Chapter 127: It’s Just a Job, Don’t Risk Your Life

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: It’s Just a Job, Don’t Risk Your Life

Ouyang Mingruo was completely stunned!

Whether she was playing the fragile girl or the strong boss, she would never have kept her guard up against a random passerby in a highway rest area. Stopping at this specific service station had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, making the people they encountered entirely random. If someone had tripped and fallen into her by accident, she could have understood it. But this person was deliberately throwing boiling hot instant noodles at her—how could she possibly have prepared for that?

Zhang Yun was equally startled. He hadn’t been on guard either, nor had he noticed anything off about the man. However, his reflexes were incredibly fast. The moment the stranger made the throwing motion, Zhang Yun realized Ouyang Mingruo was the target!

But thrown water couldn’t be blocked or swatted away, no matter how fast he moved. Ouyang Mingruo’s reaction speed couldn’t match his, and even if he tried to pull her out of the way, it would be too late!

In that critical split second, Zhang Yun didn’t have time to overthink. He threw himself forward, using his head and back as a shield against the boiling water. At the same time, he cupped his hands around Ouyang Mingruo’s head and face to protect her from any scalding splashes bypassing his neck.

"Get back!" Zhang Yun shouted urgently, lashing out with a backward kick!

Ouyang Mingruo didn’t waste time on dramatics. Knowing she couldn’t help, she quickly backed away so she wouldn’t become a burden. But as soon as she put some distance between them, she witnessed a terrifying scene! After throwing the boiling noodles, a small knife appeared in the man’s hand, and he lunged straight at Zhang Yun!

"Watch out!" Ouyang Mingruo screamed, her entire body trembling slightly.

This was an attack aimed squarely at her! The plan had been to splash boiling water onto her head and face. No matter how much hit her, she would inevitably panic. Then, a follow-up stab would have finished her off within seconds! By the time anyone else noticed something was wrong, she would have already collapsed with a scream, and the assassin would have slipped away without a Shadow.

It was Zhang Yun! He had blocked the boiling water, saving her face from disfigurement. Now, by standing in the assassin’s way, he was taking the knife meant for her! This man had already given her too many shocking surprises today!

Zhang Yun’s mind was racing just as fast, but unlike Ouyang Mingruo’s awe and gratitude, his brain was frantically running through various follow-up scenarios.

He wondered if such a highly targeted attack could really be an accident. It had to be a premeditated assassination attempt! But would a fully prepared killer rely solely on a cup of instant noodles to attack Ouyang Mingruo? The man they called Second Brother last night and the middle-aged man earlier today had both drawn guns! The boiling water was merely a diversion to throw them off balance! The real lethal blow was yet to come!

Zhang Yun’s swift backward kick was meant to stop the assassin from advancing. However, since it was a blind back-kick, it completely lacked accuracy and force. The assassin merely sidestepped to avoid it, then thrust his knife toward Zhang Yun’s back.

Feeling his kick miss, Zhang Yun instantly sensed the danger and spun around. The blade that had just grazed his back failed to plunge deep, instead sliding along his body. Even so, it sliced a long gash through his clothes and skin.

"Go to hell!" Having turned around, Zhang Yun didn’t give the man a chance to stab a second time. He grabbed the assassin by the throat and hoisted him right off the ground!

But the killer was fierce and stubborn. Ignoring the crushing grip on his throat, he realized he couldn’t stab Zhang Yun’s body, so he frantically slashed at Zhang Yun’s arm instead!

Zhang Yun unleashed another kick! Holding the man by the neck left him suspended in midair like a practice target. This kick sent the assassin flying backward, hitting the ground and skidding several meters away!

Zhang Yun frowned. Blocking the boiling water was one thing, but getting his back and arm sliced open was a bit beneath his dignity! After all, he was now a master with four great disciples...

"Zhang Yun!"

Hearing Ouyang Mingruo’s cry, Zhang Yun cursed inwardly. The enemy wouldn’t have acted alone! He quickly whipped his head around. Ouyang Mingruo, who had just backed away to safety, was now being grabbed by the arms by two women who had previously seemed like ordinary bystanders.

