Ahua and his crew didn't take You Mingxu directly through the hotel's main courtyard gate. Instead, they circled around and emerged at a side entrance where their car was parked—an inconspicuous black sedan.
You Mingxu felt a surge of relief. With this much time having passed, Jing Ping and his team must have already set up their surveillance and were following them. Her demeanor grew even more relaxed and natural. One of Ahua's lackeys drove, Ahua sat in the passenger seat, while another lackey shared the backseat with You Mingxu.
"Where are we going?" You Mingxu asked.
Ahua replied, "You'll know when we get there."
You Mingxu studied them for a moment before leaning back in her seat, quietly memorizing the route.
They drove for over half an hour without stopping. By now, they had left the city center far behind, following the Xiang River upstream. The sky was gradually darkening, and the surroundings grew increasingly desolate and remote. You Mingxu became more alert. She knew there were few vehicles on this road, making it difficult for Jing Ping's team to follow too closely. This route ran alongside the river and was still under development. Jing Ping's team was either on a parallel road or trailing far behind. She glanced out the window and could faintly see the distant headlights of a vehicle behind them.
You Mingxu remarked, "Your boss likes meeting in pitch-black places like this?"
Ahua answered, "The police have been keeping a close watch lately." He glanced at her through the rearview mirror and asked, "That Xing Ge of yours—still no sign of him?"
You Mingxu replied calmly, "No."
Ahua said, "Our boss has also ordered us to help look, but there's no news. No one knows who did it."
You Mingxu's expression turned grave.
Ahua then asked, "Sister Yun, how old are you? You look quite young. Could you be younger than me?"
You Mingxu chuckled and said, "Why are you asking about my age? It's been some years. People like us start working very young."
Ahua smiled.
Just then, a construction site appeared ahead, the ground muddy with several large trucks still working under their lights.
Ahua ordered, "Speed up."
The driver stepped on the gas, and the car slipped through the gap between two trucks. You Mingxu's heart sank as she glanced back and saw a large sand truck slowly pulling out from the construction site, blocking the road.
It was unclear whether it was a coincidence.
You Mingxu remained expressionless, staring straight ahead.
Unseen by her, Ahua signaled the driver with his eyes. The car suddenly swerved, leaving the main road and turning onto a narrow path. There were no streetlights here—everything was pitch black, with dense thickets and woods. You Mingxu suddenly felt everything go dark as the driver turned off all the lights and drove into the woods.
Behind them, no headlights followed.
This meant that if Jing Ping's team had been delayed by the sand truck, they might not immediately discern which direction she had taken when they caught up.
The woods grew denser, and they moved farther from the main road. The three men in the car fell silent. You Mingxu also stayed quiet, slowly moving her hand back to grip her pistol.
One thing was now certain to her: these drug trafficking suspects were indeed more cunning, cautious, resourceful, and brutal than ordinary criminals.
The car continued until it reached the edge of a pond before stopping. The surroundings were utterly dark and silent.
In the blink of an eye, the man sitting beside You Mingxu drew a knife and stabbed at her. Prepared, You Mingxu twisted his arm, causing him to cry out in pain and drop the dagger. She then grabbed his head and shoved it forward as a shield.Just as Hua in the passenger seat drew his gun and was about to fire backward, he found himself aiming directly at the top of his subordinate’s head. Startled, he hesitated to pull the trigger. Seizing the moment, You Mingxu shoved the man in front of her forward, causing chaos in the front row. In the confusion, she swiftly drew her own gun and fired two consecutive shots—one hitting Hua in the shoulder and the other striking the man originally in the back seat in the waist. Both cried out in pain. Without pause, You Mingxu fired another precise shot, hitting Hua’s forearm. He let out a sharp cry, and his pistol clattered to the floor.
At that moment, the driver suddenly slammed on the accelerator, sending the car careening toward a large tree ahead. The uneven ground jolted the vehicle violently, and You Mingxu was thrown back into her seat. She tried to regain control of the driver but couldn’t steady herself, and the man with the waist injury blocked most of her firing line.
With a loud crash, the car collided with the tree. Everyone was flung forward. You Mingxu’s body was thrown into the air, hitting the roof before crashing back down. Dizzy and wracked with pain, she struggled to search beneath the seat for her lost gun.
Then, her movements froze.
A gun barrel was pointed directly at her head.
The driver and the man with the waist injury were unconscious. Only Hua, bleeding and trembling, remained propped up in his seat, his gun aimed at You Mingxu. By sheer luck, the gun he had dropped had bounced back and landed on his stomach, putting him a step ahead of her. Blood covered his face as he glared at her and cursed, "You bitch..."
This was a sudden, chaotic confrontation—no one could have predicted how things would unfold, not even You Mingxu. And Hua’s luck had clearly been better than hers.
Her mind raced. She wasn’t even sure when she had slipped up—or had Hua never trusted her from the start? Had he taken her from the hotel merely to escape the police ambush and use her as a hostage? Otherwise, why would they have headed straight here, only to be conveniently blocked by a large truck cutting off support? A chill ran through her—this was just one of the contact’s underlings, and he was already this formidable.
Hua’s eyes turned cold as his finger tightened on the trigger. You Mingxu twisted and threw herself down, her heart turning to ice—
The distance was too close; she had no confidence she could dodge the shot.
"Bang, bang."
"Bang."
The excruciating pain she expected never came. Instead, she strangely heard two gunshots—one from outside the car and another almost right beside her ear. She had already grabbed the gun from under the seat and swiftly turned to aim.
But Hua had already been shot.
One bullet to the head, one to the neck, and one to the chest. His eyes were wide open, and he died instantly.
You Mingxu felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Someone was approaching from outside the car, but she turned first to look at the trunk behind the rear seats.
There was someone hiding there.
The shot to Hua’s chest could only have come from that angle. At the critical moment, that person had fired.
A partition separated the trunk from the rear seats. Slowly, the partition lifted a crack, and she saw a pair of familiar eyes hidden in the darkness. She gasped, "You..."
When had Yin Feng climbed into the criminals’ car trunk and hidden there?!
In the darkness, she couldn’t clearly see his face. He whispered, "Don’t be afraid." The partition slowly lowered, and he hid himself away again.You Mingxu's current state of mind was indescribable—shock, absurdity, lingering fear, and a sudden sense of relief at his appearance. She steadied herself and looked outside the car. Seven or eight people had arrived. She would recognize the leader even if he were reduced to ashes.
You Mingxu was no longer panicked. Gunshots had been fired, and even in this desolate wilderness, Jing Ping and the others would surely arrive soon. They might already be closing in on the perimeter. Only one thought occupied her mind—they must not discover Yin Feng. She pushed the door open.
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