As Xiang Xueyuan raised his hand, dozens of people immediately swarmed in, all wielding weapons. It seemed that at his command, they would kill both Xia Qingtian and Tarik.
"I admire you, but... it's a pity." Xiang Xueyuan's words were unsure if they were for Xia Qingtian, Tarik, or both.
The next second, Xiang Xueyuan's brow furrowed, and his gaze deepened.
Behind Xia Qingtian, Xia Qingyu, who had been protected by Xia Qingtian, was looking at Xiang Xueyuan with utmost calmness. In her hand, she held a small and exquisite fruit knife.
The blade, glinting coldly, was pressed against the position of her carotid artery.
It seemed that if Xiang Xueyuan gave a single command, Xia Qingtian and Tarik would not be the only ones to die.
"Father!" Xi Fu immediately knelt before Xiang Xueyuan, her expression flustered, "Don't... don't hurt Tarik! Father! I beg you!"
Xiang Xueyuan didn't spare Xi Fu a glance. He merely shifted his gaze from Xia Qingyu's face to Xia Qingtian and said, "Ten minutes. I'm only giving you ten minutes."
Upon hearing Xiang Xueyuan's words, Xia Qingtian immediately let out a sigh of relief, and Xia Qingyu slowly lowered the fruit knife, turning it in her palm while still gripping it tightly.
"Qingyu, you go out first." Xia Qingtian dared not completely relax yet. She continued to slowly retreat, holding Tarik hostage, "I'll cover our rear."
"Okay." Xia Qingyu responded and began to walk out, her hand holding the fruit knife trembling.
"Tarik..." Xi Fu looked at Tarik nervously, afraid that Xia Qingtian would harm him.
As Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu, holding Tarik hostage, disappeared from his sight, Xi Fu took a step to follow.
"Xi Fu, how many more times will you defy my orders?" Xiang Xueyuan's voice rang out. Xi Fu flinched, her knees buckling, and she knelt on the ground.
"Father, I'm sorry, I..." Before Xi Fu could finish speaking, Xiang Xueyuan interrupted her.
"Xi Fu, I should have dealt with you." Xiang Xueyuan's voice was colder and more piercing than his gaze at that moment.
A cold sweat broke out on Xi Fu's back.
"You should be grateful that your life has other uses for me." Xiang Xueyuan took a deep breath and said, "Give the order. In ten minutes, send everyone to pursue them. Do your best to ensure Xia Qingyu's safety. For others, show no mercy!"
Xi Fu swallowed hard, wanting to plead for Tarik, but she knew that even she was struggling to protect herself at this moment. She could only comply, all the while secretly plotting how to save Tarik's life.
Meanwhile, after the three of them, Xia Qingtian, emerged, Xia Qingtian finally released Tarik. "Which car is yours?"
"Cough, cough..." Tarik coughed a couple of times before asking coldly, "What makes you think I would betray my father?"
"What makes me think?" Xia Qingtian snatched the fruit knife from Xia Qingyu's hand and, before Xia Qingyu could react, directly pressed the small fruit knife against Xia Qingyu's neck. "You should know that I would do anything for revenge."
Tarik's eyes darkened. "Ten minutes. You won't be able to escape."
"That's none of your business." Xia Qingtian curved her lips. "We'll have to trouble you, Young Master, to act as our driver for a while."
Tarik's gaze fell on the fruit knife at Xia Qingyu's neck, and he gritted his teeth.
Finally, he opened the car door and got in.
Seeing this, Xia Qingtian immediately pushed Xia Qingyu into the car. Then, to Xia Qingyu's astonished gaze, she tossed the fruit knife out the window.
"What are you doing playing with knives, young lady?" Xia Qingtian patted Xia Qingyu's head as if coaxing a child and then glared at Tarik in the driver's seat. "Stop dawdling! Drive!"
Tarik glanced at Xia Qingtian in the rearview mirror before stepping on the accelerator.
At the same time, Xia Qingtian mentally inquired, [System, does the time-stopping item function in a fixed scene?]
[...]
[System?] Xia Qingtian called out twice consecutively without hearing the system's reply, and she couldn't help but frown.
What was this system doing!
It always lagged behind at crucial moments!
Was it disappearing on her now?
Furious, Xia Qingtian closed her eyes and rolled them, then accessed the Heavenly Chosen Mall interface within her mind. She looked directly at the Time Freeze Coupon in the equipment tab. Xia Qingtian's brows were tightly knit as she hesitated whether to use it when she suddenly heard a voice, startling her.
[The time-stopping item can function in a fixed scene, but it's only for a single 10-minute duration. Does host wish to use it?]
[Holy crap! You scared me! Where were you! Why the delay?] Xia Qingtian was speechless. [Use it now. Apply it to the laboratory.]
[Okay~ The time-stopping item has been enabled.] The system didn't answer Xia Qingtian's question but continued, [All the small items the host can currently use have been depleted~ The system is temporarily off duty. Please strive hard to stay alive in the upcoming missions, host~]
[Off duty? You, a system, have an off duty? Are you planning to ditch me?] Xia Qingtian had ten thousand lines of abusive language in her heart, wondering if it was appropriate to utter them.
This darn system!
Not only does it mess up at proper times, but it also runs away when danger strikes?
Could it be any worse!
Did this mean her plan was still too risky?
Xia Qingtian knew that today's plan was not sufficiently detailed or foolproof, but what choice did she have?
She didn't want to drag others into danger.
If she faced the risk of being erased, of dying, perhaps she could rely on the system and some bug to help her survive.
But if others were harmed, if they died, then they would truly be gone forever.
So much had happened today, Xia Qingtian felt her brain was about to explode.
She had originally thought that no matter what, she still had a system, but now, the system's attitude made her very uneasy!
Ten minutes of escape time, plus ten minutes of the time bug, totaled twenty minutes.
It might be too late to drive from here to the rendezvous point, but it was still enough time to drive directly to the port and escape.
Xia Qingtian considered the time and thought about the route. Finally, as the car drove out of the tunnel, she made her decision.
This time, she would just go for it!
Clicking on the three-dimensional map recorded in her mind, Xia Qingtian opened her eyes and directed Tarik, "Turn right 500 meters ahead, and go straight to the second intersection..."
"You're going to East Port?" Tarik immediately analyzed Xia Qingtian's destination, his brow furrowed. "You're really planning to abandon everyone else and escape alone?"