The cell held two female prisoners, with bunk beds, a very small room, and a toilet integrated into the space. A low wall separated the toilet from the beds, and the exhaust vent was right above the toilet. Lan Xue landed silently, like a nimble civet, stepping on the low wall and landing lightly. In a swift move, she rushed to the other female prisoner, struck her down with a karate chop, knocking her out completely before flashing to the cell door to peek out. She discovered that the guards had all left, the heavy tal door was tightly shut, and the prisoners couldn't get out.
Seeing this, Lan Xue smiled, quickly approached the beds, and woke the woman on the upper bunk. The woman looked at Lan Xue in surprise but didn't scream. She had a pretty good psychological strength. Lan Xue made a hush gesture, and after seeing the other nod, she whispered, "National Blade drawn, code number?"
Each mber of National Blade had a code number unknown to outsiders. Before the operation, Lan Xue had contacted the base and learned Ye Laixiang's code number. A person's appearance can be changed, but the code number never would be wrong—it was the most reliable way to confirm one's identity. Ye Laixiang, hearing the familiar Mandarin, was suddenly energized, her eyes widened in shock looking at Lan Xue, and quickly reported a string of numbers.
The code number was correct; identity confird, Lan Xue was elated. She pointed at the exhaust vent overhead, and Ye Laixiang imdiately understood, rolled off the bed, stepped on the low wall, and with Lan Xue's help, climbed up. Seeing a hand stretched out above, she knew there was another helper, felt overjoyed, and promptly grabbed it to be pulled up.
After Luo Zheng pulled Ye Laixiang up, he grabbed Lan Xue, who had jumped up, and pulled her up as well. The three of them carefully crawled forward, familiar with the path to the exit, and then descended the ladder. Luo Zheng was relieved to see that Ye Laixiang's agility was intact. Apparently, she hadn't been injured.
Once they reached the drain, Luo Zheng tossed down the cutting torch and handed an oxygen bottle to Ye Laixiang, who without asking questions—signifying a mber of the National Blade Intelligence Team wouldn't have poor psychological quality, adaptability, or skills—accepted it. Luo Zheng gave Lan Xue a look, and they quickly strapped on the oxygen bottles, put on the masks, and retreated swiftly through the drainage channel.
Having managed to rescue Ye Laixiang without stirring death, Luo Zheng found it almost inconceivable how smoothly it had gone. However, it was a positive outco, and upon reflection, it wasn't easy either. If not for Shadow causing such a distraction above, drawing the attention of the guards, they might still be patrolling near the cell, making discovery much more likely.
Even more challenging was discovering the drainage channel. Without it, they wouldn't have been able to enter the underground prison at all. At that mont, Luo Zheng deeply agreed with his instructor's favorite saying, "Every strong fortress has its weaknesses; it's just a matter of whether you can find them."
After an hour of fast running, the three broke out from the drainage channel and carefully approached the exit. Luo Zheng signaled the others to hold on and slowly stuck his head out to look around. Everything was quiet. He climbed the slope to check, and the car was still parked where it was supposed to be. He relaxed, turned on his powerful flashlight, and shone it in the distance, waving it back and forth three tis.
Ghost Hand, waiting in the car, saw the signal and was overjoyed. He imdiately gunned the engine and drove over. After stopping the car, the others climbed the slope, stored everything in the trunk, got into the car quickly, and Ghost Hand sped away, soon getting onto the expressway leading into the city.
On the road, everyone was silent. Luo Zheng took a glance at Ye Laixiang, who was completely composed, and his respect for her grew. After all they'd been through, including a brush with death, and still to maintain such composure, her psychological strength was indeed extraordinary. He gave Lan Xue a look as it was easier for won to communicate with each other.
"Are you Ye Laixiang?" Lan Xue asked softly.
"Yes, it's . You all look unfamiliar?" Ye Laixiang replied politely, her tone laced with wariness.
"Don't worry, we're on the sa side. We're not from the Intelligence Team; we're with the Special Warfare Team," Lan Xue said with a smile.
Ye Laixiang visibly relaxed and looked much more at ease, increasing Luo Zheng's regard for her. Then, Ye Laixiang suddenly asked, "And him?"
"Him?" Lan Xue was taken aback, but then she quickly realized what was happening and smiled, saying, "As expected of soone in intelligence work, even at this ti, you manage to stay vigilant and don't fully trust us. It's admirable. If we couldn't tell you who he is, were you planning to jump out of the car?" As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Ye Laixiang, whose hand was already on the car lock.
"How could I?" Ye Laixiang replied with an awkward smile and let go of the handle.
"No more jokes. We understand your actions. If it were , I'd do the sa thing. It's always good to be cautious. We're splitting up into two teams, our team is responsible for rescuing you from the inside, and Shadow is in charge of attacking the ground guards. Don't worry, it's just for causing a bit of a commotion. With both of our brothers assisting, there won't be a problem. They should have pulled out by now." Lan Xue said earnestly.
"Thank you," Ye Laixiang finally relaxed, a smile appearing on his face as he spoke with admiration, "I didn't expect that you would discover this drainage channel. I've studied this prison, its defenses are extrely tight; it's virtually impossible to infiltrate from the outside. I didn't expect their drainage to be so well hidden and run so far."
"We discovered it by chance too," Lan Xue replied politely, gesturing towards Luo Zheng and continued, "Ghost, the overall commander of this operation."
"Thank you. You look familiar. Are you the rising star of the Special Warfare Team? To call Shadow for help and have him follow your command, you must be exceptional. I'm pleased to et you," Ye Laixiang said calmly.
"You're exceptional too: composed, cool-headed, good at observing and thinking, always vigilant at any ti. It's impressive. You truly are an elite from the Intelligence Team. I'm pleased to et you," Luo Zheng said sincerely.
"Can we stop with the mutual flattery now? Throw a few complints my way too," Ghost Hand, who was focused on driving, said.
"Ghost Hand, a clever and crafty guy, I am team leader Lan Xue," Lan Xue introduced herself.
"Are you the rumored Ice Beauty?" Ye Laixiang said in surprise, looking at Lan Xue, and after seeing her nod, explained, "I've heard your na before. The grandchild of a high-ranking officer, the object of Shadow's unrequited love. Shadow has told about you. But now, he has fallen for . You don't mind, do you?" Her words carried a hint of sourness.
"I don't mind. She's mine," Luo Zheng laughed.
"Uh?" Ye Laixiang looked at Luo Zheng in surprise, then at Lan Xue, and seeing her nodding sowhat coyly, suddenly understood and breathed a sigh of relief, apologizing, "Then I'm relieved. To be honest, I was really afraid I'd have to compete with you."
"Don't console ; there's nothing between and Shadow," Lan Xue said with an unconcerned smile.
"I know. Shadow's feelings were one-sided, but now it's all good," Ye Laixiang looked at Luo Zheng, fully reassured, and smiled.
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