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墨書 Inktalez
SWAT surrounded the Village, with seven or eight small teams searching inside the village.
Sina led Lu Xu to her attic and pointed at the unconscious Luo Yi: "Is this person with you?"
Lu Xu was shocked upon seeing him: "What happened to him?"
"Don't worry, the bullet grazed his side and didn't enter the abdominal cavity; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. He fainted from the intense pain because it hit a place dense with nerve endings," Sina explained. "But I'm really worried about the girl who came with him. She hasn't returned since she went out."
"A girl?"
"She went out to stuff flour into the car, slowing down their escape. But it's been over half an hour, and I'm afraid she might have been taken away."
"What does she look like?"
"She seems to be his girlfriend, thin, very pale, with big eyes."
"Zhou Yao?" Lu Xu exclaimed, "She hasn't returned to Beijing?!"
...
Zhou Yao didn't know where she was. She was dragged through the forest with someone's hand covering her mouth and nose; the night was too dark for her to see the direction, and soon she arrived at a dim underground room.
She anxiously scanned her surroundings; it looked more like a warehouse filled with burlap sacks. Through a loose opening in one of the bags, she saw green jade. This was Dan Shan's hideout.
A heavy feeling sank in Zhou Yao's heart as she anticipated the final outcome—Yan Lin wouldn't let her leave alive. On the way here, Yan Lin hadn't even considered blindfolding her.
Panicking, Zhou Yao tried not to appear too weak, but tears uncontrollably streamed down her face, flowing more and more until she began to cry out loud.
Yan Lin looked at her, mocking her weakness, and asked disdainfully, "Are you afraid of dying?"
Zhou Yao wiped her tears and nodded.
"I'm curious what he sees in you," Yan Lin said as she approached her, squatting down. "If you're afraid of dying, just hand over the core research methods of Land, and I'll consider sparing your life."
Zhou Yao suddenly stopped crying, staring at her with cold, stubborn eyes, looking down from a higher position.
Yan Lin felt a sting and slapped her face again.
Zhou Yao, turning her face to the side, had a red cheek and asked, "Are you Dan Shan?"
"Sort of," Yan Lin replied. "Hand over Land."
"Impossible."
Before the words were out of her mouth, Dao San stepped forward, grabbing Zhou Yao's hair and lifting her up to smash her against the wall, like cracking an egg.
Her head hit the stone wall with a dull thud. Zhou Yao felt as if a bomb had exploded in her head; the intense pain caused her to lose consciousness and she collapsed to the ground.
The wall was splattered with blood.
After an unknown amount of time, her consciousness slowly returned, and the intense pain erupted again, shaking endlessly. Zhou Yao saw nothing but a blurry red; she couldn't see anything and couldn't move at all.
She was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face like a machine.
"Little girl, no one here will pity you," Yan Lin said as she stood up and walked in front of her, kicking her bloodied head with her foot. "Will you talk?"
Zhou Yao, with her face pressed against the ground, slowly turned her eyes to look at her. She had no strength left but clearly rolled her eyes.
The smile on Yan Lin's face froze. Dao San, expressionless, grabbed Zhou Yao's head again and smashed it against the wall.
Zhou Yao fell to the ground, barely breathing, with even the dust beside her nose remaining still. Only her fingers twitched, reflexively scratching the ground to prove she was still alive.
Her subordinates exchanged glances, not expecting this young girl to be so resilient.
Yan Lin took out a cigarette, lit it, inhaled, and then exhaled.
Holding the cigarette, she squatted down and looked down at Zhou Yao. "Does it hurt?"
Zhou Yao stared at her, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks, but she remained silent.
Yan Lin smiled and patted Zhou Yao's face. "Hand over the land, and I'll set you free."
Zhou Yao's lips moved as she replied, "The land isn't mine."
"I know. It's Luo Yu's. Since it's not yours, there's no need to die for it."
Zhou Yao forced a pale smile. "It's not Luo Yu's."
"What?"
"It's the country's," Zhou Yao said.
Yan Lin narrowed her eyes dangerously. Back then, Luo Yu had answered in exactly the same way.
