Chapter 95: The Club

Qin Qing was of no help in fixing the truck.

She found a relatively clean spot to sit down, closed her eyes, and began adjusting her state.

This forced march had truly worn out her usually lazy cells.

It was fine when she stayed on her feet, but once she relaxed, the soreness in her legs came crashing in like a tidal wave.

Qin Qing endured the pain, and also resisted the urge to pay too much attention to Yang Zhongjiao.

Zhao Fei was the same—he simply sat not far from Yang Zhongjiao so he could respond at any time, but otherwise treated him no differently than anyone else.

Soon enough, he had become familiar with most of the people stuck in the pipeline, while the taciturn Yang Zhongjiao seemed more like the one being ignored.

This had been Luo Yuan’s plan from the very beginning.

He had considered every possible scenario and laid out thorough responses.

Now, they were simply following orders.

Given the current situation, it was best for Yang Zhongjiao to blend into the crowd.

Everyone had packed and was ready, just waiting for Luo Yuan’s command.

An hour and a half later, the man with glasses came to notify them they could depart.

People surged forward in a scramble to climb out of the opening.

Yang Zhongjiao was tripped by someone in the rush and nearly fell.

Luckily, a student supported him, and Xiao Luo also reached out to steady Yang Zhongjiao’s suitcase.

One of the students, with a short fuse, opened her mouth to curse.

Xiao Luo raised a hand to stop her. “Forget it, shimei. We still have to travel together. The less trouble, the better. If we make a scene, it’ll be hard for Senior Brother Yang too.”

The girl shot him a glance. “Always playing the good guy. So you’ll be the good guy while the teacher gets slighted, huh?”

“Shimei, you know that’s not what I meant.”

The “Senior Brother Yang” he referred to was the man with glasses. Based on the order in which they’d apprenticed under their teacher, the few who followed the professor now had to respectfully call him “senior brother.”

Yang Zhongjiao smoothed things over. “Alright, let’s drop it. We’ve already caused enough trouble for your Senior Brother Yang this trip. The most important thing now is to get back to the country quickly. Everything else is minor—don’t argue over this.”

The factory workers moved swiftly.

The man with glasses led the way, while the man with the low ponytail brought up the rear.

Yang Zhongjiao and his group walked just ahead of the low ponytail man, followed by Qin Qing, and Zhao Fei at the very end.

As they were getting into the truck, Xiao Luo went to speak with the man with glasses, saying the professor was too old to endure the bumpiness of the truck bed and hoped he could ride up front.

Qin Qing saw the whole exchange clearly. The girl student who had argued with Xiao Luo earlier rolled her eyes so hard they nearly hit the sky. She obviously didn’t buy that Xiao Luo was acting for the teacher’s benefit.

She muttered to Yang Zhongjiao, “That blockhead… Who does he think he is? This is what’s really putting Senior Brother Yang in a tough spot.”

Yang Zhongjiao only sighed.

As the crowd buzzed and jostled to get on board, many clearly felt discontent about Yang Zhongjiao sitting in the front.

Yang Zhongjiao raised his voice. “Xiao Luo, get back here. Follow the arrangements.”

The arrangement, made in response to the man with glasses’ pleading look, came as Luo Yuan called out, “Zhao Fei!”

Zhao Fei stepped out from the end of the line. “Here!”

“Front seat. Stay alert at all times.”

“Yes, sir!”

And with that, the cab seating was settled.

The driver was a local employee familiar with the route.

After Luo Yuan gave the order, the grumbling stopped. No one voiced further objections.

Xiao Luo seemed anxious, as if he wanted to say more.

But Luo Yuan’s sharp gaze swept over him. He instinctively recoiled and, trembling, dared not speak again.

Luo Yuan withdrew his gaze and scanned the crowd.

Where his eyes landed, silence followed.

Qin Qing thought he was about to say something.

But she only saw him grip the edge of the truck bed with one hand, muscles tensing, and leap up lightly with a nimble flip—like a swift panther.

Luo Yuan reached a hand toward the nearest woman. “Board in order.”

