Chapter 276: Escape!
Zhao Dong also embraced Xu Yafei, her cold tears falling onto his chest. A sharp pang of pain shot through his heart.
He held her tightly and said hoarsely, "Yafei, trust me. I will set you free soon. As for that beast Hong Wu... I will eliminate him as quickly as possible."
Xu Yafei leaned her head on Zhao Dong's shoulder, her voice choked with tears as she said softly, "Zhao Dong, Kou Hongmin is by Hong Wu's side. You can't beat him. Hide here for a few days, then find a chance to leave East Sea and live somewhere else. If you stay here, you will only die."
Zhao Dong cupped her face and tenderly kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes. "Yafei, you have too little faith in me," he said softly. "Kou Hongmin is strong, but I'm not weak. Honestly, this whole situation is mainly because I offended him last night. I suspect he's the one who put Hong Wu up to this city-wide manhunt."
Xu Yafei stared, surprised. "What do you mean? How did you offend Kou Hongmin?"
Zhao Dong recounted the previous night's events. When Xu Yafei learned that he had actually managed to snatch something from Kou Hongmin, she was utterly shocked.
"Kou Hongmin is Hong Wu's top expert. In all of East Sea, his strength is second to none. I heard he just broke through to the third level of the Great Grandmaster realm a few days ago. Zhao Dong... you're strong, but you're still a bit weaker than him."
Zhao Dong smiled. He was now at the peak of Qi Refinement, able to fight a second-level Great Grandmaster to a draw. Facing a third-level one would be a struggle, but he should be able to put up a fight. He estimated his chance of winning at thirty percent, while Kou Hongmin's was seventy. Before, against Kou Hongmin, his own chances would have been less than ten percent, while Kou Hongmin's would have been ninety-nine percent.
He really didn't want to hide anymore. He had been hiding for so long; it was time to settle things with Hong Wu once and for all.
Thinking of this, Zhao Dong said softly, "Yafei, don't say any more. I've made up my mind to settle this with Hong Wu. This time, either he dies or I do. Hiding won't work for long. Just let me have a proper fight with him."
Tears streamed down Xu Yafei's face as she hugged him. "Zhao Dong, if you die... I will follow you. In this world, not many people have been genuinely good to me. You... you're the one. Without you, I don't know how I'd live."
Zhao Dong's heart trembled, and he pulled her into a tighter embrace.
Their body heat rose, and a hint of seductive intimacy filled the air. At some point, they began to kiss, moving from the living room to the bedroom. They tumbled onto the bed as a trail of discarded clothes appeared on the polished floor. Like dry tinder meeting a raging fire, the longing they had suppressed for so long erupted.
"Zhao Dong, I've missed you so much... Come..."
Xu Yafei clung to him, as if trying to melt her entire body into his. Her face was flushed, her body trembled, and her breath came in ragged gasps. Her eyes were filled with raw passion.
Zhao Dong didn't hesitate, kissing her face...
Soon, an intimate atmosphere filled the room as they released all their pent-up longing for one another, their bodies entwined.
Two hours later, everything fell silent.
Xu Yafei, her face still flushed, rested her head on Zhao Dong's arm, her expression a mask of bliss and tenderness. Stroking his resolute features, she planted a kiss on his cheek and said shyly, "Zhao Dong... it feels so good to have you here."
Zhao Dong gently caressed her long, dark hair. "Yafei," he whispered, "let me treat you again. This time, I'll see if I can completely remove the poison from your body."
Xu Yafei nodded and murmured softly, "Zhao Dong, it's okay if you can't. It's been so long, I'm used to it."
Pain flickered in Zhao Dong's eyes. "I know how much suffering this poison causes. Alright, sit up. I'll treat you now."
"Mm..."
Xu Yafei sat up. Zhao Dong took out the half of the demonic beast's inner core from the previous night.
"Yafei, swallow this," he said softly.
Xu Yafei paused for a moment, bit her lip, then nodded and swallowed the inner core. The instant it went down, her face turned bright red, and her body began to burn with heat.
Zhao Dong immediately circulated his Spiritual Energy. Sitting behind her, he placed his large hands on her back and channeled a gentle stream of Spiritual Energy into her body.
