Chapter 314: Ancient Martial Arts Expert!

But just the next second, Mu Lingxue suddenly spoke solemnly into the phone, "What?! A robbery happened at the West District Mall? Send me the exact location!... Okay, I'm heading over now, I'll be there within ten minutes!"

Hearing that, Lin Yuan froze for a moment, finally letting out a sigh of relief!

It seems it's not because of him, but that a robbery occurred?

But… in broad daylight, Hangcheng is an international metropolis, a first-tier city. How could a robbery happen?

Lin Yuan was somewhat suspicious.

After hanging up the phone, Mu Lingxue sprang up urgently, "Sorry, Lin Yuan, the team has an urgent task, I have to leave first. Could you keep an eye out for a while? If you see that bar general manager show up, remember his appearance, and I'll look into it later when I return."

She casually grabbed the jacket from the back of the chair, then remembered something, pulled out her phone from her bag and glanced toward the bar: "Oh right, my cocktail plus your drink—just you settle the bill first, I'll transfer you via WeChat later."

Lin Yuan hadn't even processed the word 'mission' yet, and instinctively asked, "What case? So urgent?"

"A robbery just happened in the West District, the suspect is still at large! The team has been urgently summoned, I need to rush over!" After saying that, Mu Lingxue bolted out of the bar.

She burst out of the bar, her steps didn't pause, her hand already reached into her pocket for the car keys.

At the bar entrance, the black Range Rover's lights flashed once.

However, just as Mu Lingxue got into the Range Rover, she sensed something was off?

She felt like she had drunk alcohol?

Mu Lingxue's fingers had just touched the steering wheel when the alcohol's effect surged up, overwhelming her reason——

Although she had only drunk half a whiskey at the bar, the dizziness from the alcohol was becoming increasingly obvious; she stared at the blurred streetlights ahead, and driving in this condition was very dangerous.

So she opened the car door and hurriedly rushed back into the bar……

……

At that moment, inside the bar.

Lin Yuan was standing at the bar counter, finally managing to relax. The female police officer finally left.

But just then, his arm was suddenly grabbed……

Lin Yuan turned his head??

He saw Mu Lingxue panting, having returned at some point, and she was gripping his arm?

"Miss Mu?? What's wrong?" Lin Yuan asked somewhat nervously.

Mu Lingxue anxiously said, "Lin Yuan, you drive! I've had alcohol, I can't touch the steering wheel."

"Huh?" Lin Yuan was dazed?? He hurriedly broke free from Mu Lingxue's hand, stepping back repeatedly, "No way, no way, you're going to handle a robbery, a criminal case! What am I, an ordinary person, supposed to do getting involved? What if I encounter danger?"

It's a joke—this kind of criminal case, a robbery, how could Lin Yuan possibly wade into this muddy water?

How dangerous this is! If anything happened, Lin Yuan wouldn't want to expose his identity.

"There's no time! I'm the closest to the crime scene, I have to go! The suspect could flee at any moment! I must race against time—who else nearby could help me?"

Mu Lingxue quickly caught up, grabbed his sleeve again, her tone softened but carried an irresistible force: "I know you're still afraid; it's normal for a civilian to be scared when first participating in a criminal case. But don't worry, with me here I'll protect you. I'm a police officer—I can't very well lead a drunk-driving charge, can you? Just drive the car to the crime scene. There won't be any danger! Big sis will protect you!"

Seeing this woman plead so earnestly, Lin Yuan felt helpless and could only agree.

He was pulled out of the bar by Mu Lingxue.

He got into Mu Lingxue's Range Rover SUV.

"The crime scene is at Yintai City west of Xi Hu; turn left after this street, take Qing Chun Lu, and you can take a shortcut!" Mu Lingxue reminded.

Lin Yuan said nothing, pressed the accelerator, and drove the SUV off at high speed……

……

Five minutes later.

The screech of the Range Rover's brakes echoed sharply in the little alley on the west side of Xi Hu Yintai, Lin Yuan hadn't even had a chance to relax when the sight outside the window gripped his heart……

Not far away, the glass door of the gold shop was shattered into shards littering the ground, the door frame still hung with a broken segment of the anti-theft chain, dark red bloodstains spread from the shop entrance all the way to the alley mouth.

Two people in security uniforms lay motionless in a pool of blood, their chest wounds still faintly oozing blood.

"Stop!" Mu Lingxue flung the car door open, her formerly flushed cheeks now deathly pale.

She drew the handcuffs and gun from her waist, "Stay in the car, don't get out! Lock the doors, no matter what you hear, don't peek out!"

Lin Yuan's face grew grave as he nodded; the scene was far worse than he had imagined!

"Be careful, those two security guards are already dead," Lin Yuan warned in a cold tone.

Through traditional Chinese medicine's observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, Lin Yuan had already deduced that the two security guards were dead.

