The Prince of the State hung up the phone. I clenched my fists and stared fiercely at the female demon. She didn't flinch from my gaze. "Do you trust me?" she asked. "If you trust me, come with me. I want to regain my dignity!"
Brother Leopard nodded. "You two take the lead. Stall them as much as you can, and I'll organize reinforcements!"
I turned and headed downstairs, the female demon following closely. Da Kui strode along as well.
With Da Kui there, I felt much more at ease.
Da Kui drove, the car speeding towards the border.
I sat in the passenger seat, and the female demon sat in the back.
Even though she was a victim, as she claimed, a fly wouldn't land on an egg with no cracks. If she hadn't gotten involved with him, none of this would have happened.
I still couldn't accept that she had caused my father to lose his public office. I already knew the mastermind was someone surnamed Sun. After all, she had appeared as the plaintiff. Logically and emotionally, I could never forgive her!
The car was moving fast, Da Kui had the accelerator to the floor, it was almost flying.
Da Kui parked the car, and the three of us walked towards a house. In the wilderness, these few houses looked out of place.
Perhaps it was another smuggling channel for Gong Gong, a place where his people could reside.
There were a few tiled houses, and they looked like they hadn't been built long ago; they were newly constructed.
As we approached the house, several people stepped out to block us, saying only I could enter, or they would kill the bound person.
I told Da Kui and the female demon to wait outside and went in alone.
Da Kui said, "Going in alone is like walking into a death trap. He's using your uncle to lure you. This is a trap!"
I replied, "I know it's a trap, but if I refuse, they'll kill my father. I have no choice."
Da Kui said helplessly, "Try to stall for time. Leave the rest to me."
I nodded and followed a man in black into the courtyard.
In the courtyard, my father was tied to a tree trunk by them. There were many bloodstains on his body, and the blood on his face had scabbed over. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were vacant. He was clearly so tortured that he had lost all his strength.
Prince of the State had said they woke him with cold water when he passed out, and that was definitely true.
As I walked in, Prince of the State emerged from a room, clapping his hands. "You've come quickly. It seems you have some filial piety. However, you'll likely be disappointed today. I've decided to lock both you and your father in the water dungeon opposite. When my father is released, if he isn't out in a day, you'll have to soak in the water dungeon for a day!"
I said, "Let my father go, and I'll go to the water dungeon. You can soak me for as many days as you want. This has nothing to do with him. Direct all your hatred at me!"
Prince of the State scoffed, "Do you think I'm stupid? If I leave you here alone, who will rescue you? Only by keeping both of you will I have a chance of winning! Don't worry, you'll still be fed daily during your confinement. At least you won't starve. I have plans for you."
Just then, two people came to assist me. I kicked one of them to the ground. The other, seeing me make a move, hastily grabbed a rope and swung it at me. I raised my hand, grabbed the rope, and pulled hard, causing him to fall to the ground.
Seeing me take action, a large group of his men swarmed forward and surrounded me.
Prince of the State watched me with a cold sneer. "Li, where do you think you're going to run today? I went to your place yesterday to spend money. It was just a woman, wasn't it? You fought me like hell, smashed my villa, and even took my father. Tell me, how do we settle this debt?"
I replied, "Our debt is easy to settle. Either you die, or I die. There's nothing to discuss!"
Prince of the State sneered, "You've got a tough backbone, boy. Fine, I'll grant your wish. Get into the cage obediently without suffering any physical pain, or I'll let the dogs out to bite you, and everyone can have a good show!"
I followed his gaze and saw two cages, half my height, placed against the wall. One contained a Great Dane, its head bowed, letting out a low growl at me. The other cage was right next to it, empty.
I clenched the rope in my hand and said to Prince of the State, "I'd rather die than get into the dog cage. If you dare, come at me. I'm ready!"
Prince of the State spat vehemently and shouted hoarsely, "Whoever shoves him into the dog cage gets a reward of ten thousand today, and I'll book a girl for him in the folk street!"
In the nineties, ten thousand yuan could buy a lot. His words sent everyone forward like they had been injected with adrenaline, their eyes red as they advanced on me.
I swung the rope, whirling it around to keep people from getting close. I saw the people in front dodging, while those behind kept pushing forward.
Just then, I saw a gap open in the crowd. Da Kui and the female demon charged in. Wherever Da Kui went, people fell. The female demon was no less formidable; the club in her hand was also busy, knocking down five or six people with each swing.
The three of us met, forming a triangle with our backs to each other, facing enemies from different angles.
Seeing Da Kui and the others break his formation, Prince of the State yelled in exasperation, "Are you all eating rice? Since they're not afraid of death and have barged in, let's take them all down! Remember, whoever captures one gets ten thousand, and whoever lays a hand gets five thousand. All of you, attack!"
There were at least fifty to sixty people surrounding us. Honestly, if they had all attacked at once, we wouldn't have been able to handle it. But they were hesitant and didn't dare to get too close.
Perhaps Da Kui's earlier fighting prowess had intimidated them. The female demon was also fierce, and her club was quite effective.
Just then, my father woke up. Seeing our formation, he shouted to me, "Son, I was wrong about you before. You don't need to worry about my safety. Just clean up this trash and stop them from harming society any further."
As soon as he finished speaking, the thug beside him whipped him fiercely with a whip, and blood immediately seeped through his clothes.
I roared, "Brothers, let's fight!"
Hearing me say fight, Da Kui immediately unleashed his attacks from both sides, charging into the crowd. I used the rope to strike at the enemies in front of me, and the female demon, not to be outdone, joined in. A moment later, cries of pain filled the air.
The enemy was simply too numerous. Despite our fierce fighting, they still formed a dense encirclement around us. Although people kept falling, many more kept coming.
Prince of the State was yelling from the periphery, urging his men to charge.
The encirclement was gradually shrinking. If it continued to shrink, our movements would be restricted, and our abilities would be useless.
Suddenly, I saw many people pouring in from the main entrance, wielding clubs and fighting with those blocking the doorway. Soon, people began attacking those surrounding us, and one by one, two by two, then three by three, more and more fell.
I knew Brother Leopard's men had arrived, and Prince of the State had failed again.
Seeing so many people rush in, his men quickly protected Prince of the State and fled through a side door. By the time we noticed, they had already crossed the line, and we couldn't pursue them further.