The Rain of Bullets and Blood

At the moment the gunshot rang out, Tong Tong grabbed Tongtong and burst forward. The rain pelted her, cold to the bone. Gunshots whistled past her ears, but she had no time to care—she could only run for her life.

“Damn it, shoot this kid! You can’t even handle a child, what kind of bodyguards are you?”

Seeing Tong Tong disappear into the woods, Chen Yang’s anger flared. He immediately led a group to pursue. As for Qin An, he assumed the boy’s gun must have misfired—just bad luck for that bodyguard. The other bodyguards shared the same thought. If a thirteen-year-old boy could blow a man’s head off with a gun, then their twenty or thirty years of bodyguard experience meant nothing.

But what happened next—even if they went to hell—they would surely remember. The gun in the boy’s hand was like the scythe of Death. Every spurt of flame took at least one life, and every shot hit precisely between the eyes.

Amid the hail of bullets, the boy’s steps were ethereal, leaving behind a trail of afterimages like an elegant dance. Each time, he dodged bullets by a hair’s breadth.

If that were all, it would be frightening enough. But the bullets he fired seemed alive, colliding with other bullets, changing their trajectories, and taking a life in the process.

Was this a dream? If so, it had to be a nightmare etched into the soul—a nightmare that would make one sleep forever.

Qin An’s magazine always ran empty in under a minute. Rolling to avoid bullets, he pulled a new pistol from a corpse.

Using the enemy’s weapons to sustain his own fight—that was the way of a master.

Before long, the surrounding black-clad men were no longer fighting. They scattered in chaos, trying to flee. But that could not save their ant-like lives; it only hastened their deaths.

After hunting down all the black-clad men, Qin An turned his gaze toward the forest. The torrential rain poured over him but could not wash away the blood that stained his body.

His hands were a little numb. The recoil of the pistol still hurt him in his current state.

Pulling out a dagger, Qin An slowly walked into the forest. He hoped Tongtong was unharmed. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be just one or two lives that would be taken.

The roles of hunter and prey had just switched.

The wind and rain relentlessly battered Tong Tong. She felt her body temperature dropping, her steps growing heavier. Her arms, holding Tongtong, trembled more and more violently. Along the way, she had fallen countless times. Her hair was a mess, her face covered in mud.

“Heh heh—wife, let’s end this game of cat and mouse, shall we? Don’t you find it tiresome?” Chen Yang clapped as he came before Tong Tong.

“Get lost, Chen Yang. Don’t use that word to disgust me.”

“Wife, have you forgotten? The vows we made to never leave each other?”

“Chen Yang, the thing I regret most in this life is meeting you—not seeing your true face sooner.”

“Hmph, you even gave birth to my child. Tong Tong, what womanly virtue do you have left?”

“I…”

“So? If you become my mistress, I can still guarantee you and your daughter a happy life. And when I gain power, it’s not impossible for you to become the legitimate wife.”

“Hmph, Chen Yang, you just can’t let go of the Tong family backing me, can you?”

“Tong Tong, you slut, don’t be ungrateful!” Exposed, Chen Yang flew into a rage and slammed Tong Tong across the face. The force sent her sprawling into a puddle, splashing water. A bright red handprint appeared on her cheek, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“Tongtong, come here to Daddy.” Chen Yang extended his hand to Tongtong.

Tongtong slapped his hand away, her eyes wide. “Get lost! I don’t know you. You’re a bad person.”

“Hmph, you two are really cut from the same cloth.”

Suddenly, the umbrella above Chen Yang was torn away by a gust of wind. Rain poured into his mouth and eyes.

“Damn it! What kind of bodyguard is this? Can’t even hold an umbrella! You can all go die—no money for you!”

Chen Yang’s gaze froze. He saw that the black-clad bodyguard holding the umbrella had gone to meet his maker. A bizarre blood flower bloomed on his neck. What was happening?

“As you wish. They’re all dead. Now you don’t even need to pay them.”

“Who are you?”

In the darkness mixed with wind and rain, Chen Yang looked around in panic but saw no one else. That only deepened his fear.

“It doesn’t matter who I am. Just remember that I’m the one who will take your life.”

“Don’t come closer, or else, or else…” Chen Yang stepped over and pressed his gun against Tongtong’s temple. His trembling hand was clearly visible—it would be no surprise if it went off accidentally.

“Chen Yang, do you even deserve to be a father?”

“Did I ever say I was a father?”

“Chen Yang, let go of Tongtong!”

Like a madwoman, Tong Tong lunged at Chen Yang and bit his arm with all her might.

“b*tch!” Wincing in pain, Chen Yang released Tongtong and fired wildly.

This foolish woman… Qin An sighed. His stamina was nearly depleted. In this heavy rain, every step felt like carrying a mountain.

His clothes were soaked with blood—he couldn’t tell if it was the enemy’s or his own. His face was smeared with blood, leaving only his piercing eyes visible. He looked like a demon from hell.

The dagger in his hand was new; he had discarded countless blades that had dulled from use.

