After two days of negotiations, Zhuo Yang and Meng La agreed to meet at a private small hospital in City C of T Country.

City C was home to both the Nine Eagles and Gunfire factions, so they chose a private hospital that was purchased by both parties after their alliance. It was not controlled by either side, so they didn't have to worry about being cheated.

Additionally, the hospital's location was excellent, close to the highway and surrounded by open space, making it easy to observe anyone approaching from afar. They weren't afraid of being ambushed, and it was easy to escape if necessary.

"It really is a good location," Number Two objectively evaluated the hospital's environment map and asked Lian Jun, "Young Master Jun, this place isn't suitable for a strong attack. Should we bury some of our people in Zhuo Yang's team?"

Lian Jun shook his head and said, "No need. Zhuo Yang is cunning. I don't trust him with you. Our mission this time is to save people. We don't necessarily have to wait until they enter the hospital before we act. As long as we confirm that Meng La and his men are approaching the hospital, we can directly rescue them."

Number Two nodded to show his understanding.

Lian Jun gave further instructions, "Tell Number Three not to relax the pressure on Gunfire. Bring Number Five and Number One back. Except for Number Three, all of you will follow me to T Country. This time, we are going deep into the territory of Nine Eagles and Gunfire. Whether the operation is successful or not, we may face retaliation from both sides. We must be careful."

Shi Jin immediately put down the tablet in his hand and turned to look at Lian Jun.

"You stay here, Number Nine will also stay with you," said Lian Jun, as if he knew what Shi Jin was thinking and cut off his words before he could speak.

Shi Jin frowned, "I'm worried."

"I asked you to stay, not to protect you in the rear, but to have you in charge here. Meng La is cautious and likes to operate on multiple fronts. In this cooperation with Zhuo Yang, he may have doubts in his heart. After learning about your importance to me from Zhuo Yang, he may make a second arrangement and try to harm you. During the time when Number Two and I are not here, if Gunfire really reaches here, you will need to step up and work hard to maintain the situation and protect yourself."

Lian Jun explained the situation and spoke seriously, "This is the first task I have entrusted to you that requires you to control the situation yourself. This time, no one will accompany you. All the staff in the hospital will listen to your orders, and their safety will be entirely in your hands. Can you be more careful than ever before?"

Once they reached this point, although Shi Jin understood that the likelihood of Lian Jun's hypothesis was very low, he still suppressed the desire to follow Lian Jun to T country and nodded, saying, "Okay, I will protect the rear."

"Mm, I believe you." Lian Jun relaxed his eyebrows and shook his hand.

With the personnel arrangements settled, the meeting time between Zhuo Yang and Meng La was also set that night. Both sides agreed to meet in the lobby of a private hospital at 8 o'clock in the morning three days later. If Zhuo Yang or Meng La did not show up within the specified time, the cooperation would be cancelled and everyone would be left to fend for themselves.

During the three days of free time, Gunfire and Nine Eagles's subordinates stationed in City C will clear out the private hospital together, preparing everything they need for cooperation, and then set up the private hospital as their temporary base, waiting for the arrival of the two bosses.

At the same time, the Gunfire hideouts that Old Ghost was keeping an eye on also began to show signs of activity. Some of the hideouts secretly transported people out, but because there were several batches of people being transported, Old Ghost couldn't determine which batch was the real hostage. He was afraid that acting rashly would startle the snake, so he could only hold back his impatience and wait.

After receiving these two pieces of information, Lian Jun immediately sent someone to pack up and prepare to leave for T Country overnight. Meng La was too cunning, and rescuing people halfway was no longer feasible. It seemed that they could only wait at T Country.

During class, Shi Jin received news that Lian Jun was about to leave. He quickly said goodbye to Mr. Feng and ran to the doctor's office that Lian Jun was temporarily using as a study.

"Are you leaving now?" he asked directly upon entering.

Seeing that it was him, Lian Jun quickly hung up the phone with Number Seven about the personnel matters and came out in his wheelchair. He held Shi Jin's hand and asked, "Did Number Two tell you?"

"When he came to help you pack, he mentioned it to me." Shi Jin crouched down and held onto Lian Jun's legs. Although he had many things he wanted to say, he couldn't seem to find the words.

Instead of being overly sentimental, he just wanted to keep Lian Jun by his side and not let him go.

He suddenly understood why Lian Jun had instinctively refrained from assigning him tasks before. When you truly like someone, you can't help but want to keep them close and ensure that they stay safe and sound within reach.

Lian Jun pressed his furrowed brow and leaned in close to him, calling out, "Shi Jin."

Shi Jin looked up at him and couldn't resist wrapping his arms around Lian Jun's body, even though the position wasn't very comfortable. He didn't want to let go.

