Chapter 906: Capturing the Wolf

The man downstairs hadn’t noticed her yet. Tao Yueyue took a deep breath and considered her options. The enemies were two armed assassins. The most rational approach would be to find a place to hide and call the police after they had killed Zhou Xiao.

But she couldn’t accept such a conclusion. A latent potential within her had been awakened, and she was determined to see Zhou Xiao—who had killed her mother, Gu You, and countless others—brought to justice, even if it meant saving him from the assassins.

She examined the room carefully for anything useful and devised a strategy. Once everything was ready, she fashioned a clothes hanger into a plug-like shape, wrapping the handle with thick insulation.

She then inserted it into an outlet, causing a short circuit that plunged the entire villa into darkness.

The assassin downstairs, seeing the sudden blackout, used his radio to check with his partner, but received no response. He then turned on a flashlight and headed upstairs.

As he neared the second floor, he discovered a deviously hidden rope made from a cloth strip stretched across the stairs, one end tied to the handrail, the other end held by a small shadow crouching there.

The assassin sneered at the primitive trap, thinking it childish. He fired at the shadow, which seemed to be a child, and the figure fled.

Following their professional habits, anyone who had seen their faces couldn’t be left alive.

The assassin climbed the stairs carefully, wary of further traps. He noticed a partially open door ahead, so he pushed it open while staying alert.

Suddenly, something fell from above. The assassin stepped back just in time to avoid a bizarre water balloon, which turned out to be a condom filled with liquid. It was another petty and childish trick.

While he was relieved to have avoided that, a flame with a pestilent smell burst from the doorway, instantly scorching his eyebrows. He screamed in agony, waving his hands frantically to extinguish the flames.

This was Tao Yueyue’s improvised flamethrower made from a lighter and insecticide. It was her final trick. Although it gave her an edge, she was still terrified because the opponent had a gun.

Seeing the right moment, Tao Yueyue discarded the flamethrower and pulled out a baseball bat, swinging it at the assassin’s knee.

The assassin fell heavily to the ground, his face blackened from the fire and his vision still impaired. He cursed as he drew his handgun, but his wrist was struck heavily, making him drop the weapon.

Tao Yueyue fiercely beat him with the bat until he was motionless, then quickly kicked the gun away and grabbed it.

She was ecstatic at the success of her trap, amazed that it had worked. After all, the assassin was only human.

She tested the gun by firing a shot at the wall, creating a hole and feeling the painful recoil in her wrist.

She turned the gun toward the downed assassin. The man, covering his face with his hands, begged, “Don’t kill me!”

Tao Yueyue aimed at his knee and pulled the trigger. The assassin howled in pain, clutching his knee and trembling. Tao Yueyue marveled at the destructive power of a gun, realizing that just a few grams of metal could cripple a person.

This shot was a last resort; she vowed never to shoot anyone again.

Next, she needed to find Zhou Xiao…

She unscrewed the silencer and, holding the gun, walked through the dark corridor. Some noise came from a room at the end. Tao Yueyue took a deep breath, kicked the door open, and saw Zhou Xiao, covered in blood, bent over trying to retrieve a gun from the assassin’s corpse.

Tao Yueyue pointed the gun at his back and said, “Don’t move, or I’ll shoot!”

Zhou Xiao remained still, saying, “Enough with the threats…”

Tao Yueyue fired a shot at the ceiling, the deafening sound making both their ears ring. This did intimidate Zhou Xiao, who turned to face her with a look of hatred and surprise. Tao Yueyue noticed his left hand was hanging, continuously dripping blood.

“Why don’t you kill me then?” Zhou Xiao taunted.

“I’ll break your arms and legs, but I won’t kill you!” Tao Yueyue threatened, her pent-up anger erupting like steam from a teapot.

“Yueyue, you’re really talented. Are you going to waste that talent on ordinary people? If you put down the gun now, I will trust you completely. We’ll be the best partners forever, making big money together…”

Another shot rang out. Zhou Xiao, covering his ears, grimaced in pain as the ringing continued. He couldn’t understand what Song Lang had done to make her so determined to be a good person, while also feeling bitter. The closeness they had developed over the days was all just pretense for this moment.

Fury surged in Zhou Xiao’s chest as he approached, “Kill me then!”

“Don’t come any closer!” Tao Yueyue screamed, firing twice, one shot hitting Zhou Xiao’s leg.

Zhou Xiao collapsed, blood flowing like a stream. He looked up with a menacing glare, his teeth clenched.

“Tao Yueyue!!!”

He had imagined many endings for himself: being shot dead by the police in a building; jumping from a high building when cornered; being ambushed by gangsters; dying after a fierce battle with a criminal boss. These scenarios were full of the bravado and romance of a bandit. But he had never imagined ending up like this, subdued easily by a teenage girl.

Tao Yueyue looked at the wounded lone wolf with mixed feelings. “Zhou Xiao, you’re really pitiful. You hide every day, clutching a knife even when you sleep, never daring to let your guard down, even when you’re sick. You don’t have a single friend. Not one!”

Her words, coming from a young girl, surprisingly touched him. His eyes grew moist as he bit his lip and said, “Give me a cigarette!”

“I don’t have any.”

“Nobody has ever said I’m pitiful. Everyone hates or fears me… Find me a cigarette!”

“The police are coming. They’ll bring you cigarettes.”

Zhou Xiao rubbed his nose, stopping his resistance. He lay down on the blood-stained floor, feeling a sense of comfort he hadn’t experienced in a long time. He hoped to bleed out before the police arrived.

A vehicle arrived outside. From the footsteps, it was definitely the police. A large group of people was coming upstairs. Zhou Xiao knew he was running out of time and suddenly shoved the assassin’s gun into his mouth.

Tao Yueyue shouted, “Don’t you want a cigarette?”

Zhou Xiao froze. Tao Yueyue continued, “If you go to prison, I’ll visit you, buy you cigarettes, and get you newspapers. I’ll even be there when you face the firing squad. I promise you won’t be alone.”

Zhou Xiao slowly pulled the gun from his mouth and threw it away, then crouched on the ground and began to sob.

The footsteps in the corridor grew closer, but Tao Yueyue remained vigilant. Then she heard a familiar voice, “Yueyue, is that you?”

With tears in her eyes, Tao Yueyue turned, “Uncle Chen!”