Chapter 413: Sleepless Tonight!

At night, on the long street in the outskirts.

Four Ancient Martial Arts Bandits stood on the blood-soaked road, droplets of blood from their daggers trickling down the blades and splattering tiny blood spots on the ground.

The Fu Li Group's enforcers were still frantically running toward the distance, some even losing their shoes, leaving only blood-stained steel pipes littering the ground and wounded men moaning.

Four Ancient Martial Arts Bandits cut through a crowd of the Fu Li Group's enforcers.

This scene was simply too brutal and shocking.

One of the bandits wiped the blood off his dagger, his gaze sweeping over the empty factory direction, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "We can't let Lin Yuan get away!"

Another bandit nodded, gripping his knife hilt: "The Gang Leader ordered us to take him alive—let's chase!"

The four didn't wait any longer, striding toward the direction Lin Yuan had retreated, their steps fast and urgent, daggers gripped tightly in their hands.

They ran along the side path for several hundred meters, saw a forked alley, and noticed faint footprints on the ground—likely left by Lin Yuan.

The leader bandit waved his hand, and the four immediately slipped into the alley, scanning left and right at the walls and corners, not even missing behind the trash cans.

"Where is he? Where did he run to?" a bandit hissed angrily, his voice full of agitation—clearly they had followed the trail, yet he had vanished all of a sudden.

Another bandit kicked a pebble at his foot, his face grim: "Could he have taken a detour? This kid is too slippery!"

The four circled the alley twice, still seeing no sign of Lin Yuan; one bandit grew impatient, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Damn it, he still got away!" one bandit cursed.

Just as they were about to turn around and take another route to search, a phone's external speaker suddenly blared TikTok background music from the corner at the alley's end.

The four snapped their heads toward the sound's source.

Lin Yuan sat quietly on the steps at the alley's corner, leaning against the mottled wall, holding his phone, the screen still paused on a TikTok short video.

Hearing the footsteps stop, Lin Yuan slowly lifted his gaze, his eyes falling on the four bandits, showing no trace of panic.

"You've come?"

"I've been waiting for you a long time."

Lin Yuan said, lightly tapping the phone screen to pause the video, then slowly lowered the phone.

He pushed himself up from the steps and brushed dust off his pants.

Lin Yuan stood at the alley corner, arms crossed over his chest, a hint of mockery in his eyes, breaking the silence: "Speak up—why are you four looking for me?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the bandits' blood-stained clothes, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile: "Wasn't last time's beating enough? Do you want another round?"

Upon hearing this, the four bandits' anger flared even more!

The four bandits had no intention of talking; wearing hoods, they gripped their daggers and rushed at Lin Yuan with hurried steps, the blades flashing cold in the alley's dim light.

But after just two steps, the four bandits noticeably slowed—

Earlier, when they fought the Fu Li Group's enforcers, they had expended too much stamina.

Now their breathing was heavy, and their arm movements when swinging the knives were half a beat slower than before.

Lin Yuan had been prepared; seeing them charge, he flicked his fingertips, three silver needles shooting out like arrows from a bow, precisely aiming at the leader bandit's shoulder, knee, and waist acupoints.

"Clang!" The silver needles struck the bandit's clothing, barely penetrating before bouncing off and clattering to the ground with a clear sound.

Lin Yuan's expression hardened, his brows knitting instantly as his eyes fell on the bandits' clothes, his tone tinged with surprise: "You're wearing bulletproof vests?"

The leader bandit halted, wiping sweat from his face with a hand, the corner of his mouth turning into a smug grin: "Last time you luckily sealed my acupoints with your silver needles."

He shook the dagger in his hand, his eyes full of provocation: "This time you can't use silver needles—let's see how you fight us now!!"

The other three bandits also closed in, though their breathing wasn't steady yet, relying on the bulletproof vests' protection, their wariness lessened a bit.

The four bandits slowly closed in on Lin Yuan, gradually cutting off his retreat.

