Finally, they arrived.
The convoy stopped on a dark green hillside. Luo Yu pulled You Mingxu and led her out of the vehicle. With a single glance at their surroundings, You Mingxu knew this place had been carefully chosen by Luo Yu long in advance. They were nestled among the mountains, positioned on the slope of the highest peak. Ordinary vehicles could no longer ascend, leaving only a few rugged off-road cars capable of the climb. These off-road vehicles carried the money and goods, while the bandits had already disembarked, roughly shoving several hostages as they proceeded on foot up the mountain.
You Mingxu’s eyes first fell on Xu Mengshan. The gunshot wound on his thigh had been hastily bandaged, likely to keep him from dying too quickly. Yet the dressing was crude, and blood had already soaked through the gauze. Xu Mengshan’s face was deathly pale, and when he spotted You Mingxu from afar, he gave a slight nod.
Relief washed over You Mingxu.
Next to be pushed out of the vehicle was Xing Yanjun, whose face was ashen but otherwise uninjured. Then came Huang Long and Guo Feirong, both bruised and battered, walking with a slight stoop—clearly, they had been beaten.
You Mingxu’s heart tightened—she still hadn’t seen Jing Ping.
Just then, a car door swung open, and a person was kicked out, collapsing motionless on the ground. You Mingxu froze in shock. The man was a bloody, mangled mess, stripped down to his underwear. In such a short time, his body had become a canvas of wounds—cuts, burns, and stab marks covering him from head to toe. A rough bandage was wrapped around his chest, evidently meant to prolong his suffering.
His eyes were closed, clearly unconscious. Yet, perhaps due to the excruciating pain, his body trembled involuntarily.
Tears instantly streamed down You Mingxu’s face. She tried to run toward him but was yanked back by Luo Yu. He said coldly, "He won’t die just yet. They have plenty of methods to torment cops—they can keep him hanging on the brink for three days and nights."
You Mingxu fought back her tears. Though Luo Yu’s words were cruel, she took them in. Three days and nights. As long as they could buy enough time, the police would arrive, and Jing Ping could be saved.
"Don’t let him die," You Mingxu said. "Otherwise, I’ll never let any of you go. Even if I have to die, I’ll make sure you’re captured and executed!"
Surprisingly, Luo Yu didn’t lose his temper. Instead, he asked softly, "Do you care about him that much? What about Yin Feng?"
You Mingxu shouted, "He’s my comrade! My brother!"
Luo Yu had never seen her cry before, but now he watched as two clear trails of tears traced paths down her cheeks. The woman lifted her head, her gaze fixed fiercely on him—a face marked by stubborn defiance, yet softened by vulnerable tears, creating a breathtakingly poignant beauty.
Luo Yu fell silent for a few seconds before replying, "Fine. I promise you, for now, he won’t die."
You Mingxu was taken aback. Her eyes drifted back to Jing Ping, but she couldn’t bear to look any longer, her heart aching as if pierced by a knife.
Over on the other side, Xu Mengshan was also enraged. He yelled, "Brother Jing!" and tried to rush forward, only to be seized by two bandits and beaten mercilessly. He crumpled, unable to straighten up, and was kicked to the ground.
You Mingxu had stopped crying now, but her eyes were red. She followed Luo Yu, passing by the unconscious Jing Ping, forcing herself not to look. Then she heard the sound of someone dragging him up from the ground and hauling him toward the mountaintop. You Mingxu gazed into the distance—the mountains stood silent, cloaked in lush forests and shrouded in mist. A handful of police officers, perhaps walking a path toward certain death. May these green hills cradle their loyal bones. No police officer would die in vain. More would continue to tread this path, sending these demons lurking in the shadows into the prisons they deserved.Her heart grew exceptionally calm, as if this were just another routine mission. She cleared her mind of all distractions and emotions, and began observing her surroundings.
They had reached a spot near the mountain peak.
Admittedly, Luo Yu had chosen an excellent location. Her tracker likely had no signal on this desolate mountaintop. This was the highest point, with steep slopes on all sides—meaning they could clearly see anyone approaching and whether Xing Jifu had brought reinforcements.
There were still 40 minutes until the agreed-upon time. No one had arrived at the foot of the mountain yet. The entire ridge was silent except for the sound of the wind.
They had brought about twenty men in total. Some were stationed around the perimeter as lookouts, while others guarded the hostages. You Mingxu was left alone in one spot, tightly bound, with two of Luo Yu's men standing beside her.
The others—Jing Ping, Xu Mengshan, Xing Yanjun, Huang Long, and Guo Feirong—were all thrown together on the ground, with several guns pointed at their heads.
Luo Yu, Lei Yu, and Sun Yuan stood together, discussing something with smiles on their faces. Then Lei Yu walked over, a cigarette held between his fingers. You Mingxu tensed as she watched him approach the hostages.
Jing Ping was still unconscious, lying face down on the ground. Seeing this, Xu Mengshan crawled in front of him to shield him. One of the nearby thugs kicked Xu Mengshan, stepping on the wound on his leg. Xu Mengshan cried out in pain and could no longer move.
Lei Yu crouched down in front of Jing Ping, studying his longtime adversary.
No one knew what this drug dealer from Yunnan was thinking, nor how much fear this former Yunnan narcotics officer had once instilled in him. Lei Yu’s face was filled with arrogance and distortion, his eyes burning with hatred. He stood up and stomped on the wound on Jing Ping’s chest. Jing Ping spat out a mouthful of blood and opened his eyes.
Surprisingly, his expression remained largely unchanged. His badly swollen eyes stared at Lei Yu without a trace of fear.
Lei Yu was suddenly infuriated by his composure. He grabbed Jing Ping’s head and slammed it violently against the ground several times, cursing, "Damn cop! Jing Ping, weren’t you so tough? So many drug dealers in Yunnan were afraid of you! They called you the Viper—ha! A fair-skinned, delicate-looking cop being called the Viper! How many of my brothers did you arrest, huh? Now you’ve finally met your end. I’m going to cut off your head and take it back to Yunnan so everyone can see. Are you scared? Hahaha!"
Jing Ping lifted his head, seemingly devoid of any remaining strength, and spat a mouthful of blood directly onto Lei Yu’s face.
Lei Yu laughed heartily, released him, and signaled to his men on either side. They proceeded to beat Jing Ping mercilessly.
Lei Yu said, "We’ve played around long enough. I’ve given you plenty of face, Boss Luo. This cop is too dangerous—I won’t rest easy until he’s dead. Knife." A subordinate handed him a dagger.
You Mingxu watched as Jing Ping’s breathing grew shallow, his life hanging by a thread. Her heart felt as though it were being tightly squeezed. While he was being beaten, he seemed to sense something and lifted his head to look in her direction.
Tears streamed down You Mingxu’s face, but she remained silent.
Jing Ping, however, gave a faint smile. His face was almost unrecognizable, yet she could still make out his calm, gentle expression.
Overwhelmed with grief, You Mingxu suddenly raised her head and shouted, "Luo Yu!"Luo Yu glanced at her expressionlessly, then walked over to Lei Yu: "Boss Lei, do me a favor. Of course this man has to die—I don’t want to let him off either, since he’s been coveting my woman! But before he dies, how about I give him one last gift?"
Lei Yu looked somewhat displeased: "What is it?"
Luo Yu pointed at You Mingxu: "It's still early, and the brothers are bored. Let's have some entertainment. I'm going to fuck her right in front of Jing Ping."
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