After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

Rainy night, brick house, dim lighting.

The old cat stood at the door, soaking wet, like a black panther just pulled from the water.

He stared at Gong Yuelong, the scar running diagonally from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth twitching slightly in the shadows.

Eight years on the run, thirteen bloody cases, seven lives on his shoulders—in this high-tech zone, there are no more than five tough guys he can take seriously.

The shirtless contractor in front of me?

It counts as one, but that's all.

When Old Cat kills someone, he never considers how strong the opponent is, only how deserving they are to die, and—how much money they are paid.

"She's quite quick-witted."

The old cat spoke in a hoarse voice, "I just don't know if he'll still be able to talk like this after his bones break."

He moved.

Without warning, it was so fast that it left only a wet shadow!

The short knife in his right hand, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, slashed towards Gong Yuelong's throat!

This strike was delivered at a tricky angle and with astonishing speed, taking advantage of the dim light at the doorway to minimize the glare on the blade.

The professionalism of an assassin lies in striving for a single, decisive blow, without any hesitation.

"Got it!" Old Cat sneered inwardly.

At that distance and with the other person still sitting down, there's absolutely no way to avoid it!

He could even foresee the sensation of the blade cutting through his throat.

however--

"clang!"

A deafening roar!

In the nick of time, Gong Yuelong actually picked up the heavy pipe wrench on the table!

It wasn't a parry; it was like swinging a hammer, slamming the side of the blade hard with the side of the pincers!

The immense force sent a shiver down Old Cat's wrist, and the blade narrowly grazed Gong Yuelong's neck, leaving only a shallow bloodstain.

Coincidence? Brute force?

The old cat felt a chill run down its spine, but its movements didn't stop at all.

His knife missed its mark, so he ducked and lashed out with his left leg like a whip towards Gong Yuelong's shinbone!

If this blow lands squarely, the bone will break! At the same time, the left hand forms a claw, grabbing at the opponent's weak ribs! Attacking from both above and below, it's insidious and ruthless!

Gong Yuelong seemed unable to stand up straight in time, so he leaned back abruptly and slammed the pipe wrench against the ground!

"Bang!" The sweeping leg landed solidly on the cast iron pliers handle, and even Old Cat felt a sharp pain in his foot.

His claw, which was reaching for his waist, was knocked away by Gong Yuelong's elbow!

Another coincidence? Such a quick reaction?

The old cat's eyes flashed with even greater ferocity. His opponent's two attacks, though seemingly clumsy, had precisely broken his most prized series of deadly moves.

This kid... he's a bit strange.

But he remained calm. So what if he was strong and quick to react?

The art of killing is honed through countless trials, not by brute force!

Using the recoil, he jumped back half a step, creating some distance. He turned the short knife in his palm, gripped it in a reverse hand, and held the blade close to his forearm.

This is a dangerous move in close combat, making it easy to slit throats or sever tendons at extremely close range.

Like a hyena eyeing its prey, the old cat began to slowly move around Gong Yuelong, its footsteps so light they were almost inaudible, with only the faint sound of raindrops dripping down its body.

He was looking for a flaw, a real flaw.

Gong Yuelong also stood up, holding the pipe wrench in front of him, slightly panting, the bloodstain on his arm still oozing blood.

He seemed somewhat passive, his eyes closely following the old cat's movements, as if he were on high alert.

Scared?

The old cat noticed the subtle erratic breathing and the tense posture of the other person.

That's more like it. No matter how good you are at fighting, if you haven't truly experienced a life-or-death assassination, you'll eventually show your weakness.

What Old Cat excels at is amplifying the fear of his prey, and then delivering a fatal blow the moment the prey loses its guard.

He suddenly stopped, pretending to lunge at Gong Yuelong's left side.

Gong Yuelong subconsciously tilted the pipe wrench to the left.

Now! Old Cat's real killer move is on the right!

He twisted his ankle in a bizarre way, his body bending to the right at an impossible angle, and the short knife, like a venomous snake darting out of a ditch, stabbed straight at Gong Yuelong's right ribs, near his liver!

