Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 982 Gu Bei vs. Xiao Bao

Gu Nan pressed himself against the cold wall, lowering his voice to the shadows in the darkness, and whispered, "Remember, don't come in without my permission. Prepare a 'surprise' for Xiao Bao later." His voice was as soft as a breeze, barely audible to Gu Bei.

Gu Bei quickly gave a "received" gesture from the shadows, tapping lightly on the rough wall with his fingertips in response. During the interrogation of the prisoners, he had thoroughly familiarized himself with the warehouse's layout—which beams were most crucial, which windows offered the most concealed views, the steepness of the stairs, even memorizing which planks on the floor were rotten and loose, making a creaking sound when stepped on. He gripped the short knife tightly, the cold metallic touch bolstering his composure. His knuckles turned white from the pressure, waiting for the signal to pounce like a cunning cat, following the pre-planned route straight to the second floor to capture Xiao Bao.

Behind the pillar, Gu Nan clutched the still-bleeding wound under his ribs. The cotton cloth was soaked with blood, and a stinging pain shot through him. Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead and slid down his temples, but he was oblivious to them. A resolute ruthlessness flashed in his eyes—this grudge that had dragged on for too long, involving too many people, was finally going to be put to rest today.

Suddenly, an idea struck him: if he deliberately fired a few shots randomly to create chaos, Xiao Bao's gang would definitely panic, and Gu Bei could take advantage of the confusion to sneak in along the pre-planned route. This sudden thought made his eyes light up, and he immediately whispered the plan to Gu Bei in the shadows, explaining in detail even the angle of the shots and the noise to be made.

After listening, Gu Bei nodded from the shadows and whispered, "Okay, I'll sneak in when things get chaotic. Be careful."

Everything was ready. Gu Nan took a deep breath, suddenly darted out from behind the pillar, raised his gun, and fired three shots at the warehouse beam! The gunshots exploded in the enclosed space, making everyone's eardrums ache. Wood chips fell down, and Xiao Bao's men panicked as expected, scrambling to their cover, momentarily confused about the situation.

In that chaotic moment, Gu Bei, like a black shadow, silently darted up the stairs under the cover of the beams and pillars, stepping onto the sturdy wooden planks he had memorized beforehand, without making a sound.

Xiao Bao, having seen his share of storms, was initially startled by the gunfire, but quickly realized something was amiss—the marksmanship was erratic, not like aimed shooting, but rather like deliberately creating noise. A chill ran down his spine, and he was about to order his men to be on guard, but it was too late.

"Bang!" A muffled thud came from the second floor, accompanied by a cry of pain from his men. Xiao Bao turned his head sharply and saw that Gu Bei had already subdued the two men guarding the stairwell, with a short knife pressed against the throat of one of them.

Xiao Bao was both surprised and angry, but then he laughed and looked at Gu Nan, who came out from behind the pillar: "Well done, Gu Nan. I didn't expect you to have a helper hidden away."

Gu Nan walked out slowly, gun barrel lowered, a cold smile playing on his lips: "It's interesting to hear you say that. You've brought quite a few people, haven't you? We're even."

Xiao Bao raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over Gu Bei, when he suddenly remembered something: "You can call your helpers out now. If I'm not mistaken, we should have met at the warehouse in the west of the city last time?"

Gu Bei walked down from the second floor, the short knife still attached to his subordinate's throat, and said coldly, "That's right. If I hadn't been injured last time, do you think you could have escaped from that warehouse?"

Gu Nan looked at Gu Bei and calmly instructed, "Leave one alive, and clean up the rest."

Gu Bei smiled, but his eyes were as cold as ice: "Don't worry, don't you know my capabilities? I guarantee it will be clean and efficient."

Xiao Bao knew he couldn't escape today, so the smile on his face disappeared. He looked at Gu Nan and said, "Gu Nan, fine. Now that I'm in your hands, I won't say anything more. We'll settle things slowly later."

Gu Nan didn't reply, but simply gestured for Gu Bei to act. With Gu Bei there, he felt completely at ease—in terms of skill and cunning, Gu Bei was more than capable of dealing with these people. He only needed to stand there, keeping a close eye on Xiao Bao, ensuring that this cunning fox wouldn't have another chance to escape. The air in the warehouse seemed to freeze, leaving only the occasional muffled thuds from Gu Bei's actions and Xiao Bao's increasingly heavy breathing.

Gu Bei's figure blurred, creating a gust of wind as he charged towards Xiao Bao like an arrow released from a bow. His right fist clenched, the force of his punch tearing through the air with a whooshing sound, aimed directly at his opponent's face. Although Xiao Bao's old chest wound hadn't healed, his movements were still swift. He pushed off with his feet, sliding half a step to the side and back, narrowly avoiding the powerful punch. At the same time, he clenched his right fist, using the momentum of his sidestep to deliver a suicidal blow to Gu Bei's ribs—a spot he had identified during their last encounter, believing he could defeat him in one strike. Unfortunately, Gu Bei had already healed his injury, and the punch missed, grazing Gu Bei's clothes and striking the air, causing Xiao Bao to slightly lose his balance.

Gu Bei neither dodged nor evaded, his left arm like an iron gate deflecting the opponent's punch with precision. With a muffled thud, their arms collided, and Xiao Bao felt a tremendous force, his wrist going numb. Gu Bei's right hand lashed out, gripping Xiao Bao's wrist like an iron clamp, his fingertips tightening sharply. "Hiss—" Xiao Bao cried out in pain, his left hand quickly forming a palm strike, bringing a sharp gust of wind as he aimed at Gu Bei's chest, trying to force him to release his grip. Gu Bei used the momentum to leap backward, landing steadily, his gaze fixed on his opponent like a torch, his tone icy: "Xiao Bao, you got away with it last time, but you won't be so lucky this time."

Xiao Bao rubbed his wrist, which was numb from being squeezed; red marks had appeared at his knuckles. The old wound on his back throbbed with pain from the force of the blow, like a venomous snake gnawing at his bones. He gritted his teeth, his eyes turning sinister. As he moved again, a short knife appeared in his hand, its blade flashing in the dim light, slashing straight at Gu Bei's shoulder with a whooshing sound. Gu Bei touched the ground with his toes, spinning like a top to dodge, the blade grazing his shoulder, sending a chill down his spine. At the same time, his elbow slammed into Xiao Bao's back like a heavy hammer. "Ugh!" The impact jolted Xiao Bao's old wound, causing him to groan in pain. His grip on the knife loosened, and the strike faltered.

The two exchanged blows, the crisp sounds of fists and feet clashing against blades echoing through the warehouse, and more than a dozen moves had passed in the blink of an eye. Gu Bei's footwork was agile, moving through the flashing blades as if strolling in a garden. His punches and kicks were ruthless, yet he always left himself some room to maneuver, clearly intending to slowly wear down his opponent's strength. Xiao Bao, on the other hand, relied on the advantage of his short knife, aiming straight for Gu Bei's vital points. However, his old injuries were flaring up again, and his movements gradually became sluggish. Cold sweat seeped from his forehead, sliding down his cheeks and splattering onto his clothes.