Yama Reborn-Chapter 439 - 436: [Return to the Red Circle]

Chapter 436: [Return to the Red Circle]

When Zhang Linsheng woke up, he found his hands were tied behind his back, and moving them caused a sharp pain in his wrists. His ankles were also bound.

The knock on the head was quite heavy, and the back of his neck was still aching.

Fortunately, his eyes weren’t covered, but his mouth was gagged.

Then, he saw Brother Lei tied up beside him.

Brother Lei, like himself, was bound hand and foot, but evidently, he had been knocked unconscious.

They were inside a house, clearly a civilian dwelling. He and Brother Lei had been thrown into a corner on the floor, and outside it was pitch-black.

In the distance, there seemed to be some faint flickering of firelight.

Zhang Linsheng struggled to shift his position, attempting to move closer to Brother Lei. He stretched out his foot and gently kicked Brother Lei a couple of times, but it was no use; he couldn’t wake him.

His throat was dry, and Zhang Linsheng forcefully swallowed his saliva.

He didn’t know how he had been knocked out or captured. Thinking this, Zhang Linsheng felt somewhat culpable. Given their fighting abilities, he had martial arts training and should have been able to fight better than Brother Lei, but his guard had been so low that he was taken down instantly.

After taking a couple of deep breaths, Zhang Linsheng didn’t start shouting. Instead, after adjusting his posture, he used his waist and abdomen to leap up from the ground. Barely managing to stand, he hopped around the room.

There was a tallboy in the room. Zhang Linsheng approached it and, bending down, used his mouth to open the drawers by biting the handles.

The first and second drawers contained clothes, to Zhang Linsheng’s disappointment.

Then, in the third drawer, he found some assorted household items—boxes of knickknacks, instruction manuals for home appliances, and the like.

What excited Zhang Linsheng was the sight of a screwdriver. Turning around, he fumbled with his bound hands for a while, grasped it, and stashed it in his sleeve.

The room had a kitchen, but after hopping over and searching, Zhang Linsheng was disappointed to find that all the knives had been taken.

The hardest thing there was probably only a pair of chopsticks.

He thought for a moment, then moved to the front door to listen. After confirming there was no sound from outside, he turned and hopped back into the kitchen. He bit a bowl and furiously smashed it on the ground!

CRACK!

As the porcelain bowl shattered, Zhang Linsheng’s heart pounded furiously, and he listened attentively for a while. Assured there was no noise, he crouched down. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

After feeling around for a while, he picked up a piece of porcelain with a sharp edge and started frantically rubbing it back and forth on the rope around his wrists...

A few minutes later, the rope was finally worn through, and Zhang Linsheng let out an excited whisper. Then, realizing he should stay quiet, he hurriedly closed his mouth.

Once his hands were free, cutting the ropes on his feet was much easier.

After Zhang Linsheng escaped his confines, he first went over to pat Brother Lei’s face. Brother Lei didn’t respond. Zhang Linsheng then turned Brother Lei’s body over, intending to help him cut the ropes first.

Just then, from outside... BOOM!! A tremendous noise came from outside!

With the blast, the whole house shook several times!

Zhang Linsheng, steadying himself on the wall, managed to stand firm and then heard hurried footsteps from outside the door.

Li Yingwan had just opened the door and stepped in when she suddenly felt a surge of alertness!

Firefly instantly took a step to the side, dodging as a gust of wind brushed past the tip of her nose.

In the darkness, Li Yingwan immediately delivered an elbow strike!

Zhang Linsheng pressed his hand on her elbow, pushed down forcefully, and at the same time lifted his leg and thrust his knee forward!

Li Yingwan shrank down and bent forward, at the same time pressing her forearm downward onto Zhang Linsheng’s thigh. Though she wasn’t struck, the force of Zhang Linsheng’s charge sent her tumbling out of the room!

The two fell together into the corridor outside.

The corridor was even darker, and neither could see the other’s face clearly. Zhang Linsheng, however, had decided to go all out!

Deducing his opponent’s position in the dark, he threw a straight punch from the Song Family Fist!

Li Yingwan met Zhang Linsheng’s fist with her palm, employing standard military combat and grappling techniques as her fingers went for his wrist.

Zhang Linsheng instinctively summoned his inner strength, and Li Yingwan felt her fingers deflected, unable to grip his wrist. Instead, Zhang Linsheng landed a punch on her shoulder, sending her staggering back.

Although Zhang Linsheng’s combat experience wasn’t vast, he was no novice. He had been training in martial arts with Old Jiang for two years, had undergone meridian cleansing and marrow washing from Chen Nuo, and in addition to his association with the Hong Kong Song Family, he had fought a few times in the ring and had acquired some real combat experience.

A punch landed on his opponent’s shoulder, and feeling the other staggering backward, Zhang Linsheng quickly closed the gap with fast steps, seized the opponent’s shoulder with force, and with the other hand clenched into a fist, he hammered down on his adversary once again.

