscious from behind and dragged him into a vacant private room nearby.

He stripped off his own clothes, put on the waiter’s uniform, and then pushed the food cart into Hu Yinghe’s room.

“Master Hu Yinghe’s actions are truly satisfying,” one bodyguard said. “Just don’t know if that little bastard Liusheng is dead yet!”

“He was slammed so hard he flew into the river. Even with nine lives like a cat, I doubt he could survive all that.”

Ren Xiadong glanced at the speaking bodyguard as he served the dishes—it was the very man who had hit Liusheng with his car.

At that moment, Hu Yinghe said, “Liusheng is truly talented. With just himself, he’s ruined so many of my businesses. If I kept him alive, I’d probably lose everything soon enough. What a pity such talent can’t be put to use for me!”

Throughout Ren Xiadong’s serving, the bodyguard behind Hu Yinghe kept eyeing him suspiciously. Ren Xiadong kept his head down, making the guards uncertain.

When the dishes were all served, Ren Xiadong suddenly drew his gun. The bodyguards, already wary of him, were ready to protect Hu Yinghe at any moment. As Ren Xiadong aimed at Hu Yinghe, a bodyguard lunged forward, shielding Hu Yinghe with his body.

With no other choice, Ren Xiadong fired two shots, hitting the bodyguard in front of Hu Yinghe. Two more bodyguards rushed in from the door; Ren Xiadong spun around and fired two more shots, dropping them both. When Ren Xiadong turned back, Hu Yinghe had vanished behind a crowd of people, out of sight. Frantic, Ren Xiadong fired wildly.

By the time Ren Xiadong’s bullets ran out, most of the men shielding Hu Yinghe were dead, and the survivors were screaming in terror. Without time to reload, Ren Xiadong stowed his gun, grabbed the rifles from the two fallen bodyguards at the door, and opened fire again.

Though all those in front of Hu Yinghe were killed, Hu Yinghe himself remained protected behind their bodies.

“You should have known this day would come when you hurt my brother!” Ren Xiadong said as he stepped forward toward Hu Yinghe.

At that moment, a group of bodyguards barged in from outside. Ren Xiadong turned and fired toward the door, dropping them one by one.

Behind him, Hu Yinghe quietly pulled a pistol from a bodyguard’s belt and fired at Ren Xiadong’s back. The bullet struck Ren’s shoulder, paralyzing him with pain, and he slowly collapsed to the ground.

Lying down, Ren Xiadong mustered his remaining strength and pointed his gun at Hu Yinghe, who quickly hid behind other corpses.

But when Ren Xiadong pulled the trigger, he realized the gun was empty.

Panting heavily on the floor, Ren whispered to himself, “Sorry, Liusheng. I couldn’t avenge you, and now I can’t stay with you either. I’m leaving first. And if I don’t find you down there, I won’t reincarnate.”

As the bodyguards entered to finish him off, Hu Yinghe stopped them.

“Wait. I didn’t want to kill him, but he’s come to me willingly. Keep him alive—I want to torture him slowly, make him suffer beyond death!”

Hu Yinghe called his military aide and ordered the situation handled, then looked down at Ren Xiadong.

“Liusheng is talented, and you’re capable too. You’ve already killed all but four of my bodyguards. If both of you joined me, I’d be unstoppable.”

Ren Xiadong woke again, this time in another private room. He was tied to a round table in a spread-eagle position, with his shoulder wound bandaged by Hu Yinghe’s men.

“Liusheng is still alive?” Hu Yinghe asked him.

Ren Xiadong recalled the words he had spoken to Zhou Jin earlier:

“If I can’t come back alive, please send Liusheng back to Xinghai City and announce to the public that Liusheng died in a car accident.”

He had done this knowing Liusheng might become a vegetative state patient, or even disabled if he woke. Ren wanted Liusheng to return home to live quietly under a new name after his own death.

“Heh, if he were still alive, would I come here for revenge?” Ren Xiadong lied, his only goal to ensure Liusheng lived on.

Four bodyguards brought in a brazier glowing red-hot with branding irons, along with a black box.

Hu Yinghe took the box and pulled out various implements, naming each.

“A stun baton—electroshock therapy is quite popular now.”

He switched it on and pressed the charged end against Ren’s chest. Ren began trembling uncontrollably, convulsing from the electric shocks.

When Ren passed out, Hu Yinghe doused him with water to revive him.

“Can’t take it already?” Hu Yinghe taunted.

Ren said nothing, eyes closed, resigned to death.

Hu Yinghe glanced through the box, then shook his head, unimpressed, and tossed it aside.

He then picked up the branding iron from the brazier, waving it before Ren.

“In ancient times, this was a common torture tool. Today, almost no one experiences this, but you’re very lucky.”

Ren was terrified. If this iron touched him, the pain would be unbearable.

