NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 141
When the group was a few dozen meters away from the castle, flames suddenly erupted ahead. Ye Jinmeng looked carefully and saw that the castle's living room was on fire.
"The castle is on fire!" Ye Jinmeng exclaimed in alarm.
For now, the fire was not severe, only the living room had caught fire, and it seemed to have just been ignited.
Policeman Shi immediately ordered, "Zhao, quickly contact the fire department to come put out the fire. We can't let it spread!"
"It looks like they probably haven't escaped far. Everyone else, pick up the pace and continue searching for the two fugitives!"
"Yes!"
"Woof woof woof!"
The police dog suddenly barked toward the front, and Policeman Shi looked intently to see two figures flash by.
"Over there! Quick, after them!"
The officers immediately gave chase in that direction, and Ye Jinmeng and the others exchanged glances before running after them as well.
A few minutes earlier.
Zhen Kechuan returned to his room, put on his emergency backpack containing water, food, some cash and gold bars, then grabbed Ye Junwen, who had just changed clothes, and ran out.
Upon reaching the door, he thought for a moment, then ran back to the storage room and grabbed a canister of gasoline, pouring it over the living room floor and sofa.
Zhen Kechuan took out a lighter, lit it, and tossed it onto the sofa, instantly igniting a blazing fire.
His peripheral vision caught the flickering light of a flashlight in the distance, and he said coldly, "They're here, hurry!"
Ye Junwen turned to look in the direction indicated, seeing a number of people, and his heart raced with panic as Zhen Kechuan directly grabbed his arm and ran away.
To be honest, as far as Zhen Kechuan was concerned, Ye Junwen would only cause him trouble and weigh him down, without being able to help him at all.
Zhen Kechuan could have just abandoned Ye Junwen, but he had never thought of leaving him behind.
Ordinarily, Zhen Kechuan was adept at evading police pursuit, having repeatedly led them on a merry chase.
But this time was different - he had to flee with the inexperienced Ye Junwen, which made him feel somewhat inadequate.
On top of that, this was so sudden, leaving him no time to react or prepare. In his flustered state, he ran in the wrong direction, and a cliff ahead brought their steps to a halt.
Ye Junwen almost couldn't stop in time, nearly stepping into the void before Zhen Kechuan firmly pulled him back.
"Ah!"
Ye Junwen's legs went weak and he sat down on the ground, looking at the cliff below and hearing the approaching footsteps and shouts of the police behind them, feeling utterly hopeless.
"Brother Chuan, what should we do?" Ye Junwen's voice trembled as he looked up at the straight-standing man.
Zhen Kechuan gazed at the pale face in the moonlight, let out a light sigh, and crouched down to reassure him.
"Don't be afraid. Just put all the blame on me and say I forced you to do everything.
Remember, say that I coerced you into robbing Ye's Group so I could control you and use the company as my cash cow; that I abducted you from the police station to taunt them; that I also kidnapped Ye Jinmeng to threaten you."
"Brother Chuan!" Ye Junwen's eyes widened, not expecting Zhen Kechuan to try to protect him.
Zhen Kechuan patted his head. "Kid, you have to live on. Don't be afraid. Your crimes are minor - you'll just spend a few years in prison. When you're out, I believe the Ye family won't mistreat you."
He let out a mocking laugh. "I've committed many sins in my life. I'm going to die anyway, so a few more crimes don't make a difference. I just hope you don't forget me."
"Be good!"
By this time, the police had finally caught up. To prevent the two criminals from doing anything reckless, several officers had their guns aimed at the two figures on the cliff's edge, the dark barrels pointed menacingly.
"Zhen Kechuan, Ye Junwen, you have nowhere left to run. Don't struggle uselessly! Surrender and plead for leniency!" Policeman Shi called out first.
Zhen Kechuan let out a cold laugh, grabbed Ye Junwen's collar and pulled him up, holding him in front of himself with a knife to his throat.
Ye Junwen understood that Zhen Kechuan was pretending to take him hostage to establish himself as the victim - something that should be fortunate for him. Yet Ye Junwen felt oppressed.
He didn't want Zhen Kechuan to die because of him.
"Ha, leniency? I, Zhen Kechuan, have killed and arson so many times, stolen so many valuables. You think I'd get leniency? Hahahahaha, what a joke!"
Zhen Kechuan looked at Policeman Shi as if he were an idiot.
His left arm tightly held Ye Junwen's shoulders while his right hand held the knife, lightly tapping Ye Junwen's face with it.
"I have to say, this Ye kid is really stupid. Just a little threat and he'll do whatever I say.
Ah, it's just too bad he's so dumb. Such a huge money-making machine as the Ye family, and he let me lose it all!"
Zhen Kechuan looked at a police officer named Li and mocked, "Hahaha, you guys are pretty dumb too. Can't even recognize your own boss! Tsk tsk tsk, so amusing!"
Officer Li and the other officers present blushed in embarrassment, and Li was about to angrily retort before being stopped by Policeman Shi.
"Zhen Kechuan, put down the knife. Even if you kill him, you still won't escape, and you'll just add another murder to your charges! You might as well let him go and surrender. I'll give you a few minutes to think it over!"
Policeman Shi glanced at his watch.
"It's 2:59 AM now. At 3:05, I hope to have your answer."
Zhen Kechuan's breath tickled Ye Junwen's ear, making him blush for some reason and feel uncomfortable.
He felt a sour feeling in his heart and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Brother Chuan, I don't want you to die..."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Kechuan's mood suddenly improved and he let out a light laugh. "I can't escape this time. As long as you always remember me, I'll live on."
"In a bit, I'll pretend to have come to my senses and let you go. You'll obediently go with the police, okay?"
"What about you?"
"I'll go with the police too. We'll go together."
"Okay."
By now, Ye Junwen was no longer afraid of spending a few years in prison. Instead, he felt remarkably light and at ease in his heart.
Ye Jinmeng, Shi Shuning, and the others hid in the shadows, nervously watching the standoff between the two sides.
"Dad, Uncle will come to his senses, right?"
"Mm-hmm, he definitely will."
Ye Junli's heart was a jumble of emotions. What had been done couldn't be undone, but he only hoped that Ye Junwen could truly reform.
Policeman Shi checked the time again - it was exactly 3:05 AM.
"Time's up, have you made up your mind?" Policeman Shi asked.
Zhen Kechuan didn't say a word, he just slowly released Ye Junwen and threw the knife in his hand away.
Ye Junwen turned his head to look at him, then took a step back. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing at each other, raising their hands over their heads.
Policeman Shi breathed a sigh of relief, took out his handcuffs, and moved forward with a few others.
But the next second, the ground beneath Ye Junwen's feet suddenly loosened, causing him to sway and stumble towards the cliff.
"Kid..."
"Junwen..."