Chapter 62: Saving a Life

The sudden turn of events stunned everyone. Francis Henry May, who was already being desperately dragged and pushed into the restaurant by his bodyguards, kept shouting,
"My Regina is still outside! Go and save her..."
Just as he yelled, several bullets struck the glass of the restaurant door, shattering it instantly. Francis Henry May's two bodyguards hurriedly pulled him further away from the doors and windows.
Amidst the gunfire and the shrieks of the crowd outside, Regina's cries for help could be clearly heard from inside the carriage: "Daddy! Daddy, save me..."
"Regina..."
Francis Henry May tried to break free from the bodyguards and rush out, but the two of them firmly pressed him down beneath a dining table, terrified that he would be hit by gunfire.
Thanks to the alertness of the two bodyguards, the moment they pushed Francis Henry May down, a bullet struck the floor right in front of the table, kicking up a shower of sparks.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hua Twelve noticed his mixed-race disciple, Williamson, looking at him. Turning his head, he indeed saw the kid staring right at him, his gaze clearly conveying encouragement:
"Master, go get them! As the greatest martial artist in the world, this is your moment to prove yourself."
Hua Twelve immediately shot a look right back, which conveyed: "Prove your grandmother's ghost! That thing is a gun, you think it's just firecrackers? We don't even know where the gunman is, what are we supposed to do if we get shot dead?"
Seeing that his master had no intention of making a move, Williamson scrambled to his feet and shouted to a waiter, "Blow the whistle! Call the police!"
Before he could finish shouting, Hua Twelve grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back down behind the table, warning him, "Why are you standing up? Stray bullets don't have eyes!"
Hearing this, Williamson broke out in a cold sweat.
In the Hong Kong of this era, police officers would blow whistles when calling for backup while chasing thieves. Therefore, many merchants followed suit, keeping whistles on hand to blow and summon the nearest police officers at the first sign of trouble.
Upon hearing this, the waiter snapped out of his daze, eagerly grabbed a whistle, and began to blow it frantically.
The gunfire outside suddenly stopped, and someone was heard shouting in Chinese:
"Charge in and kill the old foreign devil!"
Then, at least two dozen men with their faces covered in black cloth and wielding lethal weapons were seen rushing toward the restaurant from multiple directions.
The waiter, who was in the midst of blowing the whistle, dropped it in sheer terror and scrambled under a table alongside the restaurant manager.
Hua Twelve pulled Williamson down to crouch behind a table as well. Peeking out to observe the scene, he thought to himself that if these assassins managed to hack that old foreign devil to death, it wouldn't be a bad thing at all. When a new police chief took over, it would be the perfect opportunity for him to bribe the next head of the police force.
Those two dozen assassins crossed the street in the blink of an eye and stormed right through the main entrance of the restaurant, only to be met by the pistol fire of Francis Henry May's two bodyguards.
Two M1900 pistols manufactured in the year 1900 spat tongues of flame at the oncoming assassins, dropping five or six of them in short order.
The assassins seemed to have no firearms of their own. Seeing that this was getting them nowhere and that they might all be gunned down before even reaching their target, the leader stomped his foot fiercely and shouted:
"The mission has failed! Take our brothers' bodies, let's pull back!"
Complying with his command, the remaining assassins quickly hoisted the bodies of their fallen comrades and bolted back out of the restaurant.
Hua Twelve was utterly exasperated. He had been waiting for them to finish off the old foreign devil, yet they turned tail and ran after losing only a few men. Could these assassins please be a bit more professional? Zero stars.
Just at that moment, Regina was struggling as she climbed out of the overturned carriage. The instant she poked her head out of the carriage door, she found herself staring right into the eyes of an assassin who was retreating from the restaurant.
She let out a piercing shriek and shrank back inside, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Daddy, help!"
The assassin who had just given the order to retreat narrowed his gaze and commanded, "Take her with us!"
Two assassins immediately rushed over. One of them nimbly climbed onto the carriage, reached inside, grabbed Regina by the arm, yanked her out, and tossed her casually downward.
The other assassin caught her from below. Seeing the girl kicking and punching in resistance, he knocked her unconscious with a single blow, hoisted her directly onto his shoulder, and sprinted away into the distance.
Although Francis Henry May had not seen his daughter being knocked unconscious from inside the restaurant, he had witnessed with his own eyes those assassins carrying his daughter away. His eyes nearly split from rage as he ordered his two bodyguards:
"Go after my daughter! You must rescue Regina and bring her back safely."
