For one sharp second, Cai Lang saw nothing except the cold reflection of metal cutting straight toward his back. Instinct moved before thought. His body twisted hard to the side, muscles reacting on pure survival, but even then it was too close. The blade tore past him, grazing fabric, close enough that he felt the violent rush of air against his skin.
"Ahh." His eyes sharpened instantly.
But then everything shifted. Another man lunged in from the opposite side at the exact wrong moment, trying to close distance while Cai Lang moved. The attacker with the knife didn't have time to correct. The blade drove forward and buried itself deep into his own ally's stomach.
A wet, choking sound cut through the night.
Everyone froze.The stabbed man looked down slowly, like his body hadn't caught up yet. His mouth opened, but whatever sound tried to come out broke apart into pure shock. " What?!" Blood spread fast.His knees buckled.
Cai Lang's eyes widened slightly not from fear, not hesitation, but sharp calculation.
The man holding the knife panicked instantly. "Shit !" The wounded attacker collapsed hard, clutching his stomach while the others staggered back in confusion, their formation breaking in the worst possible way." You think this changes anything?" Cai Lang said quietly. His voice wasn't loud.
One of them snarled immediately, panic turning violent. "Kill him NOW!" That was their mistake because chaos made people sloppy. And Cai Lang was not sloppy. Before the attacker could even pull the knife free from his ally, Cai Lang moved fast.His hand shot out, gripping the attacker's wrist with brutal precision before twisting hard. A crack split through the air.
The man screamed.Cai Lang used that opening instantly, ripping the blood-covered knife free himself in one violent motion. The wounded man dropped completely, crashing to the ground in a choking heap.The attacker barely had time to react before Cai Lang drove his shoulder forward, slamming him backward with enough force to send him crashing into another man behind him.
Now the knife was in Cai Lang's hand.
And everything changed.One gunman lifted his weapon in panic. "Shoot him!"Cai Lang moved before the word even finished. He closed distance sharply, grabbing the nearest attacker and using him as partial cover.The shot fired. The bullet tore into the wrong man's shoulder.
Cai Lang didn't pause. He drove the knife upward not wild, not reckless, but exact. The blade slashed across another attacker's forearm, forcing the weapon downward before it could fire again.A baton swung toward his head from the side.He ducked low.
Countered immediately.Knife hilt to ribs. Elbow to throat.
The man collapsed gasping, choking on air that wouldn't come properly.Two more rushed him from opposite sides.Cai Lang pivoted between them with terrifying control, every movement sharp and efficient. One slash not fatal, but disabling. A kick shattered one man's balance at the knee. A redirected wrist sent another weapon flying uselessly into the dark. One body dropped and another stumbled. Breathing harder now but steady and controlled.
On Cai Lang clothes there was blood some his, some not.marked his sleeve and hand.
His grip never loosened.His expression never broke. " You picked the wrong night," he muttered coldly.
Another attacker rushed him from behind, desperate enough to think speed would succeed where numbers hadn't. But It didn't.
Cai Lang heard him coming a fraction before impact the scrape of shoes against uneven ground, the sharp shift in breathing, the reckless commitment of someone already panicking. He spun hard, movement precise despite the chaos, and caught the incoming arm before the strike could land properly. The man barely had time to register what happened.
Cai Lang twisted.The attacker's balance broke instantly. And then the blade drove straight into his upper side not deep enough to kill but deep enough. A raw scream tore through the night, sharp and broken, the kind that came more from shock than pain at first. The man's weapon slipped from his hand immediately, clattering uselessly to the ground as his body folded.
Cai Lang ripped the knife free without hesitation. The sound that followed wet and
brutal. "Back off!" one of attacker shouted. Then another one Shouted "He's insane!"
"No...don't let him !" But the words were already too late because fear had entered.
Cai Lang stepped forward once. And somehow that was worse than if he'd charged. His clothes were stained now, blood marking his sleeve, his hand, the edge of his jaw where someone else's injury had splattered across him. His breathing was heavier, but not uncontrolled. His grip on the knife remained steady. His expression Far too calm.That calmness was what finally unsettled them most. "Come on," Cai Lang said, voice low and dangerous enough to cut through every staggered breath around him. "You were confident a minute ago."
