Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 18: Chapter 17: A Life-or-Death Decision

”It’s you!”

Lei Ming immediately recognized the owner of the bloody handprint as the burly man he’d fought earlier.

”Help me...”

But as soon as the words left his mouth, the burly man passed out.

”What the hell!” Lei Ming froze. ’How did I get stuck with this guy?!’

But before he could say anything, Professor Song’s two students had already gotten out of the car and started lifting the burly man.

”What the fuck are you two doing?” Lei Ming was dumbfounded.

’You’d really just save a complete stranger?’

”Saving him,” one of the students replied, confused, his eyes clear and innocent.

Lei Ming was utterly speechless.

Honestly, if the man were just an ordinary person, he would have definitely saved him.

But the man had let the words ”Secret Palace” slip—that was the name of a fucking notorious organization of assassins!

Getting involved with someone like that could only lead to trouble.

’If I have to drag Old Song and these other two liabilities along, God knows if I’ll even get the chance to collect my final payment!’

”Brother Lei, we can’t waste any more time.” Wan Ze’s vision had improved dramatically, and even in the darkness, he could see people rapidly approaching.

Hearing this, Lei Ming didn’t dare delay. He quickly got out of the vehicle, grabbed the burly man with both hands, and tossed him into the open-air truck bed. He lowered his voice and urged, ”Who knows first aid? Get back there and check on him. He can’t die in my truck! Damn it, what a mess!”

”I’ll go.” Wan Ze hopped down from the passenger seat.

”You, Xiaozhe?” Lei Ming was taken aback.

”I learned some basic emergency bandaging at school,” Wan Ze said hurriedly. He jumped into the open truck bed, quickly began his examination, and then took a roll of bandages from his army-green satchel.

Seeing the two National University Students still staring blankly, Lei Ming exploded with rage. ”What the fuck are you looking at? Get in the car! If you want to die, you can stay here by yourselves!”

The two university students scrambled into the vehicle, and the group squeezed into the front cab.

VMMMM!

The engine started. Afraid of attracting the gunmen’s attention, Lei Ming didn’t even turn on the headlights as he hastily drove the swaying vehicle out of the deserted area.

”We should be safe now, right?”

Thirteen minutes after they’d driven from the mountain path onto the main road, the two university students couldn’t help but ask.

Lei Ming didn’t answer. His expression was grim as he used the faint light from the streetlamps to accelerate.

In the open-air truck bed.

The burly man weakly opened his eyes. He stared at the figure before him, dazed for a moment, his mind seemingly muddled, unable to recall who this person was.

”You have seven knife wounds on your body. I’ve given you some simple bandages. But it looks like you’ve also been poisoned... We’re heading back to the city now to take you to a hospital. We should be able to make it in time.” As Wan Ze spoke, his gaze fell on the screen in his vision. His bandaging Skill had successfully been promoted to Basic.

The burly man came to his senses and said hoarsely, ”Thank you.”

Wan Ze remained silent, unwrapping the bandages and starting to re-wrap them.

The burly man didn’t understand why, but after the fourth time, he couldn’t take it anymore. ”Maybe... that’s enough?”

”It’s fine now,” Wan Ze said casually. His bandaging Skill had successfully been promoted to Intermediate, and his Coordination increased by 0.01.

He seemed to hear something and looked up, his heart sinking as he saw the headlights of a motorcycle emerge from the mountain forest two kilometers behind them.

CLANG!

A bullet suddenly struck the truck bed, sending sparks flying.

”Shit!”

Wan Ze instinctively ducked for cover.

He turned his head.

His eyes met the burly man’s.

”You’ve brought us a lot of trouble.”

The burly man’s face was pale, his lips already turning purple. He said weakly, ”Sorry... Why don’t you throw me off now? I’m the one they want to kill... This has nothing to do with you.”

”Fuck, so now you realize it has nothing to do with us? Then why the hell did you come to us in the first place?” Wan Ze said angrily. This was no longer about whether to throw him off or not. The pursuers had already caught up, and it was clear they intended to silence all witnesses.

”I thought they wouldn’t be able to track me here,” the burly man said with a bitter smile. He forced himself up, but the truck suddenly swerved, and he went tumbling again. The impact on his wounds made him grimace in pain.

”Do you have a communicator?” Wan Ze urged suddenly. ”Call the police, quick.”

”A communicator? What’s that?” the burly man asked, bewildered.

Wan Ze was instantly dumbfounded.

’There are still people these days who don’t know what a communicator is?’

”Are you a caveman?”

The burly man genuinely didn’t know. ”I’ve always lived in the mountains.”

”...” Wan Ze didn’t know what to say.

Suddenly, a volley of gunfire erupted from the mountainside.

The barrage forced Lei Ming to frantically wrench the steering wheel.

CRASH!

The truck smashed into a large tree.

It tilted sharply and flipped over as it rolled down the slope.

...

