The real-scene shooting location of an old Shanghai alleyway.
Behind the monitor, Xu Pingqiu picked up the walkie-talkie. “All departments in position! Scene thirty-five, setup two, take one! Action!”
In the alleyway, Zhou Jinnan stumbled along, tracing circles with his feet, holding a half-empty bottle of imported liquor he had swiped from the Paramount.
He hummed an unfamiliar tune.
Just as he turned a corner...
Three figures pounced from both sides of the dark alley, three daggers lunging straight for his vitals.
The previously drunken Zhou Jinnan's eyes narrowed, his gaze instantly focusing. Where was there even a trace of inebriation?
He leaned back, bending his waist to dodge a blade aimed at his chest, and slammed the half-bottle of imported liquor in his right hand hard against the chin of the assassin on his left.
Glass shards flew in all directions!
Immediately after, utilizing the explosive power of his twisting lower back, he drove a heavy knee strike into another man's abdomen.
In just a single exchange, the offensive rhythm of the three assassins was completely disrupted.
Zhou Jinnan's left hand reached toward his lower back to draw his gun.
But just as he clearly saw the unique way the opposing assassin held the knife, as well as the triangular tactical formation the two used to coordinate their advance and retreat, his hand froze on the gun.
This was a bayonet combat style he knew all too well.
It wasn't Juntong's style—it was his own people!
Old Ghost's final words flashed through his mind: “Survive, and wait for the organization to reactivate you.”
His current identity was top secret; he couldn't even fire a warning shot.
If he drew his gun and drew the patrol over, all three of these comrades would lose their lives in this alley tonight.
In an instant, Zhou Jinnan made an incredibly crazy decision.
He stayed his hand on the gun.
The moment the opponent's assassin lunged with a second strike, instead of retreating, he stepped forward, actively shifting his body by a mere millimeter to meet the tip of the blade.
With a dull squelch...
The sharp dagger plunged straight into his left abdomen.
He took the blow incredibly hard. The momentum knocked Zhou Jinnan back three steps, his back slamming heavily against the blue-brick wall.
A few drops of warm blood splattered, landing on his cheek.
The dim yellow streetlights of the alley shone down.
His face, stained with striking blood, lost its usual rakishness under the play of light and shadow, appearing exceptionally dangerous.
He gritted his teeth and swallowed the blood welling up in his throat.
Then, his expression shifted to one of sheer terror.
“Someone! Help! Quickly!”
Clutching his abdomen with his left hand, Zhou Jinnan stumbled and ran frantically toward the mouth of the alley.
The remaining three assassins looked at the blood on the ground and exchanged glances.
Hearing the urgent whistles of the patrol officers in the distance, the three of them quickly retreated into the night.
Half an hour later, in the lobby of the Secret Service.
The men of Squad Two were on night duty.
Bang!
The door was violently kicked open, and a blood-drenched Zhou Jinnan stumbled inside.
His left hand was still pressed against his abdomen, thick blood dripping down between his fingers. Drip, drip, it splashed onto the terrazzo floor, dragging a trail of blood behind him.
Kneeling on one knee, he gasped for breath, his jawline tense as cold sweat mixed with blood soaked his bangs.
“Captain Zhou?!”
The agent on duty took half a step back in fright.
The commotion in the lobby drew out Fu Xiao, who was just about to leave work, as well as Wen Yuchu and Tang Jingran, who were waiting on the second floor for the outcome of the assassination.
Standing at the top of the stairs, Fu Xiao was taken aback when he saw the disheveled Zhou Jinnan, but then his lips curled into a smirk.
He walked down the stairs in his military boots, the leather soles clicking sharply against the floor.
“What kind of show are we putting on here?”
Fu Xiao stopped three steps away, mocking him without the slightest reservation. “The illustrious Captain of Squad One of the Secret Service, the prominent Master Zhou of Shanghai, got his belly ripped open while out drinking and chasing girls?”
Supporting himself with one hand on the floor, Zhou Jinnan managed to slump back against a Roman column.
He slowly tilted his head back.
His black leather coat was completely soaked in blood, his face was devoid of color, but his eyes were terrifyingly dark.
