Chapter 185

Chapter 185: The Unexpected No one expected the danger to arrive so quickly. Just as they were about to reach the entrance of the restaurant. Two men suddenly burst out of the crowd. Both wore black masks and black baseball caps. One man was very tall, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, with muscular, tattooed arms. The other man was slightly shorter and appeared less imposing. Chu Tang and A Wen reacted quickly, sidestepping to dodge. "Boss, watch out! I can handle this alone—take them and go!" A Wen shouted, tilting her head to dodge the muscular man's knife and slamming her fist into his face. Yu Jiaojiao and Xiao Xiao were terrified, both young women turning deathly pale. When she worked at Shengke Law Firm, the horrifying memory of someone causing a disturbance with a knife and Lawyer Chen Yangyang grabbing her to shield himself from the blade surged back in an instant. Yu Jiaojiao's eyes widened, her body trembling uncontrollably. Paralyzed by overwhelming fear, she stood frozen in place. Chu Tang's expression shifted in alarm. Grabbing Yu Jiaojiao with one hand and Xiao Xiao with the other, she shouted, "Run!!" Yanked out of her stupor, Yu Jiaojiao snapped back to reality and started running with Ruan Chutang. This was Xiao Xiao's first time experiencing such a dangerous, terrifying ordeal. Her legs went weak with fear, and since she was wearing high heels for work, she twisted her ankle and fell after just a few steps. Only after engaging the two men did A Wen realize they were no ordinary thugs—they were clearly mercenaries who had undergone rigorous training! But she had fought mercenaries before; the two men combined were no match for her. Just then, one of the men spotted Xiao Xiao on the ground and immediately seized the opportunity to break away from A Wen, sprinting toward Ruan Chutang and Xiao Xiao. "How is it, Xiao Xiao? Can you stand?" Chu Tang asked urgently. "It hurts." Xiao Xiao leaned on Ruan Chutang and struggled to her feet. But her foot was badly injured—she could only put weight on one leg, the other foot barely touching the ground. From the look of it, she couldn't even walk, let alone flee. The shorter man caught up quickly. Knife in hand, he lunged at Xiao Xiao with a vicious glare. Chu Tang didn't hesitate. She shoved Xiao Xiao aside and began fighting the attacker herself. Xiao Xiao was pushed onto the grassy verge nearby. Watching Ruan Chutang grapple with the thug, her heart pounded with terror—she never imagined Lawyer Ruan had such fighting skills! But this wasn't the time to be amazed. Her face was pale with fright, her ankle throbbing with piercing pain, and fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead. Yu Jiaojiao hurried over to help her. "Lawyer Xiao, let's go." Xiao Xiao's face was completely bloodless, her expression pained as she said, "I can't walk." "I'll support you." Yu Jiaojiao helped Xiao Xiao to her feet and immediately pulled out her phone to call the police. Bystanders on the street were already calling for help. A Wen fought the muscular mercenary for a while, then spotted the other man battling Ruan Chutang in the distance. She kicked the muscular man away with brutal force and sprinted toward Ruan Chutang. Ruan Chutang was skilled, but the man she faced was no ordinary opponent. After a few exchanges, she knew he had received professional training—his skills surpassed those of an average bodyguard. Chu Tang was about to be overwhelmed. The sharp dagger gleamed with cold light, thrusting straight for Ruan Chutang's heart. A pair of hands suddenly seized the man's wrist, tightening with force, and pain flickered across his face. Fortunately, A Wen arrived in time—otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable. At that distance and angle, Chu Tang could have dodged the fatal blow enough to keep the dagger from piercing her heart, but she couldn't have avoided it entirely—the blade would have still cut into her body. If she had been stabbed, the pain would have sent her reflexes and speed plummeting. She would have been completely unable to fend off the man's attacks, and driving the knife into her heart would have become all too easy. After a few more exchanges, A Wen subdued the man, wresting the dagger from him and pressing it against his throat. If not for the fact that they were in Huaguo, out in the middle of the street, A Wen would have already driven the blade deep into the man's carotid artery and ended his life on the spot. The muscular man realized he was no match for the female bodyguard. Seeing his companion subdued, he turned and ran. A cold smirk curled at A Wen's lips. "Fool." She calmly pulled a small ampoule from her pocket—the kind used for injectable medicine—snapped off its neck with her thumb, and swiftly smeared the liquid onto the dagger. The next second, she hurled the blade with all her strength. The dagger spun through the air, cutting through it with a sharp whistle, and embedded itself precisely into the man's calf. True to his professional training, the man didn't let out a single cry as the knife pierced his leg—he just kept running. But he hadn't gone far, his figure still visible in the distance, before he collapsed to the ground. A Wen sneered, muttering to herself, "Once that potent anesthetic hits the bloodstream, even the most skilled fighter won't last a minute." The shorter man she had pinned down tried to seize the chance to escape, but A Wen yanked him hard, and he passed out. "Boss, are you alright? Are you hurt?" A Wen turned to look at Ruan Chutang, and for the first time ever, her usually expressionless face revealed tension and worry. Chu Tang let out a sigh of relief and shook her head. "I'm fine." Just then, a sudden chill ran down Chu Tang's spine. It was like a sixth sense—she couldn't explain why, but in that instant, a shiver coursed through her entire body, as if every hair on her skin stood on end. Before she could even process what was happening, Chu Tang suddenly spotted a black handgun peeking out from behind the statue not far away. A gunshot rang out—"Bang!" Almost at the same moment, Chu Tang shouted, "Watch out!" and shoved Yu Jiaojiao aside. The moment the bullet struck Chu Tang, there was a strange numbness. Then, in the very next second, excruciating pain spread from the wound to every limb and bone, so intense that she could barely stand. "Boss!" A Wen cried out in alarm, reaching out to catch Ruan Chutang as she began to fall.