Just then, he heard a faint noise from outside the apartment. His perception was now incredibly keen, and his hearing was exceptionally sharp.
His expression changed instantly. "Yafei," he said in a low voice, "does anyone else know about this place?"
Xu Yafei shook her head. "No, only you and I know. What's wrong?"
A grave look crossed Zhao Dong's face. "Then it seems we've been exposed. I hear footsteps outside."
"What?!" Xu Yafei cried out, her face instantly turning pale.
Zhao Dong took a deep breath and lowered his voice further. "We can't be sure it's Hong Wu's men yet. Don't make a sound. They're right outside the main door. I'll go check."
"Alright... Be careful," Xu Yafei's voice trembled.
Zhao Dong got up, dressed, and moved into the living room, tiptoeing toward the front door. He listened quietly, his heart sinking. There were at least five people outside. For so many to show up out of the blue, they had to be Hong Wu's men.
This place is definitely exposed.
Zhao Dong took a deep breath, his battle intent surging to its peak. His muscles tensed, and his eyes grew as sharp as a hawk's. He was fully prepared for a fight.
Outside the door, five men stood waiting. All five had sinister glints in their eyes and radiated a thick killing intent. The leader, dressed in black, had eyes like a venomous snake.
"Madam Hong should be in here," he whispered coldly. "And if I'm not mistaken, that pretty boy is with her. When we go in, don't let him escape. His head is worth a lot of money, you hear me?"
One of the men next to him whispered back, "Got it, boss. But should we report to Lord Hong first?"
"Report my ass! If we tell Lord Hong, he'll just send more men. You want to share this easy prize with others?"
"That's true... The five of us should be enough."
The leader nodded. "On my count, we break down the door. Three... two... one!"
The moment they moved to kick the door, it burst open, sending the two men closest to it flying. A figure blurred past them, fists descending like gigantic hammers.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Three muffled impacts echoed in the stairwell as all five men were sent flying, crashing onto the landing. They lay on the ground with limbs broken, bleeding from their mouths and noses. Before they could even scream, Zhao Dong lashed out with his feet, kicking each of them in the head. They fell unconscious without making a sound.
The last conscious man opened his mouth to scream, but before any sound could escape, Zhao Dong's hand clamped around his throat. "If you want to live, shut your mouth," he said in a chilling voice.
The man shuddered, closing his mouth as tears of terror streamed down his face. "Sir... we... we didn't mean any harm. We'll leave right now..."
Zhao Dong sneered. "You came all this way and think you can just leave? Dream on. Tell me, did Hong Wu send you?"
The man trembled. "No, but we know Lord Hong. We just happened to see Madam Hong downstairs and followed her."
"Does anyone else know?" Zhao Dong demanded coldly.
The man quickly shook his head. "No, just the five of us."
Zhao Dong's eyes turned to ice. He squeezed. With a sickening crunch, the man's throat was crushed, and his breathing stopped. For those who wanted him dead, mercy was a luxury he couldn't afford.
At that moment, a bad feeling washed over Zhao Dong. This place wasn't safe. These five knew. If their associates track their location, this place will be exposed too. No, I have to find a new place.
Taking a deep breath, he rushed back into the room. Xu Yafei had already gotten dressed and was watching the door anxiously.
"Yafei, we have to go," Zhao Dong said gravely. "This place has been compromised. We'll find somewhere else."
Xu Yafei's face was white. "What? Compromised? But where can we go?"
Zhao Dong gritted his teeth. "Follow me for now. That demonic beast's inner core you took... I have to help you assimilate it, or your body won't be able to handle it. After that, we have to separate immediately. Otherwise, we'll both be in danger, and you'll attract Hong Wu's attention."
Xu Yafei bit her lip and followed him without another word.
As Zhao Dong led her away, he passed through the stairwell and crushed the throats of the other unconscious men. Before leaving the building, he slipped into the security room and destroyed the surveillance hard drive. Only then did he and Xu Yafei finally depart.
They got into a car and sped toward the outskirts of East Sea. After a short drive, the car stopped. Xu Yafei looked at their destination, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"Zhao Dong... where is this?"