When the night grows still, one's ears become exceptionally sensitive. For someone like Xiao Lin, even a single embroidery needle falling to the ground would ring crystal clear in his ears.

Wu Shuang was a considerate woman. Not only did she change the dishes she served him daily, but she also prepared grooming tools for him. He enjoyed these different treatments, yet they shared no further communication. Yes, in the detention center, Xiao Lin refused any communication with others. He simply lay with his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

At the moment, standing before the mirror with his new grown stubble, his ears twitched at the faint sounds he heard. Yet the razor in his hand continued its work smoothly over the foam on his chin, shaving it bit by bit, finally wiping his chin clean with a hot towel, and putting on clean clothes. The detention center didn't have a bathroom, and for a suspect like him, the lengthy confinement meant he could only wipe himself daily with hot water. For this, he felt a bit helpless, but still refused Wu Shuang's suggestion to take a shower at the police station.

After buttoning two buttons on his striped shirt, he slipped on a pair of tight black pants, walked around barefoot, and lay down on the bed. Another faint sound came, like a mouse crawling on the wall, or sand grains falling to the ground. But none of these concerned him. After all, they would appear before him sooner or later, so he didn't find it necessary to worry about their origin.

The ceiling of the detention center was originally white, but whether from years without sunlight or not, it had turned grayish. Resting his hands behind his head, deep in thought, he suddenly turned his body, pointing a finger at his head with his left hand, bending his left leg, propping up his right leg, with his eyes fixed on the outside of the iron bars, seemingly smiling yet not surprised as he watched the person fall from the ceiling.

"Do you have to wear that ugly mask every time you see me? I won't tell anyone that you have a woman's face." Seeing the person descend from the ceiling and stand steady, Xiao Lin laughed, jesting like one would with a long-lost friend, considering this a greeting.

Flame Swallow naturally removed the mask; indeed, in front of Xiao Lin, there was no need to wear such a thing. Frankly, it was quite suffocating and not good for the skin, though luckily, he was naturally beautiful and had no skin problems.

"You look quite comfortable staying here. That female officer treats you well, serves you properly." Gripping the bars with both hands, he seemed to be looking for something, testing each one in the same way.

"The door isn't locked. You can come in directly." Xiao Lin's words carried a hint of sarcasm, which was directed more at the cell than at him.

"Lin Zhifang isn't afraid of being reported. You are a key suspect after all." Flame Swallow didn't follow Xiao Lin's suggestion to enter the cell; instead, he lit a flame between his palms, burning the bars, then bending them forcefully, creating a large opening. "It's about done." After speaking, he finally walked in through the front door. "Pack up, we can leave now."

"Where to? A jailbreak?" Xiao Lin looked at Flame Swallow without moving, the unbuttoned part of his shirt revealing a firm abdomen. "I'm quite fine here. If you let me break out now, won't it just add to my crimes?"

"You can choose to leave with me willingly, or I'll knock you out and carry you out." Flame Swallow was too lazy to argue with Xiao Lin, with Xiao Lin's sword strapped to his back.

"Ah, you're still using it!" Xiao Lin exclaimed, pointing at the sword.

"It feels very handy." Flame Swallow squatted down, urging Xiao Lin to get up and leave with him, but it was clear the latter had no such intention. "Whether you like it or not, you're leaving today, understand?"

"I doubt you can defeat me." Xiao Lin shrugged, as if the matter had already been settled, which infuriated Flame Swallow, but it was indeed the truth.

"Fatty Wang is already dead." Flame Swallow knew that without saying something, this man wouldn't leave with him.

Xiao Lin nodded, seemingly having guessed it already. "Died at home?"

"On the open sea, someone slit his throat, but tomorrow it'll be announced as a suicide."

"And what else?" A throat slit, he probably knew who did it, and Consort Ling likely knew too but didn't stop it.

"Someone wants me to take you away; a person you must meet."

"Let me guess." Xiao Lin said seriously, looking at the ceiling. "The Red Clothes woman is always with Xiao Mu. Your appearance in Liger City probably wasn't under Xiao Mu's orders. I think all along I've been running into a misconception; you and that Red Clothes woman, and Nightmare, are all 'Black Crow' people, but your approaches are vastly different. I think you aren't one of Xiao Mu's people."

Flame Swallow did not refute nor confirm, impatiently dragging his foot on the ground. "I can't beat you, but if you don't come with me today, your woman will be in danger."

"Oh, now you've hit the key point." Xiao Lin started to act, getting off the bed and standing barefoot on the ground. "Were you just now threatening me with my woman?"