Zhou Yao spoke weakly, "If I hand it over to you, that's not called murder or arson. — That's called treason."
Through the thin veil of smoke, Yan Lin sneered. "As expected of a student, foolish. Just like that idiot Luo Yu. Why can't you learn your Lin Brother's flexibility?"
Zhou Yao's moist eyes turned towards her.
Yan Lin's smile was cold and thin as she casually remarked, "Luo Yu wouldn't listen, so I had Lin Jinyan push him off the building."
Zhou Yao stared at Yan Lin, her eyes gradually turning blood red. She thought of Luo Yu's innocent and shy smile, and of Luo Yi's weary and silent profile, the tears that fell when he lowered his head.
"Do you wish you could kill me?" Yan Lin scoffed.
"How can you treat him like this?" Zhou Yao's pain caused tears to fall.
Yan Lin knew who the "him" was and shrugged, "I approached him two and a half years ago for Luo Yu."
But she had fallen for him herself.
At that time, the man named Luo Yi was proud, confident, and unruly. Within just a month, she was drawn to him. He was never short of women around him, all of whom were just her type. They hit it off immediately.
Later, she killed Dan Shan and became the boss, fantasizing about conquering the world with Luo Yi. But she gradually realized that although they appeared to share the same mature coldness and crazy demeanor on the surface, their core values were completely different.
Then a major incident broke out, and Yan Lin withdrew, thriving alone in the jewelry industry, no longer thinking of the man Luo Yi.
It wasn't until she discovered he was investigating Dan Shan to find Wu Ming that Yan Lin realized she had never truly seen Luo Yi during those brief six months they spent together.
When she encountered Yading, she truly recognized his charm and fell even more madly in love with him than before.
Yet in his eyes, she remained the same as before—a mere sexy woman. Moreover, she was a sexy woman he no longer needed at this stage.
Even now, pushed to the brink by him, Yan Lin still loved him, perhaps even more than before.
The more he suppressed her, the more she loved him, wishing she could kill him with her own hands.
As for the girl in front of her, what did she even count as?
"Little one," Yan Lin coaxed, "if you hand over the land, I'll let him go. You wouldn't want him to be chased by me endlessly, would you?"
Zhou Yao held back her tears and remained silent.
Yan Lin sneered, "You think you love him so much? It's nothing."
"For Luo Boss, I won't tell you anything."
Zhou Yao gritted her teeth, "If it's Luo Boss, he would rather die than hand over the land to you. For the past two years, he has done everything to keep the land out of your hands."
Yan Lin's hand holding the cigarette froze. She pressed her lips together, her eyes filled with fierce light—jealousy, hatred, humiliation, and finally realizing the gap between her and Zhou Yao.
"You really don't know your place," she said coldly as she stood up and signaled to her subordinates.
Several henchmen stepped forward, restraining Zhou Yao's hands and feet and pressing down on her head.
Zhou Yao suddenly felt scared, not knowing what they were going to do.
Someone brought over a basin filled with damp paper that didn't allow air to pass through.
They took a piece of wet paper and pressed it against Zhou Yao's mouth and nose, holding it tightly. Zhou Yao struggled to breathe, fighting desperately as the tissue rapidly rose and fell, soon being covered by a second, third, fourth, and fifth piece of wet paper.
She was panicked and afraid, struggling like a fish out of water, but her head and limbs were firmly restrained.
"Mmm!!" Zhou Yao's forehead veins bulged as her body convulsed wildly in need of oxygen, but the damp and heavy paper suffocated her completely.
Layer upon layer of wet paper piled on top of her, causing Zhou Yao unbearable pain. Her trachea constricted futilely, feeling as if it were being twisted tightly. Blood rushed to her head as if it were about to explode.
Air—there was no air. Only flashes of light like lightning.
In that moment, Zhou Yao suddenly regretted it.
That day of parting, why didn't she hug her mother?
If she died, what would happen if her mother cried? Who would comfort her?
There was also Luo Yi.
Not long after their separation, why didn't she go and kiss his lips?
How scared she was.
