C18 Golden Silk Soft Armor Rendered Meritorious Service

Huang Feng's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the dagger in his assailant's hand. He hadn't anticipated that, in broad daylight, someone would brazenly brandish a knife like a madman. The audacity was staggering. Sure, Huang Feng kept up with his training, but it was just that—training. He was only marginally more skilled than the average person. Now, faced with a dagger-wielding thug, panic set in.

But Huang Feng wasn't the only one taken aback. The young man's companions were equally shocked. They were known to hassle the staff and occasionally flirt with the female employees, but they had never crossed the line to outright violence. They certainly hadn't expected one of their own to pull a knife, escalating the situation to a whole new level.

His companions tried to intervene, but it was too late. The young man was already upon Huang Feng, and with the group crowding around, there was no chance for Huang Feng to evade the attack. Helplessly, they all watched as the dagger plunged into Huang Feng's abdomen.

In the moment the blade pierced Huang Feng, the young man realized his folly. Blinded by rage, he had acted foolishly. What made it worse was that his friends' presence had prevented Huang Feng from dodging the attack. The young man's face turned ashen with fear. If Huang Feng died from the wound, his own life would be over.

Just then, a squad of security guards burst from the factory. These guards had encountered the young men before, but there had never been a physical altercation. They weren't intimidated by the guards—until now. With a knife involved and the prospect of being apprehended and reported to the police, arrest was imminent. Their actions could drag down all their accomplices.

Seeing the security guards, the group made a break for it. As they fled, someone grabbed the knife-wielding guy, who seemed too petrified to move.

He was indeed petrified. Intimidating ordinary folks was one thing, but murder was beyond their bravado. Now, he had done the very thing he never had the courage for, nor ever wished to do.

"F*ck! Who the hell told you to pull a knife? You wanna get yourself killed, fine, but don't drag us down with you!" one of the young men shouted furiously at the assailant as they ran.

"Seriously, have you lost your mind? Pulling a knife out here? Did you want to broadcast it to the world or something?"

"Did you actually get him with that stab earlier?"

Everyone else was livid with the guy's actions. His reckless move could've put them all in jeopardy, so their anger was justified.

"I might've gotten him good, I'm not really sure. I was kind of in shock, so I don't know if the knife went in," the man stammered, clearly frightened.

"How could it not have gone in? He didn't dodge, did he? His body isn't made of stone, how could you miss? Now, we just have to hope he doesn't die, and that he's not seriously hurt. Otherwise, we're all screwed," someone else chimed in.

"Exactly. I say we lay low for the next few days. Find somewhere to hole up and let the heat die down. If everything blows over, we can come back," another suggested.

"Agreed, let's go with that plan. Besides, we've already finished most of what the bosses wanted us to do," someone else said, and the group quickly concurred.

The guy who had used the knife was especially eager to agree; it was his handiwork, after all. If things went south, he'd bear the brunt of the blame. But he genuinely couldn't recall if he had made the stab. He had been too dazed. Still, he figured his buddy was right; Huang Feng wasn't made of stone. He had been furious, his strength significant, so the knife must have gone in.

"Yet, I didn't see any blood, and that guy's face looked kind of off. What's really going on here?" he wondered silently, not daring to voice his confusion amidst the collective outrage.

"Huang Feng, how are you? Director Bao, call an ambulance and the police, now!" Meanwhile, on the other side, after the young men had scattered, the startled Su Yumo came to her senses. She rushed to Huang Feng's side and asked with concern.

"Hold off on calling the police or an ambulance!" Huang Feng said, lifting his gaze to Director Bao while still clutching the assailant's dagger in his hand. The attacker had lost his grip on the weapon after the stabbing, allowing Huang Feng to wrest it away.

Director Bao, who was about to dial, stopped in his tracks at Huang Feng's words, uncertain of his intentions.

"Huang Feng, what's the matter? Why aren't you calling for an ambulance? Delaying treatment could be dangerous," Su Yumo expressed with concern.

"I'm okay, Director Su. Really, look at me—not a scratch, not a drop of blood in sight," Huang Feng reassured her, showing her the dagger before opening his hands wide as if to prove his point.

Su Yumo, taken aback, inspected Huang Feng's midsection. Indeed, there was no sign of injury, not even a speck of blood—only his clothing was slightly torn, everything else appeared untouched.

"How can this be?" Su Yumo asked, bewildered. She had seen the assailant's attack clearly: the force was substantial, the intent deadly. Huang Feng hadn't managed to evade, so how could he be unharmed?

"Maybe the guy was all bark and no bite, lacking the strength behind his scare tactics. He didn't manage to hurt me," Huang Feng said with a nonchalant shrug, feigning ease.

The truth, however, was far from Huang Feng's casual dismissal. The attacker had indeed been strong, and Huang Feng had been squarely hit. But unbeknownst to others, beneath his security uniform lay a recently acquired treasure—his black golden silk soft armor.

The dagger had only managed to slice through his outer clothing before meeting the resistance of the golden silk soft armor. Huang Feng had braced for injury, but to his surprise, the armor had absorbed the blow, leaving him completely unharmed.

"This really is a remarkable piece," Huang Feng mused internally. This golden silk soft armor had once saved Wei Xiaobao in the world of "The Deer and the Cauldron," and now it had protected him as well. Truly, it was an invaluable asset.