Crimson Instinct

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***

On the fourth floor, Rodey had emptied the corridor that led to the room where Ying Yue and the others were kept. He also disabled all the cameras. He already knocked out the man monitoring the footage not to raise the alarm for the broken footage.

Inside the room, Cocoa was continuously hovering around the door and scratching it and quietly growling at the same time.

"What is Cocoa doing exactly?" Long Hu asked for the hundredth time already.

"I don't know...Hey Cocoa, come here."

"Grrr…"

Ying Yue's brows furrowed in pain as her back hurt. She slowly spoke, "Maybe there is someone outside."

The door slowly opened, and Rodey stepped inside.

"Arf!"

He rushed towards Ying Yue and picked her up in his arms in an easy swoop.

Ying Yue softly gasped, and she instinctively wrapped her hands around his neck. He was careful not to touch her wounds on her back.

"Rodey…"

Chu Jie also immediately got up, and Long Hu straightened up.

"What happened?"

He coldly said, "We are leaving."

Chu Jie ane Long Hu's expressions bloomed in joy.

"Are we really leaving from here!?"

"Shut up, and don't waste my time.

They quickly got up. Chu Jie helped Long Hu and supported his good arm on his neck.

As soon as they got outside, Cocoa started moving in another direction.

"Hey!" Rodey urgently whispered, "Get him here!"

Chu Jie supported Long Hu on the wall and immediately followed him. He grabbed him. "Cocoa! Why are you going over there?"

"Grrr…"

Chu Jie tried to hold onto him, but he seemed adamant about going in the opposite direction.

"Cocoa! We have to escape, and we have to follow Rodey! We cannot go to this side."

"Arf. Arf."

Cocoa refused to budge. "Grrrr…"

He seemed restless and anxious to go over that side.

"What is there, Cocoa?"

Rodey called from behind. "Are you nuts? Why are you two wasting time? If that dog doesn't want to come, then I don't care! I am leaving. You decide if you want to come or not."

"Rodey please-"

"Shut up, babe. I am taking them out, but if they don't want to come, then it's not my problem."

Chu Jie desperately said, "No, wait! We are coming!"

But Cocoa didn't listen. He charged ahead at full speed. Chu Jie was horrified.

No!

Suddenly, from a distance, he saw a silhouette of a guard coming this way. He turned even paler. 

"C-cocoa...that's a guard."

"Fuck!" Rodey cursed. "How can a guard be here!?"

He quickly put Ying Yue down but still held her waist with one arm. He swiftly took out his gun and aimed at that incoming figure.

His finger was on the trigger, and he had just begun to press it when Cocoa's reaction stunned him.

Cocoa dashed and jumped on the guard, but instead of attacking him with his razor sharp claws, he began to lick the guard's cheek. He was furiously wagging his tail and circling the guard.

Huh?

Chu Jie and the rest were dumbfounded.

Ying Yue asked, "Why is he licking the guard?

"This is unbelievable…" Long Hu was still rooted to his spot.

"Arf. Arf!" Cocoa was nudging his head against the guard's cheek.

That guard slowly raised its cap, and the face came in clear view.

Chu Jie felt as if lightning struck him. Then his eyes teared up as he recognized the figure.

"S-sis Xin Lei…"

Xin Lei was completely overtaken by Cocoa, who was showing her all the love in this world. His licking was making her laugh.

She finally raised her head, and when she saw Chu Jie, her face brightened as if lit by millions of lamps.

At first, he stumbled in his steps, but then he picked up speed and jumped on her just like Cocoa did.

"Sis! Sis Xin Lei! You are here!"

Xin Lei hugged Cocoa and Chu Jie hard, and her eyes watered too as she finally met them. She ruffled Cocoa's fur and kissed on his head. Then she patted Chu Jie's head too.

She took out the guard's phone, whose uniform she stole, and typed. "I found you! I finally found you guys! Cocoa! Chu Jie!"

"Arf!" He furiously licked her cheeks again.

Chu Jie burst into tears. "Sis...sis, you are here. I knew you would come for us. Where is bro Bai Li?"

Xin Lei sighed and typed. "Actually, I was kidnapped here too."