Lin Yuan bent to pick up the silver needles from the ground, his fingertips lightly rubbing the tips, "Heh, it seems you came prepared this time, specially devising a way to counter me? Interesting."

"Attack!" the four bandits exchanged a glance and suddenly launched their assault!

The leader bandit thrust his dagger straight at Lin Yuan's chest, while the other three respectively attacked his left and right waist and his knee.

The four daggers' cold light intertwined, the blade wind stinging their cheeks, nearly sealing off all escape routes.

Lin Yuan tapped the tip of his foot to the ground, his body recoiling like a sheet of paper, barely dodging the blade aimed at his heart.

Yet the edge of his garment was slit open, a scrap of cloth fluttering in the wind.

Before the bandits could retract their attack, Lin Yuan surged forward, his left hand lightning-fast gripping the wrist of the left-side bandit holding the dagger, his thumb pressing against the opponent's wrist joint, then he slammed it down!

A crisp "crack" shattered the alley's silence—the Bone-Dislocation Technique took effect instantly.

That bandit screamed, dropping his dagger, his wrist bending at a strange angle, cold sweat trickling down the edge of his mask, his whole body trembling with pain.

Lin Yuan followed through, driving his knee hard into the bandit's abdomen!

The bulletproof vest didn't protect that spot; the bandit grunted, a mouthful of blood spraying onto the ground, he clutched his belly and staggered to his knees, unable to stand again.

The right-side bandit swung his blade at Lin Yuan's neck; Lin Yuan sidestepped, then raised his right palm and struck the opponent's chest with force—!

The palm force penetrated the bulletproof vest… inflicting internal injuries on that bandit!

That bandit staggered back three steps, blood continually seeping from the corner of his mouth, his breathing becoming ragged and difficult.

Behind Lin Yuan, a bandit launched a sneak attack from the side!

Lin Yuan's back of the head seemed to sprout eyes; he spun around, a palm chop striking the bandit's neck at the carotid artery, the bandit's eyes rolled up, his dagger clanged to the ground, he clutched his neck and slumped to the ground, gurgling.

Seeing his comrades fall one after another, the leader bandit's eyes filled with shock!

The leader bandit waved his dagger wildly, losing all form; the four bandits were already somewhat panicked.

As Lin Yuan darted about, he suddenly seized the leader bandit's arm, his fingertips locking onto the elbow joint, applying the Bone-Dislocation Technique with the same force.

"Ah—!" another scream rang out—the leader bandit's elbow joint was snapped clean, his dagger flying from his hand!

Lin Yuan then kicked him in the chest; he crashed heavily to the ground, spitting a large mouthful of blood-tinged spittle, his chest heaving violently.

In less than half a minute, all four bandits lay on the ground—some with bent joints, some clutching their chests and coughing blood, some paralyzed on the floor, their eyes behind the masks full of fear.

They stared at Lin Yuan, unable to comprehend—

Even though they wore bulletproof vests to block the silver needles, they still couldn't stop Lin Yuan's ancient martial arts skill!

Every one of his strikes precisely hit a vital point, and the four had no room to resist.

Lin Yuan brushed off the dust on his hands, looked at the bandits groaning on the ground, and curled his mouth into a cold smile: "I told you, last time I didn't teach you enough, and you came again to deliver yourselves?"

Lin Yuan stepped forward with a cold smile, his toe grinding over the fallen dagger on the ground, just about to bend down to lift the mask of the lead bandit……

Suddenly, one of the bandits on the ground pulled out a black grenade and yanked the pin!

That bandit hurled the grenade straight at Lin Yuan!

The bandit's move was swift and vicious, carried with a madness of mutual destruction.

Lin Yuan's face changed drastically in an instant, his pupils contracted, and before he could think, his body reacted before his mind——

He spun around violently, arms shielding his head, lunged toward the wall corner, and slammed his whole body hard onto the ground, the gravel digging into his back!

"Boom——!"

