Chapter 35 — I'll Be Your Hostage
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Gu Mengyao could scarcely believe her eyes as she looked at the man who had pushed her down. He had actually stood up for her, at a moment like this? Was he not afraid to die?
To be sure, Gu Mengyao knew that Wei Zhao had taken a great deal of her father's money, but no amount of money was worth mentioning beside a man's life. No one was indifferent to his own life, and Gu Mengyao was not foolish enough to believe that Wei Zhao had stood up now merely to "take a man's money and spare him his trouble."
For an instant, Wei Zhao no longer seemed quite so detestable to her. At the very least, he was a man of true mettle, one who could stand tall between heaven and earth. Gu Mengyao asked herself whether Zhong Yongliang would have stood up at a time like this. Surely not; perhaps he was even more frightened than she was, ducking his head down low, for all she knew.
Hm? Why was she comparing Wei Zhao with Zhong Yongliang? Gu Mengyao shook off these unrealistic thoughts. This was hardly the moment to be turning over such nonsense.
"Damn it." The bald man had not expected anyone to make trouble at a time like this. Being taken hostage was the sort of thing people dodged if they could, yet the man in front of him was actually charging right in?
"Who the hell are you? Did I call on you?" The bald man knitted his brows and glared viciously at Wei Zhao. "If you don't want to die, go stand over there."
"You need a hostage, don't you? What difference does it make who it is?" Wei Zhao shrugged. "Relax. I'll cooperate with you."
"You son of a bitch!" The bald man flew into a rage. What was with this brat, forever spoiling his plans? A surge of fury rushed up in him, and he raised his gun and fired at Wei Zhao.
At Wei Zhao's present level of cultivation, even at such close range the bald man's shot could not harm him. Ever since he had begun practicing the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art, Wei Zhao's reflexes had become extraordinarily keen; the slightest turn of his body was all it took to dodge the bald man's bullet.
Yet in the very instant Wei Zhao turned aside, his heart lurched with alarm — behind him stood a young girl, and the bald man's bullet was tearing down at a slant from above. If Wei Zhao dodged out of the way, the bullet would strike the girl behind him; and if it did, she would be dead, or at the very least gravely wounded.
Wei Zhao gritted his teeth and twisted his body back around, meeting the bullet head-on. It slanted into his thigh. Pain of that intensity could no longer cause him much suffering, yet Wei Zhao still frowned.
Fortunately, he had judged the position well enough: the bullet had buried itself in the flesh without touching the bone.
"Ah!" A cry of alarm rose involuntarily from the crowd, and Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu both clapped their hands over their mouths. Wei Zhao had actually taken a bullet.
But Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu had seen it perfectly clearly: Wei Zhao could easily have dodged that shot. It was only because he feared for the girl behind him that he had forced himself to take the bullet.
At that thought, the look Gu Mengyao bent on the girl behind Wei Zhao took on a note of anger.
"Goddamn it, there really are people in this world who don't fear death." The bald man was astonished. Was this brat in front of him insane?
"Boss, there are more and more cops outside..." One of the robbers ran over and said in a low voice to the bald man.
"Damn it." The bald man spat out a curse, then leveled his gun at Wei Zhao's head and snarled, "Fine, since you're so eager to be a hostage, you can come along. Ma Liu, keep an eye on this one."
"You got it." Ma Liu drew his gun and pointed it at Wei Zhao's head. "Kid, who told you to show off at a time like this? Playing the hero isn't so easy."