"You had the nerve to steal from Boss Du's house? You've got some guts!"
"Do you even know where you are? You think we're just here for decoration?"
More than a dozen security guards blocked us from every direction.
The stun batons in their hands crackled, making my scalp prickle.
We were really screwed this time!
We hadn't managed to steal Du Yuwei's body, and now they'd taken us for thieves.
Once the police caught us, prison was a certainty. We'd die behind bars.
"Old man, you're stealing at your age? Have you got no shame?"
"I'm warning you. Put down everything in your backpacks and squat on the ground. Wait for the police to collect you, and don't try anything!"
Meng Yifan and I hurriedly looked at Seventh Master.
Seventh Master had more experience than either of us in every respect. More importantly, he knew martial arts.
I thought he might be able to fight our way out.
"We can't all get caught."
Seventh Master gritted his teeth. "If they catch all of us, there'll be no one left to get us out."
The moment I heard his tone, I knew things were bad.
The three of us were probably going to get caught. We'd be lucky if even one of us escaped.
No sooner had Seventh Master finished speaking than he charged toward the guards.
The guards probably didn't dare lay a hand on an old man for fear of getting themselves in trouble. They immediately backed away in alarm.
This old man was fearless. He really dared to charge straight at them! But a moment later-
I realized I'd given him too much credit.
As soon as Seventh Master rushed out, he crouched on the ground with his hands over his head.
"I surrender! I surrender! Don't shock me!"
Just then, Meng Yifan gave me a meaningful look. "Whatever you do, don't get caught. Find a way to get Seventh Master and me out."
With that, he charged out too, but he wasn't going to surrender.
He was drawing their attention away from me.
Those guards didn't dare shock Seventh Master, but they had no such qualms about him.
The crackle of electricity rang out, and Meng Yifan was quickly shocked to the ground.
Although I was worried about him, I didn't hesitate for a second. I took off running without even looking back.
This wasn't the time to get sentimental. Hesitating wouldn't help anyone.
If all of us got caught, there'd be no one left to get us out.
But if one of us escaped, at least that person could try to get the other two out.
"Stop!"
"Catch that brat!"
I heard them chasing me, but I still didn't look back. At that moment, I was running like Usain Bolt had possessed me.
With the two urns of ashes on my back, I sprinted toward the wall with everything I had. In my desperation, I moved like some wall-scaling martial arts master, vaulting over it almost without breaking stride.
The guards might have been well trained, but they weren't nearly as quick as I was at climbing walls.
By the time they got over, I'd already put a considerable distance between us.
But they kept chasing me. Honestly, those guards were damn dedicated. Probably because the house we'd robbed belonged to Du Ruhai.
Fast as I was, I couldn't keep running for long with two heavy urns on my back.
I was already starting to gasp for breath.
As I ran, I suddenly noticed someone beside the street. He stood beneath a large tree, looking like a ghost.
I took a closer look and startled. He looked very familiar.
He wore a black jacket, a face mask, and a hat... His build instantly reminded me of the man who had suddenly appeared that night when we were summoning Li Xiumei's spirit.
He'd sabotaged the ritual, kicking over Seventh Master's command flag and candles and breaking the formation. I'd chased after him, but he'd gotten away.
Seeing him again now made my skin crawl.
He'd come to sabotage us that night, so he was clearly no harmless bystander. He'd also stuck a talisman beneath the bed in the master bedroom. He knew his way around the occult too.
Had he shown up here to come after me?
But I seemed to have been mistaken. He didn't appear to be targeting me. Instead, he raised a hand and pointed at a motorcycle up ahead.
I didn't understand what he meant at first, but I soon reached the motorcycle.
When I looked closely, I saw the key was still in the ignition.
This man seemed to have come to help me.
I couldn't figure out why he would help me, but I had no time to dwell on it. Getting away was what mattered.
When I was younger, I'd gotten a motorcycle license. Back then, I loved having fun and riding with friends, leaning into corners. After I got into an accident, my dad forced me to sell my bike.
Although I hadn't ridden in years, I hadn't lost the knack. I climbed on, twisted the throttle, and sped away.
The guards' curses rang out behind me, but I soon left those voices in the dust.
I pushed the bike straight up to a hundred and only slowed down after I'd put a long distance behind me.
As I rode, I had no idea where to go. I certainly didn't dare go home.
We'd all worn masks and hats when we entered the villa. As long as Seventh Master and Meng Yifan didn't give me up, I was sure I wouldn't get caught.
But this was the first time I'd ever been in a situation like this. I was still terrified and didn't dare stay at a hotel either.
I rode out to the outskirts and checked into a small inn.
After locking the door, I dropped onto the bed and thought back over everything that had happened that night.
Seventh Master and Meng Yifan had been caught. They might even end up in prison.
Just thinking about it sent my mind into turmoil.
Seventh Master had only come to help us. He hadn't even wanted to come tonight; I'd practically dragged him along.
If the old man really ended up in prison, how could I live with myself?
What I couldn't understand was why that residential complex had more than a dozen guards on the night shift. Even if it was a villa complex, it didn't need that many.
Unless someone had known we were coming tonight and laid a trap in advance, waiting for us to walk into it.
That person could only have been Du Ruhai. But how could Du Ruhai have known we were coming tonight?
What if we'd gone tomorrow instead?
Could he somehow predict the future?
Then there was the man who'd given me the motorcycle. He'd sabotaged us that night, so he clearly hadn't wanted us to uncover the truth.
If that was the case, why had he helped me tonight?
And how had he known we were going to Du Ruhai's house tonight, even preparing a motorcycle in advance to help me escape?
A chill ran through me. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed that everyone had known we were going to Du Ruhai's house tonight.
But going to Du Ruhai's house had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. I'd been the one to suggest it, and the only people who knew were Meng Yifan and Seventh Master.
If someone had leaked it, it had to be either Meng Yifan or Seventh Master.
I wouldn't even consider suspecting Meng Yifan, which left only Seventh Master.
But if Seventh Master had leaked it, the three of us had been together the entire time. Besides, he'd been caught too.
Could a ghost have been following us and leaked the information?
This was the first time I'd dealt with anything like this. My brain wasn't working properly, and I couldn't figure it out.
The most important thing now was to get Seventh Master and Meng Yifan out first.
I took out my phone and called Brother Liu right away.
Meng Yifan and I had a few connections, but at this point, Brother Liu was the only one who could help me get them out.
But I called several times in a row, and Brother Liu didn't answer.
When I made one last call, his phone had been switched off.
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