Chapter 15: Are You Going to Save That Useless Fool?

“Do you agree to what I mentioned before?” Shen Qing nudged Yu Fei’s arm, a distinct glint of provocation in her eyes.

Yu Fei was so furious he could have spat blood; his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. It took him a long time to force out a single word, “Fine.”

If he didn’t agree, this rebellious girl would drive the entire family to an early grave today!

Shen Qing exhaled, “Alright.”

Without lingering any longer, she turned and strode out of the old mansion’s main gate. None of the relatives dared to stop her.

Old Madam Yu jabbed Yu Fei’s forehead with her finger. “Send her back. Our family can’t afford to keep someone so formidable!”

Yu Fei nodded silently.

“Grandma, let me help you go rest,” Yu Miner offered with concern.

After the fiasco at the birthday banquet, she had no desire to stay either. But Shen Qing would no longer be able to remain in the Yu family!

Old Madam Yu looked at her obedient granddaughter and nodded in approval.

Shen Qing—she was nothing but a disaster!

The one feeling most awkward in all this was Qin Lin. The surrounding relatives were all watching her, barely concealing their schadenfreude, and she seethed with frustration.

“Zi’ao, sorry you had to witness this,” Yu Fei put an arm around Qin Lin’s shoulders and managed a smile for Qin Zi’ao.

“It’s just a bit of family squabbling. Aunt and Uncle’s household sure is lively,” Qin Zi’ao replied.

Yu Fei: …

*

As Shen Qing walked out of the old mansion, the roar of a gravity motorcycle sounded ahead. She narrowed her eyes, recognizing Xia Mang in her sleek black leather gear.

“Qing’er! Hop on!” Xia Mang called out boldly, tossing a helmet her way in a graceful arc.

“Where’d you get all this gear?” Shen Qing caught the helmet smoothly and swung a long leg over the back seat.

“Of course I have it. You need to look the part for the big stuff! But seriously, what are you wearing?” Xia Mang placed Shen Qing’s hands around her waist and revved the bike.

“T-shirt and jeans—could you look any less streetwise, girl?” Xia Mang sounded thoroughly unimpressed with Shen Qing’s outfit.

“Lucky for you, I brought a set for you. We’ll find somewhere to change later.”

Shen Qing: …

*

In a corner of the abandoned factory in the northern district, a dozen men in black sat together.

“How’s the setup?” someone asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s all ready,” another replied.

“Both Miss Mang and Mr. Li will be here tonight. Don’t embarrass yourselves in front of the seniors,” said the leader of the group, a man called Wang Qiang.

“Got it,” came the scattered responses from the others.

Suddenly, footsteps approached from outside. The men reached for the guns at their waists, holding their breath.

“Everyone’s here, I see,” a woman’s voice rang out, lively and crisp. Wang Qiang instantly relaxed.

A few seconds later, two figures clad in black appeared before them, showing only their dark eyes.

“Miss, sir,” Wang Qiang greeted them first. He’d worked with Xia Mang before and recognized her immediately. As for the slender man by her side, that had to be Li Gou Dan.

Frankly, he could never understand Mr. Li’s thought process—choosing such a random name…

Shen Qing swept her gaze over the group and gave a low, raspy acknowledgement. Her stride was anything but feminine, and with her loose clothing and only her eyes exposed, no one suspected she wasn’t a man.

After all, among the Celestial Dogs, only Xia Mang had seen her in person.

Xia Mang’s striking figure drew the men’s attention, but none dared act out of line.

“How’s the setup?” Xia Mang asked, holding out her hand. The man immediately handed her the computer blueprint.

“These red dots are our positions.”

Xia Mang glanced at it and quickly passed it to Shen Qing.

The man’s gaze followed, landing on Shen Qing’s eyes with a touch of envy. For a guy, his lashes were long.

“Is there a problem?” Xia Mang, noticing Shen Qing’s eyes growing cold, asked with a hint of anxiety.

The men in black tensed as well: was Mr. Li dissatisfied?

Shen Qing pointed to a green area on the map, “Why is there no one here?”

“Sir, that’s dense forest, sealed off tightly.”

“So it’s unnecessary?” Shen Qing’s gaze grew sharper, boring into the leader.

“I…”

“That area is elevated and concealed—perfect for a sniper. You’d better hope no one beats you to it.”

A chill ran through the man’s heart. “I’ll send someone over immediately.”

“No need. Someone’s already there,” Xia Mang reported, hugging the laptop and focusing on a series of moving blue dots on the screen, her eyebrows knitting together.

“Move in now,” Shen Qing ordered, striding into the night, the others hurrying after her.

Inside the abandoned building, only Xia Mang and Wang Qiang remained. She found a place to sit and entered a string of code into the computer, then waited for the decryption.

10%…

95%…

99%…

“Miss, is it almost done?” Wang Qiang, clueless about hacking, looked at Xia Mang with open admiration.

Xia Mang answered nonchalantly.

100%!

“It’s done, Miss!” he exclaimed.

“I’m not blind, I can see,” Xia Mang retorted, hitting Enter. The black screen flickered to life, but before she could take a closer look, it was suddenly replaced by a red exclamation mark!

“Damn! We’ve been counter-hacked. Move!” Xia Mang yanked out the USB, shoving it into her chest pocket.

Wang Qiang stared, dumbstruck, then quickly followed her lead.

“Where are you two headed?” a man approached from the front, his voice hoarse.

Xia Mang’s gaze hardened as she stared down the barrel of his gun.

*

After eliminating the sniper in the woods, Shen Qing glanced up at the sky—pitch black, nothing to be seen.

“Sir, they’ve sent people in. Should we retreat?” a man asked weakly, clutching his shoulder, which had been torn open by sniper fire. The makeshift bandage barely stemmed the bleeding.

Shen Qing fished a small white bottle from her robe as if performing a magic trick. “Coagulant.”

“Ah? Thank you.”

“All of you leave first—dump half the cargo. Xia Mang hasn’t sent a signal, so she’s probably in trouble.”

“Sir, aren’t you leaving?” The Gu family was an old aristocratic house in the capital; their hired guns were no joke. Could he manage alone?

“You going to save that useless lump?”

The man froze. Who was the useless lump?