Chapter 410 - 400: I’m in Trouble!
On the expressway from Jinling to Shanghai, a Porsche 911 was hurtling forward, its engine roaring. Inside the car, an electronic warning device droned on, "You are exceeding the speed limit. You are exceeding the speed limit." But Du Tiancong, gripping the steering wheel with his foot slammed on the accelerator, paid it no mind.
His body trembled violently.
COUGH! COUGH!
Not a trace of color remained on his pale, ashen face. With a sudden, dry cough, a mouthful of blood sprayed uncontrollably over the steering wheel and dashboard. As he spat out the blood, the pallor of his face became even more ghastly, and the shivering from his weakness grew more intense.
"Fuck, it’s so cold, so cold!"
He frantically wiped the blood from his mouth and, shivering, turned off the car’s air conditioning. The AC had been set to twenty-four degrees Celsius, but even in the last dregs of autumn warmth, he felt a chill like the dead of winter. It was a testament to just how weak he had become.
All this was from a single punch from Amber. While it wasn’t enough to kill him, this was the fourth time he had coughed up blood. Even compared to his glory days when he could go seven rounds in one night, he had never felt this weak!
RING! RING! RING!
Suddenly, the phone on its dashboard mount vibrated and rang. Seeing his older sister’s name on the screen, Du Tiancong shakily pressed the button on his Bluetooth earpiece.
A pleasant female voice came through. "Tiancong, I was just in a meeting. You’ve called several times in a row. What’s so urgent?"
"Sis, I’m on the expressway back to Shanghai! You have to meet me at the exit! Hurry! I’m afraid I won’t make it!" Du Tiancong replied, his voice terrifyingly weak.
"What happened? What’s going on?" Hearing his tone, the woman on the other end grew anxious.
"Sis, there’s no time to explain! Just come get me! Quick, you have to be quick!"
After speaking, Du Tiancong’s trembling hand pressed the earpiece again, ending the call.
COUGH! COUGH!
Another fit of coughing wracked his body, splattering more blood across the steering wheel until it was a blurred crimson mess. Du Tiancong had no time to care. His trembling foot only pressed harder on the accelerator. The 911 tore down the expressway like a bolt of lightning at an unbelievable speed, stunning countless other drivers.
Twenty minutes passed. Feeling colder and colder, Du Tiancong finally saw the flashing green lights of the toll booth exit ahead. He swallowed hard and slapped his own face a few times, forcing himself to stay alert.
Yet he didn’t ease off the accelerator. To the astonishment of the toll booth staff, the Porsche 911 blasted through the ETC lane. Spotting several BMWs parked on the right shoulder with their hazard lights flashing, Du Tiancong slammed on the brakes. The car screeched, sliding for dozens of meters on inertia before finally lurching to a stop.
CLICK.
The moment it stopped, he weakly pushed the door open and tumbled out onto the pavement.
"Tiancong!" Du Tianyu, who had been standing by one of the BMWs, screamed in panic at the sight. She broke into a frantic run toward him.
"Sis, I’m so cold... so cold!" Du Tiancong cried out weakly, his body curled up and trembling. He hugged himself tightly, his arms crossed like an addict in withdrawal.
Du Tianyu still didn’t know what had happened, but seeing her brother in such a state brought her to the verge of tears. She whirled on the men with her and screamed hysterically, "What are you all staring at? Quick, get him into my car!"
"Yes, Miss!" her bodyguards in black suits responded, jolted into action. One of them quickly crouched down while another carefully helped Du Tiancong onto his back.
With Du Tiancong on his back, the man didn’t dare hesitate, hurrying toward the BMW as Du Tianyu led the way.
Du Tianyu slid into the back seat and gently laid her brother’s head on her lap. On the verge of tears, she asked, her voice choked with panic, "Tiancong, what on earth happened? You have to tell me!"
"Sis, I’m so cold... still so cold!" Du Tiancong mumbled through dry lips, his curled body still trembling uncontrollably.
"Turn on the heat! Turn on the heat, now!" Du Tianyu shrieked, pounding her fist on the back of the driver’s seat.
"Oh! Right, yes, Miss!" The terrified driver, feeling as though he were on pins and needles, fumbled with a trembling hand to turn on the heater. "Miss, where... where are we going?"
"Do you even have to ask?! To the hospital! You useless fool, go! Faster!" Du Tianyu screamed, completely frantic.
She looked down at Du Tiancong, whose face was as pale as a sheet of paper. "Tiancong, how are you feeling now? Still cold?"
He just shook his head, too exhausted to speak. His curled, trembling body began to calm slightly.
"Tiancong, what happened?! Tell me, please! How did you end up like this?" Du Tianyu pleaded, her words tumbling out incoherently.
"Sis... I’m in deep trouble," Du Tiancong said, his lips barely moving as drowsiness washed over him. "I think... I provoked a Martial Artist. She hit me with one punch... sent me flying over ten meters. I can’t stop spitting up blood. Sis, I was too scared to stay in Jinling, so I fled back to Shanghai."
A Martial Artist? He provoked a Martial Artist?
Hearing those words, Du Tianyu felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her mind went completely blank, filled with a deafening buzz. For people of their status, how could they not know what the term "Martial Artist" truly meant?
After the initial shock faded, her own body began to tremble. "Tiancong, how... how could you have provoked a Martial Artist?"
"Sis, it’s a long story... Call Dad. Tell him what happened. I’m afraid that woman will come after me! Tell him to get some people to protect me!" Du Tiancong said, his voice a weak, intermittent whisper.
Now a spent force, he had become utterly paranoid, seeing enemies in every shadow. He didn’t want to die, but he had felt the raw, absolute killing intent from Amber. He was terrified she would follow him all the way to Shanghai.
"Sis, I’m so tired... I want to sleep for a bit," Du Tiancong added, his eyelashes fluttering, before his sister could even respond.
Sleep for a bit? How could he possibly sleep in this state?
Having seen this exact scene play out in countless movies, Du Tianyu panicked. "No! No, you can’t sleep! Tiancong, don’t you dare fall asleep! We’re almost there! We’re almost at our family’s hospital! Hold on! Just hold on a little longer! I’ll call Dad! I’m calling him right now!"
In her panic, Du Tianyu fumbled in her pocket for her phone with a trembling hand. A few seconds after she dialed, she put the call on speaker, and a man’s voice came through. "Tianyu? What’s wrong?"
"Dad! It’s Tiancong! He’s in trouble! He’s seriously injured and incredibly weak! I’m rushing him to our hospital now! He said he provoked a Martial Artist in Jinling... that a Martial Artist was the one who hurt him! Dad, you need to send people to the hospital right away! He’s... he’s terrified the person from Jinling will follow him here!" Du Tianyu’s words were a frantic, trembling, incoherent rush.