Xia XiaoXi held her breath, her heart pounding wildly in her chest—so violently it felt like it might leap out at any moment.
She never imagined everything would spiral this quickly.
In the driver’s seat, Han YunXi gripped the steering wheel tightly, struggling to stay in control—not just of the car, but of herself.
Their emotions surged like a rollercoaster—no moment to breathe, no moment to calm.
“XiaoXi! Hold on tight!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Han YunXi slammed her foot down on the accelerator.
The car shot forward.
But the vehicle behind them showed no intention of letting them escape. It clung close, its passengers firing bullets relentlessly, trying to force them to stop.
Xia XiaoXi reached for a thermos beside her, unscrewed the lid, and with no hesitation, threw it up through the sunroof.
It wasn’t much—but it was something. The only thing she could do.
“XiaoXi, did you call the police?!”
Han YunXi’s voice broke through the chaos.
“No use! The signal’s jammed—they came here for us!”
Xia XiaoXi had realized who these people were. She’d already tried calling for help, but the line never connected.
It was clear: the enemy had anticipated their every move. Their communications had been cut off long ago.
How could she and YunXi have expected this? The enemy had always been hiding in the shadows, and it was impossible to stay on guard 24/7.
“BANG!”
A sudden loud pop—one of the tires had burst.
Han YunXi’s eyes flew open in horror. She grabbed Xia XiaoXi and shoved her back into her seat while desperately trying to maintain control of the car with her other hand.
She was terrified the car would flip.
Xia XiaoXi clung to the back seat, silently praying over and over again, not even sure to whom.
The car spun wildly on the road, skidding in a chaotic spiral before finally grinding to a halt.
As the vehicle slowed, an overwhelming sense of despair crept into both girls’ hearts.
Across the road, a group of men stepped out of a black SUV. They wore dark sunglasses, full tactical gear, and emotionless expressions.
Seeing the girls’ car fully stopped, one of the men pressed a hand to his earpiece and calmly began to report:
“Boss, we’ve got them. Do we eliminate them now?”
“Keep them alive? No problem. We’ll clean up afterward.”
The man motioned toward the car. The others moved in.
Inside, Xia XiaoXi clutched a can of pepper spray, her teeth digging into her lip so hard she drew blood.
“YunXi, when they get close… you need to run.”
Han YunXi was stunned. Then she shook her head, fiercely rejecting the idea.
“No, XiaoXi, don’t do anything reckless! These people are dangerous—if we resist, they will hurt us!”
She understood now. These men weren’t here to kill them—they were here to use them.
As pawns.
To threaten HuMing.
As much as it infuriated her, she knew it was true.
Then another thought struck her—Ye QiuXue and Kang Xin. If she and XiaoXi were under attack, were they in danger too?
There was no time to dwell on it. Xia XiaoXi suddenly reached out and squeezed her hand tightly.
“Don’t worry, YunXi. I’ll protect you.”
“XiaoXi, you—”
Before Han YunXi could respond, the roar of an engine echoed from behind them.
Everyone turned.
A sleek, heavily modified car was speeding toward them from down the road.
The assassins looked startled for a moment but quickly raised their weapons and opened fire.
Bullets clanged against the vehicle—but none penetrated. Not even the windows shattered.
“Something’s wrong! That’s not one of ours!”
One of the men shouted in panic.
Realization struck them too late.
The oncoming car didn’t slow down.
It veered slightly to the side—straight toward them.
One of the men couldn't dodge in time.
CRASH!
The vehicle slammed into him with bone-crushing force. He flew through the air, crumpling lifelessly to the pavement.
Xia XiaoXi and Han YunXi stared, stunned.
Who… would save them at a time like this?
Gunfire erupted again—but this time, it wasn’t one-sided.
Screams filled the road as bodies began to fall.
The two girls cowered in the back seat, too afraid to even lift their heads.
They didn’t dare look. Not while bullets still flew.
Minutes passed. Then silence.
Only then did they dare peek out.
Xia XiaoXi swallowed hard. Her eyes scanned the street littered with corpses. A wave of nausea surged up her throat.
But with Han YunXi still beside her, she forced it down.
She couldn’t fall apart now.
Han YunXi, too, was shaken—but steadier than XiaoXi expected.
It had all happened so fast. Too fast for her mind to catch up.
They watched as the car rolled slowly toward them.
Their hearts, which had just calmed, leapt back into their throats.
The vehicle had helped them—but that didn’t mean its driver was an ally.
If this was some kind of turf war—if this was “black eats black”—they might still be taken.
The car pulled up alongside them.
Cautiously, the girls stared at the door as it opened.
And then… they froze.
Especially Xia XiaoXi.
When she saw the man inside, her mind went completely blank. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.
Because the man in the driver’s seat…
He was someone she thought was dead.
She had mourned him for so long.
She had grieved until she couldn’t cry anymore.
Now, seeing him here… alive…
She didn’t know how to react.
“XiaoXi, YunXi. There are more coming. Get in the car—now!”
The voice came from Xia GaoWu—the father who had disappeared from their lives.
He had been thought dead in a staged car accident. Everyone believed he’d left this world.
Even his own children.
But all that time… he had been alive.
Watching.
Protecting from the shadows.
And when he saw his daughter was in danger—he had come without hesitation.
Of course, it wasn’t just XiaoXi and YunXi at risk tonight.
He had already arranged support for Xia Chen and Han YunZhou as well.
This was a gamble. A high-stakes operation that had taken years of hiding and preparation.
All so that HuMing could take down the true puppet master—without holding back.
“Dad… is it really you?”
Xia XiaoXi’s voice cracked as tears streamed down her face.
She flung open the car door and threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Xia GaoWu hugged her tightly, almost in tears himself.
But there was no time to dwell on emotions.
“We have to go. Now.”
Han YunXi, still stunned, finally snapped out of it and climbed into the car.
They sped away.
…
“Gentlemen, you alright?”
Liang Feng clapped his hands, shaking the two dazed young men back to reality.
Xia Chen and Han YunZhou looked at each other, still staring at the fallen assassins in disbelief.
They hadn’t expected to be ambushed out of nowhere.
Even less had they expected… to be saved by Liang Feng.
“Uncle Liang… What the hell is going on?!”
Xia Chen had been training under Liang Feng for months—but nothing in that training had prepared him for this.