"What happened to Su Yan?" Liu Dazhuang asked.

　　"I'll explain on the way!" I pushed him toward the exit.

　　The moment we got into the car, I turned to him: "Do you know where Su Yan lives, Dazhuang-ge?"

　　"Yeah? What’s wrong, Xiaofeng? Is Su Yan…"

　　"Zhang Ming’s going to kill her!"

　　"What?!" Liu Dazhuang’s voice sharpened. "No way! Why would Zhang Ming kill Su Yan? What’s even between them?"

　　"That fish tank you bought—did Meng Yun-Sister ask you to get it? Or did she send you to the flower-and-bird market specifically?" I stared at him.

　　Liu Dazhuang froze, then his eyes widened. "Zhang Ming’s trying to silence her permanently!"

　　"Exactly," I replied grimly.

　　Liu Dazhuang slammed the gas pedal. The car lurched out of the guesthouse parking lot. He drove like a bat out of hell, tires screeching through the streets. Thirty minutes later, we arrived at a rundown complex called Hesheng Community.

　　The place reeked of neglect. Crumbling Soviet-style apartment blocks stood like forgotten relics, their cracked walls peeling like sunburnt skin. Stray trash dared to linger in corners, and the rusty gate hung open—no guard in sight.

　　"Su Yan!"

　　"Su Yan!"

　　Liu Dazhuang hammered on the door, his shouts echoing down the dim hallway. When no answer came, he pressed his ear against the wood. Silence.He glanced at me. We exchanged a nod. Then he stepped back two paces and threw his weight against the door. It held. Again. On the third slam, the door burst open with a crack.

　　We scrambled inside, tearing through every room. No sign of Su Yan.

　　“She must’ve already left to find Meng Yun,” I said.

　　“Move!”

　　We bolted back to the car. Liu Dazhuang’s knuckles whitened on the wheel. “This can’t be for real… She’s really in trouble?”

　　“No idea.” A memory flickered—that day at the market. “Call Meng Yun-Sister. Now. Ask if Su Yan’s with her.”

　　“Right—right!” He jerked the car to the curb, flung the door open, and bolted toward a pay phone on the curb.

　　I stayed put, slumped in the passenger seat, staring blankly through the windshield. My mind replayed the scene: Su Yan had been animatedly dissecting the Huayuan Community murder case with him, while Zhang Ming had played dumb, feigning ignorance.

　　She never stood a chance.

　　The realization hit like ice water: Su Yan had walked straight into Zhang Ming’s trap. She’d end up worse than Xu Xiaoli.“Dammit!” I slammed my fist onto the car hood, my hatred for Zhang Ming boiling over.

　　Though I’d only met Su Yan once—hadn’t even exchanged a word with her—his brazen disregard for human life made my blood roar.

　　“Xiaofeng!” Liu Dazhuang sprinted back, panting. “Meng Yun-Sister said Su Yan never showed up.”

　　I gritted my teeth. “Dazhuang-ge—based on your experience, where would she be right now?”

　　He rubbed his jaw. “Probably still en route to Meng Yun’s place.”

　　“En route…” My eyes scanned the desolate stretch ahead.

　　This area was a wasteland. No taxi stands, let alone buses. From Su Yan’s apartment, getting wheels here’d be hell.

　　“Yeah, unless something—”

　　A screech of tires sliced through his words.

　　Skrrrt—CRUNCH!

　　We whirled around. A hundred yards back, a sedan had plowed into a bicyclist from behind. The body somersaulted through the air before slamming onto the asphalt, limbs splayed in a spreading pool of crimson.

　　“Zhang Ming!” The sedan halted. The driver’s window rolled down, revealing Zhang Ming’s face—twisted in a smirk.

　　The smirk vanished when he spotted Liu Dazhuang. The car lurched forward, tires screaming.

　　“Stop!” Liu Dazhuang bellowed.

　　“Go after him!” I shouted. “Now!”

　　But I was already out of the car, sprinting toward the crumpled figure.

　　A hundred meters never felt so long. My pulse hammered in my ears: Don’t let it be her. Please, not her.

　　Then I saw the blood-soaked hair. The familiar jacket.

　　Su Yan lay motionless, her eyes staring blankly at the sky.

　　No time to hesitate. I dropped to my knees, fingers pressing into Su Yan’s wrist. Her pulse fluttered—faint and thready. A flicker of life remained.

　　I yanked two silver needles from my pocket and stabbed them into her chest, targeting the heart meridian. In traditional medicine, the heart governs consciousness. Stabilize this channel, and death couldn’t claim her—yet.

　　Scooping her into my arms, I ran. A taxi appeared like a mirage down the road.

　　“Taxi! Taxi!” I roared.

　　The driver took one look at the blood-soaked woman in my arms and floored it without a word.

　　The wail of police sirens pierced the air behind us. Liu Dazhuang was closing in.

　　Even the cleverest fox leaves tracks. Zhang Ming’s reign of cruelty was ending faster than I’d dared hope.

　　The net of heaven has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it. He’d miscalculated—Su Yan’s path to Liu’s home, our timely intervention.

　　At the hospital, nurses wheeled Su Yan into surgery. I didn’t linger. Even if she survived, she’d be a shell of herself—organs crushed, blood loss catastrophic.

　　“Xiaofeng!” Wang Mengyun greeted me at Liu’s doorstep with a smile. “What a surprise! I was just about to invite you over after meeting a friend.”

　　I guided her to the sofa and sat opposite. “Don’t bother. She won’t be coming.”

　　Wang Mengyun chuckled, tilting her head. “What’re you talking about, Xiaofeng? You don’t even know who I meant.”

　　“Su Yan.” My voice stayed flat, devoid of inflection.

　　Her smile froze. “How… how did you know?”

　　“She was hit by a car. I just took her to the hospital.” I held her gaze. “Driver aimed for her. Wanted her dead.”

　　Her eyes dropped to the bloodstains on my clothes. “But… she never hurt anyone. Why would someone—”

　　“Mengyun-jie,” I cut in, “why was she coming to see you today?”

　　“We’re from the same hometown. She heard I was injured and wanted to check on me.”

　　Her answer confirmed it—Su Yan had been Zhang Ming’s unwitting pawn. Whatever scheme involved the aquarium, she’d been kept in the dark. At least toward Wang Mengyun, she’d held no malice.

　　“Xiaofeng,” she pressed, “what’s really going on?”

　　I exhaled slowly. “Nothing. She’s in surgery now. Whether she makes it… that’s up to fate.”

　　Wang Mengyun furrowed her brow, struggling to process the brutality of it.

　　I knew she cared—but the less she understood, the safer she’d stay.