Liang Yanfeng walked up to Jiang Mu, causing her to instinctively step backward. San Lai slowly stood up, staring at him. Liang Yanfeng cast a wary glance at San Lai before asking Jiang Mu, “Can we talk inside?”
As Liang Yanfeng was from the Alliance, Jiang Mu didn’t dare take chances. She turned and walked a few steps toward the repair room. Liang Yanfeng hurriedly followed her in and asked, “How much do you know about the drinking competition?”
His directness surprised Jiang Mu, but she remained cautious, responding guardedly, “Why are you asking about this?”
Gone was Liang Yanfeng’s previous devil-may-care attitude; instead, he spoke with gravity: “I need you to come with me.”
Jiang Mu frowned. “Why should I go with you?”
“I can’t reach him right now. If You Jiu wants to survive, you must come with me.”
“How do I know you’re not trying to deceive me?”
As she spoke, Jiang Mu had already taken out her phone to call Jin Chao, but as expected, she received a message saying the number was out of service.
By now, San Lai had walked to the garage entrance, arms crossed, eyeing the playboy with obvious hostility.
Liang Yanfeng checked the time on his wrist, suddenly stepped closer to Jiang Mu, and said in a low voice with an intensely threatening gaze, “Officer Lu sent me to find you.”
Jiang Mu’s pupils dilated, and Liang Yanfeng pressed, “Ready to go now?”
Jiang Mu quickly ran back to the break room to grab her keys and phone. Liang Yanfeng was already waiting in his car. As Jiang Mu locked up and was about to leave, San Lai grabbed her arm and asked, “Where are you going?”
Jiang Mu replied with a grave expression, “Not sure, something’s up with Jin Chao.”
San Lai didn’t release his grip and instructed her, “Turn on your location sharing with me.”
He glanced at Liang Yanfeng, adding, “I’m worried you can’t handle this alone.”
“Alright.”
Not daring to delay as she didn’t know what trouble Jin Chao was in, Jiang Mu quickly exchanged a few words with San Lai before hurrying to the car. Liang Yanfeng reminded her, “Fasten your seatbelt.”
As soon as she buckled up, Liang Yanfeng accelerated sharply, the car weaving through the streets. Jiang Mu had only experienced high-speed driving with Jin Chao before, and she trusted him absolutely, so it hadn’t frightened her. But with this stranger, the speed made her grip the door handle instinctively.
However, concern outweighed fear at this moment. As soon as she got in the car, she asked, “What happened to him?”
“How much do you know about what You Jiu is doing?”
“I know the general idea.”
They caught a red light, and Liang Yanfeng slammed on the brakes, hitting the steering wheel and cursing, “Damn it!”
He turned to Jiang Mu and said, “You Jiu can’t follow the original route.”
Jiang Mu’s heart jumped, and she released her grip on the door. “What do you mean?”
“Someone suspects there are police infiltrators in the Alliance. They can’t identify who yet, but if he follows the route, he’s finished.”
The light turned green, and the car shot forward again, Jiang Mu’s thoughts racing along with the physical motion.
As the car accelerated further, Jiang Mu’s mind became clearer. She remembered the final moments of the last racing competition when several cars rushed toward the destination from different directions. Jin Chao had used the terrain to kick up dust, which had indeed slowed some cars but hadn’t shaken them all off. It wasn’t until Liang Yanfeng caught up and blocked the other racers behind them that they had a clear path to the end. Just before they grabbed the package, Jiang Mu remembered seeing through the rearview mirror that Liang Yanfeng’s car had stopped.
At the time, she had assumed he’d given up the race knowing he couldn’t win, but thinking back now, he might never have intended to win that race at all. She remembered him flashing a “six” gesture at her when they claimed the prize. She hadn’t understood its meaning then, but now she realized it meant “666” – he was saying they’d done a great job. But why would he do that? There could only be one reason.
Jiang Mu turned her head and asked directly, “With your circumstances, you don’t lack anything, right? Why risk working for the police?”
Liang Yanfeng’s face resumed its playboy expression as he answered, “For justice.”
