Chapter 22: Please Forgive Me!
As soon as Li Tianran finished speaking, Chen Nan immediately rolled on the ground, performing a move called "Lazy Donkey Rolls."
His body spun like a top, dodging the aim of Li Tianran's gun barrel, but accidentally collided with two of his companions, sending them flying!
Bang!
Bang!
With two muffled gunshots, the thighs of the two strong men were hit, and they fell to the ground!
At this moment, one person, upon seeing the excellent weapon in Li Tianran's hand, possibly weighing the pros and cons, immediately turned and ran towards their vehicle.
Li Tianran narrowed his eyes; he naturally couldn't let this group of people escape.
Leaving the tiger alive is courting trouble... These are taboos for survival in the apocalypse!
Without saying a word, Li Tianran raised his hand and fired a shot.
Bang!
Another muffled sound.
The fleeing strong man instantly had a mist of blood spray from his back, stumbling and falling into the roadside drainage ditch.
Seeing four of their companions fall at the hands of Li Tianran in quick succession, Chen Nan's face contorted with anger!
Indeed, he was fearful when he saw the gun in Li Tianran's hand. He wanted to escape.
But fear also has its limits. Once fear is driven to a dead end, it often erupts in anger and a desperate fight for life.
"Today, it's either you die or I live... Even if I have to risk my life, I will capture you!" Chen Nan roared, and then, with a burst of terrifying power in his legs, he stomped the ground with a resounding tremor!
Using the resulting recoil force, Chen Nan suddenly leaped up, pouncing directly at Li Tianran like a hungry tiger hunting its prey.
The remaining three individuals also clearly realized that if they didn't fight desperately at this moment, they would likely be defeated one by one by Li Tianran. They rushed forward as if their lives meant nothing.
The distance between them and Li Tianran was already close; otherwise, Li Tianran wouldn't have succeeded in the surprise attack earlier. At this moment, with their desperate fight, the distance instantly shrank to within two or three meters!
At ten meters, the gun is most effective; within three meters, the odds are equally divided between the gun and the blade. If the distance is narrowed to half a meter, the gun becomes completely useless.
Seeing this situation, Li Tianran suddenly erupted, kicking Chen Nan and saying, "I'll let you jump!"
Chen Nan, with a height of nearly 1.89 meters and a robust physique, appeared even more burly than Li Tianran. However, when he was kicked in the chest by Li Tianran, it was as if he had been struck by lightning. His face instantly turned liver-colored, and he violently vomited a mouthful of acid water. His strong body was forcefully kicked three meters away!
Bang!
Li Tianran raised his gun, just about to aim at Chen Nan, when a strong man standing to his right roared. With a swinging palm, a sharp dagger appeared in his palm, and he swiftly stabbed it towards Li Tianran's abdomen.
At this distance, the effectiveness of firearms was greatly diminished, and any slight movement could result in the inability to hit the target!
Li Tianran made a judgment in an instant.
His right index finger caught the outer ring of the trigger, swiftly engaging the safety, and then he gripped the gun barrel in his palm, allowing the pure iron handle to protrude!
At this moment, the revolver in Li Tianran's hand turned into an iron hammer, smashing fiercely towards the strong man's head.
All of this seemed lengthy, but it was actually completed in a split second!
"Crack, snap!"
The sound of bones breaking emerged, and the strong man howled in pain.
"Bang!"
Expressionless, Li Tianran raised his knee, ramming it into the face of the strong man who was already falling. Unable to evade, blood gushed from his nostrils, and he immediately went into shock!
Only two individuals remained and they lunged forward.
Li Tianran fired another shot, taking down one person, while the other person's dagger was already stabbing downwards. Li Tianran couldn't dodge in time, and just as the dagger was about to pierce his chest, suddenly, a figure rushed over and wedged itself between Li Tianran and the knife!
It was Xiaotian!
It was hard to imagine what kind of mental struggle he had just gone through. Previously cowering and covering his head, perhaps out of guilt or seeking redemption, he now threw himself forward without hesitation, blocking the knife!
Plop!
A very faint sound was heard.
Like a wineskin pierced and its contents slowly flowing out…
The blade smoothly plunged into Xiaotian's chest, its tip emerging from his back, tearing through his clothes.
Xiaotian stiffly lowered his head, his body as if struck by lightning. His mouth opened slightly, emitting a wheezing sound from his throat.
In extreme pain, one cannot cry out.
"Don't look!" Li Tianran raised his hand, knocking down the strong man, and then swiftly covered Xiaotian's eyes with his palm, preventing him from seeing the knife that had already plunged into his chest, with the hilt embedded in it!
Crimson blood flowed uncontrollably down Xiaotian's chest.
Li Tianran felt as if the Xiaotian in his arms had instantly turned boneless, limp and falling down.
"Xiaotian! Xiaotian!" Li Tianran felt his own breathing become rapid. He shouted in a stern voice.
He never expected that Xiaotian would run out to block the knife for him!
"Boss Li... I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Xiaotian's eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed Li Tianran's sleeve and stammered, "Actually, I regretted it last night, but I didn't dare to tell you... I wanted to stay alive, and... they kidnapped my dad..."
Blood slowly flowed, and Li Tianran felt Xiaotian's body becoming heavier. "Don't say anything, I'll take you to the hospital right away!"
"Boss Li, I'm conflicted... I wanted to betray you and have a better life, but then I hesitated..." Xiaotian's mouth slightly opened, his eyes reddened. "After the cataclysm, our home was robbed... My dad went to so many relatives' houses, but no one gave us any food, only you did, only you!"
Li Tianran's emotions were extremely complex at this moment.
Xiaotian had betrayed him before, and he had once wanted to brutally punish Xiaotian. But now, Xiaotian had blocked the knife for him, so how should he react?
Li Tianran himself didn't know.
"My dad was right, I'm just a worthless person! I can't be a good person, and I don't dare to be a bad person either! You saved me, and I'm returning this life to you." Xiaotian cried, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
He held onto Li Tianran's sleeve with force, while his other hand struggled to take out a colorful candy and five hundred-yuan bills from his pocket, placing them in Li Tianran's palm. "This is the candy Hanhan gave me... It's really sweet. You are really good people, but I'm not worthy of your kindness!"
Li Tianran looked at the candy in his palm, his hand trembling slightly.
"I'm repenting, repenting..." Xiaotian looked lifelessly at the sky, muttering to himself, seemingly smiling, yet also crying.
Finally, his body turned cold, devoid of life.
Li Tianran gently laid Xiaotian's body down, remained silent for a moment, and whispered in his ear, "Some mistakes can be made many times in a lifetime. Some mistakes can't be made even once. If made, one can only accept punishment..."
"In accepting your own punishment..."
"I forgive you."
Then, Li Tianran stood up and looked at Chen Nan, who was about a dozen meters away, preparing to stagger and escape. With an expressionless face, Li Tianran squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth, "Xiaotian has received his punishment. Now it's your turn, along with your boss behind you."
"If I don't skin you alive and pull your tendons, my surname is not Li!"