Chapter 68: Swept Into His Arms

Jiang Chen felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

She wanted him to knock her out?

How could he dare?

It wasn’t just a matter of rank—not even with sufficient authority would Jiang Chen ever lay a hand on their leader.

Few would have guessed that Jiang Chen’s position in the First Military District was, in fact, not insignificant. But as the saying goes, a senior rank crushes all beneath it.

But he did not hesitate. He had always prioritized obedience to orders, and before Shen Chaoxi, he could never refuse.

“Yes, Chief!” Jiang Chen responded sharply.

Suddenly, the factory’s outer gates were smashed open.

Countless military police surged inside, weapons raised. Checking the bodies strewn across the ground, they realized the dim warehouse floor was awash with blood.

On the card table sat recently extinguished cigarettes, as if a group had gathered for cards until some abrupt incident forced them away. Each cigarette had only been smoked halfway before being stubbed out on the table.

Looking down, four or five corpses lay sprawled beside the card table. Some had broken arms or twisted necks; others had crashed into the shelving nearby, dying with the back of their heads cracked against its sharp edge. It was clear a fierce battle had just taken place, and these four or five kidnappers had met their ends on the warehouse floor.

Their wounds suggested they’d been killed in a single, sudden assault. Some hadn’t even fired their guns, still clutched in their hands, their throats slit in one swift motion.

Lu Yunzhou surveyed the carnage, as if investigating the site.

He wondered—who could possess such skill?

To kill so cleanly, so swiftly.

Moreover, they’d struck before he and his men arrived, attacking those inside the warehouse.

Why would these people oppose the kidnappers?

It did not seem to be gang warfare.

A shadow of complicated emotion flickered through Lu Yunzhou’s dark eyes.

“Captain Lu, we found them!”

Upon discovering the hostage, Lu Yunzhou and his men rushed upstairs.

The door was broken, and two more bodies lay by the railing.

But when he saw the person tied to the chair, his expression changed dramatically.

“Get her out!” he barked, visibly anxious.

The girl bound to the chair—who else could it be but Shen Chaoxi?

A deep red mark marred the nape of her neck. Her head hung sideways, unconscious.

Lu Yunzhou’s gaze grew cold at first sight.

He lifted his jointed, slender hand, deftly untying the ropes binding her, though the kidnappers had tied complex, stubborn knots.

Dressed in a black uniform, Lu Yunzhou’s pale wrist was exposed as he worked quickly, half-kneeling beside the chair.

Once the ropes were undone, the girl’s white arms were revealed, her dress rumpled but mostly intact.

Lu Yunzhou’s face was grim, his lips pressed in a thin line, his whole demeanor icy and severe. Suddenly, he reached long arms beneath her knees and slender shoulders, lifting her into his embrace.

“Captain! All the kidnappers have been caught!” Lu Fifteen rushed in, only to witness this scene.

His pupils contracted, feet nearly stumbling as he gripped the door frame.

He looked as if he’d just witnessed something extraordinary, shock flooding his eyes.

In the military district, men were known for their decisive, iron-blooded nature. Yet now, for the first time, brows furrowed, Lu Yunzhou cradled a frail girl in his arms.

Lu Fifteen frowned.

What was going on?

Why did he know nothing?

When Lu Yunzhou learned Shen Chaoxi was in danger, Lu Fifteen had hurriedly assembled troops, pinpointed the kidnappers’ location—but he never imagined his captain would treat a hostage so tenderly.

Was he seeing things?

Had he opened the door the wrong way?

Should he try again?

He froze in the doorway, mouth agape in astonishment, staring at those inside.

Lu Yunzhou’s expression remained distant. Carrying the unconscious Shen Chaoxi, he strode up to Lu Fifteen and ordered in a deep voice:

“Search the area. Find out if there are any others here in Blackwater City.”

The four or five bodies downstairs clearly had been killed by another group.

Judging by their state, they hadn’t been dead long.

So someone else had been here before them.

Who were those people?

And what was their purpose?

Why did they kill the kidnappers and then do nothing else?

Earlier, the fleeing kidnappers fired their guns, killing seven or eight, before the rest were captured—among them, a man in a red floral shirt, seemingly their leader.

It appeared this kidnapping was orchestrated by the man in the red shirt, who was now handcuffed and brought before Lu Yunzhou.

“Captain, we’ve got him—it’s this guy!”

Lu Yunzhou’s gaze grew darker: “Take him away.”

“Yes, sir!”

The man in the red floral shirt seemed oblivious to the fact that the girl in Lu Yunzhou’s arms was no longer the Shen Sisi they had originally kidnapped—her face had already changed.

He was led away, and outside Blackwater City, a dozen black police vehicles waited. The remaining kidnappers were escorted aboard, doors slammed shut.

Just then, a subordinate’s voice rang out: “Captain, reporting!”

“Captain! We’ve searched all of Blackwater City—no suspicious persons found!”

Lu Fifteen and his men had scoured the area thoroughly.

Aside from the four or five bodies discovered earlier, no other signs of conflict were found in any of the factories.

Nor had they found the mysterious group from before.

Little did they know, as Lu Yunzhou’s men escorted the kidnappers to the cars, Jiang Chen and his team slipped away beneath Blackwater City, departing through the water tunnels.

Shen Sisi, struck unconscious, would have no idea how she was carried home. If she woke midway, she’d likely faint from fright.

After searching Blackwater City and finding nothing suspicious, Lu Yunzhou ordered his team to withdraw.

The rest was left to the detectives.

After all, kidnappings were their jurisdiction.

The military had its own affairs.

They performed their roles, cooperating as needed—but the soldiers answered directly to Lu Yunzhou.

In the dead of night, Lu Yunzhou cradled the unconscious girl and delivered her to the Shen family.

Birch Garden, midnight. The night was thick and silent all around.

By the time Lu Yunzhou rescued her, word had already reached Old Master Shen.

“Sir, Young Master Lu has returned with the young lady,” the old butler reported.

“Mm,” came the reply.

Old Master Shen sat before a chessboard, brows furrowed in deep contemplation.

His voice was low, his gaze focused, staring intently at the board, never once lifting his eyes.

He told the butler, “You may go.”

His tone betrayed not a hint of worry for his granddaughter.

If the butler hadn’t served him for years, he might assume Shen Chaoxi was adopted.

Even when she’d been kidnapped.

Old Master Shen showed no sign of concern.

If one spoke of anxiety, the butler thought, the last time the old master truly worried was ten years ago.

Now, Old Master Shen would never fret.

Everything was unfolding as he had foreseen.

Adding oil to the fire.

The oil was poured.

Now, all that remained was the right amount of heat.