Besides, in Xu Youyou's eyes, the departure of those five people wasn't entirely without its benefits.
If the people who followed him failed to return, Zhao Cheng would definitely send more men over.
He had to admit, his move was absolutely brilliant!
Hehehe.
Things on his end were already on track.
Meanwhile, on Zuo Lin'an's side, he had been waiting for Xu Youyou to return.
When he cooked earlier, he had specifically set aside a portion for him.
However, he ended up waiting until past eight o'clock.
Zuo Lin'an had just finished an execution and walked over to the window.
Through the glass, he caught sight of Xu Youyou returning with a large crowd in tow.
“What is this...?”
He quickly realized that the people trailing behind Xu Youyou were the subordinates of Zhao Cheng, the ruler of the other settlement.
He just hadn't expected Xu Youyou to bring back so many people.
There were a whopping... twenty of them!
Zuo Lin'an lowered his head in deep thought.
Since Xu Youyou had brought them here, his intentions were crystal clear: he wanted to capture every single one of them.
Twenty people, and not a single one could be allowed to escape.
Therefore, he needed Zuo Lin'an's help.
Zuo Lin'an let out a quiet sigh.
Help?
Sure, why not? It wasn't like he would complain about having too much prey anyway.
“Twenty people...”
That was five more than the initial fifteen dropped off by the plane on the rooftop of the abandoned residential area.
Back then, their success in capturing those fifteen criminals had relied on a fair bit of luck.
After all, they had been on a rooftop.
With Zuo Lin'an blocking the only exit, those people naturally had nowhere to run.
Furthermore, those fifteen had been ordinary people specifically selected by the training base, possessing very little strength.
But now...
The twenty people following Xu Youyou were clearly different from the previous fifteen.
Several of them were tall and built like tanks. At a glance, it was obvious they had undergone special training; neither their agility nor their strength was to be underestimated.
Zuo Lin'an glanced down at his relatively slender frame and frowned slightly.
Forget it.
There was no point overthinking it. They could definitely pull this off.
After all, no matter how formidable these criminals were, could they possibly match Xu Youyou?
As for Zuo Lin'an, he only needed to ensure that no one escaped when Xu Youyou made his move.
He just hoped nothing would go wrong.
Time ticked by slowly.
Before long, Zuo Lin'an heard a knock on the door, followed by Xu Youyou's shouting.
“Open up! I'm back with some guests. Let's go check on Wang Hu and see if he's dead yet!”
Zuo Lin'an didn't open the door, nor did he make a sound.
After all, if he responded to Xu Youyou now, it would trigger the other's rules.
When that happened, the two of them would be forced to kill each other.
Xu Youyou knocked for a long time but received no response.
The people behind him frowned, their faces filled with suspicion.
“What's going on?”
“Why isn't anyone opening the door?”
“And why is it so quiet here? Where is everyone else?”
Xu Youyou scratched his head in mock confusion. “I don't know either. Wang Hu was inside when I left, and everyone else was gathered here too. Could it be... Wang Hu is already dead?”
“Hold on a second. Let me kick the door open and check.”
He pretended to ram the door with all his might.
By this time, Zuo Lin'an was no longer inside. He had slipped out through a window on the other side, though the man tied to the pillar remained where he was.
Xu Youyou kicked the door open and warmly ushered the people behind him inside.
“Come on in, everyone! Let me take you to see Wang Hu.”
The group filed in, immediately spotting the man tied to the pillar.
“What's the deal with this guy?”
Xu Youyou walked over to the dining table, picked up the steaming hot food, and began devouring it in large mouthfuls.
This had to be what Zuo Lin'an had prepared for him.
He happened to be starving anyway.
Eating some food now would give him more energy for the fight later.
Shoveling food into his mouth, Xu Youyou mumbled, “This guy was one of those who ambushed us with Wang Hu earlier. He was way too stubborn, so we had to tie him up and teach him a lesson.”
The others nodded in silent agreement, finding nothing strange about this.
After all, since they couldn't kill, this was their only option. Besides, they had to avoid causing wounds; too many injuries could easily result in death.
“Where's Wang Hu?”
Xu Youyou continued to eat heartily, emptying the large bowl of rice in no time.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Zuo Lin'an appearing outside the entrance. Slipping in quietly while no one was paying attention, Zuo Lin'an closed the door behind him.
The click of the lock was distinct, causing everyone to instinctively look back.
Upon seeing Zuo Lin'an, they gasped in surprise and slowly backed away, huddling closer together.
“Who are you?!”
Zuo Lin'an merely smiled without saying a word, maintaining an air of mystery.
They were all highly alert, but no one dared to make the first move.
However, while all their attention was focused on Zuo Lin'an, Xu Youyou stood behind them with a triumphant, sinister grin.
It was time to make his move!
“Ah!”
A bloodcurdling scream erupted from behind them, forcing them to whip their heads back around toward the source.
To their horror, they saw that it was Xu Youyou who had attacked!
“What do you think you're doing?!”
The moment the question left their mouths, they realized they had been played.
These two were in league with each other!
Wang Hu must have captured Wang Lu and learned of their group's existence. He had turned their own plan against them, tricking them into coming here so he could capture them and threaten Zhao Cheng!
“Well, well!”
“You miserable dog, how dare you trick your grandpa! I'll show you exactly how hard my fists can hit!”
With a furious roar, he charged straight at Xu Youyou.
Given the massive difference in their physical builds, anyone would have assumed that Xu Youyou was bound to lose.
Unfortunately for them, they were dead wrong.
The moment their fists clashed, a sickening crunch of shattering bone echoed through the room.
“Argh!!”
The muscular man, who had been so arrogant just a second ago, was now clutching his hand on the floor, howling in agony.
Seizing the opportunity while everyone was distracted, Zuo Lin'an used a club to knock out two men.
From start to finish, less than half a minute had passed.
Of the original twenty men, only thirteen were left standing.
“What are you all just standing there for?!”
“Charge! There are so many of us—if we attack together, they won't stand a chance!”
Seeing five men rushing toward him, Zuo Lin'an immediately abandoned any thought of a direct confrontation. He spun on his heel and ran, leading them on a wild goose chase around the living room.
Meanwhile, the other eight turned to face Xu Youyou.
But in their very first clash, Xu Youyou dropped two men with a swift left-right combination. The rest were utterly terrified. Losing all confidence to keep fighting him, they turned and fled.
Now, it was Xu Youyou's turn to relentlessly pursue them.
“This guy is a monster! Scatter and run!”
Rate on N.U.
