Coming to Myself

"Lao Ding, can you send a support team to Fangzhu Yayuan immediately?"

"What happened?"

"I've lost contact with Yin Feng."

"I'll arrange it as soon as possible."

After hanging up, You Mingxu looked around. Everyone was busy—after such a major incident, it was impossible to spare anyone immediately. She went to Xu Mengshan and said, "Keep an eye on things here. I need to go somewhere."

Xu Mengshan, who had just been through emotional turmoil and calmed his parents down, still had red-rimmed eyes. He immediately became alert: "What's wrong?"

"Not sure yet. I've lost contact with Yin Feng and the others. I need to check on them to feel at ease."

Orders from higher-ups had already come down layer by layer, and the scene couldn't be left unattended. Xu Mengshan nodded: "I've got this here. We can manage without you. Go ahead, but be careful. Call for backup at the first sign of trouble." He paused, then added: "Don't risk your life for him."

"I know."

Tuya's car was parked outside the chicken farm, separated from the several police cars by some distance. The two got in.

Though night had fallen, the air still carried a hint of sweltering heat. Coming out of the scorching chicken coop, You Mingxu felt parched, and Tuya even more so. As soon as the car steadily pulled onto the main road, he twisted open a bottle of mineral water from the console and gulped down the entire bottle.

You Mingxu also picked up the water beside her seat and drank half the bottle in one go before feeling quenched.

She took out her phone again and dialed Yin Feng's number—still unreachable. She had put it on speakerphone, and both their expressions grew increasingly grave.

"Teacher Yin and the others..." Tuya asked, "Could something have happened to them?"

You Mingxu replied, "No. I believe in him."

She believed that even if Yin Chen had set a trap, he would find a way to handle it. Every time, he had to be more capable, more skillful than Yin Chen. This time would be no exception.

Tuya felt somewhat reassured.

Despite saying this, You Mingxu turned to look out the window. The night was deep, and under Tuya's expert driving, they were rapidly approaching the city's myriad lights. In the distance, it loomed like a dormant beast, gradually revealing its outline.

"Five more minutes," Tuya said.

You Mingxu raised an eyebrow—were the two places actually this close? If so, they would likely arrive earlier than any support Ding Xiongwei could dispatch. However, Ding Xiongwei's police resources were limited, and they might not be able to arrive as promptly as they could.

In the distance, a cluster of new buildings finally came into view, standing tall in the night. But You Mingxu frowned and exclaimed, "What's that?"

Tuya's heart jolted. Squinting, he also saw billowing black smoke emerging from one floor of a high-rise building.

"It's on fire!"

Though she couldn't tell which building it was, You Mingxu quickly estimated the floor and felt a surge of dread. What were the odds? Her heart tightened abruptly. Even though she had faith in Yin Feng, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Tuya slammed on the accelerator, and the car sped straight toward the building.

Ahead lay a straight driveway with cars parked on both sides. At the end of the road, a crowd had already gathered at the building's base. Only three minutes had passed since the explosion, and the fire department hadn't arrived yet.

You Mingxu stared fixedly at the burning apartment, continuing to dial the phone with no success. Just as she pressed her lips tightly, about to try calling someone else, the car suddenly swerved violently. The screech of brakes filled the air as it veered toward the roadside flowerbed!You Mingxu grabbed the front seat backrest to steady herself as a dull "thud" sounded—the car had managed to brake but still collided with a flower bed. A cold sweat broke out on her skin. When she looked closer, she saw Tuya slumped over the steering wheel like a unconscious bear, motionless.

She quickly leaned forward to shake him. "Tuya! Tuya!"

There was no response, but she could feel his breathing and the rise and fall of his chest, as if he had suddenly fallen into a deep sleep.

What happened?

With one hand resting on the unconscious Tuya's shoulder, You Mingxu sat alone in the car, her entire body momentarily frozen.

The car had emergency-braked but not stalled; the engine continued rumbling lowly. The windows were intact—no signs of damage from the impact. Though many vehicles were parked nearby, no one approached. Ahead, black smoke mixed with flames still billowed from a high-rise building, with crowds remaining about a hundred meters away.

You Mingxu tore off her seatbelt and pushed the car door halfway open when a heavy dizziness assaulted her head. She steadied herself against the door and stepped onto the ground, but it felt soft as cotton. Gritting her teeth, she stood firm and looked up, only to find the building shrouded in a hazy glow, everything around her swaying.

The water.

The two bottles of water in the car.

Tuya had drunk an entire bottle, while she had only consumed half—that's why her symptoms emerged later.

The unusually hot air in the warehouse. Their parched throats. A meticulously planned scheme hiding in an almost negligible detail. Were the five decoys just bait, with the real poison trap right here?

That person wasn't elsewhere—they had been by her side all along. Like a slender snake in a damp forest, concealed beneath faded leaves, waiting to strike.

Staggering toward the building, You Mingxu reached for her waist, drawing her gun while fumbling for her phone with her other hand to call Xu Mengshan. But her fingers repeatedly missed the screen.

After just a dozen steps, she was drenched in sweat, nauseous and desperately sleepy. She didn't know when she collapsed until the ground's chilling cold seeped into her awareness. Then she felt someone pry the objects from her hands. Her sluggish mind slowly registered the loss—both gun and phone were gone.

Yet somehow summoning strength, You Mingxu pushed herself up from the ground, eliciting a soft "tsk" from the figure behind her.

Knowing her weakness, she stumbled against a nearby car upon rising, leaning against it to avoid collapsing again. Squinting, she saw a tall figure in black approaching steadily, short boots tapping lightly on the ground.

He seized her waist and pulled her against his chest. Dazed, her hands climbed along his solid arms as she twisted backward with a reverse grip, slipping effortlessly from his embrace.Yin Chen let out a cold snort, abandoning all pretense of chivalry as he delivered a swift chop toward the back of her neck. You Mingxu’s reactions were far too sluggish. Though she vaguely sensed the danger and tried to bend forward, her movement was too slow. The strike missed her neck but landed squarely on her back. With a muffled groan, she was thrown forward uncontrollably, crashing into a motorcycle parked at an angle nearby.

That motorcycle was the very one You Mingxu had spotted earlier in her dazed state—the one she had desperately tried to reach.

With a loud clatter, she knocked the motorcycle over and collapsed awkwardly on the ground. Instantly, the household motorcycle blared a sharp, piercing alarm that echoed across the neighborhood, drawing the attention of many onlookers who turned to see what had happened.