Back in his dorm, Zhao Rong was still basking in the delightful feeling of having two beautiful women fight jealously over him. Suddenly, his WeChat chirped. He pulled his phone from his pocket. Could that be Yu Lan, messaging me to come over to the girls' dormitory?
However, when Zhao Rong opened WeChat, he was surprised to see it was a voice message from Xuelian. Curious, he played the message and heard her urgent voice, "Hurry, come save me! The Rainy Night Maniac is stalking me!"
Hearing the name "Rainy Night Maniac," Zhao Rong's heart skipped a beat. The Rainy Night Maniac was a magical beast that had recently been sighted frequently near the training center. It was known for targeting women walking alone at night, and its methods were notoriously brutal.
Since Zhao Rong didn't have Xuelian's phone number, he could only communicate with her through WeChat. He sent her a message, "Where are you? I'm coming to save you right now!"
Xuelian replied almost instantly, her voice trembling as she said, "I'm in the small forest at the training center."
Hearing she was in the training center's small forest, Zhao Rong paused. I just came back from the small forest. Why do I have to go there again?
But saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-storied pagoda. He quickly put on his sneakers and dashed toward the small forest.
When Zhao Rong arrived, he didn't hear any cries for help. He found it strange. If a girl was being hunted by the Rainy Night Maniac, why wouldn't she scream? Wouldn't that increase her chances of being rescued? With that thought, he plunged into the forest.
The training center's small forest was very large and dense with vegetation, making it difficult to find anyone inside. Zhao Rong searched the area but couldn't find the girl he was looking for. Just as he was feeling lost, he suddenly saw the figure of a girl flitted by in the distance. In a flash, Zhao Rong sprinted after her.
Looking at the girl running ahead of him, Zhao Rong called out, "Xuelian, is that you?"
Hearing his voice, Xuelian immediately stopped. "Zhao Rong," she said, "I know you're the man with the strongest Martial Arts and the highest cultivation level in this training center. You have to protect me!"
Hearing her talk about his great Martial Arts and high cultivation level, Zhao Rong was baffled. He laughed and said, "What Martial Arts? I'm just a bit faster than the average person. Besides, I haven't cultivated at all; I'm not even a cultivator yet. On top of that, I've barely been in any fights in my entire life. The few times I did have to act, it was purely in self-defense. You shouldn't overestimate my abilities."
The reason Zhao Rong had dared to come rescue Xuelian was that he hadn't actually planned on fighting the Rainy Night Maniac. He wasn't sure he could win. His plan was to hoist Xuelian onto his back and run for it.
Although Zhao Rong claimed he was no expert, Xuelian was convinced otherwise. "Zhao Rong," she said, "from the time you beat up Wang Jingang, the Killer King, behind the training center, to the day in the cafeteria when you saved me with lightning-fast speed… and then when you beat up Da Sha, the training center thug, I knew you were a master in disguise. You just don't like to show off."
As Xuelian praised him to the heavens, Zhao Rong scratched the back of his head. "Honestly, I'm really not that amazing… plus, I'm actually a coward."
Just as he was speaking, the Rainy Night Maniac caught up to them from behind. Seeing him approach, Xuelian cried out in terror, "Zhao Rong, this is bad! The Rainy Night Maniac is here!"
At her words, Zhao Rong whipped around and saw someone wearing a skull mask and holding a large scythe walking toward them. On a dark and windy night like this, the sight of the Rainy Night Maniac, who looked neither human nor ghost, gave Zhao Rong a genuine fright.
Zhao Rong looked at the approaching killer and said, "Sir, a gentleman uses his words, not his fists. Let's talk this out… How about you put down that scythe first?"
Seeing that the girl he was chasing now had a man with her, the Rainy Night Maniac said furiously, "I was only planning on killing one person tonight… but I didn't expect someone else to show up begging to die. In that case, I might as well just get rid of you both."
Zhao Rong tried to reason with him. "Sir, murder is against the law. Besides, what do you gain from killing people? Why don't you make friends with us instead? We can all go for hotpot and drinks. What do you say…?"
Zhao Rong's words only made the Rainy Night Maniac more agitated. "Damn it! I've killed countless people, and this is the first time I've ever met a freak who's trying to invite me to hotpot seconds before they die…"
Zhao Rong looked at him and said, "Sir, I just want to be friends. That's all…"
The Rainy Night Maniac couldn't stand Zhao Rong's endless chatter any longer. "Damn it, shut your mouth and let me kill you!" he roared.
With that, the Rainy Night Maniac rushed toward Zhao Rong and Xuelian.
Seeing the killer charge, Zhao Rong swiftly swung Xuelian onto his back and began running through the small forest with the speed of the wind. Since Zhao Rong's speed was a hundred times that of an ordinary person, he had vanished from sight by the time the Rainy Night Maniac could even react. The killer's eyes widened, seeing that the two living people who had been right in front of him were suddenly gone. "Damn it," he said in disbelief, "did I meet a freak or a ghost? How could two people just disappear like that?"
Meanwhile, Zhao Rong was sprinting wildly with Xuelian on his back. She was beautiful, and her charming fragrance was intoxicating. Carrying such a stunning girl made Zhao Rong feel a wave of bliss. However, he was running so fast without watching where he was going that he accidentally ran in a circle, ending up right in front of the Rainy Night Maniac again.
At that moment, the Rainy Night Maniac was frantically searching for them. He had sworn that he would kill them both today, no matter what. After searching for a full circle and finding nothing, he was about to give up in frustration when he was astonished to see Zhao Rong suddenly reappear before him like a ghost, with Xuelian still on his back.
Seeing them suddenly appear, the Rainy Night Maniac rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Damn it! Are you two human or ghosts? How can you appear and disappear like that?"
When Zhao Rong saw the Rainy Night Maniac in front of him, he sucked in a sharp breath. Damn it, what rotten luck! I thought I ran far away, but I ended up right back where I started!
Xuelian, on Zhao Rong's back, felt even more despair. She had thought he had come to rescue her, but she never imagined he was just here to die with her.
Although Zhao Rong still wanted to run, he was completely exhausted, feeling as though he couldn't take another step.
The Rainy Night Maniac seemed to notice Zhao Rong was out of breath and couldn't run anymore. He sneered at them, "You two weirdos. To be honest, I didn't even feel like killing today… But I never expected you'd willingly come back to die. Since that's what you want, don't blame me for what happens next."
With that, the Rainy Night Maniac charged at them with his scythe.
Seeing the killer charge, Zhao Rong yelled, "We're done for! It looks like we're really going to die tonight!"
The Rainy Night Maniac was equally certain that they were doomed. His confidence came from years of roaming the world and committing evil; he had never met anyone who could escape his scythe. Moreover, looking at Zhao Rong's thin frame and his timid, long-winded nature, he was convinced the man was a total pushover—as easy to kill as crushing an ant.
However, what the Rainy Night Maniac didn't expect was that as he reached Zhao Rong and swung his scythe down, he suddenly felt a powerful kick to his groin. The kick was precise and landed squarely on his balls. The agony of having his testicles crushed was indescribable—a pain that started skin-deep before boring its way inward, becoming utterly excruciating.