mtlumby2d Chapter 374 Don't Take It to Heart
Chapter 374 Don't Take It to Heart
Despite being repeatedly humiliated and beaten by the two men, and despite his body being torn and bleeding profusely, Li Xiangyang remained silent and persevered without collapsing.
"Third Brother, something feels off. Why isn't he crying out in pain? Should we..."
"Shut up! You coward, if you stop now, how are you going to show your face in this area? Beat him to death!"
The third brother was so angry that his face turned red. He swung the iron pipe down again, but the force in his hand unconsciously lessened.
"Useless! Sixth Brother, you hold this woman down, I'll take care of her!"
Seeing that his two companions had been fighting for so long without subduing the woman and their hands were even getting weak, the man holding the knife pushed the woman into Lao Liu's arms.
"Kid, you think you can get away with this by keeping quiet? You dare to act tough in front of me? Wait until I sever all your tendons, then let's see how tough you'll be then!"
As the man spoke, he gave a sinister laugh, flicked his wrist, and pointed the knife directly at Li Xiangyang, his eyes revealing undisguised cruelty.
After enduring so much beatings, Li Xiangyang had been waiting for this opportunity.
He wouldn't dare move if the other party had another accomplice control the woman.
But if the sixth brother is in charge, the woman's safety will be much higher.
Just as the man's knife was about to pierce Li Xiangyang, he suddenly stood up, grabbed the man's wrist with lightning speed, and twisted it forcefully.
"Crack!"
The crisp sound of bones breaking was particularly jarring in the narrow alley.
"Ah—" The man screamed in agony as the dagger in his hand fell to the ground.
Before the man could react, Li Xiangyang had already grabbed his throat with his left hand and slammed him against the wall.
"boom!"
The man's head slammed hard against the wall, and he instantly lost consciousness, sliding limply to the ground.
From the moment his elder brother approached with a knife to Li Xiangyang's swift and decisive counterattack, everything happened too fast.
It was faster than anyone could have imagined.
No one expected that this person, who was beaten black and blue, would have the courage to fight back, and so decisively.
"How...how dare you? Aren't you afraid we'll kill this woman!"
The third brother reacted and roared at the top of his lungs, his face a mixture of anger and shock.
Li Xiangyang couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to such nonsense.
If the person were in his hands, he would indeed be wary, but in Lao Liu's hands, such worries were completely unnecessary, and he rushed over in one stride.
Seeing this, the third brother panicked and instinctively stepped back, slamming the iron pipe in his hand heavily towards Li Xiangyang.
Since he dared to charge, Li Xiangyang had naturally anticipated that the other party would retaliate, so how could he give him the chance?
Li Xiangyang tilted his body and easily dodged the powerful blow.
Before the other party could react, his right fist suddenly rose high and slammed heavily into the third brother's chin.
With one punch, the third brother didn't even utter a sound, falling straight to the ground and remaining motionless.
"No...don't come any closer, or I...I really will!"
Seeing that his two accomplices had been dealt with so easily, Lao Liu stammered.
Ignoring his threats, Li Xiangyang bent down to pick up the fallen iron pipe and dragged it on the ground, making a chilling scraping sound.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Li Xiangyang's tone was terrifyingly calm. "You've seen what happened to your two brothers. If you dare to hurt her, guess what will happen to you?"
Old Liu swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously back and forth in the alley, as if searching for a chance to escape.
"Don't come any closer!" Old Liu's voice trembled, and the blade tightened its grip on the woman's neck.
“Of course I don’t have to come,” Li Xiangyang stopped, his voice suddenly softening. “But there’s only one exit here, and you have to get out eventually. How far do you think you can drag the hostage? Ten meters? Fifty meters? Or a hundred meters?”
He paused, then said, "Don't you know what awaits you then?"
Li Xiangyang's words were like an invisible knife, piercing Lao Liu's heart with each and every one of them.
"Or do you think you can escape the law enforcement team? You just robbed someone in front of so many people, and now you're taking hostages..." Li Xiangyang shook his head slightly. "Your sentence will be at least five years. How old are you? In your early twenties?"
The sixth man's pupils dilated slightly; clearly, the fact that he was this old had struck him hard.
The woman seemed to sense her captor's wavering and began to sob softly, "Please, let me go, I... I won't tell anyone..."
Li Xiangyang continued, "Don't forget, I chased you all the way from the hospital. You know my speed better than anyone. If you dare to hurt someone, I guarantee you won't get out of this alley. Think it over. You're still young. Let him go and run. I won't chase you."
Hearing Li Xiangyang say this, Lao Liu moved the blade away slightly.
"You...you promise to let me go?" the sixth brother asked in a hoarse voice.
Li Xiangyang sneered, "I can only guarantee that if you release her now and leave peacefully, I won't chase after you. Of course, if we meet again..."
A brief silence fell over the alley, broken only by the sound of Lao Liu's rapid breathing and the woman's sobs.
Suddenly, as if he had made a decision, Lao Liu shoved the woman aside, threw away the knife, and rushed toward the alley entrance.
The woman staggered a few steps and almost fell, but Li Xiangyang rushed forward and caught her.
"Don't chase after me! You told me to go!" Old Liu shouted back as he ran, his face filled with fear.
Li Xiangyang coldly watched his retreating figure, showing no intention of chasing after him.
After all, he did say that he wouldn't pursue them if they released the hostages.
But if Li Xiangyang doesn't pursue him, his two companions might implicate him after entering the law enforcement bureau; that's hard to say.
The sixth man disappeared at the alley entrance, leaving Li Xiangyang and the woman standing in the narrow alley, surrounded by two unconscious thugs.
For a moment, the alley was unusually quiet.
After being firmly supported by Li Xiangyang, the woman truly felt safe, and the fear that had been building up in her chest burst forth like a flood, causing tears to stream down her face uncontrollably.
In the arms of this stranger, she felt a sense of complete security for the first time, as if her fear and helplessness were being kept out by an invisible wall.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
"Waaah..." The woman let out a low sob, instinctively hugging Li Xiangyang tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"Alright, it's all over now, you're safe."
Li Xiangyang gently comforted her, without urging her, and simply stood quietly.
After an unknown amount of time, the woman's sobs gradually subsided.
"Thank you... thank you..." the woman said softly, somewhat embarrassed.
Just then, she suddenly felt something sticky on her hands. Looking down, she saw that her palms were covered in bright red blood.
She looked up abruptly and realized that Li Xiangyang's clothes were soaked in blood.
"Oh my god! You...you're bleeding so much!" the woman exclaimed, hurriedly releasing her grip, her eyes filled with terror and guilt. "It's all because of me. If I hadn't been so reckless, you wouldn't have..."
Li Xiangyang waved his hand gently and grinned, "Girl, this really isn't your fault, don't take it to heart. Even if you weren't here, if I ran into someone like that, I wouldn't let it go easily either. It's just a minor injury, it'll be fine in a few days."
He spoke casually, as if the bloody wounds on his body were no big deal.