Luo Yu's death nearly destroyed his life. She was so afraid that she would die too, and he would become silent, without laughter or pain, turning into a walking corpse, wandering aimlessly just to seek revenge for her until he died.
Zhou Yao's eyes were filled with tears, constantly overflowing from the corners, only to be filled again. Her whole body trembled, her skin a deep crimson.
Yan Lin smoked a cigarette, coldly watching, as if competing with her.
Dao San said, "Nod if you understand."
The wet paper continued to pile up.
Zhou Yao stared wide-eyed in terror, tears flowing in waves, yet she stubbornly refused to nod.
Yan Lin's expression grew colder, and Dao San gritted his teeth. The suffocating pain was unbearable for anyone, but—
The last piece of wet paper was pressed down.
Zhou Yao's tears dried up in her eyes, her gaze suddenly scattering, and her body lost strength in the struggle against them, leaving only reflexive convulsions.
Seeing the situation turn dire, Dao San shouted, "Take the paper away!"
Yan Lin replied, "Who dares!"
Dao San insisted, "If she dies, we won't get the land!"
Yan Lin retorted, "Then let her die!"
The Special Police Force conducted a thorough search in the village but found no suspicious individuals. They might have all fled, but the darkness could also have affected the search.
Lu Xu refused to relax, waiting for feedback from the narcotics police. Unless they confirmed capturing the fugitive Yan Lin, they would not retreat.
The SWAT team found some jade stones in the ancestral hall, but they could not confirm whether they were smuggled, and the quantity was small.
Lu Xu asked Sina if she knew of any hideouts in the village. Sina replied that only core members were aware of such places; ordinary people generally gathered in the ancestral hall.
The injured Three Undercover Agents were also found and sent to Sina for treatment. Xiao Li felt guilty upon learning that Zhou Yao had been taken away.
Lu Xu said, "Everyone was unaware of the situation in the village and was unprepared. I don't blame anyone. As long as you're alive, that's what matters. You only have four people; it's tough on you."
Xiao Li realized something was wrong and exclaimed, "There are still two men. They were with Luo Yi, but I don't know when they suddenly disappeared."
Lu Xu guessed it was Jiang Peng and reassured her, "Don't worry; he's clever and won't get into trouble. He should have escaped the village by now. — Sina, when do you think Luo Yi will wake up?"
Sina glanced at the clock and frowned. "He should have woken up by now, but he might be too tired and could sleep until morning."
Lu Xu fell silent.
Given Luo Yi's nature, once he regained consciousness, he would immediately wake up to look for Zhou Yao. He thought about it but found nothing made sense. He ran to the attic and pushed open the bamboo door.
The cool mat was empty; where was Luo Yi?!
"Where is he?"
Sina was taken aback. "I don't know either." She immediately looked behind the door and noticed that the long knife was missing.
"That lunatic!" Lu Xu was both anxious and angry as he cursed, "What can he do alone?! With so many people trying to figure things out, can't he just stay put?!"
Behind him, Xiao Li's voice trembled, "Lu Ge, he can handle it alone..."
Lu Xu turned around.
Xiao Li looked terrified, "I know where those two went. Yan Lin's son is in the village. Luo Yi has kidnapped her son!"
...
In a corner of the ancestral hall, the window was wide open.
Faint daylight streamed in from outside.
Luo Yi sat against the wall on the ground, her lips pale.
Jiang Peng squatted beside her, silently smoking a cigarette.
Yan Lin's sister was bound and gagged, huddled in a corner. A killer stood guard beside her.
The group had just barely evaded a search.
Only Tao Tao was sound asleep in a pile of grass, completely out of place with the surroundings.
After Jiang Peng had tied up the person, Yan Lin had called her sister, but under Jiang Peng's coercion, her sister lied and said she wasn't in the village and had taken Tao Tao back to Jinghong.
Yan Lin scolded her a few times, telling her to stay safe and wait for her to contact her.
When Luo Yi instructed Jiang Peng to kidnap someone, her reasoning was simple: first, she didn't want the child to get hurt in the crossfire; second, if those two undercover agents were still alive and became hostages, they could negotiate with Yan Lin.
