Before anyone could react, Yang Ke suddenly swerved to the right, crashing straight into the roadside guardrail. The armored vehicle following closely behind also made a loud noise as it couldn't avoid the collision.
This time, Shu Yi'an truly understood what "unexpected disaster" meant. The car lurched forward due to inertia, and the four people in the back seat were slammed heavily against the front seats. Yang Ke and the other two quickly opened the car doors, pulled Shu Yi'an and Su Ying out, and used them as shields to retreat into the weeds behind them.
Shu Yi'an was almost unconscious from the fall, but fortunately, her flexible body allowed her to avoid several vital areas. Su Ying, on the other hand, was not in such good condition; she seemed to have broken her arm and was groaning in pain.
The SWAT team leader got out of the car and gave a gesture. A dozen SWAT officers, armed with guns, quickly surrounded the group, their guns ready to fire at any moment.
At the same time, Zhan Cheng drove his Warrior car and arrived in a flash, just in time for the four of them to witness this scene.
The all-green Great Warrior stood out starkly in the scene, adding a sense of calm to the tense and dangerous atmosphere. The four people who then emerged from both sides of the car completely shocked the police officers present.
"Excuse me, comrades, please leave immediately. We are on official business." A young police officer tried to pull up a cordon to stop the four people.
The SWAT captain, who arrived shortly after, shoved aside the officers trying to stop them from entering, his face full of surprise. "Team Commando? What brings you here? Has this matter also alerted your special forces?"
Zhan Cheng waved his hand from outside the encirclement, his face serious. "She's my sister-in-law being held hostage." Then, as if he couldn't see the yellow police tape, he tore it open and walked in.
"Sister-in-law?!" The SWAT team captain's eyes widened. In the military and police circles, mentioning the Zhan family was like mentioning a belief; the family, where everyone was brave and skilled in battle, could almost be called a historical monument, and Zhan Cheng, as the youngest grandson of the Zhan family, was no exception. So when the SWAT team looked at this colonel from a revolutionary family, they knew that something serious must have happened.
Standing beside Zhan Cheng, Chu Mu could recognize Shu Yi'an at a glance, even from hundreds of meters away. A knife was held to her neck by the person behind her, her pale face devoid of color, as if from pain or fear, and her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.
For a fleeting moment, he even had a thought of killing someone.
Yang Ke was also quite confused by the sudden appearance of these four people, but more than that, he felt a sense of fear. He didn't know whether that fear came from the gun in Zhan Cheng's hand, which was different from the others, or from the cold-blooded man standing face to face with him.
Chu Mu stared intently at Yang Ke in front of him with his deep, dark eyes, trying to remain composed. He tilted his head slightly and said to the captain, "Let me talk to him."
The captain had never met Chu Mu before, but he knew that he couldn't afford to offend anyone who came with Zhan Cheng. He glanced at Chu Mu with some difficulty. "This...you..."
"The capital, the Chu family." Chu Mu looked at Shu Yi'an, whose eyes were closed, and uttered four words softly.
These four words alone were enough to make all the high-ranking officials in command tremble. They couldn't help but gasp.
The surnames Chu, Zhan, Jiang, and Ji are like a secret code in this city, inspiring a sense of awe whenever they are mentioned. Only now did the SWAT captain truly understand what Zhan Cheng meant by "sister-in-law"—Chu Mu from the Chu family was, in fact, his wife.
Zhan Cheng followed behind Chu Mu and whispered a reminder, "Be careful."
Yang Ke looked at the man slowly walking towards him, trembling as he took a step back, "You! Don't come any closer!!" Perhaps due to excessive tension, the knife in his hand slashed harder at Shu Yi'an's neck.
Shu Yi'an was in so much pain that she was almost losing consciousness, only vaguely sensing the coldness on her neck. With her eyes closed, she vaguely felt her body growing heavier and heavier.
Chu Mu, seeing the faint bloodstain on Shu Yi'an's neck, could no longer control his emotions. "Get the hell away from her!!"
That one sentence made Shu Yi'an suddenly open her eyes; that voice was truly... all too familiar...
Only when she saw this travel-worn man standing before her did she truly believe that the person she had longed for in her most desperate and painful moments was standing before her like a god. Because her mouth was gagged with hemp rope, Shu Yi'an's eyes were filled with tears, and she could only look at Chu Mu and whimper like a wounded little animal.
