Chapter 1632: In a Flash

The car had been stopped for several seconds. In the early morning silence of the underground parking garage at 5:30 a.m., it seemed all the earlier sounds had been captured and frozen in the air.

The sudden roar of the engine when it sped up; the startled gasps and angry shouts as the two people ahead turned around in panic; the sharp screech of tires against the ground when the security guard dove to the side and the car followed him with a swift turn…

And finally, the heavy, m.u.f.fled thud of the car slamming into a body, still echoing in Xie Feng’s ears.

She was the first to open the car door.

Random checkpoints were frequently set up along the roads in Tear City, so there were no weapons in Ah Cheng’s car—just some car repair tools to avoid suspicion when pa.s.sing through. As Xie Feng jumped out of the car, she was already gripping a metal wrench tightly. It wasn’t as long as her usual stick, but she liked its weight.

Without anyone needing to shout, the other guys in the car also jumped out. Each of them had already tied a bandana around their necks, ready to pull it up and cover their faces. Xie Feng wasn’t as prepared, but with all the blood rus.h.i.+ng to her head, worrying about her face was the last thing on her mind.

Her eyes were locked on the driver.

The security guard had been knocked to the ground, and the driver, who had tried to flee in the other direction, stumbled and fell. When he saw several masked people jump out of the car, his face turned pale. “Help! Somebody!” he shouted as he scrambled to his feet, trying to run.

Xie Feng sprinted after him.

She was only of average height for a girl, and her frame was slight, but as she charged toward the 5’9″ man, she felt an odd illusion that she was hunting. Just as the man was finding his balance, she raised the wrench high and ruthlessly slammed it into the side of his face. With a metallic clang, a car key dropped from his hand.

Was this man innocent or not? Xie Feng never even thought to ask herself.

She, and so many others like her, had been violently torn from their original paths in life, left with nowhere to stand, nowhere to breathe. Deep down, she instinctively knew—only by sinking her teeth into her enemies, by tearing them apart, could she carve out even the smallest s.p.a.ce for herself.

The driver let out a pained cry, and realizing she was a girl, his aggression flared. He swung his arm back, aiming at Xie Feng’s face. She quickly dodged, but even as his hand swept past her nose, the wind from his strike stung slightly. The physical strength difference between men and women—it was undeniable.

As this thought crossed her mind, Xie Feng felt a surge of anger.

She took the opportunity to step back two paces, lifted the wrench, and threw it with all her strength. The wrench whistled through the air and struck the driver’s temple with a sickening sound, as if the skin had torn open on impact. The driver let out another cry, this time fully realizing the pain, and turned to run again—but by then, Ah Cheng and another boy, Black Dog, had rushed forward and kicked him from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground.

After knocking down the security guard first, everything else went smoothly. It felt like in a blink of an eye, both the driver and the guard were subdued and tied up by the boys. Xie Feng stood where she was, her chest heaving with heavy breaths, a strange sense of confusion was.h.i.+ng over her. The targets were down, but the rage—the desire to tear the world apart—still burned inside her, making her eyes red and her head buzz.

She had no idea where her rage was coming from.

A few of them knew there were definitely security cameras in the parking lot, so they didn’t waste any time. Quickly, they dragged the two men into the gray car. In a dazed state, Xie Feng found the car key on the ground and pressed it lightly. She heard the sound of a car unlocking nearby—it was a large, heavy black SUV, its windows so dark that no light could pa.s.s through.

“That one, huh,” Ah Cheng walked over, glanced up at it, and naturally took the key from her hand. He patted her shoulder and reminded her, “Black Dog and I will take Qiu Chantian’s car. You should get back to the car. And next time, remember to cover your face.”

Being seen didn’t matter to her. Even she didn’t know where she would end up—how could the pursuers track her down?

That was what Xie Feng thought, but she still went back to the car. The security guard they’d injured was both useless and a problem, so they’d simply tied him up, gagged him, and stuffed him into the trunk.

Since Ah Cheng wasn’t there, the guy with the headband took over driving. Shortie sat in the back with the tightly bound driver, and Xie Feng slipped into the pa.s.senger seat. As soon as she sat down, the headband guy remarked, “I didn’t expect it. You, a girl, could act so quickly and decisively—fast and ruthless.”

Xie Feng reminded herself a few times that the guy meant it as a compliment.

Shortie was holding his phone, still on a call with Ah Cheng, while slapping the driver’s face a few times and questioning him, “Qiu Chantian is coming down soon, right? Weren’t you supposed to be waiting for him at the hotel entrance?”

The driver had a gash on his forehead, and one of his eyes was covered in blood. He was terrified, panting as he stammered, “You—taking the car won’t help you. Chief Qiu has security with him. There’ll be at least one guard getting into the car with him…”

Xie Feng froze. She hadn’t thought that far ahead, but the driver was right—it was a problem. Ah Cheng was driving, and the only person hiding in the backseat would be Black Dog. Even if they had a gun they’d just taken from the security guard, how could they possibly threaten both Qiu Chantian and his guard at the same time?