”*Cough, cough!* Goddamn sons of bitches! My truck!” Lei Ming kicked the door open. Seeing the front of his beloved truck caved in and unable to start, he was so furious he wanted to turn back and slaughter the bastards. But the thought of Wan Ze made him rush to the back of the vehicle.

Professor Song was pulled from the cab by his two students, his hair disheveled, looking completely wretched.

”Xiaozhe?”

When Lei Ming saw he was gone, his heart went cold.

”Brother Lei, I’m fine.”

Wan Ze’s voice suddenly came from down the slope. Lei Ming let out a sigh of relief and hurried over. He saw the burly man lying weakly by the roots of a tree, and his anger flared up again. He shot him a cold glance and said, ”Those guys will catch up soon. We need to at least cross this mountain and follow the highway for seven or eight kilometers to reach the nearest town... Do you know how to use a gun?”

Wan Ze was stunned. ”You have a gun?”

’Damn, what’s Brother Lei’s background, anyway?’

”I don’t, but they do,” Lei Ming said calmly. ”With four liabilities, this won’t be an easy fight. You’ll be in charge of protecting Professor Song and the others later. Leave the rest to me... Xiaozhe.”

His tone suddenly turned serious.

Wan Ze seemed to understand what he meant and looked at him.

Lei Ming said softly, ”Don’t get too worked up about life and death. We’re Martial Artists. Once you’re on this path, you have to be prepared to kill all your enemies... Of course, seeing a dead person for the first time will be unsettling, but you have to endure it... This time, only we can make it out alive.”

”I understand,” Wan Ze said, taking a deep breath.

Lei Ming turned to the burly man, his voice turning colder. ”Are they from the Secret Palace?”

”Yes, how did you know?” The burly man’s eyes widened.

Lei Ming said coldly, ”I don’t know how you got involved with a notorious assassin organization like them, but I hope... if you have any conscience left, you’ll take care of my brother.”

The burly man looked at Wan Ze, then back at Lei Ming, and nodded solemnly. ”I will!”

Lei Ming looked away and said to Wan Ze, ”Head southwest. Stay off the main road. Go now, quickly!”

”Brother Lei, please be careful,” Wan Ze said, unable to bear the thought of leaving him.

Lei Ming suddenly grinned. ”Don’t worry, your brother isn’t just some nobody. They fucking dared to wreck my truck, so I’ll fucking kill them! You guys just run. I have my ways of finding you!”

With that, he darted into the mountain forest like a wildcat, vanishing without a sound.

Wan Ze led Professor Song, while the two students supported the burly man, and they started toward the nearest town.

「Less than ten minutes later.」

A motorcycle suddenly rushed toward them, its headlight like the enormous, blood-red eye of a beast in the darkness.

In that instant, Wan Ze’s scalp went numb.

The rider, wearing a helmet, gunned the engine and charged straight at them.

Wan Ze hastily sidestepped to dodge.

The rider quickly turned the bike, intending to run him over, but Wan Ze leaped into the air and delivered a mid-air kick like a battle-axe, viciously striking the rider’s helmet.

CRACK!

The visor shattered.

The motorcycle’s engine sputtered to a halt in mid-air before the bike crashed heavily to the ground.

Before Wan Ze could strike again, the burly man had already snapped the rider’s neck... tossing the body aside like a stray dog.

Wan Ze froze.

Their eyes met.

The burly man grinned, looking a bit sheepish.

”Y-You k-killed someone!” one of Professor Song’s students couldn’t help but exclaim.

Wan Ze glanced at him and said flatly, ”Ever heard of self-defense?”

”Be quiet,” Professor Song suddenly snapped.

But he wasn’t speaking to Wan Ze; he was reprimanding his student.

Seeing that the old professor was a reasonable man, Wan Ze sighed in relief.

In truth, he was panicking inside too.

But he was their pillar of support right now; he absolutely couldn’t show any fear.

He ran to the rider’s body and began to search it, finding a walkie-talkie, a handgun, a Tactical Dagger, and two small vials of medicine.

He handed the vials to the burly man. ”Maybe one of these is the antidote. Take a look.”

The burly man took them and began to examine them carefully.

Wan Ze looked at the handgun and gave a bitter smile. ’I don’t even know how to use a gun.’

”Give it to me,” Professor Song said suddenly.

Wan Ze looked at him and, without wasting words, handed the gun over.

Professor Song expertly ejected the magazine, counted the bullets, and CLICK, chambered a round. The entire sequence was crisp and efficient.

Meeting Wan Ze’s gaze, he said slowly, ”Thirty years ago, I was on the battlefield. I’ve killed invaders.”

Wan Ze was instantly filled with respect. ”Then I’ll have to trouble you, sir.”

”It’s no trouble. We’re the ones dragging you down,” Professor Song said, fully aware of the situation.

In the distance, a barrage of gunfire erupted.

Wan Ze’s heart tightened. He said in a low voice, ”Let’s go!”