Chapter 40: A Substantial Thank You

Walkie-talkies were indeed cool for calling people over.

But summoning help from the sanatorium at the foot of the mountain, no matter how fast, would still take a few minutes.

So the situation wasn’t looking great.

At that moment, the blond thug suddenly sneered, tilting his mouth. Looking at Tao Tao, who was standing protectively in front of the two girls, he said,

“Actually, my request is pretty simple.”

“Just let any one of the girls behind you come over and give us three brothers a kiss.”

“Then we’ll let this slide.”

“Otherwise…”

A menacing glint flashed in the blond thug’s eyes.

Tao Tao didn’t even bother responding to the threat. Instead, he pulled a leather strap from his waist, folded it in half, and let it hang loosely in his hand. At the same time, he gestured to the other side.

“Come on.”

This blatant provocation made the three thugs exchange glances.

The lean thug on the left was the first to act. Without hesitation, he lunged at Tao Tao, swinging a switchblade.

His vicious attack was so aggressive that even Jiang Ning felt a chill, let alone Qi Wen.

However—

Tao Tao merely said calmly, “Step back.”

Then, he spun the leather strap in his hand and met the attack head-on.

Damn.

Was he really that bold?

Jiang Ning quickly scanned her surroundings for anything that could be used as a weapon.

After a quick look around, she spotted some useful stones by the river.

She bent down, picked up two, and handed one to Qi Wen, but the girl was already trembling in fear.

No choice.

Jiang Ning gripped both stones herself.

Meanwhile, Wang Zekai and Chen Yang seemed to have exchanged some words.

The next second, Wang Zekai turned and ran, leaving Chen Yang gripping a wooden stick, staring intently at the blond thug.

At the same time, Tao Tao and the lean thug clashed.

With a sharp clank, the switchblade struck the leather strap, making Jiang Ning blink in surprise.

The lean thug was just as startled.

But Tao Tao seized that moment of hesitation—he flicked his wrist, forming a loop with the leather strap and hooking it around the lean thug’s wrist.

Then, he yanked hard.

The lean thug lost his balance and stumbled toward Tao Tao.

Tao Tao wasted no time—he drove his knee straight into the thug’s stomach.

Thunk!

With a muffled groan, the lean thug dropped to his knees.

Sick move!

Jiang Ning nearly clapped, but before she could react, the second, shorter thug was already swinging his switchblade at Tao Tao.

“Watch out!!”

She couldn’t help but shout.

Just as the words left her mouth—

Clang!

Another metallic clash rang out.

Jiang Ning finally noticed—

At some point, Tao Tao had raised the leather strap to block the attack on his arm, successfully parrying the sneak attack.

However—

Before Jiang Ning could even breathe a sigh of relief, the lean thug on the ground, now kneeling, suddenly slashed upward with his switchblade.

With a swift motion, the blade cut across Tao Tao’s leg.

Rip!

In an instant, a long gash appeared on Tao Tao’s leg, blood seeping out.

Seeing their sneak attack succeed, the short thug moved in for another strike.

In a panic, Jiang Ning hurled a stone straight at him.

With a loud thud, the rock hit the thug’s stomach, making him instinctively recoil in pain.

Despite being injured, Tao Tao didn’t retreat. Instead, he let go of the strap in his hand, flicked his wrist in a small arc—

With a sharp whoosh, the leather strap lashed across the short thug’s face.

Smack!!

A crisp, loud slap echoed.

The next second—

The short thug staggered backward and collapsed.

Thud.

He fell to the ground, clutching his face, rolling and wailing in agony.

The scene was so brutal that Jiang Ning instinctively glanced at the leather strap in Tao Tao’s hand.

But in that moment, she also noticed that blood was still pouring from the wound on Tao Tao’s leg.

He couldn’t keep fighting!

Jiang Ning knew that if Tao Tao kept pushing himself like this, even if he drove the thugs away, he’d end up in the hospital with serious injuries.

That wasn’t worth it.

Jiang Ning didn’t want to owe people too many favors.

So she bent down, picked up a larger stone, and was about to throw it.

But just then—

A figure in camouflage silently appeared behind the blond thug.

Taking advantage of his distraction, the soldier-like figure suddenly sprang into action, hooking an arm around the blond thug’s neck while seizing his wrist with the other hand.

With a firm squeeze, the switchblade clattered to the ground.

Then, with a simple hip twist, the blond thug was effortlessly pinned down.

Five minutes later, when Wang Zekai arrived with two forest rangers, the three thugs had already been subdued and taken away by the camouflage-clad men.

“This… this…”

Wang Zekai looked around in confusion, searching for Jiang Ning and the others.

Then he spotted Li Duoyong and Chen Yang helping a limping Tao Tao to sit on a large rock nearby.

Next to them, Qi Wen stood anxiously, looking lost.

Seeing this, Wang Zekai quickly ran over.

“Where’s Jiang Ning??”

“She went down to the sanatorium to get a doctor.”

Chen Yang replied before patting Li Duoyong’s shoulder.

“Fatty, you were a real hero today!”

Hearing that, the injured Li Duoyong forced a weak smile.

“Ugh… I couldn’t help it.”

At that moment—

Jiang Ning came jogging back with a small medical kit, followed by a doctor in a white coat.

“Here, let the doctor take a look at your wound.”

At her words, Tao Tao frowned but carefully tore open his pant leg.

Revealing a five-centimeter-long gash.

From Jiang Ning’s angle, she could even see the raw, red flesh inside.

The doctor immediately started treating the wound.

Throughout the whole process, despite his tightly furrowed brows and clenched jaw, Tao Tao didn’t make a single sound, no matter how much it hurt.

Jiang Ning silently praised him—‘Damn, what a tough guy.’

Then she borrowed supplies from the doctor’s kit and started tending to Li Duoyong’s cuts and bruises.

The antiseptic stung so much that Li Duoyong howled in pain.

Just then, Luo Shanshan and Zhu Hui, still worried, rushed over.

When they saw the scene before them, both girls panicked.

It took a while for the doctor to finish treating both patients before packing up and leaving.

At that moment—

Looking at Tao Tao’s right leg, now wrapped up like a dumpling, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but sigh.

“Thanks for today.”

However—

Hearing this, Tao Tao let out a scoff.

“That’s the second time you’ve said that today.”

“If you really want to thank me, give me something substantial.”

Substantial?

How about a song?

Jiang Ning arched an eyebrow, scanning the area.

Then, spotting a certain dazed little beauty, the corners of her mouth curled up. She leaned in close to Tao Tao’s ear and whispered,

“How about… I set you up with a girlfriend?”