Time was not on their side. The Black Serpents moved fast, and every moment that passed was another moment Zhong Qing spent in danger. Ye Rou knew this, and despite He Shun's attempts to gather information, there was little they could do. They had no choice but to act.
The location given by the Black Serpents was deep in the industrial district, a place where the shadows seemed to stretch endlessly, and the air was thick with the scent of oil and rust. It was the kind of place where deals went down in the dead of night, far from the prying eyes of the city.
Ye Rou stepped out of his car, his senses on high alert. The tension coiled inside him, ready to snap at any moment. He scanned the area, his sharp eyes picking out every detail, every potential threat. The silence was unnerving, broken only by the distant hum of machinery and the occasional clatter of metal.
Luan Xie and He Shun sat in the cramped, dimly lit van, the tension between them thick as the silence. Outside, the world was a blur of shadows and indistinct shapes, their view limited to the narrow slits in the van's windows. The only thing they could clearly see was Ye Rou, standing alone under the flickering streetlamp, waiting for the leader of the Black Serpents to arrive.
It was strange, almost surreal, to see Ye Rou—usually so composed and in control—reduced to this state of anxiety and desperation. Luan Xie watched him, his expression hardening with every passing second. The man who had once held so much power over him now seemed weak, vulnerable, a far cry from the tyrant who had stolen everything from him.
Luan Xie's gaze shifted to He Shun, who sat beside him, his hands clenched tightly around the edge of the seat. He could feel the tension radiating off him, a mix of fear and determination. They both hated Ye Rou, loathed him for what he had done, but there was something about seeing him like this that stirred conflicting emotions in He Shun.
"He deserves this," Luan Xie muttered under his breath, his voice low and bitter. "After everything he's done, this is nothing."
He Shun glanced at him, his eyes shadowed with concern. "I know," he replied, though there was a hesitation in his voice. "But Zhong Qing… if we don't get him out of there, we're no better than Ye Rou."
Luan Xie scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. "Zhong Qing made his choice when he sided with Ye Rou. He's just as guilty. If anyone deserves to be left to the Black Serpents, it's him."
He Shun looked away, his expression conflicted. He understood Luan Xie's anger, his hatred. It was justified, after everything they had been through. But something in him balked at the idea of abandoning Zhong Qing, even if it meant helping Ye Rou.
As they waited, the minutes dragged on, each one feeling like an eternity. The tension in the van grew, the air heavy with unspoken fears and grudges. Luan Xie's fingers drummed impatiently against his knee, his eyes never leaving Ye Rou's figure.
Finally, movement at the edge of the darkness caught their attention. A group of men, their faces obscured by the hoods of their jackets, emerged from the shadows. They approached Ye Rou with the casual confidence of those who knew they held all the power. One of them stepped forward, and though his face was hidden, the distinctive tattoo of the Black Serpents on his wrist was unmistakable.
Ye Rou stiffened, but he didn't back down. He met the man's gaze, his expression hardening as he held out the bracelet. "Where's Zhong Qing?" he demanded, his voice tight with barely controlled anger.
The man chuckled, a low, menacing sound that sent a shiver down He Shun's spine. "You'll get him back… after we get what we want."
In the van, Luan Xie's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on the edge of his seat. He could feel the familiar surge of anger rising within him, the urge to lash out, to make Ye Rou suffer as he had suffered. But he forced himself to stay calm, to focus on the plan.
He Shun shifted beside him, his anxiety palpable. "We need to be ready," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "If this goes wrong…"
"It won't," Luan Xie interrupted, his voice cold and resolute. "We'll get Zhong Qing back… and then we'll deal with Ye Rou."
He Shun nodded, though his heart wasn't in it. He could only hope that whatever happened next, they would all make it out alive.
Luan Xie's eyes flickered toward the glass box where the bracelet lay, its surface catching the faint glow of the streetlamp outside. The sight of it—the object that had caused so much pain, so much loss—filled him with a bitter sense of satisfaction. It was theirs now, a small victory in a world where victories were rare.
He turned to He Shun, his expression dark and determined. "On second thought, we already have the bracelet," he said, his voice low but resolute. "Let's just leave them."
He Shun's eyes widened in surprise, his gaze darting between Luan Xie and the bracelet. "Leave them?" he echoed, a note of disbelief in his voice. "You mean… abandon them?"
Luan Xie nodded, his jaw clenched. "Why not? We have what we came for. Zhong Qing and Ye Rou… they're not our problem anymore. Let them deal with the Black Serpents on their own."
He Shun's heart pounded in his chest, a mix of fear and uncertainty flooding his mind. The idea of leaving Zhong Qing to his fate, of abandoning Ye Rou to the merciless gang, felt wrong on so many levels. But at the same time, he couldn't deny the logic in Luan Xie's words. They had the bracelet—the key to everything they had been fighting for. Staying any longer, getting involved in whatever chaos was about to unfold, could put them both in even greater danger.
