Chapter Nine, Death Struggle

However, reality is reality. If he had sufficient conditions to choose freely, it would not be as awkward as it is now. The conditions do not permit, and time does not permit; he can only take a gamble at the last minute

It is not to say that whenever such a situation arises, it is entirely impossible; rather, in many instances, it is indeed merely an illusion

With a puff, a certain spicy aroma permeated the air

He was tense all over, and his pupils involuntarily dilated, as if his visual perception had become more acute at that moment.

Even when compared to modern firearms, the power of flintlock guns was sufficient to penetrate the iron armor of their time. It can only be said that as long as one is still human, directly competing with such weapons is a rather foolish endeavor

Mo Chen has already exerted all his efforts to sprint forward, yet he still failed to directly knock down his opponent when the latter was caught off guard, instead, he suddenly faced the dark muzzle of a gun

A sharp dagger was deeply thrust into his abdomen and pierced through his back, the tip stained with blood

His mind was completely occupied by tense emotions, and he felt not the slightest sense of "joy," "pride," "relief," or "this is secure." His mind was a blank slate, only aware that there was still one enemy that needed to be dealt with

The guards behind were somewhat vigilant, watching the roof above, with their pistols raised and aimed upward, thus providing cover for their companions in front

He pressed his knee firmly against the enemy's abdomen beneath him, exerting all his strength to suppress the opponent, while his right hand ceased its striking motion and began to fumble amidst the chaos.

As the footsteps of the two individuals approached his hiding place, they suddenly slowed down without any warning, leaving Mo Chen, who was already extremely tense, feeling as if his mind could no longer think in that moment

"Snap"!

Immediately afterwards, the two individuals stopped again, seemingly having noticed something. They ceased their previous muttering and exchanged a few words at an extremely rapid pace, before one of them cautiously proceeded forward.

However, he is not another person; he was struck by the stun gun without knowing anything and then lost his ability to move

Fight or flee

The sound grew closer, and it was now distinctly audible that there were footsteps and curses belonging to two individuals. Mo Chen felt his entire body stiffen; he perked up his ears and dared not move a muscle

Then, the two individuals, cursing and swearing, finally approached him. In that moment, Mo Chen wished that his bodily functions would simply cease; he pressed himself tightly against the damp wall behind him, not daring to move his gaze.

In this moment of near despair, Mo Chen finally realized the only and ultimate means—indeed, he must take the initiative into his own hands and must strike back.

He tightly grasped the only two "weapons" in his hands, anxiously and nervously waiting, both hating how quickly time passed and hating how slowly it dragged on

This is really enough ... ... What bad luck ... ...

It is not even necessary to truly succeed in misleading the two guards who are tracking us; it is sufficient to divert their attention to the iron pipe for just a few seconds.

A sudden intense vibration came from the right shoulder, yet for a moment, there was no sensation of pain; it felt as if it had been struck by a tremendous force, leaving it numb and devoid of strength.

Mo Chen is well aware of this matter

Just as he was about to exert himself to climb up the iron pipe, the guard was startled by the noise behind him, causing him to shudder and fall directly down.

He cautiously and slowly moved his body, making minimal movements as he gradually emerged from the narrow space beneath the water tower's iron frame, silently feeling his way out. At that moment, the person behind him had just walked past the path in front of him

They must have discovered the traces they left on the iron pipe

Ultimately, his gaze fixed upon the iron pipe of the adjacent building, which was as thick as a person could embrace, installed on the wall of the building and extending upward, seemingly allowing him to climb up.

All gambling and risky behaviors require at least a certain probability of success to motivate action

Another person lags slightly behind, seemingly providing cover for the other, and also begins to step forward slowly

Regardless of the level of technological advancement in "gunpowder weapons" in this world, firearms are undeniably powerful against the human body, and a flesh-and-blood body cannot withstand even two direct hits.

Mo Chen then collapsed to the ground, one hand weakly supporting himself while the other tightly gripped a handgun, gasping heavily for breath

Mo Chen's right hand also inevitably trembled violently, and the electric shock device fell powerless to the ground

The guard's anguished howl was violently cut short in less than half a second; he could only let out a muffled groan before feeling darkness envelop him, his face contorted in pain

Opportunities do not necessarily have to be vast, but they must at least allow individuals to see a glimmer of hope for success. If there is absolutely no possibility, who would truly lose their senses and take the risk to gamble everything?

... ...

At that moment, Mo Chen suddenly charged forward, taking advantage of the fact that the figure ahead was completely focused on something else, and swung his right hand to fiercely jab at his neck

However, it cannot be determined whether they will truly be misled. If they happen to regain their senses and search their surroundings, there will be no hope left for oneself... Therefore, it is essential to take advantage of these precious few seconds to execute a counterattack

... ...

The flames that erupted from the muzzle illuminated Mo Chen's face

He seemed to realize that the situation was dire, and immediately turned around in a fluster, raising the handgun in his hand. The moment he saw the scene behind him, one can only imagine the expression of astonishment and bewilderment on his face

There is no way out

Because the two guards opposite are tall, strong, and robust, in addition to their sharp swords, they are also equipped with powerful firearms

He had a feeling that he was about to be exposed.

