Chapter Thirty-Four: The Rescue

Zhao Nan didn’t have a strong impression of Zhang Li.

“Is this Zhao Nan…?” Zhang Li’s voice was subdued, carrying a sense of cautiousness that piqued Zhao Nan’s curiosity. He lowered his voice and said, “Personal communications are bound to the individual; no one but the owner can open them. So, what do you need from me?”

“Zhao Nan, something terrible has happened. Teacher Xu Yang was captured by members of ‘Darkness’!”

Zhao Nan froze, frowning, “What happened?”

“While Teacher Xu Yang was out buying supplies, she was kidnapped by members of ‘Darkness.’ They even left a note. It says if we want to rescue the teacher, we must bring those few people from that day to their hideout. I know it’s a lot to ask, but we have no other choice…”

“When did this happen?”

“Last night! I wanted to contact you right after, but my communications didn’t get through.”

Zhao Nan shook his head. Last night, when he was advancing, he’d found the system notifications too annoying and turned everything off. After a night had passed, the temporary mute ended, and Li Meina was finally able to reach him.

“I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll get Xu Yang out.”

One must bear the consequences of their own actions. Zhao Nan had dealt with Dashan himself—if the people from ‘Darkness’ wanted revenge, he could accept that. But he couldn’t tolerate this kind of blackmail.

“That’s wonderful! You’re so strong, you’ll definitely save the teacher!” Zhang Li spoke, her excitement barely contained.

“Take care of yourself,” Zhao Nan said, ending the communication.

Finina had awakened at some point. “Something’s wrong?”

Zhao Nan nodded softly, anger flickering in his eyes. “Looks like a fight is coming…”

Finina simply leaned against him more gently, offering silent support.

After a moment’s thought, Zhao Nan reopened his communicator…

…

On the other end, Zhang Li had just finished the call when she smiled with satisfaction and nestled into the arms of the man before her. “Teacher, how was my acting? That was the last one!”

The man was Cheng Feng. They were in a motel in Dongyuan City.

He hugged Zhang Li, patting her cheek. “Excellent.”

“But, what if Zhao Nan just brushes me off? Wouldn’t Teacher Xu Yang…”

“It doesn’t matter whether he comes or not. In the end, it makes no difference.”

“Why?”

“Why bother? The dead don’t need to know anything.”

“Cheng Feng, you—”

A bloodstained dagger was withdrawn from Zhang Li’s back. Cheng Feng’s expression was calm as his other hand covered her mouth, stifling any sound. Blood flowed freely until all life left the girl’s body.

An orange light appeared above Cheng Feng’s head—a malicious killing mark. He snorted, took out a small bottle, and drank the liquid inside. Instantly, the mark vanished.

“Now, the real show begins,” Cheng Feng chuckled. After handling Zhang Li’s corpse, he quietly slipped out the door.

“Ruthless, aren’t you? Didn’t even hesitate to kill the girl,” came a gruff voice from outside. A bald, burly man leaned against the wall, eyeing Cheng Feng with a smirk.

“There are plenty like her,” Cheng Feng replied coldly. “The people have been notified—whether they come or not, I don’t care. Now it’s your turn.”

“Brother Long,” Cheng Feng suddenly smiled, “we’ve known each other for about five years, haven’t we? You know exactly what kind of person I am.”

“Exactly why I need to be careful,” Brother Long sneered. “Let’s go, scum.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

With a cold laugh, Cheng Feng and the man left the motel.

…

Outside the headquarters of ‘Darkness,’ Zhao Nan stood under a nine-story office building, gazing up.

It had been over half a day since the call with Zhang Li; the sky was now tinged with dusk.

“Finina, wait here. I’ll send you a signal when it’s time.”

“Be careful, Nan.” Finina unbuckled her sword and handed it to him.

He nodded, accepting the sword. Though he was now a mage, his former life as a swordsman meant his close-quarters combat skills were more than enough in a safe zone where abilities were restricted.

Although skills couldn’t be used, his attributes remained. With a strength stat of 19, he was several times stronger than an average adult.

Once assured that Finina was well hidden, Zhao Nan circled quietly to the rear of the building. There were plenty of ‘Darkness’ members inside—every floor was crawling with them, guards stationed in the lobby and patrols everywhere.

