Chapter 34: Reunion and Escape

“Is it really them coming back?” Hua Xiao wiped her mouth and hurriedly began to gather her things.

“It’s so late, it couldn’t be anyone else,” Lin Buwan replied, stowing away the remaining items into her space.

Together with their two dogs, the pair rushed to the main door. Lin Buwan bent down and whispered to Black Bean, “Don’t make a sound later. We’ll sneak out quietly.”

Black Bean seemed to understand, letting out a low rumble before gently nudging the restless Dadao with its head.

Watching her interact with the dogs, Hua Xiao was at a loss for words. As if the dogs could really understand.

Lin Buwan finished instructing the dogs, then carefully unlocked the door without making a sound. She paused for two seconds, confirming there was no movement next door, and only then did she gently pull open the door.

Fortunately, when Wei Qu repaired the lock, he had oiled the hinges, allowing Lin Buwan to open the door in complete silence.

Outside, it was just as pitch black. The threat next door and the tense atmosphere made the two women instinctively breathe more lightly.

As they held their breath, Black Bean suddenly got up and trotted quietly outside. Startled, Lin Buwan almost called out “Black Bean,” but managed to swallow her words just in time.

Her eyes now adjusted to the dark, she saw Black Bean dart to the emergency exit and disappear, only to reappear two seconds later, running back toward her.

Only when Black Bean reached her side did she realize its intent. The dog was checking if the emergency exit was open for them.

Compared to their own door, the emergency exit was a far greater obstacle; opening it always produced a nerve-jangling screech, enough to jolt anyone wide awake.

Luckily, the door was already open.

Lin Buwan urged Hua Xiao to go first, but Hua Xiao hesitated repeatedly, unwilling to take the lead. In the end, Lin Buwan grabbed her hand, let the two dogs go ahead, and then pulled Hua Xiao through.

The dogs moved swiftly; with Black Bean watching over things, Dadao followed without incident, and both slipped quickly into the emergency stairwell.

When it was their turn, Lin Buwan reminded Hua Xiao to tread lightly but to move quickly.

Once outside their apartment, to avoid mishaps, Lin Buwan dared not speak, but her grip on Hua Xiao’s hand was tight, providing some comfort.

Pulling Hua Xiao along, Lin Buwan’s heart thundered as she hurried toward the emergency exit. Though only a few meters away, it felt interminably far.

At last, they made it safely into the stairwell. In the darkness and silence, all they could hear was each other’s harsh breathing and the pounding of their hearts.

Without pausing, Lin Buwan dragged Hua Xiao swiftly downstairs, no longer caring if their footsteps might alert the neighbors. They dashed down the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time.

A sudden bark rang out—Black Bean’s voice echoed somewhere below. Lin Buwan’s heart skipped; she heard footsteps pounding up from below and tensed, but then she realized Black Bean’s bark was not alarmed, but excited.

She saw Black Bean racing down the stairs, and beams of flashlight swept upward.

“Black Bean?” Wei Qu’s soft voice floated up, and relief washed over them both.

At the same time, upstairs, Xie Jun was startled awake by the barking. His eyes cleared in an instant from confusion to alertness. He sat up, disturbing his subordinate.

“Boss? What’s wrong?” the man asked.

“I heard a dog barking,” Xie Jun said grimly.

“Huh? I didn’t hear anything,” the subordinate replied, scratching his head, thinking perhaps the boss had had a nightmare.

“No, go check next door!” Xie Jun was certain he hadn’t misheard, and he kicked his men awake as he got up.

When they arrived at the apartment next door, they found Wei Qu’s door wide open and the place completely empty—not only were the people gone, but even the furniture had vanished, making it look as if another thief had struck in record time.

“Damn it, they’ve run,” Xie Jun growled, instantly understanding the situation.

He spun around and slapped one of his men on the head. “What are you waiting for? Move! Sleeping like a bunch of dead pigs—their people can’t have gotten far. Go!”

None of the men dared argue. They turned and sprinted toward the emergency stairs.

Qin Wei, hearing the commotion, came out to see what was happening, only to brush past the four burly men as they ran into the stairwell and vanished from sight.

Downstairs, Lin Buwan and the others quickly regrouped with Wei Qu, giving a brief account of what had happened upstairs.

“Let’s go now, while we still can. Black Bean just barked—who knows if they heard it,” Lin Buwan urged.

Before she finished speaking, a loud racket erupted from above. The heavy, chaotic footsteps pounded like hammers in everyone’s chest.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!” Black Bean barked furiously up the stairwell.

Shouts soon followed from above: “They’re downstairs! Hurry!”

“We need to move,” Wei Qu commanded, leading the way down.

There was no time for further discussion. Lin Buwan and the rest immediately followed the group of young men, spinning around and heading down the stairs as quickly as possible.

They moved fast, but the men chasing them weren’t far behind. Still, they had a head start and managed to burst out of the building before their pursuers caught up.

“Hurry, hurry! Get in the van!” An Zicong was the first out, baring his teeth as he raced for the van parked nearby, yanked open the driver’s door, and leaped in.

The others scrambled behind him, flinging open the back doors and diving inside, one after another.

By the time Lin Buwan and her group reached the vehicle, An Zicong and his university friends were already waiting inside.

Yu Su helped push Hua Xiao in, then climbed in himself. When it was Lin Buwan’s turn, she glanced back—Wei Qu was just bursting out of the stairwell, with the four burly men hot on his heels.

Lin Buwan’s face was grim as she vaulted into the van, urging An Zicong to start the engine at once.

“But…” An Zicong hesitated, glancing at Wei Qu drawing near.

“Don’t argue! Or none of us will get away,” Lin Buwan snapped, cutting him off.

Seeing the burly men closing in, cold sweat broke out on An Zicong’s forehead. He instinctively obeyed, firing up the engine.

“Wei Qu, hurry!” Lin Buwan called, not bothering to shut the door as she reached out her hand toward him.

Wei Qu gritted his teeth, sprinted after the moving van, and managed to catch up. He glanced at Lin Buwan, then surged forward, grabbed her hand, and leaped inside.

Lin Buwan held onto him tightly, nearly getting pulled out herself, but Yu Su and the others reacted quickly, grabbing them both and hauling them safely inside.

Seeing that Wei Qu was finally in, An Zicong floored the accelerator, sending the van hurtling forward. Just as everyone thought they’d lost the four burly pursuers, in the very next instant, a hand suddenly appeared at the open door.