Chapter 572
The Church of the Flowery Words
Chapter 572 The Church of the Cross (Thirty-Five)
"Their objectives were clear, their teamwork was excellent, and..." Chunyu Kong's voice was low and hoarse as he pulled Ning Yao behind him, "their actions were ruthless; they weren't just randomly selected personnel."
The guards spread out in a fan shape, their ranks seemingly chaotic yet orderly, but in reality, they had blocked all paths leading to the side corridor exit. The leader's hat brim was pulled down even lower, and his cuffs gleamed coldly, clearly indicating that he had replaced them with more concealed restraints.
Ning Yao tugged at Chunyu Kong's sleeve and whispered, "Something's not right, Brother Kong. These people don't seem to be here to arrest Grandpa Geng?"
Realizing something was amiss, Ning Yao loosened the hem of his robe, took a bold step forward, passed Chunyu Kong, and walked to the middle of the standoff between the two sides.
He forced a fawning smile, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and tried to ease the tension: "Distinguished leaders, we're all on the same side! I used to be in the field operations team too, we..."
“Ning Yao.” The leader of the guard interrupted him, his voice coming through the low brim of his hat, cold and unwavering, “I know you. You’re one of Captain Jiang’s men. I’ll spare your life because Captain Jiang and I were once colleagues. Now, get out of my way and don’t get in my way.”
He raised his hand and pointed at Chunyu Kong, the cold glint in his sleeves intensifying: "But this person must be arrested. The orders from above are: bring him back to the association, dead or alive. I advise you not to resist." As soon as he finished speaking, several guards around him took a step forward simultaneously.
Chunyu Kong didn't speak, but stared intently at the gradually tightening formation, as if watching a net slowly closing in.
Ning Yao dared not be separated from Chunyu Kong at this moment. He spent 0 seconds deciding to ignore the warning from the team leader opposite him and turned to take Chunyu Kong's hand. However, he found that his limbs were locked by several nearly transparent steel strings at the same time. The steel strings were tough and sharp, leaving deep marks on his struggling wrists.
"When did you tie it? You're quite nimble!" Ning Yao suddenly exerted force and snapped the steel string. The broken steel fragments flew and clanged against the wall, like the prelude to a battle.
Chunyu Kong flashed forward, catching one of the attackers' frontal punches, and twisted his arm, using the force to fling him towards the two guards attacking from the left. The attackers were still using the strangling steel wire, which now wrapped and tightened between the three, binding them firmly.
A sudden gust of wind rose behind him. He crouched down and swept his leg across, knocking one man to the ground. He then used the heel of his palm to push another man's jaw hard, the cracking sound of dislocated joints mingling with a muffled groan. The hands of the attackers were all gleaming with a cold light. The group of more than ten people heard no commands or communication, yet they moved with extraordinary coordination, their attacks back and forth, each strike potentially fatal.
Chunyu Kong parried several moves in quick succession, and the talisman between his fingers spontaneously combusted. A golden light covered his fist, and he stepped forward, his fist striking the steel blade thrusting towards his chest, sparks flying everywhere.
The encirclement continued to tighten, and every wave of attacks was repelled only to be followed by a new one, like a never-ending tide.
Ning Yao frantically gestured for a long time before finally finding an opening in the formation. He kicked a guard aside, swung his fists wildly, and forcibly joined the battle.
The team leader, wearing a hat, remained standing outside the circle, arms crossed, observing everything with indifference.
"clang!"
Chunyu Kong once again parried the steel blade from one of the guards. The immense impact numbed his hands, causing him to drop his weapon. He slid several steps backward, his back slamming heavily against the stained-glass window of the side corridor. The glass shattered under the weight, cracks spreading wildly from the point of impact, instantly covering the entire stained-glass window like a spiderweb.
The next second, the outside world suddenly became bright.
It was a blinding light—day and night flashed alternately outside the window, so fast it made one's heart race. Sunlight and starlight took turns "bombarding" the interior of the church, the light and shadow refracting and colliding wildly between the floor, walls, and dome, surging and collapsing like a kaleidoscope, turning everyone's vision into a dizzying chaos.
Ning Yao instinctively covered his eyes. The grating sound of clock hands reversing rang in his ears. Every watch and every phone was emitting inappropriate alarms. The minute and second hands were shaking wildly. The ruler of time completely crashed at this moment.
The light finally burst forth.
When Ning Yao opened his eyes again, all around him was deathly silent. The light and shadow outside the window had turned into a dark, deep blue, and moonlight replaced sunlight, falling on the floor. There was nothing in front of him: Chunyu Kong was gone, and the guards who had surrounded him were also gone.
Behind him, the guard leader slowly lowered his hand that was blocking the light, looked around the empty corridor, and squinted.
Ning Yao and the team leader stared at each other, three steps apart. He had just opened his mouth to say something to ease the awkward atmosphere when the other person suddenly turned around and ran away like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Huh?!" Ning Yao was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and quickly chased after him. "Why are you running away! I'm the only one left here. Weren't you here to kill us? What the hell are you running for?!"
Ning Yao shouted, but his feet were not idle either. With just a little force from his toes, he slid out like a penguin on ice, his belly touching the ground.
Although the aloof and boastful team leader was not bad in terms of skill, he did not seem to be good at close combat. In terms of physical skills and speed alone, he was no match for Ning Yao.
Before they were twenty meters apart, Ning Yao grabbed him by the back of his collar, using the momentum of his forward movement to throw him to the ground, pressing his knee down on his back and pinning him firmly to the ground.
Ning Yao sneered twice, and said sarcastically, "Oh ho~ Weren't you quite capable just now? Tell me! What are you trying to do? Why are you chasing my brother? And why were you running away just now? Do I look fierce? Tell me I'm handsome!"
After saying that, he yanked off the other person's mysterious hat.
Huh?
Ning Yao was stunned for a moment. Why did this person's model look so familiar?
"You..." He frowned, frantically searching his memory for fragments, but couldn't recall who it was, so he could only ask, "What's your name?"
The team leader, pinned to the ground by Ning Yao's kneeling, pursed his lips, turned his head away, and did not answer.
Ning Yao tightened his grip: "I'm asking you a question, are you mute?"
As he spoke, a wet tentacle emerged from under Ning Yao's clothes, like a snake that had caught the scent of its prey, and crawled up Ning Yao's thigh to the leader's face, teasingly patting his tightly clenched cheek.
Ning Yao's voice gradually became silvery: "Answer me. Otherwise, I'll let this squid tentacle go into your mouth and come out of your ass."
The team leader froze, raised his eyes in disbelief, and looked at Ning Yao.
Ning Yao pinched his chin, forcing him to open his mouth: "I'm serious."
“…Li Xin, my name is Li Xin.” The team leader’s voice was very low, as if it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.
Ning Yao paused for another second.
Li Xin?