Then, a thought struck him: “I have no hope of living anyway.”

“Ha ha ha! Hurry up! You’re about to turn cold! I love the smell of roasting meat, but I’ve never smelled my own roasting flesh. Hurry! I can’t wait!”

Ren mockingly taunted Hu Yinghe, who was hesitating.

“You insolent fool!” Hu Yinghe said, pressing the branding iron onto Ren’s chest.

With a sizzling sound, Ren clenched his teeth and endured the pain silently, veins bulging, sweat pouring down his face, his breathing uneven.

When Hu Yinghe brought out a larger branding iron, Ren gasped through the agony weakly.

“Heh, this one’s no good. Not painful at all. Why don’t you try a bigger one?”

Hu Yinghe’s anger flared. Ren was refusing to beg, which annoyed him.

He grabbed the largest branding iron and pointed at Ren.

“Beg me! I’ll make your death quick and painless!”

“Bah! Hurry up! I’m not afraid of you! If you don’t kill me today, I’ll make sure you all die!” Ren spat defiantly.

With a sizzling crack, the iron seared a bowl-sized area on Ren’s chest. Unable to bear it any longer, Ren screamed loudly.

Hu Yinghe laughed heartily, feeling a rush of satisfaction.

“Alright, I’ve had enough fun,” he said, pulling a glowing coal from the brazier. “Hold his mouth open!”

Meanwhile, in the heavy city hospital, Liusheng’s ward was silent.

“Liusheng, wake up.”

“River god? Where is this? Why is it so dark?”

“That’s your consciousness now. Your mind is awake, but your body isn’t, so it’s all dark.”

“I was hit by a car, right? Did my soul leave my body?”

“Your body is exceptional—it doesn’t know fatigue. Plus, it regenerates rapidly. As long as you don’t die, severe injuries heal after a good sleep.”

Then the river god’s voice faded away.

Liusheng felt like he was trapped in a nightmare—conscious but unable to move. No matter how hard he struggled, his body wouldn’t respond.

“Ah!”

After a long while, Liusheng’s body finally moved. He sat up with a shout, looking around the hospital room. Two beautiful women, Tian Yun and Guan Xin, sat by his bedside, watching him in astonishment.

“What’s wrong?” Liusheng asked curiously.

Tian Yun snapped back to reality. “The doctors said you might become a vegetable, with many broken bones. Even if you wake, you’d be disabled. How did you suddenly sit up?”

“Damn! Should I tell you about my superpower? This is great—I don’t have to fear injuries anymore. Rapid healing, just one sleep and I’m good.”

Liusheng thought this through, then got out of bed and said, “Hospitals are the worst. They want me to stay unconscious so they can milk us for money.”

He bounced around, checking himself for injuries, then asked, “What about Ren Xiadong?”

Tian Yun’s expression shifted from surprise to worry. She grabbed his arm.

“I don’t know. His phone’s off. He left after you came out of surgery but hasn’t returned. Can you go find him? He listens to you more than anyone.”

Liusheng’s mind raced. “Oh no! That guy might be going after Hu Yinghe to avenge me!”

He grabbed his phone but it wouldn’t turn on. Using Guan Xin’s phone, he called Zhou Jin.

“Do you know where Ren Xiadong is?”

Liusheng knew that after the bridge incident, Ren would surely seek out Zhou Jin.

“President Liu? Are you okay now?”

“Yes. What about him?”

“At Cipin Hotel in Yunhai City. He said if he couldn’t return alive, I should send you home.”

Liusheng hung up abruptly and told Tian Yun, “I’m fine. I’m going to drown my sorrows. I’ll find him and bring him back. Keep an eye on my stuff. I’ll be back in the hospital soon. Don’t go anywhere.”

Liusheng left the ward and found a place without people or cameras. He stopped time, dressed only in hospital clothes and barefoot, and sprinted toward Ren Xiadong at a speed a hundred times faster than an ordinary human.

Running at ten kilometers per second, Liusheng arrived at Cipin Hotel. He first went to the surveillance room, found the footage of Ren Xiadong’s room, and planned to delete all videos showing Ren. But that seemed troublesome, so he erased all footage from that day, disabled every camera, and knocked out all the security guards watching the monitors, leaving no trace of himself or Ren.

Then he dashed to Ren’s room, where he saw someone forcing Ren’s mouth open, Hu Yinghe holding a glowing coal, and Ren battered and bruised. Without a word, Liusheng untied Ren.

He helped Ren to the door and stood beside him, relaxing his eyes.

Time resumed. Hu Yinghe and his four bodyguards snapped awake, their eyes wide with disbelief. Ren Xiadong, who had been tied to the table, had vanished into thin air.

As they stared in shock, Liusheng spoke calmly: “Surprised? Excited?”