Chapter 41 - 1#
The bearded man winced in pain and lurched downward, “Ah!”
He caught sight of a crowd of figures rushing in from the perimeter and gritted his teeth, yanking Jing Shun to his feet. Pulling a dagger from his waist, he snarled, “Don’t come any closer! Take one more step, and I’ll kill him!”
“…”
Jing Shun felt a chill at his throat—the sharp blade could slit his windpipe and send him to death’s door with the slightest misstep.
He watched the dimly lit figures gradually closing in, including gun-wielding police officers and what appeared to be professionally trained enforcers.
The lead officer aimed his gun at the bearded man and stepped forward with a warning, “Listen up! You’re surrounded! Release the hostage now!”
“Bullshit! I’m not falling for your tricks!”
The bearded man tightened his grip on Jing Shun’s shoulder, but inwardly, he was reeling in shock—
How was this possible?
He had confiscated all their phones and electronic devices and deliberately driven in circles to throw off the police and buy time.
How long had it been?
It wasn’t even light out yet, and the cops were already at his doorstep with the other party?
The fact that these people had broken in here without a single word from his men patrolling nearby meant they had all been dealt with!
As the two sides faced off, another figure stepped to the front of the crowd.
Qin Ye exuded murderous intent; his narrow eyes seemed laced with venom, instilling fear in anyone who saw him. “Yang Wei, the Rust Spot Hall really knows how to throw its weight around, huh? Even daring to kidnap one of my people?”
“…”
Yang Wei heard his full name and recognized Qin Ye’s face, immediately going on high alert.
The major gangs in Aogang had been locked in open and covert struggles for years. Though their public activities had recently become more restrained, their private connections remained tangled and complex.
The Qin family had made their fortune in gambling, inevitably tying them to these gangs.
Even now, with the Qin family’s casinos officially operating as legitimate businesses, the underworld still had to respectfully address Qin Ye as “Master Qin,” enjoying considerable prestige and influence.
Qin Ye didn’t spot Yu Zhen and felt his breath tighten. “Where’s Yu Zhen?”
Jing Shun met Qin Ye’s gaze and answered in his place, “Master Qin, don’t worry. Yu… Yu Zhen is safe now.”
He knew his friend had been dragged into this through no fault of his own, and at this critical moment, his first instinct was to ensure his safety.
Hearing this, Yang Wei finally caught on.
So the one Qin Ye was worried about wasn’t this cripple, but the pretty boy they had also kidnapped?
The razor-sharp blade pressed another inch against his neck. Yang Wei threatened, “Less talk! Where’s Chi Gui? His lover is in my hands! Does he intend to stand by and do nothing?”
“…”
Jing Shun stayed silent.
He had already scanned the crowd and even looked among the fully armored officers, but unfortunately, he hadn’t spotted Chi Gui.
Could it be that Chi Gui and Qin Ye hadn’t come together? That the latter had tracked down this place first because of Yu Zhen’s hidden tracker?
Considering that possibility, Jing Shun’s nerves tightened again.
In the blink of an eye, he heard Qin Ye reply slowly, “Chi Gui? What’s he doing here? Why don’t you ask the hostage you’re holding whether he and Chi Gui actually are lovers?”
“…”
“Yang Wei, I know who’s pulling the strings behind you.”
“Zhang Aode is a senile old fool. How did you let him fool you so easily? Just because Old Man Zhang gave you a meal back in the day? You’d risk your brothers’ lives for him? Don’t you think you’re being stupid?”
Qin Ye’s tone was sharp, even cutting. “Acting so impulsively, you’re unworthy of the trust your brothers place in you.”
Yang Wei ground his teeth. “I don’t need you to teach me how to do things!”
Qin Ye sneered and continued to expose the harsh truth. “Once the Chi family’s dock project gets underway, it’ll generate at least tens of billions in profit. Do you really think Chi Gui would give up such massive business interests for some nobody lover of his?”
An ambitious entrepreneur wouldn’t abandon a business empire within reach for something like love or romance.
“If he really cared about the hostage in your hands, I wouldn’t be the one standing here in front of you right now.”
“…”
Yang Wei’s expression flickered, his breathing growing ragged.
Jing Shun sensed the subtle shift in the emotions of the man behind him and exchanged a brief glance with Qin Ye.
He put on a terrified and desperate sob. “No, I… I don’t want to die. I was just playing along with Chi Gui. We don’t have any real relationship! Save… save me, I don’t want to die!”
Jing Shun’s legs were already too weak to support him, and now he kept sliding downward.
Yang Wei had to use more force to hold him up. “Don’t move!”
Faced with Jing Shun’s pleas for help, Qin Ye remained unmoved.
He coldly retreated behind the officers, stating, “I only care about ensuring my people are safe. Deal with the rest however you see fit.”
His detached, ruthless demeanor made it seem as if Jing Shun’s life meant nothing to him.
The lead officer called out, “Yang Wei, if you let the hostage go now and confess, you’ll get a lighter sentence!”
“Like hell I believe your crap!”
Yang Wei stared at the dark muzzles of the guns, his eyes bloodshot. “Back off! Or I’ll kill him right now!”
“Don’t you all claim you don’t care whether he lives or dies?”
The bullet wound in his thigh throbbed violently. Yang Wei gasped out his threat. “If I can’t get out of here in one piece, I’ll take him down with me!”
The blade pressed another inch forward, and Jing Shun felt a sting at his neck.
Suddenly, a loud bark rang out.
“Woof!”
Gou Bao charged out from a pile of timber and lunged straight at Yang Wei’s leg, clamping onto the bullet-wounded thigh with a bloodhound’s instinct.
“Ah!”
Yang Wei shuddered in agony.
Still holding Jing Shun, he tried desperately to shake off Gou Bao but failed.
