Chapter Twenty-Two: The Trump Card

The instant a sharp arrow pierced the darkness, Matt and Gu Zhongyan burst forth from the shadows. In this final battle, they abandoned concealment, unleashing their full destructive power.

Matt resembled a lion charging from the night, swinging his iron rod with savage force. In a heartbeat, he shattered two burly men’s arms and smashed their guns to pieces. Without pause, he became a tiger descending the mountain; the rod darted like a serpent, and his right leg sprang back like a coiled spring, slamming with a thunderous crack into another man’s chest. Amid screams and the splintering of bones, the iron rod spun backward, crashing into the skull of yet another brute. With two sharp cracks, the man collapsed, clutching his bleeding head in agony.

Compared to Matt’s ferocity, Gu Zhongyan moved like a phantom in the night. Two panes of glass shattered—his lithe figure flashed through the crowd like a leopard. Green poison gas, the very kiss of death, swept over them; one by one, the hulking guards fell like dumplings tossed into boiling water, not one left standing.

In the blink of an eye, all the men guarding the container outside had been dispatched. At that moment, the sharp arrow reached Yoshio Goka’s chest. If nothing unexpected occurred, this arrow would end his life, bringing their mission to a perfect close.

But as the saying goes, when nothing unexpected is supposed to happen, that’s precisely when it will.

Just as the three’s seamless teamwork was about to yield a flawless outcome, several bursts of gunfire erupted from the decrepit fishing boat. Eight warriors, clad as ninja, exploded from within. The eight, highly trained, instantly scattered, each targeting one of the four attackers.

With a metallic chime, two ninjas wielding katana leapt forward, knocking the arrow meant for Yoshio Goka aside. At the same time, six gleaming blades caught the faint light of the pier, weaving a cold, deadly net that encircled the trio.

The Hand had indeed reinforced its defenses. The sudden arrival of ninjas disrupted the three’s assault, but they had anticipated such a turn and did not panic.

Under the icy blades, Matt and Gu Zhongyan retreated almost in unison, dodging the attack in a flash. Matt rolled to the ground, snatched up his discarded iron rod, and parried a sideward slash. With his other hand, he landed a fierce punch squarely on a ninja’s nose, bone crunching beneath his fist.

A scream—blood gushed, soaking the black cloth mask. In a blink, Matt had incapacitated one ninja. Gu Zhongyan, not to be outdone, though less adept with weapons, was a master of close combat. As the blade whistled past, he ducked low, springing forward during his opponent’s transition. In a flurry—jabs, hooks, uppercuts, sweeping kicks, knees, and more—his attacks rained down like a violent storm, battering the ninja who reeled as if struck by a hurricane. With a final flying kick, Gu Zhongyan sent him hurtling over three meters into the container, denting the metal with a resounding thud.

Meanwhile, Yoshio Goka, who had just escaped death, was furious. If he had not foreseen this and lain in wait with elite assassins of the Hand, he would be a dead man.

Despite his slim, scholarly appearance in a tailored suit, Yoshio Goka was in fact the commander of the Hand’s ninja forces, his prowess surpassing even Matt’s. In the original plot, Matt narrowly escaped death at his hands; only a twist of fate allowed him to prevail. Yoshio’s reputation for being a formidable adversary was well-earned.

His eyes flashed with chilling malice as he charged at the Blind Monk like an arrow loosed from a bow. As one of the Five Fingers’ disciples, he had mastered the art of “qi.” He struck like lightning, a dagger chained to his wrist flashing toward the Blind Monk’s throat.

As old adversaries, the Blind Monk and Yoshio Goka had crossed paths many times. Unfazed by the deadly blade at his throat, the Blind Monk merely tilted his head, evading the lethal strike at the very last instant. Simultaneously, his guide cane swept through the air, unleashing a storm of blows—his assault more aggressive than any other on the field.

While the Blind Monk and Yoshio Goka dueled, the fight between Gu Zhongyan, Matt, and the remaining ninjas reached a fever pitch. Though they had swiftly taken down one ninja each at the start, two more had joined the fray. Against six defensive ninjas, achieving another breakthrough became nearly impossible.

The battle deadlocked; six ninjas could not overpower them, nor could they break out of the encirclement. The longer this stalemate lasted, the greater the risk that the Hand would send reinforcements, and then their deaths would be all but certain.

Sensing this, Gu Zhongyan’s eyes flashed with resolve. He shouted, “Matt, old man, heads up! I’m using the move!”

His words electrified everyone—the dueling Yoshio Goka and the six attacking ninjas tensed, senses sharpened, eyes wide and unblinking, focusing wholly on Gu Zhongyan. This was exactly what he wanted.

In that instant, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he shouted, “Guardian’s Light!”

At his cry, a silver-white brilliance burst forth, silent as fireworks, illuminating the night in an instant—just as Harry Potter’s first Patronus had once filled the cinema screen with dazzling light. For a heartbeat, the entire pier was awash in radiant glow.

The consequences of such a shift from darkness to light need not be spelled out. Yoshio Goka and the ninjas, their eyes straining to track Gu Zhongyan’s movements, were utterly unprepared for this. Blinded and disoriented, they lost all sense of balance.

Veterans like the Blind Monk and Matt wasted no time seizing the moment. Already sightless, they were unaffected by the sudden glare. Their iron rods spun in tandem, whistling through the air as they smashed down upon their stunned foes.