Chapter 1017 - 990: Worse Than Women
"The second possibility is that although ordinary people may not distinguish between a fire alarm and a police alarm during a fire, as drivers who frequently travel long distances and have received training, they shouldn’t make such a mistake. Based on the time the fire started, the car’s position doesn’t match up because it should have been burning for a while when they arrived."
Yu Minglang circled the vehicle while talking. It had already been burned to a shell, revealing nothing of value. An investigation team was on its way, and forensic experts would soon gather evidence. They needed to preserve the scene as much as possible. Suddenly, Yu Minglang looked into the distance.
"Search over there; the car should have come from the back."
"How do you know?" everyone asked curiously.
"Intuition."
No one doubted Yu Minglang’s intuition, which had proven invaluable at crucial moments many times before.
A group was dispatched to search ahead. After walking for about ten minutes, Hai Zhao looked pale, as if on the verge of fainting.
Yesterday, she was fine. How could such a thing happen today? If life had forewarnings, why did he waste so many years? He should have been more straightforward; the fear of her rejection and coldness seemed trivial now. The only thing that mattered was that she was still alive.
Xiaoxi, where are you!
"Xiaoqiang, isn’t it said that twins have telepathy? Do you?" Qian asked secretly while Yu Minglang was searching for someone.
During this suffocating time, saying nothing could drive one crazy. Behind them was a sea of fire, and ahead was the unknown whereabouts of Yu Mingxi.
"Most of the time, no, but sometimes, yes. For instance, right now, I believe she’s alive."
Yu Minglang’s words, whether true or false, boosted everyone’s morale, especially Hai Zhao, who was on the verge of collapse.
Reaching a cliff ahead, Yu Minglang suddenly raised his hand to signal everyone to stop. He noticed marks at the edge of the cliff.
The depth of the cliff was unclear, and hardy dogwood grew in large patches halfway down, with branches laden with bright red berries in autumn, blocking the view. Yu Minglang drew his knife and cut away some branches, squinting at a spot.
"She’s down there!" Hai Zhao shouted with excitement, his eyes warming. He knew she would be okay!
"Why don’t I see anything?" Qian strained her neck, even considering taking off her glasses to clean them, but she still saw nothing.
"It’s a method we often used in childhood games. To avoid leaving footprints, you smooth it over after passing through. Only kids from our courtyard can spot it," Yu Minglang explained.
So Hai Zhao immediately saw it; she was alive!
"There must have been an incident on the bus. Fearing the culprits or other dangers might find her, she got off here and hid her tracks," Yu Minglang swiftly deduced the situation.
"Xiaoxi! Xiaoxi, are you there? It’s Hai Zhao! I’m Hai Zhao!" Hai Zhao shouted down below.
No response.
"I’m going down," Yu Minglang prepared to descend, and Hai Zhao immediately followed suit, unwilling to miss this crucial moment.
Qian wanted to go down too, but her physical strength wasn’t up to it. The cliff was too high for her to climb, leaving her to watch as the men descended.
Hai Zhao closely followed Yu Minglang, unable to match his stamina but pushing all his limits at such a critical moment, managing to keep up without falling behind.
Some others brought by Yu Minglang also descended, splitting to search. Following Xiaoxi’s clues, Yu Minglang found Yu Mingxi in a cave over 500 meters down the cliff. She clutched a teenage girl in her arms, and a bloodied man lay beside them. Someone rushed over to check the injured person, performing simple wound treatment. Luckily, the wounds weren’t deep. Hemostasis was performed, and there was no life-threatening danger.
"Xiaoxi!" Hai Zhao was the first to rush over when he saw her. Yu Mingxi held a rock for self-defense, on high alert. When she saw Hai Zhao and dropped the rock, she came to her senses as he embraced her. She was saved!
"Hai Zhao!"
They embraced tightly. Hai Zhao couldn’t believe he had found her!
Seeing this, Yu Minglang and the others visibly relaxed.
"What happened to your hand?!" Hai Zhao realized something was wrong. He pushed Yu Mingxi aside, only to see her once beautiful and slender hand was now raw and bloody, hastily wrapped with some plants. Their embrace reopened the wound.
"From gripping the knife...Minglang! Quick! Dispatch people to chase them, a gang armed with knives robbed and attempted to assault women!" Yu Mingxi, remembering the important matter, quickly reported to Yu Minglang.
"What happened?"
"The long-distance bus I was on had someone get on midway. I noticed the strong smell of alcohol and kept a closer watch..."
Yu Mingxi was a celebrity but no ordinary person. Eavesdropping on elders’ conversations made her more vigilant than most. She noticed that the man clutching alcohol and looking hostile warranted additional caution.
Just as Yu Minglang had guessed, this wasn’t peak season. There were fewer than ten passengers on the long-distance bus, including Yu Mingxi. After boarding, the man drank heavily, sang loudly, and eventually, emboldened by alcohol, started groping a young girl.
Seated towards the back, with a cap concealing her face, Yu Mingxi went unnoticed by him. Otherwise, with her looks, she wouldn’t have been spared.
Xiaoxi intended to call 110 as they acted, but her phone was dead! Having drunk too much at Hai Zhao’s place last night, she hadn’t thought to charge it.
At that moment, the long-distance driver stood up and shouted, "What are you doing? I’ve called the police!"
Under normal circumstances, such a declaration could scare off minor troublemakers, but unfortunately, he met two tough ones.
Before the driver could speak after dialing 110, the man suddenly drew a long, horned knife from his waist and stabbed him in the stomach, leaving the driver in a pool of blood. Unable to bear it any longer, Yu Mingxi stood up and loudly demanded that he stop.
"Was there no other man on that bus? One man subdued them all? Why didn’t they act together?" Initially, Hai Zhao was infuriated.
Had he been there, there was no way he’d let a woman stand up. Not every passenger could have been elderly or a child, right? A few men standing up could have subdued him. How could a knife scare them into submission? Ultimately, a woman had to stand up, his woman!
"There weren’t any. They were all scared stiff, which is why I say some men live more disgracefully than women. We’re supposed to display our skills in times of danger." Yu Mingxi waved dismissively, wincing from the nerve pain.