Seeing the dark muzzle of the gun in the bald guy's hand, Miss Tang Guo didn't dare to move recklessly. She obediently got out of the car, complying with his demand.
Tang Guo's beautiful face and curvaceous figure made the bald guy gulp involuntarily. Unfortunately, this woman was off-limits to him.
"You two stand there—don't move. If anyone moves, I'll blow your brains out!" the bald guy threatened, waving the gun. He then took out his phone and made a call. "Brother Animal, my car broke down on the road, but I've got the girl under control. Hurry and send someone to back me up."
"F*cking useless. If you damage the boss's car, he'll skin you alive. Wait there. We'll be right over," a man on the other end cursed loudly, his voice so loud that both Ye Qiu and Tang Guo could hear it clearly.
"What a piece of sh*t. Just because I call you 'big brother,' you think you're something," the bald guy spat, hanging up.
As soon as he ended the call, a beam of light swept down from the hillside. A car rapidly descended from the mountaintop. Just as the bald guy had said, their people had set up a roadblock ahead. Even if Tang Guo had driven past earlier, she would have driven straight into their trap.
The car's lights made the bald guy squint, and he let his gun drop slightly. Suddenly, he realized that one of the people in front of him had disappeared. The country bumpkin was nowhere to be seen.
Instinct honed from years of fighting made him turn quickly, only to see that same bumpkin holding a stone poised over his head.
"Put the gun down," Ye Qiu said, smiling.
The bald guy gaped in disbelief.
Was this a joke? How could this guy move so fast?
"Why are you gaping like that? This is a rock, not an egg. Even if it were an egg, I wouldn't give it to you. I haven't eaten all day. Put the gun down," Ye Qiu repeated, this time with a more threatening tone. The bald guy had dared to point a gun at his head earlier, and that was unforgivable.
The bald guy wanted to cry. What kind of luck was this? The prey was slipping away. The supposed bumpkin was a ruse. In this financial crisis, with the boss's car wrecked and the mission failing, money was tight, prices were high—life was unbearable.
Growing angrier and more desperate, the bald guy aimed the gun at Ye Qiu's head and pulled the trigger. "I'll kill you!"
Bang!
The gun fired, but there was no expected splatter of brain and blood. The shot had missed.
Before he could comprehend why, the rock in Ye Qiu's hand came closer and struck his head with a loud thud. The bald guy felt a sharp pain and then everything went black.
As he lost consciousness, his last thought was that this guy hit really hard.
Tang Guo's mouth hung open, the rapid changes too much for her simple, sheltered mind to process.
"Did you kill him?"
"No."
"Then why is he lying down?"
"He's hungry," Ye Qiu mused. If he didn't get some food soon, he might lie down too. Seeing the approaching lights, Ye Qiu said, "Quick, get back in the car. Their backup is coming."
"Oh," Tang Guo obediently returned to the car, not even noticing how naturally she followed Ye Qiu's orders. Ye Qiu dragged the bald guy's body to the roadside, picked up his gun, and quickly jumped into the passenger seat.
"His car is blocking the way. We can't turn around," Tang Guo said as she started the car, realizing they had no escape route. The Porsche blocked the way back, and driving forward meant facing the oncoming reinforcements.
"Drive forward," Ye Qiu instructed sharply, no longer the naive, honest boy from before.
"But we'll run into them," Tang Guo protested but still started the car.
"I'll handle it," Ye Qiu said, checking the gun. Smashing the Porsche's windshield with a water bottle earlier had worked because he focused all his strength on the bottle's cap, creating a hard point that shattered the specially reinforced glass. Now, with a gun, it would be even easier.
The distance between the cars rapidly decreased. Tang Guo's Ferrari was climbing uphill, while the black Audi was descending. As they were about to collide, Ye Qiu kept urging Tang Guo to go faster.
"We're going to crash—what now?" Tang Guo's voice trembled as the cars approached each other at high speed.
"Don't worry. Maintain this speed," Ye Qiu said, patting Tang Guo's thigh to reassure her. So smooth. Even in autumn, she wore denim shorts. Convenient for touching.
"Brother Animal, something's off. The guy isn't with the girl anymore. It's just her driving," the Audi's driver noticed something was wrong, slowing down to report to his boss.
"Damn it, what's that bald guy doing? Didn't he say he had them under control?" Brother Animal, a scrawny man with sinister eyes, cursed while trying to call the bald guy. When no one answered, he sensed trouble.
"Something's wrong. Be careful. Make that Ferrari stop," Brother Animal said, pulling out his gun and rolling down the window. He stuck his head out and shouted, "Stop the car, or I'll shoot! Stop the car!"
"Beast, what now? They have guns," Tang Guo's palms were sweaty, barely able to grip the steering wheel.
"Don't worry. We have guns too," Ye Qiu said, raising his own weapon.
"But can you use it?"
"Of course. You just press this, right? I saw it on TV," Ye Qiu said, annoyed. How dare she doubt him?
"—"
"Keep going?" Tang Guo asked, seeing the gun pointed at her from the other car.
"Go," Ye Qiu said, squinting.
"He'll shoot—"
"Shut up."
"—" Tang Guo, feeling wronged, closed her mouth. The beast's sudden change in demeanor was frightening.
"Stop the car, or I'll shoot," Brother Animal shouted. But being a scoundrel, he shot even as he spoke, hitting the front of the Ferrari.
"What now?" Tang Guo asked.
"Speed up," Ye Qiu said.
"What?"
"Speed up," Ye Qiu repeated.
Tang Guo hesitated briefly, then floored the gas pedal. Fine, if she had to die, at least this beast would go with her. No need to be too scared. But it was a shame; she was a pure maiden without any experience.
Bang!
Another bullet flew, this time hitting the car door, grazing Ye Qiu's face. Brother Animal's aim was terrible.
At less than a hundred meters, Ye Qiu stood up in his seat.
At fifty meters, he raised his gun.
At thirty meters, he released the safety.
At twenty meters—
At ten meters—
As the cars were about to collide, Tang Guo closed her eyes in fear.
Bang!
Ye Qiu pulled the trigger, and the oncoming Audi suddenly veered off course, its front swinging toward the cliff.