Love Assault - Chapter 40

Chen Mo found the car Yun Xi had prepared for her in the airport parking lot. She had been worried that no buses would be running so late, which would delay her significantly. To her surprise, Yun Xi called her immediately after she deplaned. A pristine white Land Rover awaited her, its key hidden in the muddy recess beneath the chassis. Chen Mo crouched down in the dark, retrieved the key, and started the engine.

The car’s interior was simple yet fully equipped. The navigation system lit up as soon as the ignition was turned on, automatically connecting to her phone via Bluetooth. After a brief wait, a tiny red dot appeared on the map, indicating the location of the tracking device she had found in Director Guo’s office. Chen Mo estimated the journey would take at least five hours.

The time on her phone showed 1205 AM. By the time she arrived, it would be dawn. She slowly drove the car out of the parking lot and followed the navigation system onto the road. At this pace, she should reach her destination before 500 AM, if all went well.

But…

Chen Mo glanced at the navigation map, which indicated a forested area. Based on her knowledge of the region, the terrain was complex, with high mountains and dense forests, and rarely visited by people. There were likely a few tiny villages nearby, but they were probably long abandoned.

How could Lin Che be in such a place?

As she pondered this, she abruptly pressed down on the accelerator, speeding along the highway in the dead of night.

Lin Che’s phone remained switched off, as did Jian Dan’s simple phone. It seemed Yun Xi and Lin Zhili’s suspicions were correct if they weren’t deliberately hiding from someone, they had likely been kidnapped or abducted. Given the terrain and how deeply they were concealed, who else could be hiding in such a remote mountain forest?

Eighth Master.

Chen Mo’s heart pounded violently. Her emotions were a tangled mess. Not a day had passed without her yearning to personally bring this drug lord to justice. If Lin Che’s location was indeed Eighth Master’s hideout, a fleeting impulse to head straight to the police station flashed through her mind. The thought of finally capturing Eighth Master herself made her fingers tremble with excitement.

But the car didn’t swerve it continued straight along its predetermined route.

Her mind raced through every possible scenario pursuit, gunfights, casualties, capture, or escape. Yun Xi’s words echoed in her ears This is a personal request. Please don’t put Lin Che and Jian Dan in a difficult position.

Hesitation gripped Chen Mo.

Lin Che was still there.

On the way to the airport—on the plane—now…

Since afternoon, every thought of Lin Che had stirred a chaotic mix of emotions within her, clouding her judgment. The turmoil was a blend of suspicion, anger, and worry.

She couldn’t pinpoint when she had carved out a small space in her heart for this frivolous playboy. She found herself missing his flippant tone, feeling uneasy without the sight of his faintly smiling eyes.

Starting today, I’m officially pursuing you. Officially—pursuing you. Prepare yourself, and brace for impact. Lin Che’s teasing words flashed through her mind.

Boom…

Her thoughts exploded like a boiling pot, scattering through her limbs. Worse still, the faint blush on her cheeks had nothing to do with the car’s heater.

Gently tapping the steering wheel, Chen Mo’s lips curved into a faint smile as she murmured to herself, So you just wanted me to take the bait? Did you really have to make such a big deal out of it?

Lin Che sneezed, then shakily covered his left cheek. The sneeze sent a sharp pain through his swollen, reddened face. He spat on the ground and cursed, Damn it, that was brutal.

Jian Dan leaned against a tree, rubbing her stomach. Her face was bruised, and her clothes were torn in several places. Who’s brutal? What about that slap you gave me?

Lin Che rolled his eyes, then looked up at the half-moon peeking through the branches. He rubbed his hands together and blew on them to warm them. I’m just unlucky to have a friend like you. I came to rescue you with the purest intentions, and the moment I stepped off the plane, that old bastard dragged me straight to his lair. Can’t you ever think things through? Why couldn’t we have taken a more roundabout approach, like ‘surrounding the city from the countryside’? Why charge straight into the enemy’s den alone?

Jian Dan snorted. Strike the king to capture the kingdom.

Lin Che turned to look at Jian Dan’s bruised and swollen face in the moonlight. Ha, that sounds good in theory. ‘Strike the king to capture the kingdom’? This is more like sending a lamb to the slaughter.

Jian Dan laboriously sat up, drew her gun from her waist, and began toying with it in her hand. How did I enter the tiger’s den? Didn’t I escape it just now?

Escape from the tiger’s den.

Lin Che grinned awkwardly. Whether they had truly escaped remained to be seen. Yet the life-or-death struggle from just a few hours earlier still sent shivers down his spine. In that surveillance-laden room, he and Jian Dan had staged a perfectly coordinated act of siblings turning against each other. Jian Dan’s ruthless attacks and Lin Che’s feigned weakness had blended seamlessly. Lin Che unconsciously touched his face, fearing the flesh inside was torn. He remembered spitting a mouthful of bl00d directly at the camera, feeling like his teeth might fall out.

Perhaps their performance had been too convincing. The door burst open, and a crowd rushed in, clamoring to separate them. Lin Che had roared that he would never rest until Jian Dan was dead, that he refused to share a space with such a madwoman, and howled for Eighth Master to judge the matter and restore his honor—or else he would go to Canada and appeal to the old man himself.