This feint followed by a sudden thrust was as fast as lightning and extremely insidious. Countless skilled fighters have fallen victim to this move!

The sensation of the blade touching my body came through!

bingo!

The old cat was overjoyed.

But the expected sluggishness of the blade entering flesh did not occur. Instead, there was a hissing sound as the blade tip only grazed Gong Yuelong's vest!

What?!

The old cat's pupils suddenly contracted.

Just as he had exhausted his old strength and had not yet generated new strength, and was experiencing a slight pause due to surprise, Gong Yuelong moved!

The pipe wrench, which had been lying across his body, was now gripped by one end with one hand. He swung it like a sledgehammer, in an extremely awkward posture, from bottom to top, from the inside out.

He slashed at the old cat's armpit, below the knife!

This happened without warning, from an incredibly tricky angle, completely defying common sense!

Like a worker cornered against a wall, he picks up the heaviest tool at hand and fights desperately without regard for anything else!

"Snap!"

A bone-cracking sound so clear it sent chills down your spine!

"Ugh—!"

The old cat let out a short, suppressed growl of pain, and its entire right arm went limp instantly, the dagger clattering to the ground.

The sharp pain coming from his armpit told him that it was at least a fracture!

That arm is temporarily useless!

He staggered backward, crashing into the wall, his face deathly pale, cold sweat mingling with the rain streaming down his forehead.

He stared at Gong Yuelong in disbelief, his eyes filled with horror for the first time.

It was not a coincidence! It wasn't brute force!

The timing, angle, and force of that counterattack were terrifyingly precise!

It was clear that he had anticipated that the attacker would strike his right flank, and he had also anticipated the slight moment of relaxation the attacker would make when he succeeded!

That piece of leather… he was prepared for this all along! This guy… he's been acting from the very beginning? Acting for himself?

Gong Yuelong did not pursue, but simply shook the pipe wrench to remove the blood that was stuck to it.

He was still breathing slightly, but his eyes, under the dim light, were calm and unfathomable, showing no trace of his previous passivity and tension.

The old cat leaned against the cold wall, waves of excruciating pain pounding through his right arm.

He looked at his knife on the ground, then at the man in front of him holding pipe wrenches.

A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight up to the top of his head.

He always thought of himself as a hunter.

It was only at this moment that he realized he might be the one who had walked step by step into the trap... the prey.

The excruciating pain from the fractured bone in his right arm made Old Cat's vision go black, but it only fueled the ruthless and ferocious nature deep within him.

He reached behind his waist with his left hand and pulled out a black triangular scraper with a blood groove.

"One arm...that's enough to kill you!"

He rasped, pushed off with his feet, splashing mud and water everywhere, and lunged forward with his whole body!

With the knife hidden behind his back and his head and shoulders in front, he was using a suicide charge technique.

Gong Yuelong blocked with his horizontal clamp, and the two collided.

Old Cat had been waiting for this close-quarters moment! The scraper, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, stabbed fiercely upwards at the root of Gong Yuelong's thigh!

The knife tip pierced the fabric, creating a feeling of resistance.

bingo!

The old cat is about to twist with a flick of its wrist!

"A canvas was used as a pad."

Gong Yuelong's voice rang out almost simultaneously.

"People like you, the first thing you do is slit your throat, and if you get blocked, you like to stab your femoral artery to bleed people out quickly. Your methods are too old-fashioned."

Old Cat felt a chill in his heart, and subconsciously reduced the force of his thrust by three-tenths.

It's this very moment!

Gong Yuelong suddenly spun around, and with the force of the rotation, his right elbow slammed solidly into Lao Mao's exposed left temple from the stabbing!

"Bang!"

The old cat felt a cacophony of bells and drums in its ears, the world spinning around it. It stumbled and crashed into the table, collapsing into the muddy water like a rag doll.

He struggled to sit up, but his left hand trembled uncontrollably.