Chen Lishu dodged their attacks with a swift turn, her brow furrowed as she asked, "Before I die, can you tell me who the mastermind behind this is? So I can at least die with understanding!"
A disdainful smile flickered across the man's face as he sneered, "Ask the King of Hell about that after you're dead! Did you think we were fools?!"
Seeing their unyielding stance and efficient movements, Chen Lishu knew she was in trouble. It was unlikely Gu Xingdong would arrive in time. Recalling Officer Hao's words about his brothers outside who would help if she called out in distress, Chen Lishu took a deep breath, choked back her words, and yelled towards the outside, "Help! Murder!"
Hearing Chen Lishu's words, Gu Xingdong's heart skipped a beat. He said anxiously, "Lishu, wait for us, we're coming to save you!"
With that, Gu Xingdong hurried out of the quadrangle.
Watching his retreating back, Mother He's eyes were filled with worry. She tightly gripped Father He's arm and asked, "Will the girl be alright? Why don't you contact your good friend and find a way to get her out?"
Compared to Mother He's urgency, Father He remained relatively calm. "Lishu is in prison; nothing serious should happen. We'll see what Gu Xingdong says when he gets back. After all, this matter has significant implications, and we can't act rashly. Otherwise, it might have an even greater impact on Lishu's reputation!"
----
Meanwhile, at the prison.
The police officers on standby outside rushed to the cell upon hearing Chen Lishu's cries for help.
When he saw the scene inside, his pupils contracted. One of them sternly questioned, "What's going on? How did they get out?"
Immediately, someone reminded him, "Now is not the time to dwell on that! Hurry and save her! You are surrounded, drop your weapons immediately, or don't blame us for being impolite with our own!"
Seeing the arrival of so many people in the cell, one of the three thugs began to get scared. "Brother Chu, we've been discovered. Why don't we surrender?"
The man addressed as Brother Chu cast an icy glare at his two subordinates behind him and said with a gloomy expression, "Surrender? What can a few cops do to us? Besides, your fathers will help smooth things over. But don't say I didn't warn you: if we don't deal with this woman, and our secrets are exposed, don't blame me. Even the Jade Emperor himself might not be able to solve it!"
When the word "secrets" was mentioned, the eyes of the two subordinates became noticeably firmer. They raised their daggers and swiftly lunged towards Chen Lishu's chest.
Chen Lishu wanted to resist. Even though she had learned some self-defense moves from Gu Xingdong, she was still helpless against several burly men. Soon, her hands were restrained, and she could only watch helplessly as the knives descended towards her chest.
"Lishu!"
"You scoundrels!"
"..."
Several voices sounded at the doorway simultaneously. Hearing one of the familiar voices, Chen Lishu opened her eyes and instinctively looked towards the entrance.
Seeing that it was Gu Xingdong, a flicker of hope ignited in her eyes. She cried out, a hint of grievance in her voice, "Xingdong!"
Gu Xingdong looked at the bloodstains on Chen Lishu's clothes and a trace of heartache flashed in his eyes. He pursed his lips, and without a word, snatched the gun from a police officer and aimed at the thugs' hands.
No one had expected Gu Xingdong's actions to be so bold. The three thugs, caught completely off guard, fell to the ground in pain, their mouths agape as they clutched their injured hands and cried, "Dad... Dad, save me! It hurts so much!"
The men standing beside Gu Xingdong looked at their sons' pitiable state, feeling both pained and disappointed. They ran towards their sons with pained expressions, helped them up, and sternly questioned:
"Are you crazy? It's one thing to be unproductive, but now you dare to commit murder. Have I given you too much freedom, only for you to cause trouble?!"
"You good-for-nothings, what were you thinking? Now you're in prison and you dare to kill someone on someone else's turf? Do you have any regard for the law?!"
"You three, tell us honestly, who is the mastermind behind this? If you don't make it clear, then don't blame us for being heartless and abandoning you!"
Facing their fathers' questioning, not a single one of the three thugs dared to utter a sound, only looking at them with wronged expressions.
"Dad, our hands are still bleeding. This isn't the time to discuss such things, is it?"
"Yeah, Dad. Your son is being bullied, shouldn't you stand up for us? Why are you siding with those people now? Am I your son or are they?"
"..."
Gu Xingdong, who had finished examining Chen Lishu's injuries and confirmed they were only superficial, handed her over to Su Nian for care. He then looked coldly at the unrepentant trio of spoiled brats.
Gu Xingdong exuded a chilling aura as he approached them step by step, "It seems you haven't realized the seriousness of this matter at all! You're even thinking about revenge?"
Chu Kuo shivered as he faced the imposing Gu Xingdong. Then, remembering how undignified his involuntary reaction had been, he tried to regain some composure. He straightened up and said coldly, "What are you? Who do you think you are to shout at me in front of my father!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Kuo's head was roughly struck from behind. He turned to look at his attacker with annoyance, but upon seeing it was his own father, he swallowed all his displeasure.
"Whose father are you? You look like your mother spoiled you rotten, and now you don't know your place! Get out of the way and stop being a nuisance." Father Chu impatiently pushed Chu Kuo aside and unhurriedly approached Gu Xingdong.
"Commander Gu, I apologize profusely. I don't know what issue caused the rift between my unfilial son and your wife. The matter doesn't seem to be too serious. How about we each take a step back and pretend nothing happened today? Rest assured, after you take this wicked son back, I will discipline him properly, and this kind of incident will never happen again."
Hearing Father Chu's words, Gu Xingdong's face showed a hint of disdain. He asked meaningfully, "You say today's events should be forgotten? I don't think this can just be written off!
Come here, arrest these three scoundrels. Not only did they escape from prison, but they also assaulted someone in public. This is attempted murder, and I choose to pursue this matter to the end!"
At these words, the atmosphere in the scene fell into silence.