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Psst! We're moving!
Qin Tang was led out with her eyes covered, just as she had been brought in. Along the way, she carefully felt the surroundings—up the stairs, through a gate, standing at the exit, there was a sharp smell of paint, and as the gate opened, wind rushed in.
She was shoved into a car, and it quickly drove off.
Half an hour later, the car stopped, and the blindfold was removed.
“Miss Qin, you can leave now.”
Qin Tang squinted, adjusting to the dim night light.
They were in a quiet, desolate street, and looking up, she could see a few newly built buildings, probably part of a development zone.
Because it was so late, there wasn’t a single person in sight.
The black jeep was parked ahead. Qin Tang got out of the car, her bag slung over her shoulder, with two big men following her. Qin Tang glanced back and walked toward the car, noticing the driver’s side window was broken. One of the big men said, “What happened to this car?”
Suppressing the confusion in her heart, Qin Tang replied in a calm voice, “Maybe it was broken by a thief or a beggar on the street.”
The burly man walked back and forth twice, noticing that the windows of the three cars parked here had all been smashed, which eased his suspicion.
Qin Tang secretly sighed in relief, opened the car door, and got in. The two burly men followed and sat in the back seat.
As soon as she got in the car, she noticed a cup of lemon tea upside down on the passenger seat. She paused for a moment, reaching out to take it—it was still slightly cold.
Qin Tang lowered her eyes. This was probably the lemon tea that Jiang Chuan had brought her when he went out to buy cigarettes.
“Do you know how to use the GPS?”
“Yes...”
Qin Tang glanced at the GPS device, started the engine, and secretly looked at the rearview mirror. The two burly men seemed not to notice her. Her hand trembled slightly as she slowly reached for the GPS and turned it on. One of the men immediately leaned forward, “What are you doing?”
“I’m not familiar with the route, I need to use the GPS.”
The burly man glanced at her and leaned back in his seat, cursing, “Damn it, we’ve been awake for two nights just to deal with Jiang Chuan, now we have to follow you around, you better behave, or we’ll make sure we don’t leave you alive.”
The other burly man leered and laughed.
Qin Tang bit her lip and said nothing.
She drove slowly, keeping her eyes on the GPS. Jiang Chuan had used the GPS all the way here, and now she was following the same route he had taken. Earlier, Zhao Qianhe had mentioned waiting at the “old place,” and Jiang Chuan definitely knew where it was, but he had used the GPS anyway.
The car drove out of the dim street and merged into traffic.
Qin Tang couldn’t help but worry about Jiang Chuan. There were so many people; no matter how capable he was, he’d still be at a disadvantage. What if Zhao Qianhe had something up his sleeve? What would happen to him...
Her mind was in turmoil, and she wasn’t fully focused on driving. But... what did the GPS mean?
Suddenly, the rear of the car was violently hit.
“Bang!” A loud crash.
The car jolted forward.
Qin Tang’s heart jumped, and she quickly slammed on the brakes.
It was too late—the front of the car collided with the rear bumper of a BMW X3.
The three cars crashed into each other, causing a chain collision.
The two burly men, who had been resting with their eyes closed, were jolted and their heads slammed into the seat, momentarily disoriented.
They immediately began cursing, “What the hell are you doing?”
Qin Tang was flustered for a few seconds, then calmed down. She felt a sense of excitement deep inside. She turned around and innocently said, “Someone hit me from behind...”
The BMW owner, a woman in her forties, got out of the car, walked over angrily, and immediately began shouting, “Can’t you drive?”
Qin Tang reached for the car door to get out, but the burly man behind her pressed down on her shoulder, “Stay put.”
Qin Tang looked down as the other burly man got out and, using his muscular build to intimidate, said, “What’s the big deal? My sister accidentally hit your car, we’ll pay for the damage.”
The woman glanced at the worthless jeep and arrogantly lifted her chin, unafraid, “Then pay for it! This is a new car!”
The cars on the road were numerous, and the collision caused a traffic jam.
At that moment, a man in a blue T-shirt bent down, facing the broken window and apologizing to Qin Tang, “Are you alright? My brother is a new driver, he accidentally hit your car. I’m really sorry...”
Qin Tang blinked and said, “I think my foot is hurt.”
The man quickly opened the car door, and Qin Tang bent down to escape the burly man’s grip. She swiftly jumped out of the car, and the burly man didn’t manage to grab her in time, so he hurriedly pushed the door open and got out.
Qin Tang quickly scanned the surroundings. There were many cars blocking the road, and traffic was difficult to clear. She glanced back at the car and the three or four men who had gotten out, then quickly looked up at the man in front of her.
Next, she found her direction and ran.
The burly man cursed, “Damn it! Get back here!”
He immediately gave chase.
In the next moment, the man in the blue T-shirt grabbed the burly man’s arm and twisted it behind his back. He kicked the man in the knee, and the burly man, unprepared, dropped to the ground. The man elbowed him in the back of the neck, and the burly man howled in pain.
On the other side, the burly man who had been dealing with the BMW owner was also subdued.
Qin Tang ran for a distance and noticed two men following her.
She stopped, panting, and asked, “Are you police?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. We’re not bad guys. Do you want to drive back yourself, or do you want us to take you?”
Qin Tang urgently asked, “What about Jiang Chuan? Did you rescue him?”