"I'll be back as soon as I'm done," Lian Jun comforted him, patting his back. "I've been so busy lately that I haven't had a chance to really look at you or spend time with you... Shi Jin, I miss you."

Shi Jin suddenly understood the meaning behind Lian Jun's words, "I miss you."

Although they saw each other every day, they never had a chance to spend quality time together. Their nerves were constantly on edge due to various things, and they couldn't rest for a moment. They needed a leisurely time that belonged only to the two of them, to truly feel each other's presence.

"Come back safely," said Shi Jin, feeling a pang in his heart. He looked up and kissed him, then hugged him tighter and said, "After we finish things here, you must take a good rest and get a detailed physical examination. Do you remember the bet we made on the boat? You owe me a request, and my request is this. You have to keep your promise."

Lian Jun touched his head and replied, "Okay, I promise."

......

After a simple farewell, Shi Jin personally sent Lian Jun to the car and watched him leave the hospital. The vehicle carrying Lian Jun disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Shi Jin stood there for a moment, patting his face to wake himself up before turning back to the hospital room. He called for Number Nine and requested for a copy of the personnel arrangements in the hospital, burying himself in the details.

Since staying in the hospital to protect the rear was the task entrusted to him by Lian Jun, he would take it seriously and complete it well, regardless of whether it was an excuse for Lian Jun to keep him in the hospital or not.

......

That night, the leaders of Annihilation, Phantom, Nine Eagles, and Gunfire set out from different places, all heading towards the same destination.

The night passed without incident. When Shi Jin woke up early in the morning, he quickly spoke with Lian Jun to confirm the situation on his end. Then, he made a call to the official personnel accompanying them and instructed them to secretly transfer everyone staying in the officials' building in L country to the hospital.

"All of them?" The official personnel didn't quite understand this decision.

"Yes, all of them. It's more convenient for protection. Lian Jun isn't here, so I'm responsible for your safety now. Also, I need you to help me coordinate with L country officials to track any suspicious individuals and vehicles entering the capital over the next three days," Shi Jin replied.

The officials were aware of the relationship between Shi Jin and Lian Jun, so it was not surprising that when Lian Jun was away, Shi Jin would take charge of the situation. However, the officials felt that Shi Jin was too young and not entirely convincing. They politely said, "I need to discuss the matter of moving to the hospital with Mr. Lian first. I will try my best to coordinate with the L country officials and inform you of any updates."

Shi Jin had already anticipated this response and said, "Okay, I'll wait for your news."

Ten minutes later, the officials called back and said that they would arrange for everyone to stay at the hospital and do their best to coordinate with the L country officials, paying attention to suspicious individuals and vehicles. Their attitude had changed dramatically.

Shi Jin thanked everyone politely for their cooperation and help. He then sent a flattering text message to Lian Jun, receiving a reply that urged him to "study hard and eat well". Feeling pleased, Shi Jin began to organize things at the hospital.

That evening, the official personnel brought everyone who had come from China and they all boarded several vehicles disguised for various purposes. Following Shi Jin's instructions, they were transferred to the hospital as inconspicuously as possible.

Many did not understand Shi Jin's overly cautious behavior, thinking he was being childish and using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. After all, the main battlefield was in T country, and L country was located behind the front lines with the protection of official personnel. Shi Jin's protective behavior during the transfer was simply unnecessary.

When the people arrived, Shi Jin pretended not to notice their doubts and dissatisfaction. After settling them down, he sent some of his men back to the building they had previously lived in, creating the illusion that they were still there. Their actions were so careful and concealed that even the L country's specially sent protectors didn't notice that Shi Jin had swapped out the people living in the building.

As a result, the officials became even more convinced that Shi Jin was not in his right mind. They wanted to speak out against him, but they were hesitant because of Shi Jin's special relationship with Lian Jun. Lian Jun fully supported all of Shi Jin's chaotic actions, so they had to swallow their dissatisfaction.

On the other hand, after replying to Shi Jin's text message, Lian Jun had Zhuo Yang call Meng La. He used Zhuo Yang's mouth to avoid any suspicion of falsification and to show each other that the bargaining chips were indeed present, and had Meng La take a picture of the Phantom hostages.

The Old Ghost stood in front of the broadcast screen, watching his subordinates locked up and trapped in the back of a van through the camera lens. He felt both excited and uncomfortable. He carefully counted the number of people in the shot and said, "It's them, the number of people is correct! They don't look too good, and I'm sure Meng La has mistreated them."

"Don't get too excited, double-check and make sure these people are really your subordinates, not substitutes or imposters," reassured Lian Jun, calming his emotions and confirming.

The Old Ghost's gaze never left the screen. He looked at the people in the shot again and nodded confidently, saying, "It's definitely them. I won't mistake my own people!"

Lian Jun breathed a sigh of relief and gave a positive signal to Zhuo Yang's team to begin planning the rescue mission.

