Deadly Trap

Chapter 100. Knives and Guns
Su Li. She picked up the gun from the ground.

"My mother's revenge!"

Blood splattered everywhere. The bullet thudded into Tang Quan's left shoulder.

"...Kill them."

Without a second thought, Gu Mufeng immediately used his grappling techniques. He grabbed the forearms of the two men behind him with both hands, symmetrically on both sides, and then twisted their wrists outwards, instantly breaking free from their restraints.

Taking off his coat and tossing it high into the air for cover, Gu Mufeng lightly lifted off the ground, whipped his left leg back, and violently swung it across the enemy's face, knocking down the two men behind him who immediately drew their guns.

As he landed, his right hand was already pressed against the back of Tang Quan's sheathed sword: the blade was cold and hard, and he pressed down on the curve of the blade, thrusting forward with force, reaching out to grab Tang Quan's face—

But it was all in vain.

In an instant, Tang Quan reversed the blade, raising it to slash, the blade whistling through the air. Gu Mufeng leaned back hastily, managing to dodge in time, but was still grazed on the face by the sharp edge.

Before blood could even be drawn, the swordsmanship couldn't be faster. The two were inches apart when Tang Quan sheathed his blade, turned, and thrust upwards, followed by a second, close-range strike. Gu Mufeng had nowhere left to dodge.

A cold, sharp line, infinitely razor-sharp. Just as the blade touched Gu Mufeng's heart, Su Li steadied herself and fired another shot—

Despite her trembling fingertips and pounding heart, she couldn't run away at this moment!
The bullet grazed past.

Taking advantage of that momentary pause, Gu Mufeng gripped the blade of the katana tightly with his right hand. Tang Quan, decisive as ever, discarded the knife and hastily fled. In the blink of an eye, only a sticky, discontinuous trail of blood remained on the ground.

Gu Mufeng really wanted to risk his life to chase after him. But there was no time to lose; he had to take care of what was in front of him first. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a switchblade from his right sleeve: this was his trump card for close combat.

The blade was no more than two inches long. Gu Mufeng threw it, and it pierced the back of the hand of the person holding the gun at the farthest point.

"To catch the thief, first catch the king." Tang Quan escaped from close combat, leaving only a simple order: "Take them down." The Xinglong Society still had five or six top assassins left, and now they were no longer afraid. Like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey, each wielding a knife or club, they swarmed forward.

Standing guard in front of Su Li, several feet away from her, Gu Mufeng unleashed all the skills he had honed over the past twenty years.

From his childhood interest in jujitsu and karate, to his vibrant youth at twenty, he worked daily as a professional fighter or private bodyguard, taking risks: Muay Thai, Wing Chun, grappling, Sanda, and modern combat sports. He learned and practiced everything that was practical.

He never slacked off for even a moment.

In Su Li's eyes, sticks and clubs clashed and flashed, swords flashing indistinctly. Using the opponent's force against them, Gu Mufeng attacked with both hands:
He wielded Tang Quan's dagger in his right hand, parrying relentlessly, making it almost impossible for him to get close. His left hand, in conjunction with elbow strikes, drew blood; he could kick gods when they came, and chop down Buddhas when they came.

The fight raged on until the very end. Each of them wielded a wolf-tooth iron club, and as he parried the back of his blade, they swung their clubs in a wide arc and pressed down on him together.

"Clang." The blade was held horizontally. Gu Mufeng met the blade head-on, almost taking it head-on. His figure appeared graceful and delicate, but the force he exerted, rising from the ground, was extraordinary.

Ignoring the numbness in his hands, Gu Mufeng advanced instead of retreating, simply raising his blade. He lunged forward, closing the distance to the two men, his hands gripping their heads like tiger claws. Swift and decisive, he delivered a swift and clean blow.

Just as Gu Mufei spread his arms wide in front of him, someone raised an axe behind him and chopped at his neck.

In a panic, Su Li was about to fire a third shot from the nearest location—

Gu Mufeng had already taken the lead. He snatched the opponent's axe-wielding wrist with his left hand, and with a deft deflection, he swung the axe out of the air, followed by a clean over-the-shoulder throw.