She had calculated that Eighth Master’s greatest fear was Jian Si, which was why he had hesitated to act against Jian Dan. Yet, letting her go so easily would be a loss of face. Imprisoning them both was merely a tactic to find a perfect opportunity and devise an infallible plan.

But Lin Che had no intention of giving him that time.

Neither did Jian Dan.

Thus, a predictable surprise attack erupted as Jian Dan landed a perfect hook punch on the man behind her. At first, the others assumed she was simply trying to break free to attack Lin Che again. They never expected her to follow up by kicking the man beside her squarely in the groin.

Lin Che hopped on one foot, yelling, Jian Xiaobai, you psycho! Stop it!

But Jian Dan’s assault only intensified.

The men surrounding her were caught in a bind they couldn’t strike back forcefully, yet refusing to fight meant taking a beating. The scene descended into utter chaos. Lin Che turned to the man gripping his arm and shouted, Go get Eighth Master! The man, momentarily stunned, released Lin Che and bolted out of the room.

By this point, Jian Dan had already kicked and shoved her way to the doorway. She grabbed the 1.8-meter-tall man by the collar, yanked him forward, and shoved him backward with force. He stumbled backward, lost his balance, and crashed into the crowd. Lin Che, having broken free of his restraints, lunged forward to grab Jian Dan’s arm, shouting, Don’t hit them! Don’t hit them! But as he did, he inadvertently tripped another man with his foot. Still clutching Jian Dan’s clothes, he was dragged out of the room, stumbling wildly from side to side, knocking over flower stands and decorations that crashed to the floor. More men surged forward, forming a pincer movement. Amid the chaos, Jian Dan turned to Lin Che and whispered, Lin Xiao Che, come with me.

Lin Che chuckled, stretching his legs as images flashed through his mind their desperate escape from the encirclement, their climb to the surface, and their frantic flight through the moonlit forest. He sighed in relief and leaned against Jian Dan. You’re amazing, he said. How did you memorize such a complicated layout?

Jian Dan rubbed her shoulder and snorted. I knew he was up to no good the moment I arrived. Something this simple couldn’t possibly stump Jian Dan.

Lin Che tapped the gun in Jian Dan’s hand with a curled finger. Where did you get that? You hid it well.

I pulled it out from behind someone’s ass, Jian Dan said, shaking her head dismissively. That old bastard was afraid of my grandfather and didn’t dare touch us. It’s a miracle those guys didn’t draw their guns. She added, But even if they had, I wouldn’t have been scared. Everyone’s killed someone, right?

Lin Che chuckled dryly. I haven’t.

Jian Dan hummed in agreement. Right, you haven’t. And I won’t let you kill anyone either.

Lin Che gazed wistfully at the shadowy silhouettes of the trees. What now? He won’t let this go. Things have already escalated too far.

Are you scared?

Scared? If I were scared, I wouldn’t be here. Lin Che raised an eyebrow. The real problem is our current state. If a fight breaks out, we’ll be at a disadvantage. She glanced sideways at Jian Dan. But I know you’re not planning to leave empty-handed. Tell me what you want to do. Since I’m here, I’ll go all in and join your madness, just to avenge A-Fi. Her expression turned serious as she fixed Jian Dan with a stern look. But we’re making a deal this is a one-time thing. No more reckless moves like this. I haven’t caught Chen Mo yet, and I’m not ready to die.

Jian Dan’s eyes lit up with excitement. I’ve scouted the area. Eighth Master has three drug factories hidden in this old forest. Since we’re here, we can’t leave empty-handed. If we can’t kill him, we’ll at least make him suffer some losses.

Lin Che’s lips twitched into a wry smile. Did you already know I’d come?

No. Whether you came or not, I would have done this. I’ll do it again in a moment. I’ll handle it you just watch. Don’t interfere. Jian Dan calmly holstered her gun and patted Lin Che’s shoulder. How are you? Can you still walk?

I’m perfectly fine. I think it’s you who won’t be walking away, Lin Che said, standing up with a serious expression. But I still need to ask you one thing. Did you tell the police about the drug shipment?

Jian Dan smiled. Yes, I did.

This time, Lin Che truly believed her, though she never could have imagined Jian Dan would do such a thing. She sighed and lightly kicked Jian Dan’s leg. You’ve grown bold. You even teamed up with the police to avenge A-Fi.

My only goal is to find the person who killed A-Fi. If I can’t find them, then whoever deserves to die will die. As for the means to achieve that goal, I no longer care much about them. Jian Dan leaned against a tree to stand up, exhaling slowly. But I’m sorry for dragging you into this. I feel a little guilty.

Ah… Lin Che shook his head casually. It can’t be helped. I’m your guardian, after all. I have to keep an eye on you. He grinned. Besides, you can’t get hurt. Someone’s waiting for you to come home.

Jian Dan paused, looked deeply at Lin Che, and shook her head slightly. Let’s go. If those guys catch up, things will get messy.