You Mingxu turned back in shock and pain, only to see that black figure lying motionless in the bushes. Her eyes stung, tears nearly falling.

But the van had lost control!

At such high speed, with the driver shot dead, the vehicle headed straight for the rock face beside the road! Yin Chen shoved aside the driver’s corpse and grabbed the steering wheel!

With a thunderous “boom,” half the front of the van struck the rock face. They had barely avoided a head-on collision before coming to a stop.

Everyone was thrown forward, then fell back.

You Mingxu’s head spun from the impact. When she looked up, she found the Punishers truly lived up to their training – two guns were already aimed at her and Xing Jifu.

Yin Chen’s head had hit the steering wheel, drawing blood. He slowly raised his head, wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve, and saw the SUV had stopped properly ahead, completely blocking the road.

Even if Yin Feng hadn’t blocked their path, their van was already destroyed, beyond driving.

As the dust from the collision settled, silence fell over the mountain road.

No one stepped out of the SUV; they seemed to be waiting with infinite patience. Only two bright headlights shone arrogantly in their direction.

After a moment of silence, Yin Chen suddenly laughed: “My little brother has grown increasingly mad. He’s willing to pay any price for you.”

You Mingxu wisely remained silent, watching how things would unfold.

Yin Chen gestured to his men to bring You Mingxu and Xing Jifu out of the van.

As soon as they stepped out, the doors of the opposing vehicle opened, and several figures emerged into the night – Yin Feng, Chen Feng, Champion, and Lao Jiu.

Night had fallen deep, the mountains silent. This was an extremely narrow mountain road, potholed and broken, far from any village or inn, rarely traveled by anyone. Further ahead lay only denser forest and steeper cliffs.

The two groups, sharing a similar quality of darkness, faced off across several dozen meters.

You Mingxu’s eyes immediately found Yin Feng. He wore a bulletproof jacket, his figure tall and straight, with a black coat over it. He was looking at her too, his dark eyes seeming to dance with light.

Regardless of the uncertain situation, regardless of whether she could return to his side today, just seeing him brought sudden peace to her heart. She could almost hear him saying, as he had before: Don’t be afraid.

Yin Chen was also studying his younger brother. His heart first filled with joy, as if seeing a younger, more excellent version of himself. Yet beneath that lurked an impulse to destroy him, to break that straight-backed posture, to extinguish the light in his eyes. These mixed emotions made Yin Chen exhale softly, his body tingling with excitement and impulse.

Yin Feng gazed at You Mingxu from afar. Seeing her unharmed, his heart, which had been anxious and angry all day, finally found peace.

He noticed she looked somewhat tired, with scrapes and bruises on her face, but her eyes were clear and bright – meaning she likely hadn’t suffered any substantial harm. She looked back at him, her gaze carrying a certain assured tenderness. Without words, he understood what she wanted to say.

You came again.

Yes, I came again.

I will always come to your side, Xu’er.

No obstacle, no danger can stop me.

I won’t rest until I achieve my goal.

…

As You Mingxu had predicted, because Ding Xiongwei and others suddenly received instructions from higher up, involving not only a top-secret undercover agent but also mobilizing hundreds of police officers, Yin Feng and his people were not allowed to participate in today’s operation.

Yin Feng knew his limits in some matters and understood such decisions were beyond his power to change. However, Ding Xiongwei repeatedly assured him that he too had just learned the undercover agent’s identity and that the agent had promised superiors they would do everything possible to ensure You Mingxu’s and other officers’ safety.

Piecing together the case’s origin, development, and changes, Yin Feng could guess who the undercover agent most likely was. Beyond his shock, he felt genuine admiration.

Yet Yin Feng could predict that afterward, there would likely be another tough, passionate detective coveting his treasure. With the battle imminent, such matters could wait. He had never lost in matters of jealousy and rivalry anyway. Let them come when the time arrives. He even felt a new interest in that person that he hadn’t felt before.

At this moment, Yin Feng didn’t know that person had already sacrificed their life.

Although the police’s major counterattack had excluded Yin Feng and his people, he was still authorized to carry weapons and provide support from the periphery. It didn’t matter that the police didn’t tell him their specific plans and progress – with Champion there, they knew all about the police force deployments. They just didn’t know the exact location of operations in the vast mountain area.

So from early morning, Yin Feng had led his people in repeatedly circling outside the police cordon, waiting for news.

When You Mingxu’s tracker signal appeared again, Yin Feng and his team happened to be nearby.

Yin Feng immediately ordered Champion to report this to the police while they gave chase.

However, You Mingxu’s signal was intermittent, likely to disappear at any time. Moreover, they were getting further from the police cordon, heading deeper into the mountains. Yin Feng knew something major must have gone wrong.

He couldn’t afford to lose You Mingxu’s signal, nor could he continue waiting for police reinforcements – the Punishers would likely vanish without a trace.

Yin Feng immediately decided to intercept!

But with steep mountain roads and fierce opponents, the operation would naturally be extremely dangerous. After quickly settling on the most feasible strategy and division of tasks, Yin Feng’s expression was grim as he looked at them and said, “Someone might die.”

Tu Ya spoke in his deep voice: “I’m not afraid of death! I want to save Miss You.”

Xiao Yan said, “I’ve been wanting to die for a long time. Somehow saving her feels like a bonus?”

The others remained silent until Lao Jiu, the oldest, snorted a laugh: “Everyone’s talking about death, trying to be heroes? People like us, even dying for the police, could we be honored as martyrs? Whoever dares to die, I’ll eat their face off – leave them without an intact corpse!”

Yin Feng rubbed his brow: “Shut up. No one is allowed to die!”

…

The interception had succeeded.

Even against the most formidable Punishers, the team had struck successfully in succession. Everything had gone according to Yin Feng’s predictions.

But the cost had been devastating.

Thinking of Xiao Yan and Tu Ya’s uncertain fate, Yin Feng’s brows furrowed, violent energy rising in his chest, causing a dull ache. Only when he met You Mingxu’s soft, bright gaze did that violent impulse temporarily subside.

The other side remained highly guarded, pushing You Mingxu and Xing Jifu in front while their people stood behind.

Yin Feng’s gaze fell on the person behind You Mingxu.