Blazing Armor

The phone displayed a video, and Ren Yi immediately recognized the man bound and with his head drooping weakly—Gong Yingxian!NRHhcydSGfMeFwSlaMbpAfEvsexSIR

Gong Yingxian was covered in bloodstains, his injured right arm a deep crimson, looking utterly disheveled and frail, as if he were on the brink of death.StGRNJtcYDPyQNsowXVoTuvzgIwEqx

Ren Yi’s eyes widened in horror as he grabbed the nurse’s wrist with one hand and snatched the phone with the other, growling, “Who are you?! Where is Gong Yingxian?!”oEpbdRKMbODZtDEUWKlzfnaYWRWcGW

The nurse, wearing a medical mask that covered most of her face, had a wig that made it impossible to discern her true appearance. However, she was indeed a woman. She lowered her voice and said, “Let go.”svXbiSnCTWsbAmjuIDOrAxJXGbZSrX

Ren Yi gritted his teeth and released her.ezjwyLKsbUTRvzWEUscDBnQJCIdPoK

The nurse coldly stated, “Gong Yingxian is in our hands now. If you want him to come back alive, you will do as I say. Otherwise, we will do a grand live broadcast on the Seraphim and burn him alive.”gplOvKVmkZLsizWCiRsIplKRJpZFGN

Ren Yi’s face twisted in rage. “What do you want me to do?”xnPnkNHIudiyuHMyEnqUXBIkzrkWBf

“I want you to go to Gong Yingxian’s home and hand over all the materials and evidence he has collected, leaving nothing behind.”DGpmQOImGJSOXSdMeljeUzuwATapZE

“The police have already been to his house; those things might have been taken back to the station.”GVPGyAMwNnprDiMlXNZkMdSDGcigrb

“No, this is not a single case. The Gong family has a very powerful legal team; the police wouldn’t dare take unrelated items. We can’t access his home’s security system, but you can.” The nurse’s gaze was sharp. “Bring everything out and deliver it to the designated location.”vECbqvSlSfKpyjYgvjSVbBhLoCzABd

“I’m under police surveillance right now; I can’t leave the hospital.”wJWkfeOmQJDaMNdmBRefdLBQvdSKJB

“At around three in the morning, I will cut the hospital’s power. You need to find a way to leave.” The nurse handed him an envelope. “Inside is what you need. The first car in parking lot A3 is prepared for you. You must retrieve all the evidence before dawn. I will send the location to this phone.”bLxfhJDzKeTUWZvkCSjQBuQwteIPOn

Ren Yi bit his lip. “Where is he? How is he doing?”JXomLiEaxqttxAwaCzXAVPBAXkNJTi

“He’s still alive, but if you can’t do it, he could die at any moment. If you call the police, he could die at any moment.”EiwChIrNZKtSMPNHzNoPyWsIqnRsvj

“I want to see the live video. I want to talk to him.”mViyiRMMhyGYJKBMHHzoOuMJwpxSaD

The nurse scoffed, “You don’t have the right to make demands.” She tossed the envelope and phone at Ren Yi and turned to leave.VzdPDvDXAkjDrYKDIieaheUKCbqqPS

Ren Yi opened the envelope and dumped its contents— a knife and a car key. He picked up the phone and closely examined the ten-second video; Gong Yingxian sat motionless on the ground, with only a slight tremor of his fingers at the end proving he was still alive.ifXdejYCZIxEYXUblECslDBEvJbIts

Ren Yi threw the phone down, covering his face in despair. What should he do? What could he do? Could he really stand by and watch Gong Yingxian burn to death without doing anything?LtrquSRdpRDseeXttjiobmuzKlPxQN

Gong Yingxian, you absolutely cannot die, because I want to look into your eyes and ask you why.LVOkTSmBDzfTNONKUALXSJGXFkfmeV

—dRjwykZKbcGpkPhXNFVnUWStlqPJAh

That night, Ren Yi had a hearty meal. He hadn’t eaten properly in days, and the doctors and nurses were pleased, thinking he had finally come to terms with things. In reality, he was just trying to regain some strength.IvfDCLDTITkRbGTsgWEkZVVcujZuQT

In a short span of time, he had been in and out of the hospital repeatedly. The injuries he sustained in cold storage had yet to heal properly, and now he had been shot. His current health was undoubtedly the worst it had ever been. He used to think of himself as strong as an ox, recovering quickly from injuries, but this time, he truly felt the irreversible toll on his body.smDrpewBfdjXQUdCglwoprduZcJCXf

