Chapter 22: The Patient Backstab

“In secret? You mean…”

Just as Shen Xing’s mind began to form a certain suspicion, the distant battlefield suddenly shifted!

Ouyang Lin, who had been maneuvering expertly as if no one stood in her way, was abruptly struck by a dark beam from behind. She let out a muffled grunt and fell from the air.

Those behind her were shocked, scrambling forward to catch her.

At the same time, the woman guarding the pharmacist suddenly took flight, fleeing to the opposite side to join forces with the Dawn faction.

The captured pharmacist was utterly dumbfounded, having no idea why he was being seized in the first place.

Now, seeing not just one group but multiple factions fiercely battling over him, his face drained of color, and his legs weakened.

“Xiao Fang, what are you doing? Bring him back at once!”

“Xiao Fang! You traitor!”

“Do you know what consequences you’ll face for this?!”

As the military personnel tended to Ouyang Lin’s bleeding, they angrily berated the woman who had defected.

But Xiao Fang paid no heed; instead, she sneered coldly:

“Consequences? The consequence is that I will achieve a great merit and be promoted soon within the organization! You fools, don’t think I ever truly sided with you. Haha, don’t be naive—I was never one of you from the start.”

The military members were stunned, all turning their gaze to another leader of the operation besides Ouyang Lin: Song Yuanqing.

Song Yuanqing was the only soldier here who wore glasses, his refined appearance giving him a scholarly air.

Yet a closer look revealed his high rank—he was a colonel, just one step shy of major general.

At this moment, he pushed up his glasses, handed Ouyang Lin over to a nearby medic, and stood up:

“Xiao Fang, you succeeded, so there’s nothing more to say. I was the one who brought you here initially—this is my failure, and I will willingly accept punishment. Now, you set the terms. What do you want in exchange for handing him over to me?”

Xiao Fang grabbed the pharmacist with one hand, her fingers curling into a claw around his neck.

“Did I ask you to speak? Say one more word, and I swear I’ll send you straight to the underworld.”

Song Yuanqing furrowed his brow but said nothing further.

At this point, Ouyang Lin, lying on the ground, had her wounds stabilized.

She struggled to stand, clutching a black metallic object in her hand as she approached Song Yuanqing:

“Black Plum Thorn? Xiao Fang, this reminds me of someone from the past. What is your relationship with him?”

Xiao Fang spat angrily:

“Bah! You don’t deserve to remember him! You were the one who killed him with your own hands. What right do you have to think of him?”

Ouyang Lin nodded slightly:

“Then I was not mistaken. If I’m correct, you’re the so-called fiancée who died in a fire, right? Then you changed your name, had plastic surgery, and transformed into the Xiao Fang you are today. Am I right?”

Xiao Fang snorted coldly, her voice full of hatred:

“No matter what price I paid, the result is that I won. This mission was rated A-level—if you failed, even you would face harsh scrutiny and punishment. I want you to truly taste what it feels like to fall from the heights! The merit you earned by exchanging his life—I’ll make you spit it out a thousand times over!”

From afar, Shen Xing listened to their bitter exchange and couldn’t help but be taken aback:

“This is starting to feel like a soap opera.”

Yang Qing sighed:

“Art imitates life. We find those shows ridiculous because we’re not the protagonists. But when such things actually happen to us, few can handle them any better. Xiao Fang’s fiancé was once a trusted subordinate of Ouyang Lin, highly valued by her.”

“Later, Ouyang Lin sent him undercover with a new identity. But during the extraction, the enemy’s leader captured him and wanted to use him to bargain for Ouyang Lin’s life. The rest… you probably already know.”

Shen Xing was speechless:

“Didn’t Ouyang Lin act a bit unfairly? He took on such a dangerous undercover mission, yet when trouble came, she didn’t even protect him. Who would risk their life for her after that?”

Yang Qing looked at him with a meaningful smile:

“Do you really think Ouyang Lin was heartless and refused to save him? To tell you the truth, it was the man’s own wish. He secretly loved Ouyang Lin but already had a fiancée. The long-lasting inner conflict exhausted him, and he knew someone like him could never win Ouyang Lin’s heart. So rather than see her suffer, he chose a way to be remembered forever—sacrificing himself in her name.”

Shen Xing was stunned, glancing back at the still emotionally volatile Xiao Fang, then let out a deep sigh:

“Seems she didn’t know the truth back then.”

Yang Qing shook her head:

“You’re wrong. This isn’t some top secret. Xiao Fang has been by Ouyang Lin’s side for so long, she’s definitely heard this story more than once. But clearly, she chooses not to believe it. Up to now, it’s less hatred that drives her actions and more the self-hypnosis she’s been enforcing for years.”

“The huge price she’s paid for revenge isn’t enough to withstand such a blow. So even though she knows her revenge no longer holds much meaning, she must see it through. Because if she stops, she doesn’t know how to live.”

Yang Qing’s experience with Xiao Fang’s plight seemed to move her deeply. Shen Xing noticed a trace of wistfulness in her voice.

“What do we do now? No matter which side we’re on, we can’t outmatch them.”

Yang Qing snorted defiantly:

“Not necessarily. Watch.”

As her words fell, a black Maybach roared from afar.

The car charged straight into the middle ground between the two factions, then made a graceful arc to stop closer to the Dawn side.

The doors opened, and a man and a woman stepped out.

Both dressed in black, the woman had fiery red hair, the man golden blond.

Yang Qing’s eyes flickered with renewed energy as she whispered:

“The main event is here!”

Sure enough, with their arrival, the scene abruptly quieted.

Xiao Fang immediately ceased her cursing, casting a fervent glance at the man before lowering her head.

Opposite her, Ouyang Lin’s pupils constricted, and she gasped:

“Apollo?”

Her expression swiftly turned grim.

Shen Xing was puzzled:

“Who is this Apollo? He scared Ouyang Lin like that.”

“One of Dawn’s top fighters. Anyone crowned with a divine name is no easy opponent in any faction. It requires not only exceptional skill but outstanding achievements. In other words, this title is earned through genuine combat prowess—there’s almost no exaggeration. Even he has been dispatched this time, which shows how determined Dawn is to secure this person.”

Yang Qing’s face darkened.

Swallowing nervously, Shen Xing timidly suggested:

“Maybe we should just let them take him. It might not be as bad as we think. At worst, I could join the military and work for them in the future, right?”

Overwhelmed by this crushing pressure, Shen Xing instinctively wanted to retreat.

Yang Qing, however, remained firm:

“You don’t understand the military well enough. Their cold-bloodedness far exceeds your imagination. I was mild before, but there’s no such hopeful possibility as you think. Once you reveal your abilities, you will lose everything and become nothing more than their tool. I’ve seen too many cases like this.”