The assassins, upon seeing the sudden appearance of new individuals, paused, exchanged glances. Their boss hadn't mentioned hiring a second group to deal with this woman.
As they pondered whether to eliminate these mysterious newcomers before focusing on Qin Yue, they watched the mysterious figures rush directly towards her.
"Whatever," they thought. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We have the same target, so there's no need to overthink this." With that realization, the assassins exchanged a look with their comrades.
Qin Yue, seeing over a dozen people charging at her, felt her pupils constrict. She wanted to flee, but for some reason, her legs felt as heavy as lead, making escape impossible. The strength seemed to have drained from her body, and she collapsed onto the ground, unable to stand.
The women beside her, who had initially been spectators to the unfolding drama, turned from gloating to sheer terror as blades sliced through their skin, drawing blood.
"Are you mistaken? You're not supposed to kill me, but Qin Yue!" As these words were uttered, the assassins who had just arrived showed no mercy. They plunged their knives into the women's shoulders, causing enough pain to make them cry out, but not to kill them.
The once quiet alley was suddenly filled with wails. The women scrambled for cover, crying out, "They want to kill us to silence us! What's going on? Didn't the mysterious benefactor say we'd get a generous reward after luring Qin Yue out? Now we're not getting paid and might even lose our lives!"
"Xia Lulu, I'm not done with you! Qin Yue and I are not related, nor do we have any grudges. If you hadn't dragged me into this, pushing me to cooperate with a mysterious person to teach Qin Yue a lesson, we wouldn't be in this situation!"
These arguments reached Qin Yue's ears. So, these assassins were sent to kill her. Who could it be? The He family? But she was just a pawn; why would the He family waste their time on her? They might as well focus their efforts on Zhang Wan'er!
Moreover, her plans hadn't been exposed. Why would the He family want her dead? Had they considered how Meng Lei would view them if he learned of her death? The He family currently felt guilty towards Meng Lei.
At this moment, Qin Yue's heart was filled with resentment. If not the He family, then who else would want her dead?
As she was consumed by fear and unease, her gaze shifted to a bank card lying on the ground. That's right! She had been confined to the courtyard and never stepped out. If Meng Lei hadn't brainwashed her today, she wouldn't have come out and encountered this situation!
And was it certain that she would encounter such a predicament just by coming out? If someone hadn't deliberately orchestrated events, it wouldn't be such a coincidence. This meant Meng Lei intended to silence her; she had become a useless pawn!
Qin Yue's mind, uncharacteristically, raced. She clenched her fists tightly, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Meng Lei, you bastard!"
If fate granted her another chance to escape alive, she would never let those who wanted to harm her go unpunished. She would drag at least one person down with her, even in death. As this thought crossed her mind, Qin Yue's eyes grew fiercer. He Zinian, who was observing the situation from the shadows, witnessed Qin Yue's reaction.
"Alright, it's about time to reel them in. I believe Qin Yue now knows who is targeting her. We just need to go back and wait for the truth to unfold!" He Zinian said coldly before disappearing into the darkness.
Meanwhile, in the alley, the assassins had intended to attack Qin Yue. However, for some reason, the group that had arrived later was constantly targeting them, disrupting their attempts to strike multiple times.
The assassins gradually realized that something was amiss. To deal with Qin Yue, they first needed to eliminate the people in front of them. Just as they were preparing to move, a siren suddenly blared from outside the alley.
Everyone's movements froze. They glanced towards the alley entrance, where several figures in police uniforms were approaching. The assassins shot a resentful glance at the unexpected arrivals, knowing it wasn't the right time to act, as they might get caught themselves. With gritted teeth, they melted back into the darkness.
The police quickly arrived in the alley. As they caught the scent of blood in the air, their right eyelids twitched violently.
"Damn, what happened here? Someone's committing assault in broad daylight!"
"I agree, the public security in the capital has been a bit shaky these days. Hurry up and notify an ambulance to take these civilians. I need to find out what's going on, that people dare to break the law on our turf!"
"..."
As the words fell, the police officers approached the women and helped them up. The women were so terrified that they had lost control of their bodily functions, their eyes vacant.
Qin Yue was also helped up by the police. When she made eye contact with the other women, a murderous glint flashed in her eyes. Since she had survived this encounter, she would no longer be easily manipulated. She had already died once, so from now on, she had nothing to fear or hold back. At worst, she would die again!
----
In a luxurious yet secluded skyscraper.
Meng Lei listened as the assassins reported the failure of their mission, his chest heaving with rage. He hurled bottles and jars from his office at the incompetent individuals. "You can't even take care of one woman. What good are you? You're useless!"
A hint of complaint appeared on the assassins' faces. They said through gritted teeth, "Weren't those assassins hired by you? This was supposed to be a covert operation. Theoretically, a single woman should be easy to handle! If it weren't for that group of assassins suddenly intervening, how could we have failed?"
"I also know Qin Yue is just a woman, and a few of you are more than capable of dealing with her. Why would you hire another group of assassins to get involved?" Meng Lei's head began to ache at this point. Who had hired this group of assassins?
He admitted that Qin Yue was naive, but not completely foolish. After what happened today, she would surely have doubts and might shift her suspicion towards him. If he didn't appease Qin Yue properly, it would be like alerting the enemy, exposing the entire truth.