He looked back at Luan Xie, searching his face for any hint of doubt, any sign that he might be reconsidering. But all he saw was cold determination, a resolve that had been forged in the fires of betrayal and loss.
"Xie-er," He Shun began, his voice trembling slightly, "are you sure about this? If we leave them now… there's no going back."
Luan Xie's eyes hardened, his gaze never wavering. "I'm sure. Ye Rou has taken everything from us, from me. Why should we risk our lives for him? For Zhong Qing? They deserve whatever comes to them."
He Shun swallowed hard, his throat tight with emotion. He wanted to argue, to protest, but the words wouldn't come. Deep down, he knew Luan Xie was right. They had no obligation to save Ye Rou or Zhong Qing—no reason to put themselves in harm's way for people who had caused them so much pain.
But still, something in He Shun's heart resisted, a small voice that whispered of loyalty, of honor, of doing the right thing. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves, and looked at Luan Xie one last time.
"If we do this," He Shun said slowly, "we can't come back. We can't undo it."
Luan Xie's expression softened just slightly, a flicker of something—regret, perhaps—crossing his features. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by the same steely resolve.
"I know," he said quietly. "But it's the only way. We take the bracelet, and we leave. This is our chance to be free of them, once and for all."
He Shun nodded, the weight of the decision settling heavily on his shoulders. With one last glance at the scene unfolding outside, he turned away, his heart heavy with the knowledge of what they were about to do.
"Let's go," Luan Xie said, his voice firm as he reached for the van's keys and gave them to He Shun, "We're done here."
As the van's engine roared to life and they began to pull away, He Shun couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, a lingering doubt that clung to the edges of his mind. But he forced himself to push it aside, focusing instead on the road ahead and the uncertain future that awaited them.
He Shun sat in the driver seat of the van, his gaze fixed on the darkened streets ahead as they drove away from the meeting spot. The city lights blurred past, but his mind was miles away, lost in a whirlpool of conflicting emotions. The bracelet, the one thing they had fought so hard to retrieve, sat securely in the glass box behind him. It should have brought him a sense of relief, a feeling of victory. But instead, it only filled him with a gnawing unease.
The decision to leave Zhong Qing and Ye Rou to their fates had felt necessary in the moment—rational, even. But now, as they sped further away, He Shun couldn't shake the image of Ye Rou's frantic expression, the desperation in his eyes as he prepared to face the Black Serpents.
Ye Rou, the man they both despised, was now someone else's problem. But the thought did little to ease the turmoil in He Shun's heart. He found himself questioning everything: their plan, their choices, even their supposed victory.
Luan Xie had made the decision to leave them behind with such cold certainty, but He Shun couldn't help but wonder if his friend was feeling the same doubts gnawing at his conscience. He glanced sideways at Luan Xie, who was focused on the road ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. There was no sign of hesitation, no indication that he was second-guessing their choice.
But He Shun knew Luan Xie too well. He could see the tension in the way his shoulders hunched slightly, the way his jaw was set in a hard line. This wasn't easy for him either, despite what he might project.
"Are we really doing the right thing?" He Shun finally asked, his voice barely more than a whisper. He wasn't even sure if Luan Xie would respond, but he had to ask—he had to know if he was the only one feeling this way.
Luan Xie didn't answer right away. The silence stretched between them, heavy and thick, as if the air itself was resisting the truth. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and strained. "What else is there to do, He Shun? We've fought for this. We can't afford to get dragged into their mess."
"But what if…" He Shun hesitated, trying to find the right words. "What if this isn't over? What if leaving them there comes back to haunt us?"
Luan Xie's grip on the car belt tightened, his knuckles turning white. He knew what He Shun was getting at, and it scared him more than he was willing to admit. The idea that their actions tonight could have consequences, that they might not be as free as they hoped—it was a fear that lurked in the back of his mind, but one he refused to acknowledge.
"We've done what we had to do," Luan Xie said, more to himself than to He Shun. "We have the bracelet. That's all that matters now."
He Shun bit his lip, his mind racing with what-ifs and second thoughts. He wanted to believe Luan Xie, to trust in the plan they had crafted together. But the pit in his stomach told him otherwise—that this was far from over, that there was more to come, more than they could possibly anticipate.
They drove on in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, the city's nightscape rolling past them like a blur of memories they couldn't quite escape. He Shun knew they couldn't turn back now. They had made their choice, and they would have to live with it. But he also knew that the future Luan Xie had hoped for—one free of Ye Rou, Zhong Qing, and the painful ties that bound them—might not be as close as they had thought.