Chapter 27: Breaking Point

Page (1/3)

At the sound of Shen Xing’s voice, the two of them raised their heads at the same time and looked over.

There stood the young man the soldiers had stopped.

“It’s you?!”

Ouyang Lin quickly recognized Shen Xing, whom she had met earlier that day.

“You know him?”

The words that had just reached Song Yuanqing’s lips were swallowed back. He looked at Ouyang Lin in mild surprise.

“Let him come over.”

Ouyang Lin did not answer. She merely waved her hand, signaling the soldiers to release him.

Shen Xing soon arrived before them.

He lowered his head to look at the unconscious Yang Qing and asked anxiously, “How is she?”

“She won’t die,” Ouyang Lin said coldly, folding her arms.

Shen Xing visibly relaxed.

“But she’ll be facing a lengthy prison sentence! And you’re deeply implicated in all of this!”

The disgust in Ouyang Lin’s eyes reached its peak.

She had never liked beautiful men with Shen Xing’s delicate, almost feminine appearance. After what had happened to Yang Qing, she hated him even more.

Shen Xing was not surprised by what Ouyang Lin said. The moment he saw Yang Qing kill someone, he had already anticipated that there would be serious consequences.

The killing itself might not have been the most important issue, but she had killed a high-value target without authorization. That was an extremely grave offense.

For a soldier, it was practically fatal.

“What will it take to keep her out of prison?” Shen Xing asked after a moment of silence.

“Heh. What’s the point of asking? Whatever solution there may be, do you really think you have the ability to carry it out?”

Ouyang Lin felt as though her entire body were filled with immense anger, yet she had no idea how to release it.

And now that Shen Xing had walked straight into her path, she wanted nothing more than to bite him to death.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. She’s done so much for me. I can’t simply abandon her.”

Shen Xing remained remarkably calm.

“Hmph! Anyone can talk. Unfortunately, you no longer have the chance. Not only will she be imprisoned—you won’t escape either. I am now formally arresting you on suspicion of sabotaging the execution of an A-rank mission!”

Ouyang Lin’s voice was icy as she waved for the soldiers to seize Shen Xing.

“Wait.”

Shen Xing had just opened his mouth when Song Yuanqing stopped her.

“Don’t lose your temper. We should first find out what that phone call was about. We can arrest him afterward. What do you think?”

Page (2/3)

Ouyang Lin shot Shen Xing a sidelong glance, then turned her face away, clearly accepting Song Yuanqing’s suggestion.

“Tell us what happened. This may be your last chance to speak with us properly, so I hope you’ll make good use of it.”

Song Yuanqing tried to sound as gentle as possible.

Shen Xing looked at him and fell silent.

After a while, just as Song Yuanqing was beginning to lose patience, Shen Xing suddenly asked, “Do you think Yang Qing killed that person because she managed to extract the formula?”

Even Ouyang Lin, who had not wanted to look at him, could not help turning back.

“What do you mean? Wasn’t that the reason?”

Shen Xing shook his head.

“Yang Qing doesn’t know the formula.”

He paused. Seeing the other two staring at him with suddenly widened eyes, he continued, “But I do. I’m the only one who does.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the three of them fell into absolute silence.

Apart from their faint breathing, there was not a sound.

Shen Xing knew they needed time to process the matter, so he neither urged them nor offered any explanation.

He trusted that anyone capable of holding their positions would not find it difficult to understand.

Sure enough, two minutes later, Ouyang Lin spoke first. Her voice was distorted by sheer disbelief.

“You’re saying… Yang Qing gave her only safeguard to you? She didn’t even listen to the formula herself, just to ensure your absolute safety?”

Shen Xing nodded. “That’s exactly what happened.”

“What makes you deserve that?!”

Ouyang Lin stared at Shen Xing for several seconds before suddenly breaking down. She lunged forward and seized him by the throat.

Shen Xing had no time to react and no strength to resist.

It felt as though a truck had crashed into him. His vision went black, and he nearly lost consciousness.

When he came to, he found himself lying on the ground.

Ouyang Lin was straddling him, both hands clamped around his neck like cold iron pincers.

“What are you, exactly? You think that just because you have a pretty face, you can so casually ruin an outstanding agent? She could have had a brilliant future! She could have lived a wonderful life! Why? Why did you have to destroy her?!”

Ouyang Lin cursed hysterically, venting all the emotions she had been suppressing.

Before long, Shen Xing’s face began to turn purple.

He could not breathe, much less speak in his own defense.

“Lin, calm down!”

Seeing how agitated Ouyang Lin was, Song Yuanqing feared she might truly lose control and strangle Shen Xing to death. He hurried forward to stop her.

Page (3/3)

Fortunately, Ouyang Lin had not completely lost her reason. When Song Yuanqing pulled her away from Shen Xing, she did not resist too fiercely.

“Cough! Cough, cough!”

Freed at last, Shen Xing immediately began coughing and gasping violently.

After a while, he recovered somewhat.

He looked toward Ouyang Lin and saw that she was still glaring at him.

He suddenly let out a cold laugh.

“Actually, I didn’t understand why you were so agitated. To you, Yang Qing was merely a substitute who could die in your place at any time, yet you acted as though she were your own sister. But now I understand. You’re jealous. You can’t accept that after Yang Qing followed you for so many years, her loyalty to you still couldn’t compare with the sincerity we developed in the short time we spent together.”

“Bullshit!” Ouyang Lin shot back immediately.

“Heh. Whether it’s jealousy or wounded pride, the fact remains that you feel hurt. And since Yang Qing can no longer bear the brunt of your anger, you can only take it out on me. I may be insignificant, and my life may be worthless, but at least what Yang Qing and I share is genuine. Can you honestly say the same?”

Shen Xing continued taunting her.

Ouyang Lin’s face went pale, yet she did not answer.

“If you truly cared that much about her, you wouldn’t have arranged for someone else to monitor her. She belongs to your military system, yet she had no idea she was being watched. Clearly, this isn’t a regulation that must be followed. In other words, you decided to monitor her for your own reasons. She risked her life for you for three years. Was that still not enough to dispel your suspicions of her?!”

Shen Xing’s voice rose higher and higher.

“Ultimately, all of this is your fault. If not for you, everything would have been simple. You’re the one who complicated matters step by step until they reached this point! Ouyang Lin, you’re the one who should take responsibility! Do you think I’m trying to keep the formula for myself? I’m doing it for Yang Qing. I know what she’ll be facing, and I’m the only one who can save her. So you can stop wasting your effort over this formula. Even if it costs me my life, I will never tell another person.”

Ouyang Lin trembled all over after being torn apart by his words. Song Yuanqing took hold of her arm and frowned at Shen Xing.

“That’s enough! Stop talking! Things have already reached this point. What matters now is deciding what to do next!”

Shen Xing snorted, shrugged, and replied calmly, “That’s your concern. I have no say in the matter. Let me know when you’ve reached a decision.”

Song Yuanqing murmured a few words to Ouyang Lin. She nodded lightly.

“Fall out! Everyone, clear the site and return immediately!”

Song Yuanqing issued the order, then accompanied Ouyang Lin back to the vehicle ahead of the others.

Soon, two towering soldiers came over and took Shen Xing to another vehicle without giving him a choice.

Inside, more than twenty soldiers regarded him with distinctly unfriendly expressions.

“Putting on a show. I’m tired. Wake me when we arrive.”

Shen Xing curled the corner of his mouth, treating the whole thing as beneath notice.

He had just cursed Ouyang Lin to her face, and she had not even dared to utter a word in response.

He refused to believe this bunch of big soldiers would be foolish enough not to understand what truly mattered.