Silence in street. No one answered.For one sharp second, the entire scene seemed to hold still. No one rushed him.No one fired.
No one wanted to be first anymore. The men who had surrounded him just moments ago now hesitated, exchanging fractured glances, breathing hard, trying to calculate whether this was still worth it.And then
A distant sound cut through everything. The sound of Sirens. It was faint at first almost easy to dismiss then louder.
Every attacker reacted at once." Police?"
"Who the hell called them?!" one of attacker said. "Forget him we have to go!" Panic spread faster than the fight had. Weapons lowered.Formation shattered.One man cursed and grabbed his injured arm before running. Another abandoned his bleeding ally entirely. Two more bolted in opposite directions without waiting for orders.Within seconds, the coordinated attack had collapsed into pure retreat. "Move!"
"GO!"
"Leave him!"
Footsteps pounded away into the dark, scattered and frantic, disappearing between distant roads and broken shadows.
And then Silence returned.Cai Lang stayed where he was, knife still in hand, chest rising and falling harder now.The adrenaline was fading.And that was when pain arrived properly. His expression tightened for the first time. "Shit?!" His free hand moved toward his side. He looked down. He noticed he was bleeding. Somewhere in the chaos He'd been hit deeper than he realized.Not immediately fatal.
Cai Lang's grip on the knife finally loosened.
It slipped from his fingers and hit the ground beside him with a dull metallic sound. His knees almost held. He staggered once, vision shifting slightly, the world tilting just enough to feel wrong. " What a night," he muttered bitterly, breath uneven.And then He collapsed hard to one knee, one hand bracing against the ground while the other pressed tightly against his bleeding side.
His palm darkened immediately. His vision blurred.
Heavy bass shook through the underground walls, low enough to feel more than hear. Dim red and blue lights flashed through smoke-thick air, cutting across the room in restless colors that revealed just enough sharp suits, careless money, visible weapons, and the kind of people who noticed everything without appearing to look.
Suo Ran stopped near the entrance, his gaze sweeping across the bar once, slow and careful. " Is this really the place?" he asked quietly, his voice low enough that only Lin Yichen could hear. Lin Yichen nodded beside him, though his confidence didn't sound as solid as he probably intended. "Yeah." Suo Ran didn't move right away. His eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the room again, taking in men standing in darker corners, some laughing too loudly, others sitting in silence that somehow felt worse.
Even the women nearby looked alert, like they understood exactly what kind of place this was and had learned not to relax inside it. " You sure?" Suo Ran asked again. "Yes," Lin Yichen replied, a little too quickly this time. "He's here. I confirmed." The answer should have been reassuring. Somehow, it wasn't. Suo Ran finally glanced at him. " You confirmed with who?" Lin Yichen immediately avoided the question. "Come on. Standing here too long makes us look suspicious." Suo Ran gave him a flat look. "We are suspicious." Lin Yichen winced slightly. "That's fair."
With no better option, they moved further inside anyway. The deeper they went, the heavier the atmosphere felt. Music pounded through the floor, conversation blurred into noise, and every instinct Suo Ran had kept reminding him this was a mistake. Behind the bar, a man polishing a glass gave them one long, unreadable glance before speaking. "What'll it be?" Lin Yichen answered so fast it was almost suspicious by itself. "Two drinks."
Suo Ran turned toward him immediately, brows narrowing. " Why two?" Lin Yichen leaned closer without looking at him directly. "Because not ordering here is stranger." Suo Ran stared at him for a second longer before muttering, " I hate that logic." "I know," Lin Yichen replied. Two glasses were placed in front of them without another word. Suo Ran looked down at his drink like it had personally offended him just by existing there. Lin Yichen, doing his absolute best to seem calm, picked his glass up first. "Just act normal." Suo Ran didn't touch his. His gaze stayed fixed on the glass for another second before he said, " I don't think normal applies here." Lin Yichen, unfortunately, had no argument for that. And then for one long, tense minute nothing happened. Which somehow felt worse.
