âNo,â Abel replied. âHe had a scarf wrapped around half of his face. That side felt strange to me, but I didnât think much of it.â
âThen, please tell us about that day, Tobias said, his anticipation evident in his expression.
âOn that day, I won a bet against Oliver, the Jade King.â Abel explained. âSo, I instructed the nearby jade craftsman, Mr. Hogan Mack, to cut a bracelet out of that piece of jade and engrave two small characters on the insideâ¦â
âWhat are the two characters?â Hogan asked..
Abel retrieved the delivery record book, tore out a page, and inscribed âEmmeline Louiseâ before passing it to Hogan. He pocketed the stone, collected the thirty thousand gambling capital from Oliver, and followed Hogan to the workshop. It was already midnight by the time they arrived. Finally, the exquisite jade bracelet was finished, with the characters âEmmeline Louiseâ engraved on the inside.
Hogan mentioned that the remaining stones could be worth millions. Abel was skeptical, so he left Hoganâs workshop with the stone in his pocket.
The cold November wind pierced through the northwest air, causing Abelâs cars to freeze. He pulled up the collar of his coat and walked along the uneven, bumpy street, under the dim streetlights, back to the small hotel a mile away.
Meanwhile, it was Lucaâs first time driving a pickup truck for a sales trip. He was so exhausted. that he hadnât left the hotel all day.
As Abel walked, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps behind him. On such a deserted. and cold night, there were no pedestrians on the street beside him. He could tell someone was tailing him from behind. So, he tightened his fist, crossed it in front of his chest, holding a fortune worth millions, or so they said. He took a few quick pulls of his cigarette, wrapped his coat tighter, and continued walking.
Two shadows suddenly pounced on him from behind, and Abel was already stabbed in the back. He quickly turned around and kicked backward. His kick knocked the assailantâs dagger off course, stabbing into the personâs thigh. The person let out a painful cry and fell to the ground.
The other person was startled and exclaimed, âMike!â
Abel turned around and asked, âHow is he?â
âYou donât need to worry!â The person pushed Abel away.
Upon closer inspection, Abel realized that the person had a distinctive appearanceâit was Oliver the Jade King!
Just then, another person rushed out from the alley. This person wore a large mask and swung a knife toward Oliverâs neck. Secing the situation, Abel immediately understood the person intended to kill Oliver. Abel thought to himself that he couldnât let anything significant happen; otherwise, he would be in trouble.
Abel quickly threw a punch and helped Oliver fend off the assailant. Following Abelâs punch, he forced the assailant back to the wall, then swiftly reached out and grabbed his mask. The assailant turned his head to the side, avoiding the mask being grabbed, but Abel pulled off a necklace cord around his neck.
Oliver rushed over and also tried to grab the assailantâs mask. However, the assailant didnât dare to fight back and quickly ran into an alley.
In the meantime, Mike, who had been stabbed, weakly called out, âDad!â
Enduring the pain in his back, Abel said to Oliver, âQuick! Take him to the hospital!â
Oliver asked, âWhat did you grab from that personâs neck just now?â
Abel frowned, not expecting Oliver to be concerned about this at such a time. âI didnât pay attention and threw it on the ground!â
Oliver lowered his head to search for it, but Mike groaned, âDad, Iâm afraid⦠I canât make itâ¦â
Oliver bent down and lifted his son, saying to Abel, âFind that object you just grabbed, and keep it!â
Then, he quickly left with his injured son in his arms.
Enduring the pain, Abel squatted down and searched for the small object he dropped in the dim light of the street lamp. Finally, he found it by the roadside ditch. It was a red necklace cord with a small jade fish carved on it. He picked up the pendant and carefully it in his Put pocket. He knew that this object was the only evidence pointing to the assailant who launched the attack. It was also the witness object of Abel being ambushed by Oliver since it seemed that there would be a loss of life that night.
The blood from his shoulder soaked through his coat, warm and flowing down to his waist.
Remembering that he had seen a hospital in this county town, Abel determined the direction. and hurried toward the hospital.
The hospital was only as big as two houses, and the doctor on duty was busy in the emergency room.
The door of the emergency room was open, and Abel was surprised to see the tall and sturdy figure of Oliver. His handsome profile made Abel pause, suddenly feeling that something was wrong. The teenager who was accidentally stabbed in the thigh was lying on the emergency bed.
Oliver urgently exclaimed, âMy sonâs major artery is injured⦠Doctor, please, he needs a blood transfusion!â
The doctor shook his head. âWe canât do a blood transfusion here. Go to the county hospital.â
âItâs too late!â Oliver kneeled on the ground.
Seeing this scene, Abel turned and left.
Back at the small hotel, blood had soaked half of his body. Abel woke up Luca, who was frightened, and hurriedly helped him treat the wound. Fortunately, he was wearing thick clothes, and the stab wound was not deep, so there was no major harm.