Chapter 129: Ambush in the Alley

Chapter 129: Alley Battle and Ambush

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"We are the Tianfu Guards, ordered to search for the wanted criminal Li Jun! Open the door immediately!"

The person knocking seemed to have little patience; the moment the shouting stopped, the tightly closed door was violently smashed open, leaving the homeowner no time to respond.

"Take cover!"

Two fully armed Tianfu Guards stormed in, their Afurong submachine guns raised like fully drawn crossbows, their muzzles scanning the room with their eyes.

The chaotic room was empty, save for traces of dust under the dim, yellow light. The corners were piled with various debris, and the air reeked of damp, rotting decay.

"What the hell."

A guard waved his hand in front of his nose, grimacing: "How can anyone live in a place like this?"

His companion laughed: "You're too curious. These lowlifes on Jiulong Street have more lives than rats—they can survive in worse conditions than this."

"I heard that Li Jun was discovered by Shudao Logistics in this dump?"

The guard kicked away the debris in front of him, sneering, "What a lucky bastard."

"Who knows if he even appreciates his luck? What good is surviving if you don't make use of it?"

His companion slung the submachine gun behind him, pulling out a finger-sized electronic device from a pocket on his tactical vest and taking a drag, exhaling smoke.

"I can't figure it out either. He became a high-ranking official at Shudao Logistics, yet he still eats from both sides, siding with Tianfu Heavy Industry?"

"What's there to figure out? It's greed. Once you have power, you crave more. Too bad Li Jun picked the wrong side this time."

The guard stepped closer, snatching the electronic cigarette from his companion's mouth and taking two sharp puffs, his expression momentarily dazed.

"What's in this stuff? The taste..."

"A bit of Afurong." His companion grinned: "This is premium stuff, but it's too expensive."

He suddenly squinted and gestured, lowering his voice:

"I heard the Gu family has put a bounty on Li Jun. There's a big reward on the black market. So, if we find him, do we report to the Huang County Magistrate or..."

"Report to hell. The salary the Guard Bureau gives us is barely enough. I've worked my ass off for years, and I can't even afford a single bullet. Of course we'll notify the Gu family for a better reward."

"Good brother, we're on the same page!"

"Hah."

The smoking guard stretched lazily, tilting his face to the sky, his eyes squinting into slits.

"Brother, the purity of your Afurong is too high—it's giving me hallucinations."

"What kind of hallucination?"

The other guard, lost in fantasies of how to trade Li Jun's whereabouts for untold riches, froze and instinctively looked up.

Above, on the ceiling, a man with a dagger in his mouth glared down at him, his veins bulging, his green eyes wide with feral rage, as if ready to devour him.

"What the hell—another hallucination. It's the Water Robe."

The shout had barely echoed when the room's lights suddenly went out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Deafening gunfire echoed through the cramped dwelling, the whistling of blades cutting through the air.

Flickering gunfire illuminated the room in flashes, a snarling face darting between the guards like a ghost.

The shouts came in waves, lasting less than a minute.

With the final, heart-wrenching scream, the cottage fell silent once more.

The Water Robe stood in the corner, gripping his short blade in the darkness.

His heart pounded violently, blood rushing through his body like a tide, his chest and lungs seared with a burning pain.

In the ambush, he was certain he'd stabbed one guard to death. But whether the other was alive or dead, he couldn't be sure.

He forced his ragged breaths to steady, straining to listen for any movement inside.

Having roamed Jiulong Street for so long, this wasn't his first night battle.

The countless scars on his body had long taught him how to survive in such chaos.

Whoever speaks first, dies first!

Suddenly, a faint *click* echoed in the darkness.

The sound of a magazine change!

Before he could process it, his body reacted first.

The blade-wielding Water Robe lunged toward the sound, his short dagger slicing through the air with a terrifying gust!

Pfft! Bang!

The sound of flesh being torn and the explosive gunfire rang out simultaneously.

Then, silence fell once more.

Boom!

Lightning flashed, streaming through the narrow window.

In the fleeting light, three bodies lay sprawled on the ground, blood spattered everywhere.

And that snarling, monstrous eye still screamed soundlessly.

The same scene unfolded endlessly in the tangled homes of Jiulong Street.

Inside, life-and-death struggles erupted at the slightest provocation.

Outside, rain poured down in torrents.

Inside the command vehicle, Huang Yaoczong furrowed his brow in irritation.

The search progress in Jiulong Street infuriated him, yet he was powerless to act.

This garbage dump was riddled with illegal structures, countless alleys intersecting in every direction, and piles of rubble everywhere. Even the widest main road was only two or three zhang wide, and the narrowest paths required sidling through.

Though his Tianfu Guards were well-trained and well-equipped, in this steel maze, they couldn't leverage their firepower.

Instead, those damned Water Robes used the terrain to their advantage, launching relentless ambushes.

From the reports, his guards had lost dozens of men, yet not a single hair of Li Jun had been found.

"These damned lowlifes! I should've let Luo Zhen wipe them out!"

Huang Yaoczong cursed inwardly.

After a moment's thought, he pressed the car window down and called out to the squad leader standing in the rain: "That guy, what's his name, Kuang something—have you found him yet?"

"No, sir. His name is Kuang Qingyun, and we've found no trace of him."

"Can't even catch a mud-legged wretch—are you even competent?"

Huang Yaoczong's face twisted with malice: "Listen, Qi Feng—I don't care what methods you use. Find Kuang Qingyun now. Or you can forget being squad leader."

"I obey, sir."

"Hmph! A bunch of useless wretches!"

The car window rises, shutting out the wind and rain.

Qifeng wipes the rain from his face, turning to glance at the dejected subordinate behind him.

The fatigue and damp chill of the overnight search, the tragic deaths and injuries of comrades, have sunk their spirits to the lowest depths.

A guard steps forward, "Captain, the situation on Jiulong Street is too intricate, and the denizens here are all informants for the Pao Ge Hui. Extracting Kuang Qingyun is simply impossible."

Qifeng casts a cold glance, "What do you mean to say?"

"The Pao Ge Hui, this gang, is the most loyal. I know where their headquarters is; perhaps we..."

"Silence! If you dare speak such words before Mr. Huang, don't blame me for not upholding brotherly ties!"

Qifeng lets out a low growl, then suddenly lifts his gaze to the south where the flames are slowly dying.

For no reason, his heart gives a sudden tremor.