"What?" He widened his eyes in shock.

She nodded and typed again. "I figured out the boss's identity, and then I was kidnapped. When I woke up, I found I was here. I somehow freed myself and disabled the guards outside my room."

Chu Jie then said, "Oh, then you disguised as one of them?"

She nodded.

"That's awesome. Sis, you are so cool! You fought them and also stole their clothes!"

"Hey!" Rodey impatiently said, "If your reunion is over, then can we leave?"

Even Rodey was shocked to see her out of the blue. And amazed too that she knocked out the guards by herself.

Bai Li certainly has good taste in women; he thought to himself.

Then he looked down at Ying Yue and stared at her.

Well, so do I.

Xin Lei quickly got up and narrowed her eyes at him. She aimed her gun at him with one hand and with the other hand, typed, "Rodey, aren't you?"

"No, sis!" Chu Jie stopped her. "Don't shoot him."

Xin Lei frowned.

"He is helping us get out of here."

She widened her eyes in disbelief and looked at him in shock.

What!? Rodey?

Chu Jie nodded.

One by one, Xin Lei looked at Long Hu and was shocked to see his messy arm. She understood what must have happened. Then her gaze shifted at Ying Yue, who was also curiously looking back at her.

But the most interesting thing was how Rodey was holding onto her waist. It was protective and even possessive.

Xin Lei slowly raised her brow, and her sixth sense told her what was going on and why Rodey might be helping them escape.

I see…

"I don't have time for your shit," Rodey coldly said. He picked up Ying Yue again and began to walk away.

"Sis! Let's follow him. He knows the way."

Xin Lei was still cautious, so she followed them but had her guard up.

Rodey took them to the torture room, and for a moment, Chu Jie and Long Hu froze.

"Why are we going back here? T-this is the torture room…"

"Shut up and follow me. I know what I am doing," he flared at them.

Through the dark torture room as they passed by, Chu Jie shuddered as he remembered what he had witnessed with Long Hu. Long Hu began to sweat too. He felt as if the pain in his arm suddenly came alive.

Xin Lei also felt chilly but angry at the same time.

Suddenly, they heard a whimper.

Xin Lei checked and was shocked to see another woman whose condition was even worse.

Ying Yue gasped. "Jingjing…"

"She is your cousin?" Long Hu asked.

She nodded. Ying Yue trembled on seeing her pathetic state. She was all bloody and not even recognizable.

Rodey said, "I am not taking that bitch, okay?"

Xin Lei was taken aback.

Why not?

She checked her pulse, and it was too weak.

She typed. "We have to help her. She is in critical condition."

"I don't give a fuck about it. I am not waiting anymore."

Ying Yue's felt guilty for a moment, but she said nothing, remembering how she selfishly left her behind and then what Rodey said.

'She was the one who pushed you in front of the car.'

Xin Lei had no choice but to support Jingjing on her shoulder and take her too.

There was a small staircase that took up to the boss's room where Zhang Ning always sits and watches everything unfold.

"Isn't this where the boss sits?"

"This is even more dangerous."

Ying Yue was perplexed too, but she had faith in Rodey in what he was doing.

Rodey kicked the door open and entered her room. As they reached the other end of it, they came across a secret passage behind a curtain draped on the wall.

Chu Jie widened his eyes. "There is another door here," he whispered.

Ying Yue softly asked, "Where does this lead to?"

Rodey said, "This is the way through which the boss comes to this place. She doesn't come through the front entrance of the school."

"The boss is a woman!?"

"This place is a school!?"

Both Long Hu and Chu Jie exclaimed with completely different questions that shocked them.

Rodey shrugged.

Xin Lei nodded.

"This is the secret entrance and exit. I will take you out through here."

"But isn't this dangerous?" Chu Jie gulped. "What if the boss comes? What if we collide on the way?"

"No. She was just here an hour ago and already left for home. She won't be coming back again, at least for today."

Rodey took the lead, and the rest followed them. But once again, Cocoa was growling.

Rodey was pissed off. "What is this dog's problem! Just as annoying as that Bai Li. Can't he stay still?"