After escaping far from the abandoned factory, Ye Chen finally slowed down.
His expression was as dark as the night around him, rage simmering beneath the surface.
Bai Huamei.
He gritted his teeth.
If she were in front of him right now, he'd tear her to pieces without hesitation.
Beside him, Xiao Han was equally tense. Though nervous, he wasn't foolish—he understood the severity of their situation. His voice was heavy as he asked, "Boss, what now? Should we leave Jiangbei City?"
Their faces had been seen by the police. It wouldn't be long before they were hunted down.
Ye Chen's eyes narrowed. "Not just Jiangbei—we need to leave Kyushu as soon as possible."
Saying that, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
The call connected.
"Hello?"
A voice that didn't belong to John answered.
Ye Chen's heart sank.
John wasn't the type to lose his phone. There was only one possibility—somethinghad happened to him.
Without hesitation, Ye Chen ended the call and powered off his phone. He knew the police could track his location through it.
Xiao Han's expression tightened. "Is it that bad?"
After a pause, he hesitantly suggested, "Why don't you come back with me to my master's place? It's remote—no one will find us there."
Having grown up in isolation, Xiao Han knew the mountain was a safe haven.
Ye Chen exhaled. "It's our best option for now."
With that, the two disappeared into the darkness, heading for the mountain's otherside.
Just as they thought they had escaped—
"You two are in quite a hurry."
A calm voice echoed through the night.
Ye Chen and Xiao Han stopped abruptly.
Jiang Che stood in their path, his gaze playful yet unreadable.
Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat.
How is he here?!
A chilling thought crossed his mind—had Jiang Che been working with Bai Huameiall along?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
His anger flared again. That woman sold me out!
Xiao Han, however, didn't recognize Jiang Che. His brows furrowed as he asked suspiciously, "Who are you?"
A stranger in the middle of the wilderness at this hour?
Was he… a grave robber?
Ye Chen shot him a sharp look. "That's Jiang Che."
The moment Xiao Han heard the name, hisexpression twisted.
Jiang Che!
This guy is the reason Su Qingyue keeps rejecting me!
A surge of resentment boiled within him.
Jiang Che, however, remained completely indifferent. "That's right," he said with a faint smile. "And you can call me uncle."
The mocking tone made Xiao Han see red.
"You bastard—"
Without another word, he charged forward, fist raised.
The force of his attack was terrifying, the air cracking with the sheer power of it. He wasaiming to end this in one hit!
Jiang Che didn't even flinch.
At the last moment, he casually raised his hand—
Smack!
Xiao Han was sent flying.
He landed face-first in the dirt, groaning.
Coughing violently, he struggled to his feet, his cheek burning from the slap.
What… just happened?
It was only then that he remembered—Jiang Che was a Huajin-level martial artist.
His earlier anger had made him forget the sheer gap between their strength levels.
If Jiang Che had been serious, he'd already be dead.
A cold shiver ran down Xiao Han's spine.
Ye Chen, seeing this, knew they had no chance of winning.
He took a deep breath and forced his emotions down.
"Jiang Che, I don't want to fight with you." His voice was steady. "Let us go, and we'll call it even. No more grudges between us."
At the end of the day, he and Xiao Han weren't strong enough to face Jiang Che. The gap in martial arts was too large—no technique could make up for it.
Jiang Che smirked.
"Let you go?" His tone was cold. "Not impossible."
Ye Chen's eyes lit up.
Then Jiang Che continued, "But first—hand over the martial arts techniques you've been practicing."
Ye Chen's face darkened instantly.
Jiang Che's lips curled.
"These two may be useless, but their martial arts secrets… those are worth something."