Chapter 127: The Last Chance, All Efforts Wasted

The blinding pain faded quickly as his eyes adjusted to the harsh light. Raising his hand to shield his face, Lin Yang focused his gaze and finally discerned the reality before him: the sea of uniform camouflage outfits created a stark, intense visual contrast against the brilliant sunlight.

Lin Yang was left stunned by the scene. If the camouflage uniforms were a striking sight, then the fully armed, high-end military weaponry on display was like the scorching sun itself—dazzling, eye-catching, and shimmering with a brilliant luster.

What shocked Lin Yang most was the sophisticated armored vehicle positioned opposite him. Looking at the smoke still curling from the barrel of its cannon, it was easy to guess that this was the source of the earth-shaking blast that had rocked the entire facility just moments ago. After all, the destructive power of an armored vehicle’s shell was far beyond anything a rocket launcher could achieve.

Within his field of vision, two heavily armed groups were locked in a standoff. One side was led by Party Secretary Zhu, who had just arrived, storming in with overwhelming force. The other was the group of bodyguards left behind to serve the Fang family.

They had arrived. Finally, just as Lin Yang’s life was hanging by a thread, Secretary Zhu had come.

Moments before the Secretary's arrival, Bai Jing had been waiting outside the scrapyard, her heart heavy with anxiety. Lin Yang had been inside for nearly an hour and a half; he hadn't sent the promised text message to confirm his safety, nor had he emerged. Her nerves were frayed to the breaking point.

When Secretary Zhu arrived, it was like seeing a lifeline in the face of death. Bai Jing rushed forward, ignoring the formalities usually required when speaking to the top official in Jinhai. After a brief introduction, she went straight to the point, urging him to storm the scrapyard immediately. She knew that every second of delay increased the threat to Lin Yang’s life.

Understanding the gravity of the situation and spurred on by his daughter, Zhu Yunyun, Secretary Zhu didn't hesitate. He ordered the mobilized armed forces to launch an all-out assault on the facility’s steel gates. His goal was twofold: to rescue Lin Yang and to secure definitive evidence of the Fang family’s crimes.

Secretary Zhu had carefully considered the decision to mobilize the Jinhai armed forces while bypassing the local police. The Jinhai Police Chief was a puppet of the Fang family, and it was likely that the illegal torture occurring here was part of a scheme orchestrated by that very individual. To alert the police would be to tip them off. Only the armed forces could stand against such heavily equipped criminals. As a "parachuted" Party Secretary, he was the only one with the authority to mobilize these troops.

"Drop your weapons and raise your hands, or bear the consequences!"

The voice from the loudspeaker rang out again, metallic and authoritative. Squinting, Lin Yang saw that the speaker was a sturdy soldier, at least thirty-five years old. The rank on his shoulder indicated he was a lieutenant colonel—not an insignificant rank, even in a third-tier city like Jinhai.

Beside the officer stood a middle-aged man in a black suit. His frame was lean, and his hair and sideburns were graying, giving him an aged appearance, yet he remained vigorous. His sharp, piercing eyes were filled with killing intent as he glared at the thirty-odd Fang family thugs—or rather, terrorists—opposite them. Beside him were two stunning beauties, whose presence stood out sharply against the sea of camouflage.

Bai Jing, dressed in her professional attire, was scanning the area anxiously. She was muttering to herself, and though her voice was soft, Lin Yang—whose hearing had been heightened by his cultivation of the *Thirteen Blades of the Heavenly Spirit*—could hear her clearly. "Xiao Yang, please don't let anything happen to you!" Hearing her words of concern eased the pain on Lin Yang's face.

Because the wall hole blasted by the rocket launcher was around a ninety-degree corner from where Secretary Zhu’s group was positioned, Lin Yang could see them, but they couldn't easily spot him. The intensity of the firefight between the two groups had effectively masked the sound of the earlier explosion.

Only Bai Jing, whose eyes were desperately searching for him, noticed him first. As she saw his dust-covered, blood-stained figure, her voice caught in her throat. After a moment of hesitation, she let out a sharp cry: "Xiao Yang!"

She instinctively surged forward, but Secretary Zhu caught her just in time. Had she run out, she would have been turned into a sieve by the enemy fire.

Awakened from his daze by Bai Jing’s shout, Lin Yang paused. At that moment, Fang Ming scrambled out from the hole in the wall, chasing him. With his sharp instincts, Lin Yang sensed the danger and dove around the corner, narrowly avoiding a bullet fired by Fang Ming.

The standoff erupted into chaos once more. The armed forces were far superior to the Fang family’s ragtag group. Despite the latter’s decent weapons, they were no match for the armored vehicle’s relentless barrage. Secretary Zhu had initially held back, hoping to avoid unnecessary loss of life and uncertain of Lin Yang's status, but with Lin Yang safe, he no longer held back.

"Kill."

The word was simple, but it cost dozens of lives. Under the armored vehicle’s heavy fire, the thirty-odd thugs were wiped out in an instant. The scrapyard was filled with the stench of blood and gore.

The two beauties reacted differently. Bai Jing frowned, clearly disturbed, while Zhu Yunyun, unable to handle the carnage, ran to the side and retched violently.

The lieutenant colonel, with his keen eyesight and elite marksmanship, had spotted Fang Ming the moment the latter fired. He drew his weapon, disengaged the safety, and fired in one fluid motion. Thanks to Lin Yang’s quick reaction, he had narrowly dodged the bullet, though he took a hard spill in the process. The lieutenant colonel’s shot struck Fang Ming’s right hand, shattering his final attempt to silence Lin Yang.

Fang Ming stared at Lin Yang—who was now mocking him—and the camera hanging from Lin Yang’s waist. He turned deathly pale. He didn't know exactly what photos had been taken, but he knew that any evidence of the torture he had inflicted on the expert would be enough to bring the Fang family to ruin.

One misstep, and the whole game was lost.

Lin Yang was quickly shielded by the soldiers. The ten or so remaining men who had followed Fang Ming out of the wall, seeing the overwhelming power of the armed forces, immediately dropped their guns and surrendered, terrified of suffering the same fate as their comrades.

Just as the last of the Fang family’s guards surrendered, the wail of police sirens echoed from afar. Within moments, nearly a dozen police cruisers swarmed into the scrapyard.