Then a shadow stopped beside them. "New here?" The voice was male, confident, carrying just enough amusement to feel intentional. Suo Ran looked up slowly. The man standing there looked a few years older, dressed too well for this place unless he belonged here completely. Expensive jacket. Sharp watch. Dangerous smile. The kind of confidence that usually came from either money, violence, or both and judging by the atmosphere around him, probably both.
His gaze stayed on Suo Ran longer than necessary, openly assessing. " You look good," he said casually, like it was a compliment and a warning at the same time. Beside him, Lin Yichen visibly stiffened. Suo Ran noticed, but didn't react to it. He kept his own expression polite, controlled. "Thanks." The man's smile widened slightly. "Drink with me." Suo Ran's gaze flickered once to the untouched glass already sitting in front of him before returning to the man. " I can't drink."
A pause followed.The smile didn't disappear but it changed. Thinner now. Sharper."Can't," the man repeated, like he was testing the word for disrespect. "Yeah," Suo Ran replied simply. The man leaned in a little closer, one hand resting against the table now, casual enough to seem harmless if not for everything else about him. "That sounds like refusal."
Suo Ran's tone stayed even. "That's because it is." Lin Yichen immediately looked like he wanted to vanish from existence. The shift in atmosphere was instant. The amusement disappeared from the man's face so quickly it was almost impressive. Without warning a wine bottle slammed hard against their table. The violent crack of glass cut sharply through the air. The bottle didn't fully shatter, but it broke enough. Jagged. Dangerous. Nearby conversations barely paused. No one screamed. No one rushed over. Which somehow made it worse, because that meant this wasn't unusual here.
Suo Ran's eyes flickered once toward the broken neck now loosely held in the man's hand. Then three more men approached. One stopped directly behind Suo Ran. Another near Lin Yichen, close enough to block movement. The third leaned slightly off to the side, where Suo Ran's line of sight caught something metallic beneath his jacket. A gun. Very visible. Very intentional. " You think this is a request?" the first man asked quietly now, all humor gone. Lin Yichen's face lost what little color it had left. " Suo Ran…" he whispered, panic rising fast. Suo Ran didn't answer him. His attention never left the man in front of him. "Drink," the man said again. The broken bottle shifted slightly in his hand. Not random. A reminder. "Or I'll make you."
Silence followed.Then Suo Ran turned his head just enough to mutter under his breath, careful not to move too suddenly. " What place did you bring me to?" Lin Yichen, standing beside him and looking more genuinely horrified by the second, swallowed hard. "I… didn't know it would be like this." Suo Ran kept his eyes forward. "That's comforting." "It wasn't supposed to be this bad," Lin Yichen whispered quickly, like that somehow improved the situation. Suo Ran's expression didn't change. "Lin Yichen." "Yeah?" " If we survive this, I'm blaming you." Lin Yichen, to his credit, looked appropriately ashamed. " That's fair."
The man in front of them suddenly slammed his hand down against the table harder than before. "Hey." Both of them went silent immediately. The dangerous smile was gone now, replaced by something colder. "Drink." One of the men nearby casually shifted his jacket just enough to make the weapon underneath impossible to miss. A gun, clearly visible at his waist.
Suo Ran looked at it once. Then at the broken bottle. Then at Lin Yichen, whose face had somehow managed to look even paler. Finally, Suo Ran looked back at the glass in front of him. " Fine." His fingers closed around it before he could think too hard about what exactly was in it. Then he drank all of it fast enough that nobody had time to comment or stop him midway. The burn hit immediately. Violent. Sharp enough to feel like he'd swallowed heat directly. His throat tightened, eyes watering for half a second despite his best effort to remain unaffected. Stronger than expected. Far stronger. His expression didn't fully break but it came dangerously close.
Across from him, the men watched carefully. Measuring. Waiting. Then unexpectedly the leader laughed. A real one this time. Loud enough to shift the mood around the table. "Good." He leaned back slightly, some of the immediate hostility fading from his posture. "Would've been easier if you did that first." Suo Ran coughed once, just once, and somehow still managed to sound flat. " I know." Beside him, Lin Yichen stared like he'd just witnessed either incredible bravery or complete recklessness. Realistically? Probably both. The dangerous tension in the air shifted. Not gone. Just redirected into something… stranger.