A deafening blast exploded in the alley, a heat wave sweeping debris outward in all directions!

Bricks on the alley walls were blown out, dust and smoke mingled and filled the alley instantly.

Lin Yuan felt his back go numb from the blast wave, his ears rang, his breath choked with dust, and he could only press himself flat to the ground, waiting for the aftershock to pass.

After a full ten or so seconds, the smoke and dust gradually cleared; the alley was littered with shattered wall plaster and bricks, the formerly level ground now bore a shallow crater, its rim still emitting blue smoke.

Lin Yuan pushed himself up despite the sting in his back, wiped the dirt from his face, and his gaze instantly swept to where the bandits had fallen——

There lay only a few patches of still-wet blood and broken dagger fragments; the four bandits had vanished without a trace.

At the alley's shadowed entrance, only a fresh footprint remained, obviously they had taken advantage of the explosion's chaos, slipping out through the narrow passage at the alley's end while he was pinned by the blast.

"Damn it!" Lin Yuan muttered under his breath, rushed to the alley's end, looked left and right, but saw only a crisscross of lanes, with not a single figure in the night.

Those four bandits got away!

Lin Yuan reached out and touched the ground where the bandits had lain; the temperature hadn't fully dissipated, indicating they had fled only moments ago.

No one expected that these bandits not only wore bulletproof vests but also hid grenades——

This is hardly an ordinary martial arts bandit group; it looks more like they came with premeditation and a resolve to die.

Lin Yuan furrowed his brow, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the old callus on his palm, a hint of wariness rising in his heart:

They could carry such heavy explosives on their person, surely someone is backing them; letting them escape this time may bring even greater trouble later.

The smoke and dust hadn't fully cleared, Lin Yuan brushed off the dust on his body——

The four bandits even had grenades and dared to kill in public; this cannot be let go, we must notify the police immediately.

Lin Yuan hastily dialed Mu Lingxue's phone, his tone a bit more urgent than usual: "Lingxue, I'm in the outskirts of Chengxi, near the abandoned factory, in a small alley—something big has happened."

"Four martial arts bandits came after me for revenge, just threw a grenade, and now they've fled. Also, Fu Li Group's enforcers showed up, and the bandits killed eight of them; the scene still has remnants of smuggled grenades."

On the other end, Mu Lingxue had been organizing case files; hearing 'grenade' and 'eight dead,' her pretty face froze instantly, her grip on the pen tightening: "Are you alright? I'll bring the criminal police team right away—stay at the scene and don't move!"

"I'm fine, just the scene is a mess." Lin Yuan glanced at the chaos in the alley and added, "The bandits wore bulletproof vests, knew martial arts sword techniques, struck with extreme cruelty, and the grenades seem to come from the black market."

"Got it, I'll be there in ten minutes!" Mu Lingxue said and then hung up……

……

Ten minutes later, piercing sirens split the night sky, dozens of police cars pulled up at the alley entrance!

Mu Lingxue wore a black police uniform, leading dozens of criminal investigators briskly forward, the bangs on her forehead fluttering in the night wind, yet her face was darker than the night.

As they passed the street, all the criminal investigators wore grim expressions.

On the street, many corpses lay scattered in disarray!

And there were heavily wounded enforcers……

Mu Lingxue rushed into the alley.

At last she found Lin Yuan in the alley.

She first glanced at Lin Yuan, confirmed he had only dust and no wounds, breathed a sigh of relief, then turned and walked toward the alley interior:

"The forensics team first secure the scene, focusing on grenade fragments, shrapnel, and blood samples; the investigation team will go around asking if there are any witnesses."

The criminal investigators immediately divided tasks, beams of their flashlights crisscrossing the street, illuminating cracks in the walls, scattered shrapnel, and the still-wet bloodstains on the ground——

Another group of investigators went to the outer street, beginning to examine the fight traces and corpses.

