Chapter 7

The moment those words left his mouth, the leader raised a hand and the others stopped.
Jiang Wei clutched the front of her clothes, shivering as she crawled back to Ling Ze’s side. A sob slipped out before she forced herself to choke it down.
Ling Ze lay on the ground, struggling for breath. He tried to lift a hand to wipe her tears, to tell her not to be afraid.
“Senior Ling, are you okay?”
Her eyes were full of worry, and he couldn’t help finding it a little foolish, sweet, even.
At a time like this, she was still thinking about him. That kind of pure, almost excessive concern felt… unreal.
Jiang Wei propped him up, letting his upper body rest against her. Her voice, hoarse from crying, dropped low in his ear.
“Don’t be scared, Senior. I already called the police. They’ll be here soon. We’re going to be okay.”
The warmth of her body, soft and faintly scented like gardenias, wrapped around him.
He’d forgotten what it felt like to be held like this.
That whiff of floral sweetness lingering at the tip of his nose… he knew he’d remember it for a long time.
Everyone else circling around him only wanted money, or flesh, only this girl was different.
But her words still made him want to laugh.
So stupid. So earnest.
By the time dawn broke, the two of them, still leaning against each other, were jolted awake by noise.
Outside the plant, sirens were screaming.
Jiang Wei and Ling Ze exchanged a look, joy flickering in both sets of eyes.
“To everyone inside, listen up! Release the hostages immediately! Otherwise you will face the full force of the law! It’s not too late to turn back now!”
A police officer with a loudspeaker had begun negotiations at the gate.
Ma Zi’s face was ugly as he ran back to report to the boss. Cops in three tight rings, front and back. Drones, or recon craft, buzzing in the sky.
Even with wings, they wouldn’t be flying out.
Soon after, Ling Ze, face swollen and bruised, legs barely holding him, was dragged to the entrance of the plant. Jiang Wei was yanked along beside him, a forearm locked around her neck as she struggled.
Humiliation burned in his chest. He swore he’d make these men pay in blood.
But then his gaze shifted, catching Jiang Wei’s terrified expression. His heart sank.
The officer in charge, Director Liu, was one of Mu Yang’s father’s subordinates, essentially under his uncle’s power. He was taking this extremely seriously.
Never mind that this was a brazen kidnapping in the downtown area with terrible public impact, just Ling Ze’s identity alone meant they couldn’t afford to slip up.
“Uncle Liu.”
“Mu Yang? What are you doing here? This is dangerous.”
The young man beside him was Mu Yang, who’d spent the night racing. Just as he was about to collapse into bed at dawn, he’d gotten a call from the old man.
The old man had only one daughter, and she’d married into the Ling family young, for “alliance”, and died just as quickly.
Her only child, Ling Ze, was the old man’s precious grandson, the one “suffering outside” in the Ling household.
“Uncle Liu, how bad is it? Is it difficult to get my cousin out?”
Director Liu’s brows were drawn tight.
He didn’t dare make promises, not with a factory full of hardened criminals who’d already killed before.
Seeing his expression, Mu Yang knew things were dire.
He leaned in, lowering his voice. The morning wind carried every word straight into Director Liu’s ears.
“Uncle Liu, the old man says, whatever manpower or equipment you need for this rescue, he’ll back you fully. Promotions, resources, later, when you move up to the provincial department, that’ll all be easier to arrange. But if something happens to the hostages… that won’t look great on your record.”
It was both carrot and stick, a clear sign of how seriously the Mu family took Ling Ze.
Money was useful, power was better.
Director Liu’s eyes sharpened; his expression grew solemn.
He immediately ordered that no one was to act rashly.
No one was allowed to chamber a round without orders.
If a stray bullet spooked the gang and they killed the hostage, his entire career would be over.
When a man and a woman were finally pushed out into view, Mu Yang froze.
Jiang Wei?
What the hell was she doing here?
The leader pressed a gun to Ling Ze’s forehead. Surrounded by armed police and soldiers, he knew exactly how valuable his hostage was.
He laughed wildly.
“Get me a helicopter and thirty million in cash! Move it! Or I’ll take two people down with me!”
Director Liu nodded, and a young officer with a megaphone stepped forward to negotiate.
“Stay calm. We’ll do our best to meet your demands!”
“Cut the crap!” the leader snarled. “I know you’re just stalling for time. If you don’t want him dead, pull your snipers back! And get what I asked for ready, now!”
Sweat ran down the negotiator’s temples. He hurried back for instructions.
Director Liu’s face soured even further. Mu Yang standing beside him represented the Mu family’s stance: not only must the hostages be saved, their authority could not be publicly challenged.
In the end, Director Liu gave the order to withdraw the obvious snipers.
The hidden ones stayed, but their angles were poor. If things went south, they couldn’t guarantee clean shots.
“The snipers have been pulled back! We’ll keep our word. As long as you guarantee the hostages’ safety, we’ll let you leave City C,” the officer shouted.
In other words: your demands are negotiable, but hurt the hostages, and we’ll storm the place.
The gang members were skittish, nerves stretched taut by the encircling police. Any sudden move could set them off, so the officers treaded carefully.
Soon, the Ling family butler arrived with the money.
Then came the nerve-racking money handoff.
A few of the kidnappers had already boarded the helicopter.
The leader dragged Ling Ze toward it, gun still pressed to his head, one hand reaching for the cash box, clearly intending to take the money and board in the same breath.
He had no intention of releasing anyone.
Director Liu’s face was like stone. The two sides deadlocked.
Because Jiang Wei was “just a weak girl,” the man holding her was a little careless. She seized her chance, bit down hard, and tore free.
She shoved the leader with all her strength.
That one move completely flipped the board.
Ling Ze, fueled by raw survival instinct, staggered forward with renewed force.
Mu Yang reacted instantly, snatching the sidearm from Director Liu’s holster and firing at the leader.
Caught off guard, the man only managed a partial dodge. The bullet grazed his left ear.
The pain sent him into a frenzy.
He started shooting wildly.
Gunfire erupted on both sides.
From a distance, the remaining sniper took his shot and dropped the man trying to start the helicopter. The aircraft would never get off the ground.
Pinned down behind the helicopter’s body, the gang realized there was no way out.
The leader swung his gun toward Ling Ze.
Fine.
If he was going to die, he’d at least drag the young master of the Ling family down with him.
Jiang Wei, half-carrying, half-supporting Ling Ze toward the safe zone, felt something in the air shift.
She didn’t think. She just moved.
In the split second before her mind caught up, she threw herself behind him.
It was only after she was mid-flight, body turning, that she realized,
I’m taking a bullet for someone.
Bold as ever, she had the nerve to praise herself even then.
I really am a good person. If I annoy Senior Ling in the future, I hope he’ll remember this and let me off the hook.
The bullet tore through her chest, blooming into a brilliant, blinding burst of red.
Right before the darkness swallowed her, she saw Ling Ze’s stunned profile as he turned, and the complicated look in Mu Yang’s eyes.