Chapter 225: You

The deep night enveloped Yao Du, Suicheng. Beneath the glittering neon, dark currents surged.

Under Lei Dong's meticulous planning, the evacuation began in silence. To confuse potential observers, Lei Dong deployed multiple decoys, including fake convoys departing the hotel from different directions. The true target—Mu Bai—after a simple disguise, was personally escorted by Lei Dong with a select elite squad, riding in two ordinary-looking vehicles with heavily armored interiors, along a carefully plotted route avoiding major surveillance, heading toward a secret small cargo airport outside the city.

Qin Feng and Su Wenqian remained at the hotel as decoys, preparing to depart conspicuously via official channels once Mu Bai's safe arrival at the airport was confirmed.

The convoy moved silently along the slightly deserted suburban road; outside the windows, blurred lights rushed backward. Mu Bai sat in the backseat, pressed against Lei Dong, clutching an unremarkable backpack tightly in his hands—inside it, a copy of his mother's storage device and a few simple clothes. He pressed his lips together, striving to remain calm, but his trembling fingertips betrayed his inner tension.

Lei Dong continuously confirmed the situation via encrypted communication with the lead and rear vehicles and the airport pickup point; everything seemed under control.

Yet, just as the convoy was about to enter the final, relatively isolated stretch of highway leading to the airport, an abrupt change occurred!

"Hssss—!"

A shrill screech of brakes tore through the night! The lead vehicle spun violently, tires grinding against asphalt, sending up blue smoke as it came to a sudden halt in the center of the road! Almost simultaneously, a violent collision and screeching brakes erupted from behind!

"Ambush! Sniper at three o'clock high-rise! Rear vehicle stopped!" The lead guard's urgent shout crackled over the comms, "We're surrounded!"

Lei Dong's eyes sharpened like a hawk's; he slammed Mu Bai's head down: "Get down! Don't look up!"

Through the darkened windows, he saw dozens of masked figures in black tactical gear, armed with automatic weapons, surge from the shadows on both sides of the road—swift, professional, forming a fan-like encirclement. Farther away, on the high-rises, the glint of a sniper scope flashed and vanished.

The firepower was ferocious, the coordination flawless—this was no ordinary gang or local faction! It was a professional team trained in military tactics!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Bullets rained down on the two vehicles, striking the specialized bulletproof glass and hulls with dull, dense impacts, leaving white dents and spiderweb cracks. The vehicles shook violently under the hail of fire.

"Counterattack! Hold the line! Call for backup!" Lei Dong issued his orders calmly, drawing his sidearm, his gaze icy. The guards he brought were elite veterans of the New Era Security Department; though ambushed, they did not panic. Instantly using the vehicles as cover, they engaged the attackers in fierce firefights.

In an instant, gunfire erupted, flashes of fire lit the scene, turning this once-silent stretch into a bloody battlefield.

The attackers' firepower was exceptionally intense, their target clear—most of it concentrated on the vehicle carrying Lei Dong and Mu Bai, clearly knowing the main objective was here.

"Uncle Lei… are they after me?" Mu Bai crouched beneath the seat, listening to the whistling bullets and the groaning glass, his voice trembling with suppressed fear.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here." Lei Dong's voice was steady as a mountain. He fired precise shots, dropping an attacker trying to approach the door, while barking into the comms, "Why isn't support here yet?! We're pinned down!"

"Boss! All three main access roads to this area have had 'accidental' traffic incidents! Support is blocked! It's a meticulously planned ambush!" came the frantic reply over the channel.

Lei Dong's heart sank. The enemy had deployed elite armed forces and mobilized resources for regional traffic control—this scale… it had to be Pandora.

As the battle reached a stalemate, Lei Dong's side barely held on, relying on vehicle performance and personnel skill, but the situation grew increasingly dire—

"Wummm—!"

A low, strange hum suddenly arose, without warning.

The sound was not loud, yet it seemed to pierce through the gunfire, directly affecting everyone's eardrums and nerves.

Immediately, every attacking soldier—ground troops and snipers alike—experienced an extremely brief, nearly imperceptible pause in their movements. As if… their thoughts and bodies had been momentarily frozen.

Though the pause lasted less than half a second, for Lei Dong and his battle-hardened elite, it was enough!

"Now!"

Lei Dong's eyes blazed with sudden light; seizing this fleeting opportunity, he roared: "Full suppression! Assault!"

Though equally stunned by the strange hum and the attackers' sudden stillness, the New Era guards' combat instincts drove them to obey without hesitation! Their firepower surged instantly, exploiting the enemies' momentary lag, dropping several attackers in an instant!

Almost simultaneously, the glint from the sniper scope on the distant high-rise vanished—followed by a muffled thud of a heavy object hitting the ground.

The strange hum also faded away, as if it had never existed.

The battlefield turned in an instant!

The attackers, unprepared for such an inexplicable turn, seemed thrown into confusion—their assault faltered.

Lei Dong did not understand what had just happened, but he would not waste this chance.

"Break out!"

The two battered black cars slammed through the abandoned vehicles blocking the road, engines roaring like wild horses unleashed, bursting through the encirclement and leaving the remaining attackers and chaos behind as they sped toward the airport.

Inside the car, Mu Bai, still shaken, lifted his head, gazing blankly at the rushing night scenery outside, then at Lei Dong, whose face was grim yet held a trace of relief.

"Uncle Lei… what was that sound just now?"

Lei Dong shook his head, his eyes deep: "I don't know. But… we're alive."

He had a hunch, but it was too astonishing—he dared not be certain.

Meanwhile, in the shadow of a building overlooking the battlefield, a man in a plain trench coat, his figure nearly merged with the darkness, tucked away a peculiar metallic device shaped like a tuning fork. He glanced at the fleeing convoy, then at the disoriented attackers, a cold smile curling at his lips, before turning and vanishing soundlessly into the night.

At the same time, in the hotel suite.

Lilith listened to the comms report of mission failure and target escape; her stunningly beautiful face twisted with furious rage, her violet eyes blazing as if spitting fire!

Her meticulously laid kill trap, deploying hidden elite forces and even manipulating traffic control… had failed?! Just as victory was within reach, ruined by a mysterious hum!

She could not understand it. She could not accept it.

"Worthless! A bunch of worthless fools!" She furiously swept the room's furnishings to the floor, shattering them with sharp crashes.

After her outburst, she gasped for breath, staring at the wreckage, her mind returning to Qin Feng's cold gaze, and to the boy who had escaped—Mu Zhaoxue's son.

Failure, jealousy, hatred—negative emotions coiled like venomous snakes, gnawing at her heart.

She suddenly raised her head, facing the empty room—as if Qin Feng stood before her—and with all her strength, spat out a curse dripping with ultimate malice and helplessness:

"Qin Feng… you're a miserable bastard!!"

This curse had nothing to do with facts or logic—it was pure, hysterical emotional release after her plan collapsed again and her dignity was trampled once more.

She hated his strength. She hated his indifference. She hated how he always effortlessly shattered her schemes!

Yet no matter how she cursed, one fact remained unchanged.

Mu Bai, carrying the vital secret, had safely set foot on the path to the New Era.

And she, Lilith, had lost again.