Chapter 336: Sparrow Enters the Trap

Outside the Liu Residence, police lights flashed. Several black commercial vehicles, as if on purpose, swaggered up to the checkpoint set up by the authorities, their blinding headlights drawing everyone's attention.

Almost at the same time, in the deepest part of the Liu Residence, a nondescript rockery in the courtyard emitted a dull mechanical sound from beneath, slowly shifting aside to reveal a pitch-black opening.

A smell that was hard to define—perhaps rust, rotting mud, or something gone rancid—mixed with the stagnant, perennial stench of mold, surged out and hit them full in the face, nearly choking them.

Lin Yu's entire side was numb; he was practically carrying the unconscious Xuanyuan Qing. The girl was frighteningly light, huddled in his arms, her breathing so faint it was barely perceptible.

Xu Xiaochuan followed behind. The cold water agitated the wound on his left leg, making him gasp in pain. He gripped the gun he had seized from the assassin tightly, the metal freezing cold.

The two Liu Family Death Squad members sent by the steward were men of few words. One in front and one behind, they switched on their Tactical Flashlights, the pale beams cutting through the thick darkness and illuminating only the narrow path at their feet.

This Underground Passage was even worse than imagined.

The ground was covered in water, ice-cold and bone-chilling; in the deeper parts, it reached over their ankles, and unknown filth floated on the surface.

The walls were slick, covered in thick moss, and stagnant water dripped from the ceiling from time to time, landing in their necks, cold and sticky.

The air was stuffy and heavy, making it a struggle just to breathe.

They hadn't gone far when a cave-in appeared ahead, bricks and stones blocking most of the passage.

The guards in front cleared the way without a word. The sound of moving stones was amplified several times over in the deathly silent passage—"Clatter... Clang..."—it was maddening to hear.

"Ugh..."

A very faint moan escaped Xuanyuan Qing's throat, and her body gave a slight tremor.

Lin Yu stopped immediately and placed his fingers on her wrist. Her pulse was even weaker, and his brows knit tightly together.

This place was too terrible; every jolt, every breath of this foul air, was killing her.

The skin on Xu Xiaochuan's back had not stopped acting up. It wasn't just frighteningly hot; it was a persistent, anxiety-inducing burning sensation, searing right against his bones. The chill in the passage only made this heat more distinct.

He could feel the suppressed agitation in Lin Yu, and he could also feel Xuanyuan Qing's faint vitality slipping away bit by bit.

They cleared two more cave-ins and waded through a stretch of foul water that reached nearly to their thighs.

Finally, a faint light appeared ahead.

A rusted, dilapidated iron ladder led diagonally upward.

The back alley of an abandoned factory.

The smell of machine oil, rotting garbage, and the distinct, pungent odor of industrial waste drifted together in the air.

A van, so broken it was falling apart, huddled in the shadows of a corner.

Two people stood by the vehicle.

One was as fat as a ball—the Pangzi Boss—and the other was as thin as a bamboo pole—A Gui. He held a weapon in his hand, scanning the alley entrance incessantly.

"Mr. Lin!" Seeing their figures, Pangzi hurriedly lowered his voice and hurried over, the fat on his face squeezing his eyes nearly shut. "My dear mother! It's blown up out there! The cops are everywhere like mad dogs! And there are several other groups, don't know where they popped out from, but they've surrounded the Liu Residence tight! But that kid from the Liu Family... heh, he's got some guts, taking people to smash up a nightclub in the East District. It's a bloodbath over there now, a total mess!"

"Get to the point." Lin Yu's voice was extremely hoarse. He carefully handed Xuanyuan Qing over to A Gui beside him.

The playful look on Pangzi's face vanished instantly, replaced by a grave expression: "That old bastard Zhou Minghui is throwing money around! People from the 'Black Snake' are prowling nearby! Damn it, we nearly ran into them when we came over! These local snakes have wild connections, they fight dirty, and they're not to be trifled with!"

Black Snake?

Another faction had emerged.

Lin Yu only felt his head grow heavier.

Xu Xiaochuan leaned against the wall, gasping for air. The wound on his leg, soaked in the dirty water, was both painful and itchy, a piercing sensation.

Just as Pangzi finished speaking!

The mark on Xu Xiaochuan's back suddenly flared, burning as if a red-hot branding iron had been pressed directly onto his bone!

A sharp, extreme stinging sensation, accompanied by a buzzing sound, surged straight to his brain!

"Watch out! People on both sides!" Xu Xiaochuan roared at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking!

Almost the moment he shouted!

From the deepest shadows at both ends of the alley, over a dozen dark figures emerged silently!

They were all holding black submachine guns! The muzzles locked onto all of them instantly!

Their retreat was cut off!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The muffled sounds of silencers rang out. Bullets whistled past their scalps and cheeks, striking the brick wall behind them and bursting into a spray of sparks and debris!

Xu Xiaochuan's instinctual reaction was faster than his brain!

Without thinking, he yanked Lin Yu hard!

The two of them flopped onto the oil-stained ground in a sorry state, barely dodging the first round of gunfire.

He didn't even have time to aim; while rolling, he raised his hand and pulled the trigger at the closest dark figure!

Bang!

A crisp sound!

The bullet actually hit the man's thigh! The man let out a scream and collapsed, clutching his leg.

Xu Xiaochuan himself felt his entire arm go numb from the gun's recoil.

"Get in the car!" Lin Yu growled.

The enemy had the numbers and the firepower; a head-on fight was suicide!

Without looking, he grabbed half a brick from the ground and threw it with all his might in the other direction!

The brick hit a metal trash can with a "clang," creating a piercing noise that successfully drew the attention of several gun muzzles.

"Pangzi! Ram your way out!" Lin Yu shouted toward the driver's seat.

Pangzi scrambled into the driver's seat in a panic. The van let out a death-rattle roar, its tires screeching wildly against the ground, emitting a choking, burnt smell, and it charged recklessly toward the side with fewer figures!

Lin Yu gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up.

The wound on his back burst open, blood instantly soaking the bandage he had just changed, and the intense pain made his vision go black.

He fished out the last few Silver Needles hidden in his sleeves and gripped them between his fingers.

Xu Xiaochuan was right beside him, his hands trembling as he changed magazines; his movements were clumsy as hell, yet his face revealed a desperate, reckless ferocity.

Street fighting, erupting in an instant!

Bullets ricocheted wildly in the narrow space, the bouncing projectiles emitting teeth-grinding screeches.

The opposition were clearly veterans, providing covering fire for one another, their firepower so intense that they couldn't even lift their heads.

Lin Yu flicked his wrist and shot out two Silver Needles, taking down two enemies who had charged too close.

But the next second, an even denser hail of bullets poured over, pinning him firmly behind cover.

The bit of Internal Energy in his body had long since been exhausted; now, every time he raised his hand or shifted his position, it felt like tearing at wounds all over his body.

A loud "clang" erupted from the direction of the van, mingled with human screams.

It seemed Pangzi had rammed a path open, but the vehicle had also taken several hits, coming to a crooked stop at the mouth of the alley and moving no more.

"Lin Shu! I can't hold them off!" Xu Xiaochuan shouted; he had been shot in the left arm at some point, and blood was streaming down it.