Lao Gao's eyes were fixed entirely on Ling Jiang's neck. The moment he caught hold of her, he lunged like a madman, snapping toward her throat again and again. His movements were frenzied, almost feral.
Anyone watching could tell—Lao Gao was no longer himself.
He moved like…
Like a zombie.
…
Ling Jiang drove her elbow hard into his chest, using every bit of her strength to push him back. One thought cut through the panic: she could not, must not, let Lao Gao bite her.
That moment of distraction gave Lan Jin her opening. She rushed in from behind, grabbed Lao Gao's collar, and with a savage pull, tore him off Ling Jiang. Then she flung him down the stairwell.
The noise must have carried. From inside, Grandma Ling shuffled toward the door. "What's going on? Why so loud?"
She was reaching for the handle when Ling Jiang shouted, "Grandma, don't open it! Whatever you do, don't open!"
Hearing the urgency in Ling Jiang's voice, Grandma Ling froze, her hand hovering. "What's happened? Don't scare an old woman like me," she said in a shaky whisper.
None of them had time to answer. The man Lan Jin had just thrown down several flights—Lao Gao—got up as if he hadn't felt a thing. He came pounding back up the stairs with terrifying speed, lunging at them again.
The three of them braced to hold him off.
Lan Jin was closest to the stairwell. Lao Gao's first attack was aimed right at her.
She didn't back away. There was nowhere to run. Her only chance was to fight.
As he charged, she twisted aside, spun, and drove a kick square into his gut. She hadn't held back—one turn of her body, and Lao Gao went tumbling back down.
Even Ling Jiang and Huang Jinghe looked stunned.
After all, Ling Jiang was known for her strength, and even she hadn't been able to throw him like that.
But there was no time to dwell on it. The instant Lao Gao hit the ground, Huang Jinghe ran into unit 3201, grabbed the thickest wooden stick he could find, and took position at the top of the stairs. When Lao Gao came at them a third time, Huang Jinghe swung hard at the same spot Lan Jin had kicked.
The stick snapped in half. Lao Gao didn't even flinch. But the blow drew his attention.
In that one heartbeat of surprise, Lao Gao lunged at Huang Jinghe, jaws aimed at his neck.
Huang Jinghe's months-old boxing practice might have been rusty, but he still trained every day. He dodged the attack and jammed the broken half of the stick between Lao Gao's teeth, doing whatever he could to buy time. He had no desire to test what those teeth would do if they sank into him.
Seeing the two of them grappling, Ling Jiang rushed in, trying to grab Lao Gao by the collar the way Lan Jin had earlier.
But Ling Jiang was exhausted from fighting him already. She barely made him budge. Lao Gao, strong as ever and irritated by her interference, simply flung her aside.
Lan Jin darted forward, catching Ling Jiang before she hit the ground. Then she moved behind Lao Gao again. With her left hand, she hauled him off Huang Jinghe. With her right, she summoned an electric baton from her storage space and pressed it hard against the back of his neck.
She had hoped the shock would calm his frenzy. Instead, Lao Gao let out a deafening, animal-like roar.
"Ahhh!"
The sound was so raw it set off a chorus of howls from around the apartment complex.
That wasn't the worst of it.
Lao Gao's body twisted violently under the electric current. Lan Jin's grip was slipping. Ling Jiang and Huang Jinghe both moved in, each grabbing one side of him. Together, the three of them forced him to the ground.
The baton never left his neck.
They kept the current flowing for nearly thirty seconds. Lao Gao's body convulsed hard, then finally went limp. It worked—the electricity could bring him down—but the voltage was too low. It had taken too long.
…
When he stopped moving, the three of them exchanged a quick glance. They eased their grips and, seeing no movement, let go entirely. All three collapsed to the floor, panting.
They had barely caught their breath when a faint series of groans reached their ears.
"Ah… ouch…"
"Ah…"
"…hurts…"
"Aah…"
The last sound was unmistakable. It came from Lao Gao.
They tensed instantly, ready for him to go wild again.
But instead, Lao Gao tilted his head back, wincing, and looked at Ling Jiang with an almost childlike expression. "Sister Ling… hurts."
Hurts.
Of course it did. After a fall like that, who wouldn't hurt?
Before they could answer, he muttered again. "Cold."
Cold?
He knew he was cold? Did that mean he was back to himself?
Huang Jinghe reacted first, stripping off his jacket and draping it over Lao Gao. Lan Jin and Ling Jiang studied his face. His eyes, moments ago a pale gray, were now the familiar amber. His bloodless skin had flushed pink again. Only the veins standing out at his temples hinted at what had just happened.
Ling Jiang's throat tightened. "Lao Gao…" she choked out.
Lao Gao blinked at her. His Sister Ling had always been strong. He hadn't seen her cry in decades. Why was she crying now? He wanted to ask, but every movement sent pain shooting through his body. "Ah…"
Ling Jiang wiped her eyes. "Don't move. Just stay still."
Lan Jin knelt beside him. "See if you can move your body. Your spine should be fine, but I'm sure you've got more than one broken bone. We'll get you home first. Then we'll explain everything."