The words sounded flat, but in Flame Swallow's ears, they were not so pleasant. In the brief moment of distraction, he was lifted by the neck by Xiao Lin. He wanted to struggle, but Flame Swallow didn't, letting his hands dangle as Xiao Lin held him up. "Even though you aren't the one giving orders, I could kill you just for that sentence alone."

Flame Swallow obediently nodded, then pointed at the hand clutching his neck. "I know you won't kill me, let me down, or you'll really choke me to death." It's not that Flame Swallow was particularly weak, but Xiao Lin's finger was pinching his artery, leaving him powerless to resist.

"Where's the old man?"

"You'll know when you go there." Flame Swallow coughed twice, clearing the discomfort in his throat. He thought it would take some time, but it seemed easier than expected.

"Another boring game." Xiao Lin snorted coldly, following Flame Swallow as they climbed the rope.

Although it was a prison break, there wasn't a single police officer around. The arrangements were blatantly exposed. Running down the corridors of the police station was unimpeded since there was no one around late at night, not even someone working overtime. They ran out of the police building, where a Jeep was parked at the entrance. Seeing them come out, the car started up.

The driver was a stranger, but his determined gaze revealed him as a special forces soldier. As soon as Xiao Lin got in the car, Flame Swallow had already disappeared in front of him. Xiao Lin didn't waste time looking for him; from his limited understanding, Flame Swallow probably preferred not to interact with military personnel.

"Young Master Xiao!" As the Jeep drove onto the road, the driver watched Xiao Lin through the rearview mirror.

"Which unit?" Xiao Lin nodded to him.

"Unit One."

"Where is he?" Surprisingly, he didn't get an answer. Was it because the driver couldn't say, or didn't want to? Xiao Lin suddenly felt he was asking redundant questions. After all, wasn't his destination to see the old man? He just didn't know when the old man had arrived or if he'd never left since their last meeting.

Through the car window, Xiao Lin roughly confirmed the direction—it was leading to Liger City. "Are we heading to the Western Suburb?" Although he knew the other party wouldn't answer, Xiao Lin couldn't help but ask.

"Please bear with us, Young Master Xiao." As expected, there was still no direct answer. Xiao Lin had no intention of giving up, even though such a person was more stubborn than anything else.

"Does the old man have to play tricks like this with his own son?" Xiao Lin chuckled lightly. The driver, however, remained silent, focusing on driving.

Xiao Lin could only give up. As he closed his eyes to rest, the car had already stopped at the entrance to Liger City. "You'll have to proceed on your own from here, Young Master Xiao. I can only take you this far."

Xiao Lin jumped out of the car. The street at midnight was like a dead city, without even a night cat around. Breathing in the fresh air, Xiao Lin felt foreign to the scent, having been inside for so long.

"Follow me." Flame Swallow, wearing his wrinkled old lady mask, appeared behind him. As soon as he spoke, his figure had dashed far ahead, leaving Xiao Lin to sigh helplessly, and he had to follow Flame Swallow's shadow swiftly. The two of them nearly covered the entire Liger City before Flame Swallow finally stopped on an inconspicuous street.

Neither was out of breath. "Why go the long way? It's just across the street." Xiao Lin remarked.

"For safety," replied Flame Swallow. After confirming no one was around, he walked towards a shop, pushing the door open.

From the outside, it looked like a small restaurant that Flame Swallow was familiar with. He lifted the curtain and went directly into the kitchen, eventually pulling aside a cabinet, revealing a hidden passage in front of Xiao Lin.

As soon as he stepped out, a gust of wind attacked. He quickly shrank his body, dodging it. The cold wind hinted at a cold weapon. Xiao Lin glanced back at Flame Swallow, then used his leg strength to leap out of the exit, with the fierce wind following. This time, Xiao Lin didn't dodge but charged into the wind. In the darkness, unable to see who it was, he relied on his keen hearing, calculating the opponent's position. He crossed his hips, sweeping horizontally, with a silver needle between his powerful fingertips. As he approached the other's body, he suddenly bent backward, somersaulted just as his opponent turned, and pressed his body against his opponent's back, the needle piercing a millimeter into the skin.

Standing aside, Flame Swallow didn't show anything, but he admired Xiao Lin's reflexes. If it were him, he might have needed more effort.

"Where's the old man?" Xiao Lin was a bit tired of such scenarios, fed up with the old man's tricks.

"You brat, what kind of attitude is that?" A commanding voice came from where they had just entered. Flame Swallow slipped into a corner, and Xiao Lin, hearing it, released the person in his hand, put away the silver needle, casually found a place to sit, glanced at Flame Swallow behaving obediently, but sneered at the person coming out from the tunnel entrance, his disdainful look in Flame Swallow's view seemed disrespectful.

"You guys go out first, Flame Swallow stays." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.