"Help!"
Just as Jesse thought he was about to meet his bloody end in this foreign land, a dark figure suddenly appeared before him.
It was Yuncheng.
With his left hand, he shoved Jesse aside while simultaneously launching a flying kick at the knife-wielding assassin.
"Thud!"
A heavy, dull thud echoed. The assassin had no time to react, was viciously kicked, and slammed into the hotel's revolving glass door.
Before the assassin could even catch his breath, two female members of the Wanlong Hui, who had been protecting Liu Yutong all along, pounced on him from left and right like tigers.
One hammered the back of his neck with an elbow like a sledgehammer, while the other drove a knee into the small of his back. Then, with a forceful push of both hands, she pinned the assassin firmly to the ground, subduing him instantly.
Shoved by Yuncheng, Jesse fell onto his backside. He didn't have time to worry about the assassin's fate; instead, he frantically patted his own chest and abdomen. Only after confirming he was unhurt did he let out a long sigh of relief.
When he turned to look towards the assassin, he saw the man lying face down on the ground, already completely subdued.
The entire process had taken only two or three seconds.
So fast! Unbelievably fast!
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"
"That was brilliant!"
After scrambling to his feet, Jesse excitedly spread his arms, intending to give his savior Yuncheng an enthusiastic hug, but was stopped by Yuncheng's icy glare.
Rebuffed, he then turned his gaze to Liu Yutong, gesturing animatedly to express his gratitude.
"My God! Angels! The beautiful Miss Liu! And you, these masters of Eastern martial arts! Thank you for saving my life!"
"I almost thought I was going to meet my maker! It must have been my uncle, that damned bastard, who sent the assassin! He just won't let me go!"
"Miss Liu, thank you! A thousand thanks! You and your people, you saved my life! Truly! I, Jesse Collaro, the legitimate heir of the Collaro family, will forever remember this debt!"
"Miss Liu, I hereby declare that you have henceforth earned the most sincere friendship of the Collaro family, I swear! When I return to Sicily someday to reclaim what is rightfully mine, all of Italy... no! All of Western Europe! You, Miss Liu Yutong, will be the most honored friend of our family! From now on, for anything at all, just one phone call, whether it's black or white, the Collaro family will go all out! Whoa! Just imagine, what a powerful alliance that will be!"
Liu Yutong: "..."
This guy must be a chatterbox, blabbering non-stop, his words rapid-firing like a machine gun.
If her foreign language skills weren't fairly good, she might not have caught what he was saying.
Besides, anyone with eyes could see the assassin was targeting her, yet this foreigner thought it was an attempt on his own life and was now trying to sell her a grand fantasy... too bad she wasn't buying any of it.
"Mr. Jesse, I'm glad you're alright."
"Alright! Of course I'm alright! With you and your amazing martial arts masters around, how could anything happen to me!"
"Miss Liu, I never expected to be targeted so soon after arriving in Dragon Country. Could you take me under your wing, as you say in Dragon Country... protect me. I can represent the Collaro family and form an alliance with you. You'd definitely make a huge profit!"
"Believe me, Miss Liu, my influence far exceeds your imagination! Although my uncle is temporarily managing the family now, there are still many old-timers loyal to my father within the family. With them, I can eventually replace my uncle and take back control! When that day comes, I will repay today's favor a thousand, no, ten thousand times over! Whoa! The thought of that scene is just thrilling!"
However, Jesse's seemingly passionate and grandiose promises received no response from anyone.
Far from being thrilled, most people present couldn't even be bothered to give him another glance, mainly because most didn't understand him.
And those who could understand looked at him as if he were a fool.
Someone even felt tempted to say to him: "Mr. Jesse, here on Dragon Country's turf, you might as well just make a wish to the young mistress directly. She might be able to grant it for you right away."
Liu Yutong remained polite: "Mr. Jesse, I have matters to attend to now. As for the trouble you mentioned, I believe you can handle it yourself."
With that, she turned to get into the car.
At that moment, several young men in black got out of a van, dragged away the now completely subdued assassin, and dealt with him.
Seeing Liu Yutong about to leave, Jesse grew anxious.
He couldn't let such a formidable protector slip away.
"Wait! Miss Liu, please give me one more minute, no, thirty seconds!"
"Isn't there an old saying in your Dragon Country: 'More friends, more paths.' Especially since I am the eldest son of the Collaro family. Although I'm temporarily... well... that's not important. What matters is that I will definitely become the head of the Collaro family!"
"With just our cooperation, when that time comes, I will be your most steadfast ally!"
Just as Jesse was about to shamelessly try to follow her, Yuncheng directly stepped between Jesse and the car door.
Jesse sized up the stern young man again, his mouth still running a mile a minute, trying to cozy up to him.
"Whoa! Hey there, cool martial arts dude, don't be so serious. We're friends, comrades-in-arms. We fought side by side just now, although you did most of the fighting and I did most of the lying down... but regardless, our friendship has been tested by blood, right?"
"How about we follow your Dragon Country custom and become sworn brothers? You be the big brother, I'll be the third brother!"
Yuncheng's face remained expressionless, mainly because he didn't understand what this guy was babbling about.
Seeing he couldn't persuade Yuncheng, Jesse craned his neck and shouted towards Liu Yutong, who was already seated in the car: "Miss Liu, please take me under your wing, let me follow you, anywhere is fine, I can carry your bags!"
"Miss Liu, Miss Liu..."
Yuncheng, driven to the end of his patience by the annoyance, simply raised his fist.
Jesse put on an exaggerated expression again: "Whoa! So cool! That fist is as big as a sandbag..."
Before he could finish, he saw Yuncheng's fist shoot straight towards his face, stopping just one centimeter from the tip of his nose. The accompanying gust of wind instantly blew the hair off his forehead.
The noisy chatter ceased abruptly.
Even though the punch hadn't connected, Jesse still felt a sharp pain in his nose bridge, and cold sweat dripped down his cheek.
Yuncheng coldly spat out one word: "Scram!"
This time, Jesse understood. He obediently took a few steps back: "Goodbye!"
Then he decisively turned around and ran for it.
