bioinnovel Chapter 80 A brutal beating!
Chapter 80 A brutal beating!
The alley was so quiet that the only sound was the wind rustling through scraps of paper.
The two tails that had been hanging behind finally showed themselves.
These were two muscular men, wearing dark jackets that would go unnoticed in a crowd, with their hats pulled low.
The one on the left is slightly taller, and he has a dark red scar on his neck that extends all the way into his collar; he doesn't look like a nice guy.
"Good eyesight."
The scarred man took two steps forward, his gaze passing over Zhang Yan and fixed on the blue-and-white porcelain vase placed on the stone stool. A flash of greed crossed his eyes. "Since you know we've been following you all this way, leave the vase here."
Zhang Yan leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, looking as relaxed as if he were chatting with a neighbor rather than facing two robbers.
"What? Are robberies this direct now? No need for any formalities, like asking for directions or a light first?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
Another short, stocky man spat impatiently, "Our boss has his eye on your bottle."
"That fat stall owner didn't know his stuff, and you got a bargain. But some things are not something a student like you can handle."
He pulled out a wad of banknotes from his pocket, about ten thousand yuan, and casually threw it on the ground.
The red banknotes scattered on the dusty brick floor were particularly glaring.
"Take the money and get out of here. This broken bottle is ours, and that's the end of it."
Zhang Yan glanced down at the money on the ground, then at the short, stocky man, and suddenly laughed.
"Ten thousand yuan?"
He shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of sincere advice, "Dude, does your boss have some kind of misunderstanding about current prices?"
"This little bit of money isn't even enough to rent a table at a club, let alone buy my family heirloom?"
"You're asking for it!"
The scarred man's face darkened, and his fierce energy erupted instantly.
He winked at his companion, "Since you don't want to take the money, then you might as well leave lying down."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the short, stocky man suddenly leaped up.
Their movements were quick; it was obvious they had practiced.
He didn't use any fancy moves; his right hand formed a claw, aiming straight for Zhang Yan's throat, while his left hand discreetly reached for his waist, clearly intending to finish the job quickly, knocking the man down and taking his belongings.
The alley was narrow, leaving Zhang Yan with almost no space to hide.
"Watch out for the bottle! Don't break it!"
The scarred man shouted from behind.
It was in that instant of shouting that Zhang Yan moved.
He did not back down.
On the contrary, he took half a step forward.
This half-step was taken with exquisite precision, perfectly positioned to exploit the short, stocky man's weakness.
[Grandmaster-level Jeet Kune Do]!
In Zhang Yan's view, the other person's movements were as if they had been slowed down, with every muscle contraction and every shift of weight clearly visible.
The core of Jeet Kune Do: interception.
Just as the short, stocky man's claws were ten centimeters away from Zhang Yan's throat, Zhang Yan's fist struck first.
"Bang!"
A muffled thud.
Zhang Yan's powerful punch landed precisely on the lymph nodes under his opponent's armpit.
"ah--!"
The short, stocky man let out a scream as his entire right arm went numb instantly, limp like a noodle.
Before he could react, Zhang Yan's body tilted slightly to the side like a roly-poly toy, and his right leg shot out, delivering a low side kick that slammed into his knee joint.
"Click."
The sickening sound of bones dislocating echoed through the alley.
The short, stocky man didn't even touch the hem of Zhang Yan's clothes. He was like a boneless rag doll, kneeling on the ground, clutching his legs and howling and rolling around in pain.
The whole process took less than two seconds.
The scarred man behind him was stunned.
He originally thought this was just a college student who couldn't even kill a chicken, and that he could easily scare him into taking the things. Who would have thought that this kid would actually be a tough nut to crack?
"A martial arts expert?"
The scarred man narrowed his eyes, and finally pulled his right hand out of his pocket, holding a folding knife that gleamed coldly. He gripped it in a reverse grip and assumed a fighting stance.
"Friend, which gang are you from? State your name, lest the flood washes away the Dragon King's temple."
Zhang Yan patted off non-existent dust from his sleeves, straightened up, and remained calm.
"Zhang Yan, a freshman in the School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangzhou University."
"..."
The scarred man felt his intelligence had been insulted.
"court death!"
He roared and charged forward, brandishing his knife.
Compared to the short, stocky man who was unarmed earlier, the scarred man's attack was significantly more ferocious.
The blade sliced through the air with the ruthlessness of a desperate criminal, each strike aimed at vital points, clearly indicating that the user had actually seen blood.
Zhang Yan's eyes finally became more serious.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, his body moving like a fish weaving through the flashing blades.
He turned to the side, dodging a knife aimed at his abdomen.
He ducked, avoiding a slash aimed at his neck.
Just as the scarred man's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated, Zhang Yan made his move.
He didn't use his fists.
His right hand, like a whip, shot out with lightning speed, its five fingers like hooks, instantly gripping the scarred man's wrist holding the knife.
catch!
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Yan exerted force with his waist, shifted his feet, and used the momentum of the other party rushing towards him to pull him into his arms, while simultaneously slamming his shoulder against him.
Stick close to the mountain!
"Bang!"
The impact was solid.
The scarred man felt as if he had been hit by a speeding truck; his ribs groaned under the strain, and his internal organs seemed to have shifted.
The immense impact caused the knife in his hand to fly out of his grasp, and he was thrown backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily against the wall before sliding down like a painting.
"Cough cough..."
The scarred man clutched his chest, coughing violently, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Zhang Yan.
Is this supposed to be a freshman?
That skill level is something even special forces instructors wouldn't be able to match!
Zhang Yan picked up the folding knife from the ground, closed it casually, and threw it into the trash can next to him.
"Should we continue?"
He walked up to the scarred man and looked down at him.
The scarred man shook his head frantically, shrinking back as if afraid that this scoundrel would finish him off.
"No... I won't fight anymore... Big brother, I was wrong, I didn't recognize your greatness..."
"Who sent you?"
Zhang Yan squatted down and stared into his eyes.
"No...no one sent us..." The scarred man's eyes flickered. "We just saw you buy that bottle at the market. It's...it's something Old Zhou had his eye on a while ago. We wanted to take it back and ask for a reward..."
Old Zhou?
Zhang Yan went through it in his mind, but couldn't recall it.
I guess he's some middleman who deals in antiques in Panjiayuan.
Just then, a police siren suddenly sounded at the entrance of the alley.