“Grrr!” Gou Bao unleashed an unprecedented ferocity, as if determined to tear the villain’s thigh flesh right off. “Grrr!”
The searing pain sent blood rushing to his head.
With murderous intent, Yang Wei swung the blade away from Jing Shun’s neck and stabbed downward at Gou Bao’s back. “You damn beast, you’re asking for it!”
Jing Shun’s breath hitched. “Bao Bao!”
At that critical moment, Chi Gui, who had been lying in wait, seized the opening. He leaped down from atop a high stack of timber, planting a kick squarely on Yang Wei’s back.
Yang Wei’s hand involuntarily loosened. Jing Shun, freed from his captor’s grasp, lost his balance—
Chi Gui caught him swiftly, pulling him into his arms. “Jing Shun!”
The officers seized the opportunity to swarm in, fully restraining Yang Wei as he lay sprawled on the ground. “Don’t move!”
“…”
Jing Shun’s oxygen-deprived brain spun. It took several seconds for him to confirm the person before him wasn’t a hallucination. “Chi Gui?”
“It’s me. You’re safe now!”
Chi Gui carried the man away from the danger zone.
He set Jing Shun down on a high stack of timber, quickly untying the ropes binding his hands and feet. “Let me see—are you hurt anywhere?”
Jing Shun tried to steady his breathing. “I’m okay.”
Chi Gui noticed the marks on his wrists from the restraints and the shallow cut on his neck. His fierce expression was overtaken by guilt and concern.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“Just some superficial wounds.”
Jing Shun shook his head, remembering something more important. “Gou Bao—Chi Gui, where’s Gou Bao?”
“Whine.”
Gou Bao limped over, with bloodstains on its back and the corner of its milky-yellow fur and mouth.
“Bao Bao?”
Jing Shun startled and was about to jump off the timber when Chi Gui stopped him. “You’re in no condition. Don’t move recklessly.”
Chi Gui lifted Gou Bao and set it beside Jing Shun.
Without a word, the two fell into a tacit understanding and began examining Gou Bao’s condition.
“It doesn’t look like its mouth is injured—this blood must be Yang Wei’s.”
“There’s a small cut on its back, but it’s not serious. I’ll have Weidy take it to the hospital for disinfection later.”
“…”
Jing Shun’s heart settled a bit.
He rubbed Gou Bao’s head, both moved and guilt-ridden. “Bao Bao, you scared me to death! Don’t ever do that again, you hear?”
Gou Bao wiggled its ears. “Awoo~”
It showed none of the ferocity from its attack earlier, instead cuddling pitifully against Jing Shun.
Jing Shun continued to pet his good dog’s nape, still puzzling over something. “Didn’t Gou Bao get left in the park? How did it end up here with you?”
“Didn’t I assign bodyguards for you? One of them realized they’d lost you, so he brought the dogs back to regroup first.”
Under ordinary circumstances, no one would have had the mind to look after two dogs, but the signal was too weak in this area, and Yu Zhen’s location wasn’t precise enough.
Thankfully, Eone’s sense of smell was amazing, and Gou Bao even managed to find that hole in the wall, which helped those outside quickly pinpoint the location.
Chi Gui looked at Gou Bao nuzzling against Jing Shun and, for the first time, reached out to rub its head.
He echoed Jing Shun’s usual compliments. “Thank you, Gou Bao. You did an amazing job today.”
Gou Bao tilted its head. “Awoo?”
Having confirmed that Chi Gui was praising it, Gou Bao perked up instantly, ignoring its minor injuries as it stood tall and barked triumphantly at Chi Gui:
“Woof! Woof woof!”
Bao Bao is amazing! Super amazing!
Jing Shun couldn’t help but laugh, the shadow cast by this ordeal gradually lifting.
He met Chi Gui’s eyes with a smile. “You’re not scared of dogs anymore?”
Chi Gui replied, “Not when they’re yours.”
Jing Shun kept smiling, looking him over from head to toe. “I had no idea you’d gotten behind me—when did that happen?”
“I circled around from the start. I didn’t show myself right away to mislead Yang Wei.”
The police wouldn’t allow ordinary civilians to rush into danger, so Chi Gui and Qin Ye had to stay at the back of the formation.
Fortunately, the shipyard was piled high with timber. After assessing the situation, the two of them came up with a plan on the spot:
Qin Ye would distract Yang Wei, while Chi Gui circled around behind him and waited for the right moment to strike.
But they hadn’t expected Gou Bao, despite its youth, to be so brave—it drew the attacker’s attention before Chi Gui and the police could act.
Yang Wei had been fully subdued by the police and handcuffed.
Meanwhile, Qin Ye, using Eone’s sense of smell, found Yu Zhen hidden behind another pile of timber and carried him out.
Yu Zhen’s face was pale, and he didn’t look well.
Jing Shun noticed. “Is Yu Zhen okay?”
“He’s fine.”
Yu Zhen had a weak heart; the night’s ordeal had overtaxed him, causing some discomfort. He just needed time to recover.
Seeming embarrassed, Yu Zhen hurried to get down from Qin Ye’s arms. “Jing Shun? And you? How are you?”
Yang Wei was right—the hole in the wall was too small, and it was surrounded by timber, making it impossible to escape in a short time.
Jing Shun had directed Yu Zhen to hide behind another pile of timber, using the shadows to conceal himself.
Meanwhile, Jing Shun, unable to move easily, stayed where he was and deliberately used his eyes to mislead Yang Wei and his men, making them think Yu Zhen had slipped out unnoticed to alert others.
Yu Zhen had seen through the gaps in the timber how Yang Wei, in his fury, had roughly manhandled Jing Shun!
“I’m fine too.”
Jing Shun didn’t care about the minor injuries—what mattered was that they had all escaped safely.