Blazing Armor

On a weekend afternoon, Ren Yi went to buy some of his father’s favorite snacks, and then he went to pick out a gift for Gong Feilan. He had never given the little girl anything before, so he specifically asked those around him what kids liked these days. In the end, it was Li Sa who suggested he buy a sports camera, as he remembered Gong Feilan liked outdoor activities.qlhpCoGHJtRcgqVcCQCbqGbbXKsfjb

Once he was ready, he returned to the team to pick up Qu Yangbo and headed to the nursing home. At this time, they would just make it in time for dinner with their group. He had checked in advance, and there was a good lamb restaurant near the nursing home.MNCJOFTmxFSWPWWcQMJIpUBGJMrNwu

“Traffic is really bad,” Qu Yangbo complained while playing on his phone. “If we arrive later than Captain Chen, it would be so embarrassing.”dRUtSYMDykSDIwtbGrDhEEMheQQPtt

“It shouldn’t be too late,” Ren Yi glanced at the navigation, which displayed a tangled map of red lines, “Once we get past the Fourth Ring, it should be fine.”OdTeqQVLvvDiehdFSwERyzCCZUnHne

Qu Yangbo yawned and continued typing.JuganMNAaviCTVtGbZlhdIohMlrVqx

“Chatting with Captain Qiu?” Ren Yi teased with a smile.ValKQBKaWiegTjMncMilmsBgCBiddm

“I wish,” Qu Yangbo waved his phone screen at Ren Yi, “I’m giving my classmate some tips for the bar exam. She’s been so busy lately, especially during this time. I haven’t seen her in a long while.”XdEbnFeYOXlAoRvAFrRejOTdYADLel

Even though the content was a complaint, there was a hint of sweetness in his tone, making Ren Yi envious.juBIgfKXgcXVDaLvxKPStJLXHBcwXw

Two mature adults in a relationship should be much more relaxed, right?YeoVJWIQjczxAQeVgyFKnIGvoQQfNw

“By the way, what did you buy for Feilan?”KNuQSFkMOgglbqCybKQCKaPpRjHhwP

“A sports camera.”arDOJSrqqWvBHTuaozGoqojJShDLwp

“Make sure to bring it back for us; it might be hard to see that girl again in the future,” Qu Yangbo said with some regret. “At such a young age, going through so much, it’s really pitiful.”CFsOeWTxDcdyVAgFrVsPVBkMBHSIlC

“Yeah,” Ren Yi replied somewhat absentmindedly, as he couldn’t help but think of Gong Yingxian and why this pair of siblings had such a difficult fate.soCwCNtdjcENApBmrVfYhlpPHowzzS

After finally getting through the worst of the traffic, it was almost dark. Qu Yangbo checked the time: “What time did you book the private room for? Should we push it back a bit?”sJCPFYXDaZQetpLfuooTTxKYkHIeXr

“Probably should; I booked it for six, and now it seems…” Just as Ren Yi picked up his phone, it rang. It was a call from Gong Feilan. He answered while driving, “Hello, Feilan?”hkCndthcbsPVyORsZqwrGVBPeOYSoC

But there was no response on the other end, just a faint rustling sound of fabric.NqPvhuyiXEBeFmYHVpvMrGgkXuVOsO

Ren Yi frowned, “Feilan? Hello?”CTWYpaOIkLuOwFiLGynJYiFpOerxui

After waiting for a full three seconds, there was still no response. This shouldn’t be a signal issue. Ren Yi raised the phone to his face to confirm it was indeed Gong Feilan calling, so why wasn’t she speaking? A sudden ominous premonition struck him; after all, there had been calls from Gong Feilan’s phone before that brought terrible news.akmbJeyvzRKfLKRUzoZgLlxDWzNMNK

Ren Yi grew anxious and was about to ask again when the call was abruptly disconnected.VCTIrujRJjmVRQthAsAWgCVISrDmUf

Qu Yangbo sat up straight, nervously asking, “What happened?”VzVwCZVXCkttAZNVdnZctEwqoVuqVc

Ren Yi had no time to answer. He quickly redialed, but as soon as the call connected, it was hung up. At the same time, a message came through, consisting of just two words: “Help me.”isoKBYJzalIypAGVqPBzGVSslRpTGq

Ren Yi’s mind exploded with panic, and he slammed on the brakes.TFWeWjtzsplyEFfvwUoDZoZQJtkZLl

The traffic was already heavy, and his sudden stop caught the car behind him off guard, leading to a minor collision.zCzdTgelAYvGctnjvEOBwcuZyrCcHy

The impact wasn’t severe, but both of them lurched forward, only to be yanked back by their seatbelts, their heads hitting the seatbacks hard, leaving them momentarily dazed.mxJzGnohxCsVSrCaoGlgScmgjCcnVR

