Chapter 43: Seeking a Way Out

Chapter 43: Seeking a Way Out

Chen Lixin checked the balance on his screen for the sixth time: twenty million exactly. With each recount, he found himself imagining a different way to live his life.

"Next, I just need to help Tian Hu clear his name," Chen thought. Since he had taken the money, he had to deliver results; otherwise, he wouldn't be at peace. After all, the client was a member of the Tower.

He tucked the card into his pocket, feeling an inexplicable unease, a fluttering in his chest like a premonition of impending doom. He gave a self-deprecating smile. For so many years, he had framed countless innocent people for money without a single pang of conscience. Now, in this case, Tian Hu was clearly innocent; he was simply righting a wrong. All he had to do was go back and catch the real killer, Pan Long. It was so simple, so righteous—why did it make him feel so unsettled?

However, the ringing of his phone shattered his thoughts and clarified the true source of his anxiety.

The voice on the other end, cold and professional, informed him that Pan Long had surrendered. To secure a lighter sentence, Pan Long had spilled the names of everyone he had bribed, and Chen Lixin was at the top of the list for the largest sum received.

As he pushed open the door, he was still calculating how to use the twenty million to flee. But he had only taken a few steps before two men intercepted him, flashing their badges.

Twenty million, untouched.

Chen Lixin had never dreamed that Pan Long would turn himself in, especially at this critical juncture. Had he waited even one more day, Chen could have used that money to vanish without a trace.

The man who once ruled Canglan City with an iron fist, "Dragon Lord" Pan Long, had abandoned his entire empire and betrayed everyone who could have helped him reduce his sentence, all because the Old Grandmother had said before leaving: "Within twenty minutes, I will rescue Tian Hu. In that time, find a way out for yourself."

This was the way out Pan Long had chosen.

Meanwhile, trapped in the apartment hallway, Jiang Tongtong was also desperately seeking her own way out. Realizing she could no longer keep up the facade, she said, "Roland, I don't have any deep grudge against you. Let's keep to our own paths. Let me go today, and I promise that from now on, I will only target Fang Xiaoling."

"Sure," Roland said, cracking her knuckles. "Just tell me everything you know, and I promise not to lay a finger on you. Otherwise..."

"Fine, fine! Just calm down!" Jiang Tongtong said, glancing at Tian Hu beside Roland. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know..."

Jiang Tongtong lunged toward Tian Hu with blinding speed. Taking him hostage was the escape route she had chosen, but her reaction speed was ultimately no match for Roland's.

Before her hand could touch Tian Hu, Roland grabbed her by the hair and, using the momentum, slammed her head against the wall.

This simple blow was enough to extinguish any lingering desire in Jiang Tongtong to resist—the legend of the "Hundred-Life Roland" was well-earned.

This time, Jiang Tongtong had been careless. Unlike Fang Xiaoling, who was full of unpredictable tricks, Roland made no wasted movements. She used only the most simple and effective attacks, and the internal energy she channeled was controlled with such precision that only a fellow master could perceive it.

She never used five parts of force when three would suffice; that was the depth of Roland's mastery.

"In this world, I lost... I was too arrogant. I never expected you to teach Fang Xiaoling some powerful techniques in such a short time," Jiang Tongtong said, leaning against the wall and wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. "In the next world, I will not lose again."

"What do you mean? Fang Xiaoling is still alive? Hey!" Seeing the woman close her eyes and slump to the floor, Roland stepped forward to check, only to find that Jiang Tongtong no longer showed any signs of life.

"Is she faking it?" Roland muttered. After confirming it repeatedly, she sighed softly. "What a pity. I thought I might get some answers out of her."

She called the elevator again using the AI. When she stepped inside, she noticed that Tian Hu, standing outside, looked at her with a completely different expression.

It was the look of a hostage staring at a predator.

"Big brother, I didn't kill her. I just bumped into her; even a regular person wouldn't have died from that," Roland explained helplessly. "Besides, didn't you see her try to hijack you? That speed clearly wasn't human."

"Yeah," Tian Hu replied, his head bowed, not daring to look at her. He spoke in a timid, submissive tone, as if to say: *Boss, whatever you say is the truth.*

Roland shook her head in frustration. She knew she couldn't fix Tian Hu's impression of her in the short term, so she said sternly, "You! Get in here."

Tian Hu obediently entered the elevator and followed Roland to the 32nd floor. As the doors opened, they heard wailing echoing from deep within the corridor.

The two followed the sound to the old man's room, where they found Fang Xiaoling lying on the floor in agony.

Roland paused. If Jiang Tongtong had threatened her over the headset while Fang Xiaoling was within earshot, it meant Fang Xiaoling knew that Roland had chosen to abandon her.

*It looks like Jiang Tongtong tortured her quite a bit. After enduring such pain, Fang Xiaoling might hold a grudge against me,* Roland thought. She hesitated to help, suppressing the guilt and worry welling up inside her. In her hundreds of past lives, she had encountered the story of "The Farmer and the Viper" far too many times.

"Sorry," she whispered to herself. She turned to leave, but stopped when she noticed Tian Hu still standing there. If she walked away now, it would confirm all of Tian Hu's negative suspicions. After a moment of calm reflection, she realized she could use Fang Xiaoling to win back Tian Hu's favor.

She looked at the terrified Tian Hu and said, "What are you standing there for? Help me save her!"

With that, she acted as if she had just arrived, rushing to Fang Xiaoling’s side. "Xiaoling! Are you okay? I'm so sorry, Xiaoling, I'm late!"

She secretly moved her fingers toward the vocal cords on Fang Xiaoling's neck, ready to render her mute if she said anything damaging.

But when Fang Xiaoling saw Roland, it was as if she had seen a savior sent from heaven. Her eyes filled with a sense of security and trust, and even her tense muscles relaxed. "Sister Roland... thank goodness, I'm saved..."

With that, she closed her eyes and fainted.

Roland stood frozen for a long time. Looking at the faint smile lingering on Fang Xiaoling's lips, she felt a sudden ache in her nose, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She wept, repeating to herself, "I'm not crying, how could I be crying... Human emotions affect judgment and lead to irrational decisions. I... I'm just using my tears to my advantage."

Thinking this, she forced herself to act immediately. She sobbed, "Do you see this, Tian Hu? That woman did this to her. She hurt my best friend like this..."