Chapter 550: Mu Lingxue's Crisis

The black van braked suddenly and came to a stop.

The van doors swung open quickly!

A group of robbers wearing black masks filed out!

They…… all held weapons in their hands!

A group of masked robbers quickly rushed to the overturned Range Rover.

Together they pried open the deformed door!

Inside the car, Mu Lingxue…… her forehead was split open, blood sliding down her cheek.

Her body…… also suffered multiple bruises from the impact, she was clutching her chest, breathing with difficulty.

At this moment, sensing danger, Mu Lingxue endured the sharp pain and frantically reached for her sidearm.

She had realized, this group, they deliberately hit her!

This was not an accidental traffic collision, but done intentionally!

"Click!" she swiftly drew her gun, aimed at the robbers, and pulled the trigger without hesitation!

"Don't move!" Mu Lingxue shouted in a sharp voice!

But facing her pistol, this group of robbers paid no heed,

The robbers, with cold smiles, hurriedly tried to break open the Range Rover's door.

Mu Lingxue could bear it no longer; to protect herself, she finally pulled the trigger!

"Bang bang bang!!" Mu Lingxue fired successive shots at the robbers!

What shocked her was that, facing the incoming bullets, the robbers nimbly sidestepped, moving as fast as ghosts!

All of Mu Lingxue's bullets…… were completely dodged by the robbers?!

Her bullets…… actually all hit empty air, injuring no one!

Mu Lingxue's heart sank, her pupils constricted sharply!

These robbers…… are actually ancient martial arts masters! Their movements…… are exactly like those of the Leihu Sect robbers previously slaughtered by Lin Yuan—could they be accomplices of the same batch?!

Mu Lingxue unwilling, she pulled the trigger again!

"Bang bang bang!!" Several bullets shot out again!

No matter which direction she aimed and fired, the bullets…… were easily dodged by the robbers!

After a few bullets were expended, Mu Lingxue's counterattack completely failed.

Her hand gripping the empty gun trembled slightly.

Seeing this, the robbers' faces showed a mocking smile.

One robber stepped forward, snatched her sidearm, and casually threw it to the ground.

"Take her away!" a tall robber commanded in a low voice.

Several people stepped forward…… roughly dragging Mu Lingxue out of the car.

Mu Lingxue struggled to resist, but was firmly held down by the robbers.

Then, a thick hemp rope wrapped around, tightly binding her hands and feet!

Even her mouth was stuffed with cloth, she could only emit muffled hums,.

Mu Lingxue was completely immobilized.

As Mu Lingxue was dragged toward the van, the cloth slipped from her mouth.

She panted heavily, shouting at the robbers: "I'm a police officer! You're assaulting an officer, a serious crime! Let me go quickly, otherwise the consequences will be severe!"

One robber snorted coldly, his voice hoarse replying: "What's so special about police? We kill police! Cut the nonsense here, behave!"

At this moment, another robber's greedy gaze swept over Mu Lingxue's face; seeing her outstanding looks, even in this disheveled state her beauty could not be hidden.

That robber leered, unable to resist reaching out to touch her cheek.

"Stop!" the robber beside him suddenly kicked, landing a hard blow to his lower back, sending him stumbling.

"What are you doing?" the kicked robber snapped back, head turning in angry roar.

The kicker's eyes icy…… he warned: "Now is not the time to touch her! Wait until we lure the target out, then we can touch her—she's still useful, we can't ruin her; the target hasn't appeared yet!"

"Hmph, got it." The kicked robber, unwilling, pulled his hand back and glared hard at Mu Lingxue.

The leader robber said in a low voice: "Don't waste time, first bring her into the van, use her to lure the target over!"

Having said that, the robbers dragged the bound Mu Lingxue, shoved her into the van's rear seat, then quickly got in.

The van started up, soon disappearing into the dark night……

Only the overturned Range Rover and scattered parts remained, looking especially desolate under the dim streetlights.

……

The van sped all the way, leaving the urban area……

Finally, Mianbo Ache stopped at the entrance of an abandoned factory in the suburbs.

This place is deserted, weeds growing thick all around.

The factory walls are mottled and peeling, the window glass long shattered.

Exuding a gloomy, dilapidated atmosphere.

The robbers roughly dragged Mu Lingxue down from the van, pushing her into the factory interior.

The factory hall is vast and dim, only a few strands of moonlight leak through the damaged roof seams, barely illuminating the rubble and discarded parts on the ground.

One robber searched Mu Lingxue's person and pulled out her phone from her pocket.

The robber approached her, grabbed a handful of her hair, and shoved the phone in front of her eyes.

The robber barked menacingly: "The man who uses silver needles—what's his name? Call him now, immediately, at once!"

Mu Lingxue felt her scalp go numb from being yanked, but upon hearing "the man who uses silver needles," her heart jolted sharply.

Mu Lingxue instantly realized—these bandits weren't after her as a police officer; they were after Lin Yuan.

The Thunder Tiger Sect bandits previously wiped out by Lin Yuan still have accomplices!

They came to seek revenge on Lin Yuan, or to seize the Silver Needle Hidden Weapon Secret Technique?!

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Mu Lingxue gritted her teeth, feigning ignorance—she could not let Lin Yuan be dragged into this.

"Still talking tough?" another bandit, seeing this, drew his waist knife, the icy blade pressing against Mu Lingxue's neck.

The chill of the blade made Mu Lingxue shudder involuntarily.

"If you don't tell the truth, this knife won't show mercy!" the bandit snarled with a cold grin.

