Am I going to die?
Why?
I haven't even gotten to properly enjoy life yet, I still have grand ambitions...
I still want to take the company further...
I still want to...
As Shen Wan'er watched the switchblade coming closer and closer, countless thoughts raced through her mind in that moment.
Numerous images flashed before her eyes - of family, friends, even Gu Yan's figure.
But in the end,
The image froze on a silhouette, that figure surrounded by stars and the moon, the focus of everyone's admiration and attention.
How envious...
She... still hadn't become someone like that...
"Ms. Shen!" Zhang Qing screamed in panic.
Goodbye, world.
Shen Wan'er gave up struggling and quietly awaited death's arrival.
But in the next second-
"Get away from her!"
A furious roar rang out as a figure suddenly appeared.
Swiftly and decisively, he rushed into the point of intersection between Shen Wan'er and the switchblade.
He was wearing a security guard uniform, his eyes blazing with intense anger.
The scarred man seemed not to notice him at all, his eyes fixed solely on the command to attack Shen Wan'er.
Xiao Lin hesitated no longer. In that split second, he sprang into action.
Bang!
A punch struck the scarred man's wrist.
Swish! Clang!
The switchblade fell from his hand, clattering to the ground.
The scarred man's wrist had been twisted into an unnatural shape by that furious punch.
But it wasn't over. Xiao Lin rapidly threw more punches, knocking down all the men who had been acting strangely from the start.
"Aaaargh!"
Cries of pain echoed throughout the area.
Shen Wan'er's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at this sudden savior.
"Xiao Lin?!"
She called out his name in utter shock.
"Ms. Shen, are you alright?"
Xiao Lin quickly turned to face her, his concerned gaze filled with worry as he looked her over intently.
Shen Wan'er was clearly shaken. She took a deep breath, trying to control her fear and the rush of emotions after her brush with death.
She looked at the man before her gratefully. "Thank you."
Inwardly, Shen Wan'er was truly moved. If there hadn't been so many people around, she probably would have broken down crying from fright by now.
Thank goodness for this newly hired security guard.
Hearing her words, Xiao Lin scratched his nose bashfully and said with a grin, "No need to thank me. I'm just glad you're okay."
"Next time something like this happens, I'll protect you again!"
Hearing this,
Shen Wan'er nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Xiao Lin."
At the same time, she thought to herself,
This Xiao Lin is very strong, he must have martial arts training.
It would be a waste for him to just be a security guard.
Once this situation is resolved, I should make him my personal bodyguard.
Xiao Lin felt even more excited hearing Shen Wan'er's thanks.
Outside,
Mei Xue's expression was solemn. "A Grandmaster... truly formidable."
Xiao Lin hadn't even used any internal energy or special techniques just now.
He had relied purely on his physical abilities.
It was worth noting that the people she had transformed into shadow puppets possessed one-tenth of her own strength.
Yet his speed had been so incredible that even she hadn't clearly seen his movement from the security office to Shen Wan'er's side.
Hearing this, Gu Yan gave a faint smile and said mysteriously, "How else could he be called a Grandmaster?"
"Alright, we're done here for now."
"Prepare for tonight's operation. I'll give you the details later."
"Consider this... the first task I'm asking of you."
Looking at Gu Yan's slightly narrowed eyes and smile,
Mei Xue was curious what he wanted her to do tonight.
But...
"What do you mean we're done here?" Mei Xue asked in confusion.
The next moment,
The sound of police sirens came from the distance.
Mei Xue froze, then looked over.
She saw police cars rapidly surrounding Tianye Pharmaceuticals.
Police officers carrying riot shields and guns quickly appeared.
Police?!
Mei Xue was stunned. She looked at Gu Yan.
Seeing him nod slightly,
Mei Xue put aside her bewildered look and continued watching the company entrance.
Wait a minute... big brother...
This was supposed to be a conflict between martial artists.
How could you call the police?
This... this...
Mei Xue had clearly never seen this kind of move before.
If the ancient martial arts world found out about this, they'd mock them forever.
Gu Yan naturally didn't care about such rules. He looked at Mei Xue and said meaningfully, "Release your ability."
Hearing this, Mei Xue's heart skipped a beat.
Releasing her ability would... Tsk, this guy was truly devious.