One of the gang members dragged a chair over with a sharp scrape against the floor. "Sit." Suo Ran blinked once, still recovering from whatever chemical warfare had just burned through his throat. " What?" Another man grinned now, his earlier threat somehow transforming into amusement. "Relax. You're interesting." Lin Yichen leaned slightly closer and whispered, " I don't like this." Suo Ran, who was currently questioning several life choices at once, replied quietly, "Neither do I." But unfortunately, sitting was very clearly the safer option than arguing. So they sat. And somehow… things got worse. "Truth or dare," one of them announced with shocking seriousness.
Suo Ran stared at him, genuinely unsure whether to be offended or alarmed. "Seriously?" "Drink if you refuse," the man replied immediately. Suo Ran slowly looked down at his now-empty glass, then back up. " That somehow feels less childish and more threatening." The man grinned wider. "Correct." Lin Yichen muttered under his breath, voice hollow with regret, "We are going to die." Suo Ran exhaled slowly, though even that was starting to feel slightly less coordinated than before. "Maybe." His voice was still calm but noticeably less steady now. Because the alcohol was absolutely hitting.
"Truth," one of the gangsters said suddenly, pointing directly at Suo Ran with the kind of energy that suggested this game was somehow being taken far too seriously. "Who are you here for?" Suo Ran paused. That question landed him squarely in dangerous-answer territory. Too honest? Bad idea. Too vague? Also suspicious. His brain, already beginning to process alcohol like an unfolding disaster, worked just fast enough to choose survival. " My friend dragged me here," he said at last, gesturing vaguely toward Lin Yichen beside him. Lin Yichen immediately looked offended. "Wow."
The table erupted into laughter. Real laughter this time loud enough to draw a few nearby glances before everyone promptly went back to minding their own business. "Fair enough," one of them said. "Drink anyway." Suo Ran stared at him for a long second. "Of course." Another glass appeared. Then another. Then something stronger. At some point, Suo Ran stopped trying to identify what exactly he was being handed and shifted his priorities toward basic survival.
Time became less precise after that. The music somehow got louder or maybe his brain was simply becoming worse at functioning properly. The room blurred at the edges, lights stretching slightly longer than they should have. Voices became both too close and too far. At some point, Suo Ran found himself leaning slightly against the booth, one elbow braced on the table as he stared at absolutely nothing with increasing philosophical disappointment.
Across from him, Lin Yichen was somehow still upright and semi-functional, which felt personally offensive. " Is the person we came for even coming?" Suo Ran asked, his words just slightly slower now, like each one needed approval before leaving. Lin Yichen blinked at him, then quickly pulled out his phone. "Let me check." Suo Ran nodded once, far more serious than his condition justified. "Good."
The call happened quickly. Lin Yichen's face changed almost immediately. Not fear. Not panic. Something worse. Annoyance. He hung up. Suo Ran blinked slowly, his brain visibly attempting to reconnect with reality. " Well?" Lin Yichen grimaced. " He's not coming." A pause followed. Suo Ran's expression remained blank for a moment longer than normal. " What?" "He's busy." Suo Ran stared at him. Longer. Slower. Processing appeared delayed. " Busy." "Yeah." Another pause. Then Suo Ran's brows pulled together slightly, like even in his current state, he understood injustice when he saw it. " So we almost got threatened by armed alcoholics for nothing?" Lin Yichen winced. "That… sounds correct."
Suo Ran looked down at the drink in his hand. Then at Lin Yichen. Then somewhere beyond both of them, into a distant space where better life choices probably existed. "I don't feel right," he said at last. Lin Yichen immediately frowned. "Suo Ran?" Suo Ran blinked harder, like that might fix whatever his body was currently doing. " I think…" he started. Then stopped." Oh no," Lin Yichen said immediately, because that tone never meant anything good.
