Chapter 45: Heavenly Reinforcements

"Hold on tight!"

Li Zhuang gave a low roar, hurriedly swung the steering wheel, and slammed his foot all the way down on the accelerator.

The van's engine sputtered out a rattling noise as it sped wildly down the potholed dirt road, heading out of the sand pit.

"Sister Ya, sit tight!"

Chen Dabao pulled out the seatbelt, looped it around Chen Ya's slender waist, and buckled it for her.

Chen Ya's beautiful eyes were filled with tenderness as she looked softly at Chen Dabao.

She never could have imagined that Chen Dabao would actually dare to brave a den of tigers to rescue her. In that instant, Chen Ya gave him her heart, believing that Chen Dabao was a man truly worthy of trust.

"Damn it, stop that van and beat that punk to death for me!"

Zhang Biao took a heavy blow to the face, leaving half of his cheek red and swollen. Furious, he rushed out of the office and yelled at the top of his lungs from the window ledge.

Only then did his lackeys stationed outside realize that Boss Biao was still alive.

That brat from earlier had tricked them.

"After them, chase them down!"

"Don't let that punk get away!"

"Little bastard, you've got a death wish, daring to come and stir up trouble at our sand pit!"

A crowd of burly men guarding the premises flew into a rage, quickly grabbing their weapons, rushing downstairs, and giving chase to the van. Even from the direction of the casino, a score or two of men rushed out armed with steel pipes and machetes.

Dozens upon dozens of men from the entire sand pit surged out in a menacing horde.

"Zhuangzi, drive faster!"

Chen Dabao glanced back and immediately shouted to Li Zhuang.

Good grief, Zhang Biao had an awful lot of thugs. With dozens of armed goons, if it came to a direct frontal conflict, Chen Dabao wasn't entirely confident he could protect Chen Ya and fight their way out.

"I know!"

Li Zhuang's palms were slick with sweat. The van bounced violently up and down on the rugged dirt road, stumbling along so hard that he nearly hit his head against the roof several times, yet he didn't dare ease up on the gas.

Getting away wasn't enough; they had to reach the town at the very least to be safe.

"Screech!"

Yet, no sooner had the van traveled a hundred meters or so than an excavator suddenly lunged out from the front, parking sideways across the road and blocking the dirt path completely.

Li Zhuang hurriedly slammed on the brakes, bringing the van to a halt.

"You bastards, you still fucking want to run?"

A few burly men leaped down from the excavator and surrounded the vehicle with hostile expressions.

"Dabao, the road is blocked!"

Li Zhuang wore an expression of utter despair.

With an excavator blocking the way in front and dozens of men charging menacingly from behind, a distance of a hundred meters could be closed in less than half a minute. They had nowhere left to run.

"Brother Dabao, call the police quickly!"

Gritting her teeth and keeping her composure in the face of crisis, Chen Ya shouted urgently.

"It's too late. Li Zhuang, I'm getting out to move the vehicle. As soon as the road is clear, I'll hold them off while you take Sister Ya and leave. Don't worry about me!"

Chen Dabao pulled open the van door and vaulted right out.

Offending Zhang Biao in Qingshan Town meant calling the police would likely be useless, and even if it did help, by the time the township police station officers arrived, it would all be over.

"Dabao, don't go!"

Chen Ya cried out anxiously, trying to unbuckle her seatbelt to rush out after him, but in her panic, the buckle jammed and refused to release.

"Sister Ya, I'll get you out first and then come back to save Dabao. Don't get out! If you get out, all his efforts will have been for nothing!" Li Zhuang hurriedly locked the van doors from the inside to prevent Chen Ya from leaving.

"Punk, you've got some nerve, daring to play the hero and save the damsel in distress right in Boss Biao's territory. Looks like you're tired of living!" A burly man with a scar across his face leaped down from the excavator, pointing a three-foot-long machete straight at Chen Dabao with a ferocious grin.

Dozens of thugs came charging through the air with murderous shouts just dozens of meters behind.

"Whoosh!"

Time was of the essence. Without wasting a single word, Chen Dabao suddenly darted forward and kicked fiercely at the scar-faced man's wrist.

