You Mingxu's face was icy cold as she gave a slight wave of her hand. The five most skilled individuals—including Xu Mengshan, Tuya, and two other officers—began advancing forward like stealthy cats, completely silent. She was leading the way.
This was the strategy previously agreed upon with Ding Xiongwei: he would feign negotiations while she seized the opportunity to launch a forceful rescue.
After running several dozen steps in one breath, Ding Xiongwei was still shouting, still pretending to advance with the officers in front, doing everything to capture Yin Chen's full attention. The vehicle was eerily quiet—Yin Chen hadn't spoken a word and seemed barely to move.
Then You Mingxu saw a hand extend from the driver's seat, adjust the rearview mirror, and withdraw. Her heart skipped a beat. There was no mistaking the meaning of Yin Chen's action—he had already spotted them.
You Mingxu waved her hand again, and the five halted simultaneously, waiting to see what would happen next.
Every cell in You Mingxu's body felt swollen—filled with rage, pain, and a bittersweet tenderness. From about fifty meters behind, she stared at Yin Chen's faint silhouette. The other person in the vehicle might as well not exist, a realization that cut through her heart like a knife. She didn't even know if Yin Feng was still alive.
He must be alive, she told herself.
He was waiting for her to save him once more.
Just as he always stubbornly insisted on saving her.
Among her companions, Xu Mengshan was the best shot—even better than her. She lowered her voice and asked, "From here, how confident are you of hitting Yin Chen?"
Xu Mengshan's lips pressed into a grim line. "Not good. Visibility is too low, no angle."
You Mingxu gritted her teeth, rapidly calculating other options. This ambush was a last resort from the start. Now that Yin Chen had discovered them, she dared not act recklessly, fearing he might retaliate against Yin Feng if provoked.
But it was too late.
Right then.
Under the watchful eyes of over fifty officers, within their tightly woven net.
Yin Chen tossed something from the car. It rolled a few times on the ground and lay still. Even in the morning mist, everyone could clearly see it was a square, remote-control-like object, its red light blinking. The road was so quiet that the rapid beeping pierced every ear.
Ding Xiongwei's face turned ashen. "Everyone, hit the ground! You Mingxu!" The last shout was almost frantic with alarm, as she stood closest to the vehicle.
The two officers behind You Mingxu dropped to the ground simultaneously. Xu Mengshan hesitated, then also lay flat. Only Tuya remained standing foolishly, staring at the bomb remote on the ground in the distance, his eyes blazing with fury.
A figure shot forward with almost supernatural speed, leaping up and charging toward the car. Xu Mengshan's heart felt torn apart as he roared, "You Mingxu!" He sprang up from the ground in an instant.
After a dazed moment, Tuya also began sprinting forward desperately, but the person ahead was much faster—far too fast—leaving them all behind in an instant.
Everyone stared in stunned silence at the scene. The remote on the ground continued its urgent beeping. In their hearts, each person wondered: How much time remained? Ten seconds? Or just a few? This was suicide. She was going to her death!Moreover, Yin Chen was in the car, holding a gun at close range, determined to drag Yin Feng to his death. How could she possibly save anyone?
In the blink of an eye, You Mingxu had already reached the car. Her mind was completely blank—devoid of thoughts, fear, or hesitation. She didn't even hear the sound of the bomb's remote control nearby. She had run so fast that her legs felt as if they no longer belonged to her, numb and unfeeling. An incredibly intense will, like a massive iron nail, pierced her mind and shot through her entire body. She yanked open the rear door and saw the person lying there like a corpse. Her eyes suddenly burned with pain.
At that moment, the man jolted, looked up, and saw her.
Almost instantly, the gloom and lifelessness in his eyes faded away, like clouds parting to reveal the sun, radiating a dazzling brilliance. You Mingxu reached out, grabbed him, and dragged him out.
Just then.
A black gun barrel extended from the front seat.
By now, You Mingxu had already hoisted the limp Yin Feng onto her shoulder, desperately dragging him backward. Ahead of her, led by Xu Mengshan and Tuya, several police officers were sprinting toward them at full speed.