Chu Mu had to admit that every time Shu Yi'an sobbed, it was tearing his deepest composure apart.
The SWAT captain was anxious watching what was happening. He pointed at Chu Mu's figure and said to Zhan Cheng, "Team Leader Zhan, is he really okay? Don't let him hurt himself."
Zhan Cheng chuckled through his sunglasses, "If he can't do it, why can you?"
"Don't worry, Deputy Director Chu's reputation isn't for nothing."
Chu Mu forced himself to look away from Shu Yi'an's face and instead looked at Yang Ke, his voice calm and gentle. "Speak, what do you want? As long as you release her, I'll agree to any condition."
Having negotiated with so many people, Chu Mu could tell at a glance that Yang Ke was both afraid and expecting something, and this expectation was exactly what he could easily exploit.
Yang Ke was also intimidated by Chu Mu's imposing manner. He shielded Shu Yi'an behind him and shouted loudly, "I want money!! As long as you give me money, I don't want to hurt anyone!!"
Yang Ke's two brothers chimed in, "Yes!! We need money!!"
"Heh." Chu Mu chuckled, almost dismissively. "Okay, how much?"
Yang Ke was stunned by the quick agreement. "One...no! Two million!"
"Give me your account number, I'll transfer the money to you right now." Chu Mu really didn't want to waste another minute. Every minute that passed, Shu Yi'an's face would replay in his mind thousands of times, making him want to kill these people in a heartbeat.
Yang Ke wasn't stupid either; he pulled Shu Yi'an back a few steps. "Why should I believe you?"
Ji Hengdong, probably unable to bear it any longer, strode forward and shouted at the three men, "What are you babbling about?! I said I'd give you the money, so I'll give it to you! Hurry up and give me your account number so I can have someone transfer the money to you right now! Hurry up!"
They had probably never seen a negotiation scene like this before; it looked more like the hostage's family was threatening the criminals. The SWAT officers, who were already on edge, were somewhat stunned.
Jiang Beichen added fuel to the fire by rummaging through the suit jacket Chu Mu had thrown at him, pulling out his wallet, and waving a card in the distance. "Come on, buddy, tell me the account number quickly. Look, this is a black card with a 5 million limit. You won't find another one like it."
Chu Mu knew what Jiang Beichen and Ji Hengdong were up to, and continued to patiently negotiate with Yang Ke. "She is my wife, and all I want is for her to live."
Yang Ke had already poked his head out a little, but he cleverly and quickly withdrew. "Throw the card over here and make the SWAT officers put down their guns and back off."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Cheng immediately gave a hand signal, "Have your men put away their weapons and retreat!!" He then swiftly hid behind the SUV and cocked his own gun. Dressed in combat gear, his eyes were now filled with the precision and sharpness of a sniper as he decisively assessed the wind speed and distance in his mind.
The SWAT captain watched with a mournful expression as his deal was snatched away by these four unexpected princes. He closed his eyes hard and, with a heavy heart, gave the order into his headset, "Second team, all hands down!"
Chu Mu looked at the SWAT officer not far away and spread out his clean palms. "Look, I've done everything you asked. At least take the money first."
Jiang Beichen handed the card to Chu Mu, gesturing for him to come forward. His clean, slender hand with distinct knuckles held the black card and extended it to Yang Ke.
Looking at Chu Mu's calm profile, Shu Yi'an's tears fell drop by drop.
It's said that even a petty person can't resist the lure of money. Yang Ke peered through the crack at the tempting card and finally couldn't resist peeking out. Almost instantly, Chu Mu lunged forward, kicking away the knife Yang Ke had held to Shu Yi'an's neck. With lightning speed, he pulled Shu Yi'an from his arm and collapsed, holding her frail body.
With a "bang," a gunshot rang out, followed by the dull sound of a bullet piercing her body. Shu Yi'an only remembered falling into a familiar-smelling embrace and a pair of hands blocking her eyes.
The deep, sexy voice she had imagined countless times whispered in her ear, "Yi'an, don't look up."
Author's Note: I want to say that I'm really not suited to writing this kind of scene (￣Д￣)