"Who is that?!"
Seeing a figure appear on the tracks, Jing Ge's heart lurched. Only when he confirmed the person wasn't wearing a trench coat did he relax.
"It's just a civilian from District Three," another law enforcer said. "Probably trying to chase after the train… Ignore him."
Zuo Tong grunted in acknowledgment and kept running. But when his gaze landed on the rapidly approaching face, he froze momentarily.
This person… he looked familiar…
Zuo Tong couldn't quite place him—there had been too many faces in the crowd earlier, and he hadn’t bothered remembering every single one. He decided to ignore the man and continued running alongside the other two law enforcers.
But whether it was his imagination or not, the civilian seemed to speed up, charging straight toward him!
By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late. The man ignored the other two entirely, not slowing in the slightest as he barreled into Zuo Tong with the fury of a wild beast!
Thud!
"Got you now… you motherfucker!!" Zhao Yi's eyes bulged with rage. Without wasting another word, he yanked the short knife from Zuo Tong’s waist and stabbed downward!
Zuo Tong paled in horror, his hands shooting up to block, barely holding the blade at bay. Both men strained to their limits, their bodies trembling violently as they locked in a desperate stalemate.
"What the hell is wrong with this lunatic?!" Zuo Tong shrieked. "Help me!"
Jing Ge and the other law enforcer exchanged bewildered glances but immediately drew their blades and rushed forward.
Zhao Yi paid no heed to the approaching danger behind him. His entire focus was on the man beneath him. With a furious roar, the knife inched downward—whether from sheer youthful strength or the force of hatred, he was overpowering Zuo Tong.
Just as the blade was about to pierce Zuo Tong’s eye, a sharp gust of wind whistled from behind. Zhao Yi’s pupils contracted slightly, but he didn’t stop.
The next instant, searing pain erupted from his back!
Jing Ge’s knife plunged deep into Zhao Yi’s flesh. His body jolted violently, but like an enraged lion, he let out a guttural snarl and kept driving the blade down with reckless abandon!
"AAAAAHHH—!!"
The knife pierced Zuo Tong’s left eye. A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air as crimson spilled down his face. His body convulsed uncontrollably.
Another knife stabbed into Zhao Yi’s body. The agony finally forced him to collapse sideways. The remaining law enforcer kicked him hard in the shoulder, sending him sprawling onto the ground…
Zhao Yi’s face was deathly pale, but having grown up as a street brawler, he knew the basics of a fight. He rolled like a dog to disperse the impact before staggering back to his feet.
Two gruesome knife wounds marred his back, the once-white bandages now shredded and soaked in blood, falling away in tattered strips.
Zhao Yi’s chest heaved violently. Bare-chested in the freezing wilderness, he looked like a beast backed into a corner—his eyes still locked onto Zuo Tong with murderous intent.
"Who the hell are you?!" Jing Ge frowned. "You dare attack a law enforcer?"
He didn’t recognize Zhao Yi, but the young man’s actions had shaken him. This kid had taken two stabs without flinching, hell-bent on killing Zuo Tong even at the cost of his own life…
Madmen like this were the most dangerous. And with their bullets spent back at the station, Jing Ge wasn’t eager to engage in close-quarters combat.
"Yeah, I fucking dare," Zhao Yi spat, raising his bloodied knife and pointing it at Zuo Tong, who writhed on the ground clutching his eye. "Not just attack—today, I’m taking his fucking life!"
"You’re just a brat who hasn’t even grown his feathers," the other law enforcer sneered. "You’re alone. We’re three. What chance do you have?"
Zhao Yi’s fists clenched. He grabbed one of the blood-soaked bandages slipping from his body and began wrapping it tightly around the knife’s hilt and his own wrist…
His eyes burned with the madness and resolve of a man with nothing left to lose.
"My old man took thirteen of his knives… Let’s see how many it takes to kill me."
Hearing this, Zuo Tong—still rolling in agony—suddenly remembered. His remaining eye widened in shock.
"It’s you! You’re that old man’s son!"
"Bingo." Zhao Yi grinned savagely. "Now it’s your turn to die."
With the knife now bound to his hand, Zhao Yi charged bare-chested toward Zuo Tong. The two law enforcers braced themselves, blocking his path.
Jing Ge glanced at his companion, subtly retreating half a step. The blood-crazed Zhao Yi crashed into the other law enforcer first.
Against Zhao Yi’s suicidal assault, the man panicked. Even as his blade carved fresh wounds into Zhao Yi’s body, Zhao Yi ignored the pain and drove his own knife beneath the man’s ribs, twisting it viciously to shred his insides!
A scream tore from the law enforcer’s throat. Overwhelmed by agony, he dropped his weapon and staggered back. Zhao Yi, though wounded, didn’t yield—he lunged forward for another strike.
Zhao Yi’s ferocity stunned the law enforcer. Suddenly, he felt like an idiot. Why was he suffering for Zuo Tong’s sins?
Disarmed, he scrambled backward, desperately dodging Zhao Yi’s attacks. Jing Ge, seeing no point in tangling with a madman, retreated under the flurry of slashes.
Zhao Yi didn’t pursue them. Instead, he whirled toward Zuo Tong, who was trying to flee.
Blinded in one eye, Zuo Tong stumbled through the snow. But before he could get far, Zhao Yi slammed into him from behind, pinning him down again!
"Jing Ge! Lao Zheng!! Help me!!" Zuo Tong shrieked, wrestling hopelessly with Zhao Yi.
The two law enforcers exchanged glances, hesitating—until a figure in a bloodstained coat emerged from the mist, walking calmly along the tracks.
The moment they saw him, their blood ran cold. Without a second thought, they turned and bolted!
Zhao Yi was one thing… but Chen Ling? Chen Ling was death incarnate.
Chen Ling glanced at the blood-drenched Zhao Yi and spoke softly, "I kept my promise."
Without stopping, he strode past—a crimson reaper—into the fog, hunting the two fleeing shadows.