0123: Justifiable Defense

Jia Qing finally snapped out of his shock, his face twisting into a hideous grimace. He let out a low roar and flung the box in his hands aside.

"Qian Wan, what the hell are you doing!?"

"What's wrong?"

"She's a damn cop! Catch her, don't let her get away! You idiots are all truly morons!"

In an instant, Qian Wan recovered from his shock and confusion. He and the group leaders on the upper level lunged at her.

Qin Yunhe kicked away the two men charging at her and retreated toward the stairs. The stairwell was too narrow to maneuver, and she knew for certain there would be people waiting to block her below.

"Stop her! If you don't want to go to prison, hold her down at all costs!"

The men from upstairs followed her down. Qian Wan shouted toward the ground floor, and the two female receptionists rushed over to grab her.

Disregarding the impropriety, she used a grappling technique to flip both women and pin them to the floor. But in those few seconds of delay, the metal security shutter slowly rattled shut.

Four or five more men emerged from the direction of the restrooms, brandishing knives and clubs, closing in from all sides.

Qin Yunhe took a deep breath and backed toward the floor-to-ceiling glass window. She had no choice; she would have to break the glass. It was clearly thick, and she wasn't sure if she could kick it through—or if doing so would severely injure her in the process.

She realized she had been overconfident, or perhaps just caught entirely off guard. To think the mastermind was Jia Qing, Wanwan’s blind date. While his reputation wasn't the best, it had always been limited to his private life; she never imagined he was the one bankrolling this fraud syndicate. He lacked the connections to organize this himself. This guy deserved a thorough investigation—there might be much more to unearth.

"Hah... almost let you get away!"

Jia Qing had reached the ground floor. Qian Wan and the manager who had interviewed her, once gentle-looking bosses, now wore expressions of pure malice. Their eyes red with rage, they held two black crossbows, aiming them straight at her. A chill shot down her spine.

Two men stepped forward and yanked the curtains shut, blocking any line of sight to the outside world.

"You posted that recruitment ad online yourselves. Such a bizarre listing—high pay, office work—it was suspicious from the start, but I truly didn't expect this!" Qin Yunhe remembered what Xu Lin had told her about helping to vet his classmate and his classmate's girlfriend, which was why she had come.

"We didn't expect it either..." Qian Wan and the manager glanced at Jia Qing.

"I told you long ago to take down that damn idiotic ad! Headquarters has your files; if their group gets caught, they’ll eventually trace it back to you!"

"Zhen-ge, what do we do?"

"Hah... have the people upstairs been kept under control?"

"Yes, Old He and the group leaders are up there."

Jia Qing narrowed his eyes. Lately, everything had been going wrong. It was one thing that his girlfriend had run off, but now, a project he had spent so much effort to set up was being raided—and by an acquaintance, no less!

"Zhen-ge, what about this policewoman?"

"Qin Yunhe, what do you think I should do?"

"Jia Qing, turn yourself in. Even if you kill me, you won't get away. I’ve already sent some information to the station."

"You're really not afraid of death, are you? A champion of justice? We haven't done anything heinous; we just gave people a chance to work."

"I might have believed that before you pulled out these weapons," Qin Yunhe said, glancing at the clubs around her.

"I wouldn't dare touch a cop—I'm afraid of death too! How about this: we both take a step back. I'll let you leave and give you 150,000, as long as you keep quiet about this."

"Zhen-ge?!" the two men behind him shouted.

"I'm paying, not you. Why are you complaining?"

"She’ll never keep her word. Who even knows if there are other police outside?"

"I haven't finished yet. Qin Yunhe, take off your clothes and let us take a photo. Then I’ll let you go, and you can take the 150,000!"

"Hahaha!" At Jia Qing’s words, the surrounding men erupted into sickening laughter.

Qin Yunhe looked slightly trembling. She backed against the wall and finally lowered her eyelids, appearing as if she had given up.

"Fine... are you sure you'll let me go?"

"Of course!" Jia Qing grabbed a card and tossed it at her feet. "The password is 234567."

Qin Yunhe slowly crouched down to reach for the card, but *whoosh*—a carbon bolt flew past her ear and embedded itself into the wall!

"Take it off first!"

"..." Qin Yunhe looked at the dozen men, narrowed her eyes, and nodded again. "Fine, I’ll take it off."

As she spoke, she began unbuttoning her jacket, revealing the shirt underneath. The eyes of all the men were instantly drawn to her. But the very next second, as she took off her jacket, she swung it directly at the two men in front of her who were holding knives!

They lost their vision for a moment, and before they could react, she delivered two fierce kicks to their lower bodies, sending them crashing to the ground!

The surrounding men finally reacted, swinging baseball bats toward her head. But Qin Yunhe grabbed a machete and swung it wildly in a circle, forcing them to scramble back in fear!

Jia Qing and his two lieutenants retreated to the stairs, shielding Jia Qing behind them.

"Come on!" Qin Yunhe roared, her face splattered with blood—she didn't even know whose it was.

"Go, pin her down!" Jia Qing shouted, but not one of the five men dared to move forward.

Blades have no eyes. One mistake, one strike to a vital spot, and they would be dead. Compared to a few years in prison, staying alive was far more important.

"Since none of you dare to come forward?!"

Qin Yunhe glanced toward the glass window, then at Jia Qing, and kicked hard against the glass!

The men around her let out a sigh of relief, but in the next second, Qin Yunhe suddenly pivoted and lunged toward Jia Qing like a cheetah!

Jia Qing stared at the glinting blade coming closer and closer, frozen in terror!

But just as the blade was mere centimeters away from him, *whoosh*—the sound rang out again!

A carbon bolt fired from a crossbow! A cry of pain echoed through the space!

Everyone came to their senses to see Qin Yunhe, who had been charging like a starving tiger, now collapsed on the ground. Another carbon bolt was embedded in the wall behind her!

A crimson stain began to spread across the floor beneath her.

Jia Qing’s eyes widened. He looked at Qian Wan, who was still holding the crossbow, took a deep breath, and slapped him across the face.

"Are you f***ing crazy!? It’s all over! If she dies, we’re all finished! This isn't just about fraud anymore!"

"I... I just..." Qian Wan’s hands were shaking; he had acted on pure instinct...

"What do we do? What do we do?"

"Zhen-ge? What now!?"

The others were shouting at him in panic, and Jia Qing was stunned. Even his father wouldn't be able to protect him now!

*Huff... huff...*

Accompanied by heavy, labored breathing, Qin Yunhe slowly stood up, clutching her abdomen, and staggered back a few steps until she hit the wall. She slumped down, her vision blurring. In her mind, images of her parents flickered, along with unclear, dreamlike memories.

"Xu... Xu Lin... Xu Lin..."

She didn't know why she was calling his name, only repeating it over and over as her breath grew weaker.

But the next second, a deafening crash shattered the glass window!

A lean figure strode in, immediately knelt beside Qin Yunhe, and shoved a pill into her mouth.

"Sorry, I'm late! But now... no matter what I do, it should count as self-defense, right?"

With that, Xu Lin picked up the machete, swept a cold, indifferent gaze over everyone, and charged forward.