Nearly a hundred motorcycles, their front ends yanked high into the air by their riders, slammed back down onto the pavement with a bone-jarring thud. Immediately following this impact, they unleashed their most ferocious pursuit.

One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes…

Through her rearview mirror, Yuwen Qian watched Qin Fen's bike steadily close the distance. The curiosity she initially held for him was rapidly morphing into sheer astonishment. She recalled seeing the fleeting moment when that gang of road thugs formed their massive motorcycle formation; it was only a flicker in the mirror before she had utterly left them in the dust.

She had fully expected that dense, intricate formation to ensnare any pursuer. Yet, this newcomer fought like an all-terrain warrior—his sniping skills were top-tier, he could apparently pick locks and steal vehicles, and his motorcycle handling was superior even to that of a professional racer. She genuinely wondered if there was anything he couldn't do.

Lost in thought for a brief moment, Yuwen Qian suddenly felt the throttle in her hand go slack. The roaring symphony beneath her ceased instantly. Her motorcycle… it was out of gas.

Two hundred meters back, Qin Fen allowed himself a slight smile. This woman's skill, whether with her machine or a sniper rifle, was certainly formidable. Unfortunately, she had become complacent. In her haste to steal the motorcycle, she had neglected the single most critical preliminary check: the fuel!

A bike starved of high-octane gasoline was nothing more than a heap of scrap metal.

Out of gas? Without a moment’s hesitation, Yuwen Qian flipped off her bike and dropped into a low crouch, launching herself toward the outer edge of the highway.

Try to run?

Two hundred meters was a negligible distance for Qin Fen’s motorcycle.

The instant Yuwen Qian’s body cleared the highway barrier, Qin Fen’s bike arrived.

No need to brake, no need to stop forward momentum! Qin Fen utilized the bike's high-speed inertia, launching himself clear of the seat. He plunged through the air like a raptor dominating the sky, instantly closing in on his fleeing prey.

The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill surged through his body. His arms swelled as if they were overinflated tires, stretching his sleeves taut. Veins, thick as little snakes, crisscrossed and coiled over his right palm. Snap! Crackle! Pop! The joints of his palm, fingers, and wrist sounded like kernels exploding. The rarely practical Arhat Salutation stance from the Luohan Fist, at this moment, became the perfect technique.

Yuwen Qian felt herself enveloped by an aura of dragon and tiger energy. To press on with her escape now would guarantee a fatal strike from his palm. She stamped her feet, halting her flight, and braced herself against the fierce blow descending like a surging, coiled dragon. She sank her thighs slightly, held her calves perpendicular to the ground, and spread her arms wide, resembling a proud plum blossom blooming in the snow.

Plum Blossom Five Forms: Following the Current!

Her movement was fluid beyond measure. The five petals of the plum blossom mirrored the five elements of Chinese philosophy—mutually reinforcing, endlessly generative. Any incoming, rigid force was subtly directed into nothingness. Even before his Arhat Salutation connected, her neutralizing energy seemed to erode the fierce power of Qin Fen's attack.

Qin Fen, maintaining the momentum of a hawk diving on a rabbit, kept his attacking posture unchanged, his frame fully extended. The Arhat Salutation hammered downwards.

Hearing the sheer rush of air, Yuwen Qian gasped; the sound rushing past her temples was nearly that of thunder. The sheer force of his impending impact began to shatter the integrity of her neutralizing energy.

In that instant, Yuwen Qian clearly realized that if she continued to simply follow the current, the Arhat Salutation would sweep through her defenses and crush her skull.

Abandoning all thought of yielding, she instantly snapped her rear leg into a deep, bent bow stance, keeping her knee and hip low. She clenched both hands into tight fists, raising them diagonally above her head. Her gaze was level, with her head, shoulders, and fists aligned vertically on a single plane—the Three Peaks Facing Together formation. She met Qin Fen’s strike head-on with the ultimate counter in Plum Blossom Fist: The Great Stance!

The Great Stance, categorized under Metal in Plum Blossom Fist, channeled her Zhenqi rushing violently from her Large Intestine and Lungs. Her pores snapped shut in that precise instant.

BOOM...

The three limbs collided. Yuwen Qian felt as though she had been caught in a high-speed highway collision. Nearly all her internal Zhenqi was violently scattered. Every bone in her body felt as if thousands of steel needles were piercing her. The earth beneath her feet actually crumbled, obliterating any semblance of the stable Tiangang Stake stance she tried to hold. Her legs buckled, forcing her into an uncontrollable, staggering retreat.

Is this really a four-star operative at my level? Astonishment flooded Yuwen Qian’s eyes. She had used disguise, suppressed her aura, and fled by motorcycle, yet she still hadn't managed to break free. When had the military produced such a young, powerful soldier?

“Give me back the five thousand!”

Qin Fen landed, his legs infused with the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill, propelling him forward with explosive force that made Yuwen Qian feel the ground beneath her vibrate slightly.

Another strike, the Tiger Taming Fist, descended. Yuwen Qian had no choice but to summon her Zhenqi reserves. Against the most rigid application of force at this four-star level, attempting to use softness to overcome hardness without mastering Tai Chi to its absolute peak was laughable. Her only options were evasion or direct confrontation.

