“Qingqing”

Dong Xianghang sized Huo Cheng up with a fierce expression, trying to figure out Huo Cheng's intentions.

Huo Cheng shrugged nonchalantly.

…

At this time, Huo Cheng had already brought his men to the abandoned farmhouse where Lin Xiaowan was being held captive. The farmhouse was isolated and seemingly empty. Only upon closer inspection could one see signs of life.

Huo Zheng did not know where Lin Xiaowan was held. He could not hear any sound. It was too quiet.

Qin Yanchuan, the new Chief of the Office of Military and Political Affairs, had ordered people to surround the farmhouse. He only brought two men with him when he went to Huo Zheng. He whispered, "Check the back. There shouldn't be anyone in front and in the granary."

Huo Zheng nodded expressionlessly. Since he had yet to find Lin Xiaowan, he did not dare to act recklessly.

Huo Zheng could not sleep at all over the past few days. Every time he closed his eyes, he would dream of Lin Xiaowan lying in his arms, covered in blood. He would jolt awake, drenched in cold sweat as he recalled the feeling of the cold body in his arms. He felt that the dreams were ominous, and they made him afraid.

At this moment, a trusted aide of the Huo family rushed over and said something to Huo Zheng.

Huo Zheng nodded. He said hoarsely, "Tell him to be careful."

"Okay."

Huo Zheng turned to Qin Yanchuan and said, "Dong Xianghang didn't bring many men with him. The majority is Huo Cheng's men."

Dong Xianghang clearly had no intentions of negotiating properly. He only wanted to use Lin Xiaowan as a bargaining chip and was prepared to fight to death.

At this moment, Qin Yanchuan's subordinate said, "Chief, it's confirmed."

The assistant zoomed in on the photo he had just taken and continued to say, "There are two people in this red house. That woman is there. As for the gray-tiled house next door, there are three people. They're playing cards. Miss Lin isn't among these people."

"No?" Qin Yanchuan frowned. Then, he looked at Huo Zheng.

"Impossible," Huo Zheng said coldly.

Earlier, the Huo family told Huo Zheng that Lin Xiaowan was not among the people whom Dong Xianghang brought to the meeting place. Dong Xianghang did not bring any women at all.

"Is she hidden somewhere?" Qin Yanchuan speculated out loud, "After all, Dong Xianghang wants to use her as a bargaining chip. He definitely won't let us find her so easily."

Huo Zheng pointed at Song Zhiyi in the photo and said, "Catch her first. She definitely knows something."

Qin Yanchuan instructed his men and told them to split up to search the two places. Then, he chuckled and said, "These people really have low vigilance. Did they think everything would be fine just because they have Dong Xianghang and they'd already kidnapped her?"

…

When the three people in the gray-tiled house saw someone charging in with a gun, they were stunned. The men of the Qin family did not say anything and simply opened fire. Since they could not kill the opponents, they only shot non-vital areas like their arms and legs.

The opponents wailed in pain immediately.

The thinnest man among the three held his injured leg and rolled to the side. Just as he raised his hand to rise to pull a hanging wire at the side, he was shot again. However, at the critical moment, he managed to pull the wire.

The men from the Qin family exchanged a look, feeling that something was amiss. They were worried about explosives. They looked for cover, but after the wire was pulled, there was no violent explosion. They held their guns and looked at the trio who had fainted on the ground before they looked at each other again.

"What happened?"

"Was there a mistake?"

"Wait. Is that a sound coming from the red house?"

A faint noise rang from the two-story red house nearby, causing the men's expressions to change drastically. They quickly tied up the trio and left.

…

When Huo Zheng and Qin Yanchuan barged into the red house, Song Zhiyi and a refined man with half-white hair were eating hotpot. When the man saw them, he reacted quickly and threw the hotpot at the duo before he pulled out the gun at his waist.

Song Zhiyi's face turned ashen from fear, and she quickly retreated.

It was at this moment that the trio in the gray-tiled house triggered the mechanism.

A pungent white fog immediately filled the house.

