As You Mingxu listened to Yin Feng’s words—part persuasion, part enticement, seemingly sincere—her head throbbed with pain. This madman, this lunatic! To save her, he would even curry favor with Yin Chen, this fool…

She felt Yin Chen’s gun barrel moving slowly above her head, betraying its owner’s contemplative state. She heard him ask slowly, “So according to you, I must exchange You Mingxu for you to get what I want?”

Then she heard the other person reply unhurriedly, “I admit, I proposed this solution to get her back safely, but aren’t you also reluctant to kill her? Take me with you—whether we roam to the ends of the earth or descend into hell—you’ll have a kindred spirit, someone who shares your blood, accompanying you. Have you forgotten the joy you felt in Guizhou when you imprisoned and tortured me? I’ll give you what you want, I’ll submit if you’ll give me what I want in return.”

You Mingxu’s heart ached violently at these words. Had he gone mad? Tempting Yin Chen like this—was it just a temporary strategy or did he truly intend to do this? Was he planning to throw himself to the tiger for her sake? Yin Feng, you madman!

The brothers’ exchange lasted barely two or three minutes. You Mingxu suddenly realized that Yin Chen’s escape route must have been carefully planned and difficult to track—there was still no sign of reinforcements arriving.

So Yin Feng was serious.

“Don’t make the exchange,” You Mingxu suddenly said to Yin Chen. “Don’t listen to him. I’ll go with you—let’s drive away now! Don’t stay! The police will be here any minute!”

But unexpectedly, these words only strengthened Yin Chen’s resolve. He looked down at her, his hand slowly leaving her slender neck. You Mingxu heard his ice-cold voice say, “He’s right. You’re not who I want. You’re not her. You’ll only leave me with nothing in the end.”

Madman!

This madman!

This madman’s psyche had been firmly grasped by Yin Feng. But the result of that grasp would be him descending into hell in her place.

“Little brother, come here,” Yin Chen said hoarsely. “Come to your big brother.” His voice carried a hint of excited laughter.

You Mingxu forced herself to look up and saw the figure approaching the car. Suddenly her vision blurred. He hadn’t hesitated at all.

You Mingxu shouted, “Yin Feng, you dare?”

The man remained silent.

Xiao Yan followed a few steps behind, eyes red and fixed on Yin Chen, his gun never wavering.

The back door opened, and Yin Chen tossed something that Yin Feng caught. Yin Chen said, “Inject it in your upper arm, then crawl into the back seat.”

Yin Feng called out, “Xiao Yan.”

Xiao Yan quickly ran to the passenger side, opened the door, and aimed at Yin Chen’s head.

Yin Chen smiled slightly, catching glimpses of Yin Feng already injecting the muscle paralytic into his arm. Xiao Yan watched Yin Feng’s unhesitating actions, barely holding back tears.

The silence was deafening to You Mingxu, yet she could guess what was happening. An overwhelming coldness seized her face from nowhere. Her expression remained blank, but her teeth began chattering uncontrollably.

Then she heard a thud—something heavy hitting the car—followed by movement in the back seat as someone struggled to climb in. The back door closed with a soft bang.

She heard someone call softly, “A’Xu.”

You Mingxu held herself back, unable to turn around, hatred burning inside her.

Then someone from outside quickly grabbed her waist, pulling her out. She looked up to see Yin Chen’s gun still trained on her, his face expressionless, as if ready to drive this car to some far-distant place. She could finally see Yin Feng, lying in the back seat, watching her quietly, his eyes dark as water and slightly red.

You Mingxu’s tears fell instantly.

She hated him! Hated him so much! How dare he exchange himself for her! She was a criminal investigator, while he was just a gentle scholar—and the person Yin Chen hated most. He had gone mad!

Xiao Yan pulled You Mingxu from the car.

Almost simultaneously, Xiao Yan raised his gun and fired, but as Yin Feng had predicted, Yin Chen’s reactions were far quicker. He floored the accelerator, and the car shot forward like an arrow. Xiao Yan set You Mingxu down and gave chase, firing frantically. But as the car emerged from the alley onto the main road, amid a chorus of honking horns, Yin Chen’s vehicle darted through traffic like an arrowfish through water, running two red lights and vanishing in an instant.

Xiao Yan chased for seven or eight hundred meters but couldn’t even see the car anymore. Gritting his teeth, he ran back to find the once-vigorous You Mingxu still lying motionless on the ground. His tears flowed as his whole body trembled. Up close, he saw You Mingxu’s pale face streaked with tears, looking at him with an expression he had never seen before.

Xiao Yan’s tears poured down as he lifted her from the ground and made the call, crying.

Champion and Chen Feng weren’t far away, but an explosion had drawn emergency vehicles to the area, creating chaos around the complex. They were stuck in traffic, and Yin Chen’s carefully planned route had allowed him to slip away.

Soon after, Champion and Chen Feng arrived by car, having picked up the still-unconscious Tu Ya and thrown him in the back seat. The scene before them made their eyes feel ready to burst—

Xiao Yan sat on the curb, holding the limp You Mingxu, sobbing uncontrollably.

Before the car had fully stopped, Champion jumped out and rushed over, his eyes turning cold: “Where’s Teacher Yin? Where’s Teacher Yin?!”

Chen Feng slammed on the brakes and ran over too.

Xiao Yan sobbed, “He convinced Yin Chen to take him instead of Miss You. He took an injection and can’t move now, just like Miss You. Both of them… he’s already gone, too far gone, we can’t catch up!”

Champion roared, “Shut up! Wherever they’ve gone, I can catch them!” He took You Mingxu from Xiao Yan’s arms, noting her blank expression, red-rimmed eyes, and the piercing cold in her gaze. Even Champion felt a stab of pain in his chest as he looked up at the main road, knowing Xiao Yan was right—Yin Chen had escaped with Teacher Yin as his hostage.

He asked You Mingxu, “What did they inject?”

You Mingxu answered, “Some kind of nerve paralytic.”

Champion lifted her arm, quickly found the injection site, and sniffed it carefully. He had noticed a pharmacy across the street and said angrily, “I’ll figure something out. Get her in the car first, I’ll mix up the antidote right away.”

Chen Feng’s face was equally frost-covered as he looked at You Mingxu with shocked pain. He took her and carried her to the car, placing her next to Tu Ya. Watching her slump powerlessly against Tu Ya, Chen Feng controlled himself and said as gently as possible, “Don’t worry, we’ll rescue Teacher Yin. He’ll be fine.”

“Mm.” You Mingxu’s voice sounded unusually calm, yet carried an unstoppable determination. Chen Feng’s heart ached, and he said no more as he got into the car.