Perhaps from the moment he met Gong Yingxian, it was destined that he would face this calamity.wIqOofbhqpikHSpPaIkXXgTpfTTCRI

After dinner, Ren Yi took a nap and woke up around two in the morning. He went to the bathroom and, through the window, observed the building outside his hospital room once more.JOLJCcjKYmqWenkXFjfRgRGhtbHhxz

During the day, he had already taken several looks while pretending to go to the bathroom. This time, he was confirming the positions of the supports he needed after dark.pJyCLtZLZmHpANLXQMWMjpsbWkuWPL

His hospital room was on the third floor—not too high, but it wasn’t as easy to jump down as from the second floor. He planned to use the window, pipes, beams, air conditioning units, and anything else he could to climb down, scaling the eaves and ridges. For firefighters, this was not a difficult task, but they usually had safety measures in place; this time, he would have to rely on himself.jMMZlcIcxrdVbXcCzOKqUxIctTwkvV

With a plan in mind, he returned to his room and waited for the right moment.iVRKfAvdHDwMehYltFCrekEACRnoud

As it approached three o’clock, he saw the little red dot of the surveillance camera suddenly go out. Soon after, he heard voices outside his room. A little while later, the door to his room was gently pushed open, and a duty officer walked in, glanced at him, confirmed he was sound asleep, and then stepped back out.fRgLGKEoNetfHbjWvhujvFQBUkZaml

Once the door closed, Ren Yi threw off the covers and got out of bed. He had already cut the bed sheets with the knife while under the covers. He quickly tied the sheets into a rope, took the car key, opened the window, and secured the rope to the window handle, slowly leaning out.nzeeLZFgiHAkpULVzXtvySUINfzKzP

He knew the handle wasn’t sturdy; if it were tied to the bed, the slightest movement would alert those outside. The handle could probably support his weight for a moment, and that would be enough.mvIymOpMSUSZrbRHBUznGuWfNXSceL

Using the support and his solid climbing skills, he descended to the second floor. He then cut the bed sheet again, tying the remaining piece to the air conditioning unit’s bracket. This piece of sheet wasn’t long enough to lower him to the ground, so he jumped down from the last height of over a person.NUqvIQfGfzyaGhNQTuSVYakcpPrBku

Such a height was usually easy for him, but this time, as soon as he landed, pain shot through his ribs, making it hard for him to stand up for a while.ymXroYrussQfNenNCwrzPPPwzahlym

Gritting his teeth, he managed to prop himself against the wall and walked barefoot toward the parking lot.TJHTbELgtbHQPcQCzADSayCScRXsVE

He avoided the patrolling security and medical staff, finally finding the car in the parking lot.ZIEepafcbfFPIwvQEeSisXkEcTLCUC

Once inside, he quickly changed into the clothes and shoes that had been prepared for him in the passenger seat, donned a cap, and drove away from the hospital.PobIxplyAcKxAYYiTGaatVHjNwChrx

What would happen next?AzNmZcfVghjvBoycusGQlzDaFGqPBZ

It seemed he was always thinking about Gong Yingxian while gradually neglecting himself. To help Gong Yingxian, he faced death threats, sustained injuries multiple times, and now faced the prospect of imprisonment. What tormented him the most was that he might never be able to be a firefighter again.AKmyfQSrmaqkzhgVsYWPBdqJznUkWh

Why did simply liking someone lead to this? He had never complained before because he thought he was doing the right thing, helping the person he loved most. Even if it came at a painful cost, he had no regrets.VOdoqKUDHrZVIysuUvECuHkwXlBwxO

But now, he couldn’t say he had no regrets. Everything changed the moment Gong Yingxian saw them being shot. Perhaps, as Zheng Pei said, he truly was a fool, used by others and losing everything he cherished, only to be ruthlessly discarded in the end.ZcmoGAYOPrlNyAWLFrHaiecIMkfysd

Yet, even so, he still couldn’t stand by and watch Gong Yingxian die. Even if this journey might be one without a return, he would go without hesitation.qlnkBpLIvpdZjDDRJcLdIElENlnrUU

Ultimately, he couldn’t forget the times they had relied on each other for survival. This time, let it be his turn to save Gong Yingxian’s life a few times. He had always hated being in debt to others; only when he repaid it could he find peace.lrDQLuYWLwIozNBrOWVHjDTLaQJjJY

