Without hesitation, Yu Xin stood up and shouted. The entire room fell silent, and everyone could clearly hear what she said.

"There's a fugitive on the scene! Everyone, get out of here!"

The scene descended into chaos. But when people went to open the door, they found it locked from the outside, and no one answered the knocks.

Jiang Qingke stood on the table and roared, "Quiet down, everyone! If anyone makes a sound, I'll light the fuse, and we'll all die!"

The scene was chaotic, but everyone fell silent instantly because of their will to survive, all because of Jiang Qingke's words. Some crouched on the steps, others under the tables. They looked at each other, no one daring to make a move; even if they couldn't think of a solution, they could only stay crouched.

For no other reason than that Jiang Qingke has completely gone mad.

She held the fuse in one hand and the igniter with sparks in the other.

"Anyone who dares to move! Don't let me hear another sound! Otherwise, I'll send you all to the Western Paradise right now!" She had completely gone mad, and her hysterical appearance was terrifying to behold.

There were quite a few young children in the auditorium who were so frightened they wanted to cry out, but now they could only cover their mouths and sob.

Yu Lian realized the seriousness of the situation and understood that she had implicated everyone present.

"Stop right now!"

Jiang Qingke heard the voice she hated most and turned around: "You! You're about to die and you're still trying to order me around? Yu Lian, don't think you can abandon everything from the past just because you changed your name! So what if you're rich? Once the fuse is lit, you'll all be ashes—hahahahahaha..."

Her maniacal laughter echoed throughout the vast auditorium.

Yu Lian looked at her, taking in the people in the hall. Those present were all officials from various government departments of Yuncheng and outstanding figures from all walks of life, even those who had made outstanding contributions to the country and the people and were receiving awards alongside her today. Among them were family members, friends, the elderly, children… even the mayor of the capital was beside her.

If an explosion were to occur, it would be an unprecedented loss.

By this point, Yu Lian had made up her mind and prepared for the worst.

"You said... what are your conditions? I'll agree to kill me if you can spare these innocent people."

"Sister!" Yu Xin couldn't hold back and shouted loudly.

Jiang Qingke glared at her fiercely: "Didn't you understand? Or do you want to die first? I said, if you make another sound, you die! Come here!"

Jiang Qingke pointed to the man closest to her.

"Give her this medicine, let's see if that shuts you up!" Seeing the young man hesitate, Jiang Qingke urged, "Not going? Then you take it! If you don't, I'll light it right now!"

She had completely lost her mind; her hands were trembling, and she was about to touch the fuse.

Yu Lian shouted, "I'll eat it for my sister! Throw it at me, I won't touch it."

Jiang Qingke calmed down, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "Such deep sisterly affection. But let me tell you, this medicine will take effect soon. Are you really going to take it for your sister?"

"Hmm, give it to me. And what are your demands? It can't just be that you want me dead."

"Of course. My intention wasn't to hurt innocent people. You can drive, right?"

"Um."

"Prepare a car with a full tank of gas within ten minutes. No car can block our way or follow us from behind. If I find out, we'll both die; there's no point in me living anyway."

Yu Lian nodded, then looked at the mayor.

"Shall I have the mayor go out and prepare?"

Jiang Qing was still worried and said, "You'd better not try anything funny, or I'll light the fuse right now and take a thousand people down with me."

"I'll arrange a car. Comrade, please calm down; everything will go as you said."

She released the mayor, and the car was ready three minutes later.

Yu Lian led the way, with Jiang Qingke following behind. After checking everything, Jiang Qingke said to the people behind her, "Don't even think about taking the fire source from me. I can still make it explode if I pull it."

She pulled open the other side of her coat, revealing another type of explosive strapped to the other side.

Within minutes, the mayor's men had traced the source of the explosives. Jiang Qingke fled to the military factory where her father had worked before his retirement. Having grown up there, she knew the place intimately and was able to steal some explosives. Although they were substandard, they were enough to kill everyone in the auditorium.

Yu Lian got into the car, trying to ignore the voices of her parents and her younger sister crying in the crowd. Jasmine was sobbing uncontrollably and still had to comfort Yu Xin.

The whole family came to see their sister receive an award in a grand manner, but who knew they would end up on the guillotine.

The car started, and Jiang Qingke sat in the back seat, keeping a close eye on everything outside the window.

"Drive to the western suburbs at top speed, do not stop."

Ten minutes later, a car appeared on the main road, driving recklessly. Soon, unsuspecting passersby began reporting it. But instead of law enforcement, a city-wide announcement was issued.

Upon hearing that there was a bomb in the city, panic gripped the city, and everyone went home and locked their doors. Factories shut down and shops closed.

The car sped along, Yu Lian's mind went numb, but her hands and feet still worked together to press the accelerator and control the steering.

"Yu Lian, although I really want to kill you right now, my life is a hundred times more important than your worthless life. Don't worry, I will let you die without suffering."

Yu Lian completely ignored the gossip behind her; in fact, she was currently weaving a complex web in her mind. Having prepared for the worst, Yu Lian wanted to minimize the damage and save her life as much as possible.

The car drove west and finally left the city safely. Yu Lian reached out and touched her chest, feeling the hard jade pendant, which reassured her somewhat—she wouldn't die; only Jiang Qingke would die.

Following Jiang Qingke's instructions, Yu Lian drove the car to the secluded riverbank. The weather was bad today, with a continuous autumn rain mixed with chill, and given the remote location, there wouldn't be a third person in the reed marshes.

"Take your medicine. I'll watch you take it. Don't try to fool me."

Yu Lian nodded, and under Jiang Qingke's shocked gaze, she finished speaking in one go, without holding back a single word.

"Hmph, I didn't expect you to be so unafraid?"

Yu Lian hugged her arms and pulled her clothes tighter: "What's there to be afraid of? Instead of focusing on me, you should think about what your parents' lives would be like if you died."

Yu Lian deliberately provoked Jiang Qing, but Jiang Qing remained unmoved.

"The worst that can happen is death. You don't need to play any tricks; it's too obvious. You should worry about how you'll die later."

Yu Lian didn't know what kind of medicine she had just taken, but it hadn't taken effect yet. This didn't mean the medicine was ineffective, but rather that her body had reached a state of invulnerability to all poisons thanks to the nourishment from the spiritual spring.

"What medicine did you give me?" Yu Lian pretended to be unwell and squatted on the ground.

Jiang Qingke couldn't hide her smugness. She slowly walked to the riverbank, without even a hint of panic.

Soon, a small black dot appeared on the river surface. A suspicion formed in Yu Lian's mind—the explosives were likely fake. However, she wasn't a professional and didn't dare approach to confirm.

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