After merging Intermediate Combat Arts, Ian Song's attack speed was at least five times that of a normal person. In a flash, he grabbed both men's wrists and squeezed down hard, barking, "Let go!"
The moment their wrists were caught, Jason Zhou and Tank realized they’d run into real trouble. Both were ruthless types—ignoring the pain, Jason lashed out with a savage kick aimed at Ian’s groin, while Tank’s free fist whistled toward Ian’s temple.
First they pulled knives, now they were going for vital points—Ian instantly knew these two weren’t ordinary street thugs. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as he increased the pressure in his hands.
Crack! Crack!
With two crisp snaps, he actually crushed their wrist bones. But to his surprise, even with their wrists shattered, Jason and Tank kept attacking—one still aiming for his groin, the other for his temple.
"Courting death!"
Ian was enraged by their viciousness. Without dodging, he lashed out with two lightning-fast kicks.
Because these two were so ruthless, Ian didn’t hold back either. With two heavy thuds, their attacks missed him entirely—their bodies shot out like broken kites, crashing hard to the ground.
Not wanting to give them a chance to recover, Ian darted forward, landing two more kicks squarely on their chests. Both men flew up again and, after hitting the ground, passed out cold.
The whole fight was over in a flash—less than a minute—and the two accomplices in the alley were left stunned. They hadn’t expected their boss and Tank to go down so fast. A sense of dread crept into their hearts.
The two exchanged glances, each pulling out a dagger from their waist—one pressed to the girl's neck, the other to her waist. They shouted at Ian, "Stop! Take one more step and we’ll kill this chick!"
Ian stopped in his tracks and glanced at the girl, surprise flickering in his eyes. He hadn’t expected the hostage to be Fiona Xiang, the campus belle from Saint Night High School. Fiona was equally shocked—the guy who’d just taken down those two thugs was Ian Song.
Earlier, she’d listened to Ian play piano at the café for two hours. When he finished, she realized it was already ten o’clock. Her house wasn’t far from the café, so she decided to take a shortcut. She’d just entered this alley when four men jumped out and dragged her inside.
"Let her go and I’ll let you leave," Ian said, his gaze fixed on the two men.
The two hesitated at Ian’s offer. Even their boss and Tank hadn’t been able to handle this kid—if they tried to fight, it’d end the same way.
"You back out of the alley first. Once we’re safe, we’ll let the girl go," one of them said.
Ian’s tone turned cold. "You don’t get to bargain. Let her go and I’ll let you leave. Otherwise, when the police arrive, you won’t be able to run even if you want to."
"Don’t try to scare us. No one called the cops—why would the police show up?" the thug retorted.
"Who says no one called? What, am I not a person?" Ian sneered.
"You really called the cops?"
The two men’s expressions grew noticeably tense.
"Believe it or not, it’s up to you. If I were you, I’d let her go and run now. Otherwise, when the police get here, you won’t even have a chance to escape." Ian kept bluffing. He was strong, but rescuing Fiona Xiang unharmed from two men holding knives was no sure thing.
The two hesitated, and after a long moment, agreed to let her go—but insisted Ian leave the alley first, since it was a dead end.
This time, Ian didn’t argue. He simply backed out of the alley.
The two men cautiously escorted Fiona Xiang toward the alley’s exit.
Once outside, they suddenly shoved Fiona toward Ian and turned to run. As for the unconscious Jason Zhou and Tank, dragging them along was out of the question—they were just dead weight.
Seeing Fiona Xiang stumble toward him, Ian quickly stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and steadied her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"I’m fine," Fiona Xiang shook her head, then softly added, "Thank you."
"No problem. We go to the same school—anyone else would’ve helped too." Ian replied offhandedly, letting go of her arm. Even though Fiona was the campus belle, he had no interest in getting involved. Romance was a luxury he couldn’t afford right now.
Fiona couldn’t help feeling a faint sense of disappointment at how politely Ian treated her.
"So, what do you plan to do with those two?" Fiona asked, glancing coldly at the unconscious Jason Zhou and Tank.
"Call the police," Ian said.
Fiona nodded.
The two waited in place for fifteen minutes until a police van arrived. Three uniformed officers got out.
Leading them was a chubby middle-aged man. As he approached, Ian caught a whiff of alcohol from him.
The man glanced over Ian and Fiona, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Fiona. He asked boisterously, "Who called the cops?"
"I did," Ian replied.
"You two got robbed?" the fat officer asked, secretly jealous of Ian for having such a pretty girlfriend.
"No, it was her. I was just passing by."
"Oh, I see." The fat officer nodded, then grinned at Fiona. "So, little miss, where are the people who tried to rob you?"
"Ian knocked them out. Two others ran off," Fiona said, pointing to the corner.
The three officers looked over and finally noticed the two men lying in the corner.
"You two, go check it out," the fat officer ordered his colleagues.
"Yes, Chief."
The two officers walked over, shining their flashlights on the men’s faces. Both thought they looked familiar.
"Chen, don’t these two look familiar to you?" one officer asked.
"You think so too?" Chen frowned in thought, then suddenly grew excited. "I remember now! These two are wanted criminals from Beihe City—murderers who haven’t been caught yet! Chief Hu, come quick, these are fugitives!"
Hearing his subordinate shout, the chubby middle-aged officer jolted, growing visibly excited. If these two were wanted criminals, he’d be credited with a major bust.
He hurried to the corner. Chen had already pulled up the police database on his phone and showed him two photos. "Chief, look—it’s them. One’s named Jason Zhou, the other’s Tank. Thirteen days ago, they and two others killed a family of five in Beihe City and have been on the run ever since."
"Perfect! Talk about getting a pillow when you’re ready to nap!" Harvey Hu cheered, waving his arm. He was only the deputy chief, but the current chief was about to retire, and this bust could guarantee him the top spot.
But there was still paperwork to do, so he ordered his men to cuff the two and load them into the van, then walked over to Ian and Fiona.