"Who gave you permission to leave your posts without authorization?! Get back here right now!"

"I really need to pee, Captain! What brings you here!"

Why should I report to you?

"No, no... Captain Ironhead, that's not what I meant!"

"Alright, the blizzard is unusually severe tonight. Miyano and I need to go ahead and check the ice thickness. We don't have time to chat with you here. Get your act together, understand?"

"Yes, Captain! We will patrol carefully."

...

No sooner had the patrol captain, nicknamed "Iron Head," left than several patrol members clutched their stomachs, beginning to experience abdominal pain.

"You scared the hell out of me! None of the three of us are allowed to tell anyone about what happened tonight! The captain absolutely cannot find out!"

"That's settled then, whoever tells anyone is a coward! I don't want to go back to being a lowly laborer..."

"But...didn't you hear any strange noises just now? It sounded like it was coming from the Emperor's direction?"

"How old are you? Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've at least seen pigs run, right? Didn't you know the Emperor just summoned so-and-so? What, you want to eavesdrop?"

"No...it's not that sound, it sounds more like a window being smashed!"

"Tsk, isn't that the sound of a blizzard banging on the window? You still haven't gotten used to it?"

"You really are naive. Captain Ironhead just said the weather is abnormal... Tsk tsk, look at this sky and this snow, is this something ordinary? Don't overthink it, just get through tonight!"

"Ouch, my stomach hurts again..."

"I also……"

The blizzard extinguished the campfire again, so a few members of the night patrol placed their searchlights on the remaining wood and embers to make it look like someone was watching over it.

As night deepened, the cooking tents at the very edge of the camp emitted a warm yellow light that seemed out of place for this time of day.

The muscular, strong man approached the tent under the cover of night. He first stopped outside the tent and whistled a melody with a special tune. After hearing the echo, he lifted several layers of cold-proof curtains and strode inside.

A fire was burning inside the winter tent, making it much warmer than outside.

"You're here?" Miyano, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, put down his teacup, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Upon closer inspection, there was a woman in a mink coat inside the tent; it was Rui Xiaomin.

"Iron Head?" A hint of doubt suddenly appeared in Rui Xiaomin's eyes, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her palms.

Half a day ago, she was informed by the patrol team that the Emperor wanted to see her. Rui Xiaomin was overjoyed and hurriedly tidied herself up. However, before she could even leave the house, she was stopped by the visiting Miyano.

"It seems the Emperor knows about your secret deployment of the search team. You... better watch yourself." Miyano said these words to her in front of the car door, then walked away without looking back.

Rui Xiaomin panicked immediately. She thought she would be favored tonight, but who would have thought she would be questioned! She was so frightened that her face turned ashen.

Yada Tsukasa's moods were unpredictable, and she dared not gamble, so she followed Miyano here.

"Didn't you say you'd help me explain? How can you help?" Rui Xiaomin said impatiently. "Hurry up, the Emperor is waiting for me. If he really suspects something, your patrol team might not be able to escape responsibility!"

Now that she'd calmed down, Rui Xiaomin had a change of heart. She'd only secretly had the patrol team investigate Xi Xi; she had no intention of seizing power or undermining him. How could she compare to Gong Ye, who had secretly plotted and transferred supplies?

Miyano glanced at her dismissively at first, but the next second, a sharp dagger was pressed against Rui Xiaomin's chin: "Tell me, if you disappeared tonight, what would the Emperor think?"

Rui Xiaomin's expression hardened. What did this mean? This Miyano wanted to use her as a scapegoat.

“You’re the only one in the entire camp who would wear such high heels.” Miyano’s eyes flashed with malice, and blood beads clung to the blade. “Footprints in the snow don’t lie.”

Alarm bells rang in Rui Xiaomin's mind, and her face turned deathly pale as she realized she had fallen into a trap.

Miyano clearly didn't come with good intentions; he discovered she had overheard the phone call and planned to kill her to cover it up! The Emperor was just a pretext to lure her in.

Rui Xiaomin grabbed his sleeve, trembling, and forced a smile: "What are you saying, Miyano? I don't quite understand..."

"You think you can fool me with your mediocre skills?" Miyano's voice was icy as he used the blade to pry open the silver buttons on the mink collar and slash at her throat.

"I can explain!" Rui Xiaomin screamed in pain, desperately grabbing Gong Ye's hand that held the dagger. "Let me explain first, Mr. Gong Ye..."

Rui Xiaomin's expression flickered, and a tear rolled straight down her cheek.

She looked at Miyano with feigned pitifulness, her nails digging into her palms, before suddenly tearing open her sweater to reveal the bruises below her collarbone.

She then began to recount the Emperor's mistreatment of her, and expressed her admiration and worship for Miyano, offering to surrender and help him secretly restrain the Emperor.

As the dagger sliced ​​open the third button, Rui Xiaomin suddenly tilted her head back. A strong scent of perfume wafted towards her, her deliberately weak breaths mingling with the fragrance: "Does it have to be here?"

Her fingertips brushed against Gong Ye's hand, her knees, bruised and blue from the cold, trembled slightly. "My campervan is warmer than this..."

"Miyano, this woman cannot be allowed to live." Ironhead, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, his thick muscles gradually bulging with anger as he gripped the long whip that gleamed coldly behind him.

Rui Xiaomin thought she had the victory in her grasp, but unexpectedly Gong Yeran grabbed her hair and pulled her back: "You little brat, you don't think I'll fall for your tricks, do you?"

The next second, the tip of Ironhead's whip ripped the fabric of her clothes at her shoulder, and drops of blood splattered onto the tent canvas, instantly congealing into red coral in the cold air.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!