Chapter 260: A Mugging on the Street

At 8:30 p.m., Li Yi figured it was getting late, so he told Dongzi and the others he was leaving and headed out of the rental apartment!

This time, he didn’t bring Dongzi and the others along; instead, he chose to go rescue the person on his own!

For one thing, he was confident in his own skills; with his hand-to-hand combat abilities and physical fitness, dealing with a few small-time thugs would be a piece of cake.

In short, as long as they weren’t armed with guns or ammunition, there was nothing to fear!

On the other hand, Li Yi didn’t want Dongzi and the others to follow him into this danger; after all, compared to him—a trained fighter—they were just ordinary village kids.

A casual brawl here and there was no problem, but risking their lives against thugs and hoodlums was clearly beyond their capabilities!

Li Yi certainly didn’t want anything to happen to any of them—otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to face their families!

As he left Courtyard 6, Li Yi grabbed a pine stick as thick as his arm from Uncle Wen’s firewood pile and held it in his hand.

Although Li Yi wasn’t afraid of those petty thugs, they did have knives, and going in empty-handed would put him at a serious disadvantage—it was better to have something in his hands.

Then, Li Yi headed toward the narrow alley he remembered.

As far as he could recall, Jiang Longcheng had been stabbed to death with multiple blows around 10:00 p.m.

According to the subsequent investigation, Jiang Longcheng and the killer had been dining at the same restaurant. The killer had been acting too flashy and spending money recklessly, which had caught the attention of a few cash-strapped thugs.

Originally, those thugs hadn’t intended to kill him; they just saw how generous he was and decided to rob him of some money.

So, after Jiang Longcheng finished his meal, these guys followed him the whole way.

It was just bad luck for Jiang Longcheng. After finishing his meal at the restaurant, instead of heading home with his childhood friend, he decided to spend the night at the factory and set off alone toward the cotton mill.

That would have been fine; if he’d stuck to the main roads, those thugs wouldn’t have dared to act so brazenly.

But he’d had a few drinks at the restaurant, and not long after stepping out, he needed to relieve himself. So he turned into a secluded alley—only to be cornered by those thugs.

Actually, those thugs hadn’t intended to kill him, but Jiang Longcheng was the kind of stubborn guy who wouldn’t back down no matter what. Seeing someone dare to treat him this way, his temper flared instantly.

Not only did he refuse to pay, but his foul mouth kept spewing insults.

His behavior really pissed off those thugs. On top of that, since those bastards had been drinking too, their heads were in a fog, and they started slashing at him with their knives.

It didn’t take long before Jiang Longcheng collapsed to the ground!

However, according to the coroner’s report, those thugs were likely afraid of causing a fatality, so they didn’t aim for his vital organs. Although he was stabbed several times, none of the wounds were fatal.

The coroner’s final conclusion was that Jiang Longcheng had actually died from excessive blood loss.

In other words, if he had been taken to the hospital in time, he might have survived.

Unfortunately, the alley was far too secluded, and with the incident occurring just before 10 o’clock, there was simply no one passing by.

The end result was that Jiang Longcheng met his end, and the thugs who killed him were quickly apprehended, ultimately paying with their lives for his death.

Just after nine o’clock, Li Yi finally arrived at the small restaurant where the incident had taken place all those years ago.

Through the glass, he immediately spotted Jiang Longcheng sitting by the window.

He didn’t see the thugs, though—perhaps they were seated further inside the restaurant.

Li Yi didn’t go inside; instead, he turned and walked into the alley where the crime had originally taken place.

Back when he’d heard of Jiang Longcheng’s death, Li Yi had come here with a few fellow workers who’d also been helped by him to pay their respects; he vaguely remembered the surroundings.

But after so many years, his memory wasn’t very clear.

So Li Yi needed to scout the area first, to make sure those thugs didn’t slip away.

Stepping into the alley, it was indeed secluded and quiet. Since the entire row consisted of the back walls of other people’s homes, there weren’t many people around.

After walking the length of the alley, Li Yi had a good grasp of the surrounding terrain, and only then did he return to the main road.

By then, it was almost ten o’clock!

Just as he returned to the main road, Li Yi saw Jiang Longcheng coming out of the restaurant, saying goodbye to a few friends.

However, judging by the way he walked, he didn’t seem to have had much to drink—at least he wasn’t staggering or weaving in a zigzag pattern.

Perhaps that’s why his friends felt comfortable letting him go back to the factory alone.

If he had actually gotten drunk in his previous life, things might have turned out quite differently.

After saying goodbye to his friends, Jiang Longcheng tucked his small briefcase under his arm and set off toward the cotton mill, which was a kilometer away.

However, Li Yi noticed that after he had walked less than a hundred meters, three men suddenly appeared behind him.

These three men were fairly well-dressed; two of them had lit cigarettes hanging from their lips as they followed Jiang Longcheng at a leisurely pace.

Li Yi didn’t step out, but kept a close watch on them.

He had his own plans for today’s situation.

Of course, he had to save the man, but in doing so, he also had to treat the illness—the madness.

To be honest, the fact that Jiang Longcheng ended up dead on the street in his previous life had a great deal to do with his personality.

It was true that he had a chivalrous heart, but his character flaws were quite obvious: he was arrogant and even a bit out of touch.

Relying on his family background, he didn’t give a damn about ordinary people.

Even without those few reckless thugs, given his stubborn and hot-headed nature, he was bound to meet a bad end sooner or later.

And for someone like him, only after suffering a real, major setback might he finally rein himself in.

So, although Li Yi was prepared to save him today, he didn’t want to step in so early—the guy had to suffer a bit first.

Otherwise, even if he escaped this crisis, another one would surely follow.

As for Jiang Longcheng, after having a few drinks with some friends, he was feeling much better.

Thinking that going home reeking of alcohol would inevitably lead to a lecture from his parents, he decided to just sleep it off in the factory dormitory so he could get to work early the next day.

He hadn’t the slightest idea that he was already being watched.

After walking for a short while, Jiang Longcheng felt a certain part of his body swelling up, and he was getting rather anxious.

He looked around, but saw that both sides were major roads with occasional passersby—not a suitable place to relieve himself.

Especially since the cotton mill wasn’t far away—how embarrassing it would be if the workers saw him, the plant manager, relieving himself in the open.

Just then, he spotted a small alleyway ahead on the left. It looked deserted—perfect for relieving himself.

Without hesitation, he headed in that direction.

However, the strangers following behind him, upon seeing this, immediately let a glimmer of delight flash across their eyes.

They quickened their pace and followed him inside.

Once inside the alley, Jiang Longcheng saw that it was indeed deserted. He immediately pulled out his penis to relieve himself, preparing to draw a map.

But to his surprise, before he had finished releasing the ink, a cold object was suddenly pressed against his neck.

Immediately afterward, a harsh voice rang in his ear: “Don’t move. Hand over all the money you have on you!”

This sudden turn of events sent a shiver down Jiang Longcheng’s spine.

The thing in his crotch twitched, and he wet himself right there.