The two bodyguards exchanged glances, looking rather troubled as they replied,
"Sir May, holding the restaurant entrance is about all we can manage. If we go out there, we'll likely all end up dead, and we won't be able to guarantee your safety either!"
Just as Francis Henry May was jumping up and down in frantic anxiety, Hua Twelve stood up and leaped straight out through the shattered shop window.
He had his own calculations in mind. Since Francis Henry May hadn't been killed, rescuing his daughter would likely make the previous matters much easier to resolve.
Upon stepping out of the restaurant, Hua Twelve did not recklessly chase after them to rescue the girl—he knew full well that there were still gunmen lurking outside. Instead, he took cover behind the overturned carriage to observe carefully.
Judging from the angle at which the assassins had fired, the sniper must have been positioned at a vantage point across the street. Since the opposite side of the street was lined with two-story Western-style buildings, the gunman should be hiding on one of those rooftops.
Carefully scanning the area now, he saw that it was completely empty. The gunman's traces were gone, having presumably retreated along with the rest of the assassins when they pulled back.
Only then did Hua Twelve feel reassured. He strode out with his long legs, sprinting away like a whirlwind.
However, while he had been observing the sniper's position earlier, the assassins had scattered and fled in various directions. Figuring this was even better, Hua Twelve locked his pursuit solely onto the two assassins who had taken Regina captive.
Those two seemed extremely familiar with the local geography. Making twists and turns through alleys and across streets, they crossed two blocks in the blink of an eye and climbed aboard a carriage that had been waiting eagerly by the roadside.
This carriage was also of the enclosed cabin variety. The two assassins carried Regina inside, slammed the door shut, and the driver whipped the horses into motion. The carriage immediately took off, attempting to make a clean getaway along the street.
Right at that moment, a figure leaped down from the side and slammed a kick directly against the carriage body. With a loud crash, the immense force flipped the carriage completely over, dragging the horses down to the ground as well.
The driver scrambled up in a disheveled state after the crash. Upon seeing Hua Twelve approaching, and regardless of the blood streaming from his head, he whipped out a hatchet from beneath his traditional Chinese jacket and charged forward, swinging it directly at Hua Twelve's head.
Hua Twelve reached out, grabbed the handle of the hatchet, and kicked the driver flying with a single blow, sending him crashing to his knees in agonizing pain, unable to get back up.
By this time, the two assassins inside the carriage had also crawled out with Regina in tow.
Hua Twelve stepped forward and said, "You aren't going anywhere!"
"Then we'll hack you to death before we leave!"
One of the assassins raised his steel saber and made to charge forward, but he was grabbed back by the companion who was carrying Regina, yelling:
"Don't do it! That's Shen Chongyang!"
The assassin who had been about to charge immediately halted his steps, a flash of fear briefly crossing his eyes.
A man's reputation precedes him like the shadow of a tree. When Hua Twelve staked his claim in Hong Kong by proclaiming himself the greatest martial artist in the world, that title was no joke. Over the past month, he had faced countless challengers and had yet to suffer a single defeat. Even though the outside world still doubted whether he truly was the world's finest, everyone knew he was undoubtedly a grandmaster of martial arts.
Facing a martial arts master, the assassin wouldn't dare to show off his meager skills, knowing that even if he fought to the death, it would likely result in nothing more than losing his life.
That assassin cupped his fists and said bitterly, "Master Shen, you claim to be the greatest martial artist in the world and the chief of the martial realm. Are you really going to sell your services to the foreign devils?"
Hearing him speak in this tone, Hua Twelve probed, "You harbor such deep hatred for the foreigners—are you people from the Boxer Rebellion in the north?"
The man was startled by the question, then shook his head and replied, "No, we are locals. Back in the twenty-fifth year of Guangxu, when the foreign devils took over the New Territories, that Francis Henry May was one of the foreign officials. We killed him to avenge our brothers who died resisting the foreigners!"
Hearing this, Hua Twelve understood the situation somewhat and stated plainly:
"Your grievances with that old foreign devil are none of my concern, but matters shouldn't involve family. This girl is innocent, and furthermore, she has Chinese blood in her. Let her go, and run along yourselves."
The two assassins hesitated for a moment, then set Regina down. Cautiously skirting around Hua Twelve, they went to haul up the driver. One of the assassins even offered a brief salute to Hua Twelve before making a swift departure.