Since taking the impact of the first blow, her legs still tingled with residual numbness. Even if she dodged this second punch, she wouldn't evade the third and fourth. Therefore, she could only choose to absorb the blow, desperately hoping Qin Fen was also nearing exhaustion.

Pfft...

With the second collision, Yuwen Qian's internal Zhenqi finally dissipated. She could no longer maintain the basic postures of Plum Blossom Fist. With a series of involuntary gasps, she staggered backward ten full steps.

Give me back five thousand yuan...

The moment that intensely focused voice echoed in Yuwen Qian’s mind, a cold piece of metal pressed firmly against her forehead.

A gun!

Yuwen Qian looked up, utterly surprised. How did this man have a firearm on him? She gazed at his hand and saw he held a Ruger LCP compact pistol, also known as the "Thunder in the Palm."

The weapon was small enough to fit entirely within an average person's palm, making it ideal for concealment in a cuff. Its only drawback was the slightly weaker muzzle energy of its rounds.

Of course, if the muzzle is pressed directly against someone's forehead, the "Thunder in the Palm" loses none of its efficacy. Even someone utilizing a bio-engineered beast, like Zajjad, could be taken down with a single headshot.

Yuwen Qian ignored the gun at her brow, instead studying Qin Fen with keen interest. "Using this method on a woman you just asked for a phone number from doesn't seem very polite, does it?"

"My apologies," Qin Fen’s voice was genuinely contrite. "If you return the five thousand yuan that belongs to me right now, I can buy you a coffee afterward."

Yuwen Qian slowly straightened her legs, testing their strength. "If it weren't for your bullet, Zajjad would have died by my hand. By that logic, I should also be entitled to half the bounty."

Qin Fen looked at Yuwen Qian as she slowly puffed out her chest. This beautiful woman from the café had transformed her entire appearance during her escape. If he hadn't learned tracking techniques in the military, she might truly have slipped away earlier. Disguise—a skill even her instructors were unfamiliar with, a technique steeped in mystery—someone actually knew how to use it, and so flawlessly.

"You didn't make the kill. Therefore, the bounty is mine alone."

"And if I refuse to pay?"

"What do you think?"

Yuwen Qian stood tall, refusing to move further. She stared at the muzzle aimed between her eyes, her tone remarkably calm. "Murder is against the law."

"Robbery is also against the law," Qin Fen retorted coolly.

Yuwen Qian’s lips curved slightly into a smile tinged with resignation. "Is five thousand yuan worth all this?"

Even with her disguise masking her naturally exquisite features, the suppression of her inherent aura was imperfect, allowing that distinctive quality to lend a strange, inexplicable beauty to her otherwise merely attractive appearance.

"Even if it were five hundred, it would be worth it."

Qin Fen’s reply stunned Yuwen Qian. This young man, who could easily be considered top-tier among those aged eighteen to twenty, was arguing over five hundred yuan?

"What if... what if I had been flying a plane when I tried to escape?" she posed lightly.

"I would find a way to acquire a plane."

Yuwen Qian’s jest was met with a deadly serious reply. She could sense clearly that this young soldier was not joking.

"As a soldier, you only get five thousand. Give it to me instead," Yuwen Qian proposed a new deal. "I can secure ten thousand. I’ll give you seven thousand then."

"Excellent idea," Qin Fen smiled. "Unfortunately, I have no basis to trust a thief who utilizes advanced disguise techniques. If you decided to pocket the entire ten thousand, I’d lose the five thousand I was rightfully owed, wouldn't I? Furthermore, I’m not giving you my bank account details. One slip of the tongue from you, and every terrorist organization in the world would know Zajjad was killed by me."

Yuwen Qian sighed. This young man resisted the lure of high profit, maintained an unwavering clarity of mind, and possessed focused goals. In this situation, further stalling would be an insult to both their intellects.

Suddenly, Yuwen Qian laughed. She reached for the satchel at her waist. "Fine. You win."

"Wait a moment." Qin Fen fixed his gaze on the hand undoing the clasp. "Slowly. Slower." Even when victory was assured, his caution remained absolute, destroying any chance of a last-minute reversal.

"All right! I surrender."

Hearing the sincerity in Yuwen Qian’s tone this time, Qin Fen reached out and took the satchel containing Zajjad's head, slowly backing away.

Yuwen Qian stretched her aching arms. The power of those two previous strikes had been immense; her internal energy still hadn't settled.

"Don't leave yet," Yuwen Qian said, smiling at Qin Fen, showing no trace of defeat. "As a gentleman, after obtaining a lady's name and phone number, isn't it customary to politely offer your own name and number in return?"

"I am not a gentleman," Qin Fen said, retreating two more steps. "You should leave quickly, too. This place isn't entirely safe."

"Not a gentleman? Is that so?" Yuwen Qian smiled confidently. "If you still intend to hunt terrorists, we will meet again. Next time, make sure you have the full five thousand yuan on you. When I have the upper hand, I will reclaim the bounty I was owed tonight."

Her words drifted into Qin Fen's ears, and Yuwen Qian vanished into the night.

The nearly one hundred road-biker motorcycles parked on the highway were eerily silent. Everyone present was deeply stunned by Qin Fen’s gravity-defying aerial assault.

The exhaust pipes, usually roaring incessantly, were all temporarily silenced. The leader of the biker gang glanced from Qin Fen, who was now walking toward the highway, to the heavy Triumph 1050cc motorcycle parked not far down the shoulder.