Chapter Two: Saving Lives

The strong smell of gunpowder mixed with the stench of blood violently entered Lin Tang's nostrils, instantly shattering her defenses of reason.

The smell was almost exactly the same as when Liang Kuan ambushed her three years ago! A chilling fear pierced her limbs and bones like countless fine needles.

"Jintang! Jintang!" Chen Kan's sharp shout seemed to come through thick glass, muffled and indistinct. He pressed her down tightly, and could clearly feel her body stiffening and trembling, like a withered leaf in the wind.

Outside the car, the brief silence was shattered by even more intense gunfire!

A hail of bullets swept over like a torrent, striking the already riddled car body with dull, terrifying impacts!

The glass on the other side of the back seat shattered completely, and shards of glass rained down on them like hail.

"Jintang, you want a divorce from him, and he really did try to kill you to cover it up!"

Lin Jintang was somewhat bewildered.

Chen Kan raised his gun-wielding hand with lightning speed and precisely extended it through the broken window!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three crisp gunshots suddenly tore through the roar of the submachine gun!

Lin Tang tried to raise her head, but Chen Kan stopped her.

Just as Chen Kan was about to fire again to suppress the fire, the roar of a car engine suddenly came from the other end of the street!

A black sedan, like a runaway beast, recklessly smashed through the debris piled up at the street corner, hurtling headlong towards the gunman! The tires screeched as they screeched against the pavement!

This unexpected turn of events caught both sides off guard.

It was Ah Chen driving the car!

The instant he landed, he slightly bent his knees to absorb the impact; his movements were fluid and seamless. Two Mauser pistols, gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light, were already in his hands, pointed at the gunmen like the flicking tongues of venomous snakes!

Ah Chen jerked the steering wheel, causing the car to violently spin out of control, barely managing to shield Qiao Yuan from a fatal barrage of bullets with the heavy door.

Qiao Yuan moved like a ghost amidst the hail of bullets, using the brief cover provided by A Chen to instantly find a firing angle! His eyes were as cold as blades, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, only a pure killing intent.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Qiao Yuandi fired his Mauser pistol steadily and deadly, the muzzle flash flickering erratically amidst the billowing smoke.

Qiao Yuan's marksmanship is fast, accurate, and ruthless, without any fancy moves. Especially in the case of his superior, every shot goes straight for the vital organs, as if the Grim Reaper's scythe is precisely reaping!

The chilling aura of killing even overshadowed the intense stench of blood and smoke at the scene!

Lin Tang curled up beneath Chen Kan, and through the crack in the broken car window, she saw the man who had just coldly let go in court, leaving behind a huge fortune, now fighting a bloody battle, his figure weaving through a hail of bullets, his gun spitting deadly flames.

Her eyes were slightly red, and worry was evident in them.

Just then, a gunman who had gone unnoticed by Qiao Yuan emerged from behind an overturned rickshaw, his dark gun barrel pointed directly at Qiao Yuan's unsuspecting back!

Lin Tang's pupils contracted sharply, and she let out a short, almost inaudible gasp. Her body instinctively tried to spring up, but Chen Kan held her down firmly.

"Don't move!" Chen Kan growled.

Her voice was sharp and piercing, cutting through the deafening gunfire.

Just as the gunman pulled the trigger, Qiao Yuan seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, his body suddenly spinning at an incredible angle! The bullet, carrying a scorching gash, grazed his arm, tearing the fabric of his long robe and leaving a burning burn mark!

Almost simultaneously, without even looking, Qiao Yuan swung his Mauser pistol backward with lightning speed, and with a loud "bang!" the gunman behind the rickshaw had a bloody hole explode in his forehead and fell backward.

But this brief opening gave other gunmen an opportunity!

"Watch out!" Before Lin Tang's scream could even finish, Qiao Yuan pounced like a cheetah! He didn't pounce on the cover, but on her, who had just poked half her body out of the car door!

With a powerful and irresistible force, Qiao Yuan's strong arms grabbed Lin Tang's waist and yanked her out of the wrecked carriage! The immense momentum sent them both crashing heavily onto the cold, hard road surface!

Dust flew everywhere, and gravel flew everywhere!

The bullets, like the forked tongues of venomous snakes, slammed into the spot where they had just rolled away, sending sparks flying! Hot shell casings clattered and clattered around them, the smell of gunpowder mixed with dust choking their lungs.

In a dizzying moment, Lin Tang's cheek pressed against Qiao Yuan's violently heaving chest. Time seemed to stand still at that instant.

She instinctively gripped the front of his shirt, her knuckles turning white from the force.

