Chapter 116: A Pyrrhic Victory

Sometimes life is full of coincidences; after coming full circle, one finds themselves right back at the start. Xiao Lin never expected to run into Liu Yidao again. He had assumed that after stabbing him, the man would have chosen to flee Donghai. To his surprise, not only had Liu Yidao stayed, but he had remained in the city.

Xiao Lin glanced at Ma Yunrou’s opened bag, and the situation became immediately clear.

"I didn't expect you to be a common thief. You ambushed me at the station last time and nearly cost me my life. I thought you’d be smart enough to leave Donghai, but you’ve actually stayed. They say the net of justice is wide, yet it lets nothing slip through. Hmph, this time, I’m going to make you pay back every bit with interest." Xiao Lin’s eyes were cold and ruthless. He had been in a foul mood lately, pent up with frustration, and Liu Yidao had walked right into his crosshairs. Furthermore, this man had previously tried to swindle Wang Yuqing. There was no way Xiao Lin was going to let him go today.

Liu Yidao was also surprised to see Xiao Lin, as he hadn't forgotten the young man. Xiao Lin had humiliated him by exposing his scam, and that knife strike at the train station hadn't achieved the desired result. Still, Liu Yidao had managed to save face, and the only reason he hadn't left Donghai yet was to pull off one last big job before the New Year.

"Heh, kid, if you pretend you didn't see anything, I’ll let you off the hook this time." Liu Yidao dismissed Xiao Lin’s threatening words entirely. Having lived a life of crime, the threats of a young man meant nothing to him. His main reason for wanting to avoid a confrontation was the mall’s security cameras; if a fight broke out, security would arrive quickly, and if the police were involved, it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

"Let me off?" Xiao Lin sneered with disdain at Liu Yidao’s words.

"Xiao Lin, do you know this person?" Ma Yunrou asked from the side, confused by their exchange.

"Rou'er, he stole your wallet." After saying this, Xiao Lin snatched the shopping bag containing his trousers and hurled it at Liu Yidao. He then charged forward, reaching the man in just a few strides. Without a second’s hesitation, he swung his fist toward Liu Yidao’s temple.

Liu Yidao hadn't expected Xiao Lin to attack so suddenly. Caught off guard and distracted by the flying shopping bag, he instinctively flicked his wrist, revealing a sharp blade, and slashed at the bag as it fell. With a *rip*, the packaging and the trousers inside were torn to shreds.

Only after the strike did Liu Yidao realize it was just a shopping bag, and he was livid. But before he could recover, Xiao Lin’s fist came whistling through the air. Even though Liu Yidao was a seasoned, vicious fighter, a brawl is all about seizing the initiative. He had no time to react; Xiao Lin’s timing was perfect. The punch landed squarely on his temple. With a thud, Liu Yidao staggered back, his head spinning. Everyone knows the temple is a lethal point; a solid blow can be fatal.

Of course, Xiao Lin was just a youth, and even with above-average strength, he couldn't kill Liu Yidao with one punch, but it left the man seeing stars. As Liu Yidao stumbled, Xiao Lin followed up. Instead of punching, he took a short run and launched a flying kick into Liu Yidao’s stomach. The tremendous impact sent the man flying backward, crashing heavily into a nearby display shelf stacked with tea cups. The cups came clattering down, many of them raining onto Liu Yidao.

"Ah..." Ma Yunrou finally let out a cry of shock. From the moment Xiao Lin attacked until Liu Yidao hit the shelf, there had been no pause; Xiao Lin’s movements were clean, crisp, and decisive.

Seeing Liu Yidao collapse, Xiao Lin inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Liu Yidao’s capabilities; in a fair, head-on fight, he would undoubtedly be the one left on the ground. This entire engagement had been a gamble—he hadn't been sure if the shopping bag would distract his opponent. If Liu Yidao had ignored it, the subsequent attack wouldn't have been nearly as effective.

