blogombal Page 238
Page 238
She strode forward with long, cat-like steps, walking straight to Long Yan's side amidst a sea of admiring gazes.
Ignoring everyone around her, she naturally and intimately took Long Yan's arm, pressed her ample bosom tightly against it, and said in a sweet voice that could make the air itself feel cloying, "Little Longlong~ I've been looking for you for ages. You're so popular at school, did you miss me?"
Long Yan was already immune to her behavior. His handsome face remained calm and composed as he withdrew his arm, saying indifferently, "Get to the point."
This seemingly indifferent interaction, in the eyes of others, is full of an indescribable sense of "pampering".
Anne's perfectly poised, elegant smile froze instantly.
Looking at the woman in red before her, whose appearance, figure, and natural allure made her seem like a green apple in comparison, she felt an unprecedented sense of defeat and shame.
For the first time, she realized that her beauty and family background, which she was so proud of, were so pale and powerless in the face of true beauty.
Xiao Zhen keenly noticed the sadness and hesitation in Annie's eyes, and felt a surge of smugness.
She became even more determined to "capture" Long Yan. This was no longer just liking him, but also the pride of a top witch, a hunting game that could not be lost.
Meanwhile, Huanji, standing to the side, did not participate in the undercurrents of their "battleground".
Her gaze was deeply drawn to the campus, filled with sunshine, laughter, and sweat.
She saw the boys running freely on the basketball court, wiping their sweat with their jerseys and shouting loudly to their teammates.
She saw girls sitting in twos and threes on the lawn, sharing little secrets, and occasionally bursting into silvery laughter.
She saw a couple in school uniforms shyly holding hands and whispering to each other on the tree-lined path in the distance...
All of this was something she had never experienced in that cold, calculating, and bloodthirsty world—a kind of ordinary yet warm "human touch."
A soft glint of longing, unnoticed even by herself, flickered in her eyes. Perhaps, this vibrant and energetic world wasn't so bad after all.
Chapter 227 Annie is Kidnapped
Night fell like a giant black velvet blanket, slowly enveloping Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong.
Inside the international convention center, however, it was brightly lit, as bright as day. A huge crystal chandelier cast a dazzling light, and amidst the elegant attire and bustling crowds, the opening ceremony of the "International Martial Arts Culture Exchange Conference" attracted global attention. Martial artists, media reporters, business tycoons, and social elites together created a magnificent scene for this grand event.
The group from Wulong Temple, having changed into brand-new, freshly laundered monk's robes, entered the main venue under the meticulous guidance of Master Changmei. Their attire, so out of place with the surrounding modern luxury, immediately attracted considerable attention. As soon as they sat down, they felt several hostile gazes directed at them. It was Maeda Yuichi from the Japanese "Goju-ryu" karate delegation; a cold smile played on his lips, his eyes sharp as knives.
On the other side of the venue, Pi Simao was fidgeting, his neck stretched out like a giraffe's, anxiously searching for that familiar figure in the crowd. Pearl, sitting next to him, looked at his pathetic state and couldn't help but lightly kick his shin with the tip of her Martin boot, letting out a snort of annoyance.
Soon, all eyes were on the VIP entrance. Accompanied by her father, Li Jianbang, chairman of the Li Group, Annie walked in gracefully. Tonight, she wore a pristine white evening gown designed by a renowned Italian designer. The perfectly tailored skirt was adorned with tiny diamonds that sparkled under the lights. Her makeup was exquisite, and her demeanor elegant; she resembled a true princess, instantly captivating everyone's attention.
Of course, this also includes those vulture-like, greedy, and cold eyes hidden in the shadows of the crowd.
The opening ceremony commenced amidst thunderous applause. The host's passionate opening remarks, followed by a series of captivating performances by martial arts delegations from various countries, continuously propelled the atmosphere to a climax.
However, at the very peak of this prosperity and hustle and bustle, crisis, like a venomous snake, quietly bared its fangs.
Several men dressed in event staff uniforms, wearing baseball caps pulled low, used the pretext of guiding guests and maintaining order to subtly infiltrate the VIP area. Through miniature earpieces hidden under their collars, they made a final, low-voiced confirmation that they were indeed the ruthless agents sent by Iron Standard.
"Group A, in position..."
"Team B in position. Target locked, third row of section B, white dress uniform. Repeat, target white dress uniform."
"Received. Await signal, proceed as planned. Remember, you have only ten seconds!"
