"A Rou!" Qin Ningyi heard the voice and panicked.
Huo Rou did have some combat skills, but her arm was dislocated, and Giles had a gun. This shot was—
Towards Huo Rou?
An An’s eyes snapped open. “What happened to Mom?”
His throat was incredibly dry, but he strained to turn his head towards the storeroom door, asking urgently, “Is Mom inside? What was that sound just now? Are the bad guys inside too?”
“Was that a gunshot just now?” Tang Liu ran back from outside. She had walked a bit too far to lure Giles away. Things happened in an instant, and by the time she returned, she heard this.
“Is the boss inside?” Tang Liu asked, placing her hand on An An’s wrist.
Her ability to disguise herself meant she had to know some medicine. As she took his pulse, her brows furrowed tightly.
“Give An An to me, I’ll take him out. You help the boss.” Tang Liu scooped up An An. An An opened his mouth and weakly called out “Mom” before falling unconscious again.
Tang Liu handed the dagger in her hand to Qin Ningyi. “It can cut through iron. Don’t let the boss get hurt.”
After her instructions, she hurried out with An An. His condition couldn’t be delayed any longer.
Qin Ningyi used the knife to pry at the door.
Fortunately, the lock on this storeroom wasn’t difficult, and he managed to open it quickly. As he pushed the door open, he heard another gunshot.
The sound of doors opening came from behind him. Residents poked their heads out. “What’s going on? Setting off firecrackers in the basement?”
“Moving goods, probably…”
“Didn’t they say no moving goods after noon? Didn’t the landlord tell them this rule? So annoying.”
Ordinary people had never heard the sound of a silencer, so they naturally assumed it was the sound of something heavy falling. After a few complaints, they noticed the silence again and returned to their rooms.
Meanwhile, Qin Ningyi entered the storeroom. The scene inside made him freeze again.
Huo Rou was holding the gun.
And Giles was lying on the ground.
He had clearly seen Giles with the gun.
Qin Ningyi quickly went to Huo Rou and examined her. At that moment, he forgot to check the enemy’s condition. He forgot to maintain his guard. All common sense vanished. He looked at Huo Rou’s pale face, at the bloodstain on her cheek. He had so many things he wanted to say. He wanted to question why she faced it alone, wanted to scold her fiercely for being so cruel to herself. He wanted to ask her why she couldn’t just trust him.
He opened his mouth, about to speak, when Huo Rou coldly looked behind him. “Do you want to die or live?” Her tone was devoid of emotion, like a heartless god of death. In a light tone, she could decide a person’s fate.
Giles clutched his chest. Huo Rou’s shot had cleverly avoided any fatal spots. He could feel it. He had seen prison guards interrogate and torture inmates in Cass Prison. Some of those positions wouldn’t kill immediately but would inflict a hundredfold of pain. This woman was truly ruthless. And truly skilled, to aim at such a spot with a gun in an instant.
“I…” “I want to live.” As he said this, Huo Rou let out a disdainful laugh. “Giles, I really didn’t misjudge you.” Huo Rou lightly spun the gun in her fingers, shifting her gaze away from Giles. When she looked at Qin Ningyi, her eyes regained their calm and tenderness. “Why are you back? Where is An An?”
Qin Ningyi looked at her deeply, then suddenly said in a low voice, “Madwoman.” This one word caused the smile in Huo Rou’s eyes to freeze instantly. After saying these two words, he reached out and touched her arm with a solemn expression. When he had checked her earlier, her arm was dislocated. Now it had been reset. He examined it thoroughly and couldn’t help but marvel at the skillful technique.
“Does it hurt?” His dark eyes looked into Huo Rou’s, trying to see through her.
Huo Rou only then realized that her earlier demeanor might have frightened him. He was a pampered young master who had only seen the cruelty of the business world, not the brutality of the battlefield. It was just a dislocation, nothing serious. The tenderness overflowed in her eyes, and she asked him cautiously, “Did I scare you?”
In Qin Ningyi’s dark eyes, she gently pursed her lips, casually moved that hand, and softly soothed his emotions. “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt. Don’t worry.” “See, it’s all fine.” Qin Ningyi held her restless arm, his eyes clouded with emotion. A thick iron bar, even if the dislocated joint was reset, how could it not hurt? Didn't she know that her lips were pale when she said those words and made that gesture?
No longer wanting to see her insincerity, nor her indifferent gaze, Qin Ningyi now truly understood his grandmother’s distress and heartache when he returned home injured from the camp all those years ago.
“Stop moving around,” he sighed, admonishing her, then turned to look at Giles. “You wanted to capture him alive, what are your plans?” He had figured it out now. They could have escaped earlier, so why did she trap herself inside? It wasn't for revenge. She just wanted to capture Giles alive.
“Tie him up and drag him away.” Huo Rou looked around. Not far away, there was a thick rope, seemingly used for binding goods in the storeroom. Qin Ningyi, seeing her about to do it herself, helplessly stopped her. “I’ll do it.” Huo Rou could feel his displeasure, and though she didn’t know why, she obediently stayed put. Giles was in no condition to resist now, so it wouldn’t be dangerous for Qin Ningyi to tie him up.
When they dragged Giles out of the basement, Wang Haozhuo and Director Wang had just captured Duan Xiang and Liu Chao and were leading them back to the basement entrance. Not seeing An An, Huo Rou looked back at Qin Ningyi behind her. “Where’s An An?” “Tang Liu brought him out.” Speaking of An An, Qin Ningyi’s grip tightened, and he gave a strong pull. Giles rolled down a few steps, the pain momentarily sobering him.
Huo Rou’s gaze met Wang Haozhuo’s. Wang Haozhuo quickly stepped forward. “Sister Huo, the person has been caught, it’s…” “You lock them up first, I’ll contact someone to receive them.” Huo Rou’s gaze swept over Duan Xiang and Liu Chao. Those who could collude with the US’s BDD in China were certainly not ordinary people. Their identities needed to be investigated, and perhaps important information could be uncovered.
“No, we have to take this person back for interrogation.” Director Wang, hearing them decide the prisoners’ fate so quickly, became anxious and stepped forward to stop them. These were cross-border criminals, and apprehending them would be enough for the station’s performance this year.
“I must take him,” Huo Rou was unyielding. This level of criminal couldn’t be kept safe in an ordinary police station. Just a living Giles was enough for the US to resort to all sorts of means to silence him.