Lei Yu paused, then burst out laughing. Looking at You Mingxu, he knew well she was Xing Jifu’s daughter. That only made it more interesting.

“Go ahead, you Hunan folks know how to play,” Lei Yu set down the dagger.

Everyone around heard their exchange. Luo Yu turned toward You Mingxu, a sinister smile playing on his lips. You Mingxu felt frozen, rigid as a puppet, watching him approach step by step. Her peripheral vision caught her comrades behind him, hanging between life and death.

Jing Ping, who had been repeatedly kicked, suddenly pushed against the ground, nearly rising. “NO—” he roared, his voice broken and raw, erupting from deep within. The bandits started, surprised he still had such strength. Someone quickly stepped on his back, forcing him down. Another struck him with an elbow, throwing him to the ground. Yet somehow he kept struggling, neck straining as he looked toward You Mingxu.

Watching this, You Mingxu felt as if the mountain’s thin wind was cutting into her very being. “Jing Ping, don’t move!” she shouted, while the bandits erupted in laughter.

Luo Yu reached her, chuckling as he lifted her into his arms.

Nearby, someone suddenly broke free from the bandits’ control, running straight toward You Mingxu. But halfway there, he was pinned down, face pressed into the dirt. Xu Mengshan, eyes red, shouted, “Luo Yu, are you even human? If you dare touch her—I’ll never let you live, even in death!”

Luo Yu turned, carrying You Mingxu, his face twisted with malice. “I was never human,” he replied. “Don’t kill this cop yet—let him watch and listen to what I do to her.”

The bandits roared with laughter, while Lei Yu and Sun Yuan watched with interest. In their eyes, Luo Yu showed true character—even at this crucial moment, he wanted to toy with Xing Jifu’s daughter. Such boldness and cruelty made him an ideal partner for expanding their drug empire. They’d long tired of conservative, cautious old men like Xing Jifu.

Huang Long and Guo Feirong watched coldly, concerned only about Xing Jifu’s impending arrival. Xing Yanjun cried out, “Luo Yu! Don’t touch her!” But no one paid attention; Luo Yu didn’t even look at him.

You Mingxu didn’t struggle.

Two lives hung in the balance.

Luo Yu looked down at her, his gaze dark. To his surprise, the woman in his arms smiled—a smile of pure contempt and disdain. As if whatever was about to happen, life or death, meant nothing to her.

Then she raised her silent eyes to the azure sky.

Luo Yu felt a sharp pain in his chest and whispered so only she could hear: “Aren’t you afraid?”

She answered, “No.”

Luo Yu bent down to kiss her forehead; she turned away. His expression turned cold as he motioned for a subordinate to open the car door. He threw her inside, followed her in, and slammed the door shut.

Outside, the bandits laughed harder, some trying to peek inside. But Luo Yu pulled down all the black curtains. Sounds emerged from the car as it rocked—struggles, a woman’s angry voice, muffled sounds behind a covered mouth.

The bandits’ eyes grew predatory, their thoughts turning dark. Even Lei Yu raised an eyebrow. After all, who wouldn’t want to possess a top boss’s beautiful daughter? Chen Yuan remarked, “Luo Yu knows how to enjoy himself.”

Lei Yu said, “By taking Xing Jifu’s daughter, he proves his loyalty to us.”

Chen Yuan nodded with a smile.

The car continued to shake, blatantly displaying a scene of violent violation before everyone.

The mountain fell silent, the wind cutting cold against every face.

Jing Ping lay motionless on the ground. They’d stopped beating him; he couldn’t move anyway. The sounds from the car reached him faintly. He forced his swollen eyes open to look at the blue sky, where clouds drifted similarly to those in Yunnan. Tears suddenly fell. He hadn’t cried since his early years as a police officer.

He thought of her—the woman he’d fallen for at first sight, his comrade in life and death. He’d failed to protect her, letting her fall into the bandits’ hands. She’d submitted to Luo Yu to save him when his throat should have been cut by now. She was truly foolish, trading herself for his brief chance at survival.

Jing Ping closed his eyes, tears rolling into the grass below. This was his greatest fear. He didn’t fear death, pain, false accusations, or others’ misunderstanding. He only feared those he cherished suffering because of him. That’s why he’d lived alone all these years, distant from parents and relatives. Because he never knew when a day like this would come.

Now it had arrived.

He’d caught countless vicious drug dealers, standing silently before mountains of seized drugs. Now he was powerless, watching her being tormented.

The pain was worse than death.

But he couldn’t die yet.

If earlier, under Lei Yu’s torture, he’d wished for a quick death, now he refused to die.

He had to bring her back. As long as he drew breath, he had to capture these criminals.

He was still alive. She’d saved his life. How could he die?

He would continue being a police officer, fighting evil, upholding justice and conscience—together with her.

Another person wept just as bitterly as Jing Ping.

Xu Mengshan, still pinned down, felt all strength leave his body as he lay limp, eyes tightly shut. But the sounds from the car still reached his ears. His heart bled—he’d already lost Fan Jia, and now must he lose You Mingxu too? His closest comrade was being brutalized to save him and Jing Ping. Xu Mengshan felt death would be better, face buried in the dirt as he let out muffled groans.

Suddenly, he thought of Yin Feng.

Yin Feng!

Why haven’t you appeared? Why haven’t you found this place? Haven’t you always protected her perfectly? Why haven’t you come this time?

Yin Feng, do you know what’s happening? Your Ah Xu—she might be crying now.