Chapter 141 - Chapter 141: Lu Zhiyuan, Save Me
Chapter 141: Lu Zhiyuan, Save Me
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Five minutes later, an unfamiliar number sent another text message containing a new address. Lu Zhiyuan altered his route accordingly. Simultaneously, Li Jiang continued to track Gu Ziyu’s whereabouts, finding himself four kilometers away from Gu Ziyu’s location.
The unfamiliar text message resembled a game of hide-and-seek. Lu Zhiyuan and Gu Ci navigated the city’s streets for three hours until their car ran out of gas. Subsequently, Lu Zhiyuan located a gas station.
Unease settled in Gu Ci’s heart. What was she thinking? Why had she allowed Lu Zhiyuan to take a detour within the city?
Abruptly, she inquired of Lu Zhiyuan, “I’m thirsty. What would you like to drink?”
“You choose.”
Exiting the vehicle, Gu Ci headed to the convenience store situated at the gas station. Just as she approached the store’s entrance, her phone received an unfamiliar text message.
“Adjacent to you is a blue car with a license plate ending in 614. Enter the vehicle!”
Glancing back at Lu Zhiyuan, who was still refueling the car, Gu Ci clenched her teeth and hastened toward the awaiting blue car. Upon entering, Lu Zhiyuan, surprised, exited the car and pursued her.
“Gu Ci, come back!”
Having barely seated herself within the car, a captivating fragrance enveloped Gu Ci. She only managed to catch sight of a pair of sinister eyes before losing consciousness.
When Gu Ci regained awareness, the sun had already set. Illumination emanated from the lights, lending a modicum of reassurance.
Third Master was awake!
Bound to a stool, Gu Ci found herself within an abandoned building. Gazing out the window, she beheld her dimly lit surroundings, her vision blurred. Discomfort and a burning sensation coursed through her body.
Calling out Gu Ziyu’s name, she hesitated before adding, “Lu Shijie, reveal yourself!”
Moments before fainting, she had glimpsed Lu Shijie.
Emerging from the shadows with a limp, Lu Shijie advanced, flanked by four bodyguards. One of them clutched Gu Ziyu, who collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
“Did you ever anticipate such a day would come?” Lu Shijie’s laughter bordered on madness. Armed with a dagger, he drew closer to Gu Ziyu.
Gu Ci’s gaze darkened. “Stop!”
Lu Shijie offered a peculiar smile. “How does it feel to be a mere pawn?”
“Lu Shijie, he’s but a child. The grudges between adults are of no concern to him. Do not lay a finger on him!” Despite her piercing voice, she was powerless to halt Lu Shijie. He thrust the dagger into Gu Ziyu’s abdomen, prompting a rush of blood to stain the floor. Unconscious though he was, Gu Ziyu seemed to respond to the pain, twitching and curling up, an image of pitiable misery.
“Ziyu!” Gu Ci’s heart felt as if it had been pierced by a knife. Her eyes welled with bloodshot intensity, observing the crimson stream flowing from Ziyu’s wound.
Lu Shijie refrained from removing the dagger, instead rising to his feet and wiping his hands. “Gu Ci, I’ve heard that you cherished him deeply. How does it feel to witness his demise before you?”
“Lu Shijie, 1 will end you!” Gu Ci struggled, causing the chair to topple to the ground as she did so. “You should have met your doom long ago!”
Enraged, Lu Shijie lunged forward, seizing Gu Ci’s throat with a surfeit of murderous intent. “If I’m destined for hell, 1’11 drag all of you down with me. You’re the one who ruined the Lu Corporation’s board of directors. If 1 can’t survive, neither will any of you!”
Anger glinted in Gu Ci’s eyes as she stared back at him. Under Lu Shijie’s grip, her complexion grew pallid, her breath stifled. The pain she endured was agonizing, near suffocating. Lu Shijie’s expression twisted malevolently. “I can’t touch Lu Zhiyuan. Li Jiang guards him around the clock. You, however, I can kill. You’re the one he cares for. I want him to lose his love forever, to endure lifelong suffering!”
Despite her pallor, Gu Ci’s resolve remained unyielding. The notion of torturing her seemed to cross Shijie’s mind. As he released his grip slightly, Gu Ci seized the opportunity to resist. Pushing against him, she jolted him away.
