DNSTU Chapter 3. Escape

The long-distance bus from Jiangzhou to Qingshui City was half empty, with passengers scattered sparsely throughout the cabin.

Xiang Ye sat in the middle section of the bus, next to the aisle. On his left sat Song Ling. Across the aisle to his right was Shen Yanzhi. Slightly ahead of him, a little girl with braided pigtails, about five or six years old, kept peeking back at him, both curious and shy. After glancing at him, she would whisper to her grandmother beside her.

“That big brother is so handsome, Grandma. Even more handsome than my deskmate.”

“Yes, he is.”

“Is he a movie star? My classmates say only celebrities can look that good.”

“Don’t be silly. Our little darling is the prettiest one.”

“Then is that big brother sick? His face is really pale.”

Hearing that, the old woman could not help but glance back at Xiang Ye. Seeing that his eyes were closed and he appeared to be resting, she turned back and leaned in to whisper gently to her granddaughter, “Big brother is resting. Let’s not disturb him, alright?”

The little girl immediately covered her mouth and nodded obediently.

It was past five. The sky soon darkened completely, though the rain had eased up a bit. As the bus continued on into the night, many of the passengers began to doze off, including Xiang Ye.

Shen Yanzhi and Song Ling looked at him several times. They still could not quite tell what he was thinking, but now that he was on the bus with them, they let down their guard a little. Xiang Ye was just an ordinary person. It seemed unlikely that he would try anything as drastic as jumping out of a moving bus. They leaned back and rested as well.

The bus soon fell into silence, broken only by the soft snoring of someone seated farther back.

Xiang Ye, of course, was not asleep. He was thinking. Thinking about why Shen Yanzhi and Song Ling had insisted on taking a long-distance bus. Why not a plane or a high-speed train? All three modes of transportation were public and traceable. If they could buy bus tickets, they could obviously buy train or plane tickets too.

What advantage did the long-distance bus offer? A special route? Easier to jump out midway? But if that was the goal, they could have just hired a black-market car.

Xiang Ye had a vague sense that something was off, but he had not been sleeping well for days. Altogether, he had not gotten more than ten hours of rest, and his nerves were stretched to the limit. His mind was so jumbled that he could not make sense of anything.

Without realizing it, a wave of drowsiness crept in. He dozed off for just a moment, but by the time he opened his eyes again, a full fifteen minutes had passed.

The bus was approaching a toll station, just about to enter the highway.

That brief nap made Xiang Ye uneasy. Cold sweat had gathered in his palm. He looked past Song Ling, out the window toward the trees lining the road. The brightly lit toll booth gave him no sense of safety.

In the end, he reached up and opened the window a crack. A cool breeze, laced with fine rain, rushed in and cleared his head at once.

“What’s wrong?” Song Ling asked quietly.

“Hot,” Xiang Ye replied with a single word, then closed his eyes again and ignored her.

Song Ling said nothing more. Xiang Ye had only opened it slightly, there was no way he could jump out, and she was sitting on the window side anyway. There was no need to worry.

She glanced toward Shen Yanzhi and exchanged a subtle look. Her expression remained calm, but under the flap of her bag, her hand seemed to be gripping something tightly, and her body was not nearly as relaxed as it appeared.

Xiang Ye kept his head down, the brim of his cap covering most of his face. But his eyes were quietly open. Taking advantage of the fact that neither of them was looking at him, he caught the subtle tension in her body.

By now, the bus had fully merged onto the highway. As traffic spread out past the toll station, the road was no longer as congested as before.

From time to time, Xiang Ye would “wake up” and gaze absently out the window. One car, two cars, three cars. He began to notice that, starting ten minutes ago, the number of vehicles around them was decreasing.

At this hour, that was not normal.

But Song Ling and Shen Yanzhi seemed completely unaware of any of it, which was not normal either.

Xiang Ye felt as if he had grasped onto something. He stared into the darkness and saw something on a billboard in the distance. Was that… something there?

A vague shape. A person? A shadow from the trees?

Song Ling answered his unspoken question. “They’re here. They still caught up to us!”

Shen Yanzhi immediately leaned toward the window. No one was seated beside him. As soon as he opened the window and stuck his head out, wind came rushing in, drawing irritated complaints from the passengers nearby. But Shen Yanzhi ignored them, eyes locked onto the billboard growing closer ahead.

