Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...
Years of Heartflutter · Page 403 of 501
Little did he know that Yang Ce was already highly skilled to begin with, and had undergone long, rigorous training. Even without that one-second pause, Yang Ce could not have been stabbed by him; but that pause only gave Yang Ce the chance to seize the blade.
The instant the dagger was pulled free, Delay Man 001's blood gushed out like a fountain, spraying everywhere.
"I say, Old Man Ouyang, next time you bring someone out to kill me, could you find one without defects?" Yang Ce's tone was utterly casual, nothing like a man who had just killed someone. "Does this fellow have epilepsy? His movements come in fits and starts."
Ouyang Kanqi stared in disbelief at Yang Ce and at Delay Man 001 lying on the ground. He had never imagined that Delay Man 001's somewhat twisted habit would become the cause of his death.
Although Ouyang Kanqi had always thought Delay Man 001's flaw was not ideal—it easily gave opponents a chance to catch their breath or flee—he had never once believed an enemy could counterattack in the space of a second. This was not a movie. How could it be possible?
One could only say his thinking was that of a frog at the bottom of a well, convinced his assassin group was formidable, never dreaming there were those even more formidable.
By now Liu Jihao was so frightened he had wet his pants. He truly regretted it—how could he have believed Ouyang Junwei's words and gotten involved in this? If he had merely extorted money from Yang Ce, perhaps Yang Ce would not have done anything; but now Liu Jihao could scarcely imagine what Yang Ce would do to the rest of them after killing Delay Man 001.
How could he have trusted Ouyang Junwei? The man had praised Delay Man 001 to the skies, calling his kung fu peerless and unmatched—and what a fine result. He had been crowing about dealing Yang Ce a fatal blow, and instead had himself been killed with a single strike first.
Ouyang Kanqi was about to speak, but Yang Ce beat him to it. "Oh, that's right—there shouldn't be a next time. Leaving the two of you, old and young, in this world is just creating trouble for me."
"Hmph. Don't think you're so impressive just because you got lucky and killed Delay Man 001. If you've got the guts, come trade a few blows with me!" Ouyang Kanqi gave a cold snort. Though his heart was bleeding at the loss of a prized general, on the surface he still had to feign composure.
"With you?" It was not that Yang Ce looked down on Ouyang Kanqi, but the man's build clearly showed he was no martial artist. Perhaps in his youth he had been a fearsome brawler, relying on sheer ruthlessness, but when it came to actual skill, he was plainly lacking.
Anyone who has trained in martial arts for years can be told apart from ordinary people at a glance, no matter their age—but Ouyang Kanqi was clearly nothing of the sort.
"Fine. You've got nerve. If you're a man, then fight me one-on-one!" As he spoke, Ouyang Kanqi began swinging his arms and legs back and forth, as though warming up before a fight.
But to Yang Ce's eyes, Ouyang Kanqi's movements were utterly comical, and he could barely keep from laughing out loud. Warming up? He looked more like a giant toad.
What did Ouyang Kanqi know of martial arts? That, he knew best of all. Though he was the head of the Hawkeye Group, that did not mean he himself was an assassin.
What he provided the Hawkeye Group was funding and a training environment; in fact, there was no need for Ouyang Kanqi to personally carry out any missions. But this time he was saying all this to distract Yang Ce, to deliver Yang Ce an unexpected, fatal blow.
As Ouyang Kanqi waved his arms and danced about, his right hand slowly crept toward his chest. His movements were natural, with not the slightest hint of affectation.
But Yang Ce had long since sensed something off about Ouyang Kanqi. He had been watching the old man's every move, and when he saw his hand steal toward his chest, suspicion flared at once.