Chapter 8: This Is Nothing but a Madman Driven to Kill

When Xiang Nan saw the girl again, he nodded at her with a gentle smile, intending to continue searching for his seat.

But at that moment, a tattooed, lecherous hand reached for the girl's thigh. The owner of the hand was the square-faced man Xiang Nan had encountered at the security checkpoint earlier. No wonder he had found the man suspicious—it turned out he was a degenerate harassing young women.

As she was molested, the girl was both ashamed and furious. Instinctively, she tried to slap the offending hand away, but her soft, pale wrist was immediately seized by the man's other hand, gripping her firmly. Her seat was by the window, making it hard for her to break free. Just as she was about to cry out for help, the square-faced man leaned close, whispering something sinister in her ear with a wicked smile.

She was on the verge of tears, her face drained of color. She dared not resist any longer, nor call for help, forced to let the man's filthy hand roam unchecked over her thigh.

"Scum," Xiang Nan muttered through clenched teeth, striding toward the girl. She had once helped him; he could not stand by and do nothing.

"Miss, shall we switch seats?" he asked. The girl looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears, unable to make a sound, gazing helplessly at Xiang Nan. What the square-faced man had whispered to her moments ago had filled her with terror and despair.

"Don't move, little girl," the man had hissed. "Everyone on this plane is with us."

She glanced around instinctively and noticed several pairs of menacing eyes, which sent a chill through her heart. Xiang Nan was clearly just a student—how could he possibly stand against these people?

"Mind your own business and go sit where you belong, kid," the square-faced man barked, his lecherous hand squeezing the girl's thigh twice more.

It was intolerable—absolutely revolting.

With a single motion, Xiang Nan lifted the man out of his seat, his face still donned with a carefree grin. "If she won't switch with me, perhaps you'd like to swap seats instead?"

The man was caught off guard by Xiang Nan's strength—he'd never expected a student could possess such power.

"Are you looking to die?" the man snarled, swinging a fist the size of a bowl toward Xiang Nan. But Xiang Nan seemed unperturbed, catching the powerful punch with ease.

"It's just a seat change—no need to be so petty."

"You!" The man, furious, threw another punch. Xiang Nan, still gripping his fist, gave a casual twist, nearly causing the man to smack himself in the face. The force of the motion sent the square-faced man staggering into the aisle, leaving the seat open.

"You gave up your seat so quickly? Then I won't be polite," Xiang Nan said, still grinning as he sat down.

The square-faced man regained his footing, his face flushed with rage, about to retaliate, when another tattooed hand reached out in warning.

"Old Six, don't cause trouble," came the commanding voice.

Grinding his teeth in fury, the square-faced man shot Xiang Nan a venomous glare before stalking away.

The girl wiped her tears and looked gratefully at Xiang Nan. "I'm sorry—you've made enemies of them because of me."

"Them?" Xiang Nan had already guessed the man had accomplices. He smiled slightly. "I'm not afraid of them, and you needn't be, either."

The girl gazed at Xiang Nan with wide, shining eyes. Tall and handsome, he always wore a gentle smile, and the words he spoke seemed to carry an invisible strength that put her at ease. She blushed faintly. "My name is Xu Jiya. You can call me Xiaoya."

"I'm Xiang Nan," he replied.

They chatted casually for the rest of the flight. An hour later, the plane landed at the capital airport.

The moment they touched down, Xiang Nan sensed something was amiss. As the cabin door opened and passengers began disembarking, a sudden shout erupted outside:

"Armed police are lying in wait! Brothers, don't go out!"

Three burly men, about to leave the plane, immediately drew custom-made daggers, seizing nearby passengers as hostages. One of them was the lecherous square-faced man.

Chaos erupted in the cabin; panic swept through the passengers.

Two armed police officers rushed in, aiming their guns at the criminals. But the criminals used their hostages as shields, and the police, unwilling to risk the hostages' lives, hesitated to fire.

"Don't move! Take one step, and I'll kill someone!" barked a voice.

From the first-class cabin emerged another criminal—a man with slicked-back hair and a ruthless expression. He pressed a cold blade to a flight attendant's throat. She was pale with terror, trembling uncontrollably.

Behind him stood a bearded accomplice, wielding two daggers at the throats of two more passengers.

Slick-back exuded confidence. "Listen up out there! Anyone tries to come in, and everyone in here dies!"

Half the passengers remained trapped inside the cabin.

The criminals were numerous and well-armed; their blades had slipped past security undetected, something the armed police had not anticipated. The situation was at a stalemate; the police dared not act rashly. Slick-back turned his gaze to the officers in the cabin.

"I'll count to three. Throw your guns over, or I'll bleed her out right here!"

"One... two..."

Grinding their teeth in frustration, the officers had no choice but to toss their guns over.

With a swift motion, slick-back slashed the flight attendant's throat, blood spraying across the cabin. Her body was thrown out the doorway.

"Get three helicopters ready for me!" he bellowed. "Every ten minutes you delay, I kill someone!"

He picked up a rifle and pointed it at another flight attendant, who was cowering on the floor. "You—close the cabin door!"

Trembling, the attendant complied.

The passengers, already terrified, now broke down completely; many began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Enough with the crying! Shut up!" roared slick-back, kicking a weeping passenger to the floor. "Keep crying and I'll shoot you myself!"

The passengers, petrified, clamped their hands over their mouths, not daring to make a sound. The atmosphere grew ever more suffocating, the terror mounting.

"Liu Dabiao! The police will meet your demands, but preparing helicopters takes time—ten minutes is too short!" Armed police officer Zhang Chen spoke through gritted teeth, his voice harsh with suppressed anger. As a hardened officer, he would have loved nothing more than to tear these thugs limb from limb.

With a thud, Liu Dabiao kicked Zhang Chen in the chest, sending him flying several meters. The sickening sound of bones breaking was followed by a mouthful of blood—he was clearly badly injured.

"I don't need your advice on how to do things!" Liu Dabiao barked.

Another officer, Zhao Xu, attempted to retaliate, but the cold barrel of Liu Dabiao's gun pressed abruptly against his forehead.

"Anyone who stands against me dies!" With a swing of the rifle, Zhao Xu dropped to the floor, his head split open and blood gushing out.

"When ten minutes are up, you two die first!"

Liu Dabiao aimed the gun at Zhao Xu's thigh and fired.

Bang!

The bullet tore into flesh; Zhao Xu convulsed in pain, blood streaming from his wounded leg.

This was a true madman—a killer without remorse.