Li Yingwan’s shoulder was grasped, and she struggled but couldn’t break free. Reacting extremely fast, she didn’t wait for Zhang Linsheng’s next punch. Instead, she stepped sideways, causing his punch to miss. Then, Li Yingwan ducked low, finally shaking off Zhang Linsheng’s grip on her shoulder. Then, placing one hand on the ground, she fiercely kicked toward Zhang Linsheng’s shins with both legs.

Zhang Linsheng stumbled from the kick, took a step backward, then immediately leaped up, executing a backflip to create distance.

At the same time, he flicked his wrist, and the screwdriver hidden in his sleeve shot out!

THWACK!

Li Yingwan tilted her head to dodge, and the screwdriver embedded itself into the door panel beside her head.

Zhang Linsheng took a deep breath, strode forward, and pounced, swinging his forearm in a whip-like strike.

But Li Yingwan’s reaction was incredibly swift; she dodged again. Zhang Linsheng’s strike splintered the door panel in front of him. He then grabbed the fallen screwdriver in a backhand grip and stabbed it toward his opponent.

CLANG!

With a crisp sound, the screwdriver struck a hard object; Li Yingwan had produced a dagger, its blade deflecting Zhang Linsheng’s attack.

She then sliced with the knife’s edge, and Zhang Linsheng hastily withdrew his hand. In the darkness, the two traded blows repeatedly, the screwdriver and the knife blade clinking against each other seven or eight times.

Zhang Linsheng clearly felt that this opponent’s strength and speed were far inferior to his own, but her skill was incredibly adept. Although Zhang Linsheng’s powerful blows should have been overwhelming, the opponent had managed to deflect or dodge them with skilled combat techniques.

After making this assessment, Zhang Linsheng decided to play to his strengths and exploit her weakness: If you lack strength, then I shall use force to overwhelm skill!

Channeling Inner Breath with full force, every strike Zhang Linsheng made was fierce and powerful. Under the barrage of his relentless combination punches, he gradually pushed Li Yingwan farther and farther back.

They fought from one end of the corridor to the other, and Li Yingwan was completely suppressed. The confined space in the corridor didn’t allow enough room to dodge and maneuver, which was a significant disadvantage for Firefly, who lacked strength and had to rely on her skills.

Until they reached the end of the corridor, and Zhang Linsheng saw his opponent cornered, he swung the screwdriver to deflect the knife’s edge and went in for a Body Check.

Li Yingwan was not willing to confront him head-on, so she arched her back and fell, dodging the move, then kicked off the ground, sliding her body forward!

Zhang Linsheng, momentum undiminished, aimed a stomp at his prone opponent!

It was at this moment that Li Yingwan rolled away, and then...

SNAP!

Suddenly, there was light!

A bright beam struck Zhang Linsheng’s face, and he instinctively closed his eyes, stepping back immediately. But Li Yingwan had already leaped up, throwing her flashlight, which Zhang Linsheng batted away with a sweep of his arm.

But then, Zhang Linsheng felt a coolness on his forehead.

He stood motionless.

The cold barrel of a gun was pressed against Zhang Linsheng’s forehead.

Brother Haonan felt a surge of frustration and annoyance in his heart!!

Fuck! We’re in hand-to-hand combat, and you pull a gun?! Actually, he was really a bit angry, okay! Since beginning his martial arts training, Zhang Linsheng rarely experienced a fight so evenly matched, a battle so thrilling and exhilarating, where his reactions, skills, and responses were almost perfectly executed, and, finally, by his own strength, he had overwhelmed his opponent... After more than two years of practice, he hadn’t had such a satisfying fight! Fighting with Chen Nuo was just a beating. Fighting with Zhu Dazhi... fuck, he didn’t even want to speak to him, okay! The few real combats were back in the northwest when Sun Keke was kidnapped, and the battle with the disciples of the Guo Family. But at that time, Brother Haonan had only practiced martial arts for a few days, and since they came at him in a group, it wasn’t really a high-level duel. In the several bouts he fought in Hong Kong, his opponents weren’t really impressive, and Brother Haonan didn’t even have to go all out to win easily. But tonight, of all nights! This fight, he truly experienced a pleasant sense of comfort, you know! A powerful opponent in the darkness, skillful techniques, a fierce fight without holding back, nearly a duel between life and death! And with almost equal strength, the confrontation felt like a full-powered clash of masters! That feeling, so refreshing! And then... You freaking use a gun?! Don’t you talk about Jianghu morality anymore!!!

However... It’s not over yet!

By the light of the fallen flashlight on the ground, Zhang Linsheng’s eyes widened as he finally saw the opponent in front of him clearly.

And then, his eyes grew even wider. "It’s you?!"

Li Yingwan was actually quite exhausted, panting heavily, her chest heaving, her face already flushed—there was no helping it. Her soul might be that of Firefly, but this body was still that of an ordinary eighteen-year-old girl.