The sounds of objects shattering rang in the air as the refined man fired two shots at Huo Zheng and Qin Yanchuan before he stumbled to look for the gas mask.

Qin Yanchuan coughed violently as he cursed, "F*ck, what the f*ck? Why's there poisonous gas in this house?"

Qin Yanchuan hurriedly closed his stinging eyes and relied on his hearing to determine the current situation.

Meanwhile, Song Zhiyi covered her nose and her mouth. She took advantage of the chaos and hurried down to the wine cellar through a secret door. Then, she quickly put on a gas mask.

The poisonous gas also filled the wine cellar.

Lin Xiaowan was coughing violently as she struggled in pain. Blood dripped from the corner of her lips.

…

Qin Yanchuan heard a set of footsteps quickly disappearing to one side while the other set of footsteps stopped. He quickly yelled, "Huo Zheng, to the left!"

Qin Yanchuan inhaled some of the poisonous gas when he spoke, and he felt his throat burn immediately. He quickly shut his mouth while he cursed the sinister Dong Xianghang in his heart.

Huo Zheng rushed to the refined man's side and tried to disarm the other party. He gritted his teeth and fought with the other party, but the other party wore a gas mask so he had the advantage. 

At this time, Qin Yanchuan's two subordinates rushed in, but they were forced back by the thick white fog. They kept coughing as they retreated.

"F*ck, what's this?"

At this time, Qin Yanchuan finally managed to put on a gas mask. When he saw Huo Zheng had fallen to a disadvantageous position, he hurried over to help Huo Zheng and held the other party down before he threw a gas mask over to Huo Zheng.

Subsequently, Huo Zheng grabbed the refined man's neck, yanked the other party's gas mask off, and roared, "Where is she?"

Song Zhiyi had been in the room earlier, but she had disappeared.

Huo Zheng was panicking, and he had lost all his composure at this moment. The veins on his arm bulged as he held the refined man's neck, almost strangling the other party to death.

The refined man had heard of the Second Young Master of the Huo family, but he had never met Huo Zheng before. He only worked for Dong Xianghang because of the money and was not blindly loyal. No matter what, his life was the most important. Seeing the killing intent in Huo Zheng's eyes, he was so frightened that he trembled. He coughed as he struggled to say, "T-there… There's a… secret door next to the… cabinet… over there…"

After that, Huo Zheng quickly knocked the other party unconscious.

Qin Yanchuan dragged the refined man outside and tossed him to his subordinates. "Keep an eye on him. Don't let him run."

"Don't worry, Chief."

After that, Qin Yanchuan returned to the house to help look for Lin Xiaowan. However, he was choked by the poisonous gas in the house as soon as he entered. He rolled his eyes and muttered, "There's only one door between this place and outside. Why's the difference so big?"

…

Huo Zheng rushed down the stairs that led to the wine cellar. He quickly saw Lin Xiaowan curled up on the couch. She was coughing in pain, and her body was twitching unnaturally.

The cellar was also filled with thick white fog.

Huo Zheng's heart tightened as he rushed over to her. He quickly removed his gas mask. Before he put it on for her, he kissed her eyes gently. When he carried her, he did it with utmost care. He did not know her current condition and did not dare to use any force. Although his hands were trembling in fear, he held her firmly in his arms.

"Qingqing," Huo Zheng whispered into Lin Xiaowan's ear.

Lin Xiaowan seemed to have heard him. Her body continued to twitch as she said with great difficulty, "You… Hurry up… leave… Don't come…"

Earlier, Song Zhiyi had suddenly come to the cellar. She had untied the rope binding Lin Xiaowan earlier and dragged Lin Xiaowan to the couch when she heard movements.

At that time, Lin Xiaowan remembered Song Zhiyi laughing sinisterly as she muttered, "Huo Zheng really came. He really lied to me."

After that, Song Zhiyi fled somewhere to hide. It was dark in the cellar, and the only light came from the entrance. As such, Lin Xiaowan did not know where Song Zhiyi went.