As a Chinese Kung Fu fan dance performed by dozens of dancers reached its climax on stage, all the dancers simultaneously unfolded their fans with a "whoosh," and all the spotlights focused on the center of the stage at that moment, a sudden change occurred!
"Bang! Bang! Smash!"
Inside the main venue, all light sources, including the emergency exit indicator lights, seemed to be instantly extinguished by an invisible hand! The enormous crystal chandelier emitted a final, reluctant hum before falling completely silent. In less than a second, the entire magnificent venue was plunged into absolute darkness, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face!
Fear is a contagious plague.
After a brief silence, a volcanic eruption of panic ensued. Screams and cries filled the air, the clatter of overturned tables and chairs, and the wailing of children blended together, heralding the prelude to chaos. Driven by the darkness, people instinctively surged towards the exits they remembered, and a stampede unfolded in every corner.
"Protect Master!" Long Yan's voice rang out in the darkness, calm as a rock, instantly soothing the panicked Uncle Da and the arrogant Wen beside him.
"Everyone, don't panic! Stay where you are! Security! Security personnel!" Annie's father, Chairman Li Jianbang, a business tycoon who had seen it all, could not hide his anxiety at this moment. He shouted loudly, trying to stabilize the situation, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the clamor of panicked people.
In this extreme chaos, tailor-made for evil, several shadowy figures made their move!
They donned their pre-prepared night vision goggles, and in their green field of vision, the panicked crowd became blurry thermal images. Ignoring everything, they moved like ghosts through the screaming throng, precisely pouncing on the already terrified and bewildered Annie!
"Ah!"
Anne felt a large, strong hand grab her arm, and a tremendous force yanked her up from the soft chair. Before she could even see who it was, a cold towel soaked in ether and emitting a pungent chemical smell was pressed tightly against her mouth and nose!
A wave of intense dizziness washed over her instantly. She struggled instinctively, but the odds were against her. In the final moments before her consciousness sank into endless darkness, she seemed to hear her father's anxious shouts and a cold, low growl.
"All done! Plan A complete! Team B, drop the stuff and retreat!"
The kidnappers lifted the limp Annie and, using the chaos of the crowd as perfect cover, slipped away like eels into water, quickly retreating towards the pre-surveyed fire escape. Behind them, a student ID card with Pi Simao's picture on it was carelessly tossed aside next to the messy VIP seats.
A conspiracy has already opened its venomous maw in the darkness.
Chapter 228 Si Mao's Choice: Pearl!
Darkness and chaos are the most powerful solvents that strip away all pretense, revealing the true nature of humanity.
When the crisis struck, the few wealthy young men who had previously surrounded Annie with their charming demeanor all thought of themselves first.
They let out screams sharper than women, roughly shoved aside those blocking their way, and fled in a panic like startled rabbits, perfectly embodying the saying "when disaster strikes, everyone flies away."
Iron Eagle, the instigator of this chaos, should have been the "director" in control of the whole situation.
But when unimaginable, apocalyptic panic engulfed him, his pitiful courage evaporated instantly.
His mind went completely blank. He forgot all about the hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress scenario and the plot to frame someone else. All that remained was a primal thought—run!
He even went so far as to knock down an elderly woman who was walking with difficulty, crawled a few steps on the ground, and then disappeared into the surging crowd, revealing his cowardly and incompetent nature.
Meanwhile, Pi Simao on the other side was also terrified by the sudden darkness and chaos.
His legs trembled like noodles, and his heart pounded as if it would jump out of his throat. His first instinct was to run with the crowd—a biological instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm.
However, just as he turned around, about to be swallowed by the panicked crowd, in the dim light of a cell phone that had been dropped by someone nearby and whose screen was still lit, he saw two scenes—
One picture shows Pearl, who was also jostled and turned pale, but instinctively grabbed his clothes.
The other image is Anne's short, desperate cry of alarm, coming from the direction of the VIP section not far away.
On one side is the "big sister" who has been scolding him, helping him, saving him, and silently protecting him all this time;
On the other side was his "dream lover," whom he had always cherished and pursued relentlessly.
They are all in danger!
At that moment, the words Pearl had said to him that evening suddenly exploded in Pi Simao's mind like a thunderclap: "If you're a man, don't be a doormat all day long! If someone bullies you, you have to fight back!"
Fight them back!