......

In the hospital room, Shi Jin sat cross-legged on the bed while Fei Yujing sat in front of him with an unhappy expression.

"You can't restrict my freedom," Fei Yujing emphasized coldly.

Shi Jin earnestly refuted, "I'm not restricting your freedom. I just hope that you can postpone any work that requires you to go out for a few days, or not leave it until late at night."

Fei Yujing's face was as still as water. "You sent someone to monitor me."

"I sent someone to protect you. Your reputation as a famous lawyer is too well-known. What if someone targets you? During this special period, please bear with it a little," Shi Jin pleaded.

Fei Yujing looked at Shi Jin without saying a word, silently emitting a cold aura.

Shi Jin felt helpless and generously offered his milk to him, saying, "Here, drinking milk is good for your health. After you finish it, go to bed early and wake up early."

Fei Yujing got up and wanted to leave. As he turned around, he noticed a tablet on the bedside table with some exercises listed on it. He paused and looked back at Shi Jin.

Shi Jin was about to take back the milk cup, but when he saw Fei Yujing turn around, he hurriedly handed the milk cup back and continued to persuade him earnestly, "Milk really helps with sleep. You have to believe in science. This milk was just delivered by Number Nine and it's still hot. It's the perfect time to drink it."

Fei Yujing turned around and left again.

"What a bad temper..." Shi Jin muttered, took back the milk cup, raised his neck, and drank the milk himself.

In fact, if the situation allowed, he not only wanted to drink milk, but also wanted to take a sleeping pill. Lian Jun was out there with his men catching bad guys, and he couldn't help but worry. He couldn't sleep at all at night.

......

The next day, there was no movement from any of the parties. Lian Jun had already stationed his men near the private hospital in City C, waiting for the arrival of Meng La and his men to launch an ambush.

As night fell, under Lian Jun's orders, Zhuo Yang contacted Meng La again and confirmed that the hostages were still with him.

Everyone was waiting for the moment of the trade at 8 o'clock the next day. Shi Jin was worried and couldn't sleep, feeling restless as time seemed to drag on.

Xiao Si couldn't bear to see him torturing himself like this and advised him to get some rest. Shi Jin realized he couldn't go on like this and forced himself to lie down and close his eyes.

After enduring through the night, time finally turned to 6 o'clock in the morning.

Shi Jin basically didn't sleep at all and got up to wash up, waiting for news from Lian Jun on his phone and tablet.

......

In T Country's City C, around 7 o'clock in the morning, three suspicious convoys approached the city's border from different directions, heading towards the hospital.

Number Two, who was monitoring the situation outside, furrowed his brow when he received the news. "Meng La is indeed cautious. He split into three convoys and approached the hospital together. We can't determine which convoy he's in."

Lian Jun pointed to the armrest of his wheelchair and said, "Continue to keep an eye on them. Don't act rashly, and tell Zhuo Yang not to do anything reckless. We'll wait until Meng La and the hostages show themselves."

Number Two acknowledged and began to contact Zhuo Yang.

At 7:50, the three convoys arrived at the hospital entrance together.

Zhuo Yang had already leaned against a van and was waiting at the hospital entrance. When he saw three convoys approaching together, he sneered and turned around to open the door of the van behind him, revealing Long Shi who was tied up inside.

He pulled out his gun and aimed it at Long Shi's forehead, looking at the three convoys that had almost surrounded him. He raised his voice and said, "Meng La, stop playing these mysterious tricks. Get out of the car and show your chips, otherwise I don't mind taking you down with me."

As soon as he made a move, the next second, whether it was the Nine Eagles subordinates who came early to clean up the hospital, or the Nine Eagles subordinates that Zhuo Yang brought today, all aimed their guns at Gunfire.

The Gunfire subordinates immediately raised their guns in defense.

"Zhuo Yang, this is our first real meeting. Is this how you welcome your partner?" A voice came from a car on the left side of the three-car convoy. A bearded man got out of the car and promptly opened the door of another van, revealing several people inside who were also bound. He looked at Zhuo Yang and said, "I told you, I am very sincere about this collaboration."

Old Ghost stood up excitedly.

Lian Jun signaled for Number Two to hold him back, used his binoculars to confirm the situation of the hostages, and then contacted Number One, who was ambushing outside, who confirmed that everything was okay. He ordered, "Take action."

In the next second, a sound similar to fireworks echoed through the air as several smoke bombs suddenly dropped onto the empty space in front of the hospital. Quickly, smoke rose and enveloped everything within it.

Upon the appearance of the smoke bombs, both Zhuo Yang and the Nine Eagles' men immediately took cover, fought back, or retreated, quickly hiding their figures behind various forms of cover. By the time Gunfire realized they needed to take cover, bullets flying in from all directions had already targeted them.