With Luo Yuan keeping order, no one dared stir up trouble.

Even Xiao Luo, visibly agitated and restless, remained seated.

Luo Yuan noticed it too.

In the truck bed, everyone sat closely packed on the floor.

As the truck moved, their bodies swayed and occasionally bounced due to the uneven road.

It was like being on a bumper car the whole time.

Everyone was miserable, but no one complained.

Qin Qing took the chance to signal Luo Yuan about Xiao Luo’s situation.

No weapons, no communication devices, no combat capability.

Luo Yuan understood and signaled her to hold off.

That was what Qin Qing intended anyway—there was no need to alert the enemy when there was no threat yet.

Luo Yuan then positioned himself close to Xiao Luo.

He told Qin Qing, “Get some rest. We’ll keep watch.”

After nearly 24 hours of heightened alertness, she truly needed sleep to soothe her frazzled nerves and exhausted muscles.

Qin Qing once again scanned the System Panels above everyone’s heads in the truck. Once she confirmed they all showed a safe milky white, she finally allowed herself to close her eyes amid the bumps.

On the road to Fuyade, they passed through two checkpoints.

Their documents were all legitimate Chinese passports. Though the soldiers doing the checks were clearly disgruntled, they still let them through after the low ponytail man discreetly handed over a gold bar as wide as a finger.

Qin Qing didn’t know how long had passed when she was roused by cries of excitement.

“Are we in Fuyade?”

Qin Qing rubbed her sore neck and asked.

The girl sitting next to her replied, “No, the sun’s up.”

To allow airflow, the back of the truck wasn’t fully closed—just a knee-high tailgate was in place.

Looking out the back now, the view was surprisingly wide.

The edges of the truck canopy framed the scene like a painting: a square canvas of nature.

As far as the eye could see, endless rose fields stretched out. In the dim morning light, pink and white roses unfurled in the breeze.

At the horizon, where the fields met the sky, orange-tinted clouds were working hard to birth the rising sun.

The truck moved westward, and it felt as if the vibrant rose fields and glowing clouds were chasing after them.

It filled the heart with joy.

In the fields, at regular intervals, there were flower pickers wearing headlamps and carrying large baskets, harvesting roses still wet with morning dew.

The low ponytail man said, “I’ve been here before. There’s a rose processing factory nearby. The essential oils and hydrosols here are great—and cheap if you buy directly from the locals.”

“Let’s hope the war doesn’t reach this place.”

After all they’d been through, it was rare to see such peace.

Someone said, “We’re close to Fuyade now. After holding it in for so long, Brother Luo, can we stop for a bathroom break before we continue?”

Everyone turned to look at Luo Yuan.

He checked the time and nodded. “Quick in, quick out.”

The truck stopped by the flower fields.

People eagerly prepared to get off.

At that moment, Qin Qing narrowed her eyes and grabbed the person next to her who was about to move.

“No!”

Her sudden shout was sharp as a knife.

The team member stationed at the truck bed’s gate instantly reacted, slammed the tailgate shut, and blocked those trying to disembark.

“What are you doing? We’ve been holding it forever—”

Qin Qing didn’t even look at him and barked, “Keep holding it!”

Startled by her stern tone, the man fell silent.

Qin Qing fixed her gaze on a random person, and he shivered under her stare. When he tried to dodge, Luo Yuan pressed a hand on his shoulder, pinning him in place.

Qin Qing said, “Notify the embassy to prepare for emergency extraction. Arrange a flight. We need to leave Fuyade as soon as possible.”

She stared at the numbers on the System Panel above the person’s head, digits flickering rapidly.

“We need to fly out by 6… 7… 12… 10… 8… Yes, 8. We must leave Fuyade before 8 o’clock.”

Releasing the person she had pinned down, Qin Qing turned to Luo Yuan and repeated, “8 o’clock. That’s the last moment of peace.”

Luo Yuan’s brow furrowed deeply.

He had just checked the time. It was now 5:20.