At this moment, the guard had already caught his breath, and his intense struggle caused the veins in his arms to bulge. The fierce expression on his face was truly frightening.

However, this process is extremely brief

Because the grotesque expression on his face was forever frozen at that moment, his entire head suddenly exploded thereafter

With a mouth full of bitterness, he lowered his voice and gritted his teeth to complain a few words, venting the fear and tension in his heart, as well as the resentment and anger that he did not know whom to direct at, and then fell silent.

He stopped and took a few hurried breaths, looking back in confusion, then gritted his teeth and glanced around.

Suddenly, amidst the sound of a gunshot "bang," there was also a certain "crack" of a knife slicing through flesh

What he does not know is that in situations of extreme tension, adrenaline levels in the body rise sharply, and blood flow increases, which provides more oxygen to the body and prepares more energy for physical activity

However, this is generally one of the illusions of life

I could only focus on the legs of those two individuals

Even the slightest breath was so piercing that he bit down hard on his lower lip, held his breath, and dared not make a sound.

Mo Chen showed no hesitation; he quickly climbed onto the dark iron pipe, stamping down forcefully a few times, leaving several distinct shoe prints and creating evidence of his upward ascent

By the way, I just got shot in the right shoulder

The time required is clearly different

The guard in front walked to beneath the iron pipe, then stood on tiptoe and extended both hands, intending to climb up to see the situation.

The guard, who had just revealed a fierce expression, suddenly covered his eyes and let out a frantic scream! In the next moment, Mo Chen exerted his strength and delivered a heavy kick to the opponent's chest, forcefully knocking him down onto the ground.

He forcefully held down the struggling arm of the other party, while with his other hand, he swung vigorously, striking the other party's face repeatedly.

Due to the height of his vantage point, he could only see the lower legs of the two people opposite him, and not even their knees

In a distance of no more than five or six meters, Mo Chen, although not hesitating at all, was so extremely tense that he could not even feel fear. However, the act of running the five or six meters and the opponent directly turning around to fire a gun...

The so-called "I can turn the tables" is akin to a man's "She likes me" and a woman's "He can change for me"; all are irrational illusions of life. Perhaps only when one suffers a severe blow can they truly comprehend the harshness of reality

What does it feel like to be struck heavily in the chest by a powerful kick? An ordinary person might even die on the spot. Even for a soldier, strong and robust as he may be, receiving such a blow makes him feel as if he is on the verge of death.

As the sound of footsteps drew closer, he could only feel his heart pounding incessantly, as if that poor little thing might leap out of his chest at any moment

Then, he quickly jumped down the pipe, and the cat silently lowered its body, inching its way into the shadow of the narrow space beneath the water tower

The guard's limbs convulsed violently for a moment before suddenly ceasing to struggle

However, the effect was minimal. Although the guard's nose quickly became crooked and began to bleed, Mo Chen also felt the weakness and numbness in his right arm, as his strength was rapidly draining away

Next to it stands a massive structure resembling a water tower, with a narrow space beneath the iron framework

At this moment, although Mo Chen was not aware of it himself, his body had unconsciously made all the preparations

In that moment, he showed no hesitation, raising the spray can in his left hand and aiming it directly at the guard's face, and then sprayed it without delay

Looking at Mo Chen himself, he only had two relatively small items: a pepper spray and a stun gun

Although the guard was astonished, he instinctively raised his gun and fired at the oncoming Mo Chen

No, this won't do, weapons are needed! One needs weapons!

Indeed, Mo Chen only seeks a brief period of respite, and he believes this should not be considered an excessive demand

With a single strike, he incapacitated an individual, and Mo Chen almost did not pause at all, continuing to sprint forward at high speed

Well, perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope. If he were completely defenseless, he would undoubtedly flee without a second thought to save his life.

Mo Chen's right hand frantically groped around on the ground, and finally grasped the grip of the pistol. At the same moment, the guard let out a low roar, tightly closing his crimson eyes, and thrust the dagger he held in his other hand with force.

An extremely intense and crisp sound erupted, causing the guard to lurch forward a few steps before collapsing to the ground, his body convulsing uncontrollably. He felt an electric current coursing through his body, and in an instant, he became completely numb and powerless.

The space beneath the iron frame is relatively spacious, although the ceiling is quite low, and it is extremely damp, accompanied by a foul odor that makes even squatting uncomfortable. Mo Chen tries his best to shrink his body, pressing himself closer to a more concealed corner.

Mo Chen's heart raced violently, his mind blank. Since just now, he had been acting entirely according to plan, completely controlled by instinct.

Just as he had barely caught his breath, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from a distance

Bang

To be honest, this plan hastily put together lacks feasibility, and he himself has little confidence in it

Mo Chen only felt that he was grappling with a crocodile; at the moment of life and death, no one should underestimate the potential that could be unleashed by anyone.

In that moment, Mo Chen thought to himself that his body no longer belonged to him.