TDU Chapter 80: Lu Bu’s Living Legacy

Chapter 80 Lu Bu’s Living Legacy

Jiang Ruoxue's words left both Ole Lu and Zhang Chenze momentarily bewildered. However, the urgency of the situation left no room for contemplation.

Zhang Chenze took three deep breaths, gripping the shard of glass, and charged out.

In that moment, Qi Xia was removing his jacket to bind it around his arm, preparing to confront the two armed assailants.

“Qi Xia! I’m here to help you!” Zhang Chenze shouted, brandishing the shard of glass as she positioned herself beside him.

“Help me?! Are you out of your mind?” Qi Xia gritted his teeth, urgency coursing through him. “You need to get out of here!”

“It’s okay…” Zhang Chenze appeared to be trying to reassure herself. “We’ll be okay…”

Seizing the opportunity, the blonde hoodlum lunged forward, aiming to plunge his knife into Qi Xia's chest, intent on ending everything in that fleeting moment.

“Qi Xia, watch out!” Zhang Chenze stepped forward, tightly shutting her eyes as she thrust the shard of glass forward haphazardly.

The blonde hoodlum found it amusing; did they really think a shard of glass could kill him?

However, as he sidestepped to evade her, he inadvertently stepped on the metal box lying on the ground.

“Huh?!” 

His balance wavered, and he stumbled forward, impaling himself on the shard as it pierced his throat.

“Cough... cough...” Blood poured from his mouth. “You...”

Qi Xia was taken aback and quickly shoved the blonde hoodlum away.

The blonde hoodlum, freed from the glass shard, had blood gushing from his throat like a ruptured pipe.

“A’Li!!” the bald man shouted, rushing forward to support his companion.

He frantically pressed his hands against the blonde hoodlum’s gaping wound, panic etched across his face.

Qi Xia stood frozen, incredulity washing over him as he witnessed the scene unfold.

That metal box, which he had carelessly dropped while confronting the green-haired thug, had turned out to be an unexpected ally… What a serendipitous twist of fate!

It was only then that Zhang Chenze finally opened her eyes, horrified to find her hands slick with blood.

“AHH!!” Startled, she hastily discarded the shard of glass from her trembling hands.

Once fervently proclaiming her intent to commit murder, she now stood in shock at the reality of it. Zhang Chenze, once a poised lawyer, appeared utterly pallid and stricken with terror.

Without hesitation, as Zhang Chenze discarded the shard, Qi Xia swiftly picked up the dagger that had dropped from the blonde hoodlum. The fight was far from over, and they could not afford to be complacent.

“You’re fucking courting death!!” The bald man roared, his fury palpable as he brandished his dagger and lunged forward.

Qi Xia promptly shoved Zhang Chenze back into the room, retreating several paces to create distance. 

Such wild, unpredictable attacks were the hardest to evade, as it was impossible to anticipate where the next strike would land. Qi Xia could only focus on putting as much space as possible between himself and the raging hoodlum.

However, Qi Xia stood at the end of the corridor, the walls closing in on him within just a few steps, leaving him cornered with no means of escape.

Though both wielded daggers, Qi Xia's intention was purely self-preservation, while his opponent charged at him like a rabid dog, devoid of reason.

"Imma kill you!!" the hoodlum shouted, bringing the dagger down with all his might. Qi Xia swiftly dodged the attack.

Seizing the moment when his assailant's blade sliced through the air, Qi Xia made a decisive move, slashing deeply into the man's arm, feeling the blade graze against bone.

"If you’re seeking death, come and get it!" Qi Xia threatened.

The bald hoodlum, ignoring the stinging pain from his wound, lifted the knife again and turned to thrust it straight at Qi Xia’s heart.

Realizing he couldn't evade the attack in time, Qi Xia crouched low, redirecting the strike away from his vital organ and instead feeling the blade pierce into his shoulder. A pained grunt escaped him, but he retaliated instantly, plunging his own dagger into the man's abdomen.

But in the next instant, the bald man extended his left hand, firmly blocking Qi Xia's blade, the dagger ruthlessly embedding itself into his palm.

"Do you really think you can kill me...?" the bald hoodlum glared with malice, his voice dripping with contempt. "Have you ever taken a life before?!"

Before Qi Xia could respond, the hoodlum twisted the dagger lodged in Qi Xia's shoulder with brutal force, tearing through flesh and sinew.

"Argh!!!" Qi Xia cried out in agony, the pain nearly overwhelming him, threatening to send him into unconsciousness.

At that moment, a corpulent figure charged in, wrapping his arms tightly around the bald hoodlum's body from behind.

The bald man was momentarily taken aback, the dagger slipping from his grasp.

"Motherfucker..." He realized that the one clinging to him was {Infiltrator} Ole Lu, his frustration boiling over. "So it was you who destroyed our key, huh?"

