After completing his upgrade, Jiang Fei checked the time and prepared to leave the Central Martial Arts Academy to pick up Bai Ruoxi from work.
Whenever he had free time these days, he would become Bai Ruoxi’s personal chauffeur, driving her to and from work.
But just then, Jiang Fei received a call from Ye Yuanyuan.
“Jiang Fei, where are you right now?” Ye Yuanyuan’s voice carried a sense of urgency.
Jiang Fei, who had been somewhat absent-minded, immediately tensed upon hearing her tone. “I just left the Central Martial Arts Academy. What’s wrong? Did you get a lead on the fugitive?”
Ye Yuanyuan didn’t beat around the bush. “Yes! I’m heading there now. If you want to come, I’ll give you the address—never mind. Just wait outside the academy. I’ll swing by to pick you up. It won’t take long!”
Without waiting for Jiang Fei’s response, the hot-tempered woman hung up, leaving him speechless.
Fortunately, Ye Yuanyuan was quick. In about ten minutes, a massive, eye-catching SUV pulled up in front of Jiang Fei’s Volvo.
Just from the vehicle’s aggressive design, Jiang Fei knew it had to be hers. After all, not many people in Beijing drove such cars—let alone with military plates.
Sure enough, as soon as the SUV screeched to a stop, Ye Yuanyuan leaned out from the driver’s seat. “Want to ride with me? I’ll be driving fast. Think you can keep up?”
“Just lead the way. I’ll follow,” Jiang Fei replied.
Driving wasn’t a problem for him. Though he didn’t have professional racing skills, his enhanced physical attributes made everything easier, including handling a car. He might not match professional racers, but among amateurs, he was near the top.
Ye Yuanyuan nodded, then slammed the accelerator, launching the SUV forward like an arrow.
She somehow managed to drive the bulky off-roader like a sports car.
Western Suburbs of Beijing – A Small Village
In today’s Beijing, where most villages had already been demolished or relocated, this remote settlement beyond the city’s ring roads was also slated for demolition.
Truthfully, it could hardly be called a village anymore. Over twenty years ago, it had been repurposed for cement factories. But after the turn of the century, as the government cracked down on pollution to improve Beijing’s worsening air quality, many heavily polluting factories were either shut down or relocated.
Such was the nature of domestic policy—cities focused on image enforcement were strict about pollution control, leaving no room for negotiation. Factories that failed to meet standards were inevitably replaced.
But outside these showcase cities? No one cared. Polluting factories could operate unchecked.
Abandoned Two-Story Factory
Over a dozen black-clad operatives moved swiftly and methodically, encircling the derelict cement factory.
Unlike SWAT teams in TV dramas, they weren’t clad in full tactical gear or armed with submachine guns—most carried only handguns. Yet their movements were far more agile than any special forces unit.
Several snipers quickly took up positions on high ground, training their scopes on the factory’s doors and windows.
Despite their numbers, each operative moved with deliberate stealth, using cover to conceal their approach.
Nearby, Jiang Fei and Ye Yuanyuan—dressed in a tight leather outfit that made her look like a comic-book heroine—exited the SUV.
Ye Yuanyuan’s eyes were sharp with focus.
She couldn’t afford another failure today. The real mastermind behind her grandfather’s poisoning had already fled abroad, but this fugitive was a key accomplice—at the very least, a trusted lieutenant.
Capturing him would sever one of the mastermind’s key limbs, dealing a painful blow and offering some measure of vengeance.
Most importantly, she had to rescue her best friend, Mangguo.
Though Mangguo had unwittingly fallen into Hua Handong’s trap, sabotaging Ye Yuanyuan’s last operation and allowing the mastermind to escape, she wasn’t to blame. She hadn’t done it intentionally.
Ye Yuanyuan didn’t have many close friends, and Mangguo was her only true childhood confidante.
Despite her usually cold and violent demeanor, Ye Yuanyuan cared deeply for those close to her. She couldn’t abandon Mangguo, even if her mistakes had caused major problems.
She knew Mangguo must be suffering just as much after being taken hostage.
“That abandoned factory up ahead?” Jiang Fei narrowed his eyes.
The two-story building stood in a complex terrain of overgrown weeds and crumbling structures—perfect for a fugitive to slip away.
“Yes. Stay behind me and be careful. The fugitive is armed,” Ye Yuanyuan said coldly.
They moved silently toward the factory.
After scanning the surroundings, Jiang Fei pulled Ye Yuanyuan behind cover and frowned. “Something’s off.”
“What do you mean?” she asked warily.
“You said this guy is highly skilled. Your team is good, but do you really think a true expert wouldn’t notice them surrounding the place?”
Jiang Fei’s voice lowered. “It’s too quiet. Either he’s already gone, or he’s waiting for us inside.”
Ye Yuanyuan’s delicate brows furrowed. “He is skilled, and the silence is suspicious. But he couldn’t have escaped. My team has had eyes on him the whole time. These are elite operatives—they wouldn’t miss him leaving.”
Jiang Fei nodded. “Then he knows we’re here and is waiting for us.”
Ye Yuanyuan smirked. “If he’s that self-aware, he’s already dead.”
She stepped out from cover and strode toward the factory.
Jiang Fei hesitated but followed.
Seeing her move, the black-clad operatives resumed their advance. With the factory fully surrounded, stealth was no longer necessary.
Some vaulted through windows while others kicked open the dust-covered main doors, rushing inside.
Within moments, most of the team had entered, leaving only a few outside—plus snipers watching for any escape attempts.
“Let’s go in!” Ye Yuanyuan whispered, stepping forward.
But suddenly, Jiang Fei’s expression changed. Without warning, he lunged, clamping a hand over Ye Yuanyuan’s mouth and nose while yanking her back.
Startled, she struggled—until she saw the operatives ahead stagger and collapse as if drugged.
Thick white smoke billowed from the factory’s doors and windows.
Poison gas.
Crude but effective—nearly as potent as the legendary Beisu Qingfeng. A single breath could be fatal.
Then, from a second-floor window, a hulking, muscle-bound man leaped down, clutching a disheveled woman like a ragdoll.
BOOM.
The factory’s height—nearly five meters from the window—would’ve crippled an ordinary man, but the giant landed effortlessly, barely leaving footprints before sprinting away at terrifying speed.
At the same time, explosions erupted around the factory—as if landmines had been buried underground.
