You Mingxu held him tightly, crying out loud.

Earlier, when she had been removing her clothes to bandage his wounds, someone had taken away the gun in her hand. By now, Xing Yanjun had brought people over, while Huang Long and Guo Feirong were helping Xing Jifu stand up. They all watched You Mingxu kneeling on the ground, embracing Luo Yu.

Xing Jifu said coldly, “Take her away as a hostage.”

When one of his men tried to grab You Mingxu, she kicked him away, refusing to let go of Luo Yu. The other men looked to Xing Jifu, who said, “Come with us and don’t resist. Otherwise, I’ll have them blow Luo Yu’s head off—won’t even leave you a complete corpse to bury. Didn’t you promise to give him a proper burial?”

You Mingxu raised her head, her eyes blood-red. Slowly, she laid Luo Yu down on the grass, watching as blood stained the green blades crimson. He was already lifeless. An overwhelming wave of guilt and grief suddenly surged through You Mingxu’s heart, but she could only suppress it, force it down deep inside as she slowly bent down to place one final kiss on Luo Yu’s forehead.

She stood up, and someone bound her hands with rope. They searched her thoroughly for weapons, while her long hair remained neatly pinned up with a hairpin at the back of her head.

They pushed and shoved her toward the woods. Gradually, they were about to leave the valley.

She suddenly turned her head, gazing back at the patch of grass that was now barely visible.

He lay there, with no family or comrades beside him. Lying on the cold grass, dying at the hands of an undercover agent just before dawn—when the long night was about to end. Dying at the hands of someone who had once been pure and clean.

Everything today had been bought with his life.

All the mysteries surrounding Luo Yu finally had their answers.

Perhaps over these years, he had truly lived like a criminal, his words and actions, his way of thinking, were all cruel and cunning.

But the heart in his chest never changed until death, did it? That heart of a police officer. Though she only learned this before his death.

You Mingxu closed her eyes, allowing one final tear to fall. She wiped it away with her arm, knowing clearly what she must do next, what she had to do.

Complete what Luo Yu had started.

These men were all elites among Xing Jifu’s forces. Although they had been severely weakened by the police, they remained fierce and alert, far superior to ordinary people. Soon, they had left the valley and reached a deserted country road.

You Mingxu remained silent throughout, seemingly lost in the grief of losing Luo Yu, appearing dazed as they pushed her along.

Dusk had fallen, the mountains were silent, and the wilderness was empty. Only this group of fugitives ran wildly. You Mingxu knew clearly that with a road, they would soon encounter people, perhaps even vehicles. If they could hijack a car, they would have a chance to completely escape the police siege.

This was also why she hadn’t resisted too much when becoming a hostage. The pain of losing Luo Yu made her more determined, and more driven to press forward.

Leaving the mountains meant they would regain signal coverage.

Previously, due to the safety concerns regarding secret undercover agents like Luo Yu, such large-scale operations and firefights likely prevented Yin Feng and his people from knowing or participating. It was simply too dangerous. This was probably why there had been no word from him today. He had lost her signal again.

But she believed he must be nearby.

What if he regained her signal now?

The group continued fleeing along the rural road. After some distance, they came upon a few isolated farmhouses with no signs of life. An old van was parked by the road in front of the houses.

Huang Long and the others’ eyes lit up.

Huang Long gestured for two subordinates to investigate. They ran over, found the vehicle empty, and began picking the lock.

The others escorted Xing Jifu and Xing Yanjun forward.

You Mingxu immediately noticed the tire tracks and her mind stirred.

The yellow dirt road was dusty, but the two tire tracks were very clear, neither covered nor disturbed, indicating the vehicle hadn’t been parked there long.

She was pushed to the car’s side, secretly looking up. The weeds on both sides of the road were as tall as a person, thick and dense, and extremely quiet. Her heart began racing, feeling somewhat expectant. Maintaining a neutral expression, she focused intently on the surroundings.

The car door’s lock was broken, and everyone was delighted, first helping Xing Jifu and Xing Yanjun into the car.

That’s when it happened.

Gunfire erupted.

Extremely dense, muffled, and fierce firepower came from all directions. They had been surrounded.

Almost simultaneously with the first gunshot, You Mingxu threw herself to the ground, rolling under the car. However, what she saw looking out shocked her—

Every shot was lethal.

Head, heart, abdomen—the attackers aimed only for vital points, showing no mercy. Xing Jifu’s most loyal and capable subordinates all fell to bullets, dying instantly. Including Huang Long—You Mingxu heard him grunt, then watched him fall heavily to the ground before her, shot in the head and neck.

After her initial shock, You Mingxu immediately removed her hairpin, cut through the ropes on her hands, and carefully replaced the pin. Near the other side of the car’s undercarriage, she saw Xing Jifu, Guo Feirong, and Xing Yanjun crouching by the car, completely defenseless.

You Mingxu’s heart sank heavily.

These weren’t police. The police would never act like this.

Nor was it Yin Feng.

Yin Feng would never kill people.

Then who could it be?

Who could so accurately predict Xing Jifu’s escape route and set up this ambush?

Who would emerge now, when the conflict between Luo Yu, the Yunnan people, the Xiangtan fellow, and the police was about to conclude—like a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?

Suddenly, the answer welled up in You Mingxu’s mind.

They had shown themselves.

They had finally chosen to reveal themselves.

So this time, was their purpose still punishment?

Punishing Kaiyang Group, punishing… Xing Jifu?

The gunfire gradually subsided.

You Mingxu’s thoughts flashed like lightning—the attackers came fiercely, with superior numbers and force. This moment was her only chance to fight back. She suddenly rolled out from under the car, lunging toward Guo Feirong.