There were two billboards, one on the left and one on the right. Only then did Xiang Ye realize that there were figures standing on both billboards.

“Don’t be scared, Xiao Ye. Mom will protect you.” Song Ling clutched Xiang Ye’s arm tightly.

But Xiang Ye had no time to worry about Song Ling. At least for now, she and Shen Yanzhi were not going to hurt him. What he really wanted was to see clearly who was following them. Who had been watching him from the shadows?

The two figures stood motionless. As the bus approached, they both raised their arms at the same time. A faint golden light glowed in their hands.

“Specter Net,” Shen Yanzhi said, eyes narrowing.

Song Ling’s expression changed drastically. She sprang to her feet, as if preparing to run with Xiang Ye. But the two shadows had already leapt down from the billboards. The golden lights in their hands stretched and connected in an instant.

The strands of gold whipped through the wind and, in a flash, wove into a massive net that dropped directly over the approaching bus.

The driver had no idea. Neither did the passengers. The bus roared straight through the net, unaware of anything. But to Xiang Ye, it felt like being struck head-on by a crashing wave. His whole body was thrown backward, spinning through the air before he hit the ground hard.

Shen Yanzhi and Song Ling had also been thrown from the bus. All three of them had been ejected. Xiang Ye nearly broke something from the fall. His head throbbed dully, and before he could even get up, he heard Shen Yanzhi’s voice, furious and shocked.

“The Enforcement? Why is it you? I thought you were stationed up north!”

He paused, then said urgently, “Where’s Chu Lian? Why hasn’t he shown himself? Did you do something to him?”

The shadows slowly approached, and Xiang Ye finally got a good look at them. One man and one woman, both tall, and strikingly similar in appearance. The man had a buzz cut. The woman wore a ponytail. Both had sharp, commanding features.

“Chu Lian? What a coincidence. We’ve been looking for him too.” The woman gave a faint smile. Then, from behind her back, she slowly drew a black Tang sword.

In that instant, everything clicked. Xiang Ye realized Shen Yanzhi and Song Ling’s real intention.

They had chosen the slower, more vulnerable long-distance bus on purpose. They wanted to use Xiang Ye as bait, to draw out this Chu Lian and force him to come to the rescue. Even back at the unfinished building, when they were asking about Old Xiang and him, it might have all been about this Chu Lian. But Xiang Ye didn’t know anyone with that surname.

“We’re leaving!” Shen Yanzhi shouted, sensing the danger. He grabbed Xiang Ye and took off running. Song Ling clenched her jaw and stayed behind to cover them, tossing two round objects to the ground as she retreated. Thick fog erupted on contact, cloaking the area.

The man and woman made no move to stop them. Each held a blade, simply watching them flee. A voice floated out from behind like a cold breeze.

“Still relying on cheap tricks. Did you really think we were the only ones here?”

Shen Yanzhi and Song Ling felt a jolt of dread in their hearts and kept running. Xiang Ye, however, could not stop himself from coughing. He had inhaled some of the mist, and his already irritated throat could no longer take it.

He looked up. White fog surrounded them on all sides. The world appeared brighter, yet it was like a maze locking them in, disorienting and directionless. That proved the spheres Song Ling had thrown were no ordinary smoke bombs. Like the Spirit Net, they had to be some kind of specialized tool.

“This way!” Song Ling called from ahead, leading the way. Soon, the fog began to dissipate.

The scenery shifted drastically. The fog seemed to have the power of teleportation, carrying them from the highway to some deserted national road. The area was remote. No road signs, no houses, not even the rain remained. Parked along the roadside were several vehicles, each with someone waiting inside. When Shen Yanzhi and Song Ling appeared, a man in a military-green vest immediately stepped out of one of the cars and asked, “How did it go?”

Shen Yanzhi’s voice was laced with frustration and anger. “We miscalculated, Pei-ge. Chu Lian didn’t show. It was The Enforcement!”

The man called Pei-ge instantly frowned. “Who?”

“The Twin Executioners,” Shen Yanzhi replied.

Song Ling quickly added, “If the Twin Executioners are here, that person can’t be far. The plan’s failed. We need to pull out now.”

