Taboo Mage - Chapter 98 - The Car Accident

In the end, Jue Chi managed to find a taxi and, with the help of the driver, dragged both Chi Rui and me into the car.

On the way, I was still somewhat conscious, but as soon as we returned to the hotel and I laid eyes on that bed, I collapsed onto it.

When I woke up, it was already the next day. Jue Chi wasn’t in the room, and Chi Rui’s room next door was empty too. I rubbed my hangover-ridden head and sat on the sofa for a while, slowly gathering my thoughts.

Just then, the sound of a ringing phone interrupted my thoughts. I grabbed my phone, and Jue Chi’s photo flashed on the screen.

“Hello? Where did you go?” I asked directly as soon as I answered.

Over the phone, Jue Chi told me he was with that bastard Chi Rui in a village on the outskirts of Shenyang. I asked what they were doing there. Jue Chi didn’t answer, merely telling me to hurry over once I woke up, as Chi Rui’s driver was waiting downstairs.

I had many questions that went unanswered because Jue Chi hung up before I could ask them.

With my head full of questions, I quickly washed up in the bathroom and dashed downstairs.

In the hotel lobby, there was a short, chubby man dressed in a suit. Seeing me emerge from the elevator, he immediately stood up and bowed his head respectfully.

I recognized him as the fatty who had abducted me to the mass grave that day. He seemed a bit embarrassed, realizing I was staring at him. He awkwardly smiled and said he was there to take me to Jue Chi.

I chuckled, nodded, and followed him out, but in my mind, I’d already come up with a brilliant idea.

I don’t consider myself a petty person, but I definitely wouldn’t let someone who kidnapped me and almost scared me to death in the mass grave get away scot-free.

Once in the car, the fatty drove quietly while I sat in a corner of the back seat, deliberately avoiding the line of sight from the rearview mirror. I secretly reached into my backpack, feeling around until I pulled out a puppet and yellow talisman paper.

The puppet was leftover from some practice at a service area before, and I’d always kept it with me. It was about time it came in handy.

I first placed the puppet on my lap, wrapping its head and limbs with a red string. Then I held the yellow talisman paper in my hand, recited an incantation, and quickly stuck the yellow paper on the puppet’s forehead.

With everything ready, I glanced surreptitiously at the fatty in the driver’s seat. His eyes were fixed on the road ahead, without noticing anything unusual.

It seemed this fatty wasn’t guarded against me at all. This realization filled me with excitement, though I tried to suppress the joy in my heart. I discreetly tugged the string attached to the puppet’s left hand.

The fatty jolted suddenly, and then his left leg started twitching along with the puppet’s movements. To ensure my safety, I decided not to mess with the fatty’s hands too much-just twisted his neck a bit and used the puppet’s hair to tickle him.

As I was engrossed in my little game, I failed to notice a truck barreling down the slope ahead directly towards us!

I cursed under my breath, quickly ripped the yellow paper off the puppet’s forehead, and leaned towards the fatty’s ear, yelling, “Watch the road! How can you fall asleep while driving?”

The fatty shuddered, panic-stricken, as he turned the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes with his foot.

The car spun halfway around and narrowly scraped past the truck. Witnessing this sudden turn of events left me utterly shocked.

“What… what happened? How did a truck suddenly appear out of nowhere?” I asked, still shaken, as I watched the truck come to a stop not far away.

The fatty wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. “I don’t know. It was like I was possessed just now; my limbs wouldn’t obey me.”

After hearing his words, I felt a pang of guilt and regret. Fortunately, he was a decent driver; otherwise, I’d have learned the hard way that playing with fire could get you burned.

“Alright, let’s get going. The monk has probably been waiting for a long time.”

Feeling a bit uneasy, I didn’t want to dwell on the topic, so I hurriedly urged the fatty to leave.

He nodded and was just about to hit the gas when I saw through the rearview mirror that his eyes widened in horror. I turned my head in surprise to see what was behind us.

That truck had turned around and was speeding directly towards us.

“Damn! Step on it! Are you just gonna sit here waiting to be collected in pieces?!” I shouted, eyes wide with anger.

The fatty stomped on the gas pedal, and as I watched the truck tailing us closely, it finally dawned on me that this was no accident-it was a premeditated attack. But what I couldn’t figure out was whether the target was me or the fatty.

The fatty skillfully maneuvered the steering wheel, deftly evading the truck’s pursuit. I sat in the back seat, afraid to move an inch, worried that any sudden action might send me tumbling off a cliff.

“This isn’t working; the truck is too close. Mr. Gu, please call the boss. We need backup,” the fatty said, panting heavily.

I could clearly see cold sweat trickling down the back of his large, bald head.

I quickly rummaged through my bag for my phone, only to realize-after what felt like an eternity-that I didn’t have Chi Rui’s number. Thankfully, Jue Chi was with him.

I dialed Jue Chi, and the phone rang over and over, unanswered.

It wasn’t until I called ten more times, continuous and frantic, that Jue Chi finally picked up.

As soon as the line connected, I yelled, “Where the hell have you been?! I’m about to die here!”

“What happened?” Jue Chi’s steady voice came through, calm and controlled.

I spat out, “Tell that bastard Chi Rui that I’m in a car being chased by someone trying to kill us! Get him to send help immediately!”

Just as I finished speaking, a jarring crash echoed around us. The force hurled me forward, my head slamming against the back of the driver’s seat.

The phone slipped from my grip and landed beneath the seat. I could still hear Jue Chi’s anxious voice coming through the line as I struggled to reach it, but my arm was too painful to exert any strength.

“Mr. Gu… are you alright…” the fatty’s weak voice reached my ears. I abandoned the phone and laboriously turned to look at him. He was wedged between the seats, his face smeared with blood, with the windshield having shattered into large fragments.

“I’m fine…” I muttered, shaking my head.

As I pondered what to do next, I thought I heard footsteps approaching outside the car window…