Chapter Twenty-Two: The Damn Woman

After Xiao Qi uttered such words, Mo Lan still refused to pay her any mind. Someone as brainless as her had no business being in a place like this. To stoop to arguing with her would only lower one's own dignity.

In the end, the rough emerald was sold for 1.8 billion to a wealthy tycoon. There had been many competitors; even the elder of the Mo family had wanted to buy it, though he only bid once, at 1.3 billion, before withdrawing from the contest. After all, such a vast expenditure would affect the family's finances.

The tycoon wanted to inspect the stone, so the lights suddenly dimmed. Only the area around the emerald remained illuminated. In that moment, everyone saw the vibrant green—almost as though the whole stone was suffused with that color. It was truly beautiful.

But at that instant, gunfire erupted.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Chaotic shots rang out from all directions; it seemed many people had already fallen. The circuit breaker had apparently been destroyed—none of the lights came back on.

Screams filled the air.

“Run! It’s a robbery!”

“Someone’s dead!”

“Help!”

“Don’t kill me!”

Women shrieked, men fled in all directions. Mo Lan and Qian Yin, along with their three companions, furrowed their brows in alarm. What was happening? How could such a major event be targeted by robbers? Was the emerald their aim?

“Xiao Fan, hurry and take Grandpa and Father out. Be careful.” She had expected only Leng Xue to cause trouble, but now others were after the stone as well, so Qian Yin couldn’t leave; she had to stay and help.

Mo Fan understood, immediately responding and retreating quickly. He found his direction amidst the chaos, spotted his grandfather and father, and rushed toward them, knocking over many people in his haste.

“Grandpa, Dad, let’s get out of here. Sister will handle this.” Mo Fan used his phone’s flashlight to illuminate a small area, dragging the two men as they ran.

“Will those two be alright?” The Mo family elder muttered, but, helpless, let himself be pulled away.

Many had already escaped, while others lay sprawled on the ground, the tang of blood thick in the air. Qian Yin found the dress especially cumbersome and tore it to her knees with a loud rip. Mo Lan did likewise. An Feng was astonished—these two women, when ruthless, cared for nothing.

Xiao Qi, usually brash, felt that now was the moment to maintain her ladylike image, so she wasn’t as rough. She carefully hid beside An Feng, hoping he would protect her.

An Feng, though frowning deeply, was quite displeased with this tagalong, but in such circumstances, protecting one’s companions was crucial.

Qian Yin tried to approach the emerald, but a hand snatched it before she could, and in the darkness, it was impossible to see who it was. A bullet whizzed past her cheek; had she not dodged swiftly, she would have been shot in the face.

“Damn it!”

Despite the confusion, Qian Yin calmly pursued the thief.

Elsewhere, Mo Lan fared little better. With people everywhere, she dared not fire recklessly. She knocked down several gunmen in black with her fists, unable to see their faces, striking them again and again until her hands throbbed.

Xiao Qi and An Feng were also fighting the gang of robbers. So far, they hadn’t encountered Leng Xue.

There were forty or fifty attackers, most already subdued, when the lights finally came back on.

The person holding the emerald wore a black mask, his face obscured, but he seemed to be the leader. The police had already been alerted, and the building was surrounded.

The officers shouted, “You’re surrounded! Drop the item and spare your lives!”

Those wounded had already discarded their guns; only four or five remained, trembling with pistols in hand. Yet the leader kept his weapon, his gaze wary as he surveyed the crowd.

An Feng, Qian Yin, and Mo Lan were closest to the masked leader.

At this moment, Leng Xue appeared, impeccably dressed in a suit, strikingly handsome, and conspicuously unarmed. This caused others to lower their guard against him, but Leng Xue made no move.

“Vice Captain Mo Lan, aren’t you going to act?” Xiao Qi hurried to Mo Lan’s side, waving her pistol at the masked man. In her panic, she shoved Mo Lan forward.

Caught off guard, Mo Lan was pushed toward the masked man, who struck her with the emerald and seized her, twisting her neck.

The blow from the stone hurt, and the grip on her neck left Mo Lan’s face flushed and red. To those unaware, it seemed Xiao Qi’s action was unintentional. Qian Yin's expression grew cold. That damned woman—once this incident passed, she would be the first to pay.

“Let us go, or prepare to collect your vice captain’s corpse.” The man’s raspy voice sounded damaged, as though deliberately disguised.

“Don’t worry about me, just catch him,” Mo Lan managed to say, her face crimson and veins bulging, evoking sympathy.

Qian Yin grew anxious; in such chaos, it was easy to accidentally harm Mo Lan. Yet letting the man escape was infuriating—he dared lay hands on Mo Lan and still hoped to get away?

Qian Yin calculated: only three steps away. If she moved quickly, she’d reach him in around ten seconds, but if she rushed, she might simply offer herself as a hostage.

The masked man kept a close watch on the crowd. When he saw Qian Yin, his expression twisted—a terrifying look, oddly familiar.

“Three, two, one,” Qian Yin silently counted, then darted forward, knocking both the emerald and the masked man to the ground.

Mo Lan was thrown to the side, thankfully now far from the man. Qian Yin was now closest to him. He aimed his gun at her face, his expression crazed, though his hand visibly trembled—not clear if it was from the impact or from fear.

It all happened so quickly, no one else had time to react. The situation had changed in the blink of an eye.

Mo Lan caught her breath and, seeing that Qian Yin was now the hostage, felt a deep sense of guilt, as well as profound disgust for Xiao Qi—there had been no need for this. It was all that damned woman’s fault.

“Are you going to let me leave or not? You have three seconds to decide, or I’ll shoot. At least I’ll take one down with me.” The man’s voice rang out again.