“They got away.”

A group of men dragged the injured man out of the underground cell. He clutched his leg, barely conscious, but when he saw the reinforcements, a look of relief washed over his pale face—like a man who had narrowly escaped death.

The scrawny man stood with his hands on his hips, eyes cold.

The situation was clear: HuMing and Han YunXi had escaped and now knew the truth. If they made it out of the village, this whole operation would have to be abandoned.

The best move now was to capture them—alive.

He turned and looked at the men behind him.

“Seal all the exits. No one can know what happened here. As for the people up on the mountain, let them stay there. If they ask, tell them someone had an emergency back home.”

“Will they believe that?”

“It doesn’t matter whether they believe it or not. What matters is that they don’t come down here.”

He turned again, this time to someone within the crowd. Walking straight up to that person, he said calmly:

“HuMing’s on the run. Got any ideas? You two have been going at it for years, haven’t you?”

Han ShuYi looked up slightly and replied coolly, “Ruo Dan, you should know better than anyone what kind of person HuMing is. If he was that easy to catch, he wouldn’t be HuMing. My advice? Bring some dogs. Otherwise, you’ll never catch him.”

Han ShuYi knew just how much of a headache HuMing could be.

Ruo Dan had broken him out of prison for one purpose—to take HuMing out.

Han ShuYi stretched out a hand, head tilted slightly.

Ruo Dan stared at him for a long moment before pulling a handgun from his pocket and handing it over.

“I trust you, Han ShuYi. Right now, HuMing’s existence threatens our partnership. Believe me—take care of him, and you’ll live comfortably for the rest of your life.”

He patted Han ShuYi’s shoulder, smile full of false warmth. The weight of the gun was like a handshake between wolves.

Han ShuYi took the weapon, turned, and disappeared into the trees.

But not long after, Ruo Dan gave a quiet glance to one of his men.

“You. Follow him. If he does anything suspicious—kill him. Clean and quiet. No mess.”

“Understood.”

Ruo Dan turned again, this time to the wounded man leaning against the wall, groaning. He approached slowly, fixing the man’s collar like a friend.

“I heard you smuggled a child out, hmm? That doesn’t quite line up with what we agreed on, does it?”

“I—My kid can barely afford tuition… Brother Dan, I’m begging you, let me off just this once!” The man clung to Ruo Dan’s hand, crying like a child.

Ruo Dan smiled kindly and patted his hand.

“Now, now. No need to get upset. If you’re in trouble, we’ll figure it out—didn’t I promise to help with that? Take a breath. Think carefully. Is there anything else you forgot to mention?”

“I… I swear, that was the only time. They gave me the money after taking the kid. You already know the rest. Brother Dan, that was the only time. I swear.”

“Oh, money? That’s all this is about?” Ruo Dan said, smiling. “No problem—I’ll give you some.”

He turned, as if heading over to his men to get it.

The man’s face lit up with joy. Limping forward, he reached out eagerly.

But before the smile even faded from his face—

—a steel pipe flashed through the air.

Darkness swallowed him. He hit the ground hard.

Ruo Dan didn’t stop. He raised the pipe again and again, smashing the man’s face until there was nothing left to recognize. Blood sprayed across the floor, but still he didn’t stop.

“You dared to touch my money. You think I’m doing business here out of the goodness of my heart? Without me, you lot would rot in this godforsaken mountain village forever. And now you want to bite the hand that feeds you? If it weren’t for you getting greedy, HuMing would’ve never figured out what we’re doing here!”

No one knew how long it went on.

By the time he stopped, the corpse was a mangled ruin. He kicked it once for good measure, then tossed the bloodied pipe aside and spat on the ground.

“Clean this up. We can’t stay here anymore. When those people come back tomorrow, put them on the cruise ship and get the hell out of here.”

He was furious. Years of careful planning—ruined by a greedy idiot.

All he wanted now… was for HuMing to die in this village.

In the forest, Han ShuYi lifted his gaze and looked around. The dogs were sniffing the ground, trying to catch a scent.

It didn’t seem like anyone had been here recently. No signs of footprints.

But Han ShuYi had known HuMing for too long to be fooled by appearances.

He would hide in a place like this—exactly because it looked empty.

The noon sun blazed overhead. It was hard to keep his eyes open.

Suddenly, the dog barked sharply. It broke free from the leash and charged ahead.

Han ShuYi was about to chase it when—instinct stopped him cold.

He slowly drew his gun and scanned the woods.

Then—a muffled thud.

He raised the weapon, aiming toward the source of the sound, and crept forward.

As he got closer, a body came into view.

It was the man who had been following him—now lying dead on the ground.

Han ShuYi crouched, touched the man’s neck, and confirmed the worst.

No pulse.

He slowly rose and murmured, “Come out. He wouldn’t be dead unless you were nearby.”

He turned, already knowing who he’d see.

Still—he was caught off guard.

Not because it was HuMing.

But because he hadn’t heard a sound.

"You’ve gotten more perceptive,” HuMing said, stepping out of the shadows, eyes flicking to the pistol in Han ShuYi’s hand. “Didn’t expect you to be armed.”

Han ShuYi calmly ejected the magazine and tossed it to him. “Blanks. Ruo Dan doesn’t trust me. As for you... maybe I just find you that annoying.”

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