America: John Wick 1924

Chapter 83: A sudden sword battle erupts! Dagger vs. folding knife!

The once intact vehicle body was dented into a "layered" shape, and foul-smelling black smoke billowed out.

Li Yu parked the car on the side of the road.

He had barely parked the car when the system notification sounded as expected:

[Ding! You've executed a series of impressive driving stunts, speeding through the streets of San Francisco. You've successfully become a race car driver!]

[“Racing Driver” Progress: 15% → 40%]

Ignoring the system notification, Li Yu strode toward the powerless Chevrolet sedan, pistol in hand.

The impact was so severe... it wouldn't be surprising if Martin had died on the spot.

—Please don't die!

Li Yu sincerely prayed for Martin.

If Martin dies, then all his efforts tonight will have been in vain.

Fortunately, his prayers came true.

"Cough...! Cough cough cough...! Cough cough...!"

Martin groaned and coughed, his forehead stained with blood, as he scrambled out of the back seat of the Chevrolet, looking utterly disheveled.

Seeing this, Li Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The distance of more than ten meters disappeared in the blink of an eye. Li Yu moved to the front of Martin, looking down at Martin who was kneeling on the ground.

Martin raised his eyes and glared at Li Yu with a fierce look, half fear and half hatred.

"Who the hell are you...?! Are you an assassin sent by the Pastor family...?!"

Li Yu said calmly:
"Who I am is not important. I have a few questions for you. If you don't want to suffer, you'd better surrender and answer them one by one."

Upon hearing this, Martin's face darkened. He glared at Li Yu through gritted teeth while reaching his right hand towards his lower back.

"Don't move, let me see your hands."

Li Yu raised the pistol in his hand, aiming the dark muzzle at Martin's head.

"Then why don't you shoot?"

Having said that, Martin pulled his right hand, which had been reaching towards his lower back, back to his front—and there in his right palm was a finely crafted folding knife.

With a snap, he forcefully swung his right wrist, unleashing the ten-centimeter-long blade of his folding knife.

He's gambling.

It's a bet that Li Yu's pistol is out of bullets.

As an important member of the Rossi family, he was used to a life with "a large number of bodyguards" and rarely carried a gun.

At this moment, the only weapon he possessed was the folding knife he was holding in his hand.

He had no other choice but to gamble that Li Yu's pistol was out of bullets.

"..."

Li Yu maintained the position of pointing the gun at Martin for a short while.

A moment later, he silently engaged the safety on the pistol in his hand and tucked it back into his waistband.

Martin won his gamble; he was indeed out of bullets.

He used his last bullet to pierce the Chevrolet driver's head.

He had run out of bullets in both pistols and all four spare magazines, and was now out of ammunition.

Martin was initially surprised but then delighted to see Li Yu put away his pistol.

Unfortunately, the smile on his face had just appeared when it froze because of Li Yu's next move.

Li Yu simply ran out of bullets, not weapons.

Li Yu slowly bent down and pulled out a dagger hidden in his right boot.

The gleaming dagger reflected a chilling light under the moonlight.

Surprise, frustration, tension, solemnity… After a series of emotional shifts, Martin gritted his teeth and silently gripped the folding knife in his hand. No words were needed—the two assumed their stances.

Martin lowered his body, extending his loosely clenched left hand forward while pulling his right hand, which was holding the knife, back.

Li Yu, on the other hand, held the knife with his right hand in front and his left hand, which was loosely clenched, behind.

They were like two knights from the Middle Ages, facing off, dueling, and fighting to the death!

Before the widespread use of firearms, melee combat with cold weapons was common in the Sicilian Mafia, with street knife fights being a frequent occurrence and the island filled with the clash of swords.

This style of fighting spread from Sicily to the United States, and even today, many Sicilian-born members of the Mafia still retain the habit of "practicing knife skills" and "carrying a knife with them."

The standoff between the two lasted only a moment.

A moment later, accompanied by a low growl, Martin stepped forward and attacked, wielding his sword to slash at Li Yu.

Whether it's the swift footwork or the powerful sword swings, everything is commendable.

This shows that Martin is the kind of Sicilian Mafia member who "still practices his knife skills to this day".

Li Yu calmly took half a step back and flicked the dagger in his hand upwards—

clang!
Two small knives clashed in mid-air, sending sparks flying like elfins.

Martin's expression immediately changed.

He poured all his strength into this attack, hoping to decide the outcome in one blow.

But after the two swords clashed, he was shocked to find that Li Yu's dagger did not budge at all!

Instead, his hand was jolted by the reaction force and almost lost his grip on the knife.

Although the knife Li Yu was holding was not a Qi family knife, but just an ordinary dagger, how could the Qi family knife technique be so inconvenient?
Even an ordinary dagger can be used to perform the moves of the Qi Family Knife Technique!

With a flick of his right wrist, Li Yu effortlessly deflected Martin's folding knife.

Martin felt an overwhelming force crashing into his arm holding the knife, like being hit by a shockwave. He was thrown backward, knife and all, and it took him several steps to regain his balance.

"Unstable stance" is a major taboo in battle, and Li Yu naturally would not let go of this great opportunity.

In a split second, Li Yu stepped forward, closing the distance between them again. He slashed out with the dagger in his hand, the chilling glint of the blade's tip lengthening into a fleeting silver line.

Martin gritted his teeth, mustered all his strength, and raised his sword to meet Li Yu's slash.

Unbeknownst to them, this was exactly what Li Yu wanted—Li Yu had always wanted to remove Martin's folding knife!

clang!
Compared to before, this time the sound of metal clashing was even louder!

Li Yu's attack was unstoppable! It directly knocked Martin's folding knife away!

Despite Martin's best efforts, his right hand clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, he was still no match for Li Yu's strike. His right hand split open, and the folding knife flew out of his hand, spinning high into the air, tracing a beautiful parabola before landing in a distant mound of earth.

At this point, the outcome has been decided.

Martin turned around in a panic, intending to flee.

Li Yu swung his sword again, expressionless.

The speed difference between the two was too great; Martin's turning speed couldn't keep up with Li Yu's slashing speed at all.

Before he could even turn halfway around, Li Yu's strike arrived—

laugh!
The sharp dagger sliced ​​through Martin's forehead as easily as cutting paper.

Blood spurted out, drenching Martin's face.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa——!”

Martin clutched his bleeding forehead, writhing on the ground in agony and howling in pain.

"Don't worry, I went easy on you. I only cut the skin on your forehead, I didn't rip your whole skull off."

As Li Yu spoke, he took a half-step forward, closing in on Martin again, his long shadow cast by the moonlight pressing heavily on Martin.

"Now, let's begin the concise and rapid questioning session. I'll ask you a question, and you'll answer it."

(End of this chapter)