Chapter 892: Telephone

Chapter 892: The Call

"Bang!" The bandage-wrapped fist, reinforced with brass knuckles, slammed viciously into Li Huowang’s left ribs, the sharp crack of bone snapping echoing instantly.

But it did not end there; the bandages on the fist were quickly bitten loose, and before they could fall to the ground, they were whipped taut, strangling Li Huowang’s throat with lethal force.

As blood rushed to his brain, Li Huowang’s face turned a suffocating shade of crimson, veins bulging on his forehead as oxygen deprivation began to cloud his consciousness.

Just as he felt he was truly on the verge of being strangled to death, Li Huowang jerked his head back, smashing it into his opponent’s face.

Feeling the bandages loosen a fraction, Li Huowang bit down, planted his feet firmly, and kicked off the ground with all his might.

His entire body vaulted upward, slamming heavily into the enemy behind him.

The moment he landed, feeling the weight of the person pinned beneath his back, he performed a backward roll to his feet and whipped his right leg out, aiming a brutal kick at the other’s head.

The opponent curled her body rapidly, using her back as a shield to deflect the blow.

She then leveraged the momentum to sweep her leg against Li Huowang’s supporting limb, sending him stumbling toward the ground.

"Time to eat." A flat, emotionless voice brought the life-or-death struggle to a halt.

Li Huowang retreated three steps, glaring with predatory eyes at Ba Nanxu as she climbed up from the floor.

He touched his throat; even swallowing was painful and labored. The force she had used was clearly intended to end his life.

Ba Nanxu reached up to touch the spot where Li Huowang had kicked her, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and parted her lipstick-stained lips to reveal blood-soaked gums.

A forked tongue darted out from the gore, flickered rapidly, and retracted. "Fuck you, I’m starting to like you more and more."

Clenching his teeth, Li Huowang raised his middle finger at her and turned toward the bag of fast food.

Opening the lunch box to find Yangzhou fried rice and radish-pork rib soup, Li Huowang ignored Ba Shengqing, who had delivered the meal, and began to shovel the food into his mouth with disposable chopsticks.

As he ate, he scanned his surroundings: an abandoned factory, littered with rusted pipes and stagnant, muddy puddles.

He had been staying here for some time now. Zhao Shuangdian had promised a counterattack, but she had not appeared since that day.

If not for the contact with these two siblings, Li Huowang would have assumed she had forgotten him entirely.

Sparring was Li Huowang’s idea; he wanted to become stronger. The Ba siblings were truly skilled, and his progress in the art of killing had been rapid of late.

"Crazy, you’re on the news. That one-eyed look of yours is actually quite photogenic." Ba Nanxu, while eating, held up her phone toward Li Huowang.

Li Huowang didn't even look, burying his head back into his meal. "Still no word from Zhao Shuangdian? All I do now is spar with you—isn't there anything else? Didn't you say we were moving next month? There are only a few days left."

"What are you in such a rush for?" Ba Nanxu lit a cigarette with a snap of her lighter. "She’s getting fake passports. It won't be long."

"Passports? What do we need passports for?"

"What else? To leave the country, obviously."

Li Huowang froze at these words; he hadn't expected Zhao Shuangdian’s counterattack to involve something like this.

So, all it takes is a passport to reach the other elephant? Li Huowang felt things were not that simple.

"Where are we going?" Li Huowang pressed.

"Don't ask about that. Just wait until we get there and finish them off. You don't care about the details anyway, right?"

Li Huowang threw his chopsticks down, looking at the siblings with impatience. "Why wouldn't I care? Don't forget they tried to take my life!"

"Call Zhao Shuangdian. I want to ask her myself what the hell is going on."

Ba Nanxu rolled her eyes and tossed her phone over. "Call her yourself."

Li Huowang picked up the phone, scrolled through the contacts to find Zhao Shuangdian’s name, and dialed.

After a few short rings, he heard her intellectual voice. "Hello? Li Huowang, what is it?"

"When are we leaving? Give me a straight answer; stop stringing me along."

"We leave tonight. Make sure you don't fall asleep."

"Fine. Since we're finally moving, you should reveal the details about the other elephant. To know your enemy is to win every battle."

"There are no details to reveal. I’ve already explained: they are the same people who targeted you before."

"I cannot tell you what they look like in my eyes. Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. After all, you are touching the elephant's trunk, while I am touching its tusk."

"I will lead you to the location. You only need to observe what they look like to you." Hearing this, Li Huowang recalled those who had once surveilled him.

After a brief pause, Li Huowang spoke again: "I need weapons."

"Yes, I understand that. I will prepare them for you. Also, I need you to promise me one thing: once we arrive, you will follow my orders in everything."

"Got it, got it!" Li Huowang pulled the phone away, impatient to hang up.

"Wait, this is important. I need to confirm again: once we arrive, any questioning or disobedience will be interpreted by me as you betraying your own elephant," Zhao Shuangdian said, her tone grave.

Any questioning or disobedience? Li Huowang pondered her words. Why did that sound so strange? "What exactly is the situation over there?"

"I'll explain when we arrive. It’s too complicated to say in a few words." With a click, the line went dead, leaving a long, hollow dial tone in Li Huowang’s ear.

Li Huowang tossed the phone back to the tattooed woman, his brow furrowed as he mulled over her words. That rule hadn't existed before.

"Over there, would it really be that easy to betray my own elephant? And if I did, what would the consequences be?"

He found it hard to imagine just how bizarre the world of the Er Shen truly was.

Two fingers with black nail polish reached out and snapped in front of Li Huowang’s face. "Crazy, are you full? Let’s go again." She clacked her brass knuckles together, sending sparks flying.

Li Huowang looked at the woman. "Can I ask you a question?"

Ba Nanxu shook her head immediately. "Don't give me that crazy talk. I don't argue with lunatics. You coming or not? If not, I’m going back to open the shop."

"I'm coming!" Li Huowang gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and stood up once more.