C23 Give Me Your Body

Shen Bingzhen's hope had been utterly extinguished upon overhearing that conversation.

She had considered the possibility that her husband might balk at forking over five million yuan, and even entertained the fantasy that he might have a change of heart and scramble to gather the funds.

But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that he would actually wish for her death.

To think that after years of sharing a bed, they had become mortal enemies!

It was a reality she found incomprehensible, utterly beyond her imagination.

"Damn it, if her husband can be that cold-hearted, then we'll just have to kill her."

The tattooed man flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, spat beside it, and drew a switchblade from his waistband, advancing on Shen Bingzhen.

"Don't blame us for being merciless. Blame yourself for choosing the wrong man," Old Zhao remarked icily from the sidelines.

All their meticulous planning had led to this moment, and now they were pinning every ounce of blame on Shen Bingzhen.

"I don't want to die; life is so precious."

Shen Bingzhen whispered to herself, her eyes brimming with despair.

Despite her unwillingness to accept it, the icy blade pressed against her neck was a grim reminder of her inevitable fate.

"Hold it right there!"

A resolute voice halted the tattooed man's knife just as it hovered at Shen Bingzhen's throat.

"Who's there? Who's outside?" The tattooed man spun around, peering out the window.

"It's your grandpa, Chiang Hao," Chiang Hao declared as he leapt through the window with a nonchalant air.

"Did you come by yourself?" The tattooed man eyed Chiang Hao suspiciously.

"What else? I'm more than enough for the likes of you. Lay down your weapons and surrender to the police willingly. I'll make sure to ask the cops to go easy on you," Chiang Hao taunted with a scornful chuckle.

The four kidnappers exchanged incredulous glances upon hearing Chiang Hao's solitary arrival and his bold proclamation.

What was happening today? One oddball after another?

First, a man who couldn't wait for his wife to die, and now this reckless kid. They were utterly baffled.

"Chiang Hao, get out of here! They're murderers, you don't stand a chance against them," Shen Bingzhen cried out desperately.

Before Chiang Hao arrived, she had hoped he would pick up on some trace, some sign, and come to her rescue. But now that he was here, she found herself wishing he hadn't shown up. Chiang Hao had already saved her once; she couldn't bear the thought of him risking his life for her again.

"Haha, what's this? Did the monkey send this kid as backup?" sneered the tattooed man.

"Kid, do your parents know you're out here trying to act tough?" the red-haired youth jeered alongside him.

"Acting tough will get you nowhere but dead. I thought today I'd only have to take out one person, but it looks like Shen Bingzhen won't be alone on her journey to the underworld—she's got company."

With a bellow, the tattooed man lunged at Chiang Hao, knife in hand. Chiang Hao, unfazed, tossed the pebbles he'd gathered from outside the factory. The three stones, each the size of a thumb, struck the tattooed man's knees, eyes, and groin.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The sharp sounds preceded the tattooed man's collapse. Before he could even reach Chiang Hao, he was on the ground, clutching his eyes and groin, wailing in agony.

Such precision!

Old Zhao marveled silently. As a longtime friend of Zhao Haoran, he was well aware of his capabilities. Zhao Haoran's combat skills surpassed those of many police officers—his attacks were swift, fierce, and pinpoint accurate, and he could run with a speed that rivaled a cheetah's. Yet, this man, known for his agility, had been struck three times in quick succession.

This told Old Zhao that the young man before him was extraordinary.

"This is bad, the guy's trained in martial arts. Redhead, shoot now!" Old Zhao, seeing how effortlessly Mouse had been taken down, barked the command.

Redhead had already drawn a black pistol from behind. At Old Zhao's command, he aimed the dark barrel at Chiang Hao and prepared to fire. What he hadn't anticipated was that Chiang Hao had been watching their every move. As Redhead was about to pull the trigger, Chiang Hao acted first, hurling a stone the size of a baby's fist with unerring accuracy, striking Redhead's finger.

Bang!

The gun slipped from the grasp of the red-haired man and clattered to the ground.

"Ah!" Clutching his right hand with his left, the red-haired man leapt up in agony.

Old Zhao, seizing the opportunity, made a move to retrieve the gun, but a stone struck his ear. A searing pain shot through him, sapping his strength and leaving him trembling, hands pressed to his ear.

What?

His stones were quicker than the gun?

The man with the scarred face struggled to accept what he was seeing, yet the undeniable reality left him powerless.

As he watched his comrades fall one by one, he froze, legs rooted to the spot. With shaky hands raised, he stammered, "Don't hit me, I give up!"

"Scar, don't be scared! Grab Shen Bingzhen and use him as leverage," the tattooed man commanded, despite covering one eye and his groin.

Crack!

Another stone struck his remaining eye.

"Ah!" Overwhelmed by pain, the tattooed man unleashed a wrenching scream.

Now, his hands were insufficient: unable to shield both eyes and his groin.

In that moment, the four men abandoned any doubt about Chiang Hao's boastfulness.

They realized they had met their match—a formidable opponent.

Never in their lives had they encountered someone with such precision and finesse.

Today, faced with a series of bizarre events, they lamented not consulting the almanac before leaving home, cursing the misfortune of the day they chose.

"Are you okay?" Chiang Hao approached and freed Shen Bingzhen from the numbing ropes.

"I'm fine, and I can't thank you enough."

Shen Bingzhen embraced Chiang Hao tightly, grateful for her rescue.

Had it not been for Chiang Hao, she might have perished in that desolate factory.

Inwardly, she vowed lifelong kindness to Chiang Hao.

If his feelings for her were true, she was prepared to reciprocate fully.

Unaware of Shen Bingzhen's inner thoughts, Chiang Hao gently patted her back, offering solace, "It's all right now, everything's over."

"Beep ~ Beep ~ Beep ~ Beep..."

At that moment, the wail of police sirens pierced the air outside.

Upon receiving the call from the criminals, Shen Bingzhen's husband didn't hesitate to alert the authorities. The police swiftly initiated a trace on the call, zeroing in on the perpetrators' location.

The criminals were initially taken aback by the unexpected move from Shen Bingzhen's husband, and it took them a moment to end the call.

Despite the anti-tracking devices on their phones, the police's superior technology prevailed. They pinpointed the factory's location in no time and promptly dispatched officers to encircle and apprehend the criminals.

I must commend the dedication and ingenuity of our police officers – they deserve a round of applause and a hundred thumbs up!