Chapter Eighty-Four

  The breathing on the other end of the phone suddenly became rapid and urgent.

  "What did you say?" Li Yi Heng's voice was even calmer than his, "Don't be afraid, speak clearly, I'm listening."

  Lí Jǐn turned the steering wheel to avoid the vehicle in front, trying to keep himself brief: "My car's brakes failed and I couldn't stop. But this car had just been serviced a few days ago, it's impossible for it to fail. Just now, I noticed a car following me from behind, I suspect someone tampered with my car, wanting to kill me in an accident."

  Li Yiheng didn't ask why someone wanted to kill him, nor did he ask any unnecessary questions. He simply said in a cold voice, "Where are you now?"

  "I'm going to Xiyu Mountain Villa on the West Sixth Ring Road for a meeting, and I'm currently on the auxiliary road of the Fifth Ring Road, near Jijiayuan Village." Lei Jin added, "I'll be getting on the Fifth Ring Road soon."

  "Don't get on the Fifth Ring Road, continue driving on the auxiliary road." Li Yiheng said, "Keep talking, I'll be right there."

  With these words from him, Li Jin immediately felt at ease.

  The moment the phone call connected, even he himself was surprised that when faced with danger, his first thought would be to contact this person.

  Didn't ask for help from Luo Fei, didn't ask for help from Qi Yichen, didn't ask for help from Bei Fuming, but instead asked Li Yiheng.

  Is it just because Li Yiheng has a keen eye that he can help himself in the shortest time?

  No, he knew it wasn't just that...

  But he himself can't make it clear why.

  "Li Yi Heng," he cleared his throat, forcing himself not to get distracted at this critical moment. "This thing doesn't feel right. If they wanted me dead, there's no need for them to follow me in a car from behind and expose themselves. Even if I didn't die, disguising it as an accident would have implicated them. But instead, they're following me..."

  "I got it," Li Yiheng cut him off, seemingly moving around with unstable breathing. "Don't think about those things, focus on driving. What you need to do now is control the direction well and protect yourself before I arrive. Listen to me, first lift up the handbrake, then step on the accelerator..."

  "I knew..." Lei Jin took a deep breath and followed the steps as he said, and indeed, after another daring dash across an intersection, the car's speed slowed down.

  "How is it?" came Li Yi Heng's voice from the other end of the line, accompanied by the sound of a car engine starting up. He seemed to be already in his car and on his way over.

  "Slow down, let me try again..."

  The car suddenly jolted violently.

  The tire rolled over a huge pothole, the car lost its balance, and at high speed, it uncontrollably veered to one side. Li Jin hurriedly reached out to grab the steering wheel to maintain balance, but his phone was unstable in his hand and flew out, getting stuck in the gap between the seats.

  At the speed they were going, it was futile for Li Jin to try and correct their direction. The car had been traveling at an unbearable high speed for too long and was already on the verge of collapse. To make matters worse, a truck suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking their path. The road was narrow, leaving Li Jin with no room to maneuver.

  What's going on? What's going on!

  Crashing into it would certainly result in destruction of the vehicle and loss of life. Is there any way to dodge this blow...

  No choice but to give up!

  The wrist turned sharply, and the car also made an unbelievable turn, and Li Jin actually manipulated the car to crash directly into the utility pole!

  In the blink of an eye, all I saw was the utility pole by the side of the road getting closer and closer...

  Boom!

  A loud crash, the car smashed into a sturdy utility pole, sparks flying everywhere. The broken utility pole hit Li Jin's car, shattering the windshield and even denting the roof. The hood of the car was completely flipped open, with gasoline spilling all over the ground, filling the air with a pungent smell.

  In the smoke and dust, Li Jin struggled to turn his neck. When the impact occurred, the airbag popped out, pinning him tightly to the seat, although he survived, but was also dazed. His internal organs felt like they had been punched by something, and were all mixed up together like mud. He tried hard to open his eyes, but his vision was blurry, and the flying glass debris scratched his face, creating countless tiny wounds that bled profusely, and every time he opened his eyes, blood flowed into them, causing a sharp pain.

  At least... I'm still alive.

  His limbs were in severe pain and numbness, as if they didn't belong to him. He relied on his memory before the collision to reach for his phone, but before he could even lift his fingers, the light in front of him was suddenly blocked.

  The next moment, someone grabbed his shoulder and roughly dragged him out of the car.

  Li Jin subconsciously stretched out his hand to grab something, but the man's strength was incredibly great, as if he were pulling a sack of rice, and with a burst of force, he dragged Li Jin outward. Li Jin's legs were stuck between the cars, and the other party's dragging would not be smooth, so he became even more enraged, using all his might to drag him with his arm.

  Sharp heartache!

  His leg felt like it had been ripped off, and Li Jin broke out in a cold sweat, narrowly avoiding fainting on the spot.

  In a daze, it seemed like someone came to check on him, he was in so much pain that he couldn't speak or move, and could only let the other person do as they pleased. The light in front of him was completely blocked out, and a person with an accent spoke softly: "Big brother, you're not dead."