Swoosh--

A bullet flew down from high above, piercing through the smoke and accurately hitting the center of Meng La's forehead as he turned to run towards the car. Meng La's body shook, his face still bearing the shock and anger of being caught off guard, unwillingly falling to the ground.

Chaos ensued within Gunfire. Taking advantage of the commotion, Number One and his team approached the van used to transport hostages. They quickly took out the gunmen inside, hopped into the driver's seat, and reversed the vehicle before speeding away from the battlefield.

Zhuo Yang's car followed closely behind, but as soon as they left the battlefield, Zhuo Yang suddenly turned the steering wheel and raced off in a different direction, disappearing down a side road.

Seeing this, Number Two couldn't help but laugh and mock, "Zhuo Yang is really dishonest, and hopelessly stupid."

Meanwhile, Lian Jun made a call to Zhuo Yang.

To everyone's surprise, Zhuo Yang actually answered the call, his tone full of arrogance and pride. "Lian Jun, thank you for helping me take care of Meng La and letting me vent my anger. To be honest, I still have the toxin. Don't worry, once I force Long Shi to produce the antidote, I will come to save your precious lover. Remember to prepare what I want, the price of the antidote won't be cheap.

"And don't even think about coming after me. City C is my territory Nine Eagles' territory. Once you finish cleaning up the mess, leave quickly. Don't say I didn't give you a chance. If you delay any longer, I can't guarantee that you won't die here."

"I'm not planning on chasing after you," said Lian Jun calmly, completely different from the furious tone that Zhuo Yang had expected. "I'll be honest with you, Shi Jin was never hit by your subordinates from the beginning. Enjoy your last bit of freedom and I'll see you on the battlefield."

With that, he hung up the phone, leaving Zhuo Yang's suddenly changed voice on the other end.

Zhuo Yang began frantically calling, but Lian Jun ignored him and turned to Number Two, ordering, "Let's finish this quickly."

Number Two happily agreed and went to help Number One.

Half an hour later, the battle was over. Gunfire and the Nine Eagles' subordinates who didn't manage to escape were all tied up into dumplings.

The Old Ghost held his rescued brothers and cried like a child. Lian Jun slid his wheelchair over to Meng La's body and was about to order Number One to clean up the scene when he noticed a small detail - there were no gun calluses on Meng La's hands.

He furrowed his brow and leaned over to pinch Meng La's muscles.

Number Two noticed his actions and asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Young Master Jun?"

Li Jian's expression grew more serious as he continued to pinch, and he bent down to turn Meng La's face to look at it closely. He said in a deep voice, "This body's muscles are loose, there are no gun calluses on the hands, and it's definitely not Meng La. This is a substitute."

"What?" Number Two's expression changed, and he hurried over to look at Meng La's body.

......

In a private hospital in the capital of L country, Shi Jin stared at his phone and tablet, which had remained silent. He couldn't help but yawn.

"Maybe you should take a nap. I'll call you when there's news," Xiao Si suggested thoughtfully.

Shi Jin rubbed his face and declined, about to get up and wash his face to wake himself up, when his expression suddenly changed.

"Jin Jin," Xiao Si's tone also changed.

"I know," Shi Jin glanced at the progress bar in his mind that had suddenly jumped to 600. He bent down to put his phone on silent, turned off his tablet and stuffed it under the mattress. He called Number Nine while walking towards the hospital rooms where Fei Yujing and the others were staying.

"What's wrong?" Number Nine answered the phone quickly.

Shi Jin observed the situation in the hospital as he replied, "I haven't heard any news from Young Master Jun's side and I'm getting worried. Where are you? If you're not busy, can you come over and chat with me?"

"I'm in the kitchen. Do you want breakfast? I can bring it over," Number Nine replied.

"Anything will do, I'm not picky," said Shi Jin as he chatted with him. Suddenly, they saw Fei Yujing walking out of his temporary hospital room, carrying a briefcase and looking like he was about to go out for work.

Shi Jin quickly hung up his phone and rushed over to him, grabbing his arm and saying, "You're going out? It's not good to go to work on an empty stomach. Let's go have breakfast. Has Lawyer Wen gotten up yet? Let's invite everyone to join us."

Fei Yujing frowned at him and shook off his hand, saying, "I don't have the habit of eating breakfast."

"I don't believe you. I saw you eating breakfast last time," Shi Jin held onto him and wouldn't let go. Seeing Wen Baozhu coming out of another hospital room, he raised his voice and said, "Lawyer Wen, it's still early. Let's have breakfast together."

Lawyer Wen was a friendly person, and upon seeing Fei Yujing, he readily agreed to join them for a meal. "Great, let's eat together," he said.

Shi Jin quickly led the two of them towards his hospital room, and on the way, he called Number Nine and asked him to bring some officials over. With breakfast as the excuse, he managed to gather everyone together.