“Huh.” Even Jiang Mu found this excuse extremely superficial.
The car had driven more than fifty kilometers, long since leaving Tonggang. Jiang Mu constantly checked that her phone’s location sharing with San Lai hadn’t disconnected. When the sports car turned onto a completely deserted, unlit dirt road, Jiang Mu grew increasingly tense.
Liang Yanfeng’s expression had turned frighteningly dark. He suddenly spoke: “Three years ago, my best friend died on this road.”
Jiang Mu couldn’t help but shudder, turning to look at him. Liang Yanfeng’s brows were tightly knitted, his tone filled with intense hostility: “He shouldn’t have died. Two people forced him to crash into a tree. The accident was ruled as excessive speed, but that’s bullshit – it was deliberate murder. I had my old man intervene, but he told me those people were untouchable. Why? Because that group was tied to an even bigger profit chain.
I figured if I couldn’t rely on my old man, I’d infiltrate and investigate myself. Once I found evidence, I’d expose them all. My brother’s life couldn’t end without justice, leaving him as a wronged spirit in the underworld.”
Though he didn’t finish, Jiang Mu could guess the rest – Officer Lu had found him afterward, and he’d joined without hesitation.
The night grew deeper, and after more than an hour, Liang Yanfeng stopped the car at the end of a desolate dirt path. He said to Jiang Mu, “See that mountain?”
The black curtain of night shrouded everything outside, making it impossible to see beyond the headlights’ reach. Only the mountain’s vague outline was visible. Jiang Mu asked anxiously, “Is the race happening on that mountain?”
Liang Yanfeng nodded and told her, “Past this bamboo grove, you’ll see some single-story houses. Head in the opposite direction and you should reach the foot of the mountain. The race starts in about forty minutes – if you hurry, you can make it. Find You Jiu and tell him; he’ll know what to do.”
Jiang Mu didn’t waste a second, unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out. Liang Yanfeng stayed put, turning off his lights but keeping the window down as he told her, “I’ll watch until you’re through the bamboo grove.”
Jiang Mu turned back to ask, “Aren’t you coming?”
Liang Yanfeng’s lips twisted mockingly: “If I could go, I wouldn’t have specially brought you here. Officer Lu said you’re probably the only one who knows about this besides You Jiu.”
Only then did Jiang Mu suddenly realize that Liang Yanfeng’s identity might have already been compromised. The route information he’d received early might have been deliberately leaked to use him as bait, hoping to catch any other drivers who had obtained the route. That’s why he couldn’t meet Jin Chao or be seen anywhere near him.
Communication would be cut off during high-stakes races like this to prevent anyone from calling the police or causing unnecessary trouble. When Liang Yanfeng received the information, he was already unable to contact Jin Chao.
To get the message through, Jiang Mu was the only choice. She wasn’t unfamiliar – many people had seen her and knew she was with You Jiu. Her delivering the message wouldn’t raise suspicion.
Having understood the situation’s gravity, Jiang Mu said nothing more. She turned and ran toward the bamboo grove. The night air in the grove was heavy with moisture, her feet sinking irregularly into the mud. The wind rustling through bamboo leaves sounded like hissing snakes, but at this moment, Jiang Mu couldn’t care less about any creeping creatures.
The bamboo grove wasn’t large; it took her just over five minutes to run through it. Her shoes were caked with mud. Looking back, she could no longer see Liang Yanfeng’s car, but she had indeed found the single-story houses. There was a small path in the opposite direction, and she ran toward it without hesitation.
Beyond that path lay a relatively wider road. The mountain valley at night was eerily quiet – no streetlights, no farmhouses. For a moment, Jiang Mu felt as if she were the only person in this vast wilderness.
Fear and anxiety quickened her pace. The mountain’s outline grew clearer as she ran toward where the road extended to its base. A muffled sound seemed to come from the other side of the mountain. Though distant and unclear as it echoed through the valley, Jiang Mu recognized it as the roar of racing engines.
