Chapter 28：The Midnight Rapist

Chen Zongrui, 38 years old, of average appearance and standing just over 1.7 meters tall, possessed a physique of steel. He was the owner of Chen's Martial Arts School, and those who knew him described him as forthright, honest, and always eager to lend a helping hand.

His disciples, however, painted a different picture: a strict mentor who demanded perfection in training but showed genuine care and concern for them outside the training hall, making him a good teacher.

Chen Zongrui was a respected figure, yet few knew of the despicable identity he concealed – that of a midnight rapist!

Since the age of 18, for twenty years, Chen Zongrui had assaulted over a thousand women under the cover of darkness. His cautious nature, familiarity with the local terrain, unpredictable choice of locations, and the victims' reluctance to report the incidents due to shame had kept him from being caught for two decades.

Having done it so often, Chen Zongrui had grown accustomed to seeking out a new victim every week. Tonight was another night for him to strike.

Tianfu Development Zone was home to numerous factories and a large influx of migrant female workers. Tonight, his target was a worker from a textile factory.

At 2 a.m., during the shift change, hundreds of workers exited the factory, cycling away in groups of three or five. A few, either ostracized or for other reasons, were forced to leave alone. Among them was a young girl, about sixteen or seventeen, riding her bicycle into the darkness, heading towards increasingly remote areas.

She came from a small village near Tianfu, where poverty was rampant. After completing her nine years of compulsory education, her family couldn't afford further studies, forcing her to drop out and seek work in Tianfu.

The girl had been in Tianfu for a year, earning a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan. Most female workers rented rooms near the factory for about 300 yuan a month, but she chose a dilapidated mud-brick house in a distant village, renting it for only 100 yuan to save money to send home. This way, she saved an extra 200 yuan each month.

Despite the hardship, the girl was content. To her, having food, clothing, and a roof over her head was enough. She didn't even possess common cosmetics, just a bottle of SOD cream.

It was this diligent and kind-hearted girl who became Chen Zongrui's target tonight.

As she cycled past a cornfield, Chen Zongrui, who had been tailing her, seized the opportunity, darting forward and tackling her off her bike.

"Ah! Who... mmmph—" Before she could cry out, Chen Zongrui struck her neck's artery, rendering her unconscious.

Seeing her unresponsive, Chen Zongrui chuckled, tossed her bicycle into the cornfield to avoid detection, and carried her deeper into the field.

It was dead silent in the early hours, with only occasional barks from dogs in the small village. Chen Zongrui carried the girl about a dozen meters into the cornfield, then into a dense patch of cornstalks. He trampled down the stalks to create a makeshift mat, laying her down.

In the darkness, Chen Zongrui's eyes gleamed with a wolfish green light, examining the girl's body and face.

Having assaulted countless women over twenty years, Chen Zongrui recognized instantly that the girl was a virgin. Though her looks were merely above average, she was a rare find.

"Hehehe, didn't expect I'd get to replenish my vitality tonight." There was an unscientific saying – virgins replenish vitality. As a martial artist, Chen Zongrui had accidentally stumbled upon a secret technique for absorbing feminine energy to augment masculine energy in an ancient sex manual, and it was most effective on virgins. Having assaulted thousands of women over the years, fewer than ten were virgins. Encountering one tonight, Chen Zongrui felt triumphant.

Quickly shedding his pants, revealing his unsightly arousal, Chen Zongrui knelt between the girl's legs and reached for her belt. Anticipating the moment he would take her purity, Chen Zongrui was thrilled.

But then, a whizzing sound pierced the air. Years of martial arts training honed his instincts, sensing danger, and he twisted his upper body instinctively. A flash of white zipped past, grazing his ribcage. The frigid edge sliced through his skin, leaving a red line across his ribs, followed by trickles of crimson blood.

"Who!?" Alarmed, Chen Zongrui leaped up, naked, adopting a defensive stance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the white object embedded in the soil, with only its handle visible.

A watermelon knife?

Rustle rustle rustle— Rapid footsteps grew closer. In the next instant, a tall, muscular figure lunged at Chen Zongrui. "Frenzied Fist!"

The voice preceded the man, and as it arrived, a flurry of punches enveloped Chen Zongrui.

Slap slap slap slap slap slap slap—

Though the punches rained down like an endless river, Chen Zongrui, with thirty years of martial arts experience, managed to ward off the relentless assault. However, the opponent's speed was staggering, and each blow exerted tremendous force, putting immense pressure on Chen Zongrui. For a moment, he could only defend, unable to counterattack.

The barrage lasted for half a minute. When it stopped, Chen Zongrui's eyes flashed, launching a Black Tiger Steals Heart punch at his attacker.

"Frenzied Fist!" In less than half a second, the opponent unleashed another wave of heavy punches, clashing directly with Chen Zongrui's fist. This impact numbed Chen Zongrui's fist, while the opponent's punches remained unaffected, continuing their relentless assault.

Chen Zongrui was frustrated. He was a seasoned martial artist with decades of practice, yet he was overwhelmed by someone who appeared to be in his twenties. The strikes lacked the telltale vibrations of internal energy, indicating the attacker's inner strength was not formidable. It was the incredible speed and power of the blows that pinned him down.

Being dominated by a young man with seemingly little internal energy was a humiliation he couldn't bear. More crucially, the attacker knew his shameful secret. If he didn't eliminate this young man tonight, imprisonment was inevitable.

Realizing this, Chen Zongrui steeled himself, adopting a defensive posture.

Drawing on his experience, he knew the youth's ferocious attack couldn't last forever. By enduring this onslaught, he'd have an opening for a decisive strike.

Chen Zongrui was correct. The young man's aggression couldn't sustain indefinitely. Another half-minute passed, and there was a 0.1-second pause. This time, Chen Zongrui didn't rashly retaliate, remembering the previous lesson. Without absolute certainty of a killing blow, he wouldn't risk counterattacking.

Sure enough, following that brief pause, the youth unleashed a third wave of attacks, akin to a tidal surge. Chen Zongrui's eyes gleamed. As expected! Kid, daring to deceive me! Let's see how long you can keep this up!

Channeling his energy into his arms, Chen Zongrui withstood the blows. With his decades of internal strength cultivation, fending off such an attack was manageable without expending too much true qi. Despite the forceful punches, his true qi shield protected him from excessive pain and injury. Chen Zongrui waited, anticipating the moment his opponent's true qi would be depleted.

One minute... three minutes... five minutes... seven minutes...

Defending against the relentless, powerful assault, Chen Zongrui's forehead dripped with sweat, his arms throbbing with pain. He was horrified: This kid... such enduring internal energy! Did I misjudge him?

Alarm bells rang in Chen Zongrui's mind. If the youth truly had boundless internal energy, his defensive strategy would lead to his downfall. The attacker appeared to be in his twenties, while Chen was approaching forty, and he couldn't match the youth's stamina and vitality. If this continued, even if the youth's true qi ran out, he could overpower Chen with sheer physical strength.

This couldn't go on!