Although Mei Xue disliked letting mundane organizations get involved, since Gu Yan had said so...
Well then...
With a thought, she released her shadow puppet control!
Inside the company,
Shen Wan'er clearly hadn't expected the police to show up here.
She quietly asked Zhang Qing beside her, "Did you call them?"
To be honest, she didn't want to involve the police in this kind of situation where she was in the wrong, as it would only make things worse.
"N-no, I didn't," Zhang Qing shook her head in confusion.
Although Xiao Lin was puzzled, he didn't think too much of it. It was good that the police had come.
They could arrest these knife-wielding thugs.
The other onlookers looked at each other in bewilderment. They glanced at the men lying on the ground - had the police come to arrest these people?
Thinking this, the crowd quickly made way for the police.
Outside, a woman in police uniform stepped forward.
She was strikingly beautiful, exuding an aura of righteous valor.
As soon as she appeared, an officer approached and said quietly, "Sister Chen, it seems something else has happened here."
"Should we go in and assess the situation first?"
Hearing this,
Chen Yingyin frowned slightly. She had received a report from a citizen
saying that the culprits from this morning's violent assault incident were at Tianye Pharmaceuticals.
Before coming here, she had already been to Jianghai Hospital to get details from the victim.
After confirming that the incident had indeed occurred, she had rushed over immediately.
However...
Chen Yingyin looked curiously at the path cleared by the crowd, where several men with knives lay sprawled on the ground.
Could these be the culprits from this morning's assault?
"Let's go. A few of you come with me to check out the situation," Chen Yingyin waved her hand, and several officers carrying riot shields followed her inside.
In no time,
Chen Yingyin arrived inside the company.
A few officers went over to the scarred man and his companions, crouching down to check their injuries.
Chen Yingyin began questioning Shen Wan'er and the others to understand what had happened.
"I see..."
Chen Yingyin frowned. She looked at Xiao Lin, who was standing to the side looking distracted.
She asked in an odd tone, "You said your name is Xiao Lin?"
How could this person have the exact same name as the one they were supposed to arrest?
But he had just subdued these armed thugs, so he shouldn't be a bad person.
"Yes, is something wrong, officer?"
Xiao Lin raised his head when he heard Chen Yingyin call his name.
And with that glance, he was stunned.
Wow, what a beautiful woman!
Seeing that look, Chen Yingyin frowned. She was about to ask something when-
"Sister Chen!! Something's wrong! These men are all dead!"
A panicked voice came from nearby.
Chen Yingyin's heart leapt. She turned to look.
Seeing the unnatural expressions of the men lying on the ground, she quickly strode over.
Upon confirming that they were indeed dead, her expression turned extremely grim.
"Sister Chen..."
The young officer's voice was fearful. This was his first time encountering such a situation.
Hearing that people had died, Shen Wan'er's face went pale. She instinctively looked at Xiao Lin.
He was taken aback and hurriedly explained, "How is that possible?! I struck them, but I didn't hit any vital points!"
"At most they should have been laid up in the hospital for a few days!"
This explanation only made things worse, as it confirmed that Xiao Lin was responsible for their condition.
Chen Yingyin's eyes flashed with anger. She barked an order, "Arrest him!"
Xiao Lin was dumbfounded. Before he could even process what was happening, officers rushed over and pinned him to the ground.
He could have easily broken free, but he knew this wasn't the mountains. So he kept trying to explain, "Hey! Wait! I really didn't kill them!"
"Save your explanations for when we get to the station," Chen Yingyin said coldly.
Then, she looked at Shen Wan'er, whose face had turned pale, and comforted her, "Don't worry, we'll investigate and clarify the situation."
"Oh... okay," Shen Wan'er nodded, her face still pale. She felt that too many things had happened today.
"Pack up and move out!"
....
....
Outside.
Gu Yan watched as Xiao Lin was pushed into the police car, and only then did she reveal a satisfied smile.
Very good.
"Meet at the Leng Family's entrance at eight o'clock tonight."
Gu Yan reminded Mei Xue, then leisurely hummed a tune as she left.
Mei Xue slowly turned her head to watch Gu Yan's retreating figure.
Her gaze was incredibly complex. She knew that she should inform her master about what she was doing now.
But...
For the sake of my brother...
I'm sorry, master.