Despite his fear, Ole Lu clung on desperately. He knew that if he let go, Qi Xia would surely die.

With a swift motion, the bald man turned and yanked the dagger from his bloodied flesh, and thrust it viciously into Ole Lu's ribs.

"Huh?!" Ole Lu gasped, feeling the cold metal pierce through his flesh—a sensation he had never experienced before.

The bald hoodlum gritted his teeth, wrenching the dagger free and plunging it into Ole Lu several more times.

At last, Ole Lu felt the bone-deep pain wash over him.

His body trembled violently, yet he refused to release his grip. Desperately, he opened his mouth and bit down hard on the bald man's shoulder, twisting his head with fierce determination, tearing away a large chunk of flesh along with skin.

The bald hoodlum let out a howl of anguish. Just as he raised his dagger to deliver a fatal blow to Ole Lu, Lin Qin appeared out of nowhere, wielding a shard of glass that she drove into his arm.

"Qi Xia!! If you don’t act now, Ole Lu is going to die!!" Her voice was urgent, cutting through the chaos.

That shout jolted Qi Xia back to consciousness. Though the entire left side of his body felt numb, he knew that now was not the time to succumb.

When Qi Xia finally grasped the situation before him, his expression shifted to one of shock. Without a moment's hesitation, he yanked the dagger from his shoulder and, with a fierce shout, plunged it into the bald man's neck.

The hoodlum immediately lost all strength, collapsing to the ground alongside the others who yielded to their injuries.

“Ole Lu…” Qi Xia swiftly pushed the bald man aside and rushed to assess Ole Lu's condition. But upon seeing him, his voice quaked with concern. “Ole Lu… how are you holding up?”

Ole Lu laid on the ground, his body convulsing, the left side of his ribcage a gruesome mess. 

“Punk Qi, you’re not very smart during critical times…” Ole Lu managed a pained smile, his face now a ghostly pallor.

“I… I guess I’m not as intelligent as you,” Qi Xia stammered, trembling hands pressing firmly against Ole Lu's wounds, but blood continued to seep through his fingers. “Please, Ole Lu, don’t die… I still owe you the admission for this game…”

“How could I fucking possibly die…” Ole Lu sighed, then continued, “Punk Qi, if you knew my full name, you wouldn't be so worried…”

“What is it…?”

“If I tell you, you better not laugh…” Ole Lu forced a smile. “Whenever I shared my name in the past, people would always laugh.”

“I won’t laugh…I promise I won’t laugh.” Qi Xia replied, frantically trying to stem Ole Lu's bleeding. But the bald man had struck far too viciously; the blood wouldn’t stop flowing.

“My name is Lu Fengxian[1]…” Ole Lu chuckled weakly. “My parents chose it for me… Sounds like a name that wouldn’t die, right?”

“You’re the fucking reincarnation of Lu Bu[1], of course you won’t die…” 

Qi Xia sank to his knees, trembling fiercely. The throbbing in his head intensified, threatening to engulf him, but he clung to consciousness until Ole Lu's movements ceased

… (flashback time)

Qi Xia pulled Ole Lu close and whispered, "There are several important matters I must discuss with you."

“Discuss with me?” Ole Lu was perplexed. “Punk Qi, do you have a countermeasure? The game is about to start—hurry and tell me!”

After a moment of contemplation, Qi Xia replied, “It’s not exactly a {countermeasure}. Ole Lu, if the other side invites you to join them, you can consider accepting.”

“Wha?” Ole Lu paused, and then his eyes widened in realization. “It’s a scheme within a scheme, right? I agree to join, and then from the inside, I can…”

“No.” Qi Xia shook his head firmly. “Ole Lu, let’s part ways here.” 

“Huh, what?”

“I’ve thought it through carefully. We’ve known each other for such a short time; gambling your life for me would only create unease within the entire team,” Qi Xia explained earnestly. “So the best course of action is for you to withdraw from the team in advance. That way, when conflict arises, we won’t be under pressure.”

“You…” Ole Lu’s expression shifted to one of disappointment. Despite being a middle-aged, portly man, he looked as vulnerable as a child.

“I’m sorry, Ole Lu. I’m simply making the most prudent choice.”

“Qi Xia,” Ole Lu suddenly interjected, “you say that your team can’t risk their lives for me, but I can.”

“What?”

“Whatever plan you have, don’t act on it just yet. I’ll show my own {sincerity} at the first chance I get, and you can decide after you see it,” Ole Lu said resolutely.

“But what if, at the last moment, we don’t accept you? You’ll be risking your life.” Qi Xia countered.

“You’re not that kind of person,” Ole Lu said with a silly smile. “Even though I, Ole Lu, spent my whole life selling socks, I have a knack for reading people at crucial moments. Just you wait!”

“Sigh…” Qi Xia shook his head, resigned. “While I appreciate your optimism, I still can’t fully trust you. We’ll just have to see how you perform.”