Undeterred, Lu Shijie sneered. “What can you do in your dying moments?”
Met with Gu Ci’s defiant glare, he struck her forcefully, causing her to topple with the chair. Unconcerned about the potential harm to her own body, she remained resolute.
The chair shattered upon impact, wooden fragments lacerating her arms. Gu Ci’s hands were now free. Lu Shijie hadn’t anticipated her determination. He bellowed, “Seize her!”
Observing this, the four bodyguards surged forward to restrain Gu Ci. Swiftly, she untied the bonds around her feet, brandishing a chair fragment before hurling it at the oncoming guards. Unimpressed by her actions, the bodyguards’ strength and confidence remained.
In the midst of the turmoil, Gu Ziyu’s pained eyes fluttered open. With a quiet voice, he murmured, “Mom…”
Grimacing as he held his abdomen, his hand came away bloodied. He pondered, his thoughts serene: Was he about to die? What awaited him beyond death? Would he return to his former life? The thought of leaving his mother behind weighed heavily.
“End her!” Lu Shijie’s roar reverberated, an order for her execution.
As Gu Ci grappled with the four bodyguards, one was sent crashing into a wall by her swift kick. Rising, he fixed her with a steely gaze. “Brothers, do not underestimate her. This woman has undergone training.”
Wiping blood from his lip, he signaled his comrades. The four converged, forming a formidable front against Gu Ci.
Lu Shijie sat upon the floor, his back to Gu Ziyu. His eyes gleamed with madness. “Kill her! Kill her…”
Gu Ziyu inhaled deeply, extracting the dagger with an impassive expression. The blade was tinged red with blood. Rising, he clutched the weapon and advanced silently behind Lu Shijie.
His countenance resembled that of a deranged demon, akin to a vengeful spirit.
“End Gu Ci. She deserves it. End her. Lu Zhiyuan, 1 yearn for you to suffer eternally…”
His voice trailed off as Gu Ziyu’s dagger plunged into Lu Shijie’s side. Lu Shijie’s eyes widened, disbelief etched on his features. He lowered his gaze to his side, then turned his head to find Gu Ziyu’s visage drenched in blood, his innocent eyes harboring an intensity of purpose.
“You…”
Clutching his abdomen, Gu Ziyu’s smile bore a strange twist. “Scum, I shall be the one to deliver your end this time.”
Before Lu Shijie collapsed, he kicked Gu Ziyu away. With a loss of blood that impaired his stability, Gu Ziyu crumpled to the ground. “Ziyu…”
Gu Ci hastened to his side, assisting him to his feet. Lu Shijie, clutching his wound, bore a maniacal expression. “Kill them!”
Pale-faced and weakened from blood loss, Gu Ziyu uttered quietly, “Mom, I can bear no more. Do not fret over me…”
Gu Ci recognized the futility of engaging in a confrontation with the bodyguards. Gu Ziyu’s weakened state, coupled with his significant blood loss and impending shock, heightened the urgency of the situation. While she possessed the capability to defeat them, it would consume valuable time—time that was critical for Ziyu’s well-being.
Without hesitation, she gathered Gu Ziyu in her arms, holding him horizontally, and dashed away. The four bodyguards pursued them relentlessly. “You can run but you can’t hide. I shall track your path.”
Their pursuit resembled that of cats after mice. Little did they anticipate Gu Ci’s audacious maneuver. She propelled herself and Gu Ziyu off the edge of the unfinished building. The structure, still under construction, stood tall with over ten floors. In the face of the plummet, Gu Ziyu couldn’t help but exclaim, “Mom!”
In that dire moment, he was willing to sacrifice himself, but he couldn’t bear the thought of his mother sharing the same fate.
The wind howled in his ears as the sensation of weightlessness washed over him during the freefall.
Eyes clenched shut, Gu Ci uttered a silent plea, “Lu Zhiyuan, save us!”
In the next instant, a swift streak pierced the night, embracing both Gu Ci and Ziyu as they descended. They touched down gradually, concealed from view as they landed on the ground. The pursuing bodyguards, stationed on the side of the building, could no longer locate them.
“Is that woman out of her mind? Leaping from a building with her child?”
“Jumping to their deaths!”
In the enveloping darkness, where visibility was nil, Lu Shijie reveled. “Even if I meet my end, I’ll drag you all down with me.. This is my victory!”