Fright of War

Master Tang turned around and stared blankly at the sharp knife stuck in his waist. At the moment this knife pierced Master Tang's body, my fear suddenly vanished into thin air.

He was just a person, someone who could be knocked down. I didn't need to be afraid of him at all!

I didn't panic and let go of the knife just because this was my first time stabbing someone. I knew this stab had only injured one of his kidneys and was not enough to incapacitate him. On the contrary, it would only enrage him further.

If I hesitated now, Song Yang and Huang Xiaotao would both be finished.

So I gripped the knife handle tightly and pulled the knife out. A spurt of blood immediately gushed forth. Master Tang's body shuddered once, then he let out a demented roar and swung his cleaver down at me.

Huang Xiaotao screamed from behind, "Song Yang, get out of the way quickly!"

I dodged backward a little and activated my Abyssal Eyes. Although these eyes didn't have dynamic vision, I could capture every subtle change in his muscles and predict which direction his next swing would come from.

Sure enough, I easily avoided it!

Master Tang swung his knife at me like a madman, but each time I was able to dodge it precisely, which completely infuriated him. He let out a pig-slaughtering shriek. I waited for the right moment, then stabbed through his pectoralis major, pulling the knife upward to sever his tendons and rendering his entire right arm unable to lift up.

Taking advantage of his disabled right arm, I stabbed into his chest again, accurately piercing through the ribs into the lung lobe.

I was intimately familiar with human anatomy. He was like an anatomical chart hanging on the wall to me. I knew clearly which spots to stab to deprive him of his mobility.

To you I was just steamed bread filling, but to me you were nothing but a walking corpse. A freak against a freak, let's see who's more freakish!

By this time, Master Tang had already started gasping for breath, glaring at me viciously as if trying to breathe fire. I sneered disdainfully. Go ahead and kill me if you can.

Unexpectedly, he continued struggling like a cornered beast, transferring the knife to his left hand and trying to keep hacking at me.

But his movements had slowed down considerably now. As he swung the knife at me before withdrawing his arm, I grabbed the boning knife and stabbed through the shoulder joint of his left arm, leaving the knife stuck in it.

Now Master Tang couldn't even lift his left arm. With great difficulty he staggered forward a few steps, blood flowing ceaselessly from the three holes in his body, staining his apron completely red.

Finally he knelt down and keeled over with a muffled thud.

It was finally over. I heaved a long sigh of relief.

I rushed over to Huang Xiaotao and helped her up from the floor. Huang Xiaotao was extremely frightened. She hugged me tightly without saying a word. I could feel her petite body trembling unceasingly in my embrace.

"It's okay now, it's okay," I said gently, patting her back to comfort her. "Let me see where you're hurt."

I helped her up to inspect her injuries. Huang Xiaotao's forehead was scraped and bleeding a little. Her wrists were injured, but luckily no tendons or bones were damaged. I wasn't sure if her ribs were broken—broken bones puncturing the lungs could be very problematic. I hesitated for a moment before reaching to check.

Huang Xiaotao understood my intention. She grabbed my hand and pressed it against her ribcage, letting out a hiss—probably indicating it was painful there?

Now was not the time for modesty. I felt around the area a little. Huang Xiaotao asked, "Are the ribs broken?"

"No, but there may be internal injuries," I replied.

"What about you, are you hurt anywhere?" asked Huang Xiaotao.

"I'm fine!"

I did take a kick to the stomach earlier, and there was probably some gastric bleeding since I had a burning sensation in my stomach that wouldn't go away. But it was just a minor injury.

She hugged me again and said, "Song Yang, I was so scared you were going to die just now!"

After speaking, I felt a few drops of warm tears trickle into my neck. Huang Xiaotao rested her head on my shoulder, her hair tickling my ear.

Although it felt nice to hold her, now wasn't the time for embracing. After hugging briefly, I separated from her and said, "Call emergency services quickly!"

"But I'm fine," Huang Xiaotao shook her head.

"No, save him!" I pointed at Master Tang, who was still convulsing.

Huang Xiaotao's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean he's not dead? I clearly saw you stab him four or five times!"

I dialed emergency services, then administered some first aid to Master Tang. His punctured lung was bleeding, putting his entire chest cavity under high pressure and unable to take in air—medically known as a pneumothorax.

In a few minutes he would suffocate. I flipped Master Tang over, propped his neck up on clothes to keep it elevated, then told Huang Xiaotao to find me a pen. I carved it into a tube shape with my knife, located a gap in the center of his chest, and stuck it straight in.

The high pressure in his lung was immediately relieved. Still unconscious, Master Tang coughed up several mouthfuls of blood violently. It looked like he could hold on until the paramedics arrived.

I needed him to face legal punishment, and I also had to resolve some doubts in my mind.

Huang Xiaotao said in bewilderment, "Those stabs were all aimed accurately, right?"

"You could say that. I'm no martial arts master who knows pressure points. In that situation, I could only think of ways to immobilize him. Oh right—does this count as self-defense?" I asked.

"Definitely, absolutely self-defense. He was swinging the knife to hack you at the time, a clear-cut case of self-defense."

"That's good then!" I patted my chest in relief. "I was afraid the police would come and slap a pair of 'silver bracelets' on both of us."

Huang Xiaotao smiled and nudged me with her arm. "Even if you did use excessive force in self-defense and killed someone, I'd come visit you every day."

"Do you know how to cook?" I asked.

"No, but can't I learn?" Huang Xiaotao pouted.

I laughed too. But as I laughed, there was an aftertaste of lingering fear in my heart.

It wasn't because I had just survived a near-death ordeal, but because when I stabbed Master Tang, I felt an indescribable thrill deep down.

Was I actually a freak deep down too?

When people see appalling crimes in the news, they always say how could someone possibly be so twisted, and the like. But the truth is, every person harbors the seeds of perversion within. Put in the "right" environment, these seeds can grow into the fruits of evil.

Where there is light there is darkness, and those who keep company with criminals for long will eventually nurture a hidden criminal inside themselves.

I didn't come to these conclusions to exonerate myself. I just feel it's also important for a person to understand their own dark side, so their heart won't truly go astray!

Soon the police and paramedics arrived. I left the aftermath to them and exited the basement with Huang Xiaotao. Outside, the sunshine remained brilliant as ever, but it felt like we had emerged into a different world.

Someone handed each of us a blanket. I used to wonder, when seeing police drape blankets on rescued victims in TV shows, what was the point. Now I understood—after enduring a horrific experience and breaking out in cold sweat, it really makes you feel chilled when you come out.

Nearby residents had gathered around to watch the commotion. The police cordoned off the area outside as the scene became lively. I watched them carry a body out from the basement and said, "Looks like I'll have to go back for an autopsy."

Huang Xiaotao said, "The case is closed now, leave the body to the coroner! I have no energy at all now, my legs are like jelly. I need to go home and sleep."

"Why don't you head back first, I'll ride along to the station," I said.

Huang Xiaotao smiled. "You're impossible. Let's go!"