Chapter 077: The Woman Who Escaped the Net Has No Choice but to Fight

The motorcycle sped off into the night.

Song Kai frowned, utterly confused about what had just transpired.

A betrayal among thieves?

Most likely.

Because the woman sitting in front of him was the very same female thief who, disguised as a masseuse at Shuiyun Manor, had tried to assassinate Xu Ling only two days prior. Yet now, she had become a fugitive.

Song Kai was not one to meddle in other people’s business, but this time he felt compelled to intervene. His reason was simple: the fleeing woman was Chinese, while those blocking all the roads were foreigners.

Footsteps echoed nearby. Out in the distant fields, men with high-powered flashlights and dogs were scouring the tall grass. There were quite a few of them.

Song Kai glanced at the woman before him—she had already lost consciousness.

She’d lost too much blood.

Without hesitating further, Song Kai made straight for the nearest hospital—Tengyun City Workers’ Hospital.

The emergency room there was not particularly busy, since Workers’ Hospital was second-tier in Tengyun City, and their fees were far from cheap. These days, everyone went straight to the First People’s Hospital, where Tang Ying worked.

Song Kai rode the police motorcycle right into the emergency hall. “Quick! Save her first. I’ll have her family bring the deposit and ID later. This person is very important to our department.”

The doctor on duty, seeing the police motorcycle, didn’t ask more questions and hurried to save the woman.

“Signature, please. The patient has a gunshot wound to the leg and is suffering from blood loss. She’ll need sutures. Also, because it’s a firearm wound, we need the police’s signature,” a young nurse explained rapidly.

Song Kai scrawled his name and the bureau’s address.

The nurse, taking this at face value, hurried to assist with surgery.

The procedure took less than fifteen minutes.

The female assassin was transferred to a standard surgical ward. The nurse told Song Kai to get the family to settle the bill quickly.

Song Kai checked his pockets—he had just over five hundred yuan left, which he handed over.

The nurse calculated the fees—it wasn’t enough, but it would do for now. She went to prepare a special inpatient card for him.

Song Kai went into the ward and looked at the woman.

Her leather clothes were gone, replaced by a hospital gown. Bandages were wrapped around her thigh. Her belongings lay scattered on a nearby table.

Song Kai glanced over them: apart from a passport, there were several thousand yuan in cash.

He picked up the passport, about to inspect it, when a hand pressed down on it.

He turned. The woman was awake.

“You woke up quickly,” Song Kai remarked.

She nodded. “Thank you. But that passport is fake. My name is Gu Ying. Thank you for saving me.”

Song Kai waved her off. “I helped you because I couldn’t stand those foreigners. Look, I used my last five hundred yuan to pay your hospital fees. Now, you need to pay me back—fair’s fair.”

He took five hundred yuan from her cash and put it in his pocket.

Gu Ying looked at him strangely, not understanding how someone with his skills could fuss over five hundred yuan at a time like this.

Song Kai checked the time. “I need to go home. It’s already past one in the morning. Goodbye. Oh, and don’t go after my girlfriend again. She’s already handed everything over to Penguin Group. If you want to steal something, go there—she doesn’t have any backup left.”

He made a point of emphasizing this.

Gu Ying sat up. “How long was I unconscious?”

“Over two hours.”

“Oh no—they’ll be coming soon.” She pulled the IV from her arm, bundled up her passport and money, and began hobbling toward the door in her hospital gown.

Song Kai hesitated, then decided to help her a bit more. “Fine, I’ll give you one last ride.”

“Thank you.”

Her wound was still serious; she couldn’t run.

Song Kai picked her up, carried her downstairs, and put her on his motorcycle. With a roar, they sped away.

The young nurse chased after them. “Hey! You’re still a hundred yuan short! Unbelievable—now even the police are skipping out on our fees!”

Racing away from the hospital, Song Kai saw several burly figures heading inside.

He frowned and accelerated, calling back to Gu Ying, “Looks like your enemies are powerful. You’d better find somewhere to hide and recover—wait a few days before moving again.”

“No need. I’ll only bring you trouble. Those people are from the Fox Hunt Mercenary Group. They’re formidable—far beyond what you can handle. Just drop me under a bridge or somewhere hidden; I can survive on my own.”

