Upon hearing that the Public Security Bureau was on its way, the Mountain Lion Gang realized they didn't have time to grab more hostages. Their first instinct was to flee.
But Jane stopped Razor and proposed they switch to a more valuable hostage—pointing toward Ellen, who stood not far away.
Ellen frowned slightly, picking up a steel bar from the construction site floor, ready to fight the Mountain Lion Gang again.
Dog King turned excitedly toward Sam Li. "No, we should switch to that kid with the birdcage. Razor, give me thirty seconds!"
At the same time, the girl already taken by the gang began screaming for help. "Help… please, Ellen, save me!"
Before she could say another word, a gang member covered her mouth.
Ellen gripped the steel bar tighter, about to charge forward to rescue her classmate—only to be stopped by Sam Li.
Sam Li said calmly, "Leave it to me."
Then, he slowly stepped toward the gang. "The Public Security Bureau is almost here. Let her go, and you might still have a chance to escape."
But Razor just burst out laughing. "So what? Those useless guys? I could crush them with one hand."
With that, Razor lifted the kidnapped girl in front of him with one arm. "You want to save her, don't you? Then trade yourself for her."
Ellen immediately turned to Sam Li. "Don't!"
But Sam Li gave a faint smile. "Perfect. That's exactly what I had in mind."
At such close range, if Sam Li had decided to act, he could have easily taken down Razor and saved the girl.
But rescuing the hostage wasn't his only goal—he wanted to bring down the entire Mountain Lion Gang.
The group in front of him was just a fraction of the gang. If they were taken out now, the rest would scatter.
But if he went along with them, he could find where the whole gang was hiding—then take them all down at once.
With that thought, Sam Li, still carrying the birdcage, slowly walked toward Razor.
Seeing how readily Sam agreed, Ellen grew increasingly anxious. She wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.
Razor, Dog King, and Jane were all caught off guard. None of them expected Sam to agree so easily.
Dog King lit up with excitement. "Boss Razor, grab this kid!"
He was the first to rush forward, about to strike Sam Li—but Jane stopped him.
"Now's not the time," Jane warned.
Dog King growled, "You again? Get out of my way..."
He was just about to make a move when—
Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and Seth finally arrived on the scene.
As soon as they got there, Zhu Yuan saw Sam Li being held by the gang and immediately pulled out her handgun, aiming it at them. "Drop your weapons and surrender—now!"
Qingyi also spotted Sam and was visibly surprised.
She hadn't expected to find him here—let alone see him taken by the Mountain Lion Gang. Given Sam's strength, these thugs shouldn't have stood a chance.
But just as things came to a head...
One of the gang members hurled a smoke grenade to the ground before Zhu Yuan or Qingyi could react.
In an instant, thick smoke engulfed the entire area.
Zhu Yuan shouted, "Damn it, they're making a run for it! Qingyi, Seth—stop them!"
Before the words were even out, Qingyi and Seth were already charging in.
Seconds later, as the smoke began to clear, Zhu Yuan scanned the area in a panic.
The Mountain Lion Gang was gone—along with Sam Li and the other hostage.
They'd broken their word. The girl hadn't been released.
Zhu Yuan frowned deeply. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
According to intel, the Mountain Lion Gang's target had been workers near the old construction site Hollow—but now they were targeting students.
And Sam Li, who shouldn't even have been here, had suddenly appeared on the scene.
They'd warned him in advance.
Zhu Yuan urgently said, "We need to go after them—now!"
But just then, Qingyi's voice came from behind. "Don't panic. They're not getting far."
Zhu Yuan quickly turned and saw Qingyi stepping out from behind a container, dragging a captured gang member.
She had taken advantage of the smoke to nab him. The smoke might have blocked her vision, but it couldn't fool her other senses.
Zhu Yuan immediately began interrogating the captive on the spot.
From him, they learned that the Mountain Lion Gang had a nearby base where they were supposed to regroup.
Hearing this, Zhu Yuan issued an order. "Seth, notify the other squads—we need backup."
Then the team headed straight for the gang's hideout, hoping to rescue Sam Li and the other hostage in time.
Ellen soon caught up.
Seth said quickly, "Miss, don't get involved. We're tracking down dangerous criminals."
Ellen snapped, "Not your concern. I'm going to rescue Sam Li."
Qingyi smiled. "Let her come, Seth. Who knows—she might come in handy when it counts."
With the information they'd extracted, the group rushed toward the Mountain Lion Gang's base.
Seth said seriously, "They've taken two hostages. Let's hope they're safe."
Ellen, for once, showed a rare look of concern. "I hope Sam Li's okay."
Qingyi glanced at her with a smile. "Don't worry. Those thugs pose no threat to Sam. If anything, we should pray he doesn't go overboard and wipe them all out."
When she first saw Sam captured, Qingyi had also been confused.
But seeing how calm he looked, it suddenly made sense.
Being taken was probably part of Sam's plan all along.
As she ran, Qingyi sighed, "Won't be long before we're handing Sam another commendation!"
Seth, meanwhile, had no idea what she was talking about. He just wanted to stop the criminals and protect the hostages.
"Senior Qingyi, please focus—the hostages could be in danger at any moment!"
Qingyi immediately picked up speed. "You're right. Sam's not part of the Bureau. If we're late and he kills every last one of them, we'll have a real mess to clean up."
Seth was completely lost. "??????"
Who the hell was Sam Li?
Was he a gang member? Or that young man who got kidnapped?
At the same time, on the other side of the old construction site Hollow...
Razor, Dog King, Jane, and the rest had arrived at their hideout in an unfinished building—bringing Sam Li and the other hostage with them.