Chapter 9: The Counterattack Prevails

Inside Zhao Nana’s room, Yang Dalong, unwilling to give up, continued his interrogation. He needed to be absolutely certain—after all, he’d suffered at the hands of women more than once before.

Outside, someone had noticed something was amiss. Zhang Xingmin, by pure chance, stumbled upon a flaw.

These days, life had been quiet; Zhang Xingmin rarely spent time with Zhao Nana or Lin Xiaofeng, instead focusing on figuring out how to leave Jiangcheng. He was at a loss. Those returning from the city said it still looked like a ghost town.

Frustrated and unable to sleep, Zhang Xingmin sat on the steps, gazing at the stars. The sky was unchanged, but the earth was no longer the same, and he wondered if he himself had changed. Lost in melancholy, he noticed someone sitting across from him, far in the distance.

He mused to himself: Rare to find someone else mourning the passing of seasons.

“Hey, buddy!” Zhang Xingmin shouted.

No response.

Curious, he walked over and found it was a robot. On closer inspection, it was the robot butler from Zhao Nana’s house—the one people had fought over. How did it end up here? Was it broken and discarded?

He examined it carefully and, sure enough, it was damaged. But it looked more like it had been taken apart by someone. Zhao Nana did have a violent streak, but not to this extent. No matter—he’d fix it first.

Without any schematics, Zhang Xingmin tinkered for a long time before figuring it out. Whoever had disassembled it hadn’t been professional, just unscrewed what they could and smashed the rest. He didn’t fully restore it, but it was serviceable enough. He decided to return it, though he wondered if it was too late.

His place wasn’t far from Zhao Nana’s. Soon, he arrived and saw her lights still on, so he walked over, ready to knock. Then he heard voices inside.

Peering through the window, he saw Zhao Nana lying on her bed, a handsome stranger beside her. Zhang Xingmin quickly searched his memory—he didn’t recall such a man at the base. Was he Zhao Nana’s boyfriend? He’d known her for ages, but she’d never mentioned anyone.

Looking closer, something was off—her hands appeared to be tied. Was she in danger? The man seemed both unfamiliar and vaguely familiar; Zhang Xingmin’s instincts told him things were bad.

He listened carefully and was shocked—he recognized Yang Dalong’s voice! What was he doing in Zhao Nana’s room at this hour? He remembered Yang Dalong’s eyes lingering on Zhao Nana from the day they arrived at the base. Was he forcing himself on her? If Zhang Xingmin didn’t intervene, Zhao Nana would be in trouble!

But what could he do? In a fight, he was no match for Yang Dalong. His only option was an ambush. Looking around for a tool, he settled on the robot—it was made of titanium, sturdy enough.

He crept inside. Luckily, Yang Dalong didn’t notice him, though Zhao Nana did. He signaled to her, and she understood—he was a trusted ally.

To lower Yang Dalong’s guard, Zhao Nana acted cooperative, buying Zhang Xingmin time. Yang Dalong was puzzled by her sudden compliance and turned to look, sensing something was up. But it was already too late; Zhang Xingmin swung the robot at him without mercy.

Yang Dalong dodged, but still took a hit. It was off target but painful enough.

Seeing his initial attack hadn’t finished the job, Zhang Xingmin quickly pinned Yang Dalong down, giving him no chance to recover. Yang Dalong, caught off guard, tried to get up.

Though Zhao Nana was tied to the bed and couldn’t help physically, she called out that there were ropes nearby—he should tie up Yang Dalong.

Prompted by her, Zhang Xingmin didn’t find the rope but discovered handcuffs. With effort, he dragged Yang Dalong to the bed and cuffed him to the leg. With Yang Dalong secured, Zhang Xingmin freed Zhao Nana, chastising her for being so careless.

At last, Zhao Nana was free. She flexed her wrists and shoulders, red from the ropes, and shot Yang Dalong—still cursing and struggling on the floor—a defiant look.

Zhang Xingmin didn’t notice; after untying her, he realized her clothes were quite revealing and awkwardly turned away. Zhao Nana felt uncomfortable too, quickly grabbing a coat and washing her face.

When she was finally ready, Zhang Xingmin asked, “What happened? How did things get like this?”

Zhao Nana, embarrassed, recounted the events, omitting some parts and embellishing others—especially Yang Dalong’s behavior. Though there were discrepancies, she didn’t tell the whole truth, for reasons unknown.