But she never expected...
Luo Yi lowered her head and supported her forehead with her hand.
Jiang Peng sighed upon seeing this, "You still have injuries on you. Are you okay?"
Luo Yi replied softly, "It must have been Yan Lin who hit her."
Jiang Peng was taken aback, "Huh?"
"It must have been Yan Lin who hit her," Luo Yi said, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
...
In the basement,
Zhou Yao regained her composure, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The face of Yan Lin reappeared in her line of sight. She crouched down, pulled out a dagger, and lightly tapped the cold blade against Zhou Yao's cheek, "Want to try something new?"
Zhou Yao glared at her, filled with anger, resentment, and fear. Before long, tears began to flow uncontrollably.
"If you're scared, just speak up. It will save you some torment."
Zhou Yao only cried without saying a word.
"I don't have that much patience. Or do you think the police will come and rescue you right away? Little girl, they won't come to save you, and neither will Luo Yi. Do you know why? Because the main force has retreated; everyone thinks we are gone."
Tears still in her eyes, Zhou Yao let out a small laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Yan Lin hated her laughter intensely.
At that moment, one of her subordinates nervously reported, "Sister Yan, there's been an incident."
"What happened?"
"The escapees have all been intercepted."
Yan Lin stood up in shock, "What happened?"
"I don't know who threw white flour on the car, but the narcotics police checked it and found human blood. Sister Yan, we need to leave quickly. The police will soon realize that we haven't left the village!"
Yan Lin's expression went blank as she paused for a second, then suddenly turned to Zhou Yao, "Was it you?!"
Zhou Yao did not respond.
"Good!" Yan Lin suddenly laughed, "In that case, let's make this quick."
With a gesture from Yan Lin, several subordinates grabbed Zhou Yao and pressed her hands down on the table.
Zhou Yao knew disaster was imminent and cried out, "No!"
"If you don't speak, I'll start cutting off your fingers one by one until you do."
The cold glint of the blade pierced Zhou Yao's eyes. She screamed, her mouth tightly covered; she struggled but was firmly restrained.
The icy blade pressed against her finger. Yan Lin's eyes were hollow like a devil's as she asked, "If you don't nod, I'll cut it off."
Zhou Yao's tears flowed like rain, filled with fear and panic as she desperately struggled against the ground, but it was futile.
Yan Lin wasted no time and brought down the knife; Zhou Yao's mouth was covered tightly as she shook her head with all her might.
Just as the blade began to cut through skin, the phone rang.
Yan Lin had set a special ringtone; it was her sister calling.
Yan Lin paused with the knife in hand and glanced at Zhou Yao. Zhou Yao's eyelashes were drenched with tears as she looked at her in terror.
"Give you a minute to think." Yan Lin stood up and walked aside to answer the phone.
On the other end, Luo Yi's voice came through, extremely cold: "Where is she?"
Yan Lin's heart sank, processing for a second before smiling: "Who?"
"Yan Lin, listen carefully. Whatever you do to Zhou Yao, I will retaliate against your son."
Yan Lin's lips twitched: "She's not with me."
"If you lay a finger on her, I'll chop off his entire hand."
Yan Lin was furious but forced herself to calm down and regained her composure: "Luo Yi, you won't." She scoffed, "You won't hurt him. That's the biggest difference between you and me."
After a second of silence, a low laugh came from the other end of the line, sending chills down Yan Lin's spine.
Then came Tao Tao's heartbreaking cries, which quickly stopped, like a child having their throat stifled.
Yan Lin nearly went mad: "Luo Yi, how dare you!"
"Hah." Luo Yi chuckled lightly, but his tone was terrifyingly cold. "Yan Lin, I have gained everything and lost everything. Do you think I would hesitate? —
Listen carefully, in this world, I want nothing but this one thing. If you ruin her, I will ruin you."
"If anything happens to her, I swear I will destroy your most cherished possession.
I vow that for the rest of my life, I will do only one thing — dig three feet into the ground to find you and chop you into pieces to feed the dogs."
"Go ahead and try."
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