Chapter 00042: No Guns Life
# No Guns Life
Chapter 42
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 42: No Guns Life
Under the afternoon sun, a black sedan came to a halt at the mouth of an alley near the mainland auto repair shop.
Lu Feng got out of the car, glanced around to ensure no one was watching, and waved toward the inside of the vehicle.
"Thanks, I'll pay you back as soon as I can."
"Have you really thought it over?" The driver, a woman with slightly dusky skin and tattoos on her arms that matched Lu Feng's, asked.
She had a scar on her neck, and her usually fierce gaze was unexpectedly gentle.
"After all, we’re old friends. If you join us, you could get some shares… I heard your sister has started university. Tianmen University’s tuition isn’t cheap. If you don’t have a windfall, you might end up spending a lifetime paying it off."
"Please, let me be. I don’t want to get involved in those things anymore. As for the student loans… I think there’s nothing wrong with living a simple life while steadily paying off loans."
Lu Feng chuckled and shrugged.
"Even if things don't go well, we still have each other, right?"
"Talking like that?" Laela looked a bit surprised.
"That’s so unlike you."
"My younger siblings have become successful; they don’t need me anymore."
He sighed slightly, raising his head to gaze at the familiar scenery in the distance.
"When I was younger, I thought that to rise up, to stand out, one had to be ruthless, strong, and imposing. But after years of struggling, from Yai City to Central Land, and then into that muddy pit, I found I achieved nothing."
"I used to think that holding a gun would be the key to controlling my life, but later realized that once I picked it up, that was all that remained in my life. I fought hard to crawl back from Central Land just so I wouldn’t have to live in the gutter again."
"Those gutters aren’t any different," he said.
As he spoke, he hesitated for a moment, reaching behind his waist to take off the holster and handed it over to her.
Laela froze, opening the holster and looking at the familiar handgun, a weapon passed down through generations of elite soldiers in the airborne division.
She found it hard to believe.
"Are you serious?"
"Weren't you always envious of this?" After making his decision, Lu Feng was unburdened, smiling as he continued, "It's a gift. Just count it as part of how I owe you."
Laela said nothing, merely gazing at him in a contemplative fashion.
After a long silence, she finally uttered, "That’s good."
"Huh?"
"I mean, this is for the best. A life you can live peacefully without relying on a gun is the true good life."
The emotion on her face was difficult to express, uncertain if it stemmed from shared joy or deep resentment.
Finally, she could only say, "Congratulations."
"Thanks."
Lu Feng waved his hand, turning to leave, only to hear a voice from behind.
"There’s one more thing."
Laela sighed helplessly.
"I remember you told me about that kid with the burned face who isn’t bad looking?"
Lu Feng nodded.
"My little brother, what’s wrong?"
"Be careful. Recently, someone’s been investigating him."
Laela puffed on her cigarette, suppressing her irritation.
"There's no news on the ‘Wasteland Forum,’ they went around it—looks like someone in the local gang has placed a bounty, likely some mess-up."
Lu Feng stood frozen in place, then saw her pass back the item.
That gun.
"Think it over, Old Lu," Laela warned.
"You want to put down the gun and live a good life, but sometimes, having no gun means you can’t live a peaceful life."
Instinctively, Lu Feng reached out, but the moment he touched the holster, he felt a jolt that made him freeze.
For a long while, his fingers opened, then clenched tightly.
"Thanks," he said.
"I still miss you when you were in Central Land. Back then, you wouldn't say such cowardly words."
Laela shook her head, no longer prolonging the conversation.
"I’m off."
With a stomp on the gas, the sedan sped away, leaving Lu Feng standing alone, seemingly dazed for ages.
He lowered his head and lit a cigarette, the tip almost damp from his breath, and as he kept his head down and breathed silently, his eyes gradually turned fierce in the shadows where sunlight couldn’t reach.
"Brother, you're back?" A younger sibling peeked out from the shop doorway.
"Stop dawdling and hurry up with the brake pads. Mom will be mad if she finds out!"
"Oh, coming!" Lu Feng snapped back to reality, a gentle smile on his face as he patted his head.
"Look at my forgetfulness! I’m on it..."
Just then, his phone started vibrating like crazy.
His heart sank into despair.
Incoming call: Lu Ling.
"Brother, help! Someone's trying to grab me! There are several of them, and… and..."
The familiar sound of her sobs echoed through the receiver, like a terrified scream.
"Don’t come over!!!"
Crack!
A fissure appeared on the screen.
Without a moment's thought, Lu Feng sprinted into the shop, ignoring everything else, jumping into the delivery van and flooring the accelerator.
But it was too late.
Ten minutes later, when he arrived at the scene, all that was left was chaos.
Half an hour before, at the North District, East Road farmers' market, a bustling hub of activity.
"Big sister, how much for this grouper?" Lu Ling navigated through the narrow aisles, gazing at the lively seafood swimming in the tanks.
"Way too expensive! Lower the price a bit; this has clearly been here for several days. After so much oxygen, it's bound to spoil, right? Fine, also give me half a pound of the bamboo shrimp—no, make it one pound!"
Minutes later, the girl, triumphantly carrying two bags, checked her phone against the grocery list from their mom.
She thought about whether to buy a chicken since she had ridden her motorcycle, making it easier to carry back and prepare for dinner.
