As a coastal metropolis, Zhangjiang City remains bustling even late into the night. However, the Wanyabi Bend in the western suburb of Zhangjiang City is relatively deserted, especially after nightfall, devoid of almost all traffic, let alone pedestrians.
Yet, at this moment, there's a solitary figure strolling on the road.
Under the faint moonlight, one could make out that this was a man in his twenties. He exuded a ruggedly handsome vibe. However, his appearance was a disheveled one, his clothing torn and stained with numerous blood splatters, exhaustion etched all over his face.
"I, Tang Hao, enlisted at the age of fifteen. For the past five years, I've contributed who knows how much to the nation, with utmost loyalty. That I should face such a predicament, nearly losing my life to those from my own side..."
Tang Hao's eyes slightly narrowed, spewing intense hatred and coldness.
For some unknown reason, under the darkness, his eyes seemed to emit a substantive golden gleam.
Before he fell into the abyssal cliff, his eyes were blinded by someone. But after falling into the abyss, he felt as if his body was enveloped by a golden light. This golden light then assimilated into his body, not only restoring his sight but also granting him a vision of sorts.
Tang Hao, known as the king of the Chinese military, frightened numerous adversaries. He expected himself to perhaps become the world's top fighter. Yet, in this battle, he encountered the legendary wielders of the Five Elements. With their control over the mighty forces of the elements, they easily left him badly wounded, his eyes blinded, ultimately forcing him to jump off the cliff. Fortunately, he survived the fall and even got a blessing in disguise.
He then spent three days and nights recuperating on the cliff base. After another two days' efforts, he managed to climb back up, finally basking in the sunlight again.
After an indeterminable amount of time, suddenly, Tang Hao could hear the hum of a car engine from behind.
He immediately stood in the middle of the road, hoping to hitch a ride into the city area. He was both exhausted and hungry from his five-day ordeal and was desperately in need of food and rest.
Within a minute, a saloon car was driving his way. The headlights of the car shone on him, and the horn kept honking, signaling him to clear the path.
Given how rare it was for a car to pass by this road in the middle of the night, Tang Hao wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by.
"Hey, you beggar! Why are you blocking the road? Are you looking for a death wish?" The car braked to a halt, and a middle-aged man in a black vest got out. He pointed at Tang Hao and yelled at him.
"Brother, can you give me a ride? I want to go downtown." Tang Hao spoke politely, suppressing his deep-rooted hatred. After all, he couldn't get his revenge in a short time; the next step was to strive to improve his strength.
"Get lost, I don't have time to deal with you. If you don't move, we're going to ram through." The man in the vest snarled and laughed rudely, then immediately reached to open the car door to get in.
Tang Hao's face darkened somewhat. Was this guy devoid of sympathy?
Under normal circumstances, he would let it go, but he was urgently in need of some food to replenish nutrients now, so he briskly walked over.
"Damn, didn't you hear what I said? It looks like you're asking for it." The man in the vest cursed angrily, clenched his fist and walked towards Tang Hao, unhesitatingly swinging a punch towards his face.
However, his fist came to a halt less than thirty centimeters away from Tang Hao, unable to advance further.
"Brother, can you do me a favor?" Tang Hao grabbed the man's fist, continuing to smile politely.
"Damn you, you're asking for death!"
Suddenly, the man in the vest pulled out a dagger from his pocket and stabbed it towards Tang Hao's chest without a word.
"Huh? Carrying a knife with you?" Tang Hao's face changed slightly. This time he didn't show mercy. With a seemingly ordinary kick, he sent the man who weighed at least a hundred kilograms flying three or four meters and sprawled him on the ground, unable to get up for a long while.
"Bastard, get down, or I'll blow your head off."
Just then, a furious shout echoed from the backseat of the car, a bald man pointing a handgun at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao looked at him, his face showing no fear. These two men, one with a knife and another with a gun, appearing in such solitary wilderness, surely they were no good.
"Mmm mmm... mmm mmm mmm mmm..."
Suddenly, a faint 'mmm' sound came from the car. With Tang Hao's experience, he determined at once that there must be another person inside the car.
A woman, her mouth taped shut.
Kidnapping!
The word popped into Tang Hao's mind.
He couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. He had just barely escaped the brink of death, intending to live a peaceful life for a while and enhance his strength. Yet now, he had inadvertently stumbled upon such a situation.
A sense of deadly danger suddenly surged in Tang Hao's heart.
A murderous glint flashed in the eyes of the bald gunman, who immediately pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the quiet cliffside.
A cruel smile crept onto the face of the bald man. Although he wasn't an ace marksman, his shooting skills were passable, especially at such a close distance. He didn't believe he could miss.
However, his smile quickly froze when he realized that there was no body on the ground in front of him.
"Whoosh!"
A sharp sweeping wind suddenly sounded from his side and before the bald man could react, he felt a pang on his forehead. His vision went black as he fell to the ground, unconscious.
"I was able to dodge a sniper's shot less than a year after joining the military. And yet, you, a half-baked gunman, thought you could kill me?" Tang Hao dusted off his hands. He then opened the back door of the car and sure enough, a young woman with her mouth taped shut was inside.
In the dark, he couldn't make out her features clearly. However, even from her silhouette, he could tell she was presumably a pretty young girl.
Tang Hao was not in the mood for admiration. He pulled off the tape from her mouth and untied the ropes that bound the girl's hands and feet, saying, "I've knocked both of them out. You're safe now."
"Wuuu Wuuu..." As the duct tape was lifted, the girl's crying sound rang out, filled with fear.
Tang Hao didn't find it odd, but rather, empathetic. He had witnessed similar situations while saving people in the past. Some timid individuals, due to extreme fear, even if they were eventually rescued, their mental health would be affected and require a long period of psychological treatment to recover.
"It's okay! Rest assured, those two bad guys have been dealt with by me, no one can hurt you now. Don't be afraid, would you like me to take you home right now?" Tang Hao switched on the car's light, then began to comfort the girl by patting her shoulder softly.
The girl seemed to be around his age, wearing a pink teddy bear t-shirt and blue jeans that tightly wrapped around her slender legs, highlighting her perfect curves. Her face was flawless, her skin was as white as coagulated lard, and her neat bangs made her look like a princess who had stepped out of a fairytale.
Especially now, this princess had tear stains all over her face, and her expression was filled with terror, eliciting a protective instinct in others.