Qu Yangbo covered his head, urgently asking, “Ren Yi, what’s going on?!”vHfZbzJPApGRZgiBGYDgQTfvTDOylg

The driver of the car behind had already gotten out, but Ren Yi couldn’t care less about such trivial matters. He threw his phone to Qu Yangbo, “Call Gong Yingxian.” Then, he pressed the gas and turned the steering wheel, disregarding traffic rules as he veered onto a side road.hphjpuWDvfFlkoZGjaUZDikqlDSekG

Qu Yangbo glanced at the message, his face turning pale. “Not again?” He hurriedly called Gong Yingxian, but there was no answer. He tried calling Qiu Yan, but still no response. “What’s going on?”oaTeQXJtTPnKaSnSKSVzPLlepaOrDc

Ren Yi snatched the phone back and sent a voice message to Gong Yingxian: “Feilan might be in trouble. She’s heading home; call me back as soon as you see this!”kCwdarrOACDABYCMcibtWjPZadncZE

“Why is no one answering their phones at a time like this? Aren’t they all glued to their phones 24/7?” Qu Yangbo said anxiously, sitting up straight.yGpkqIOYDkZtOCFZobCsGRZbyWHTfl

“If they’re all not answering, they’re likely on a mission and have their phones on silent,” Ren Yi said, his gaze dark and heavy as he focused on the road ahead. “The timing of this call must have been planned. We’re not far from Feilan’s home; you call the police and have the nearest station send someone over quickly.”uCSPLfBAEdlFkLEzHjfzKujmhDQzQb

“Okay.”ConGYoBSjewLYRjkFhlhPZVZxPmwfR

Ren Yi’s heart raced with anxiety and fear. He knew this wasn’t over; he knew that as long as Purple Flame was still at large, no one was truly safe. But he never expected that Purple Flame would still target a little girl?!lklrMtiofgirJCQEozJCWBMsyYjwxp

Ren Yi gripped the steering wheel tightly, his hands trembling.KzZJdJZdqhepNfUUqcBYJNzYHlaDPX

Qu Yangbo held his wrist, “Don’t panic. I’ve already called the police; they should arrive before us.”xpfsqvqqyzTIwVYhEiQpbUDoYfRTCI

Ren Yi gritted his teeth, “This isn’t the first time. I thought after Yue Xingu died, they wouldn’t touch Feilan again, after all, Feilan was used to threaten Yue Xingu, but…” His voice suddenly dimmed, “Feilan can also be used to threaten Gong Yingxian, to threaten me.”pDtpYeEiwYiRPDSkzLbMqOALpCsWWL

“Those heartless bastards.” Qu Yangbo suddenly remembered something, “Right, what about the old captain…”AZfjLAWgcRDBQUzjdVXKHPgvOzlSGk

Ren Yi then recalled the true purpose of their outing. He hurriedly called his father.iQlqJPWYXZrPsfoFmsBRzADCUuABmS

“Hello.” Ren Xiangrong’s tone was reproachful, “Where are you? Captain Chen arrived at four this afternoon; why haven’t you made it yet?”KDZXhqFGIZEpYHwExNeoxPyvoaQUpp

“Old Ren, something very important has come up here, and I don’t know when I can get there. You guys eat first; don’t wait for us.”MPjuScQjyRFEpVsGyVhbNCVocdlHey

“You really…,” Ren Xiangrong said unhappily, “What could be so important that you can’t put it off? You invited the leaders, and now you’re not coming. Is this how it should be?”ehefTSCauNnDSWtpFCpmtNLvkJbuRC

Ren Yi was sweating with anxiety, “I really have something very important. I’ll explain later; please apologize to Captain Chen for me.”hTpPMNqAPulIyWIBvIdwESiHqLznbu

“You…”ItGNWRsLkXToIKiBfprumHeJlQzESw

Ren Yi hung up the phone, pressing the gas pedal as hard as he could, hoping the car would go faster, wishing he could fly to Gong Feilan’s home.CrIBdsEiYNCAyNVKxBIIaSfYfUvVpw

Fortunately, it wasn’t far. As soon as he arrived, he received a call back from Gong Yingxian.ibkFfmJyLUZKUTlBcNyZZCUrewczOM

“Hello? Where are you? What were you doing just now? Feilan might be in trouble; I just got to her building,” Ren Yi said in one breath.dFWIVDxRpRIpswgwRjGxTPrddkVSwM

“What happened?” Gong Yingxian panted heavily, “We were just catching… but first, tell me about Feilan.”mTAjNNcKMwqdFdzjNBLajIPzMsdRou