Yin Chen's gun was aimed directly at You Mingxu's back—the left side, right at her heart. Amid the chaotic final scene, he held the gun steadily, watching her, his mind conjuring a familiar silhouette.
Yin Feng had said: You will never kill her.
Because she is her child.
Yin Chen suddenly curled his lips into a faint smile, his finger slowly tightening on the trigger.
A sharp gunshot, like a ghostly arrow, pierced the air. Yin Chen's body swayed, and his gun-wielding hand slowly dropped. His expression was unprecedentedly calm, his face serene, as if everything had been destined to end this way—if not for the bloody hole that had appeared on his right temple.
He slowly leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.
Several meters away, Xu Mengshan steadied one hand with the other, the barrel of his gun still hot. His gaze was as cold and sharp as an eagle's, his heart pounding like a drum after the shot. He quickly lowered his gun and, without regard for his own life, sprinted toward You Mingxu and Yin Feng.
At that moment, including Tuya, they were still more than ten meters away from You Mingxu and Yin Feng.
And You Mingxu, supporting Yin Feng, had only managed to move three or four meters away from the car.
Suddenly, a strange chill shot up from You Mingxu's tailbone, instantly numbing her entire back. She immediately understood what was about to happen. Her first instinct was to wrap her arms tightly around Yin Feng, shielding him as she threw them both to the ground.
"Go!" Yin Feng gasped the word from the depths of his lungs, trying to push her away but lacking the strength. He heard her cold, fierce retort: "Dream on!"
A scorching wave of heat, immense and overwhelming, crashed toward them. The car erupted in a blaze of fire, instantly shattering into pieces and soaring into the sky. The intense, crimson flames, like a bloodthirsty red cloud, engulfed the two on the ground in an instant.Xu Mengshan, Tuya, and the others were still lunging forward when they witnessed the scene, feeling as if their hearts were being torn apart. They didn’t even have time to let out a cry of alarm before the massive shockwave slammed into them, hurling them violently to the ground and sending them flying backward three or four meters. The police officers on the periphery all turned pale. Ding Xiongwei nearly choked on his breath—if Xu Mengshan and the others on the outskirts of the explosion were so severely affected and bound to be seriously injured, how could You Mingxu and Yin Feng, who were near the epicenter, possibly survive?
These two… those two kids… in the end, they still… Tears burst from Ding Xiongwei’s eyes as he was overwhelmed with grief.
Just then.
Almost at the same moment Xu Mengshan and the others were thrown back by the blast’s shockwave, the flames at the core of the explosion, like a demon, viciously stretched out their claws, engulfing a vast area… A human figure, rolling at a wheel-like speed, tumbled out from directly beneath the flames! They rolled more than ten times in succession, showing no sign of slowing down, moving with an agility and nimbleness that defied belief. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly two people clinging tightly to each other, as if they were one.
They rolled seventeen or eighteen times in a row, moving out of the explosion’s central zone before their speed gradually slowed and they came to a stop.
Both lay motionless.
Everyone was stunned. Ding Xiongwei’s eyes ached as he watched. The residual glow of the explosion was already rising into the sky, and the ground was littered with ashes and debris. He shouted hoarsely, “Save them! Hurry!”
What heroes! Ding Xiongwei just wanted to wipe away his tears—damn it, both of them were true heroes! He had exchanged himself for her, and she had actually managed to pull him back from the brink of death! Ding Xiongwei understood at a glance: in such a perilous explosion where survival seemed almost impossible, only a judo expert like You Mingxu could have pulled it off. Only she, with her courage to face death and her remarkable intelligence and daring, could have seized that slim chance of survival for both of them in that critical moment!
Xu Mengshan and Tuya, who had been thrown to the ground, stumbled to their feet. Beside them, Ding Xiongwei, Xiao Yan, Guan Jun, Chen Feng, and many other police officers rushed toward the two figures lying on the ground.
The heat from the explosion still lingered on the ground, and the sky had brightened without anyone noticing. A ray of sunlight slanted across the distant mountain peaks. He lay on the ground, unconscious. She was curled in his embrace, her arms still wrapped tightly around his waist. Even though she had long lost consciousness, her hands held him firmly, unyieldingly.
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