Chapter 047: Captured

"Aoo!"
"Aoo, aoo, aoo!"
Zhang Zhi and Kang Hao lay sprawled on the ground, howling in pain.
"Hmph!"
Zhao Feng let out a cold snort. "Let that be a lesson to you!"
"Ah!!"
Lin Min shrieked again, her voice sharp with outrage and disbelief.
She glared at Zhao Feng, her face twisted with fury. "Zhao Feng, how dare you hit me! Even my parents have never laid a hand on me!"
A mocking laugh escaped Zhao Feng. "Too bad for you—I’m not your parents. They’ve always indulged you, but I certainly won’t!"
Lin Min's face was contorted with rage, flushed red, but she couldn’t utter a word.
"Zhao Feng, that was too much! We’re all classmates—how could you do that?" Zhang Juan, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.
Zhao Feng just snorted, not bothering to reply. He scooped up Nannan, took Xiang Lan by the hand, and turned to leave.
A car horn sounded.
Li Ping’s Audi A8 pulled up in front of Zhao Feng.
He opened the door and climbed right in.
Lin Min and the others were struck dumb with astonishment.
Zhang Zhi and Kang Hao, still lying on the ground, were equally stunned.
"What the—? An Audi?"
"Good heavens, it’s an A8!"
"This—"
"This, this—"
"Are we sure it’s not just a rideshare or something?"
With a roar, Li Ping floored the accelerator and the car sped off, leaving Zhang Zhi and the others staring at each other in disbelief.
Li Ping drove along at a leisurely pace, glancing in the rearview mirror. With a chuckle, he said, "Brother Feng, did I show up at just the right moment or what?"
Zhao Feng rolled his eyes. "You’ve been here for a while. Why didn’t you show up earlier?"
"I..."
"I, I..."
Li Ping scratched his head, looking a little guilty. The truth was, he’d wanted to see Zhao Feng make a fool of himself—that’s why he hadn’t stepped in from the start. Li Ping still harbored a grudge against him.
Zhao Feng shook his head, but didn’t call him out.
Li Ping focused on driving. Twenty minutes later, they were nearly at Xiaohe Village.
After a downhill stretch, a muddy dirt road appeared before them.
"Damn!"
Li Ping kicked at the car in frustration. "I hate these dirt roads the most!"
"Just focus on driving," Zhao Feng said.
"Oh, oh!"
Li Ping pressed down on the gas and turned onto the dirt track.
The road to Xiaohe Village was riddled with potholes and slathered with mud—deep ruts everywhere.

Inside the car, Zhao Feng and the others were bounced about relentlessly.
Xiang Lan sat beside him, Nannan nestled in his arms.
Suddenly, the car hit a particularly rough patch, jolting violently. Zhao Feng, caught off guard, tumbled headlong into Xiang Lan’s embrace.
"Uh—"
He couldn’t breathe for a moment and quickly straightened himself, apologizing as he rubbed his nose. "Sorry, sis."
Xiang Lan didn’t mind, just smiled it off as an accident. "It’s fine, little brother."
"Heh heh."
Zhao Feng laughed awkwardly, unable to look her in the eye.
The car lurched on, the jolts unrelenting.
In the back seat, Zhao Feng’s body swayed back and forth.
Suddenly, he felt something odd against his elbow—soft, unfamiliar.
He glanced down and was startled, immediately shifting away to the side.
Phew.
He exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself.
Never had the journey home felt so long to Zhao Feng as it did now.
He patted Li Ping’s shoulder. "Li Ping, could you drive a bit faster?"
Li Ping shot him a look. "Bro, this is as fast as you can go on this kind of road. Want to drive yourself?"
Zhao Feng smacked him on the head. "I said to go faster, just do it! Cut the chatter!"
"Alright!"
Li Ping rubbed his head and focused on the road.
Time ticked by.
Suddenly—
Li Ping slammed on the brakes.
Zhao Feng nearly flew out of his seat; Xiang Lan didn’t fare much better, her head colliding with Zhao Feng’s chest.
He jumped in fright, almost leaping up.
Xiang Lan rubbed her forehead and straightened up. "Are you alright, little brother?"
Zhao Feng quickly shook his head. "I’m fine! I’m fine!"
"Glad to hear it."
"Heh."
He smiled, then turned to Li Ping. "Li Ping, what kind of driving was that?"
Li Ping looked miserable. "Brother Feng, it wasn’t my fault! There was a car up ahead—suddenly appeared, with its high beams on!"
Zhao Feng frowned and peered ahead. Sure enough, a car was parked there, its headlights glaring.
Because of the blinding high beams, he couldn’t make out the model.
He patted Li Ping’s shoulder. "Pull over, let that car pass first."
"Alright."
Li Ping turned the wheel, easing the car to the side, and honked to signal the other driver to go ahead.
Yet, the car in the middle of the road didn’t move an inch.

"Damn it!"
Li Ping slammed the steering wheel in frustration. "The road’s wide enough, they can get through!"
Zhao Feng frowned. "I’ll get out and check."
"Alright."
Zhao Feng handed Nannan to Xiang Lan, then opened the door and stepped out.
He approached the car ahead, but the high beams made it impossible to see anything clearly.
Shielding his eyes with his hand, Zhao Feng advanced step by step.
Only when he got close did he see it was a white Volvo SUV.
He walked up to the driver’s window and knocked.
There was no response.
The door didn’t open.
He frowned and knocked again. Still no answer.
Suddenly, a distant wail of sirens pierced the night.
Beep!
Beep, beep, beep!
In less than five minutes, several police vehicles arrived, encircling the scene.
Not only did they surround the white SUV, but they boxed in Li Ping’s car as well.
"Hands up!"
Blinding lights shone on Zhao Feng, forcing him to squint.
His expression darkened, but he slowly raised his hands.
With a clatter, two or three dozen armed SWAT officers surrounded him in an instant.
One stepped forward, pistol drawn, and swiftly cuffed Zhao Feng’s wrists.
Hands secured behind his back, Zhao Feng was pressed against the SUV’s hood.
The sight stunned Li Ping and the others. They and Xiang Lan raised their hands and stepped gingerly from the car.
With another clatter, both Li Ping and Xiang Lan were also cuffed.
Fifth Prison.
Zhao Feng was alone in a small room, sitting on a bench, wrists and ankles shackled.
The cramped space was lit with harsh, bright lights, rendering the surroundings indistinct.
Yet Zhao Feng was not agitated. He slowly closed his eyes, resting in silence.
His fingers tapped a rhythmic beat on the wooden bench.
Exhaling, he opened his eyes and muttered, "I’ve been here for five hours already. It should be about three in the morning now."
He closed his eyes again. "Whoever did this had better hope I never find out. Otherwise, I’ll make you pay dearly. Hmph!"
Behind the glass wall, a striking woman stood with arms folded, silently watching Zhao Feng inside the room...