You Mingxu never expected such a mishap on their journey—an ambush and shootout with a gang. She couldn’t tell if this was fortune or misfortune for her mission. All she could do was observe quietly while keeping an eye on Luo Yu beside her. If things turned south and they faced defeat before accomplishing anything, she’d grab Luo Yu’s gun; escaping alone shouldn’t be difficult.

Though You Mingxu had only seen Luo Yu fire once when he killed A-Hua, she hadn’t realized how skilled he was with a gun. There were five or six opponents, all taken down with single shots. Gradually, their side gained the upper hand. Huang Long and Guo Feirong were also fierce characters—they didn’t even flinch when their men were shot, continuing to advance and suppress the enemy with gunfire.

Seeing the situation deteriorate, the Xiangtan gang members realized they couldn’t succeed. The survivors jumped into their vehicles and sped away. Huang Long’s eyes were bloodshot, and just as he was about to order his men to give chase, Luo Yu shouted, “Stop!”

Guo Feirong had also regained his composure and grabbed Huang Long’s shoulder. “Don’t waste time—we’ll report to the boss and settle accounts with them later.”

Huang Long glared darkly at the road ahead as the Xiangtan gang quickly disappeared. He finally relented.

Their plans had been disrupted. Of the thirty-some brothers they’d brought, half were dead or wounded. After contemplating briefly, Luo Yu quickly issued orders: splitting the men into groups, one to clean up the aftermath—they couldn’t leave corpses lying on the road for the police to find, or the transaction would be impossible. This infuriated Huang Long; being ambushed by the Xiangtan gang and then having to clean up after them. He vented his anger by stabbing their corpses multiple times.

The others helped the wounded into vehicles, seeking nearby shelter to treat injuries. Night had fallen, so they could find lodging and continue their journey tomorrow. Fortunately, they had a doctor with them who rushed to treat everyone’s wounds.

Soon, they found several abandoned houses on a mountain some distance from the highway and settled in.

You Mingxu observed everything silently, not doing anything unnecessary. After all, she wanted the transaction to proceed smoothly even more than they did, for the eventual arrest.

By the time everything was settled and Luo Yu had handled all matters, it was past eight in the evening. You Mingxu was staying in one room when Luo Yu entered, carrying two boxes of prepared instant noodles.

You Mingxu wasn’t about to argue with her stomach and accepted one box, immediately digging in. Luo Yu sat beside her, blood still on his clothes—all belonging to others—and quickly finished his noodles as well.

Before You Mingxu could put down her bowl, he had already taken it, throwing both containers outside. You Mingxu watched his silhouette without saying a word.

He seemed somewhat tired when he returned to the room, which contained only a dilapidated bed and two stools. He sat down on one and lit a cigarette.

“Give me one,” You Mingxu said.

He flicked a cigarette to her, and before You, Mingxu could react, he was already holding up his lighter. She didn’t flinch as he lit it, then leaned against the wall, smoking slowly.

“What happened?” she asked.

Luo Yu answered briefly, “The Xiangtan gang has always been our enemy, trying to steal our business. But they need the capability to take it.”

You Mingxu gave a cold laugh, flashing back to their lawless shootout earlier, and said, “You all deserve to die.”

Luo Yu wasn’t angry at all and smiled, “Yes, we all deserve to die.”

Both were quiet for a moment before Luo Yu said, “Want to make a deal?”

You Mingxu looked at him.

He smiled and said, “I’m going for something big this time. If it succeeds, even Xing Jifu will have to look at me differently. If it fails, I’ll probably lose my life. The risks seem higher than I anticipated. If things go wrong, please help collect my corpse. The condition is that as long as you behave on this journey, I won’t touch you.”

That strange feeling welled up in You Mingxu again. She still couldn’t figure out Luo Yu, even now. She couldn’t understand his motives, his occasional silence, or why he kept letting her off.

“And if you succeed?” You Mingxu asked.

Luo Yu laughed loudly, “If I succeed, everything will be mine, including you. I can do whatever I want with you—what else is there to say?”

You Mingxu retorted, “Keep dreaming!”

He reached out to pat her face, but she dodged. He wasn’t upset and said, “Whether it’s a dream or not, you’ll know soon enough.”

Luo Yu walked out of the room. Below the farmhouse stretched patches of wasteland, with silent mountains in the distance. There were almost no lights in these deep mountains. A light rain began falling from the sky, and everything was peaceful. From the surrounding houses came the groans of injured brothers and voices talking.

He stood there for quite a while, letting the fine rain hit his face, finding an unusual comfort in it.

His phone rang.

Looking at it, his heart skipped a beat—it was Xing Jifu calling.

This wasn’t normal.

This transaction was too important, which was why Xing Jifu had sent all three of them. Though he hadn’t shown his face, he had come to Guizhou to control things remotely, just not directly participating in the deal.

Not just him—Xing Yanjun had come too. They were all traveling separately. Xing Jifu was planning to retire, and though Young Master wouldn’t directly handle these matters, he would eventually be their new boss. Xing Jifu probably wanted to give his son some preparation.

After settling in the farmhouse following the earlier incident, Luo Yu called Xing Jifu to report. Though surprised, Xing Jifu hadn’t said much, agreeing with their assessment that they would settle accounts with the Xiangtan gang later, and telling them to stay alert—the transaction was paramount.

Xing Jifu rarely contacted them proactively during transactions. Why was he calling now?

Luo Yu answered respectfully, “Boss.”

Xing Jifu’s voice had a rare edge of anxiety: “Luo Yu, something’s happened to Yanjun—he also encountered the Xiangtan gang and was injured. He’s very close to your location.”

Luo Yu paused, then said, “I’ll contact him immediately.”

Xing Jifu said, “Look after Yanjun and send him back to Hunan first thing tomorrow morning. Hmph, the Xiangtan gang—I want them dead.”

Luo Yu had rarely seen Xing Jifu angry in recent years, and a chill ran through him. After hanging up, he immediately gathered some men, contacted Xing Yanjun, and rushed to the road to assist him.