You Mingxu’s eyes reddened as she instinctively shielded Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan behind her, returning fire. But in the vast forest, where the enemy had set up their ambush like a mantis stalking a cicada while the oriole waited behind, there was no way to effectively counterattack.

A shot grazed her calf with a “bang,” nearly shattering her kneecap. The searing pain made You Mingxu both startled and fearful, forcing her to duck down momentarily.

Behind her, Jing Ping was breathing heavily. When You Mingxu glanced at him, blood was flowing freely from his chest. Even such a strong man was gritting his teeth, his forehead beaded with sweat from the pain, yet he didn’t make a sound. He pulled out a satellite phone from his pocket and dialed again to report the emergency. But as he had mentioned earlier, given the vast mountain area, reinforcements wouldn’t arrive quickly enough.

You Mingxu’s heart sank as she looked at Xu Mengshan. Though shot in the leg and sitting against the ground, his facial muscles were taut as he stubbornly continued returning fire.

After firing several more shots, You Mingxu was almost out of ammunition. The other police officers still standing likely faced the same predicament. She glanced toward Luo Yu and saw that the officer guarding him had been shot down. Despite being handcuffed behind his back, Luo Yu stood straight, seemingly unfazed by the situation, even wearing a slight smile.

Sudden realization hit You Mingxu like a thunderbolt—these bandits who suddenly appeared were connected to Luo Yu. What was he planning?

Only a handful of officers remained standing.

Dozens of bandits emerged from the forest. Just as the police had surrounded Luo Yu and the Yunnan drug dealers ten minutes ago, these men now encircled the police.

You Mingxu’s group had exhausted their ammunition when she heard Jing Ping say, “You Mingxu, help me up.”

Though not understand his intention, she helped him stand. Xu Mengshan also got to his feet. In the vast clearing, they were the only three officers left standing. You Mingxu looked around—about five or six officers had been killed, while the rest were wounded. The bandits were approaching one by one, seizing weapons from the fallen.

Two middle-aged men led the bandits, both with hard features. Someone had already unlocked Luo Yu’s handcuffs. He flexed his wrists, smiling as he walked up to the two men. The three looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Huang Long and Guo Feirong, still handcuffed and lying on the ground, were shocked at the scene. Huang Long shouted, “Luo Yu, what’s going on?”

Luo Yu glanced back at him, then nodded to the two middle-aged men. The slightly thinner, darker-skinned man raised his hand, and his men forced Huang and Guo into a vehicle. Huang Long suddenly realized what was happening and cursed, “Luo Yu, you fucking traitor to the boss!” Someone immediately struck him with a heavy punch, silencing him as both men were thrown into the car.

The three police officers remained standing motionless.

The thin, dark leader looked at the three officers, his gaze finally settling on Jing Ping. He suddenly smiled and said, “So it’s Comrade Jing. I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you in Yunnan lately—you’ve come to Hunan.”

Jing Ping replied, “Lei Yu, you’re bold too, causing chaos in Hunan and partnering with the Xiangtan gang to set up Xing Jifu. Your courage grows ever larger.”

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan now understood—this Lei Yu was from Yunnan. The other man was the Xiangtan leader who had been pursuing them. It seemed Luo Yu had been working with them all along—but now, who controlled the money and goods?

Suddenly, You Mingxu’s heart jolted. Previously, the police believed Luo Yu was creating a diversion, so they followed him, waiting to arrest both parties during the transaction. But these third-party attackers had timed their arrival perfectly, striking when the police had relaxed their guard after the battle and had no reinforcements.

Could it be that the police operation, the loss of tracking signals, the vastness of the mountain area, and the dispersal of police forces had all been part of Luo Yu’s calculations? Had he planned for the police and the first group to wear each other down before he and his real associates made their appearance?

A chill ran through You Mingxu’s body.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. This explained why Luo Yu had pretended to want to live with her, arousing her suspicions, and leading her on step by step with his mix of truth and lies. This was why the Xiangtan gang could attack them twice, weakening their forces, and even delivering Xing Yanjun to him as a hostage. His scheme was far grander than anyone had imagined!

You Mingxu stared at him.

He met her gaze, his narrow eyes flashing with an arrogant smile.

But suddenly!

At that moment, the Yunnan drug dealer called Lei Yu abruptly drew his gun and aimed it at Jing Ping, his face twisted with hatred: “Jing Ping, your day has finally come.”

You Mingxu moved instantly to shield Jing Ping, with Xu Mengshan joining her.

Jing Ping’s cold voice came from behind them: “Both of you, move aside.”

Neither You Mingxu nor Xu Mengshan budged. Every bone in You Mingxu’s body felt rigid as she stared intensely at Lei Yu, at the dark barrel of his gun still smelling of gunpowder.

Lei Yu let out an “Oh?” and said, “So in Hunan, you’ve even got this beauty taking bullets for you. Perfect, Jing Ping. I’ll kill you first, then have fun with your woman. No—I’ll have fun with her while you watch, then kill you.”

Just as he finished speaking, a hand gripped his gun and pushed it aside.

Lei Yu looked at Luo Yu with displeasure. Luo Yu’s smile was even more sinister than his: “Boss Lei, since this cop has offended you, how could we just kill him simply? Police reinforcements will arrive soon—let’s take him with us and torture him slowly. As for this woman, I apologize, but she’s not Jing Ping’s—she’s mine. Moreover, given her special identity, she has other uses.”

His words carried deep implications. Lei Yu looked over the three officers again, lowered his gun, and said, “Fine. I won’t touch her. But Jing Ping goes to me first—I want to kill him slowly.”