Mu Lingxue crouched beside a grenade fragment with a dent, her gloved fingertip lightly touching the edge, her brows furrowing tighter and tighter:

"It's a copy of the M67 grenade, smuggled goods from the black market, likely sourced overseas; similar smuggling cases have been cracked in coastal cities before."

She rose and looked at Lin Yuan, her tone grave:

"It seems this band of bandits is no ordinary martial artist; they likely have arms channels, and they kill without blinking—eight dead in one night, making this the worst serial murder case in the city in recent years."

Lin Yuan nodded, pointing to bloodstains in different areas of the alley, and explained proactively:

"Fu Li Group's enforcers were also here to take revenge on me. Earlier, they tried to violently demolish Su Group's factory, but I stopped them. So Fu Li bore a grudge and tonight sent over a hundred enforcers to block me. I deliberately lured them into fighting the bandits, never expecting the bandits to be so ruthless, slitting throats and killing outright."

"Yu Zhong Fu?" Mu Lingxue's eyes turned cold, she pulled out a notebook and quickly noted, "We've suspected Fu Li Group of gang ties before; this time they openly sent enforcers to commit violence—perfect to follow the vine and uncover their roots."

Mu Lingxue's beautiful eyes filled with heavy worry, her fingertips unconsciously gripping the hem of her uniform, her voice carrying an unyielding firmness that brooked no objection:

"These four bandits have grenades and dare to kill; they're clearly fixated on you. I must assign two officers to protect you around the clock, at least to guard against sudden ambushes."

Lin Yuan immediately shook his head upon hearing that: "No need, Officer Mu—I can handle it alone. I'm used to freedom; having people constantly glued to me as personal protection is not only unfamiliar, it strips my privacy and makes everything feel restrained."

"But they're desperate criminals! And Fu Li Group won't let up either!" Mu Lingxue stepped forward half a pace, urgency in her voice, "Even if you don't care for yourself, consider what if they use grenades again—you might dodge once, but can you dodge every time?"

She fixed her gaze on Lin Yuan's eyes, as if she had made a great decision:

"If you think having outsiders follow you is inconvenient, then how about this—I'll personally lead the team to protect you; from now on I'll be with you 24/7, ensuring your safety without making you feel awkward."

"That's even worse!" Lin Yuan rejected it without thinking, his ears inexplicably heating up, "Men and women should not be intimate; a female officer constantly tailing me would spread rumors that reflect badly on you…"

Just kidding—Lin Yuan is also a jianghu wanderer. If police tailed him 24/7, his jianghu secrets couldn't stay hidden.

Therefore Lin Yuan absolutely cannot let Mu Lingxue protect him around the clock.

Lin Yuan replied seriously: "I really don't need it; I'm capable of protecting myself."

Mu Lingxue wanted to persuade further, but seeing the resolve in Lin Yuan's eyes, knowing his stubborn nature, further insistence would be useless, so she could only sigh softly.

Mu Lingxue softened her tone: "Promise me that if you ever encounter any danger again—whether it's bandits or people from the Fu Li Group—you'll call me right away, don't try to tough it out, got it?"

Lin Yuan saw her relent, breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and nodded: "Rest assured, if anything happens I'll definitely look for you—I won't jeopardize my own safety."

The two were talking when suddenly a steady footsteps came from the alley entrance, accompanied by a police officer's greeting: "Captain Mu, the old captain has arrived!"

Mu Lingxue turned her head and saw her father in plain clothes yet unable to hide his stern aura.

Father Mu Tiecheng arrived with dozens of members from the Provincial Public Security Bureau's anti-narcotics team, holding an investigation lamp in his hand.

He had received his daughter's message, knowing a major criminal case had occurred here involving smuggled hand grenades, so he had specially called in personnel from the anti-narcotics team to support and also check the scene.

"Dad, why are you here?" Mu Lingxue went to meet him, her tone tinged with surprise.