"How do you know? Maybe they could still be saved," Mu Lingxue said as she shoved the door open and stepped out.

Lin Yuan wanted to call out to stop Mu Lingxue, but he saw she had already hurried to the gold shop's entrance, crouched to check the guards' pulses, then her beautiful eyes grew grave as she clenched her gun tightly.

It seemed she had confirmed that both security guards were dead.

"Report! Based on the scene, there may be three knife-wielding robbers who looted the gold shop and killed the two security guards……"

Mu Lingxue reported urgently into the walkie-talkie, "I've arrived at the scene; will the criminal police team be here in five minutes? Okay, I'll first survey the surroundings to prevent the robbers from escaping!"

This crime scene is severe; one security guard was stabbed to death directly.

The other security guard was injured, called the police, but after finishing the call he was also viciously stabbed to death.

Mu Lingxue examined the murder scene, inferring how the incident unfolded.

Her pretty face grew increasingly grave.

The robbers are ruthless; this is a malicious robbery-murder case!

Mu Lingxue glanced around the mall; surveillance cameras covered every direction, and there were no bloodstains or footprints on the ground.

The robbers wouldn't dare flee the mall directly, otherwise the surveillance would have captured them.

Mu Lingxue scanned the interior of the mall and inferred that the robbers might have fled deeper inside, because there were still several jewelry and accessory stores inside!

The robbers couldn't have only robbed one gold shop! Since they've killed people, they're definitely aiming for a big score!

Mu Lingxue picked up her gun and charged straight into the Silver Tai Mall……

Inside the SUV, Lin Yuan wanted to stop her, but it was already too late.

He hurriedly pushed the door open, got out, came to the two security guards' bodies, squatted down, and examined them.

Lin Yuan merely glanced at them, and his expression turned grave.

Lin Yuan squatted beside the corpse, his fingertips instinctively avoiding the spreading bloodstain, and lightly touched the edge of the knife wound on one guard's chest—

What his fingertips felt was not the rough break of an ordinary blade, but a smooth cut like that made by a clean strike of a fine steel blade.

He then moved to the other guard, whose fatal knife wound was at the neck, likewise a single slash that severed the carotid artery.

The wound was as neat as if measured with a ruler; even the subcutaneous fascia was cleanly cut, without any hesitation.

Lin Yuan's brows knotted tighter, his fingertips whitening from force—this was definitely not the technique of an ordinary robber.

An ordinary knife-wielding thug either stabs and slashes wildly or relies on brute force; the wounds are usually crooked and uneven in depth—how could they achieve such extreme "fast, accurate, ruthless" swordsmanship?

Only a top master who has immersed himself in ancient martial arts for years can condense inner strength into the blade, achieve "traceless strike," instantly locate the vital point, and inflict a lethal wound with minimal motion.

Such blade speed is so fast that the victim has no time to react—just like these two security guards, they probably never saw the attacker's move even in death.

"Top-tier ancient martial arts masters... and there are three of them?"

Lin Yuan muttered under his breath, and a layer of cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back.

A gust of cold wind blew, carrying a heavy smell of blood.

Lin Yuan looked into the mall; it was pitch black and eerily silent—Mu Lingxue's footsteps when she rushed in earlier had vanished completely, not a sound remained.

That woman Mu Lingxue is probably in danger.

She has a gun, but those three are ancient martial arts masters capable of severing the carotid artery with a single blade; in close combat, a gun may not be faster than a blade.

"Don't meddle." Lin Yuan muttered to himself, then turned to leave.

However, Lin Yuan had just taken a step when he stopped again.

He recalled the scene of Mu Lingxue's first blind date with him…

This police belle, though a bit stubborn and rigid, had never harbored ill will toward Lin Yuan.

If he does nothing now, what will be carried out later will be her corpse…

Lin Yuan dared not think further; he took a deep breath, turned, and rushed straight into the mall.

To save someone, he threw caution to the wind.

……

Inside Yintai Mall, it was pitch black at this moment.

Mu Lingxue held her gun, moving cautiously through the mall.

She arrived at a jewelry store inside the mall; as expected, the store's door had been smashed open, and the display counters inside had been completely looted!

All the expensive jewelry had been stolen!

Mu Lingxue turned on her flashlight, scanned the surroundings, and found no trace of the robbers.

Only a few bloody footprints remained on the ground.

They must have gotten the blood on their soles when they inadvertently stepped in blood while killing the security guards earlier.

Mu Lingxue squatted down, touched a bloody footprint on the floor with her hand, and found the bloodstain still warm?

In other words, the robbers had just left this jewelry store?

The warmth of the blood on her fingertips had not yet faded, but her heart suddenly leapt—

Warm bloodstains meant the robbers had left no more than a minute ago; they might be hiding behind nearby shelves.

She gripped her gun tightly; the beam of her flashlight swept across the dark mall, and the scattered packaging boxes and overturned display stands on the shelves cast sinister shadows in the light.