“The boss is still looking for him. The tracking device stopped working, and we can’t find the location.”
“Take me with you to find him, I might know where he is. I just got out of there.”
The men exchanged a doubtful glance.
“Alright.”
Once in the car, Qin Tang told them everything she knew, saying, “There were no windows, and it smelled like earth. The door had a strong paint smell. I think it’s probably a newly dug basement.”
One of the men immediately made a call.
Qin Tang anxiously checked the time; almost an hour had passed.
Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she grabbed the man’s arm beside her, “Turn around! Right now! Turn back!”
The man froze, “Where to?”
“Where Jiang Chuan parked, he’s still there!”
...
Jiang Chuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. His strength had already been mostly drained. His dark eyes stayed focused on the thugs surrounding him, not daring to relax.
Six or seven thugs were watching him, waiting for an opportunity.
Several had already collapsed in the corner.
Zhao Qianhe, sitting with his legs crossed, slowly exhaled a few smoke rings. He flicked some ash from his cigarette and looked coldly at Jiang Chuan, who was surrounded in the center.
“You know how I survived in prison? When I first went in, there were always people trying to kill me. Every day I had to fight with someone. If it weren’t for my strong luck, I’d have died in there long ago.”
Jiang Chuan acted as if he hadn’t heard, his jaw clenched tightly, his clothes already soaked in sweat. He leaned slightly forward, his gaze sharp and vigilant, in a defensive posture.
“How does this feel?”
Jiang Chuan didn’t speak.
A crazy glint flashed in Zhao Qianhe’s eyes, and he sneered, “Continue, what are you just standing there for!”
Several thugs instantly pounced on Jiang Chuan. Surrounded from both sides, his stamina was almost exhausted, and after taking a few hits, he was barely holding on with sheer willpower.
...
Qin Tang frantically looked around, muttering to herself anxiously, “This isn’t right... where exactly is it...”
“Miss Qin, don’t run around.”
Qin Tang seemed to not hear and continued walking forward.
“Miss Qin!”
Qin Tang turned around and shouted angrily, “You guys split up and search!”
The two men were stunned. One of them said, “I’ll follow her.”
The man quickly ran up to her side.
Qin Tang remained silent and ran ahead.
She kept running until she reached a villa. The familiar smell of paint wafted toward her. She stopped and the man behind her suddenly let out a groan.
Qin Tang turned around, and noticed two burly men had appeared behind them and ambushed the man who was following her.
Qin Tang glanced at them and felt he could handle it.
With a determined bite of her teeth, she ran into the villa.
At the entrance to the basement, the strong smell of paint returned.
Qin Tang saw several cans of paint at the foot of the stairs.
Her hands trembling, she slowly climbed a few steps, hearing the man’s groans and the sound of punches landing...
“Jiang Chuan, if I don’t kill you today, I’ll at least cripple you.”
Qin Tang’s heart twisted painfully. She quickly returned to the stairwell, grabbed a tool, and opened one of the paint cans—red, yellow, green...
She grabbed an empty bucket and slammed it down.
The tin bucket rolled down the stairs, making a series of clanging noises.
“Who!”
A furious shout.
Qin Tang’s heart leapt.
Two burly men charged out and looked down the stairs. Qin Tang crouched in the corner of the wall, tearing up the notebooks in her bag, lighting them on fire, and tossing them into the paint bucket. The flames quickly soared.
Before the two men could rush up, Qin Tang kicked over another paint bucket.
The hot, sticky liquid, now aflame, splashed onto the two men. They screamed in pain.
Looking up, Qin Tang saw flames rising where she stood.
“Damn! It’s on fire!”
Soon, the basement was thrown into chaos.
The pungent odor filled the air, and everyone could smell it.
Jiang Chuan glanced at the two thugs in front of him. Seizing the opportunity while they were distracted, he swept his leg and knocked them both to the ground.
He seized the chance and immediately rushed for the door.
Zhao Qianhe roared, “Stop him, damn it!”
Jiang Chuan burst through the door, slamming it behind him. As it opened, he put all his strength into a hard kick, sending the men behind it tumbling back.
Qin Tang was slightly panicked. The flames had gotten bigger.
It was starting to smoke.
She couldn’t make out who was at the bottom of the stairs, so she kicked another paint bucket down.
Jiang Chuan saw the flaming object rolling down. He grabbed the handrail and jumped up, looking up and shouting, “It’s me.”
Qin Tang froze for a moment, her emotions—a mix of confusion, urgency, fear, and nervousness—blended into one. With surprise, she took a step forward, “Jiang Chuan.”
Jiang Chuan glanced at her. Her fair face was slightly reddened by the flames, her chin smeared with green, her long hair in disarray, her dress splattered with red, yellow, and green paint. She looked messy and dirty, like a little calico cat.
More people were chasing from behind.
Jiang Chuan quickly jumped down, standing on the steps, then sprinted upward.
Qin Tang, seeing him run up, stretched out her leg to kick over the remaining paint bucket, but she was exhausted and her legs wobbled. She failed to kick it.
Jiang Chuan grabbed her waist and kicked twice with his foot.
The remaining paint buckets rolled down the stairs.
“Let’s go!”
He tightened his grip on her and ran out. Qin Tang was panting heavily, feeling light-headed, struggling to keep up as she followed behind him.
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