Chapter 104: An Exhilarating Accident

The June sun had long since lost the gentle warmth of spring, gradually becoming scorching. The disordered alleys of the slums were filled with a pungent stench.

Kang Ning entered this alley for the third time. He strolled to the middle, pushed open a half-closed door, and stepped inside. He saw Luo Ming, who had already discarded his crutches, deftly packing his suitcase by the doorway.

Luo Ming looked up and, upon seeing Kang Ning, was overjoyed. "Brother Hua, I never expected you to come again! The room is such a mess, don’t come in—I’ll bring you a stool."

“No need! Roll up your pants and let me check.” Kang Ning squatted down and carefully examined Luo Ming’s broken leg. Two minutes later, he stood up satisfied. “Not bad! In another month, you’ll be running.”

Luo Ming’s parents rushed out of the room. Old Luo wiped his hands on his clothes and stepped forward to firmly grasp Kang Ning’s hand, his eyes filled with gratitude. “Little Hua, you really came. If you had come tomorrow, we might have missed you. I don’t even know how to thank you, our benefactor!”

Kang Ning smiled faintly, gently withdrawing his hand and pointing to the suitcase. “When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow morning at eight. First to Chengdu, then transfer by train to Hanzhong,” Luo Ming replied quickly.

Kang Ning glanced at Luo Ming’s slightly pale but handsome face. He had just gotten a haircut, which made him quite dashing, though his right arm was shortened by a section and tucked tightly inside the long sleeve of his black shirt. Kang Ning turned to Old Luo and his wife. “Leaving here is for the best. This place is just too chaotic.”

“Exactly! Little Ming kept insisting on going to say goodbye to his old colleagues. He really has a short memory for pain! If you hadn’t saved his life and provided medicine, he would have burned to ashes by now! That foolish boy can’t go anywhere!” Luo Ming’s mother scolded loudly.

Luo Ming, feeling troubled, said to his parents, “Dad, Mom, I just want to say goodbye. The brothers and sisters at the bar have always treated me well. Quite a few came to visit me recently. If I leave now, I might never see them again. I can’t bear not to say farewell...”

“You can’t go anywhere!” Luo Ming’s father interrupted firmly, clearly not wanting any trouble before departure.

Seeing Luo Ming’s saddened expression, Kang Ning softened and turned to Old Luo and his wife. “If you trust me, let me accompany Luo Ming. Let him fulfill this wish. I have a car; I’ll drive him there and back quickly. It should be safe.”

“Well...” Old Luo and his wife exchanged a look. Considering Kang Ning’s kindness and skillful medical treatment, they found it hard to refuse. Old Luo glanced at his hopeful son and nodded to Kang Ning. “Having you with him is better, but you must go early and return early.”

Kang Ning nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, Uncle and Aunt. I will follow your wishes.”

Luo Ming happily approached Kang Ning and warmly grasped his hand with his left. “Thank you, Brother Hua! But the bar opens at eight. I want to go at midnight because the colleagues on the late shift will all be there then. That way, we’ll all be together.”

Kang Ning thought for a moment and agreed. “Alright, I’ll pick you up around 11:45 PM. Uncle and Aunt, you start packing; I’ll be off for now.”

---

At 11:45 PM sharp, Kang Ning arrived at Luo Ming’s home. With the worried smiles of Old Luo and his wife watching, Kang Ning and Luo Ming walked side by side out of the alley and calmly got into the Passat parked at the alley’s entrance before driving away.

Luo Ming expressed his gratitude repeatedly while happily admiring the cozy decorations in the car—each a fluffy little animal-shaped ornament that delighted him.

The bar, the destination, was situated atop a low hill with relatively high elevation in the city. Opposite stood the People’s Stadium, surrounded by numerous bars and tea houses. Kang Ning drove around a modest curve, climbed half a kilometer uphill, and arrived at the parking lot in front of the bar. As he turned off the engine and parked, he cautioned Luo Ming, “I’ll wait in the car. Be quick.”

Not receiving a reply, Kang Ning looked over. Luo Ming’s expression was filled with terror; his eyes were fixed tightly on a dark green Mitsubishi V6 SUV parked beside Kang Ning’s car. His lips trembled slightly.

Kang Ning glanced at the Mitsubishi next to his car and asked Luo Ming calmly, “What’s wrong?”

Luo Ming answered painfully, “That car belongs to Ma Gang, Ni San’s trusted henchman. After Tank died, Ma Gang became the most notorious. One night, they captured me in that very car. They’re probably still messing around in the luxurious private room on the bar’s third floor.”

Kang Ning scanned the surroundings and asked quietly, “Are you sure?”

Luo Ming gritted his teeth. “Sure! The license plate is O1688—I’d recognize it even if it burned to ashes!”

After a moment’s thought, Kang Ning proposed, “Don’t go upstairs. Just say your goodbyes in the hall. I’ll wait in the car. Ten minutes enough?”