Suddenly, two extremely faint sounds of fabric rubbing came from behind, as swift as a breeze brushing a hem.

Mu Lingxue's body tensed; just as she was about to turn, two cold glints flashed from her peripheral vision—

They were two short knives, their blades glinting with a cold sheen in the flashlight's faint light, thrusting straight at her back!

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, a sharp shout came from afar—it was Lin Yuan's voice!

Mu Lingxue instinctively lunged forward, but the blades were already within arm's reach, leaving no time to fully dodge.

At that moment, two silver needles shot out from the darkness, flying so fast their trajectories were almost invisible!

With two soft "pfft" sounds, the two robbers behind suddenly let out shrill screams, and their short knives clanged to the ground.

The two thugs clutched their lower-back acupressure points, their bodies staggered and curled up slightly, their faces instantly turning deathly pale.

All of this—the silver needle hidden weapon—occurred in an instant; the mall was pitch black, and Mu Lingxue had no idea what had happened.

She merely turned her head, and saw the two robbers suddenly collapse to the ground?

This scene left Mu Lingxue dazed for a moment?

Could it be that the ground was too slippery, and the two robbers, charging forward, accidentally slipped and fell?

That seems too much of a coincidence?

Meanwhile, in the darkness, Lin Yuan's vision was exceptionally clear.

He could see the condition of the two thugs clearly in the night.

He had struck the "Qi Gate" point; an ordinary person sealed by a silver needle would at least be half-paralyzed, collapsing to the ground unable to move!

Yet these two merely staggered and fell, and their bodies could still move?!

Before Lin Yuan could react, he saw the robber on the left clench his teeth, bend over, and with his fingertips precisely grasp the tail of the silver needle embedded in his lower back, without hesitation, yank it upward!

The silver thread, accompanied by a speck of blood, was pulled out; he grunted, and his previously stiff left leg gradually regained movement.

The other robber did the same, quickly pressing and rubbing around the acupressure point with his fingertips to relieve the numbness, then yanked out the silver needle and threw it to the ground!

Lin Yuan's face grew solemn!

These two thugs could actually break his Qi Gate seal?!

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Lin Yuan's back; his silver-needle sealing technique was passed down from the Lin Clan's ancient medicine!

The acupoints and their peculiarity—ordinary martial arts enthusiasts could never possibly sense where the acupoints are, let alone precisely withdraw the needle and quickly relieve the numbness amid excruciating pain!

These two are far from ordinary knife-wielding robbers; they are true experts who have devoted years to ancient martial arts, understand acupoints and meridians, and are top-tier masters!

Mu Lingxue staggered as she turned; the beam from her phone flashlight swept over the two robbers, revealing that they both wore masks covering their faces.

"You……" she had just begun to raise her gun……

Then she saw the third robber rush out from the jewelry store's back door, his Long Sword slashing straight down as he shouted, "Don't linger! Grab the loot and withdraw!"

Mu Lingxue had no time to dodge; Lin Yuan grabbed her and pulled her behind him.

Only then did Mu Lingxue manage to dodge that blade.

The two injured robbers exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth through the lower-back pain, quick-stepped to catch up with the third robber, and in an instant all three reached the display stand in the mall's center——

There, a black off-road display vehicle was parked, its doors still unlocked.

Mu Lingxue raised her hand and fired—"Bang!"—the bullet whizzed past!

But the three moved extremely fast, rolling to dodge her bullets, and in an instant they flung open the vehicle door and piled inside.

The display vehicle was started directly, its engine roaring with a "Boom!"

The display vehicle's headlights suddenly blazed on, a blinding beam shooting straight at Mu Lingxue's eyes.

She instinctively lifted her hand to shield her eyes, and the next second she heard the screech of tires scraping the ground——

The display vehicle abruptly swerved, its front bumper lunging violently toward her!

"Get down!" Lin Yuan bellowed, lunging forward and slamming Mu Lingxue's delicate body to the ground!

Lin Yuan's body pressed hard against Mu Lingxue's!

At that moment, Lin Yuan felt the ultimate softness transmitted from beneath him.

Mu Lingxue's body was truly soft, supple, and still carried her pleasant fragrance……

But Lin Yuan had no mind to worry about such things at that moment.

And that display vehicle also whooshed past Mu Lingxue's side!

The display vehicle barreled straight out of the mall!

Mu Lingxue shoved Lin Yuan aside with one hand and sprinted out of the mall in pursuit!

"Report! The robbers snatched an unlicensed display vehicle and charged out of the mall! It's a white Xiaomi SU7!" Mu Lingxue shouted into her walkie-talkie!

Having said that, she charged straight out of the mall.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lin Yuan shouted as he caught up.

"Chase!"

Mu Lingxue shouted anxiously, "You drive! Hurry up and catch the robbers' vehicle—we can't let them get away!"