"How many do you think there are?" I asked Wen Siqiang.
"At least twenty that I can see," Wen Siqiang replied. "With so many people here, it's hard to get an accurate count. There are definitely more inside. They're just observing now, no intention of making a move. We need to strike first. Once they act, we'll be at a disadvantage."
Wen Siqiang was right. We had to make the first move. If they attacked, we would be on the back foot.
I used my walkie-talkie to notify Da Kui and Qing Ge's men. They were the most suitable to deal with these people.
I told Da Kui the location. He acknowledged, and I asked Wen Siqiang to hold his position while I went to the main entrance to meet Qing Ge's people. I needed to brief them first.
Da Kui arrived first. I whispered a few words to him, he nodded, and then went to join Wen Siqiang.
Qing Ge's men had already assembled at the main entrance. Their leader rushed over when he saw me. I explained the situation, mentioning that the armed individuals were widely dispersed. I instructed them to confirm as many targets as possible and then act swiftly, preventing them from making their move.
I told them to move out quickly, emphasizing that this was a critical moment and every second counted.
I watched them spread out, scanning the crowd like falcons searching for suspicious individuals.
I stayed outside the venue, in a less crowded area, observing Qing Ge's men moving inside.
When they found a target, they would slow down, wait for their leader's command, and then act in unison.
Just then, I saw two people emerge from the crowd. They were moving quickly, clearly not part of Qing Ge's group. Qing Ge's subordinates were easily identifiable by a white ribbon tied around their left arm. These individuals, though dressed in short jackets, wore headscarves. They resembled a minority ethnic group from our border region. However, this particular group did not dabble in stones, so they stood out in the crowd, making them instantly noticeable to me.
I followed them, curious about their intentions.
They exited the main gate and headed straight for the main venue's stage.
I was surprised. This was the peak time for transactions. Were they planning to cause trouble at the main venue?
They stopped and looked around. I pretended to be a gambler, walking with my head down. They didn't suspect anything and continued towards the venue.
It was certain that they were coordinating with their accomplices in the warehouse, intending to act in two places simultaneously.
The main venue had fewer people; only those involved in transactions were there, along with our staff and a few security guards.
Most of the staff were subordinates of Xiao Hong, all women.
My heart sank. I was too close to them to notify Da Kui and Wen Siqiang via walkie-talkie in time. I had no choice but to follow them closely and rely on the venue's security to assist me.
The two men reached the stage. As if by pre-arrangement, they leaped onto it. In a flash, one grabbed a staff member, pulled out a dagger, and held it to the girl's neck.
A gasp swept through the crowd below the stage. A few security guards prepared to intervene, but I quickly stopped them, urging them not to provoke the attackers rashly.
I signaled for everyone to remain calm and addressed the two attackers: "Let them go. I'm the manager here. Tell me what you want."
One of them spoke in a heavily accented Mandarin: "What's there to talk about? We're here to kill today. Don't babble at me!"
As he spoke, he tightened his grip, and blood trickled from the girl's neck.
The poor girl, her neck caught in his arm, couldn't make a sound. Her face was contorted in pain.
The other quickly followed suit, the blade also drawing blood.
It seemed they weren't after money but wanted to destroy us.
I exchanged a glance with a few security guards. We all leaped onto the stage and rolled to the side of the two attackers. I forcefully struck the instep of one of the attackers with my elbow. He cried out in pain, but his grip on the girl's neck didn't loosen. The dagger plunged deeper into her throat.
I heard a tearing sound that pierced my eardrums. My heart leaped into my throat. The fact that she could still make a sound meant her throat wasn't completely cut. If it were, she probably wouldn't be able to make any noise.
With all my might, I used my elbow to pin his foot. He tried to yank his foot back forcefully. Seizing the opportunity, I stood up and kicked him hard in the abdomen. He doubled over, and the dagger fell to the ground. I shouted for the other guards to attend to the girl and then struck him in the groin with my knee.
This is a person's most vulnerable spot. No matter how skilled you are, attacking here forces surrender.
As expected, he clutched his groin with both hands, completely losing his fighting ability. I took the chance to kick him over, pinning him down. Then, I went to check on the guards.
I saw two guards struggling with the attacker. One guard was already injured but was fighting fiercely despite the pain.
The girl who had been held hostage lay to the side, apparently stabbed. I glanced at the crowd below the stage and saw a few girls hiding there, too scared to move. There were no available security guards left. I had no choice. I kicked the attacker again, this time in the chest, figuring it would cause him considerable pain. I hurried to help the two guards.
I rushed over and kicked him behind the knee. He was too focused on dealing with the two guards to notice me attacking from behind. He immediately dropped to his knees.
I quickly told one of the guards to fall back and attend to the girl. She needed immediate medical attention. The extent of the stab wound was unknown, and any delay could be life-threatening.
While he was kneeling, I delivered a flying kick to his jaw. He reeled backward and fell to the ground.
Before he could recover, I stomped on his stomach several times, completely incapacitating him. Then, I had the guards use their ropes to tie them both up.
I saw Xiao Hong with a few girls standing below the stage. I told her to stay and help the security guards maintain order. I then leaped off the stage and ran towards the warehouse.
Given that the attackers were using lethal force, I was worried there would be bloodshed there too.
Principal Sun and Wu Guodong still hadn't given up on me. They were escalating their efforts to kill me. If they succeeded this time, it would be a devastating blow to us.
I ran towards the warehouse, taking two steps at a time. The actions of the two men just now had already given me a sense of impending bloodshed. I believed they had all received the same order: kill on sight.
There were more people there, and my biggest concern was innocent casualties. The impact of that would be irreparable.
The two girls' lives were uncertain, and if more innocent people were harmed, our nascent enterprise would come to an abrupt halt.
I sprinted towards the warehouse. Strangely, although there was some commotion inside, I didn't see the chaos I expected. There was no one running and hiding in panic, nor did I hear any overly agitated or unusual sounds.
Could it be that they hadn't made their move?
Then what about those two outside? Were they acting alone?
Impossible. They must have acted simultaneously. Why was there no activity inside?