Mu Tiecheng didn't answer first, but switched on the investigation lamp and shone it toward the fighting traces inside the alley—

The ground showed clear foot‑sole friction marks and several depressions, as if left by a heavy impact;

In the wall corner were a few fine scratches, traces of a dagger's slash;

More conspicuous were several irregular bloodstains, with fragments of broken steel pipe scattered nearby.

He followed the traces forward; when he reached the spot where the bandits had fallen earlier, his steps suddenly halted, and the beam of the investigation lamp stopped on a shallow imprint on the ground—

That was a mark left when a bent joint forced the knee to the ground—an odd angle clearly made by a bone‑dislocation technique.

Mu Tiecheng raised his brows slightly, turned to Lin Yuan, his tone probing: "Are these fighting traces all yours?"

Lin Yuan stared for a moment, then nodded: "Yeah, I made them when I fought those four bandits earlier."

A flicker of shock flashed in Mu Tiecheng's eyes as he looked again at those traces—

The precision of the bone‑dislocation technique, the depth of the depressions from palm strikes, the friction marks from leg techniques—every detail revealed a formidable ancient martial arts foundation, especially being able to knock down four bullet‑vest‑wearing ancient martial arts bandits in a short time; this skill far exceeded his expectations.

He had worked in the police force for decades, seen plenty of martial artists, but someone as young as Lin Yuan with such skill was still the first.

"You kid, your skills are really impressive." Mu Tiecheng withdrew his gaze, his tone carrying a hint of approval.

Mu Tiecheng then turned to Mu Lingxue: "How's the scene investigation going? Have the grenade fragments and dagger been sent back for testing?"

Mu Lingxue nodded: "Everything's arranged. The investigation team is securing other traces, the forensic doctor is processing the corpse, and we should have preliminary results soon."

Mu Tiecheng grunted, his gaze sweeping once more over the mess in the alley, his brows furrowing again—

"Smuggled hand grenades, eight lives lost, ancient martial arts bandits, underworld gangs—… all tangled together, this won't be easy to resolve; you'll have to step up your efforts."

Mu Lingxue nodded slightly.

This case is indeed serious!

On the suburban long street, the police's investigation proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Forensic Doctor Yin Yirou also rushed to the scene personally, crouching beside the corpse to record the wounds.

Investigation team members used brushes to extract ground traces.

Mu Tiecheng had just exchanged views with the criminal‑investigation specialist who had rushed from the provincial department… they were now discussing counter‑measures to solve the case.

Just then, a faint vibration suddenly came from the ground.

At first it was only a slight tremor, like a distant heavy truck passing, but within seconds the vibration grew clearer, even dust on the alley walls began to sift down.

A young police officer steadied the wobbling investigation lamp, looked doubtfully toward the alley mouth, and asked: "What's going on? Are they repairing the road nearby?"

No sooner had he spoken than a blinding sheet of light suddenly flared at the far end of the dark street—

Not the warm glow of streetlights, but the cold glare of car headlights, packed together like a river of light lying in wait, now speeding toward us!

"Hum—" the engine's roar grew distinct, shifting from a low muffled rumble to a deafening roar!

The engine noises of hundreds of sedans intertwined, making even the air seem to tremble.

Mu Lingxue snapped her head up, her eyes narrowing instantly, instinctively gripping her sidearm at her waist, voice wary: "So many vehicles? Something's off!"

Mu Tiecheng also dropped his earlier composure, brows locked, strode quickly to the alley mouth, narrowed his eyes at the river of light—

Black sedans bumper‑to‑bumper formed a long dragon on the street—roughly counting, there were hundreds!

The headlights lit up half the night sky, the dense black silhouettes of the cars exuding a suffocating pressure!

Mu Tiecheng, a veteran officer of the Provincial Public Security Bureau, took one look at this scene and knew something was wrong!

Mu Tiecheng immediately pulled out his phone and called the Provincial Public Security Bureau: "There's a massive underworld gathering here! Quickly dispatch the bureau's special forces team to reinforce! Also mobilize the armed police battalion for support!"