A battered SUV drove through the desolate night.
The police sirens and flashing lights gradually faded into the distance. Ahead lay only the vast, shadowy mountains.
This hunt for Xing Jifu should have ended this way.
Yet they had suffered a crushing defeat.
Yin Chen pressed his injured shoulder, where a sharp pain throbbed and blood continued to seep. The dark, silent mountain scenery flashed past his eyes. His expression was icy cold.
Last time, Yin Feng's scheme of luring the snake out of its hole had already dealt them a heavy blow. Now, only two of his subordinates remained alive.
Xing Jifu, however, was unharmed—forced at gunpoint by a Punisher to lie face down in the vehicle. This former underworld kingpin, the man Yin Chen had hated most over the years, the one he had coldly watched as he was "cultivated" step by step into the pinnacle of crime, only to be plucked at the ripe moment—was now breathing heavily, his eyes bloodshot and restless.
Yin Chen, whose mood had been foul, suddenly laughed.
Indeed, imagine reaching old age believing you had everything—children, immeasurable wealth, a successful retirement—only to have your family shattered, your son betray you, your daughter disown you, your closest allies either dead or captured by the police, and yourself reduced to a fugitive. Everything he had possessed had vanished into thin air.
Over the years, Yin Chen had had many opportunities to kill Xing Jifu. But merely killing him wasn't enough. He wanted to watch him crumble, to see him plummet from the heights straight into hell, to suffer every torment. Now, Yin Chen had finally seized that opportunity. Even if he had lost men, there were other "seeds" nearly ready to be ignited. And Xing Jifu had ultimately fallen into his hands.
In the silent, blood-and-gunpowder-scented vehicle, Yin Chen's voice, surprisingly gentle, broke the stillness: "Xing Jifu, from now on, be good. Your 'good days' are just beginning."
Even Xing Jifu, who had weathered countless storms and long ago learned to laugh in the face of death, felt a chill run down his spine at Yin Chen's words. His ragged breaths gradually stilled as he stared out at the murky nightscape before closing his eyes in agony.
Perhaps no one could have predicted that a man who had once dominated the scene and roamed unchecked for half his life would meet such an end. And the torture and atonement he was about to face were beyond even his own imagination.
Yin Chen watched Xing Jifu's reaction and smiled in satisfaction. Yet as he gazed ahead into the night, his expression slowly grew somber.
He would not let this rest.
And neither would Yin Feng. This time, hadn't his younger brother also taken a hard fall at his hands? With Yin Feng's vengeful nature, he would surely stalk him like a vicious wolf from now on, tearing at him relentlessly. Just like his older brother.
It was time for a final reckoning—new grudges and old, good and evil, sorrow and joy. What each believed in, what each despised.
That person was now his only family.
His sole remaining love—so wicked, so brilliant, yet so pure, so resolute.
Yin Chen thought that when fate made them brothers, it must have held a deeper meaning. It made Yin Feng the favored son, basking in their parents' meager affection, yet forever trapped in the abyss of his heart. It also made Yin Chen taste the world's bitterness, trampled into the mud, only to be reborn from the ashes.
Either he would destroy him, or he would destroy him.
The one left standing would be the only truth.
A slow smile spread across Yin Chen's lips.
He believed that day would come soon.
——
Local hospital.It was the dead of night, yet the entire hospital was bustling with noise and activity as if it were broad daylight. Stretchers were being wheeled into the emergency room one after another. Medical staff transferred from other locations arrived at the hospital in waves.
In truth, injured police officers were in the minority. The majority of the wounded were captured criminals. All required immediate medical attention.
However, several police officers were still undergoing emergency surgery in the operating rooms.
This night seemed as though it would never end.
You Mingxu sat in the corridor outside the operating rooms. People rushed past her from time to time, and stretchers were wheeled by. The hurried, clipped exchanges between doctors and nurses, the moans and cries of the injured—all echoed in her ears.
She was still wearing the same clothes from earlier in the day, now filthy beyond recognition, stained with blood, dust, and mud mixed together. Most prominent was the blood—Yin Feng’s, Jing Ping’s, Luo Yu’s, and even Yin Chen’s…
She appeared somewhat numb, sitting rigidly upright, showing no reaction no matter who passed by.
At one point, a nurse passing by noticed her condition and asked with concern, "Who are you? Why are you sitting here? Are you injured? Do you need treatment?"
You Mingxu replied, "I'm not injured. No treatment needed." Her voice was low and hoarse. The nurse fell silent and left.
You Mingxu had no idea how long she had been sitting there.
The red light above the operating room remained lit. Yin Feng, Jing Ping, Xiao Yan, and Tuya had all been wheeled into different operating rooms, and none had emerged yet. Fortunately, Xu Mengshan and other colleagues she knew, though injured to varying degrees, had sustained non-life-threatening wounds and had been moved to hospital rooms one after another.
Someone came and sat down beside her.
You Mingxu didn’t move a muscle.
That person was unusually quiet today as well. After a long while, he finally said, "Don’t worry, Teacher Yin has always had nine lives—he won’t die. The others aren’t easy to kill either."
Only then did You Mingxu glance at him. Even at a time like this, this man could still joke about his own master, which actually eased her mood slightly.
You Mingxu asked, "What about Guan Jun?"
Chen Feng’s expression remained blank. "He’s downstairs, in the car, drinking with Lao Jiu."
You Mingxu fell silent for a moment, then turned to gaze out the window at the boundless darkness in the distance.
Chen Feng also stayed quiet for a while before saying, "Lao Jiu is a lunatic—he never thinks before he acts. But I quickly realized: if he felt his death was worth it, then that’s all that matters. For people like us, happiness and fulfillment have never been about living a safe, long life. It’s about finally overcoming the hurdles in our hearts, atoning for our sins, and doing something that satisfies us before we die. I’m sure Lao Jiu is happy down in the underworld."
You Mingxu gave a soft "Mm."
Neither of them spoke again.
Then, the operating room door opened, and the first one wheeled out was Tuya. Both of them stood up immediately. Tuya was wrapped in bandages from head to toe and was still asleep. Chen Feng asked the doctor, "How is he?" The doctor replied, "No life-threatening danger. We’ll continue to monitor him. He’ll wake up tomorrow once the anesthesia wears off."
Chen Feng and You Mingxu both breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Feng followed the doctor to Tuya’s room and returned not long after to continue waiting with You Mingxu.
The second to be wheeled out was Xiao Yan. He had been shot, and his injuries were more severe than Tuya’s.
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