Chapter 135: Who on Earth Are You
The car door opened, and the people in the back seat dragged Lin Chuyue out, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
「Half an hour later.」
Xiao Ye, who had been sound asleep, suddenly snapped his eyes open.
His phone was vibrating nonstop. It was an unknown number with a complex string of digits—clearly a satellite call.
People who use satellite phones usually don't want to be traced.
An ominous premonition instantly filled Xiao Ye's heart.
He pressed the answer key, and a mechanical voice came from the other side.
"Xiao Ye, come to 131 Duanming Road immediately. Don't bring anyone. You must come alone."
"If you don't come, something will happen to Lin Chuyue. You wouldn't want to see her body displayed on the streets, would you?"
With that, the caller hung up, giving Xiao Ye no time to react.
He shot up and immediately went to check Lin Chuyue's room. As expected, she was gone.
'How is this possible?'
The entire villa was heavily guarded. If someone had tried to break in and kidnap her, he would have definitely been alerted.
'Unless... Lin Chuyue left on her own!'
Xiao Ye noticed the door to the first-floor bathroom was open. As soon as he stepped inside, he felt a cold draft.
The window was indeed open. There were no signs of forced entry; it had been opened from the inside!
Combining that with the lack of any signs of a struggle, Xiao Ye was certain: Lin Chuyue had left by herself.
A headache started to form, but there was no time to waste.
Xiao Ye put on his jacket, but instead of heading to 131 Duanming Road, he first went to the military district on the west side of Jiangcheng.
At the entrance to the military base, soldiers armed with live ammunition blocked his path. "Who are you looking for?"
"Huo Wenqing."
"Wait a moment. We'll contact Major Huo immediately."
About five minutes later, Huo Wenqing came out in person.
He was Huo Wenhao's older brother and the Huo Family's connection in the military.
Tall and imposing, he was the complete opposite of the "qing" (clear/refined) in his name. His skin was dark, but his eyes were bright.
Huo Wenqing had been on a secret mission and had only returned a few days ago.
Seeing Xiao Ye, he was extremely respectful and welcomed him into his office. "Mr. Xiao, how can I help you?"
"I need you to cooperate with me. Help me rescue a hostage and, while we're at it, capture a few of them alive."
The opponents Xiao Ye faced this time were far from simple. He needed a live captive, but he also couldn't risk Lin Chuyue's safety, which meant he needed help.
With time being of the essence, these professionally trained soldiers from the military were undoubtedly the best choice!
Huo Wenqing was startled. "What kind of opponents?"
Xiao Ye recounted the previous ambush. "The people who want to kill me are powerful, and they've definitely had professional assassin training."
"It's no exaggeration to say that their skills would rank them among the top of the entire assassin world."
"I can handle them, but the problem is they've captured Lin Chuyue."
Xiao Ye wasn't worried about something happening to Lin Chuyue, because their target was him!
No matter when he arrived, Lin Chuyue would be unharmed.
Otherwise, if she were dead, Xiao Ye might actually not show up. They wouldn't do that.
Huo Wenqing's expression turned grim. "I can't believe people like this exist. As a soldier, I must take them down!"
"Otherwise, it's a threat to Jiangcheng and, more importantly, a dereliction of my duty to the people!"
He stood up. "I'll immediately dispatch my best vanguard team."
"As for the issue you mentioned about poison hidden in their mouths, I will definitely be mindful of it. We'll do our best to capture them alive!"
「131 Duanming Road.」
This was an area of very old residential buildings.
Not many people lived here anymore, mostly just the elderly.
A month ago, the buildings here had been classified as structurally unsafe. All residents had to be cleared out as soon as possible so demolition and reconstruction could begin.
There were no bustling streets nearby either.
This Old Town District seemed like a forgotten corner of Jiangcheng.
Xiao Ye took a deep breath as he arrived in front of a building.
This was number 131. Next door was 130.
These weren't new buildings or a residential complex, so they were simply located by their street numbers.
Xiao Ye stood at the entrance, wondering when they would contact him again, just as his phone began to vibrate.
It was the same mechanical voice. "Go upstairs. Top floor, first door on the left."
Xiao Ye pocketed his phone and reached the top floor with top speed.
The door on the left was ajar, but he didn't go in.
He could already feel it. Killing intent!
Xiao Ye raised his hand, and a silver needle shot through the crack in the door!
PFFT!
The sound of piercing flesh followed!
'Just as I thought, someone was behind the door!'
CREAK. The door swung open.
This time, the scene inside was visible at a glance.
A person lay on the floor not far from the entrance, no longer breathing.
With a silver needle embedded between their brows, not even a god could have survived!
Lin Chuyue was tied up in the center of the room, surrounded by figures dressed in black. They all wore hoods that covered their faces, leaving only their eyes visible.
Judging from the aura these people exuded, they were clearly no ordinary assassins.
"Xiao Ye, why aren't you coming in? It seems you don't care about your little girlfriend at all," one of them said.
Hearing his voice, Lin Chuyue's eyes snapped open.
When she saw that Xiao Ye had really come, her emotions surged uncontrollably.
'If I had known this would happen, I should have listened to Xiao Ye and never stepped foot outside the villa!'
'But...'
'If it weren't for Xiao Ye, I would never have gotten into this mess!'
For a moment, a whirlwind of emotions washed over Lin Chuyue.
But compared to before, she wasn't nearly as scared.
Every time Xiao Ye appeared, it meant things would soon be okay.
Xiao Ye walked into the room. It looked like a very ordinary, old-fashioned apartment.
But he knew better. This group was no ordinary enemy; he had to be extremely cautious.
"Who are you people?"
Xiao Ye narrowed his eyes. "To go to such great lengths just for my life... your master is certainly willing to spare no expense!"
"That's not for you to know. Now, die!"
A man in black stepped forward, his dagger flashing through the air in a dizzying flurry of moves.
But each time, the blade only grazed past Lin Chuyue's cheek.
If it were just a little closer, it would leave a scar!
Lin Chuyue's face turned pale. She didn't dare to breathe, terrified that a single misstep would leave her face ruined.
"It's me you want, right? Let her go in exchange," Xiao Ye said, stepping forward without a trace of fear.
The man in black didn't agree, however. "Stop!"
Xiao Ye had no choice but to halt. "What? Or are you scared?"
"You want my life, don't you? Here I am, serving myself up on a platter. And Lin Chuyue hasn't seen your faces, so what does it matter if you let her go?"
"Besides, I know you never intended to harm Lin Chuyue from the start."
Lin Chuyue was a member of the Lin Family and was well-known in Jiangcheng.
If she died, the consequences would be severe, leading to unnecessary complications.
But Xiao Ye was different. He was just a young Daoist who came down from the mountains. He didn't even have any relatives, only an old master.
In his case, if he died, he was just dead.