novelraw Chapter 177 is not good enough.
Chapter 177 is not good enough.
"Li Fengche." Gu Yanshen called his name, his tone icy, "Do you know why you can't win?"
Li Fengche remained silent.
His fingers clenched something tightly in his sleeve, his eyes fixed on Gu Yanshen, like a snake cornered against a wall.
"Because you're too afraid of losing." Gu Yanshen took a step forward, his leather shoes making a soft clattering sound on the broken glass. "So you're always testing me. Testing who I care about, testing where my weaknesses are, testing whether I'm really not afraid of death. You've spent so much time testing, but you've forgotten to do the most important thing."
He took something out of his pocket. It was small, gleaming a dim yellow light under the emergency light—it was a key. The one Song Kexin had given him.
Li Fengche's expression changed drastically. His face was drained of color under the dim light, making the bruises on his cheekbones appear even more gruesome. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but only a dry, gasp escaped his throat.
"You think I'm here to rescue someone today?" Gu Yanshen put the keys into his pocket, his voice as indifferent as if he were talking about something trivial. "I'm here to pick something up."
The sound of orderly footsteps came from outside the door. Not just a few people, but dozens. The sound was heavy and dense, like some large, ferocious beast slowly approaching in the darkness.
The people he arranged didn't even let in a whisper.
He greatly underestimated Gu Yanshen.
The sound of shattering glass came from all directions—not just one window, but all of them. The emergency lights flickered violently a few times, went out, and then came on again. In the alternation of light and darkness, countless dark figures climbed in through the windows and surged into the corridor.
Lin Chen stood at the doorway, behind him were fully armed men. Black tactical gear, headsets, and bulging outlines at their waists. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, like a precisely operating machine, instantly sealing off every exit of the hall.
Li Fengche's face turned pale. It wasn't the paleness of fear, but the fading of anger at its peak. His fingers trembled, not from fear, but from the realization that he had finally fallen for their trap.
He lunged forward, trying to reach the nearest exit. But Gu Yanshen was faster. No one saw how Gu Yanshen moved. They only saw his arm, like a black lightning bolt, move across Li Fengche's throat, twisting it behind his back and clamping it tightly. Li Fengche was pulled backward and slammed heavily to the ground. His back hit the marble floor with a dull thud.
Li Fengche struggled to get up, but Gu Yanshen's knee was already pressed against his chest. In that instant, Li Fengche saw Gu Yanshen's eyes. There was no anger, no hatred in those eyes, only a calmness more terrifying than death. That calmness told Li Fengche—this person didn't care about anything. He didn't care about his own life, he didn't care about the other person's life, he didn't care about anything.
Because Li Fengche was unaware that the people he cared about were already safe.
Gu Yanshen's weakness is no longer in this hall.
So now he's willing to risk his life.
A muffled sound came from Li Fengche's throat. He wasn't begging for mercy; he was laughing. The laughter was squeezed out of his crushed trachea, hoarse and broken, yet carrying a dying madness.
"Gu Yanshen, so what if you surround me?" His voice suddenly rose, sharp as metal scraping against glass. "I'll make Song Zhihe pay with her death!"
His hand shot into his collar, pressing a button hidden inside. It was the button for a detonator, one he'd prepared long ago. One press, and the explosives hidden in the building would—
Nothing happened.
There was no explosion, no fire, no deafening roar.
The only sounds were the low hum of the emergency lights and the rustling of the wind through the withered grass in the distance.
Li Fengche was stunned. He pressed it again. Still, nothing happened.
"You think you're still live-streaming? And you can detonate bombs?" Gu Yanshen's voice came from above, as soft as if he were explaining something very simple to an ignorant child.
Li Fengche's pupils contracted violently.
"Li Fengche, have you forgotten—" Gu Yanshen leaned down, close to his ear, his voice so low that only he could hear, "Lin Chen is one of the top computer experts in the country."
Li Fengche froze. He remembered the fleeting moments when the lights went out, the figures who had climbed in through the windows, and the unassuming black box Lin Chen had held in the doorway. It wasn't a walkie-talkie. It was a signal jammer. From that moment on, all his networks, all his signals, all his trump cards, were no longer his.
Gu Yanshen straightened up and looked down at him. His gaze was like that of someone looking at a specimen nailed to an autopsy table, filled with scrutiny and contempt, but devoid of fear.
"You think I'm afraid of you?" His voice was soft. "With just a few of you, in this situation, what do I have to be afraid of?"
He glanced at Song Zhihe, who was huddled in the corner, then looked back at Li Fengche. "Didn't you say that women can't threaten me at all? I dared to come, so I'm certain I can leave." He paused, a very faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, a smile without any real joy, only a chilling certainty. "You—aren't qualified."
Li Fengche's face was expressionless. His eyes were fixed on the emergency light on the ceiling, the light flickering like a heart about to go out. He finally understood. From beginning to end, he wasn't the hunter. He was the bait. From the moment he sent out the first photo, from the moment he set this trap, he had been the bait. Gu Yanshen came not to save Song Zhihe, not to put on some act of devoted love. He was waiting. Waiting for him to reveal all his cards, waiting for him to gather all his forces here.
Then, a fatal blow.
Gu Yanshen tightened his grip, choking Li Fengche's throat. Li Fengche's breath was cut off, his face turning purple, his hands futilely trying to pry the hand off. But the hand was like an iron clamp, completely immovable. The others moved as well. Well-trained figures pounced on each of Li Fengche's men behind him, their movements clean and swift, making almost no extra sound. A few muffled groans, a few cracking sounds of bones dislocating, and several men were already pinned to the ground.
"take away."
Gu Yanshen released his grip and stood up. He turned and walked towards Song Zhihe, who was curled up in the corner. His steps were steady, and the wind from his coat made the broken glass on the ground rustle. Behind him, he heard the sound of Li Fengche being pressed to the ground, but he didn't turn around.
He walked up to Song Zhihe, squatted down, and extended his hand.
"Are you alright?" His voice softened, as if he were comforting someone who had been frightened. His fingers touched the back of Song Zhihe's hand and gently squeezed it.
His gaze swept over the closed door. Behind the door was a corridor. At the end of the corridor was a garage. In the garage, she was no longer there.