Then out of nowhere, she felt a rough hand yanking her hair.
Pull!
The burly man who jumped down from the delivery van didn’t say a word, dragging her toward the ground to haul her into the vehicle.
Seeing this, Lu Ling's eyes widened in instinctive terror, her scream cut off by the man’s foreboding shout, "Wasting family's money, where’ve you stashed the household funds?!"
Another scrawny man rushed up, grabbing onto her legs and pleading, "Little one, listen to uncle! Your mom’s furious; just go back and apologize."
She could barely get a word out as the stunned crowd around them started to spread, pointing and whispering in shock.
"Listen to your grandma, dearie. I’ll take you back, okay?" An unknown old woman ambled close, holding a damp handkerchief, trying to cover her face.
Lu Ling froze, recalling what an elder brother had once said, instinctively holding her breath.
With a swift motion, she swung the bag, striking the man in the face.
Fish and shrimp scattered everywhere in a messy display.
Her free hand finally grasped something.
It was the old woman’s sinister face.
Without thinking, she drove her finger in with all her might!
A piercing scream erupted.
That jarring sensation at her fingertips finally prompted the old woman to release her grip, stumbling back, blood pouring from her eyes, howling in pain.
But Lu Ling had found her chance to fight back, raising her leg to kick the leg-holding man directly in the face.
She hit the ground and didn’t look back at the hand still clutching her hair.
Using all four limbs, she bolted forward, feeling no pain from her forehead or the back of her head, even as a chunk of her hair was ripped from her scalp.
She had no time to catch her breath.
In the midst of dizzying chaos, she collided into the crowd, sending stalls toppling over as she pushed her motorcycle forward, starting it and knocking over a bicycle before racing onto the street.
"She’s running away?"
The man still grasping her hair momentarily froze, stunned that such a thin girl could react so quickly.
Ignoring the old woman’s wails, he jumped into the vehicle.
"Chase her! Get her back!!!"
The dilapidated car roared to life and took off in hot pursuit, refusing to be shaken off.
But in the frenzy, Lu Ling couldn’t discern where she was going; soon enough, she found herself cornered in a dead-end alley.
No way out.
"Is anyone there? Help! Help!!! Open the door!" She pounded on the closed iron gate, crying out.
There seemed to be movement behind the door, but in the end, no one responded.
Only at the alley's entrance did the man from earlier step out, sneering as he flicked away the hair strands caught between his fingers.
"Run, little slut! Keep running!"
Behind him, the driver and another man also jumped down, this time fully armed, holding an assortment of items.
A black plastic bag shielded knives and iron rods, chilling to behold.
Lu Ling staggered backward, speechless.
Dropping her phone, she pulled out an old flathead screwdriver from the motorcycle's toolbox, gripping it tightly.
But alas, she still had no real power to resist.
With just a few brutal strikes, she was knocked to the ground.
Regardless of how fiercely she struggled, an iron rod struck her forehead until all sound faded away.
In that very moment, several men adeptly bound her up and tossed her into their vehicle before driving off, leaving no time for Lu Feng to arrive—things were meant to go this way, without any unexpected twists.
But unfortunately, life had its surprises.
For instance, because Lu Ling had been lazy, she didn’t want to walk when it was her turn to buy groceries and didn’t know how to drive, so she had messaged her second brother last night, asking if she could lend the motorcycle.
Then there was Ji Jue, who, upon seeing her message, readily agreed, so this morning he left on foot instead of riding.
And lastly, that dilapidated old sheep with no one paying the slightest attention to it behind Lu Ling.
So many unforeseen mishaps.
Until a truly unfortunate story was only beginning.
The moment she realized her prized chicken leg was under threat, the silent "Niu Ma" motorcycle unleashed a terrifying roar that pierced the air.
Like thunder!
No, it was more like a bomb about to explode right at close range!
The battered plastic casing shattered instantly, revealing a vicious mechanical face within, howling with fury!
Five sharp, chaotic claws plunged from the wheels, and a tail adorned with barbed projections glinted ominously.
In the midst of a noise rivaling a sports car's engine, "Niu Ma" leaped over Lu Ling's shoulder, directly pouncing on the man in the front.
It opened its mouth and clamped down on his head, snapping it closed.
Amidst the chilling screams, its claws ripped mercilessly through his right arm, crashing down and trampling, its rear wheel crushing his face.
Crazy! Wild! Spin! Spin! Spin!!!!
Bits of flesh and blood splattered all over the mudguard, the screams abruptly ceased, followed by the sounds of cracking ribs as "Niu Ma" soared into the air once more, its rear wheel performing a left kick and the front wheel delivering a right thrust, shattering one leg before flipping its head and dismissing the ruined limb aside.
Then it charged straight into the last 'survivor.'
And just like that, there were no survivors left.
Only the recently connected phone call echoed in the air, Lu Feng’s voice sounding puzzled.
And when Lu Feng arrived at the scene ten minutes later, what met his eyes were three incomplete, barely breathing figures crumpled on the ground, close to their last breaths.
A 'thing' that looked like a scooter lay near his sister’s feet, tossing its mudguard as if trying to curry favor.
Desperately trying to lick her foot in hopes of a tasty chicken leg.
(End of this chapter)