“Enough.” Luo Ming opened the door to get out.

“Wait. Do you know that young guy standing at the door?” Kang Ning stopped him, pointing at the security guard.

Luo Ming glanced and replied, “That’s my buddy, Xiao Dong. Do you know him, Brother Hua?”

Kang Ning shook his head. “No, but I don’t want him to see me. Can you call him into the hall with you?”

Luo Ming readily agreed. “Sure, he’ll definitely come in with me. I’m going down now.”

Luo Ming got out, closed the door, walked about twenty meters to the entrance, and warmly embraced the surprised security guard before they went inside together.

Kang Ning opened the trunk lid, got out slowly, moved behind the car, opened the trunk, and reached in to grab a small toolbox from a corner. After closing the trunk, he casually glanced around. Seeing no one on the street paying him any attention, he returned to the driver’s side, opened the door, put on white gloves, and crouched as if fiddling with something. After a few seconds, he glanced forward and backward before quickly crawling under the Mitsubishi SUV next to him. Lying on his back, he raised his left hand and began carefully probing. Once he found what he was looking for, he swiftly began working with his tools.

Five minutes later, Kang Ning returned silently to the driver’s seat, closed the door, wiped the tools with a cloth inside the car, and neatly stored them in the glove box. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and popped a piece of gum into his mouth.

---

Just as he chewed a few bites, Luo Ming hurriedly ran to the car, got in, and immediately shut the door tightly. “Brother Hua, hurry and drive! Someone told me Ma Gang’s five men are leaving the bar for some phone call. They can’t see me—please, let’s go!”

Kang Ning said nothing. He slowly reversed out of the parking lot and drove the car to a shaded spot about forty meters diagonally across from the bar. Turning the car around, he parked by the curb and quietly watched the brightly lit bar entrance. Then, he softly asked the unsettled Luo Ming, “Who’s the beauty that the big guy in the middle grabbed?”

Luo Ming shook his head. “That’s Shuyi. She came down to warn me. I heard she’s very good at her studies, but her family’s too poor to send her to college. So she studies during the day and works at night to earn money. She just started working a few days ago and has already been targeted by that scum Ma Gang. She might get violated any day now! Damn it, the one grabbing Shuyi’s chest is Ma Gang. I’m useless! Otherwise, I’d wipe out those bastards!”

Seeing Luo Ming’s left hand clenched tightly into a fist, Kang Ning smiled slightly and said, “Ma Gang’s car has left. Let’s go too.”

With that, Kang Ning started the car and slowly followed the Mitsubishi V6. Watching the lead car speed downhill, Kang Ning’s lips curled into a faint smile as he said to the resentful Luo Ming, “Driving so fast downhill is a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Good! I hope they crash and die! Crash them now, downhill—crash!” Luo Ming cursed viciously.

To his surprise, just as Luo Ming finished his curses, the Mitsubishi suddenly emitted a barely audible dull thud, lost control, wove sharply in an S-shaped pattern, and violently collided with a roadside utility pole. The vehicle then flipped fiercely, rolled twice, and plunged down a ten-meter embankment. A louder crash followed. The broken concrete pole fell down the hill, producing dazzling, sparking arcs of electricity. Instantly, the streetlights and all the lights in nearby buildings flickered and went out.

Kang Ning calmly drove past the accident site, glanced at the broken pole, and continued down the slope without haste.

Luo Ming, snapping out of his daze, stared at Kang Ning for a long moment before tremblingly exclaiming, “My God! They really crashed!”

Kang Ning smiled slightly and said seriously, “I’m going to report you to the police later. If you hadn’t kept cursing, how would they have had an accident?”

Luo Ming was startled at first but then saw Kang Ning whistle casually, realizing he was joking. He laughed heartily, fully releasing his pent-up emotions.

As they drove down to the bustling city foot of the hill, a sudden, violent explosion startled them both. Kang Ning deduced that the electric sparks must have ignited leaked gasoline, causing the blast.

After safely returning Luo Ming home, the deeply worried Old Luo and his wife finally relaxed. Luo Ming’s mother still clutched her chest, saying the explosion from halfway up the hill had terrified her.

Kang Ning smiled, bade farewell to Old Luo and his wife, gave Luo Ming a tight hug as the young man threw himself against him in parting, said “Take care,” and then turned away.

Under the door’s light, Luo Ming looked at the damp dust clinging to Kang Ning’s back and felt puzzled. He couldn’t understand how Kang Ning, who had been clean and fresh moments ago, had gotten so dirty.

Fifteen minutes later, Kang Ning drove his cozy Passat through the street, slowly entering his neighborhood amid the blaring sirens of fire trucks and police cars. Soon after, he lay naked in his comfortable bathtub at home, softly whistling “Serenade” while lathering his body with bubbles.