In truth, Liu Yidao had been careless. He never imagined Xiao Lin would be so decisive, nor did he pay attention to what was being thrown at him. He hadn't expected such a swift strike, leaving him no time to react.

As Liu Yidao lay on the overturned shelf, buried under broken tea cups, Xiao Lin walked toward him with a cold smirk, intending to deliver a few more blows. However, just as he reached the shelf, the man who had been lying motionless suddenly sprang up like a rabbit. In his right hand was a seven-inch blade, which he thrust toward Xiao Lin’s stomach. The speed was so ferocious that Xiao Lin’s eyes narrowed in alarm. With no room to dodge, he instinctively reached out and grabbed the sharp blade with both hands to stop the momentum.

The blade was no ordinary knife; it was razor-sharp. As Xiao Lin gripped the edge, his palms were sliced open, and blood began to drip onto the floor.

Liu Yidao was slightly startled that the boy had grabbed the blade. He knew better than anyone how sharp it was—he had wrapped the handle in tape specifically so he could conceal it in his sleeve. He had been reeling from Xiao Lin’s assault, his body aching and his head still swimming, but his resilience was higher than most, so he hadn't passed out. He had played dead, knowing Xiao Lin would come over to check on him, intending to launch a surprise counterattack. He just never expected Xiao Lin to grab the blade.

Seeing the young man trembling from the pain, sweat pouring down his pale face, Liu Yidao couldn't help but feel a shred of admiration. But admiration wouldn't stop him. He raised his left hand to strike Xiao Lin’s face.

Xiao Lin realized what was happening. If that punch landed, he would be finished. Since his hands were occupied, he gritted his teeth and lunged forward, slamming his forehead into Liu Yidao’s. The collision produced a dull thud. Force is reciprocal, but the one who initiates the impact often bears the brunt of the shock. Liu Yidao, already injured from the shelf, staggered back. The blade slipped from his grasp. He had already been bleeding from his forehead after hitting the shelf, and this second, forceful impact from Xiao Lin was too much. Liu Yidao swayed, then collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.

The force of the impact sent Xiao Lin reeling back as well. Between the blood loss and the shock, he felt faint. He stumbled and collapsed, blacking out. His final conscious thought was a bitter smile: *Great, I’m heading back to the hospital again.*

Only a few minutes had passed from the start of the fight to both men collapsing in a mutual defeat. A crowd had gathered, watching a middle-aged man and a youth trade brutal blows. No one knew what was happening, but seeing the knife and the blood, they sensed the gravity of the situation, and someone had already called the police.

Ma Yunrou was stunned. She looked at the unconscious Xiao Lin and wanted to run to him, but her legs felt like jelly and she couldn't move. As for Liu Yidao’s sidekick, Ganzi, he didn't even try to help; seeing his boss unconscious, he seized the chance to slip away. Truly, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

Security arrived first, followed by the police. An officer in his fifties looked at the unconscious Xiao Lin and issued a crisp order for an ambulance. He then turned his attention to Liu Yidao and frowned—the man looked familiar. He stepped closer and noticed a faint, small scar on the man’s neck.

"It’s Liu Yidao!" the officer exclaimed. He knew exactly who this was: a notorious fugitive wanted across the country, a man for whom the Ministry of Public Security had issued an A-level warrant.

How had he ended up here, and so severely injured? Who could have taken down a vicious criminal like him? Could it have been this boy? The officer looked at the unconscious Xiao Lin in disbelief.

"What happened here? Does anyone know?" the officer asked the crowd.

"I... I know," Ma Yunrou stammered.

"Oh? Tell me about it, miss," the officer said, looking at her.

"This man bumped into me and stole my wallet. My boyfriend said a few things to him, and then they started fighting." As she spoke, Ma Yunrou held up her bag to show the officer.

They had fought over a wallet, and this girl’s boyfriend had knocked out Liu Yidao? The officer couldn't help but find the situation absurd.