“So what do we do with him now?” Zhang Xingmin gestured toward Yang Dalong.

Zhao Nana walked over and kicked Yang Dalong twice, venting her anger, then said, “Scum like him is a menace!”

“Should we finish him?” Zhang Xingmin probed.

Zhao Nana wasn’t foolish; she caught the nuance in his tone and smiled slightly, “You decide, you were the one who subdued him.”

“Then let’s do it! No one bullies our Nana!” Zhang Xingmin declared, unconcerned. He produced a length of rope; after a brief struggle, Yang Dalong’s legs stiffened, a bruise appeared around his neck, and he was still.

“You really did it,” Zhao Nana said, suddenly fearful, reproaching him.

“I can’t beat him—if he took revenge, what would I do?” Zhang Xingmin explained, then wrapped up Yang Dalong, slung him over his shoulder, and left, reassuring Zhao Nana to rest easy.

Zhao Nana watched Zhang Xingmin disappear into the night with the body, dazed, then went to sleep.

Later that same night, in Zhang Xingmin’s room, he hadn’t turned on the lights, only lit a dim candle—an obsolete relic from decades past.

A violent coughing fit; Yang Dalong woke up.

“Damn! Just my luck—so this is it? Why am I still tied up in the underworld?” Yang Dalong realized he couldn’t move, grumbled softly.

“Awake?” Zhang Xingmin approached with a cup of water.

Yang Dalong stared, then burst out laughing, “Hahaha! Who would’ve thought I’d run into you in the underworld? When I see the King of Hell, I’ll definitely tell on you!”

Zhang Xingmin ignored him, sat nearby, forced open Yang Dalong’s mouth, and poured in the water.

After another bout of coughing, Yang Dalong complained, “Trying to choke me?”

“You’re already dead—what’s there to fear?” Zhang Xingmin said blandly.

“Right! You killed me, didn’t you? Wait—am I not dead?” Yang Dalong finally realized.

“Why would I kill you? We have no quarrel,” Zhang Xingmin replied.

Yang Dalong tried to recall, but couldn’t figure it out. He asked, “You and that woman? Oh, no—you and Zhao Nana aren’t allies?”

Zhang Xingmin thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. We met escaping the city—it was dangerous, so we traveled together. I thought she was in trouble and wanted to help. But I think she’s hiding something from me.”

“See! I knew you weren’t stupid. Whatever she told you earlier wasn’t true. I just wanted to have some fun with her—but she went for blood! Hey, brother, untie me. This is tight; I’m suffocating.” Yang Dalong, reassured they were strangers, spoke boldly.

“You’re no saint either,” Zhang Xingmin dismissed his attempt to curry favor.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean? I swear I won’t take revenge against you!” Yang Dalong guessed Zhang Xingmin’s concerns.

But Zhang Xingmin’s mind was elsewhere. He’d been watching quietly these days, recalling Professor Wu’s inexplicable appearance and disappearance, and the cryptic words he’d spoken—almost as if he were connected to one of the three of them.

He was sure it wasn’t himself. Lin Xiaofeng seemed to be hiding something too, but it didn’t fit. That left Zhao Nana. But she hadn’t acted out of the ordinary. So what was Professor Wu’s purpose? Maybe Yang Dalong could help.

Yang Dalong noticed Zhang Xingmin’s strange expression. “You don’t believe me!”

Zhang Xingmin didn’t answer directly. “That’s not important. From now on, Yang Dalong is dead. You’re Yang Yichen. I need you to investigate someone.” He told Yang Dalong about Professor Wu.

Yang Dalong—now Yang Yichen—was utterly baffled. With no clues, how was he supposed to investigate? This kid was treating him like some kind of wizard.

“Fine! If you refuse, you really won’t see tomorrow’s sun. Your days as the local tyrant are over anyway,” Zhang Xingmin said, not threatening, but simply stating.

“I really don’t know how to investigate. If you want the boss’s seat, take it. Plenty of people are after it. If not for Xiaofeng, I’d have lost it long ago.”

“What? Aren’t these all your people?” Zhang Xingmin was surprised at Yang Dalong’s lack of control.

“Of course not! After that day, when we fled here, so many people came—every kind you can imagine. Who knows, maybe some are with your so-called Professor Wu!” Yang Dalong’s words rang true.