However, when she looked around, the headband guy and Shortie’s expressions hadn’t changed at all. Even Ah Cheng, who was still on the call, didn’t react. They had clearly thought of this already and had a plan—what was it?

“I suggest you answer properly,” Shortie asked again, his tone much harsher now. “Weren’t you supposed to be waiting for him at the hotel entrance?”

The driver, on the verge of tears, leaned back against the seat and whimpered incoherently, barely managing to squeeze out a weak “yes.”

Ah Cheng immediately responded through the phone, “Alright, I’m pulling out now. You guys follow at a distance.”

Soon, the black SUV ahead of them came to life, its taillights glowing as it reversed out of the parking spot and turned toward the exit. The driver’s eyes widened in disbelief, as if he couldn’t comprehend what their plan was. Xie Feng, just like him, was confused.

But she didn’t want to ask.

Whatever they had thought of, she could figure out too. Even if she didn’t know, she would soon find out by watching what they did. She just refused to ask.

The two cars left the underground parking lot, one following the other at a distance of about ten meters. As Xie Feng glanced back in the rearview mirror, the concrete-gray parking garage was bathed in harsh white light, and the lifeless stillness made it seem like nothing had ever happened there.

The heavy downpour that had stopped for only a few hours seemed ready to start again. Even though it was daytime, the thick clouds above still hung dark and oppressive, as if the sky itself were suffocating.

As the black SUV in front approached the hotel’s main entrance, it was clear that Qiu Chantian had already arrived. The hotel valet had been sent to a far corner, while several men dressed in black surrounded the entrance, forming a circle that cut Qiu Chantian off from the outside world. As the SUV neared, a man who looked like a security officer quickly stepped forward and reached to open the back door.

Xie Feng gasped, suddenly understanding.

“It’s about to start,” Ah Cheng’s voice trembled slightly over the phone, though it was hard to tell whether it was from nerves or excitement.

Opening the car door for a superior is practically a required course for anyone in the Empire. It’s not just for officials of Qiu Chantian’s rank—even a mid-level company boss would have someone rus.h.i.+ng to carry their bags, open doors, light cigarettes. But the real question is: what happens after the door is opened?

Once the leader is seated, the bodyguard who follows has to sit in the same car. What, are they supposed to tell their superior, “Could you scoot over a bit”?

No matter where they sit, the security guard by Qiu Chantian’s side would first close the door after he got in, then open the door to his own seat. That moment when he closes Qiu Chantian’s door is exactly what Ah Cheng in the car ahead was waiting for.

As soon as Qiu Chantian’s door shut and the guard turned to open the front pa.s.senger door, a barely audible click sounded through the open phone line—that was the sound of the car doors locking.

“Hmm? What are you—” Qiu Chantian’s voice, filled with confusion, barely made it through the phone before it was cut off by the sudden roar of the engine as the car sped forward.

The bodyguard outside had just touched the door handle when the black SUV shot forward, accelerating rapidly. His hand seemed to get sc.r.a.ped as he instinctively jerked back, taking a step away. Realizing something was wrong, he quickly began running after the car, shouting loudly. Through the gla.s.s, Xie Feng could faintly hear him yelling, “Stop the car! Stop the car!”

“You’re not my driver,” Qiu Chantian’s voice, now filled with anger, boomed from the phone. “Who are you people? You’ve made a grave miscalculation—”

He didn’t finish the sentence. His anger, along with his voice, was abruptly silenced.

There was a rustling sound over the phone.

When Qiu Chantian spoke again, his tone had changed dramatically. He suddenly sounded oddly polite, like he suddenly turned into an considerate elder. “Whatever demands you have, we can discuss them. But harming an Imperial official will only backfire.”

At that tense moment, something inside Xie Feng seemed to snap. She couldn’t hold it in any longer and started laughing, her shoulders shaking.

No need to ask—she knew that Qiu Chantian had just seen Black Dog and the gun in his hand.

As they drove past the hotel entrance, she almost enjoyed the sight of the chaotic scene among the attendants and security. All of them had their phones pressed to their ears, their mouths moving, arms waving frantically in the air. The valet and manager were both in a panic, running in circles under their directions.

One of the security guards was craning his neck, looking toward the parking garage. A few seconds after they pa.s.sed, Xie Feng suddenly realized that aside from Qiu Chantian’s personal vehicle, there should have been another car following them—the security guard they had taken down in the parking lot was probably supposed to drive the second car to pick up the rest of the security team.

“By the time they find the second car and catch up, we’ll be long gone,” Headband said tightly, “I can’t believe it all went so smoothly.”

Xie Feng rested her head against the cold gla.s.s, staring at the black SUV ahead, shrouded beneath the lead-gray sky. She didn’t respond.

Looks like it was going to rain again.