This posture of mutual dependence and close embrace is just like the moments when they entrusted each other's backs when they walked on the edge of a knife countless times over the years!

All the hatred, suspicion, and cold division of property were shaken to the brink of collapse by the burning body temperature and the instinct to protect with one's life in that life-or-death moment!

However, this brief, almost suffocating intimacy lasted only a moment!

"Don't look up!" Qiao Yuan's deep voice boomed above her head, carrying an unquestionable command and a hint of barely perceptible urgency. His arm protecting her tightened abruptly, while his other hand shot up with lightning speed, the muzzle of his pistol passing over her shoulder, and he fired ruthlessly in the direction from which the bullets were coming!

Qiao Yuan didn't even have time to look down at her. In the instant he confirmed a gap in the barrage of fire, the icy killing intent in his eyes didn't melt away in the slightest. He suddenly exerted force with his arm, pushing her behind a relatively safe, tilted iron lamppost with undeniable power. His low roar was like a muffled thunderclap: "Lie still!"

However, the three of them were still suppressed by a hail of bullets.

Just then, a sharp, piercing police siren suddenly rang out in the distance! This was followed by the roar of car engines and the sound of hurried footsteps!

"Put down your weapons! Surrender immediately!" A police officer's shout reverberated through the loudspeaker, carrying an undeniable sense of authority and pressure.

The gunfire suddenly stopped.

The masked gunmen paused, clearly not expecting the police to arrive so quickly. They exchanged glances, one of them suddenly waving his hand, and the rest disappeared into the depths of the alley like ghosts, leaving behind only spent shell casings and the lingering stench of blood.

As the oppressive atmosphere eased slightly, Chen Kan immediately peeked out from behind the lamppost, his forehead marred by a bloody gash, but his eyes burned with rage. He staggered a few steps, ignoring the police warnings, and lunged straight at the corner where Lin Tang was.

Qiao Yuan was kneeling on the ground, one hand protecting Lin Tang's shoulder, the other still tightly gripping the Mauser pistol, the muzzle scanning the surroundings warily. The two were so close they could feel each other's breath.

"Let go!" Chen Kan roared, grabbing Lin Tang's arm.

Caught off guard, Lin Tang stumbled and fell into his arms, the sharp pain in her right leg causing her to gasp.

"Qiao Yuan!" Chen Kan's angry shout broke the delicate silence. He held Lin Tang tightly to his side, his fingertips turning white from the force, his eyes burning with jealousy. "Why play the villain here! What kind of life-saving act is this? You're already so petty in court, yet you're secretly plotting assassins. Do you want to be like those executioners in your Green Gang, silencing the women who betrayed you?!"

Qiao Yuan raised his eyes, his gaze filled with mockery. "Shut up! If I really wanted to silence her, why would I bother to come and save her!" He paused, his gaze sweeping over Lin Tang's pale face. The words "protect her" were ultimately swallowed back, turning into a barely audible sneer.

Several black cars screeched to a halt in front of Chen Kan and Lin Tang.

The car door opened, and several soldiers with stern expressions and bulging waistbands quickly jumped out, forming a well-trained human wall.

Chen Kan's tense nerves finally got a moment's respite. He immediately pulled Lin Tang even closer to him, almost half-carrying and half-dragging her, and stuffed her into the back seat of the nearest car.

Lin Tang slumped down on the cold leather chair, utterly dejected.

The car door slammed shut, shutting out the smoke and blood that filled the air outside.

Chen Kan squeezed in after her and sat down next to her, but his gloomy gaze was fixed on the lonely figure outside the car window.

Through the cracked and bullet-hole-ridden car window, Lin Tang's gaze involuntarily drifted back to Qiao Yuan.

He remained standing in the same spot, like a reef standing alone after a storm, his long robe torn, dark bloodstains on his arm, and his knuckles slightly white from gripping the gun tightly.

This brief exchange of glances, amidst the pervasive smoke and blood, felt more palpable than the cold property division agreement in court.

"Drive!" Chen Kan's furious roar exploded in the cramped car.

The engine let out a deep roar, the tires crushed gravel and bullet casings, the car sped off, kicking up a cloud of choking dust, and quickly drove away from the horrific killing field.

Lin Tang's body leaned back due to inertia, and she subconsciously gripped the leather chair beneath her.

She caught a glimpse of Qiao Yuan's figure outside the car window, which quickly shrank and blurred in the smoke and dust.

Qiao Yuan slowly, extremely slowly, withdrew his gaze, then slightly turned his head and whispered to Ah Chen, "Go to the hospital!"