He kicked her in the face without hesitation: blood splattered everywhere. It was a classic "smiling" kick from the underworld.

He pulled out Tang Quan's katana again, only to find a scene of carnage before him. His left rib was soaked, and a damp patch of blood seeped from his chest; the coldness in Gu Mufeng's eyes hadn't subsided. He raised his left hand and wiped away the already sticky blood from his right cheek.

Su Li trembled all over, staring in disbelief: "Mu Fei—"

With a long stride, Gu Mufeng came to Su Li, embraced her, and gave her a kiss.

My heart was pounding. My breath was heavy. The kiss was stained with blood, deep and intense. But when I spoke, his voice was icy cold: "...What are you doing here?"

Su Li should be far away at Gu Garden. Or perhaps, far away on her way to the airport.

However, he recalled that the garden was not only for Su Li to recuperate, nor was it solely for him to deliberately demonstrate against Tang and Sheng during today's negotiations.

On a snowy night, the Xinglong Gang chased and kidnapped her. Su Liquan barely escaped thanks to her courage, wisdom, and a stroke of luck. Gu Mufeng no longer dared to take any more risks.

He secretly thought to himself that he dared not tell Su Li.

No matter how difficult it was for him to resolve the conflict, the Gu family had plenty of manpower. He had already made arrangements in private, having the Gu family closely monitor Su Li at every turn. With his negotiations today, Su Li could fly directly abroad under the protection of the conglomerate.

But now, Su Li is right in front of him.

Gu Mufeng never revealed where he planned to meet. Even when the whole team had a meeting after the New Year, he deliberately spent two hours returning to the city to avoid the meeting.

Although Su Li had played with shooting targets during her exchange studies abroad, she had never actually fired a live gun.

At this moment, both her lips and her hands holding the gun were visibly trembling.

"Mu Fei..."

"What are you doing?" Gu Mufeng roared in fury. Immediately, he pounded on the miniature earpiece hidden in his left ear: "Quenxus!"

"Wait!" She raised her eyebrows, her expression furrowing tightly. Grabbing his shirt sleeve, splattered with enemy blood, Su Li blurted out, trying to stop him:

"No, it's not their fault. It's me! It's because I can't let go."

"I made an excuse to go home to get my luggage, and sneaked into your office to peek at the architectural drawings you were using during your meetings. I only found out when I went to the city archives to do some research that you had booked the municipal guesthouse."

"I guess you'll probably use the underground server room. Anyway, I, I..."

Su Li's voice grew softer and softer as she continued speaking. By the end, she couldn't control herself and her voice was trembling with sobs. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly held them back; yet, like broken beads, they surged and burned into Gu Mufeng's heart.

"You..." Still seething with anger, Gu Mufeng was helpless.

"But what if I don't come!"

Su Li recalled what had just happened: Tang Quan's blade was ruthless, almost instantly piercing Gu Mufeng's heart. She abruptly lowered her head. Where he couldn't see, Su Li's tears streamed down her face.

Hastily trying to cover it up, she buried her face in Gu Mufeng's arms. "Susu, silly girl. I know what I'm doing."

However, Gu Mufeng couldn't bring himself to utter any words of condemnation. He simply held her close, gripping the knife, and almost imperceptibly buried his nose in her soft, fluffy hair, almost greedily savoring her gentle breath and body temperature once more.

With tentative touches, Gu Mufeng slowly and inadvertently moved the still-hot pistol, which was limply hanging from Su Li's hand, back into his own.
“If I hadn’t pretended to fall for their trap, Tang Quan wouldn’t have been alone with me. I was prepared.”

He was half telling the truth and half lying. Although he had been prepared, he truly hadn't expected that Tang Quannian, at the age of sixty, would possess a swordsmanship so different from his own: fierce and ruthless, incredibly sharp, and insidiously cunning.

After a long pause, Gu Mufei added three more words:
"do not worry."

Just then, a panting voice came from afar. He heard Gu Mufeng's furious roar and roll call over the headset. Quenxus, frantic with worry, rushed over without stopping: "Ha...ha...Boss?"

Seeing the bloody mess and the constant wailing before him, even Quenxus was horrified.

