Yin Feng said, “Oh, I let them see me kill Ah Xu in a fit of passion-turned-hatred. They hate me so much that once Wei Lan saw this leverage, he’d naturally rush to report it to his superiors. We probably won’t root out their ultimate controller this time, but we can at least deal them a heavy blow.”

Xu Mengshan and Jing Ping were both momentarily silent.

To Xu Mengshan, the strategy seemed workable at first glance. After all, these two’s tumultuous relationship was complicated enough that an outsider might believe anything. No wonder the mole fell for it.

He asked with interest, “So how did you ‘kill’ Sister You?”

You Mingxu shot him a look: “Why so many questions?!”

Before she finished speaking, several cool fingers touched her throat. Her heart jumped as she heard the man beside her say, “Strangled her like this.” His fingertips traced across her neck.

You Mingxu swatted his hand away.

She inadvertently glanced at Jing Ping, who like Xu Mengshan wore a semi-worn jacket, one hand resting on the car door as he watched them. Despite his ordinary attire, it didn’t diminish his sharp, dignified bearing. There seemed to be an inscrutable smile in his eyes, as if he’d noticed something but appeared indifferent. You Mingxu felt uncomfortable under his gaze and turned to face forward. Just as she was about to cross her legs, she realized Jing Ping was sitting on the hem of her dress.

She nudged him gently with her elbow, gesturing at the dress. Jing Ping looked down and saw he was indeed sitting on a large portion of it, having not noticed when getting in. Their eyes met as he lifted his leg to free her dress, saying softly, “Sorry.”

You Mingxu: “It’s nothing.”

Jing Ping: “Can you run in that later?”

You Mingxu: “It’s fine.”

Jing Ping examined the intricate fabric of the long dress and suggested: “If not, tie it up.”

You Mingxu: “Good idea.”

Jing Ping’s gaze fell to her feet, which looked delicate in the shoes. He added, “The shoes seem okay.”

“Mm.”

You Mingxu thought Yin Feng had shown some consideration after all. She still wouldn’t look at him.

Yin Feng’s face remained expressionless as he coldly watched ahead, staying silent for the rest of the journey.

They arrived.

The location wasn’t bustling but far from deserted—just an ordinary residential complex. At dawn, there were few people around. According to the tracker and police surveillance, Wei Lan had driven into the underground parking lot five minutes ago and taken the elevator up.

Following You Mingxu’s earlier instructions, the police had also used ordinary cars. Several vehicles entered the parking garage entrance in succession, making little noise.

Wei Lan had gone to Building 2, with no movement since.

Tu Ya’s car led the way, with others following behind, heading toward Building 2’s basement level 1. They planned to go up from there and surround the suspect. But about twenty meters away, a black sedan suddenly charged out, heading straight for them toward the exit.

Everyone was startled. Tu Ya shouted, “Wei Lan!” You Mingxu looked closely—indeed, it was Wei Lan driving, with two unfamiliar men in the car. Wei Lan’s expression was tense and vicious as he glanced at them before flooring the accelerator, the car charging faster.

The cars behind couldn’t yet see what was happening, only hearing the commotion. The underground parking lot’s lanes were narrow—there was no time to turn around as Wei Lan’s car approached.

Two voices rang out simultaneously: “Ram it!”

It was Yin Feng and Jing Ping.

Tu Ya yanked the wheel, aiming for the sedan’s midsection, and crashed straight into it.

In that split second, Xu Mengshan instinctively assumed a crash position. Yin Feng bent down with arms protecting his head, glimpsed You Mingxu in his peripheral vision, and started falling toward her. But suddenly an arm shot out from the side, pulling You Mingxu into an embrace.

You Mingxu hardly needed protection—she had her seatbelt on and had already assumed crash position, but now one person hugged her while another pressed against her, the three piled together. Yin Feng’s hardback was on top of her, but she’d fallen into Jing Ping’s arms. His scent was completely different from Yin Feng’s—a faint tobacco smell mixed with simple soap. His hand was very strong, his other arm coming up to shield both their heads.

“BANG!”

Everyone felt the violent impact, nearly flying forward before being yanked back by their seatbelts. All airbags deployed. Tu Ya’s head hit the steering wheel, bleeding profusely before the airbag protected him. Xu Mengshan wasn’t much better, his face bloodied and arms covered in glass shards. The three in the back also suffered various degrees of impact injuries.

The car’s front was completely crushed.

But compared to them, the other car fared worse. After all, theirs was an ordinary sedan against an SUV. The body was almost completely crumpled, the two men in the back unconscious and bloodied, Wei Lan slumped over the steering wheel, slowly raising his head.

Their reaction had been faster than expected. Wei Lan must have arrived, reported the situation, and they realized it was a trap, immediately attempting to retreat. Fortunately, the police and Yin Feng’s group arrived even faster, leading to this head-on collision.

Xu Mengshan suddenly shouted, “Get down!” forcing down the still-dazed Tu Ya’s head.

Jing Ping reacted fastest, You Mingxu just milliseconds behind—both unbuckled and dove under the seats almost simultaneously. Yin Feng only felt the void behind him where the person he’d been protecting had moved, heard Xu Mengshan’s warning and was about to roll down when a hand quickly reached over, pulling him down too, his seatbelt somehow already undone.

Yin Feng’s face was almost touching You Mingxu’s as they made eye contact, then heard several gunshots: “Bang! Bang!” Both tensed, and Yin Feng pulled her tight against him.

Wei Lan had a gun. Though injured, he seemed largely unaffected, rolling behind his car and firing several shots. Their car took the brunt of it, with Xu Mengshan both dodging and returning fire.

The people behind quickly caught on, and multiple officers opened fire. Under the heavy suppressing fire, Wei Lan couldn’t even raise his head. Xu Mengshan seized the opportunity to exit the vehicle, with several officers advancing carefully with drawn weapons.

You Mingxu had come from Yin Feng’s house unarmed. She struggled free from his embrace, coldly observing. Jing Ping looked up, drew his gun, and said, “Stay put.”

You Mingxu: “Be careful.”

Jing Ping: “Mm.” He didn’t leave the car, slowly pushing open the door to create an angle, his gun barrel extending through the gap as he waited silently.

Suddenly, a dark figure flashed—Wei Lan darting from behind his car, presumably seeking new cover. Jing Ping’s brow furrowed slightly as he fired a single, perfectly quiet shot. Wei Lan fell immediately.

Xu Mengshan heard the shot from behind him, turned to see Jing Ping, and sighed softly, “Damn…”

Jing Ping’s face showed no excess emotion as he said, “Hit him in the stomach. He won’t die right away.”

Several people approached the fallen suspect as You Mingxu and Yin Feng got out. Chen Feng and others immediately rushed over to protect Yin Feng.