Chapter 536

• “Thanks.” Yang Ruoxi breathed the word, eyes drifting to the deep night sky. A sudden wave of loneliness hit her—emptiness yawning inside. She missed Qin Fei. He was often cocky, unpredictable as hell. But when he stood beside her, she felt safe. Like even if the sky fell, he’d hold it up for her. She was lost in those thoughts when the museum’s front door let out a creaking groan. Reflex kicked in—Yang Ruoxi raised her gun. Chu Huandong frowned, watching a slit in the doorway as a thick white mist rolled out, alive, squirming its way into the middle of the courtyard. The nightmare had come to life. Hair prickled along Yang Ruoxi’s spine. Her finger settled on the trigger, ready to shoot. She wasn’t afraid to die—this thing was just too damn weird. “Who’s there, stop with the creepy tricks!” Chu Huandong bellowed, already in the courtyard, his palm slashing straight into the fog. Thud! A muffled boom. The fog surged, then pushed back like kneaded dough. But cold flashes flickered inside, forcing Chu Huandong to retreat a step. “Captain Yang, go first!” He realized this fog wasn’t easy to mess with. If someone was hiding inside, his mid-stage Saint-level strength should’ve exposed them with one strike. But the fog didn’t react at all. Only possibility: the one inside was stronger than him. Swish, swish... Chu Huandong darted fast, dodging hard. Deep cracks carved into the pillar behind him. Those museum pillars were ironwood—axes and blades barely nicked them. Word was, even a big blaze couldn’t burn ironwood down. Yet those cold streaks nearly split the pillar open. Yang Ruoxi, a cop to the core, knew it was dangerous, but she wasn’t about to abandon Chu Huandong and run. She snapped the trigger. Crisp gunshots cracked. The muzzle spit fire, bullets screaming toward the fog. The fog didn’t take the bullets head-on. It rippled through the yard, drifting, sliding—then floated right up to Yang Ruoxi. A blade of light flashed. With a sharp crunch, the jade pendant at her neck shattered into dust. From her chest to her shoulder blade, a deep gash tore open. Blood surged out in an instant. “Captain Yang, you okay?” Chu Huandong blurred forward and caught her, eyes locked on the fog. His right hand gathered a milky-white glow. The Chu clan had a signature move—compressing spiritual energy, kind of like a true-qi bomb from a dual cultivation sect. The denser the energy, the bigger the punch. Seeing Yang Ruoxi hurt, Chu Huandong didn’t hesitate. He drained his own spiritual energy, compressing it to the limit. Blood touched his lips as he roared and hurled the blast at the fog. Boom... A thunderous crash. Wind ripped across the ground. The fog shredded in an instant. A black figure with a covered face sprang up, tapped the ground twice, and vanished over the museum wall. Right then, Qin Fei was dead asleep in the hotel. He’d gone out with Jiang Shiyun for the evening, came back, showered, then the two tangled in bed again. But the phone on the nightstand started ringing hard. Qin Fei blinked awake, grabbed it, and saw the caller—Yang Guoming. He got up, walked into the bathroom, shut the door, answered, and kept his voice down. “Dad, it’s late. What’s up?” “Xiao Fei, it’s bad—Xixi got into trouble in the state capital!” Yang Guoming’s voice shook with panic on the other end. “Dad, what happened?” Qin Fei’s chest tightened. When Yang Ruoxi left, he’d given her that jade pendant with a protection charm. With that, she shouldn’t be in danger. “I don’t know either. Director Zhang called me—said Xixi’s in the ICU.” Yang Guoming sounded close to tears. She was their only girl. If something happened to her, how were the two of them supposed to go on?