Chapter 180: Escape

"Achung... you..." After a long pause, Wen Shilin finally came to his senses, his voice barely concealing his shock. "You're one of Tanhsin's people?!"

Wen Shilin had never imagined that the assistant who had been working for him for several months was actually sent by the enforcers. Throughout this time, Achung's performance had been flawless, and he had seemed incredibly respectful. Even when articles and evidence went missing, Wen Shilin had never once doubted Achung.

Hearing Achung reveal his identity at that moment, Wen Shilin's mind went blank. Anger and confusion surged through him as he roared in a low voice:

"So, your orphan background, your resume, everything you said in the interview — it was all fake?"

"Of course, it was fake," Achung said, taking a deep breath. "Officer Chu had already thoroughly understood your personality. Everything about me was fabricated for your sake; he was certain you would choose me. And I was determined to do my part, ensuring you had no reason to dismiss me. You can investigate other things, and he might not care, but 'Hand of Redemption' is something you absolutely cannot touch. He merely sent me to monitor you and obstruct your investigation, which is already incredibly merciful. Otherwise, you would have died hundreds of times over."

Wen Shilin's face beneath the cloth sack was deathly pale.

"Enough."

The voice, which had been silent for a long time, spoke again. "Guards, take these two to the back room for now. I need to speak with him alone."

Wen Shilin was about to speak again when a wad of cloth was shoved into his mouth. Immediately after, he was pinned down by a pair of strong hands and slowly moved in a certain direction through the darkness.

He was led through a labyrinth of turns for an unknown duration, finally finding himself locked to a hard object. As the person's footsteps receded, he heard the clanking of chains struggling nearby, followed by the sound of something being spat out.

"Mr. Wen, are you okay?"

Wen Shilin was surprised that Chen Ling had managed to spit out the cloth gag. He immediately began struggling with his own chains, using the sound to convey his location to Chen Ling. Their distance didn't seem far; after hearing the clanking of the other's chains, Wen Shilin suddenly felt the cloth gag in his mouth pulled hard, and his ability to speak returned.

"Lin Yan? You got free of the chains?" Wen Shilin asked in shock.

"No, I bit it off," Chen Ling's voice came from in front of him. "I could just reach it at this distance. The person who escorted me here must not have tied the gag tightly when he put it in; I just struggled a bit and managed to spit it out."

"Can you touch my chains with your hand?"

"No... We must be chained to two different pillars. I can't reach."

Wen Shilin's heart sank. Gazing into the darkness before him, he said, his voice heavy with guilt, "I'm sorry... it's all my fault for getting you involved. They came for me."

"What's done is done; there's no need to apologize," Chen Ling said, his voice remarkably calm. "Let's focus on figuring out how to get out of here first."

Wen Shilin gave a bitter laugh. "Now that we're locked up and blindfolded, how can we possibly get out?"

Chen Ling said nothing, simply trying to struggle with his chains a couple of times, producing a clanking sound.

"What are you doing?"

"Do you remember the sounds from before? This must be some kind of warehouse or factory, temporarily repurposed as a place to hold us captive... There might be something useful within reach."

At Chen Ling's suggestion, Wen Shilin immediately understood. His bound hands began to grope around on the ground within a small radius.

As he fumbled, Wen Shilin was secretly astonished. Lin Yan's mental fortitude was indeed remarkable; at this point, he not only showed no panic but maintained absolute composure. This level of psychological resilience alone surpassed that of most people.

"Nothing here on my side..." Chen Ling said regretfully.

At the same moment, Wen Shilin's fingertips brushed against something cold. He instantly brightened. "There's something behind me... It's very hard, like a metal part."

"A part?" Chen Ling immediately asked. "Can you use it to pry open the chains?"

"No... it's too big and heavy,"

Chen Ling considered for a moment. "Try throwing it to me."

Relying solely on the sound of Chen Ling's voice for direction, Wen Shilin gritted his teeth and threw the metal part. It clanged twice on the ground before settling in a certain spot.

"How is it? Can you reach it?" Wen Shilin wasn't very confident in his aim.

"Yes," Chen Ling replied, followed by the sound of chains clanging against the metal part. "These aren't handcuffs; there are gaps in the links... Perhaps I can try something."

"You can pry them open?" Wen Shilin's eyes lit up.

Chen Ling didn't answer. He took a deep breath, and then there was a metallic clang, followed by a low, pained groan.

Hearing the sound, Wen Shilin frowned and immediately asked, "Lin Yan, are you alright?"

Clang—Clang—!Clang—!!

Chen Ling still didn't respond, but continued to strike with the metal part. A series of clanging sounds came from his direction, punctuated by muffled groans of pain, followed by heavy, ragged breaths.

"Lin Yan! You're free?" Wen Shilin exclaimed, overjoyed at the sound of chains clattering to the floor.

Chen Ling weakly grunted in affirmation, just as he was about to move toward Wen Shilin. Suddenly, a voice from the doorway cut through the air: "What's that noise? Trying to make a run for it while the boss is questioning?"

It was a sharp, sneering voice. The moment it sounded, Wen Shilin's heart sank. Before he could even react, the whistling air of a fist rushed past him.

"You..."

After a brief thud of flesh against flesh, the sneering voice abruptly ceased, as if a heavy object had crashed to the ground.

Chen Ling fumbled around for a moment, then moved behind Wen Shilin and unlatched the chains connecting his wrists to the pillar. Wen Shilin exclaimed in surprise:

"You took care of him?"

"He's dealt with... Look out!!"

Wen Shilin was about to reach up and pull off the black cloth bag from his head when Chen Ling pressed his head down with one hand, forcing him directly to the ground. The next instant, the sound of a blade slicing through the air ripped past, almost grazing Wen Shilin's ear.

Wen Shilin had no idea what was happening; he simply yielded to Chen Ling's force and bent low. A series of struggle sounds erupted, accompanied by several distinct shouts and curses, and then he was abruptly pulled by Chen Ling, dashing rapidly in a certain direction!

"What's going on?" In the chaos, Wen Shilin was completely pulled along by Chen Ling, his vision still plunged in darkness.

Along the way, many figures seemed to flash past them, but none managed to get close to Wen Shilin. With the world spinning around him, he was utterly unable to discern any direction, relying entirely on Chen Ling to pull him over a low wall before breaking into a desperate sprint into the distance.

After running for an unknown duration, Chen Ling finally stopped, gasping for breath. Wen Shilin, meanwhile, nearly stumbled to the ground.

He stumbled and collapsed onto the ground, his hands trembling as he pulled off the black cloth bag from his head. Before him stood a bloody figure, covered in knife wounds and looking weak. His left hand was unnaturally twisted, as if it had been shattered.

Chen Ling wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with one hand and spoke hoarsely:

"Mr. Wen... are you alright?"