Zhao Fei appeared at the back of the truck and poked his head in. “Captain Luo?”

Luo Yuan stepped forward, flipped off the truck, and in one motion, grabbed the man with glasses—who had also come out to check—and tossed him back into the truck.

“I’ll drive. Full speed ahead.”

“Yes, sir!”

The truck roared back to life, rose fields flying past outside.

The people who had been sitting beside Qin Qing now shifted away from her.

She didn’t care what they thought—but right now, she really wanted to curse.

Curse the rebel leader who started this damn coup.

No one knew if that idiot had a squash or a club on his neck—just now, he suddenly decided to attack Fuyade.

Even the attack time was decided on the spot, and it kept changing in a short span.

According to the System Panel’s warning, Fuyade’s armed forces wouldn’t be able to withstand the rebel assault.

After today, Fuyade would become a battlefield.

Luo Yuan drove like the wind. Someone in the vehicle couldn’t take it and threw up, the sour stench spreading through the confined cabin.

Qin Qing didn’t care.

It still wasn’t fast enough. Nowhere near fast enough.

Who knew when that blockhead of a leader would suddenly make another blockheaded decision?

If the attack were to begin earlier than expected…

Qin Qing had no intention of running into stray bullets on the streets.

At 6:10, a group of pale, green-faced people arrived outside Fuyade, where embassy staff were waiting.

Someone from the embassy stepped up. “Hard work, Captain Luo.”

Luo Yuan skipped the pleasantries. “Flight time?”

The man straightened up, his smile fading. “Eight-thirty.”

“I said…”

“Captain Luo, it’s a plane, not a car.”

“These are extraordinary times.”

The man took a deep breath. “Here’s the situation, Captain Luo. It’s not easy for the passenger plane to make a round trip from that far away. Our embassy’s job is to maximize resources.”

“So…”

He quickly added, “There’s another group on their way to Fuyade. We’ve already urged them to hurry, but they won’t arrive in the city until at least seven-thirty.”

Luo Yuan had been given broad authority and discretion for this mission.

The authorization documents were carried on him, close to his chest.

His orders could demand full cooperation from all parties.

Yet even he couldn’t issue a flight departure order right now.

He didn’t even ask how many people were in the other group.

He raised a hand to indicate the 31 people behind him, including Qin Qing, and told the embassy staff, “Send them to the airport first. Board the plane directly. Prepare for immediate evacuation.”

Then he asked, “Where’s the other group now? Has anyone been sent to meet them?”

The embassy staff let out a breath and spoke more gently.

“Comrade Dou, who came with you, arrived first. He’s already joined the main group. There are 280 people in total.”

Dou Xu was here too?

Qin Qing blinked and pulled up Luo Yuan’s System Panel.

Sensing something, Luo Yuan turned his head and met her gaze precisely.

Qin Qing didn’t look away. She quickly scanned his relationship chart.

Dou Xu was really in it!

Qin Qing’s lips curled into a smile. Bonds forged in life-and-death missions really did build a special kind of trust.

She found Dou Xu’s current location.

“Map.”

Zhao Fei responded swiftly and handed her one.

Qin Qing didn’t waste a second. She dropped to the ground, opened her notebook, and began sketching over the map.

She tracked the moving dot that represented Dou Xu on Luo Yuan’s System Panel, matching it to the map, trying to deduce their route.

There were orange-red spots along that route.

Not fatal, but certainly enough to slow them down. Seven-thirty was unlikely. Making it there today at all would already be lucky.

The System Panel offered an alternative—another path marked in green, indicating safety.

Qin Qing quickly traced a line along it.

She handed the map to Luo Yuan and the embassy personnel.

“Notify them—if their vehicles can handle it, take this route.”

The embassy staff looked at the map and hesitated. “There is a road to Fuyade along that line, used to be for hauling stone. The condition’s poor. After the quarry shut down, there’s been no maintenance. Not sure it’s passable. Even if it is, it’ll take much longer than the main road.”

Luo Yuan pressed down on the map firmly and said without room for argument, “Tell them—take this road.”