Soon, there was a sharp twist, a sickening crack, and the club clattered to the ground as the man howled in pain.
Tang Lin pressed herself further into the back of the seat, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
The sounds of the struggle were brutal: the clash of metal, the grunts of exertion, the muffled groans of pain.
Each sound painted a vivid and terrifying picture in her mind.
Despite being outnumbered, Hsu Jin held his ground.
He was indeed worthy of being Young Master Zhao's right hand man.
It was easy to see how highly he ranked above others.
He flowed from one masked man to the next, every one of his moves aimed at keeping them away from the car.
Tang Lin caught a glimpse of something metallic in his hand; a sleek, dark dagger that glinted dangerously with his every move.
The precision with which Hsu Jin swung it was even more terrifying precision.
One minute, an attacker would be charging forward, weapon raised; the next minute, they would be staggering back, mostly clutching a bleeding wound around the neck or chest, their eyes wide with shock and pain.
Hsu Jin aimed to decapitate with a single blow, probably to try and end things as soon as possible.
Tang Lin could see the strain beginning to show in his actions. His breaths were coming in sharper, shorter gasps and a thin sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead.
Worry, cold and insidious, began to creep into her heart.
What if the backup didn't manage to arrive in time?
What if Hsu Jin, despite his formidable fighting skills, was eventually overwhelmed?
The assailants had the advantage of numbers after all.
The thought gave her a fresh wave of panic that caused her spine to tingle.
She risked a glance out the window and immediately wished she had not.
The ambushers were closing in on Hsu Jin, their faces hidden by shadows and masks.
However, their intent was crystal clear.
They were going to reach the car. To reach her, by all means possible.
And they wanted to eliminate him to get to her.
Suddenly, there was a heavy thud against the side of the vehicle that made her jump.
Someone had managed to get past Hsu Jin.
Fear constricted her chest. She instinctively curled into herself, wishing she could disappear into the car seat.
"Stay down!" Hsu Jin's hoarse and strained voice cut through the chaos. The command in it was unmistakable.
She heard another thud, this time against the other door. They were hellbent on getting to her.
Tang Lin squeezed her eyes shut, unable to prevent her mind from racing.
She had to do something. She could not just sit here and wait to be dragged out.
Her eyes landed on the small emergency kit in the glove compartment of the car.
She knew there would at least be a pair of scissors, no matter how small. It would not be much, but it would be better than nothing.
With hands trembling uncontrollably, she reached for the kit, her fingers fumbling with the latch.
Just when she finally managed to open the glove compartment, the window beside her shattered.
Shards of glass rained down on her, some leaving little cuts on her skin.
Before she could hold back a cry of pain, a rough hand snaked inside, grabbing her arm in a fierce grip.
Tang Lin let out a scream of pure terror. She flinched, then struggled wildly and managed to break free by a sheer stroke of luck.
She scrambled across the seat, forced open the emergency kit, and rummaged through it in search of anything that could serve as a weapon.
When she finally found something, it was just a syringe loaded with a fluid she could not name.
Thankfully, the needle was at least mounted.
For want of a better option, she grabbed it and wielded it like a weapon, with all the seriousness she could muster.
When she jabbed at her assailant with the syringe, he dodged nimbly, turned and smacked the back of her hand.
Of course the syringe fell to the floor of the car.
In the course of the tussle, the emergency kit was overturned and there lay a small pair of scissors.
The moment she got a hold of it, she clutched it tightly in her hand and pointed it at the man again.
Outside, the sounds of fighting continued, but she couldn't pay much attention because her life was currently hanging in the balance.
The hand reached in again, trying to grab her arm yet again.
Panic lent her a rush of adrenaline.
Tang Lin thrashed, kicking out blindly and swinging the small pair of scissors agitatedly.
Her wild movements caused the man to become wary, no longer carelessly reaching for her.
Taking advantage of this momentary reprieve, Tang Lin twisted away, rushing to the other side of the car.
She peered through the wrecked window. Hsu Jin was surrounded and his movements had slowed down considerably.
He was still fighting with a surprising amount of ferocity, but just the number of his attackers was taking its toll on him.
Blood streamed from a gash on his side, leaving a map of red on his previously crisp grey shirt.
Despair threatened to swallow Tang Lin whole. If the backup Mr. Zhao was said to have sent did not show up now, they would lose.
Just as one of the attackers lunged at Hsu Jin with a raised machete, a new sound pierced through the air; the unmistakable whine of sirens approaching.
Tang Lin could feel her extremely taut muscles finally relaxing.
She could not help but think that she had never found sirens to be this incredibly melodious!