A surge of fiery courage, seemingly from nowhere, erupted from the depths of his heart like magma, instantly evaporating all his fear!
The surge of heat rushed to the top of his head, and for the first time, a resolute flame ignited in his usually timid eyes!
"Don't be afraid!"
He roared at Pearl, his voice hoarse with excitement.
Instead of running away, he became like an enraged bull, running against the fleeing crowd. He spread his not-so-broad arms and, with his not-so-strong body, stood like a resolute dam, blocking the way for Pearl and separating her from the frantic, surging crowd.
“Si Mao…” Pearl looked up at the boy’s back.
He was clearly afraid; his entire back trembled slightly with tension, but his feet were rooted to the ground like nails, and his eyes were unusually determined. At that moment, Pearl's heart was deeply moved.
Just then, several kidnappers, carrying Annie, were about to slip away from their vicinity.
"Stop!" Pi Simao caught a glimpse of that familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. Almost without thinking, he roared and rushed out in front of Pearl, trying to use his body to block the fierce-looking kidnappers.
"You're asking for it!" The leader of the kidnappers' eyes hardened, and he raised his thick leg and delivered a vicious front kick, slamming it hard into Pi Simao's stomach.
"Ugh!" Simao let out a muffled groan, as if he had been hit by a battering ram, staggering back several steps, his stomach churning.
But he didn't fall; instead, the excruciating pain fueled his ferocity. Like a wild beast guarding its prey, he charged forward again, his eyes red, and clung tightly to the leg of one of the kidnappers.
"I told you to stop! Don't touch them!" He roared with all his might, the loudest and bravest he had ever done.
"Damn it, where did this lunatic come from!" The kidnapper, enraged by the fact that his leg was being grabbed, swung his other fist, ready to smash it down on the back of Simao's head.
However, before his fist could land, he felt as if his wrist was being clamped tightly by a cold iron clamp, unable to move at all.
"You dare to bully my brother? Did you even ask this genius for permission?" The arrogant Wen appeared behind him at some point, his chubby face, which was always grinning, was now filled with a coldness and murderous aura that belied his age.
In his other hand, he held a heavy dry powder fire extinguisher that he had taken from the wall, and without hesitation, he smashed it down hard on the foot of another kidnapper!
"Ouch—!!!" The kidnapper let out a pig-like scream, clutching his foot, which had instantly swelled up like a pig's hoof, and rolled around on the ground.
At the same time, Xiaolong's figure moved like lightning in the darkness, silently circling behind the two kidnappers holding Annie.
He used both hands simultaneously, delivering two precise hand strikes that, with a whooshing sound, cleanly and decisively cleaved the two men's spinal cord acupoints at the back of their necks.
The two burly kidnappers didn't even utter a sound before their eyes rolled back and they collapsed limply like two puddles of mud. Xiaolong then gently caught the unconscious Annie in his arms.
A meticulously planned and dangerous kidnapping was thwarted instantly by the swift intervention of the two little devils from Wulong Academy.
In the chaos, the only kidnapper who escaped saw his accomplice subdued in an instant and suddenly became ferocious. He pulled out a gleaming dagger from his pocket and, like a madman, stabbed Pearl, who was closest to him and helping Pi Simao!
"careful!"
Pi Simao's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints! Staring at the blade's tip gleaming coldly in the darkness, his mind went blank, but his body reacted with the most instinctive instinct—he shoved Pearl aside and, without hesitation, faced the fatal blow with his own back!
Chapter 229 School Beauty's Confession: Long Yan, Please Go Out with Me
The expected excruciating pain of the blade piercing the bone did not come.
A crisp "clink" rang out, like glass colliding with steel, exceptionally clear amidst the chaos.
Pi Simao turned around in shock, only to see that Long Yan had appeared behind him like a silent mountain.
His long, slender hand with distinct knuckles, using only his index and middle fingers, effortlessly and steadily caught the gleaming, sharp dagger.
No matter how red-faced the kidnapper was and how hard he tried, the poisoned blade could not advance an inch further, as if frozen in time and space.
The kidnapper's eyes were filled with disbelief and horror, as if he had stabbed not flesh and blood, but an unshakeable piece of divine iron.
"roll."
Long Yan's voice was very soft, containing only one word, yet it seemed to carry an overwhelming sense of authority and unquestionable power.
With a slight twist of his two fingers, a crisp "crack" was heard, and the military dagger, made of special alloy, was broken in two as easily as snapping a biscuit!