Arriving at the Gong family home, Ren Yi parked in front of the main gate and leaned out of the car window, waving at the surveillance camera.anlLAzBokNjPncbTEaMIYMWeNekmUc

After a while, the gate opened, and Ren Yi drove up to the main house. Uncle Sheng was already waiting outside, along with two bodyguards.bGqesQcCEOoAJCwKJaXOkfGdcRYqOr

As soon as Ren Yi got out of the car, Uncle Sheng hurried over. “Captain Ren, why are you here? Is there news about my young master?”EcmiyhSgeroRoEGJoXJYkgUOtvMKyn

He looked much older and more haggard, clearly having endured a lot during this time.yUpAvMHTofdrjYiRIJqtLUhoXZLpbV

Ren Yi shook his head. “Uncle Sheng, I need to go to that room and take everything away. Can you please not ask me why, just cooperate with me?”HCQGMjEghdpfskjmeCHfNAlytveCqN

Uncle Sheng was taken aback. “That won’t do! Those things are never to be touched by anyone, as per the young master’s orders.”LattrjKEEauPxiKbmMgUYFjTBtjeOm

“I know, but I need those things to save him. I must take them.”aVHoLaIaPidSwopVYWxWJWsAkzSLap

Uncle Sheng was nearly in tears. “But… but… Captain Ren, what happened to the young master? I can’t reach Miss Qiu, and no one at the police station will tell me anything. Miss Mingqing knows nothing either. What is happening to the young master? Why is he wanted? I’m going to die from worry!”ZpMHlnZyJmvCCRnzQWXnZzWGCLydkX

Gong Mingqing was Gong Yingxian’s aunt, and Gong Feilan’s mother. She couldn’t possibly know nothing. Ren Yi had heard that she had hired a top legal team with her substantial wealth to defend Gong Yingxian, but like everyone else, she couldn’t bear to tell Uncle Sheng. It seemed Uncle Sheng didn’t even know about Qiu Yan’s situation.bUvgGATXDLMzifpOiJTfwDXEBOxmUn

Ren Yi found it hard to speak. He grasped Uncle Sheng’s hand and comforted him, “Uncle Sheng, Yingxian is still alive, but he’s in danger. There are many things I can’t explain, and I can’t tell you. Please trust me; let me take the things. I will do everything I can to bring Yingxian back.”UkBQVZKoEMZWqIkFKWpTAobvNnAMgQ

Uncle Sheng wiped his tears. “Captain Ren, I believe you. Just because the young master trusts you. You are the most important person to him. He must need you right now. Take what you need; I’ll help you organize it.”mworxMyRPMYcPRtarTLYbeLLEEvIDP

Ren Yi felt a bitter pang in his heart. Was he really the most important person to Gong Yingxian? Perhaps, after all, he had immense value to Gong Yingxian, whether it was his background, profession, or even his character. At this point, he even doubted Gong Yingxian’s intentions in getting close to him. It was indeed too coincidental that his father was involved in the two rescue incidents at the Gong family.gJxijpIOWCNcOxLjOyqOVCcusniVPV

That gunshot shattered his trust in Gong Yingxian. If everything was built on lies, then what was real?WSDvQpLrduSEQOfHkptfMZSeLfCvyj

With Uncle Sheng’s help, Ren Yi packed all the evidence into suitcases—two large ones in total. The bodyguards helped him put the suitcases in the trunk.rYWbqkVTcmzeHkQCKkRiFsDFtmSzpU

Uncle Sheng looked at Ren Yi with eager eyes, pleading, “Captain Ren, please bring our young master home.”yOgQLDXzaRCRECbutwytFAiQozmRkP

Ren Yi took a deep breath. “I will. Uncle Sheng, after I leave, call my squad and tell them my license plate number. Remind them not to have the Hongwu precinct check, but to find Fu Kai.”zNPWfzfSggYZnrYORdQWmjUDpRfjOd

Uncle Sheng nodded vigorously.sClSJFeiimTBPLJwTOxVxSfOrYjNqS

Driving away from the Gong family, Ren Yi deliberately parked the car beside a road with a camera, waiting for the nurse to send the next instructions.etQDsdFtHSYBdpbCXZSAkAbSYOJjqt

Around five o’clock, he indeed received an address on his phone. He lifted the foot mat in the passenger seat and wrote the address on the back with a marker. Then he got out of the car and tossed the foot mat into a nearby trash bin. Finally, he returned to the car, input the address into the navigation system, and drove away.hlOhjKtxmCvNtDqEcbTdmdUPzkFeDi