Chapter 329: Chapter 329; She’s fine
The van lurched again, the grinding sound of metal-on-metal echoing as one suspicious car scraped too close to their flank. Soldiers outside shouted, boots pounding against asphalt as they tried to tighten the defense.
Gunfire cracked again, louder this time. Bullets thudded into the armor plating, rattling through the confined space.
Tang Fei flinched instinctively, her nails digging into Huo Ting Cheng’s sleeve, but he didn’t so much as blink. His pistol was steady, his breathing calm, his body shielding hers completely.
"Nervous?" he murmured, his breath brushing against her skin intimately, "Just close your eyes and think of me..."
He lowered the window slightly, his sharp eyes scanning the scene outside. Even in a situation like this, he still found time to tease her.
"Of course not!" Tang Fei whispered back, her voice soft and endearing, "I can’t be nervous when you’re here... I only get nervous when I see you naked."
Huo Ting Cheng’s lips curved into a quiet smirk amused, "Mn, is that so?" At one time, she was afraid of him, but now things seemed to have completely changed, as if she were someone else.
Without taking his eyes off the street, he leaned in and caught her earlobe between his teeth, a light, intimate nibble that sent shivers down her spine. One hand held the pistol steady, the other resting possessively around her waist.
He didn’t mind what might have contributed to her change, but he truly loved the woman she was now, in her arms. She had also loved her when she had been terrible. His love for Tang Fei hadn’t diminished even a little; rather, they became more open with each other.
Now, they could communicate, touch each other, tease each other, and definitely, they had such a prosperous relationship.
Before Tang Fei could say anything more, a loud explosion rocked the street ahead. The van shook hard, the sound of metal and glass shattering echoing all around. She gasped and instinctively clutched his arm tighter.
"Stay down!" Huo Ting Cheng ordered, his voice deep and commanding. He leaned slightly forward, pistol raised, his body shielding her completely.
Outside, smoke began to fill the air. The smell of burning rubber and gunpowder seeped into the van. Through the narrow opening of the window, shadows ran across the road — black-clad men with guns, moving fast and surrounding the convoy.
"Ambush confirmed!" a soldier’s voice crackled through the radio, loud and geared up, "Master, they’re on the rooftops too!"
"Let the Shadow Guards take control. Get everyone back inside the vans, and make sure the kids are well protected," Huo Ting Cheng ordered, his tone cold and commanding.
"Understood!" came the firm response through the earpiece.
Within seconds, the guards moved efficiently, retreating to their vehicles and sealing the bulletproof windows shut.
Huo Ting Cheng rolled his own window back up, his movements calm despite the tension outside. He handed his gun to one of the guards in front. "Keep it secured," he said evenly.
Inside, the van felt like a fortress. The thick armored walls muted the chaos outside, gunfire turned into dull thuds, and explosions into distant echoes. No ordinary bullet could pierce through the vehicle’s reinforced plating.
Then, with a discreet signal from Huo Ting Cheng, a hidden mechanism was immediately activated, a faint pulse through the convoy’s network.
The Shadow Guards were in motion immediately.
Silent and unseen, they emerged from hidden positions, rooftops, alleys, and moving vehicles, slipping into the smoke with deadly precision. Within seconds, the balance of the fight began to shift.
All the assailants were swiftly taken down, one by one, clean and precise.
Since the ambush had erupted on the highway, traffic had ground to a halt. Cars were stuck in every lane, horns blaring as terrified civilians crouched low or tried to flee. The attackers hadn’t just targeted Huo Ting Cheng, they had chosen this location to cause chaos, spreading fear among everyone caught in the jam.
Smoke curled above the halted vehicles, the sharp scent of gunpowder mixing with burning rubber. Cries and confused shouts echoed across the blocked road as the Shadow Guards moved like phantoms, eliminating every threat in their path.
Within minutes, silence began to settle again, tense, heavy, and suffocating.
"Minghao... is that... Minghao?" Tang Fei’s voice cracked with sudden panic as her eyes locked on a conspicuous figure through the smoke.
Before Huo Ting Cheng could react, she jerked up from his lap, reaching for the door handle, but his hand shot out, gripping her wrist firmly and pulling her back against him.
"Stay inside," he ordered sharply, his tone low but commanding.
Tang Fei struggled to free herself from his grip, her heart heavily pounding. "Let me go! I need to see... Minghao could be in danger!"
"Minghao is inside the van," Huo Ting Cheng said firmly, pulling her back into his arms shielding her tightly, "You’ll see her once the situation clears up."
"No! I saw her over there... I saw her!" Tang Fei’s voice shook as she pointed toward the smoke-filled road, but when they both looked, there was no one.
"Minghao is inside the van," he repeated calmly, holding her tighter. "If she were out there, the guards would have reported it immediately. All right, let me confirm."
He quickly grabbed the radio, contacting the other van where Minghao, Secretary Li, Huo Qi, Huo Wu, Qing Xinyu, and several guards were traveling.
Static crackled through the radio before a steady voice came through, "Master, all accounted for. Miss Minghao and the others are safe inside the van. No injuries reported whatsoever... Everyone is safe."
Tang Fei suddenly froze as her heart missed a beat. The tension in her body slowly drained as the voice continued confirming names one by one. Her hand was still pressed against Huo Ting Cheng’s chest, and she could feel his steady heartbeat beneath her palm, which was so calm, firm, and reassuring.
"See?" he murmured softly, lowering the radio. "She’s fine. No one can take her down from the van with the entire security surrounding us!"