"Quenxus, take Su Li away." Gu Mufeng pushed Su Li away from his arms. "Take her to the airport. I want you to stay by her side, not leaving her for a moment, until she boards the plane. Understand?"

“Yes, Boss.” Quenxus obeyed almost automatically, but his face was still filled with astonishment. “But—”

"Mu Fei! You can't!" Despite the overwhelming resistance from the two-meter-tall Quenxus, Su Li struggled desperately.

“Listen, Su Li, don’t make things difficult for Quenxus.”

Taking a step forward, his gaze was intense and direct. If there was any vast brilliance still lingering in the depths of Gu Mufeng's cold and indifferent eyes, at this moment, he poured it all into Su Li's two pools of pupils.

Just like when they first met on the banks of the Parrot River, in the snow and darkness: their gazes were firm, focused, and gentle; but even more intense were their expressions, their eagerness and longing, their entanglement, and their reluctance to let go.

"When you're here, I get distracted and worried. Don't make me worry, okay?"

"You're so selfish!"

Unmoving, Su Li stood rooted to the spot. Tears welled in her eyes; how could she possibly let go?

"And what about my concerns? Mu Fei? How I wish I could also... be a person with a heart of stone!"

"...Wait for me at the airport."

Slowly, he finally spoke, sheathing his sword and hanging it on his belt. With his right hand free, through his glove, he carefully pinched Su Li's face, which was flushed with excitement.
"I... I agree."

"Mu Fei".

A kiss was gently placed on her forehead. Gu Mufeng simply waved his hand, urging Quenxus to lead Su Li away. This time, Su Li offered no resistance. Although she struggled internally, reluctant to leave, she kept turning back to look at him.

But after turning the corner of the corridor, Su Li's figure was destined to disappear.

There was no time for despair. Kneeling down, Gu Mufeng examined the trail of porridge-like blood on the ground: he knew the power of a nine-millimeter Luger bullet perfectly well. The blood splattered messily, uneven, dotted with broken bone fragments. Tang Quan had been shot in the shoulder; the injury was indeed severe.

Putting aside his pride, he still owed Su Li a thank you for her impulsiveness this time.

As for how to repay her in person...

Gazing silently at the bloodstains on the ground, Gu Mufeng pondered for a moment, his emotions deep.

For years, he persevered relentlessly, taking each step with meticulous care; he had no other choice. But working tirelessly day and night, exhausting his wits to manipulate others, and spending hundreds of millions in total, it was all ultimately for that extra bit of selfishness he had for Su Li.

As he stood up, his left hand resting on the hilt of his knife, Gu Mufei tapped his earpiece again: "Dai Ze."

"Mu Fei, the central court is stable. How is it?"

“Dai Ze, listen. I authorize you. You have Bran release the hostages, the reconnaissance team locates the remaining Xinglong Society units, and the special forces isolate and encircle them.”

"They've spread the word that today's operation was orchestrated by Sheng Chunqiu, who betrayed them."

"As soon as Sheng Chunqiu leaves the guesthouse, the entire team must clear the area and evacuate immediately. Move out now."

"Mu Fei, then what about you?"

With a barely perceptible smile, Gu Mufeng said, "Wait for me in the central courtyard."

He understood immediately, and Dai remained silent, no longer interfering: "Okay. Be careful."

Communication ends.

Slowly but firmly, Gu Mufeng gripped the gun tightly in his hand: his knuckles ached. From the cut on the back of his hand, hot blood seeped into his glove, slowly flowing down to his finger bones.

It's time to bring this to a complete close.

>>>>>
Next chapter: Extremes and Extremes

　[Author's Note | Chapter 100]

　　The person who fired the shot was Su Li!

　　Quietly, she had her own grand plan. Having shaken off her supervisor, she wouldn't let Gu Mufeng go to the meeting alone. But unexpectedly, she had only just infiltrated when she witnessed the confrontation between Gu Mufeng and Tang Quan.

　　Gu Mufeng used his skills honed over twenty years to protect his wife; how could he possibly be unstoppable?

　　After that deep kiss, Gu Mufeng was going to settle things one-on-one with Tang Quan. He had promised Su Li, but he still longed for the summer night sea he had promised her.

　　Let's find out in the next chapter.

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　　(End of this chapter)