Chapter 331 - 293: Now She Is the Wolf Pack’s Treasure
Chapter 331: Chapter 293: Now She Is the Wolf Pack’s Treasure
"Switch cars? In your dreams. I’m not doing it."
Hearing Belial muttering at his side, Mingxi closed his chat with Eric and opened the message from Ming Ze.
[Bro, should we switch cars after we pass the checkpoint?]
Mingxi replied: [No. Miss Gu Ning isn’t comfortable being in a car with strangers.]
A moment later, Ming Ze sent: [?]
[Aren’t you a stranger to her too?]
Mingxi: [Not anymore.]
Ming Ze:
[...]
[Bro, we had an agreement.]
Mingxi:
[We decided by drawing lots.]
[Just focus on protecting the convoy. Don’t get distracted.]
Ming Ze sent a sticker of a lion giving the side-eye:
[Then send me a picture of her. Otherwise, we switch cars.]
Mingxi: [She’s asleep. I’ll ask if we can take a photo together when she wakes up.]
Ming Ze: [Chances are she’ll say no. She must really hate you right now.]
Mingxi slowly took a breath and sent a smile emoji. [Don’t message me unless it’s important.]
After sending the message, he turned off his terminal. For the time being, he didn’t want to talk to that guy Ah Ze.
The convoy stopped at a traffic light. While they were waiting for it to turn green, a team of security personnel approached, knocking on the car windows and signaling for them to roll them down for inspection.
Gu Ning was startled awake by the knocking. She instinctively put on her mask and fumbled for her helmet.
"No need to rush," Leighton said, his tone gentle and easygoing as he watched her practiced movements. "They can’t see you from outside."
The security personnel outside continued to knock. Instead of opening the window, Leighton honked the horn.
The other vehicles followed suit, their horns blaring with a hint of impatience and warning.
"Can’t you see the flags on our cars?" Philinos rolled down his window in the car behind them. He stuck his head out and said coldly, "This is your warning. Back off."
The security team members exchanged uncertain glances. They knew these were people from the Military Department. Besides the Military Department’s flag, the cars were also flying the three-ringed flag of the Beast Alliance, representing the sky, the sea, and the land.
No one would dare fly both flags together unless they were on a major mission. Any unofficial personnel or anyone not on a sanctioned assignment would be heavily fined for displaying them improperly.
"Orders from the top," a security officer said to Philinos. "We have to inspect."
The security team was intimidated, but their orders were absolute: inspect every vehicle on the main road leading to the city checkpoint. No exceptions.
"Back off." Philinos picked up the gun at his side. "Final warning."
For the past few days, they had been playing cat and mouse with Zone 15’s Security Department, the Special Security Team, and those mercenaries, all while making final preparations to leave the zone. They would not let anyone targeting them or Gu Ning get what they wanted.
At that moment, the convoy was using a shared frequency for their in-car communications. The instant Gu Ning heard the exchange, she knew something was wrong. She immediately checked her disguise and put on the muzzle and claws Vine had given her.
Belial was surprised that the men were insisting on an inspection. "The Security Department in Zone 15 has this much nerve?"
Leighton observed for a moment, his brow furrowed. "They’re stalling. In a situation like this, they should be reporting to their superiors to get what they need to actually stop us, then intercept us at the next checkpoint."
Ever since they’d set out, they had encountered numerous patrols from both the Security Department and the Special Security Team. All of them had seen the Military Department and Beast Alliance flags and hesitated, not daring to stop them, as if they were waiting for something.
With the checkpoint just a few intersections away, the patrols must have been running out of options.
Mingxi asked, "What if they insist on searching us?"
"You two look like you’ve had some schooling," Leighton said to the two little lions with their four clear eyes.
Then he caught sight of the little female staring at him expectantly. He suppressed his sarcastic impulse, glanced over the props of her disguise, and raised an eyebrow. "They’ve been warned twice and still haven’t backed down. Anyone in this convoy can open fire without warning and without consequence. They know that full well."