She was sweating profusely from anxiety when suddenly headlights flashed twice behind her. Jiang Mu turned to see a familiar Honda approaching. Her heart leaped into her throat as she stopped. San Lai screeched to a halt beside her and asked, “What’s the situation?”
Jiang Mu quickly jumped into the passenger seat, pointing ahead as she said, “Hurry, take me to find Jin Chao.”
San Lai said nothing more, flooring the accelerator as the Honda headed straight for the mountain. However, they’d barely driven for two minutes when a car suddenly shot out from the small path behind them in hot pursuit. San Lai looked at the rearview mirror in surprise and pushed his accelerator to the floor.
But his old car, though decorated flashily, was all show and no go – no match for a million-yuan sports car. Within seconds, Liang Yanfeng forced them to stop.
Jiang Mu lowered her window and nodded to him. Liang Yanfeng spun his car around and drove off in the opposite direction.
San Lai cursed, “What’s wrong with him? Coming all this way just to look at us? Did he think I’d sold you out? Who is that guy anyway?”
Watching the taillights shrink in the rearview mirror, Jiang Mu replied, “An unsung hero.”
…
Before they could turn onto the mountain road, they spotted a row of cars blocking the path ahead, lined up in perfect formation to prevent anyone from going up the mountain.
San Lai let out a whistle. “Looks like they want me to perform some stunt driving to get through!”
As he spoke, he started accelerating. Jiang Mu gripped her seatbelt tightly and exclaimed, “No way! How are you going to fly through this?”
Just as her heart was about to leap out of her throat, San Lai suddenly slammed on the brakes in front of the row of cars. Jiang Mu was thrown forward toward the windshield, only to be yanked back by her seatbelt and slammed against the backrest, nearly making her sick. She watched as San Lai pulled out his large sunglasses, perched them on his face, and turned to her saying, “My car doesn’t have wings to fly anywhere. Can’t you see these are all our fellow car enthusiasts? We need to maintain our image here. Come on, let’s check it out.”
With that, San Lai immediately opened the door, swinging his long legs out with an air of practiced indifference. Someone immediately called out, “What’s your business here?”
San Lai lazily surveyed the crowd – some stood in small groups smoking, others sat on their sports cars wearing headphones, and a few were flirting with girls by their cars with their scissor doors open. All eyes were now on him, and since San Lai’s headlights were facing the group, they responded by turning their headlights on him.
In an instant, more than a dozen pairs of headlights illuminated them, making Jiang Mu cover her eyes from the glare while San Lai shouted, “What are you running, a light bulb factory? Blinding people like this! We’re here to find someone up the mountain. Move aside – good dogs don’t block the road.”
The twenty or thirty people opposite them just stared, not moving an inch. San Lai growled, “If you won’t move, don’t blame me for ramming through.”
One second… two seconds… three seconds… Everyone remained silent, merely sizing up the old vehicle that supposedly threatened to ram through them. By the fourth second, the entire crowd burst into laughter.
Though Jiang Mu knew little about cars, she could tell that any single vehicle from the opposing lineup could easily overpower theirs. She tugged at San Lai’s sleeve, warning him, “Say something more realistic.”
The commotion had drawn attention from others nearby, and Jiang Mu immediately recognized Wan Shengbang among them – pot-bellied with a shaved head. Though she’d last seen him in winter, she’d recognize him anywhere.
While Jiang Mu grew increasingly wary, San Lai acted as if he’d spotted an old friend, warmly greeting him: “If it isn’t Uncle Wan! What a coincidence, out for a stroll?”
Wan Shengbang looked San Lai over, then glanced at Jiang Mu behind him, frowning: “What stroll? What are you doing here?”
San Lai suddenly grabbed Wan Shengbang’s pudgy hand with its gold rings, saying warmly, “We’re here to deliver food!”
Wan Shengbang pulled his hand away with distaste, warning him, “Young man, keep your hands to yourself when you’re talking. What food are you delivering?”
“Bringing food to my brother! Isn’t he inside for the competition? How can he compete on an empty stomach, right?”