The sharp pain on her neck came through clearly, yet Mu Lingxue did not flinch in the slightest.

She lifted her head, eyes fixed firmly on the bandit: "I really don't know! If you've got the guts, just kill me!"

Mu Lingxue knew that if she revealed Lin Yuan's information, given his grudge over the bandits he'd killed, they would never spare him—she couldn't bring harm to Lin Yuan because of herself.

"Damn it, you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" the knife-wielding bandit from moments ago flew into a rage, his eyes turning vicious and brutal.

The bandit jerked his hand free from grabbing Mu Lingxue's hair, reaching to tear her clothes: "Since you won't talk, I'll have my way with you now—I'll rape then kill you, see if you talk then!"

"Stop!" Just then, the bandit leader barked in a low voice, halting him.

The bandit leader stepped forward, shoved the enraged bandit aside, and said coldly: "Don't forget our goal—now is not the time to move on her."

After saying that, the bandit leader picked up Mu Lingxue's Xiaomi 17P phone, his fingers flying across the screen as he began to search her WeChat chat history.

Mu Lingxue's heart clenched; she strained to twist her body to stop him.

But the bandit beside her held her down firmly—she couldn't move at all.

All she could do was watch helplessly as the bandit leader flipped through her WeChat, her heart pounding nonstop.

Mu Lingxue and Lin Yuan had plenty of chat history; if it were discovered, Lin Yuan would be completely exposed.

Not long after, the bandit leader's gaze settled on a WeChat avatar labeled "Lin Yuan".

The bandit leader opened the chat window and quickly skimmed its contents.

When he saw the chat mention "Silver Needle" and "martial way", etc.

The bandit leader's lips curled into a grim, cold smile.

The bandit leader looked up at Mu Lingxue: "Found him—this is Lin Yuan! Indeed, he's the man who wields Silver Needle hidden weapons!"

After confirming the target, the bandit leader hesitated not at all, tapping the video call button on the WeChat interface.

The bandit leader aimed the phone's camera… at Mu Lingxue's stubborn-faced visage.

Seeing this, Mu Lingxue's eyes reddened with urgency; she strained against her bonds, shouting: "If you've got guts, come at me! Leave Lin Yuan out of this—he has nothing to do with it!"

…

Late night, inside Shidai Gongyu.

Lin Yuan had just finished washing up, water droplets still dripping from his hair, a bathrobe wrapped around him.

He was about to head to the bedroom to rest.

Just then, the phone lying on the living-room coffee table suddenly lit up, the screen popping up a WeChat video call request from Mu Lingxue.

Lin Yuan froze for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing his brow??

At this time of night, why would Mu Lingxue suddenly video-call him?

He didn't think twice, reached for the phone, and lightly tapped to answer the call.

But the instant the call connected, the doubt on Lin Yuan's face froze, replaced by utter shock and gravity.

The screen certainly did not show Mu Lingxue's usual appearance…

Only to see her tightly bound with coarse hemp rope, her hands tied behind her back, a wound on her forehead still bleeding, bruises on her cheeks, her eyes full of anxiety and defiance.

Around her stood several bandits wearing black masks, their ferocious looks chilling even through the screen.

"Mu Lingxue!" Lin Yuan's face darkened, he shot to his feet, his voice instantly sinking.

Lin Yuan bellowed at the screen: "Who are you? What do you want?! Release Mu Lingxue at once!"

On the other end of the screen, a tall masked bandit leaned forward, blocking part of the view.

The bandit leader's lips twitched in a mocking cold smile, his voice hoarse as he said: "You want us to release this policewoman? It seems she's important to you—is she your woman?"

The bandit paused, his gaze locked on Lin Yuan on the screen, and confirmed word by word: "You're Lin Yuan, right? The ancient martial arts master who uses hidden weapons—that's you, correct?"

Lin Yuan's fists clenched till his knuckles whitened.

Seeing Mu Lingxue bound on the screen and hearing the bandit accurately state his name and ability, Lin Yuan already knew the truth.

These people… are the remnants of the Thunder Tiger Sect.

They've come because of the eighteen bandits I wiped out before!

Lin Yuan gritted his teeth, his eyes sharp as blades, and nodded in a low voice: "It's me."

"Good, very good!" the bandit leader let out a chilling laugh, his tone thick with killing intent: "The eighteen brothers we sent out earlier have all lost contact, no word at all. I suppose they were all killed by you?"

"I killed them." Lin Yuan did not deny, his voice icy: "They committed countless evils; they deserved death!"

Lin Yuan locked eyes with the bandit leader, his tone firm and unquestionable: "I warn you—don't touch Mu Lingxue! If you have a grudge, come at me!"

"Come at me? No problem." The bandit leader snorted coldly, a flicker of triumphant cunning in his eyes: "As long as you come, we guarantee we'll leave this policewoman unharmed for now."

The bandit leader paused, then gave the address and time limit.

The bandit leader threatened in a fierce tone: "You, right now, immediately, come to the outskirts of Jiu bao qu, the abandoned steel factory at 104. I give you only twenty minutes—if you exceed twenty minutes and still haven't arrived…"

Saying this, the bandit leader deliberately paused, his eyes greedily sweeping over Mu Lingxue.

The bandit leader then burst into a savage laugh: "If you don't make it within twenty minutes, this policewoman is done! She'll be raped then killed by us—hahaha!"

No sooner had the words fallen than the bandit leader hung up the video call without waiting for Lin Yuan's reply, the screen instantly going black.