Chapter 065: Accepting the Girl's Invitation

The sea breeze brushed gently past, lifting the ink-black hair of the young man, making him appear almost ethereal. As he glanced back, Lin Yu immediately noticed three vans speeding towards him from different directions, each one packed with people. The chaos unfolded as the vans barreled recklessly toward the shore—tourists screamed and scattered, and in an instant, the seaside became a scene of utter bedlam.

“Something’s wrong! They’re probably after me!” In just a couple of seconds, Lin Yu discerned from the trajectory of the vehicles that their target was likely himself. His heart tightened—he suspected these men were sent by Zhang Yang to take revenge.

In that moment, it was as if the world around him fell silent. Lin Yu sensed imminent danger; the three vans were closing in from all sides, hemming him in with the sea at his back—there was nowhere to escape. Clearly, his adversaries had come prepared; he had likely been watched for some time.

A powerful sense of oppression gripped him, reminiscent of the moment in his past life when he was hacked to death in a frenzy of blades. Once again, he was alone, unarmed, beset by enemies, and the evening was falling. Yet this time, Lin Yu was far calmer than before—reborn, his temperament had grown more composed. Most importantly, his body was now strong and healthy, not hollowed out by dissipation as it had been in his previous life.

If only he could swim, he could have plunged into the sea. Tragically, despite growing up by the water, he had never learned. With the vans about to reach him, Lin Yu, back pressed against the ocean, didn’t hesitate; he sprinted toward the narrow gap between the two vans ahead.

As he ran, the gentle breeze suddenly whipped sharply against his face, sending a chill through his heart. At first, panic threatened to overwhelm him—memories of his last encirclement haunted him. But the bracing sea air helped him regain his composure. Though his heart still raced, he was no longer flustered. He owed this steadiness to the courage he had honed since his rebirth—the resolve to remain unmoved even as a city of enemies closed in.

The first van to reach him was a white one on the far right. Its driver, clearly experienced, didn’t try to hit Lin Yu directly; instead, he swung the vehicle sideways, blocking his escape route. As the doors flew open, a gang of thugs wielding machetes and clubs surged out. In a flash of desperation, Lin Yu snatched a lighter from his pocket and hurled it with all his might at the van door.

A sharp “bang!” rang out. The plastic lighter, filled with butane, exploded with a loud crack. The noise, though not deafening, startled the thugs and slowed their advance for a precious second. Seizing the moment, Lin Yu darted past the van and sprinted along the shoreline—racing, quite literally, for his life. A single misstep would mean certain doom.

Because the sand was so soft, all the thugs abandoned their vehicles and gave chase on foot. Thus unfolded a dramatic scene on the shore: one man fleeing desperately ahead, while more than twenty men armed with blades and clubs thundered after him.

Lin Yu was in decent shape, able to run a hundred meters in about twelve seconds. The adrenaline surging through him now drove him even faster. But like a cheetah, he was not built for endurance. Soon, lactic acid built up in his legs; his thighs and calves ached painfully, and he was forced to gulp air through his mouth.

Among the pursuers, a few were particularly swift. Within moments, two or three muscular thugs wielding machetes closed to within a few meters. A dozen seconds later, Lin Yu felt a sudden chill at the back of his head. Alarmed, he instinctively jerked his head to the right as a sharp blade slashed past his ear, biting into his left shoulder. First came a cold numbness, then a torrent of blood—he could feel the flesh parting, and the searing pain made him shudder.

Glancing back out of the corner of his eye—a fleeting look that saved his life—Lin Yu twisted and dodged, narrowly avoiding a blow aimed at his skull.

“Either one erupts in silence, or one perishes in silence.” These words of Lu Xun captured Lin Yu’s predicament perfectly. He realized that if he kept running, he would eventually be cut down. But to fight back, he would have to defeat the three nearest assailants within five seconds—an almost impossible challenge.

Ahead, he could see no safe destination. There was no telling where he might finally outrun his pursuers.

“What should I do?” The question gnawed at him, his situation perilous—one misstep meant death.

The roaring sea breeze whipped against his face, thick with brine and the metallic tang of blood, adding to the suffocating atmosphere that matched the brutality unfolding on the sand.

Sensing death closing in, Lin Yu steeled his heart and suddenly lunged at the foremost pursuer. He struck first with a solid kick to the groin, then, with a deft move, seized the thug’s blade and slashed down hard.

A blood-curdling scream pierced the air as the man’s left hand was severed at the wrist, exposing white bone amid a fountain of blood—a gruesome sight. Without hesitation, Lin Yu, now in a frenzy, swung again, this time landing a blow squarely on the man’s head. With a dull groan, the thug collapsed limply to the ground. The force of the blow bent the cheap blade.

Clutching his wounded left arm to his side, Lin Yu brandished the blade in his right hand and charged the next two thugs, launching an unexpected and desperate counterattack.

He embodied the spirit of a lone hero undeterred by thousands.

“Last time I was surrounded, I managed to take down five, even when I was half-dead. This time, I’m in better shape—I should be able to take out even more!” Lin Yu’s eyes glinted red, a wicked energy rising within him. His only regret was that he might not make it to his meeting with Qi Yue. The thought of her melodious voice and pure smile sent a wild heat through him.

“Today, I will make it to her! None of you can stop me!” Lin Yu roared, swinging his blade at the nearest attacker, a tiger’s fierce aura radiating from his body.

Having survived a life-and-death battle and possessing years of taekwondo training, his counterattack was not to be underestimated.

Many of the thugs, seeing his ferocity, felt a sudden chill of fear in their hearts.