She shoved Xiang Ye into Pei-ge’s SUV. Her once-gentle face now carried nothing but cold resolve.

“Xiao Ye, did you see them? Those were the ones sent to capture me. So what if Chu Lian hid you away? They still found us. In their eyes, we are criminals. And that makes you the criminal’s son. For the rest of your life, you will never be free.”

It sounded more like a curse than a warning.

Harsher than anything Old Xiang had ever said.

Xiang Ye had no idea which side was more friendly toward him, if any. Just like he had no idea who Chu Lian was. All he knew was that half his life was already gone. He had always been frail, had not rested properly in days, and now he had been thrown off a moving bus. His hands and knees were scraped raw, and he was likely close to a concussion.

“Go!” Pei-ge ordered. Everyone piled into the vehicles and began a mad dash to escape.

This time, Shen Yanzhi and Song Ling were not in the same car as Xiang Ye. Pei-ge was the one guarding him now. He seemed to be the leader of this group. He looked about thirty-five, thick with muscle like someone from an underground fight ring. He carried the air of a man used to violence.

Xiang Ye, who could not even pass a 1500-meter run, had no intention of trying to fight someone like that. But as the car sped along, he saw yet another figure standing on a road sign ahead.

Again?

If that Spirit Net caught him one more time, his brain was going to explode. He kicked his foot hard against the back of the driver’s seat.

“Turn the fuck around!”

“Sit down!” Pei-ge immediately shoved Xiang Ye back. But it was too late. The wheel had already turned. The car swerved off the national road and plunged into the wheat field beside it, narrowly avoiding another ambush.

The driver jerked the wheel wildly. Thankfully, the SUV’s high suspension kept it steady enough to power through, leaving a crushed trail through the field. But before they could even cross a full acre—

Bang!

The driver was shot in the shoulder.

At such close range, the impact was terrifying. Xiang Ye’s pupils contracted. No matter how bold he was, he had still lived a normal life for over a decade. He had never seen anything like this.

The vehicle flipped onto its side. Pei-ge lost his grip, and both of them were thrown from the car, landing just short of a faceful of mud.

Xiang Ye’s face had gone pitch black. If time could rewind to the day Shen Yanzhi and Song Ling first came to find him, he swore he would stop trying to play it cool and send them straight to the front page of social news.

Two blade-wielders had shown up earlier. And now someone was shooting.

Who the hell was this one?

Xiang Ye gritted his teeth and staggered to his feet. In just those few seconds, the blade-wielding woman had already caught up and was clashing with Pei-ge. Their fight wasn’t wrapped in mystical fog or golden light. It was brutal and direct. Like ordinary humans, but stronger, faster, deadlier. Enhanced bodies, amplified force. Still human, but barely.

Each arc of her blade sent rows of wheat collapsing in its wake.

Under the bleak moonlight, the air was thick with killing intent. The fight had swallowed the field whole.

So this was an ambush.

Hidden deep in the wheat, Xiang Ye held his breath. It was clear now that the fog hadn’t sent them here randomly. It was a targeted drop. They had no idea when Chu Lian might appear or where, so they had chosen a fixed location to spring the trap.

And yet, it wasn’t Chu Lian who showed up. It was the Enforcement.

He watched the chaos unfold and noticed something strange. Despite being outnumbered, the enforcers held their ground. Power on both sides was evenly matched. And he, the supposed bait, was being completely ignored.

Good. Let them keep tearing each other apart.

Without looking back, Xiang Ye slipped into the wheat and disappeared. The dark and the stalks shielded him as he made his way, step by step, back toward the road.

Running had never been his strong suit. Gasping for air, he redialed the number.

Moments later, the generic ringtone rang out in the distance. The sound drifted on the wind, faint but unmistakable. He couldn’t pinpoint where it came from, but it was out there. Real.

Just then, a hand reached out from the roadside ditch and yanked Xiang Ye down. Caught off guard, he plunged halfway into the water. The cold soaked into his wounds, making them sting sharply.

“Shh! It’s me!” Shen Yanzhi held him down by the shoulder to keep him from struggling, whispering urgently, “Xiao Ye, it’s too dangerous here. The Enforcement is ruthless, and even that man has shown up. I’ll get you out first.”