  Someone snorted, the sound as if their tongue had been cut in half, unclear but full of murderous intent: "I knew those incompetent things didn't have the guts to kill people. It's good that he didn't die, anyway, the boss said, whether dead or alive, just bring the person back to him, and he'll take care of it himself."

  Li Jing's body trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes. In the corner of her eye, she saw that the phone had fallen between the seats, its screen shattered, but the red light indicating an ongoing call still flickered unceasingly.

  Li Yiheng is still listening.

  He bit his tongue and the metallic taste of blood in his mouth brought him back to his senses, momentarily ignoring the excruciating pain. He looked up and asked, "Who... who are you? Why do you want to... kill me?"

  Surrounded by three men, Li Jin looked through the gap in the crowd to a distance, as if there were still people standing on the other side, blocking the passing car owners from coming over to understand the situation.

  The one with the single eyebrow, with a very high brow bone, had an especially cruel look when he raised his eyebrows. He squatted down and smiled at Li Jin in a friendly manner, saying softly: "Then you can go to the underworld and ask King Yan who you offended and who wants to take your dog life!"

  After finishing speaking, he kicked Li Jin's rib with one foot, and watched with satisfaction as Li Jin convulsed a few times before thoroughly fainting from pain. Then, he ordered his men to carry him onto the carriage and left without looking back.

  The phone call ended with just a dial tone left.

  Li Yiheng's fingers clenched tightly, his thin mobile phone almost being pinched in half.

  Li Jin was taken away...

  His brain was completely shut down for a long time, leaving only this cruel cognition, which was carved into Li Yiheng's mind one knife at a time.

  Lin Xing turned around and looked at Li Yiheng with concern.

  This was the first time she had seen such a flustered expression on Li Yiheng's face since Ke Yuan's car accident.

  Last time she was privately stopped by Li Jin, she was deducted two months' salary by Mr. Li, a minor punishment for a major warning. Originally, there was still some injustice in her heart, but at this moment, looking at Mr. Li's appearance, she suddenly put away all her thoughts.

  It is enough to be anxious about this, no need to say more.

  "Mr. Li," Lin Xinyin thought carefully, linking Li Yi's previous reactions, and had already guessed roughly, so she asked tentatively, "Our people are going to Li Jin's place, do you think it is..."

  "Let them continue to pass, and rush to protect the scene before the police arrive. Also, give Captain Wang of the police station a call, just say that I'm asking him for a personal favor, hoping that the police won't intervene first." Li Yiheng loosened his grip on the phone, Lin Xin noticed that his palm was bright red and swollen, because he had used too much force, and had actually pressed the phone's recesses into his flesh. "Old Zhang, hurry over within 15 minutes."

  The driver's shoulders shook, silently accepting the impossible task. He floored it, and the high-performance car roared like a giant dragon through the city streets.

  Lin Xing took the lead and turned his head to make a low-voiced call to Captain Wang of the police station. Li Yiheng took a deep breath, turned his head, and silently gazed at the scenery outside the window.

  A moment later, he bowed his head and dialed the number.

  "It's Li Yiheng," the phone was answered a second before it would have gone to voicemail, and Li Yiheng didn't give the other party a chance to speak, taking the initiative to ask, "Shu Mu, has Lei Jin disappeared? Is this your doing?"

  The other end of the phone was silent for three seconds, then burst out laughing with a hint of sarcasm: "Li Yiheng, are you crazy? Li Jin is missing and you report to the police, why come find me? Am I very familiar with Li Jin? Why should I catch him?"

  Although Li Jin's actions were frequent, he had always been kind to people. In the past six months, there were only a few people who had turned against him, and even fewer who dared to take his life.

  "Whether it's you, Shu Mu, or Li Jin, someone has been kidnapped." The more anxious he was, the calmer Li Yiheng's voice became, just like the calm surface of the sea before a storm. "I believe that whoever kidnapped him is only temporarily out of their mind, so, one hour - if I don't see him within an hour, then anyone who is suspicious, I won't let off a single one!"

  He didn't give Shu Mu any chance to explain and hung up the phone decisively after finishing speaking.

  The temperature inside the carriage suddenly dropped, and although the heating was sufficient, the driver inexplicably felt cold. He glanced at Lin Xin beside him, who had already asked for this favor from Captain Wang, but her eyes flickered as if she too feared Mr. Li's anger, hesitating to turn around and report back.

  Li Yiheng didn't stop at making one call, he made another. This time, the waiting time was very short, and as soon as he dialed, the other party picked up.

  "Hello Mr. Chiang, I am Li Yiheng." This time, Li Yiheng's voice was no longer as cold as it had been just now, and could even be described as warm and friendly.

  It seems that he also flattered a couple of sentences, Li Yi Heng's face showed a smile with not much emotion, saying: "Indeed, there is an unpleasant request. I have a friend who has gone missing, and I hope to borrow Mr. Jiang's power to help me investigate..."

  Lin Xing stared blankly at Li Yi Heng's face in the rearview mirror, his cold and detached smile.

  Mr. Chiang...

  If I'm not mistaken, could it be...

  For a moment, thoughts flashed through his mind, and a place in his brain that had always been obscure suddenly lit up.

  Lin Xing suddenly felt that she had followed this man for over a decade, yet had never truly understood him.