As he spoke, he pulled out his gun and cocked it.
Gu Ning instantly grew tense.
They had run into so many situations on the road, but they had always done their best to avoid conflict with the inspecting Beastmen. Never before had they been forced into a direct confrontation like this.
"Roll down the window. Let them get a look."
Barto’s voice came over the comms.
"They won’t dare search the vehicles."
Leighton thought for a moment, then said to Gu Ning, "Little rabbit, move to the back. Belial, you get in the front."
Gu Ning glanced at the Beastmen outside and, without hesitating, got up to move into the back through the gap between the front seats.
Two pairs of hands simultaneously reached out to help her.
The gap was wide enough. Gu Ning ignored the two pairs of fair, slender hands, easily climbing over and settling between the two men.
The two men sheepishly withdrew their hands.
This time, Belial didn’t bother arguing about why he had to be the one to switch spots instead of Mingxi. He just ducked down and squeezed his way into the passenger seat.
His frame was massive compared to Gu Ning. She had to shift aside for him, pressing up against Mingxi.
Mingxi glanced down at her, his hands resting on his knees, his posture ramrod straight.
Once Belial was settled, Gu Ning immediately shifted into the spot behind the passenger seat.
Just then, Leighton tossed a pair of handcuffs to Mingxi. "Cuff her."
Gu Ning: "?"
Mingxi picked up the handcuffs. "Is this okay, Miss Gu Ning?"
Gu Ning was silent for a moment. Realizing what Leighton was planning, she held out her hands to Mingxi.
Just as Mingxi was about to cuff her, Leighton added, "Behind her back."
Belial said, "We’re just putting on an act. No need to get so detailed. Miss Gu Ning isn’t a criminal."
Leighton said, "Say one more word to delay us, and I’ll throw you out of the car."
Belial wisely shut his mouth.
Hearing the serious tone in his voice, Gu Ning immediately put her hands behind her back.
Seeing the little female’s obedient posture, the corner of Leighton’s mouth twitched into a faint smirk.
Mingxi murmured an apology and cuffed Gu Ning’s hands.
"Be fiercer, got it? Channel that same energy you had when you were raising hell at the police station," Leighton told Gu Ning. "Right now, your scent is screaming that you want to beat everyone up."
Gu Ning nodded. She had experience with this.
Belial said in astonishment, "Miss, you raised hell at the police station—"
Mingxi smacked him on the head, and the little lion shut his mouth again.
Seeing that everything was ready, Leighton rolled down the window, aimed his gun at the security officer outside, and said, "What’s this? You got a death wish?"
The security officer forced himself to stay calm at the sight of the gun. His eyes quickly swept the car’s interior. Spotting a much smaller Beastman inside, he bent down for a closer look. "Is that..."
Before he could finish, the small Beastman lunged forward with a "BARK!"
Belial’s eyes widened. He glanced back at Gu Ning, and in the instant their eyes met, Gu Ning planted a foot on Mingxi’s leg for leverage, preparing to headbutt the still-startled security officer.
"Kaper, calm down."
Mingxi appeared to forcefully pull Gu Ning back, grabbing her by the handcuffs with one hand while pinning her to the seat by the shoulder with the other.
Hearing Mingxi call her Kaper, Gu Ning knew that they had all been privately briefed on the plan.
At the same time, Cook’s ferocious roar and the pained scream of a Beastman echoed from a car farther back in the convoy.
The two security officers near their car looked uncertainly at the restrained Mixed Breed. "Why do you have a Mixed Breed in your car?" one asked.
Leighton smiled at them. "I wouldn’t mess with her. She’s the Wolf Pack’s treasure now, which makes her our convoy’s treasure, too."
A security officer replied, "I don’t care whose treasure she is, we need to check her id—"
Leighton didn’t waste any more words. He shot him.
The gunshot echoed through the quiet street, making the squad of officers flinch and stumble back.
A moment later, another gunshot rang out from one of the cars behind them.