Zhao Nan waited for his moment, then vaulted the wall. As he landed, a sudden gust of wind swept at the back of his head. He spun around, sword drawn—his movements instantaneous.

His blade arced up, only to halt a hair’s breadth before striking its target.

“Whoa, whoa… this isn’t a game!” came a startled voice.

“It’s you?”

The figure behind him was none other than Gao Mingyang, along with three companions.

“Hey! We meet again!” Gao Mingyang grinned, gingerly pushing the blade from his neck and swallowing nervously. “Are you really a mage?”

“Why are you here?” Zhao Nan frowned.

“To rescue someone, of course!” Gao Mingyang responded matter-of-factly. “That teacher once saved us. Now she’s in trouble because of us—how could we just stand by?”

Zhao Nan nodded. It seemed Zhang Li had called not just him, but Gao Mingyang’s group as well. He hadn’t expected they’d actually come.

“Since you’re here, let’s work together!” Gao Mingyang’s cousin Gao Xiang chimed in. “More hands make lighter work!”

Zhao Nan agreed. “How long have you been inside? Do you know the layout?”

“We got here a bit before you. Every floor is guarded,” said Gao Mingyang, frowning. “We’ve been watching since early this morning. Their security isn’t exactly lax… But our stakeout paid off. We caught a slacker and found out Xu Yang is locked up on the fifth floor—right there!” He pointed to a corner of the building.

The fifth floor… If they tried to fight their way up, they’d never make it past the second floor before alerting the enemy—putting Xu Yang in grave danger.

Gao Mingyang clapped Zhao Nan on the shoulder, grinning. “We had a rescue plan, but we’re short on manpower. Glad you showed up!”

“Oh?” Zhao Nan was curious. “What’s the plan?”

“Watch this…”

Gao Mingyang slung his hefty bag over his shoulder, darted from cover, and pressed himself against the wall after dodging the patrol. He pulled a grappling hook from his bag, the end tied to a thick rope.

He spun the hook and flung it up to the building’s rooftop. It caught on the edge. Gao Mingyang tugged hard—solid.

Zhao Nan blinked. “What did you guys do before this?”

Gao Xiang and the others just laughed awkwardly. The thief, Xu Fei, said, “We’ll distract the guards. Mingyang will climb up. But if there are too many up there, rescue could be tricky. You go with him? You seem agile; it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Alright,” Zhao Nan agreed.

“Then… let’s go!”

With a shout from Gao Xiang, the three dashed out, drawing the patrols after them. In no time, ‘Darkness’ members were in pursuit.

Zhao Nan joined Gao Mingyang, who nodded and started climbing, hands and feet working swiftly. In moments, he’d scaled two or three meters.

Just what line of work were these guys in before…? That grappling hook technique wasn’t something just anyone could master!

Shaking his head, Zhao Nan climbed after him, matching Gao Mingyang’s speed.

“Hey, buddy, you look pretty practiced—are you in the trade too?” Gao Mingyang called down.

“In the trade?” So that’s what he meant… Zhao Nan shook his head, urging Gao Mingyang to move faster.

Though their pasts might not be entirely aboveboard, Zhao Nan didn’t mind working with them for the sake of the rescue.

Thanks to Gao Xiang’s diversion, Zhao Nan and Gao Mingyang reached the fifth floor with little trouble. Peeking through the window, they saw Xu Yang bound to a chair, her mouth gagged with cloth. She looked exhausted but uninjured.

She was alone in the room, the door locked.

Gao Mingyang drew a dagger and pried the window open. Under Xu Yang’s astonished gaze, the two climbed inside.

“Mmmph!”

“Hold on, beautiful, we’ll save you soon!” Gao Mingyang laughed, slicing through the ropes. “No need to thank me! Really, you don’t have to! Though, being friends wouldn’t be so—what the…”

Zhao Nan removed the gag from Xu Yang’s mouth. As soon as the ropes loosened, she threw herself into Zhao Nan’s arms.

“Zhao Nan!”

At that moment, the door was kicked open with a crash, and a voice rang out excitedly, “Xiao Yang, I’m here to rescue you—!”

Cheng Feng entered, grinning—only to freeze, his face instantly turning ashen.

^^^^^^^

PS: It’s Monday—here’s hoping for better days ahead.
PS: A reader asked about Spirit and Agility in the comments. Just saw it—so many talented readers! I’ll do my best to give a reasonable explanation in the next chapters.