Wan Shengbang opened his mouth, likely to curse, but considering San Lai was Old Lai’s son, he swallowed his profanity and said, “Just leave, don’t cause trouble.”
San Lai sat on someone’s red sports car, taking on a stubborn pose as he said, “I just don’t get it. What are you afraid of when I’m just bringing my brother some food? What, you think I put performance-enhancing drugs in it? Do you think this is the Olympics? Should we invite the International Olympic Committee to judge?”
“Let me be clear – I, San Lai, am delivering this food today. My brother has dietary restrictions and only likes my meatballs. I’m not leaving until I deliver this food to him personally.”
While San Lai was making a scene, Jiang Mu tried to quietly slip away toward the mountain path, but a tall, rugged-looking man blocked her way, grabbing her by the throat. Jiang Mu let out a choked sound.
San Lai turned his head and shouted, “Let her go.”
The man didn’t take San Lai seriously, dragging Jiang Mu by the throat toward the center of the road. San Lai put his hands in his black pants pockets and slowly stood up from the sports car, repeating, “I’ll say it one last time. Let go.”
The muscular man in the sleeveless tank top turned around, holding Jiang Mu in front of him with both hands tightening around her throat. As Jiang Mu’s breathing became more difficult and her face started turning pale, he treated it like a game, saying carelessly, “I could strangle this little girl with one hand. It’s fun. Want to go up? Fine, leave her with us.”
The group of men around them laughed maliciously. San Lai walked toward him step by step, expressionless, until he stood before the man and said, “That won’t work. We can skip the food delivery, but you can’t have the girl. Give her back.”
The rugged man released Jiang Mu with a bored expression, shoving her hard from behind. As she stumbled forward off-balance, San Lai caught her with one arm while simultaneously kicking the man in the stomach. The six-foot tall brute was forced to stumble backward, and as he raised his fists to fight back, sudden headlights blazed behind him.
Everyone stood up to look at the cars approaching from the road. The rugged man turned around in confusion. Leading the procession was an utterly ordinary Volkswagen, but the cars following it were anything but ordinary – two Wuling Hongguang vans flanking either side, followed by a pink F0 with eyelash decorations on its headlights, various family cars including SUVs, hatchbacks, and seven-seater business vehicles. Most bizarrely, there was even a “Tonggang-Xingwang” bus and a dump truck bringing up the rear.
San Lai proudly pushed his show-off sunglasses up to his forehead and patted the sleeveless tank top-wearing brute: “Make way.”
Then he went to the front like a traffic conductor, gesturing and directing everyone where to park. All the mismatched vehicles lined up in formation, with San Lai directing the dump truck driver to position right in front of the sports car with scissor doors.
Finally, he returned to the center position and, like an orchestra conductor, raised both hands and shouted, “Everyone turn your headlights on and aim them over there!”
At San Lai’s command, all the diverse vehicles simultaneously turned on their headlights. San Lai wore a devious smile as he slowly turned around in the sea of headlights, backlit dramatically as he faced the opposite group, saying unhurriedly, “Who was laughing at me earlier? Come on, step forward, and let me see you. I promise you won’t be the first one I ram.”
As if to complement his arrogant words, the dump truck driver behind him flashed a gap-toothed grin and honked his deafening horn twice.
The opposite side fell silent, no one daring to step forward.
At this moment, a man stepped out of the Volkswagen. He too was pot-bellied and shared Wan Shengbang’s bald head style. He looked at San Lai with displeasure, but San Lai respectfully called out, “Dad.”
Jiang Mu stared in amazement at the legendary Old Lai of Tonggang – an older man wearing a floral shirt, gleaming pointed leather shoes, and an impossible-to-miss gold “LV” logo belt. She instantly understood where San Lai had inherited his flamboyant nature.
Old Lai walked up to San Lai and pointed at him: “Always causing trouble.”
San Lai crossed his arms and said coolly, “If you can’t handle it, just pay them back.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Old Lai’s face transformed into a kindly expression with seamless Sichuan face-changing skill, and walked toward Wan Shengbang.