"This doesn’t concern you!"

"Don’t go looking for trouble!"

The two women hissed in low voices, and immediately after, another voice chimed in.

"Hey, friend! You’re just doing a job. You make a few tens of thousands at most—it’s not worth risking your life over."

Zhang Yun snapped his gaze toward the source. It was an ordinary-looking passerby. When the fight had broken out, all the nearby civilians had fled in terror. This man, however, had walked out of the rest area’s convenience store with a bag of potato chips in hand and stayed near the entrance to watch the commotion. Now, he was approaching them. Furthermore, one of his hands was hidden inside the chip bag, pointing directly at Zhang Yun.

It looked exactly like a scene out of a movie where a gun was concealed in a chip bag. If Zhang Yun didn’t heed his warning, he would shoot right through the bag!

"How did you manage to set up an ambush here in advance?" Zhang Yun suddenly asked.

They were driving Zhang Youcai’s car, which meant Ouyang Chunqiu’s people couldn’t have known about it beforehand. But just as they had eventually managed to track them to Zhang Yun’s house, there were always other methods—perhaps a miniature tracker planted on the bottom of Mingruo’s car or in her bag, or location-tracking software installed on her phone.

Zhang Yun wasn’t actually looking for an answer; he was seizing the initiative!

The ordinary man ignored him and shot a pointed look at the two women. "Take her away."

They immediately forced Ouyang Mingruo forward, dragging her by both arms toward the parking lot ahead.

Zhang Yun pushed off the ground, quickly chasing after them! He kept his body angled sideways, keeping his primary focus on the man with the chips. The two women were dragging Ouyang Mingruo, so they couldn’t move very fast. Besides, they were still in the service station. Even if they managed to shove her into a car, he could still chase them down on the highway.

He was deliberately provoking the man! If the guy actually dared to fire, Zhang Yun would instantly retreat into the Peach Blossom Spring Space. Of course, it was a massive risk, so he had to remain on high alert.

Evidently, Zhang Yun had won the bet. The man didn’t dare to pull the trigger in front of the walkway; instead, he opted to jog after them.

Ouyang Mingruo struggled fiercely against her captors, but she couldn’t overpower the two women. They dragged and shoved her until they reached a commercial van. The moment they reached the vehicle, one of the women delivered a swift karate chop to the back of Ouyang Mingruo’s neck, knocking her unconscious. Together, they began hoisting her inside.

Zhang Yun had closed the distance as well, now only a few cars away.

"Seeing as you’re young, I’ll give you a piece of advice: give it up! This isn’t something a measly little bodyguard like you can get involved in. Otherwise... I really will kill you!" The ordinary man had also caught up, maintaining a distance that allowed him a highly accurate shooting range on Zhang Yun.

Zhang Yun didn’t believe the man had any good intentions. The only reasons he hadn’t fired yet were twofold: first, he was afraid of causing too much of a public panic, and second, he was afraid he wouldn’t actually be able to kill him! That kick that sent the first assassin flying moments ago had already made the ordinary-looking man realize he couldn’t underestimate his target.

"Is that so!" Zhang Yun suddenly crouched down.

To the man’s absolute astonishment, the moment Zhang Yun crouched, he completely vanished! Gripping his bag of chips tightly, the man hurriedly sprinted over. Yet, there was no one where Zhang Yun had just been standing, and there was no one hiding in the shadows between the two adjacent cars.

Where did he go? Did he slip under the cars?

The few vehicles separating him from their commercial van were all SUVs, so it was entirely possible for someone to crawl underneath them. But crawling under the cars would put him in a very passive position... Seeing that the two women had already hauled Ouyang Mingruo into the van, and one was currently moving to the driver’s seat, the man immediately advanced on high alert.

"Very good! Hiding under the cars is a very smart choice. If you’re still thinking of crawling over here to grab my ankles, then don’t blame me for blowing your head off!"

"Behind you!" the woman who had just slipped into the driver’s seat suddenly shrieked.