“She sent me a distress text, and when I answered the call, no one spoke.” Ren Yi stopped the car, “It’s this building, number 6.” Gong Feilan lived in a high-end apartment complex with a low occupancy rate but a large area, and it took several turns in the underground parking lot to find the right building number.SPyhpSZzmJSAPkQYdCPnYYJfSTzoRh

Gong Yingxian paused for a moment, whispering, “It can’t be… it can’t be…”senOPgAjOwuTZXpVYEQacvdqAttIMz

“What can’t be?” Ren Yi rushed into the elevator, about to press the button, but then remembered Feilan’s home was on the eighth floor, so it would be faster to run up. He exchanged a glance with Qu Yangbo, and they dashed into the stairwell.BcJKvjUszdMZAYhZestQKjLjPaTnIr

Unexpectedly, the signal in the stairwell was poor. Ren Yi could hear Gong Yingxian saying something, but the noise distorted it, making it impossible to discern the content. Out of breath, Ren Yi decided to hang up the phone.vLcYpuNkdmhwLwiSSHqIaNaWICSxcr

When they reached the eighth floor, the upscale apartment with two units per floor had the left door slightly ajar, and voices could be heard from inside.OVgbsAkzDkRlfdDLAHfEbaYLCzfdOt

Ren Yi rushed over and pushed the door open.shroemaAfdacgELGMZuFZKoeroBKRs

The scene before them stunned both the newcomers and those inside.thgHoAjcSWDbQFHEoppDbaHjrJsRqw

The spacious living room of the apartment was decorated with colorful balloons, streamers, and flowers, with a buffet spread on the table, clearly preparing for a party. In the center of the living room stood Gong Feilan and several police officers.COyKMAfFrKbdQioReiawNXdcBFebai

Ren Yi was dumbfounded.auwQoGMDDmsVWemZiQjIdMxbUhRWhN

When Gong Feilan saw Ren Yi, she was equally surprised: “Captain Ren? Why did you come so early?”NMdLplgYpIFDFmdtoEnZGhPWZjHAqI

Ren Yi snapped back to reality, striding over to grab Gong Feilan’s shoulders, nervously scanning her up and down, “You… are you okay?”fZNIpBbOHinUZGlUNfWLeUxVKjebAV

“What… what could happen to me?” Gong Feilan looked puzzled and worried. “What’s going on? Suddenly, several police officers came to my house, and then you rushed over. Your expression… don’t scare me, what happened?”ZGJSfTEMAEYlUlNaCXyRvzUpUxQfXD

Qu Yangbo asked, “Where’s your phone?”SwlRYOPQRzNiXHhmUlLFcWgqvVOcyw

“I can’t find my phone; I don’t know where I put it.”McXWOTLSCVQRMYJtKEFyODVlBnJatl

“Lost it?” Ren Yi felt something was very wrong. It was good that Gong Feilan was fine, but what about that call and text? It all seemed like a deliberate attempt to lure him here.qAAtbwOlJKtPAZAsuOuaEJcJXpxsLF

Why?okWLtffTMcphIWVpMzcsmgYugyzXTG

“It shouldn’t be lost; I used it a few hours ago. I was busy preparing for the party this afternoon, and there were so many things that I might not know where I put it in some corner,” Gong Feilan looked at them, “What’s going on?”rKSrhlBPETSFgzliriukHfUguzuqko

Ren Yi’s phone rang again; it was Gong Yingxian calling. He rubbed his face and answered, “Feilan is fine.”nqRTxduiTZmbvvOPdYyFLKVXtNYfPS

Gong Yingxian seemed to want to say something but was cut off by this statement. He then asked, “Is there anything unusual at her home?”OEKMXQenGVZxZprFvvDmDjQHLFtfRM

“She said she can’t find her phone. But she’s safe now; there are police, a nanny, a bodyguard, and a party company here.”TGwTnHgmoWXOUNnopQvhbccvCYgVxH

Gong Yingxian paused, confused, “Why would he send you a message?”MDYxAivDZHyDNusYeemARgsqCykUAT

“You mean the person who… no, you mean the one who stole her phone?” Ren Yi felt overwhelmed, “I don’t know! What’s going on? Why would they bring me and Yangbo here? I was supposed to…” Ren Yi suddenly remembered something, a chill running down his spine, fear creeping into his nerves like a parasitic vine.VPIpQHNHXRdxKCWbylfaKfJipWmeFb

Gong Yingxian asked softly, “You were supposed to go where?” as if afraid of disturbing something.CcVcNLTkaexPwJuMTmFYKTzHEDGENE

“To see my dad.” Ren Yi hung up the phone and rushed out the door like the wind.VaPtTphsUpzeggFsbZvRIzWLBspoLL