Chapter 460: Chapter 460: Rushing In Regardless

At that thought, the leader, ignoring his injured shoulder, shimmied straight down the drainpipe. Crouching low, he slipped past the nearby bushes and ran to a manhole cover by the road, then jumped down. From there, he escaped the museum grounds through the sewer, where a getaway car was waiting. The man known as the leader had successfully escaped.

As Zhao Nuan Yang subdued the second-in-command, he rushed to the window and climbed down the same way the other man had, intent on chasing the fugitive.

It was dark outside, and Zhao Nuan Yang couldn’t see which way the man had run. By the time his feet touched the ground, all traces of him were gone. Zhao Nuan Yang could only scan the area before following his gut and chasing off in one direction.

Meanwhile, as the fire broke out, the commotion outside woke Pan Ling’er from a deep sleep. She groggily looked around the unfamiliar room, realizing it wasn’t her bedroom. After a moment, it came back to her: this was Zhao Nuan Yang’s office.

’Oh, how embarrassing!’

Apparently, she had been so full and content after eating that she’d been unable to fight off sleep and had dozed off here. She saw a thin blanket draped over her, carrying a faint, fresh scent of mint—the same scent she had noticed on Zhao Nuan Yang when they were walking together.

Hearing the commotion outside, Pan Ling’er had no time for embarrassment. She hurried out to see what was going on.

When she got outside, however, she was stunned to see the sky to the southeast glowing with fire. ’Could someone really be here to steal the national treasures?’

’Those people are insane! They don’t even care about their own lives!’

Pan Ling’er rushed toward the fire and ran right into Li and Wu.

"Li, what’s going on over there? Is the fire under control?" Pan Ling’er asked, her face pale with worry.

Her usual duties were simple: patrolling, helping elderly ladies with their groceries or across the street, finding people’s lost cats and dogs. Sometimes she’d even use her job as an excuse to wander past Zhao Nuan Yang. She had never experienced anything this intense.

"Ling’er, don’t go over there. It’s dangerous," Li said, quickly grabbing her hand to stop her from running off.

Pan Ling’er glanced around, remembering that Zhao Nuan Yang hadn’t been in the office. ’Did he go home, or is he out here?’

"Where’s Zhao Nuan Yang?" Pan Ling’er asked urgently. "Where is he? Did he go home?"

Wu shook his head. "You were asleep inside. After Zhao Nuan Yang finished his work, he went out for a run."

"Oh my god! That means he never went home. With a fire over there, Zhao Nuan Yang would definitely have gone to check it out!"

With that, Pan Ling’er took advantage of Li’s momentary distraction, shook his arm off, and sprinted toward the glow of the fire.

Normally, Pan Ling’er could never run this fast. But today, consumed with worry for Zhao Nuan Yang, she ran with incredible speed. To get there faster, she even took a shortcut through the gardens.

Li and Wu tried to chase after her, but it was dark, and in the winding garden paths, they were no match for the frantic pace of Pan Ling’er.

In no time, Pan Ling’er reached the southeastern corner. The fire was even more intense up close, and a large crowd had gathered.

Pan Ling’er stopped. She didn’t rush in, but instead anxiously asked someone in the crowd, "Is everyone out? Have they all been rescued?"

"There were eight staff members inside. They’ve gotten seven out so far," the person answered, not even getting a clear look at who had asked.

Hearing that one person was still inside, Pan Ling’er immediately assumed it was Zhao Nuan Yang. "Oh my god," she cried, "is it Zhao Nuan Yang? Is he the one still in there?"

The person replied loudly, "We don’t know the name yet, but someone’s already gone in to get them...!"

Hearing this, Pan Ling’er cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed, "Zhao Nuan Yang! Zhao Nuan Yang!"

No matter how loudly she screamed his name, there was no reply. At that moment, Pan Ling’er’s mind went blank. She suddenly shoved her way through the crowd and rushed into the building.

When Li and Wu finally caught up and saw Pan Ling’er charge into the burning building from a distance, the color drained from their faces.

In their minds, a fire and theft at the museum was a deeply regrettable incident. They might even be reprimanded and demoted for failing to do their duty, but they could accept such punishments.

But if something were to happen to Pan Ling’er, a million deaths wouldn’t be enough to atone for it.

Li and Wu couldn’t worry about anything else. They broke into a dead sprint.

As they neared the scene, they suddenly spotted a tall, slender figure at the end of the path.

As the figure stepped into the lamplight, they saw it was indeed the dashing Zhao Nuan Yang. Only now he was a mess—his hair was singed, and his face was smeared with soot.

Seeing Zhao Nuan Yang appear, and then remembering how Pan Ling’er had just charged in, both Li and Wu were struck with panic.

A moment ago, Zhao Nuan Yang had been on the other side of the building. He had faintly heard someone calling his name, but he’d been too far away to make it out clearly.

"Zhao Nuan Yang! Pan Ling’er ran into the burning building to save you!" Wu said. He was a bit more calculating. ’Since Miss Ling’er likes Zhao Nuan Yang,’ he thought, ’I might as well make him understand just what kind of girl she is—the kind who would throw herself into a fire to save him.’

Zhao Nuan Yang was stunned. ’Was that Pan Ling’er calling for me just now?’

If she had run into the fire because he hadn’t answered her call, Zhao Nuan Yang knew he would be wracked with guilt, regardless of whether she made it out safely. Forgetting his exhaustion, he sprinted forward, vaulted over an obstacle in his path, and plunged into the building.

Li and Wu were already inside. Thankfully, the firefighters had sprayed a lot of water, so the blaze had died down, but the building was still thick with smoke.

By the time Zhao Nuan Yang reached the first-floor stairwell, he saw a security guard dragging Pan Ling’er down the steps.

But Pan Ling’er hadn’t seen him arrive and was still struggling, shouting, "Let me go! Zhao Nuan Yang hasn’t been rescued yet! Please, save Zhao Nuan Yang! COUGH COUGH..."

Her voice was fraught with urgency and heartbreak. The dense smoke blinded her, and having inhaled so much of it, she was wracked with violent coughs...

Other than his own sisters, Zhao Nuan Yang had never known he had a friend who cared for him so genuinely.

’To think of me at such a dangerous time, and even rush in to save me.’

’But this is no time for sentiment or thanks,’ he thought. ’The smoke is too thick. I have to get her out of here, now.’

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