In an instant, the large machete was kicked flying out of his hand.

Following that, like a fierce tiger breaking out of its cage, he laid out the three blocking thugs in the span of just a few seconds, then vaulted up onto the excavator in a single bound, intending to move it out of the way.

However, once he climbed into the excavator's cab and reached inside to feel around, his hand met empty air—there was no key.

"Damn it!"

Chen Dabao's expression shifted. He quickly jumped back down to the ground, intending to demand the keys from the scar-faced man, but by the time his feet hit the dirt, the dozens of men from behind had already surged forward and surrounded them.

Even Zhang Biao had hurried over with a ferocious look on his face.

The vanguard thugs arrived first, immediately rushing around the van and plunging their machetes into the tires to keep the vehicle from moving or escaping.

"Punk, weren't you acting all tough and capable just a minute ago? Why aren't you fighting now?"

Zhang Biao stared fixedly at Chen Dabao, his eyes gleaming with a look that could devour people alive.

He was surrounded by a dozen of his most trusted henchmen, every single one gripping a machete tightly for fear that Chen Dabao might launch another attack on him.

Chen Dabao's heart sank. Weighing the situation, although Zhang Biao had dozens of thugs equipped with weapons, these people couldn't stop him if he chose to leave.

Yet, there was no way he could extract Li Zhuang and Chen Ya without a scratch.

It seemed his only option was to capture the ringleader first.

As long as he subdued Zhang Biao, these people would likely be held at bay out of fear.

Narrowing his eyes, Chen Dabao readied himself to strike, but Chen Ya suddenly pushed open the van door and stepped out, placing herself directly in front of him.

"Zhang Biao, don't you dare act rashly. This matter has nothing to do with them. Let them go, and I'll go with you!" Chen Ya said courageously, shielding Chen Dabao.

She truly lived up to her reputation as a woman who had once stood beside a boss, remaining utterly fearless even in such dire circumstances.

Trembling slightly, Li Zhuang mustered his courage, gripped a kitchen knife, and hurried over to join them.

"Heh, what a touching display of deep affection. You want to die together as a tragic couple, do you? Fine, I'll grant your wish!" Zhang Biao said with vicious ruthlessness.

"Zhuangzi, protect Sister Ya, I'll deal with Zhang Biao!" Chen Dabao said in a low, solemn voice, his expression grave.

"Got it!"

Clenching his teeth, Li Zhuang bolstered his courage and shouted his assent.

With a cold, icy gaze, Chen Dabao locked eyes directly on Zhang Biao, causing a chill to run down Zhang Biao's spine. At that very moment, a roaring chorus of engine revs suddenly erupted, accompanied by the screech of multiple cars slamming on their brakes from behind the excavator.

Zhang Biao's subordinates paused, looking toward the rear of the excavator in utter bewilderment.

They could only see that a multitude of vehicles and a great crowd of people seemed to have materialized behind the excavator.

"Zhang Biao, you even dare to touch my, Zhang Wei's, lifesaver? Have you got a death wish?"

A thunderous roar suddenly resounded. Zhang Wei, clad in a trench coat, appeared at the head of a massive contingent of men, stepping out directly behind Chen Dabao. Zhang Wei had brought nearly a hundred men with him.

Every single one of those hundred men clutched steel pipes, casting fierce, predatory stares at Zhang Biao's crew.

The two factions combined swelled to a total of one to two hundred people, instantly locking into a tense standoff around the excavator.

"Boss Zhang?"

Chen Ya wore a look of utter astonishment. She never could have imagined that Zhang Wei would show up at a time like this.

There were currently two major bosses in Qingshan Town, and as a figure of some standing herself, Chen Ya naturally knew them both. What she never anticipated, however, was that Chen Dabao actually had connections with Zhang Wei as well.

In her moment of greatest peril, he had somehow managed to bring Zhang Wei to their rescue.

"Mr. Chen, are you alright?"

Zhang Wei nodded amiably toward Chen Ya before turning his anxious gaze directly to Chen Dabao.

He had no particular relationship with Chen Ya; he had come entirely for Chen Dabao's sake.