“Uh…”

Song Kai hadn’t expected her to be so considerate. He sighed. “Why are there so many mercenary groups these days? Last time it was Vulture, now it’s Fox Hunt. Damn annoying!”

“How did you know about the Vulture Mercenary Group? Oh, right—last time, we were planning to steal from your girlfriend. By the way, your girlfriend is really beautiful,” Gu Ying said.

Song Kai was taken aback. “You’re with Vulture? You were the one who got away? You—uh, never mind, forget I said anything.”

It dawned on him that Gu Ying was the eleventh member of the Vulture Mercenary Group, the only one who escaped. But according to Dan Lina, Vulture’s members were ruthless killers who wouldn’t bat an eye at murder.

There was no way Song Kai would leave Gu Ying under a bridge. He thought for a moment. “I’ll take you somewhere safe. Recover and wait until things settle down before leaving. Right now, both the Fox Hunt Mercenary Group and Interpol are after you. Be careful—I can’t help you any further.”

Gu Ying had remained calm all this time, but when Song Kai called himself “brother,” she suddenly broke down in sobs, clutching his back, tears and snot streaming down her face.

Song Kai said nothing, just drove her toward Liu Zhishan’s villa.

The villa was unoccupied.

He wouldn’t bring such a dangerous person home, but there was no need to worry about Liu Zhishan—he and Liu Miaoyu had already left, and even if he returned, he was powerful enough not to fear any mercenary group’s revenge.

The security guard at the gate greeted Song Kai as he passed.

Song Kai nodded in return, took Gu Ying inside, and kicked open the locked front door.

“No one lives here. You can stay for now,” he said, turning on the lights.

Gu Ying sat on the sofa, wiping her tears, and nodded. “Thank you. I’m actually very strong. I’ve killed many people. But without my brother, I… I feel weak. I’m scared.”

“Don’t worry. Was your brother also in Vulture?” Song Kai asked.

“He was the leader,” Gu Ying replied. “He used to be an instructor for a special forces unit—excellent record. Over ten years ago, our family home was demolished. There was a lot of corruption then. My parents died, and I was kidnapped. My brother happened to return and killed those men. After that, he took me on the run. Later, we met others—some were American soldiers from Afghanistan, some were killers from the jungle. My brother gathered them together, and they started robbing gold and looting wealth. I didn’t like it, but I could only follow my brother. With him, I felt safe—like I had a home.”

Song Kai listened quietly.

Gu Ying sighed, then looked up and stood. “Thank you. I’ll repay you someday.”

“No need. I only helped because I couldn’t stand those guys. Anyway, I should go. Take care of yourself,” Song Kai said, carefully avoiding the word “brother.”

Gu Ying nodded.

Song Kai left, rode his motorcycle, and headed home.

Gu Ying closed the doors and windows, quickly rigged a few makeshift warning bells, then sat down and soon drifted into sleep…

…

Song Kai circled around before heading for home.

Just as he turned a corner, two blinding headlights suddenly shone directly in his face.

“Damn it! Moron with high beams—do you even know how to drive?” Song Kai cursed inwardly.

At that moment, with a thunderous crash, a Hummer rammed straight toward him.

It happened too fast. Blinded by the lights, Song Kai had no way to dodge.

He leapt from the motorcycle, kicked off the Hummer’s hood, and landed some distance away.

He rolled immediately, taking cover behind a wall at the corner.

A cold laugh echoed.

A shadow lunged at Song Kai.

The attacker was unarmed but wore special leather gloves. He moved with astonishing speed and closed the distance almost instantly.

Song Kai dared not be careless. He sprang back, feet pushing off the ground.

“Who are you?” Song Kai demanded.

“Die!” The reply was guttural. The attacker’s punch landed on the wall, cracking it open with a loud crash.

“Damn, a Divine Courage adept?” Song Kai was startled. Then he realized—the man wasn’t quite at that level. He only seemed so powerful because he practiced some form of external hard qigong.

The man charged again, hands reaching for Song Kai.

“A practitioner at the Shifting Step stage!”

Now Song Kai was certain.

Someone who had cultivated inner energy, possessing powerful muscles and bones—already at the Shifting Step stage!

Song Kai narrowed his eyes. There was no escape now; he’d have to fight.

Everything would be decided in this moment.

With that in mind, Song Kai no longer dodged but charged straight at his opponent…