Suo Ran's head dipped forward sharply before he barely caught himself against the table. His fingers missed once. Then again. " You," he muttered weakly, somehow still finding energy for blame. Lin Yichen stared. "Me?" Suo Ran's voice came out quieter now, deeply betrayed. " Worst planner." He blacked out completely. Lin Yichen barely managed to catch him before his face met the table in full. " Oh, this is bad," Lin Yichen whispered, now sounding like a man rapidly reevaluating every choice that had led him here.
Around them, the gangsters reacted with alarming levels of amusement. One laughed loudly enough to nearly choke. "Lightweight." Another raised his glass in genuine respect. "I respect that he tried." A third leaned over slightly, looking far too entertained. "Honestly? He lasted longer than I expected." Lin Yichen, now supporting Suo Ran's unconscious weight while also contemplating his own survival, exhaled slowly. Deeply. Full of regret. " I have made severe mistakes."
By the time Lin Yichen finally managed to get Suo Ran out of the bar. The heavy bass faded behind them the second the underground door shut, replaced by cold night air that hit hard enough to feel almost medicinal. For Lin Yichen, it was a relief. For Suo ran currently operating somewhere between conscious and completely gone it changed absolutely nothing. "Okay," Lin Yichen muttered, shifting Suo Ran's weight more securely over his shoulder as they stumbled a few steps away from the entrance. "You need to cooperate."
Suo Ran, whose definition of cooperation was clearly evolving, attempted to stand on his own. It failed immediately. "I am." he mumbled, despite very obvious evidence to the contrary. Two steps later, he nearly walked directly sideways. Lin Yichen caught him with visible suffering. "No, you absolutely are not." Suo Ran frowned faintly, like gravity itself had personally offended him. " Ground moved." "Ground did not move." "Suspicious." Lin Yichen stared at him for one long second before deciding this conversation had no future. "Right. Sure."
He pulled out his phone with one hand while still holding Suo Ran upright with the other and called for a taxi as quickly as possible. The wait somehow felt longer than it probably was, mostly because Suo Ran had now decided standing still was an unnecessary concept. "Don't lean that way," Lin Yichen warned as Suo Ran slowly tipped toward a nearby pole. "Why?" "Because that is not your spine's friend." " You're loud." "And you are drunk." " Temporary problem." "You say that now." Finally, headlights appeared. Lin Yichen had never been so relieved to see a taxi in his life.
He got Suo Ran inside with significantly more effort than should've been necessary, then slid in beside him before Suo Ran could somehow fall back out and create a brand new crisis. The driver glanced once in the rearview mirror, visibly assessing the situation. " He alive?" Lin Yichen, already exhausted, sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."
Suo Ran lifted his head slightly from where it had fallen against the window. " Rude." The driver wisely chose not to get involved. The taxi pulled away. For approximately six full seconds, there was peace. Then Suo Ran started mumbling. Not clearly. Not coherently. Just enough to create concern. " No… that was definitely poison…" Lin Yichen pinched the bridge of his nose. "It was alcohol." " Worse poison." " I'm not arguing with you." Suo Ran shifted slightly, blinking at absolutely nothing before suddenly deciding something was very important. With slow, deeply uncoordinated determination, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Lin Yichen noticed immediately. "What are you doing?" No answer.
Suo Ran was now intensely focused on the screen like it contained classified survival information. His thumb moved with painful concentration as he opened his contact list. Names blurred past beneath the taxi's dim interior light. Jun Wei's teacher. Random local contacts. Old numbers. Then Lian Ziho. His thumb paused. Just for a second. His unfocused gaze stayed there longer than expected. Something unreadable flickered through his drunken expression. But then his thumb moved again. Down. Cai Lang. This time, he stopped completely. Lin Yichen frowned, leaning slightly closer. " Suo Ran?" Suo Ran didn't answer. He just stared at Cai Lang's name for a long, strange moment, his drunk expression shifting not clearer, but heavier somehow. Like even through the alcohol, something unresolved still existed there. Lin Yichen's voice lowered slightly. "Hey. Maybe don't call anyone right now." Too late. Suo Ran's thumb pressed down.