Chapter Thirty-Four: Fierce Battle with the Monkey Horde (1)

The Prodigal Son Without Pop-ups
Chapter Thirty-Four: Fierce Battle with the Monkey Horde (1)

(It's Sunday night, time to climb the rankings—everyone must come and support! Every comment will be highlighted. Please vote for Ping Fanxin—your support is my motivation!)

Tian Ni didn’t know when she had fallen asleep. She had tossed and turned on her bed countless times, her mind flashing through so many memories: meeting Xiao Tianci in that little shop all those years ago, then running into him again when he came to work at her father’s company.

And now, here they were—married in a flash, their relationship shifting in subtle, delicate ways. She remembered Xiao Tianci’s gentle smile as he promised to fulfill what he had pledged to her. In her heart, she had gone from disbelief to cautious hope, with a hint of sweetness mixed in.

When she woke again, dusk was already falling. Perhaps she had thought too much, for even in sleep she hovered between dreams and waking, as if someone had been speaking to her, walking past her bedside. There were fragments—wedding, gunshots, smiles…

After a quick wash, she stepped out again and only then noticed a note stuck to the mirror on her dressing table.

“Ni’er, you must be awake by now. There are some things I have to take care of, so you’ll have to stay here for the time being. If anything comes up, call me. I don’t know when you’ll wake, so I’ll call you again tomorrow during the day. I know your temperament—you won’t want to stay cooped up here, but don’t worry, someone will be responsible for your safety. If you want to go back to work, that’s fine, but I think there’s something even better you could do. You know, one person spending money can never be as fast as two. I’ve already arranged for you to have access. I trust you understand what I said yesterday—money is like a knife; it all depends on how you use it. Yesterday, we were both impulsive. After all, the Xiao family’s wealth built up over a hundred years affects the lives of millions, and even has a bearing on the world’s economy. Oh, and I’m not saying all this to back out or make excuses. I will keep my promise to you, though you know now just how difficult it is. Haha... There’s still plenty of trouble to deal with; I’ll handle these things as I figure out a way. Alright, my dear wife, wait for me to come back and then we’ll…”

At the end was a smiling face, nothing more, but it was perfectly normal to let one’s mind wander after seeing it. Tian Ni couldn’t help but laugh as she finished reading: “Honestly, how did I never notice before how slippery he is...”

Then she recalled the day before and felt herself flush with embarrassment. How could she have been so worked up? She had made such unreasonable demands! And Tianci, too—why had he taken it all so seriously? Change always comes in subtle ways—wife, Tianci...

At this moment, she had no desire to think of her father, nor did she wish to see him. As for Xiao Tianci, she still felt a trace of resentment, but she didn’t want him to act rashly on anything said in a moment when neither of them was thinking clearly. Her mood now was much the same as before: conflicted, skeptical of his words, but her reason had already subdued the wild impulse from the day before—reason was now in command, no matter what she felt.

She picked up her phone and dialed Xiao Tianci’s number, saved from before, only to find it unreachable. Changing clothes, Tian Ni called in the people outside. They had already prepared everything, including the latest global communicator, which had only one number stored: “Dearest, most beloved husband.”

“Hmph... so full of himself...”

The communicator showed that the recipient was currently out of range...

Meanwhile, Xiao Tianci and his team were locked in a fierce battle with a crazed troop of monkeys.

Don’t be fooled by the suits these bodyguards wore, making them look no different from the ones in movies. Anyone with real experience could tell at a glance that these men were different. They were all survivors of real gunfights, first selected for the Guard, then trained further by Jingang himself before finally being considered qualified.

The first thing they were taught was courage and composure. Courage—not just bravery, but a reflex to risk their lives to protect the master in danger. Composure—to keep a calm, steady mindset in battle, even when wounded or dying. Where others sought ferocity, the Guard prized a steady, peaceful approach to combat.

Six men stood on the perimeter, weapons raised and bodies upright. Six more stood half a step behind, leaving a gap in the center where Xiao Tianci and Chief Steward Lin Jian crouched according to Lu Man’s orders.

The three monkeys that first lunged at them were instantly shot dead, falling at the feet of the outer Guard members. In the air, more and more monkeys gathered, their shrieks growing ever more enraged and mournful.

Inside the circle, Xiao Tianci couldn’t see what was happening outside, but looking up, he could spot monkeys leaping back and forth overhead. They were all silver-gray and incredibly quick. When they’d attacked earlier, Xiao Tianci had only glimpsed a few blurred shapes—he truly had no idea how the Guard had managed to hit them so precisely.

“Team Two, watch for air attacks. Team One, be alert for ground attacks. We don’t know how many monkeys there are—hold your ground and do not attack unless provoked,” Lu Man ordered swiftly.

The monkeys multiplied, baring their teeth and glaring angrily. Some even hurled stones, bark, or fruit at them. The Guard didn’t flinch at the smaller projectiles; for the larger ones, they simply tilted their heads to avoid being struck, their eyes unwavering, their guns held as steady as ever.

Seeing there was nothing he could do to help, Xiao Tianci simply sat down, watching the monkeys above. “These monkeys seem extremely agitated—something must have just happened.”

Lin Jian, the Chief Steward, sat down beside him. “Don’t worry, sir. We should be close to Jingang’s territory now. He’ll hear the gunshots and come quickly.”

From Lin Jian’s tone, it sounded as though everything would be fine once Jingang arrived. Who on earth was this Jingang? Watching the Guards outside, so resolute and motionless, Xiao Tianci wondered if perhaps he should also learn to use a gun. It seemed such situations would become far more common in days to come.

Just then, a shrill scream rang out, like a bugle call, and all the monkeys—both those on the ground and those leaping from the trees—charged at once.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Gunfire erupted in a storm. The monkeys were fast, but they were up against men trained by Jingang himself, each one a marksman with a keen eye. The monkeys on the ground couldn’t outpace their aim; the Guards wielded light submachine guns, forming a deadly web of fire.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty monkeys had fallen. Suddenly, from afar, more shrieks echoed, intertwining with the cries of the monkeys here. The surviving monkeys, who had just been charging in recklessly, all at once scattered and hid, ceasing their attack.