Pei Ji was in a panic. "You're going alone to lure them away? They'll be in danger, and I can't. My leg is like this, how far can I crawl?"
"No, no, this plan won't work!"
Shen Qingqing stared at him. "Do you have a better plan than this?"
Pei Ji gritted his teeth. "You leave."
As long as Shen Qingqing left, she could definitely find reinforcements to save him. Even if she couldn't make it in time, at least one of them could escape alive.
Shen Qingqing frowned. "According to your plan, my coming here to save you would be completely in vain. If you were already prepared to sacrifice yourself, why would I have come here to let him kill you, and then we could just find him."
Her words rendered Pei Ji speechless.
But he thought about having to climb alone in this desolate wilderness, with no foreseeable path and no way to survive. Even if he escaped safely, he wouldn't be at ease.
Shen Qingqing facing so many fierce men alone, while he escaped by himself, was too difficult for him.
"Listen to me, we don't have time."
Shen Qingqing heard the sounds outside gradually quieting down and knew that the gasoline must have been poured. The next step would be to take the book, and after taking the book, they would set the place on fire.
"Stop dawdling and do as I say. Don't worry about me. Don't forget I still have a bargaining chip."
"This book?"
"Yes," Shen Qingqing nodded. "I won't give it to him easily. I won't explain the details to you, but I have a way to ensure my own safety."
She placed her hands on Pei Ji's shoulders, looking into his eyes with utmost seriousness.
"Pei Ji, in a moment, I'll lead them into the grass on the left. When you go out, head to the right. Don't look back. Go anywhere, but remember not to go onto the open road."
"It's best to find a dense forest or a mountainside with many caves. You don't need to run too far, just find a safe place to hide."
Pei Ji listened intently.
He had only ever been to safe places with many people. Apart from being stranded on a desert island before, he had no experience of being alone in the mountains.
But precisely because he lacked experience, he carefully memorized these words.
"I understand. Go, don't worry about me."
Shen Qingqing patted his shoulder. "I know this is very difficult for you, but now, to survive, we must do our best."
"Okay, what about you? Will you be alright?"
Shen Qingqing smiled and tapped her pocket. "I have something to save my life in here."
"If we both make it back alive this time, you'll be my benefactor."
"We'll talk about these things later," Shen Qingqing said, turning towards the door.
As it happened, Pei Xi was at the door, just about to enter.
"What? Trying to run?"
Shen Qingqing said nothing, walked straight towards him, and when she got close, punched him. Pei Xi staggered, almost falling to the ground.
He held onto the doorframe to steady himself. Blood oozed from the corner of his mouth again, injured from before. He slowly wiped it with his finger, looked at the blood on his fingertip, and said in a low voice, "This is the second time you've injured me."
Shen Qingqing said coldly, "It's light to hit you. Weren't you the one who wanted to burn me to death?"
"So you know everything." Pei Xi grinned, his wound hurting more, the happier he smiled. "But I need to correct you. I didn't want to burn you to death; I wanted to burn him."
His gaze fell on Pei Ji.
Pei Ji met his gaze coldly. Even facing the imminent danger of being burned to death, he showed no fear. "Come if you dare."
"Such a tough mouth. When the fire burns you later, you'll know how much it hurts." Pei Xi suddenly moved like lightning, reaching for Shen Qingqing.
Shen Qingqing did not dodge.
But before stepping out of the door, she glanced back at Pei Ji.
Pei Ji gave a barely perceptible nod.
Shen Qingqing walked out without looking back. As soon as she breathed in the fresh air outside, Pei Xi let out a triumphant smile.
"You..."
Just as she started, Shen Qingqing suddenly lunged at the burly man on the left, knocking him to the ground with a punch. The other three burly men were stunned.
When they reacted, they were all enraged, but before they could act, they hesitated and looked at Pei Xi.
Pei Xi frowned, his eyes sinister. "What are you doing?"
Shen Qingqing said nothing and charged at the other three. Her frenzied attack caught the other three completely off guard.
In the blink of an eye, they were all injured.
Pei Xi grabbed Shen Qingqing's wrist, squeezing it tightly. "What are you doing? Do you want to save that good-for-nothing inside? All by yourself?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Qingqing attacked him.
Pei Xi could only defend, but he quickly realized that her attacks were extremely fierce, showing no mercy. He also stopped holding back.
He said coldly, "All of you, attack her."
The other burly men immediately rushed forward. With five of them attacking together, Shen Qingqing was instantly in danger.
"Boss, kill her?"
Pei Xi paused, dodged a punch from Shen Qingqing, and replied, "No, spare her life."
Everyone immediately understood his meaning and bared their teeth in sinister smiles.
This meant that as long as her life was spared, she could be crippled.
Therefore, they no longer held back and deliberately attacked Shen Qingqing's vulnerable spots.
Shen Qingqing also fought fiercely. Facing these desperate criminals who kidnapped people and tried to silence them, she had no reservations.
She aimed for vital points.
For a time, the five of them were locked in a fierce struggle.
No one noticed that Pei Ji had crawled out of the warehouse at this moment.
He had tried earlier, but he couldn't walk.
Now, he no longer cared about his dignity. This was a path to survival that Shen Qingqing had risked her life for. He would die outside, even if it meant dying!
He absolutely would not die in the warehouse!
Shen Qingqing's fight with them was escalating. As the fight dragged on, no matter how powerful she was, she was still outnumbered.
She was accidentally injured in the shoulder and quickly retreated, creating distance. On the surface, she appeared fine, only breathing slightly faster.
However, her left hand trembled faintly.
At the last moment, she had dodged, or her arm would have been crippled.
The men did not intend to give her a moment to breathe. They exchanged glances, then, with fierce expressions, surrounded her, attacking without any gentleness.
Within a few breaths, Shen Qingqing's arm and back were injured. When she retreated again, she could no longer control her breathing.
Her stamina was rapidly declining. She gritted her teeth and glanced at the grass on the right.
He should have left by now, right?
If this continued, she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
Suddenly, the quiet air was broken by the roar of an engine.