Page 194

As the butler hurried out the door,

a sharp hiss echoed -

like the sound of a match being struck against a box.

Flames suddenly sprang up on Zhan Jun's arm.

"Help! There's a fire!" Julia backed away in terror as Zhan Jun approached.

"Uncle Liu! Water! Quick, get some water!" Zhan Jun gritted his teeth, slapping his arm in an attempt to extinguish the flames.

The fire seemed to be rooted in Zhan Jun's arm, growing bigger with each slap instead of being put out.

Panic gripped him completely.

The flames spread rapidly, soon engulfing his entire arm.

"Help me, someone! I'll give a million to whoever puts out this fire!" Zhan Jun frantically cried out to Ah Shan Feng for assistance.

In an instant, everyone clutched their pockets, while one person rushed to grab the money box on the table, fearing that they would be consumed by the flames if they drew any closer.

"Brother Zhan can't put it out!" After being momentarily stunned, Julia hastily took off her coat to help extinguish the fire, but her efforts were futile.

Zhan Jun's screams grew louder as the flames rapidly engulfed him entirely.

The butler frantically searched for water and, upon returning with it, found only a charred, unrecognizable body in the now-empty living room.

The bucket of water in Butler Liu's hands hit the ground with a thud. "Young Master... Young Master Zhan."

Just like that, a living person had been burned to death right before their eyes.

Everyone in the living room was utterly stunned.

Ah Shan pointed at the blackened corpse, his voice trembling. "The fire... The fire only burned Zhan Jun. Even the flames on the carpet nearest to him were extinguished as soon as they reached him."

Peculiar, too peculiar.

Why did the fire only target Zhan Jun? The strangeness of it all was unsettling, the more one thought about it.

The flames in the villa were extinguished, giving way to the arrival of both emergency medical personnel and a major crimes unit to investigate the cause of death.

At the entrance of the garden estate, a car pulled up hastily. The occupant rushed out, only to find the usually tranquil neighborhood now eerily deserted.

The leader let out a deep sigh, filled with regret.

It was too late; they had missed their chance to meet the senior in person.

A high-speed road slicing through the heart of Shenzhen carried the truck along smoothly.

It was four in the morning, precisely the most soporific hour.

Deng Liqiao focused intently on the road ahead. Just over a hundred kilometers remained before she could safely deliver the cargo.

Strangely, despite having had little rest the night before – due to a recent long-distance delivery and her child falling ill – she should have been exhausted. When the male driver insisted on accompanying her, she hesitated, fearing she might doze off during the journey.

If one of the girls from the finance department were with her, they would surely not report her for a brief nap.

Yet, this scoundrel Dong, who was currently in the car with her, wasn't one of them.

Deng Liqiao knew that well.

Scoundrel Dong was eagerly waiting for any mistake on her part so he could snatch the job away.

Fortunately, after driving for so long, she seemed to be holding up quite well?

Could it be... that the refreshing syrup she had consumed earlier was really that effective?

After all, apart from that rumored energy-boosting syrup, she hadn't used any other stimulants.

"Miss Qiao, are you feeling tired? I can take over if you want?" Scoundrel Dong, after observing her for some time, finally asked with ill intentions.

"No need," Deng Liqiao replied, steering the car into an inland service area where they could rest.

Seeing that they were entering the service area, his eyes lit up, and he sat up straighter. "Oh, Miss Qiao, you're too polite. Didn't the BOSS assign someone to accompany you precisely because he was worried about your fatigue? It doesn't make sense to have someone just sit idle beside you."

"Come on, let me drive for a while."

Reaching out, he was about to touch the steering wheel.

Deng Liqiao, holding the thermos, tapped him with it. Seeing Gangster Dong wince in pain and draw back, she said, "No need. I'm not sleepy."

"Sss." Gangster Dong hissed through gritted teeth, a fierce glint appearing in his eyes. "Don't joke around. Your dark circles are as big as coins. How can you not be tired? Relax, just sleep. I promise I won't tell the boss."

"Sleep with ease."

Sleep.

Until I deliver the goods.

Then we'll see if the boss still keeps you!

Deng Liqiao filled up the truck's fuel tank before getting out of the vehicle, casting a mocking glance at Gangster Dong's disheveled hair as she did.

"I'm really not tired. You've been sleeping the whole way, so feel free to continue. I'll go get some water first."

After fetching water, Deng Liqiao prepared to get back into the truck. Gangster Dong climbed into the driver's seat and called out to her.

"Deng Liqiao, it seems like one of the tires is deflating. For safety's sake, we should check it out!"

"Deflating?" Confused, Deng Liqiao held onto her thermos flask and promptly crouched down to inspect each tire.

"No leaks here," she said, puzzled but not daring to let her guard down. If they discovered a damaged tire at a service area, it could still be repaired. But if it happened on the highway with tons of cargo onboard, they might get lucky and call for a tow truck, or they could be delayed for an unpredictable amount of time – that would be a real headache.

"But I heard it, it's really deflating," Lanzai Dong replied from the driver's seat, discreetly turning the key in the ignition as he watched Deng Liqiao through the rearview mirror.

The truck roared to life instantly.

Deng Liqiao jumped back in fright.

Then, the tire began to roll slowly.

"Stop, Lanzai Dong! Get out of the truck!" Panic-stricken, she dropped the thermos and took off after him. Fortunately, the truck had just started moving, so she leaped up, exerting all her strength to grab the door handle and swing herself mid-air.

She slapped the door with one hand.

The metal of the car was beaten with a resounding clamor.

"Get out! Get out now! I have a family to feed! Give me back the steering wheel!"

The truck accelerated, and Punk Dong deliberately slammed on the brakes, causing Deng Liqiao to crash heavily against the door, bruising her skin. Yet, she still held tightly onto the handle, her fingers digging in despite the searing pain, which caused her to bite her lip.

She would never cry, and she would never let go.

This was the hope for her entire family's livelihood.