The moment Xiang Ye heard that familiar voice, he knew this was bad. But he had no chance to resist. A heavy slap landed on his back, and before he could react, Shen Yanzhi shoved him into the water.

The suffocating pressure of near-drowning clamped down on his brain, cutting off thought entirely.

In the next moment, the world spun.

With a splash, the force pinning him down suddenly vanished. Xiang Ye gasped in a mouthful of fresh air, but his footing gave way at the same time, and it felt as though he had truly fallen into deep water.

When he managed to take in his surroundings, his heart lurched.

There was no ditch. This was clearly a lake.

And he was right in the middle of it.

Fuck this.

He couldn’t swim.

The choking sensation surged again as he thrashed in the water, sinking fast. Somewhere nearby, a voice rang out, but Xiang Ye could no longer spare the attention to listen.

Fortunately, just as the lake threatened to pull him under, a pair of hands finally reached him and dragged him out, hauling him onto a boat.

Cough… cough, cough

Xiang Ye clung to the edge of the boat, erupting into a fit of ragged coughing.

The two men who had pulled Xiang Ye from the water exchanged a glance. When they saw how pale his face was, a trace of disgust flickered in their eyes. The blond one reached around and tore a sheet of bright yellow talisman paper off Xiang Ye’s back. He glanced at it and said, “Water Step Talisman. Things must have already broken out over there if they’re using this. Not a great sign. So this is the kid Chu Lian’s been hiding? Why does he look so weak?”

“Well, obviously. He’s weak, so they had to hide him,” the other one replied, clapping Xiang Ye on the shoulder like they were old friends. “Hey, tell me, what’s going on back there? Did Chu Lian show up?”

Xiang Ye finally caught his breath. His mind was racing. “Where am I?”

“Qingshui Lake,” said the blond. “Kid, you’re not in Jiangzhou anymore. We’re the ones your parents sent to pick you up. I know you’ve got a lot of questions, but right now, your best option is to cooperate.”

Qingshui Lake. Qingshui City. That was at least two hundred kilometers from Jiangzhou.

Xiang Ye instantly realized he had underestimated everything. If the mist was the first layer of deception, then the wheat field ambush was the second. And this water technique was the final escape route. Whether they managed to lure Chu Lian or not, they had never planned to let Xiang Ye walk free.

Now his phone was gone, and with it, his only way to reach the outside world.

Right. His phone.

Shen Yanzhi and Song Ling had kept a close watch on him to stop him from escaping, but they had not paid any attention to his phone. Did they assume he would try to contact Chu Lian with it?

Then whose ringtone had that been in the wheat field? Someone from the Enforcement, or Chu Lian himself?

Had he actually come?

“I didn’t see Chu Lian, but the Enforcement showed up. And that person was there too.” Xiang Ye chose to tell the truth, watching closely for their reactions.

As expected, the moment he said “the Enforcement,” both of their expressions shifted. And when he added “that person,” their faces turned grim.

“You’re not lying?”

“Do I have any reason to lie?”

Xiang Ye narrowed his eyes. “You two look like you’re really afraid of that person.”

The blond snapped, “Stop asking questions.”

Xiang Ye replied, “You can’t scare me. I just want my parents to be safe. I’ve only just reunited with them. If you can’t bring them back, then everything I know stays with me.”

“You don’t know shit—” the other man started, but the blond held him back. He shot Xiang Ye a hard glance, but said nothing more.

Xiang Ye watched coldly from the side.

Everything about this situation reeked of the supernatural, but it did not seem like these people had any special means of extracting information. Nothing like the soul-searching methods often shown in films. If they had that kind of ability, they would not have needed Shen Yanzhi and Song Ling to get close to him and try to win him over with conversation. Now that Xiang Ye had asked them to ensure his parents’ safety, it meant the emotional angle still had value. They would not risk acting rashly. At least for now, he was safe.

As for how they planned to fight the Enforcement, and what the outcome might be, Xiang Ye had no energy to think about it. Old Xiang had once told him during a game of chess: when the waters are muddy enough, you can find a way to survive.

Soon, the two men paddled the boat to shore and took Xiang Ye into a car. He glanced at the dashboard clock.

It was 6:53 p.m.