The call ended.
Shangguan Yu'an and Yu Mengzhi fell silent, realizing the gravity of the situation had reached an extreme. Yu Mengzhi abruptly slammed on the accelerator, aiming to reach Qingfeng Town in the shortest possible time.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Tao Qiyue remained hidden in the dim warehouse. Chen Jinzhao's gruesome wounds pained her deeply, regretting her current inability to help.
Creak—
Someone pushed open the warehouse door from the outside, startling Tao Qiyue into a pale fright. Fortunately, it wasn't one of their pursuers, but the owner of the small supermarket.
The old man, holding a bottle of water and a bottle of medicine, approached Tao Qiyue. "Your boyfriend is seriously injured. He must have a high fever by now. Give him antibiotics and fever reducers first, otherwise, it might be too late."
"Thank you, thank you so much!" Tao Qiyue said gratefully.
"What are you thanking me for? I just don't want anyone to die on my property. Someone already came to the supermarket asking about the situation, but I sent them away," the supermarket owner said indifferently.
Tao Qiyue pursed her lips, her gratitude unspoken.
It was also fortunate that there weren't too many surveillance cameras in the small town, or their whereabouts would have been exposed long ago.
While Tao Qiyue waited for rescue, Su Hao was also making arrangements to search for Chen Jinzhao and Taoqi Pai, intending to orchestrate an accidental death for them.
Both sides were engaged in a game of chess!
Ten minutes passed like this. Yu Mengzhi and Shangguan Yu'an's car arrived outside Qingfeng Town, only to be stopped before they could even enter.
They got out of the car. Blocking their path were several uniformed personnel.
"Apologies!"
"We received instructions from higher up. Qingfeng Town is temporarily closed for half an hour as we are in the process of apprehending a major fugitive. Please wait a moment." The uniformed officer spoke politely, but it sent Shangguan Yu'an into a rage. She knew with her toes that someone was plotting behind the scenes!
This was an attempt to sever Chen Jinzhao's path to survival!
Yu Mengzhi turned to Shangguan Yu'an, utterly helpless.
"Get out of the way, all of you!" Shangguan Yu'an roared.
The other uniformed officers instantly surrounded them, watching the two with vigilant eyes. Yu Mengzhi lowered her voice and said to Shangguan Yu'an, "These people don't seem to know what they're doing. Why don't you reveal your identity?"
Shangguan Yu'an also calmed down and nodded slightly.
These people were likely just following orders, probably genuinely believing there was a major fugitive on the loose.
"Please, would you let us pass? I am Shangguan Yu'an of the Vermilion Dragon Special Forces of the Jiangnan Military Region. This is my identification!" Shangguan Yu'an showed them her ID and continued, "I received relevant information that our instructor was involved in a serious traffic accident on the Qingfeng Town road and his whereabouts are currently unknown. I must go in to find him!"
"I also hope you won't obstruct us. If Instructor Chen has any misfortune, none of you can bear the responsibility!"
The officers were taken aback.
With their experience, they could tell the ID was not forged.
"This..."
The officers hesitated, "It's not that we don't want to let you through, but we have strict orders from above. Anyone who passes will be held accountable."
Shangguan Yu'an's patience wore thin, her eyes blazing with a palpable rage. "I don't have time to explain. If your superior questions your actions, you can come to me!"
"I'll say it one last time: please let us pass now, or don't blame me for breaking the rules." Shangguan Yu'an's hand moved towards her waist.
The officers exchanged glances and finally compromised, allowing their car to pass.
Yu Mengzhi let out a sigh of relief.
Before leaving, Shangguan Yu'an said to the officers, "Do not inform your superior of our whereabouts. If Instructor Chen suffers any harm, you will not be able to bear the responsibility."
This thinly veiled threat immediately extinguished any idea they might have had of making a call.
Upon entering Qingfeng Town, their car headed directly to the small supermarket where Tao Qiyue was located. When they arrived, they found the area surrounded and impenetrable.
They exchanged glances and hurried forward.
What had happened?
It turned out that just a few minutes earlier, these individuals had followed a few clues and found the small supermarket again. They had discovered Tao Qiyue and Chen Jinzhao hiding in the warehouse and were now attempting to forcibly take them away.
Under the guise of wanting Chen Jinzhao to receive timely medical treatment to avoid missing the window for care.
Tao Qiyue naturally refused to cooperate.
A stalemate ensued.
Shangguan Yu'an pushed through the crowd and immediately saw Tao Qiyue covered in blood and Chen Jinzhao unconscious. She quickly strode forward.
"Stop everything!"
"What are you doing? If anything happens to him, you will all be held responsible!" Shangguan Yu'an's furious roar instantly silenced the previously noisy environment.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Tao Qiyue also looked up. When she saw Shangguan Yu'an and Yu Mengzhi, the tension in her heart finally eased. A profound weariness washed over her, making her eyelids heavy and almost impossible to lift.
In fact, Tao Qiyue had also sustained some injuries during the jump from the car, though not as severe as Chen Jinzhao's.
All the way here, she had been sustained by sheer willpower, refusing to pass out.
Now that her rescuers had arrived, she mumbled indistinctly, "You're finally here..."
As the words fell, Tao Qiyue's heavy eyelids closed, and she collapsed beside Chen Jinzhao, completely unconscious.
Seeing this, their faces changed.
Chen Jinzhao's and Tao Qiyue's injuries far exceeded their expectations. There was no more time to waste!
Especially Chen Jinzhao...
He was on the brink of death!
Shangguan Yu'an did not dare to delay. She said to Yu Mengzhi beside her, "You go help Xiao Tao. I'll take care of Instructor Chen."
Yu Mengzhi nodded.
As they were about to act, a portly, middle-aged man in uniform blocked their way. This man was Zhang ZhengBiao, the head of the Qingfeng Town police station, who had orchestrated the entire operation that night.
"Misses, what do you think you're doing?" Zhang ZhengBiao's eyes were suspicious, and he ordered his subordinates to block them from taking Tao Qiyue and Chen Jinzhao away.
Zhang ZhengBiao was affiliated with the Su family, but he didn't have direct contact with them. All orders were issued to him by Yu Hongzhi.
Shangguan Yu'an was utterly enraged. "I'd like to ask what *you* people are doing!"
Zhang ZhengBiao's face darkened. "Miss, please don't make baseless accusations. One of these two is an outstanding criminal police officer from the Ninghai Municipal Bureau, and the other is a soldier of special status. I have received orders from higher up to send them to the town hospital. I hope you will not interfere!"
"You cannot afford the consequences that may arise!"
Yu Mengzhi's expression changed. The man's reasons were sound and plausible, making it impossible to refute!
But who could know if the Qingfeng Town hospital had already been compromised?
Seeing that the two had not left, Zhang ZhengBiao's tone turned unfriendly. "It seems you intend to prevent us from saving them. In that case, I find it necessary to detain you temporarily!"
"Take them!"