Watching the blood-soaked figure approach, Chen Yang stepped back, grabbing another hostage.

Tongtong had already fainted. Even if she woke up, she would likely fall gravely ill.

“Don’t come any closer! I said don’t come! Or else…” Chen Yang pulled the trigger, but only a click came out. Obviously, he was out of bullets.

Chen Yang’s steps faltered. His back foot felt the edge—there was no ground behind him. A chill ran down his spine.

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll die?”

“What do I care if she dies? I only want you dead.” Qin An revealed a demonic smile.

Chen Yang was truly terrified. This grim reaper, barely over four feet tall, seemed ready to take everything from him in the next second.

He had to take a gamble.

Chen Yang dangled Tongtong over the cliff edge. But his opponent showed no reaction—not even a twitch of his facial muscles. He kept walking slowly. Meanwhile, that madwoman Tong Tong kept trying to rush at him, only to be kicked down again.

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll die?” Chen Yang roared. Tong Tong was visibly terrified. Seeing she couldn’t stop Chen Yang, she grabbed Qin An’s leg, begging, “Please… don’t go any further, or Tongtong will really die… wuwu… I’m begging you.”

In front of her child, a mother is always the same—a fool.

Qin An frowned. This was getting troublesome.

Suddenly, a flashlight beam shone from behind. The faint sound of police sirens could be heard.

Qin An still walked unhurriedly, secretly gathering strength, waiting for the moment to burst.

A policeman, standing as straight as a spear, ran up behind them.

“Freeze! Police!”

Yi Xiaobo drew his gun and shouted.

But everything froze when he saw Chen Yang’s face.

Uncontrollable rage surged from within him.

“Chen Jingyang, we meet again.”

“Who are you?” Chen Yang panicked.

He had never told anyone: that he used to be a thug, that he had been to jail, that his old name was Chen Jingyang, that he got his start thanks to the tofu shop owner, that he had lied about his age, that he studied at the library until three or four in the morning just to woo a rich girl, that he rose from commoner to government official, that he went from being a scumbag barely better than a beggar to one of the richest men in Nan’an—all these secrets buried deep. Was he to die with them?

If he could just leave here, marry the daughter of a military bigwig from the southwest, his official career would be smooth sailing, his business would enter the southwest, and his grand ambitions would be fulfilled.

“Have you forgotten? The tofu stall in the west of the city—Yi’s Tofu. There was a very foolish, very naive woman—Yi Xiaoli. And there was a stupid younger brother who was dazzled by money—that’s me. Chen Jingyang, dare you say you’ve forgotten?”

“Xiaobo, it’s you.”

“Yes, it’s me. I want to kill you, to avenge my sister. My greatest regret is ever introducing you, that beast, to her. Do you know? My sister’s suicide note was filled with your name.”

“Suicide note? Xiaoli, she…”

“That’s right. She’s dead. Not by suicide—she was waiting for you to come back. It was illness. All because you stole her medicine money.”

“What?”

Yi Xiaobo unholstered his gun. “Chen Jingyang, go to hell!”

In the cold rainy night, the blazing fury from Yi Xiaobo was palpable.

“Don’t shoot!”

Qin An shouted hastily, but it was too late. The bullet, like a bird freed from its cage, flew straight toward Chen Yang.

Maybe the rain blurred his vision—the bullet struck Chen Yang’s right hand. Chen Yang let out a pig-like squeal. Tongtong fell from his grasp, dropping like a kite with a broken string.

Below was the pitch-black cliff—the abyss of death.

Qin An’s pupils dilated to their limit. Like a cheetah hunting prey, he lunged forward, leaving afterimages in his wake. Chen Yang only felt a gust of wind. In the nick of time, Qin An caught Tongtong. But gravity still pulled them down, and they plunged straight off the cliff.

When Tong Tong saw Tongtong fall, her face turned ashen. The light in her eyes died. She didn’t even feel the rain on her skin.

A sharp ringtone sounded. Chen Yang anxiously picked up his phone.

“Darling, our plane leaves in five hours. Where are you? I miss you.”

“Oh, darling, I’ll be right back.”

Chen Yang felt the situation was very unfavorable. To him, Yi Xiaobo was now a wild beast, baring its fangs but lacking wisdom—no threat at all. What he feared was the main police force behind them. With a hundred mouths, he couldn’t explain this.

Chen Yang glared at Tong Tong, then slipped away. Yi Xiaobo chased after him, but within minutes, he lost Chen Yang’s trail.

Yi Xiaobo’s roar echoed through the forest: “Chen Jingyang, next time, I will kill you!”

Tong Tong crawled toward the cliff. Just as she was about to fall off too, a slender but strong hand grabbed her, pulling her back from the jaws of death.

“Sister Tong, time to go home.”

“But Tongtong is gone. Tongtong is gone. My benefactor is gone. Everything is gone… wuwu… It’s all my fault.”

Tong Tong collapsed against the pretty figure’s shoulder, sobbing.