He looked at Fu Xiao, let out a raspy laugh, and deliberately emphasized the location of the attack.
“You have great eyesight, Captain Fu. I almost lost my life on Fuxi Road.”
His voice was raspy and weak, yet his words carried heavy weight.
Fu Xiao sneered. “Fuxi Road is only two streets away from here, and there are patrol posts at the intersection. Who could ambush you there? I bet it's eighty percent likely you botched your own assignment and are putting on a self-injury ruse just to shirk responsibility in front of the Chief!”
In the shadows of the second-floor corridor...
Wen Yuchu and Tang Jingran were watching the scene below.
Wen Yuchu gripped the wooden railing tightly.
He got stabbed and he's still alive?
The plan was supposed to be foolproof.
She had no idea that if Zhou Jinnan actually fought with all his might, very few people here would be a match for him.
Looking at Zhou Jinnan, covered in blood yet forcing himself to stand, a wave of confusion washed over her. Is this man really that hard to kill?
Beside her, Tang Jingran frowned.
It failed.
This Zhou Jinnan is more troublesome than I anticipated.
Downstairs...
Facing Fu Xiao's aggressive stance, Zhou Jinnan pulled his left hand away from the wound, and a large gush of blood poured out.
He braced himself against the column to stand straight.
“I've been investigating that batch of smuggled opium and offended the Green Gang. They even hired assassins!”
“Nonsense! Has the Green Gang grown such massive balls that they dare to touch someone from the Secret Service?”
Zhou Jinnan reached into his pocket with his clean right hand, pulled out a blood-stained bronze token, and threw it hard at Fu Xiao's feet.
“Then explain to me why a token from the Green Gang's Juyi Hall fell from one of those assassins!”
Clang!
The bronze token hit the floor with a sharp metallic ring.
Seeing the token clearly, Fu Xiao's expression changed dramatically.
Just then, footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Lu Cheng, having heard enough of the conversation outside, stepped out of the shadows.
Seeing Zhou Jinnan covered in blood, Lu Cheng's eyes darkened.
He didn't care about the lives of his subordinates; he cared that someone dared to make a move on the Secret Service's men within Shanghai territory.
“Chief!”
Fu Xiao immediately stood at attention. “Zhou Jinnan was ambushed. I believe there is something fishy about this. The Green Gang wouldn't have the guts.”
Lu Cheng walked down the steps and asked in a low voice, “Who did it?”
Zhou Jinnan gasped from the pain. “Chief... those people really wanted my life. I was lucky, or else I would have been a goner on Fuxi Road today.”
“I'll ask one more time. Who did it?”
Zhou Jinnan took a deep breath. “I can't say for sure, but there's been a group of people from Jinling moving around Fuxi Road lately. Combined with the shadow of the Green Gang... Chief, someone in Shanghai doesn't want us to have a peaceful New Year.”
The mention of Jinling made Lu Cheng halt his steps.
He narrowed his eyes.
Zhou Jinnan's words had hit right on his recent wariness toward Jinling.
“Fu Xiao, take your men and tear the Fuxi Road area upside down! I don't care if they're from the Green Gang or Jinling—anyone who dares to touch a member of my Secret Service will pay for it, finger by finger!”
“Chief, this...”
Fu Xiao looked as if he had just swallowed a fly.
This was clearly sending him to act as Zhou Jinnan's muscle and clean up his mess.
“Are my words not clear enough?”
Lu Cheng's gaze turned sharp.
“Yes, sir!”
Fu Xiao glared fiercely at Zhou Jinnan, then turned and stormed off.
The lobby fell quiet once more.
Lu Cheng glanced at the swaying Zhou Jinnan. “Go to the medical department and get bandaged up. I don't keep useless people around.”
“Thank you, Chief.”
Zhou Jinnan nodded with difficulty.
The moment Lu Cheng turned to walk back upstairs, Zhou Jinnan lowered his gaze.
Every trace of weakness in his eyes vanished.
Taking this knife wound in exchange for Lu Cheng's trust, diverting the attention of Squad Two, and securing his comrades' retreat path...
It was worth it.
Rate on N.U.