She hadn’t exercised her body much, so her physical condition was just like that of any young girl.

The fierce fighting from Zhang Linsheng just now, Firefly was purely relying on combat skills from her past life to barely hold on...

It was also a miscalculation! She didn’t know Zhang Linsheng! She also had no idea Zhang Linsheng could fight like that! Firefly was actually quite pissed off right now, wasn’t she! I, Firefly! The famous general under Yama’s command! Got beaten so embarrassingly by an ordinary young man? Damn it! If it were my previous life, I could crush you with just one hand, you know!!

"Why did you do this! Why are you here! Why did you attack me and Brother Lei!!" Zhang Linsheng asked angrily, struggling to contain his rage.

Li Yingwan took a deep breath and then sized up Zhang Linsheng.

He wasn’t old, with average looks, but quite tall. His skills were impressive, his combat techniques were good, his combat reactions were quick, especially controlling a kind of decent martial arts ability that seemed to be able to explode with power in a short amount of time—probably the ancient Huaxia martial arts that Yama had mentioned to her before. All in all, in terms of combat strength, he could already be considered on par with ordinary Ability Users who had just crossed the threshold.

"You recognize me, don’t you," Li Yingwan scoffed.

"Of course I... Huh? No!" Zhang Linsheng immediately changed his expression, shouting, "Who are you!!"

"I am Li Yingwan."

"You’re not!" Zhang Linsheng shook his head immediately. "Li Yingwan would not attack us! And besides, Li Yingwan doesn’t have your kind of skills... she has no combat abilities at all. And furthermore..."

"What else?"

"Furthermore, your Huaxia accent is off. Li Yingwan has practiced her Huaxia language very well."

"But I really am Li Yingwan!" Firefly couldn’t take it anymore.

"You are not! You must be our enemy in disguise, trying to harm us!"

"I’m not in disguise!!"

Zhang Linsheng stared at the girl in front of him. "I don’t believe it! Unless... Unless you recite a tongue twister for me!"

...Damn it!!! Firefly was furious! I, Firefly! Who in the Underground World doesn’t respect my name a bit!! How the hell do these two men keep saying I’m practicing tongue twisters?!! What ridiculously laughable thing have I done in this timeline?!! Humiliating!! Firefly felt her anger boiling over! The known clues so far: In this timeline, this version of me likes the BOSS—that’s fine, who else would I like if not the BOSS? It’s normal! But... to turn out to be a weak ordinary person! Void of any combat skills! And fussing over a plain girl named Sun Fatso every single day with jealousy! And in the end, to fail so miserably as to become sworn siblings with the BOSS? When did I, Firefly, become so humble!! And also... Reciting tongue twisters, what kind of crazy move is that!!!

After a minute of silence, Li Yingwan suddenly holstered her gun and took two steps back.

"Fine! We’re not enemies at all, so there’s no need to fight anymore. The reason I attacked you before was special. As long as you can prove you are Chen Nuo’s friends, then we should be on the same side. Tying you up was also because I had to leave for a bit, and... with the complex situation here, I can’t easily trust people. Not knowing friend from foe, I had to tie you up first. I can apologize to you for this incident."

Well, apologizing to the BOSS’s friends, I don’t mind that.

Li Yingwan was quite indifferent to this point.

In her mind, anything involving the BOSS could be compromised on.

Brother Haonan slowly lowered his fists but still asked doubtfully, "Then who exactly are you?"

"I’ve already told you I am Li Yingwan!"

"You’re not!"

"I am!"

"Then recite the tongue twister for me! I taught you one before, too, ’eating grapes without spitting out the grape skins,’ come on, recite it!"

...Damn it! I really want to kill someone right now! What should I do! Did this life’s me really do such shameful deeds?!

Amidst the mist, Chen Nuo and Xicheng Xun walked side by side.

As Chen Nuo passed by, the mist around him gradually dispersed to reveal an area, but further away, the fog still lingered and swirled densely, preventing one from seeing through it.

Below their feet was the cold, hard ice field and snow.

Chen Nuo expanded his Mentality Cocoon to ward off the cold air.

Luckily, in this world, there was neither light nor wind, saving Chen Nuo a lot of energy.

The two of them had been searching for hours here.

They would walk for a while, then return to the Room 504 space for a short rest. Then Chen Nuo would extend his spiritual power to sense the surroundings before coming out to search again for a while.

After going back and forth a few times, the expression on Chen Nuo’s face became increasingly grave!

Suddenly, as the fog ahead gradually dispersed, Chen Nuo stopped in his tracks!

And beside him, Xicheng Xun looked ahead with widened eyes, surprised at the outline of the buildings revealed behind the dispersing mist...

"BOSS, what is this place?"

Chen Nuo exhaled lightly. "...Hmm, a base that the Octopus Monster set up here. I came here... well, in this life, over a year ago. Actually, this place had another name back then. It was called... The Red Circle."