Chapter 176 - 175: Being Followed

With that said, Lin Aoxue turned and left.

After heading downstairs, the members of the Lin Family still tried to pick a fight with her, but she acted as if they were invisible, walking straight out the gates of the Lin Family’s estate.

Before getting into the car, she turned back to take one last look at the place she had called home for over twenty years. Words couldn’t describe the complex emotions swirling in her heart. However, she knew that this time, she was truly free. When it came to the Lin Family, she had a clear conscience.

"Miss Lin, are we heading back to the hospital now?" Yu Ling asked. He had been waiting in the car the whole time, and upon seeing her emerge, he immediately started the engine.

The drive from the Lin Family’s estate to the hospital would take about half an hour. Seeing that it was getting dark, Lin Aoxue decided to pick up some dinner on the way.

"Let’s go to Liu’s Porridge Shop. We can buy some porridge for Ye Xuan."

At her instruction, Yu Ling nodded, pressed the accelerator, and slowly drove away from the estate.

However, not long after they set off, Yu Ling noticed a black Land Rover tailing them from a side road. At first, he didn’t pay it much mind, but as they drove on, things started to feel off. There weren’t many cars on the road, yet the Land Rover continued to follow them at a steady pace.

As a qualified assassin, Yu Ling was certain they were being tailed. He narrowed his eyes, his expression turning serious.

"Miss Lin, it seems we might be delayed for a bit."

Lin Aoxue’s heart gave a sudden THUMP at his words. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she spotted the Land Rover clinging to their tail. Her hands involuntarily tightened their grip on the seatbelt, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes.

"Don’t worry, nothing will happen. Hold on tight," Yu Ling comforted her in a deep voice, glancing at her sideways.

He slammed on the gas pedal, instantly accelerating the car to eighty miles per hour. Caught off guard, the Land Rover was quickly left several hundred meters behind, though it soon sped up in pursuit.

Yu Ling let out a disdainful TCH at the Land Rover in the rearview mirror, then slammed on the brakes, decelerating sharply.

The driver of the Land Rover hadn’t expected such a maneuver. It was too late to brake, leaving him with no choice but to frantically crank the steering wheel. The tires rubbed against the asphalt with a harsh SCREECH, leaving long, black skid marks on the road as the Land Rover was forced to a halt.

Yu Ling stuck his hand out the window, casually flipping off the occupants of the vehicle behind them.

"Damn it! Keep chasing them! I’m going to kill that little bastard!"

Sitting in the Land Rover’s passenger seat was a bald man with heavily tattooed arms. Seeing the middle finger sticking out of Lin Aoxue’s car, his face flushed red and the veins in his neck bulged with rage.

The driver, a shifty-eyed man with a rat-like face, didn’t say a word. He simply restarted the engine and sped after them once again.

"They still haven’t given up? Looks like I really need to teach them a lesson."

Yu Ling frowned, surprised by their relentless persistence. He switched the car to autopilot mode and magically produced a handgun from nowhere. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he leaned halfway out the window and fired six consecutive shots at the pursuing Land Rover.

There was no hesitation, and every single bullet found its mark. He first fired two shots that blew out the Land Rover’s tires, then shattered its windshield. The final bullet grazed right past the tattooed man’s temple. The scorching heat of the projectile left a long burn mark across his skin, drawing a scream of agony from his lips.

Yu Ling executed these actions with fluid precision. By the time he was done, Lin Aoxue had only just recovered from her shock. The Land Rover was now completely immobilized, leaving the tattooed man and his partner to watch helplessly as her car disappeared into the distance in a cloud of dust.

"Damn it! Since when does Lin Aoxue have such an expert protecting her?" The tattooed man slammed his fist heavily against the car door, his expression twisted in fury. "Shit! If we can’t catch Lin Aoxue within three days, Ms. Xu Meng won’t let us off the hook!"

Compared to his exasperated state, the sharp-chinned man in the driver’s seat remained remarkably calm.

"Relax. No one escapes from the Tiger Brothers," he said calmly. "I refuse to believe this bodyguard stays by Lin Aoxue’s side twenty-four hours a day. As long as we keep a close eye on them, we’ll definitely find an opportunity to strike."

In Huaxia, there were countless assassin organizations, both large and small. Some were massive syndicates like the Celestial Ranking, boasting tens of thousands of members. Others consisted of just one or two individuals. Naturally, the large organizations enjoyed far greater notoriety—after all, they had the prestige and the strength in numbers.

However, the Tiger Brothers were prominent figures in their own right within Huaxia. They had made a name for themselves a generation earlier than Ye Xuan’s cohort; by the time they reached the height of their infamy, Ye Xuan was only just beginning to show his potential. Back then, the prominent families of Huaxia were absolutely terrified of the brothers and actively avoided them.

Even the higher-ups didn’t dare to cross the pair casually. First, they possessed formidable Martial Arts skills and a ruthless killing style. Second, the brothers held an Immunity Token.

At one point, Huaxia had been jointly targeted by several other nations, leading foreign assassins to run rampant within its borders. On one occasion, they even brazenly attacked the former head of state. Fortunately, the Tiger Brothers happened to be passing by and saved the dying leader.

Seeing their extraordinary Martial Arts and combat prowess, the former head of state entrusted them with a mission. He promised that upon its completion, he would not only award them a Medal of Merit but also grant them an Immunity Token. If they were to ever commit a heinous crime in the future, this token would spare their lives.

The mission was simple: the Tiger Brothers were to eradicate all foreign assassin factions within Huaxia’s borders.

Though young at the time, the Tiger Brothers resolutely accepted the task. After all, the allure of an Immunity Token was far too great. It took the brothers two full years to drive the majority of foreign assassin forces out of Huaxia, leaving behind only a few organizations that were too powerful to provoke.

Later on, Huaxia established its own Four Palaces, cultivating a vast number of elite talents. As a result, the Tiger Brothers were no longer needed. Instead, Ye Xuan led the other members of the Four Palaces to annihilate the remaining foreign assassin syndicates. From then on, Huaxia’s underground world enjoyed complete stability.

Having lived in comfort for so many years and coasting on their unparalleled merits, the Tiger Brothers grew increasingly arrogant and overbearing. They would stir up trouble from time to time, but on each occasion, the higher-ups turned a blind eye. This leniency only fueled their arrogance, leading to growing discontent across all levels of society.

Ever since the political landscape in Jingcheng grew volatile, the higher-ups had been trying every conceivable method to rope the two brothers into their respective camps. Ye Xuan’s direct superior had entertained the same idea but ultimately dropped it due to the brothers’ poor character.

Moreover, the Tiger Brothers were quite shrewd. No matter who extended an invitation, they only ever offered ambiguous answers, never explicitly stating their stance.