"Why are you here?" Ming Xiaoyu asked from the car driven by Li Taiming. He felt he was the one among the three most justified in communicating with Li Taiming. Unexpectedly, Li Taiming snapped back crossly, "Are you my ancestor? If you were in danger, do you think I wouldn't come to save you?"

That curse silenced everyone in the car. They couldn't understand why he had come to help, and if he was helping, why he was so brimming with resentment.

"Hey, hey..." Xiaoshu nudged Li Taiming’s back with her left elbow, her tone ingratiating. "Uncle, what in the world is going on? How did those swarms of bugs suddenly appear at a perfectly fine hospital, and who killed those corpses in the basement?"

"Heh, heh..." Li Taiming chuckled smugly, keeping his left hand on the steering wheel while pointing at Xiaoyu with his right. "The person he cares about the most, that’s who."

Hearing Li Taiming confirm Zhang Yuqiu’s words, Xiaoyu’s face immediately shifted, and he spoke sternly, his voice sharp: "Impossible. I know her. She wouldn't even step on an ant, how could she possibly kill so many people? Besides, she was working quietly at the hospital, never encountering any danger. How could it be her? What on earth happened to turn this city into such chaos? Tell me quickly!"

Ming Xiaoyu’s barrage of three "how is it possible"s left Li Taiming momentarily flustered. The hand gripping the steering wheel suddenly trembled. He abruptly slammed on the brakes, nearly sending everyone inside into a forward somersault. He jumped out of his seat and pointed at Xiaoyu, shouting, "If you had listened to me back then and killed those ninety-nine men in prison, your woman wouldn't have met this fate today, and everyone in that whole hospital wouldn't have died tragically."

Seeing the rage on his face, Xiaoyu's turbulent emotions suddenly calmed. He stared blankly at Li Taiming’s masked face and stammered, "Can you tell me why?"

Li Taiming offered no reply. He stuffed both hands into his trouser pockets, tilted his head back to gaze at the sky, bearing a striking resemblance to the bearing of Li Xiaohao.

After a long pause, Zhang Yuqiu whispered softly from behind Xiaoshu, "God says, to catch a man, you must capture his rib."

That quiet utterance was like a thunderclap, stunning not only Xiaoyu but also freezing Xiaoshu where she stood. He suddenly recalled the argument he and Li Xiaohao had outside the operating room. Perhaps having Yingzi marry his elder brother Ming, and bear him a son, was the most effective way for their father to prevent the Yin-Yang brothers from becoming mortal enemies. Tears welled up uncontrollably in Xiaoshu’s eyes. Memories flooded her mind like a tide—unshakeable and unavoidable—leaving her only silent weeping to fight against the unfair destiny arranged for her by the previous generation.

Now, only Zhang Yuqiu remained truly clear-headed. She glanced left at the dazed Xiaoyu, then right at the heartbroken, sobbing Xiaoshu, and finally at the menacing glare on the face of the old devil, Li Taiming. Carefully, she took Xiaoshu’s hand and started walking toward the back of the car. Xiaoshu offered no resistance, following her woodenly onto the road.

They walked for what felt like a long time before Xiaoshu suddenly snapped back to awareness. She looked around and realized her good brother had vanished. "What just happened to me? Where is Xiaoyu?" she asked.

"He..." Zhang Yuqiu hesitated, stuttering and dragging out her words before finally articulating the truth bit by painful bit: "You are no longer walking the same path. He has his destination, and you have yours. Come with me!"