Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Boss of the Disabled Heroine - Chapter 77

After calming down the anxious Zhao Manlin, Yu Zhiwan instructed her to occasionally send messages to Chen Tingjia during this period not too many, just enough to maintain contact.

Zhao Manlin followed the instructions diligently. By the time she sent her most recent message, the people dispatched by Pei Yujiang and Yu Zhiwan had already arrived near the residential complex.

Among them were a man and a woman. Pei Yujiang initially assumed she would be entering with the tall, well-built man, but it turned out to be the quiet, reserved young woman instead.

The woman was a petite Beta, standing nearly a head shorter than Pei Yujiang, even shorter than Yu Zhiwan with a slight frame. Noticing Pei Yujiang’s assessing gaze, the small-statured girl lifted her chin and grinned:

“Miss Pei, I’m a top-tier outdoor parkour competitor, trained in karate and Muay Thai. I won’t hold you back.”

The man, who had been wearing a mask the entire time, nodded politely at her:

“I’ll wait here. My mobility isn’t great, so I won’t go in and cause trouble for you.”

Had the man removed his mask, Pei Yujiang might have found him somewhat familiar. He was the doctor who had argued with Yu Zhiwan at the hospital, the one who had initially wanted to sacrifice Pei Yujiang as a distraction to divert A-Organization’s attention while they transported materials.

Later, they resorted to a more complicated method for moving the supplies, and the doctor had thought Yu Zhiwan was being too soft-hearted. But over time, his attitude gradually shifted.

Those who followed Yu Zhiwan weren’t exactly her subordinates; their relationship was more like comrades working together. However, Yu Zhiwan took the lead in major decisions, ensuring they didn’t act like headless birds, disorganized and undisciplined.

Within their group, leadership was merit-based, and the doctor had joined this operation partly to observe this so-called “strategist sister-in-law.” Yu Zhiwan had stationed several people in different locations, this was the first time they were making an overt appearance.

Zhao Manlin had tied her hair into a bun today, concealing a nano-hidden camera within the hairstyle and covering it with a hairband, making it undetectable. The other end of the camera feed was monitored by Pei Yujiang, allowing her to pinpoint the location more accurately and observe the situation in real time.

When the video call connected, Minister Chen’s face looked noticeably more haggard. Unable to hold back, Zhao Manlin expressed concern for her. Just then, an elderly woman in her seventies entered to deliver a meal.

The old woman peeked at the screen. “That friend of yours again?”

Minister Chen’s expression turned impatient:

“Why are you people from Yuerong so annoying? The resignation contract was signed, the handover was completed, what’s the point of harassing me over and over again?”

The moment she spoke, Pei Yujiang sensed something was wrong. She quickly took screenshots to memorize the room’s layout, then scaled the wall to avoid surveillance and entered the complex.

As Pei Yujiang and the petite girl, Liu Xijing, sprinted through the night, Minister Chen had already blocked Zhao Manlin’s contact. Zhao Manlin didn’t dare try reaching out through other means they had been using Talk for the video call. A phone call might still work, but if Minister Chen was being controlled, her phone was definitely no longer in her possession.

Zhao Manlin’s guess was indeed correct. The moment Chen Tingjia finished speaking and ended the call, the seemingly kind old woman beside her abruptly snatched away her phone with a disdainful expression.

“Who does she think she is, some precious young lady? Getting dozens of calls a day checking up on her.” The old woman scowled. “Get up now, we’re moving!”

Chen Tingjia staggered up from the bed, her demeanor completely different from before. Her eyes lingered longingly on her phone. The thought of how she had just spoken to Zhao Manlin made her heart ache as if pierced by needles, but the sorrow didn’t last long.

Taking a deep breath, she walked to the door. The moment she pushed it open, the pungent stench of sweat assaulted her nostrils. Unlike the relatively cozy interior of the room, the outside was packed with people, so crowded that it was hard to find a place to stand.

Among them were Alphas and Omegas, men and women, but almost no Betas. The Betas were the ones “taking care” of everyone arrogant and domineering.

The scene before Chen Tingjia reminded her of a pig farm. Though the conditions weren’t quite that bad, they would soon be relocated.

This place was specifically used as a cover to dispel outside suspicion. Besides this room, there were others disguised as offices, lounges, even a “beauty salon.”

As Chen Tingjia stepped out, the door slammed shut behind her. The leader cursed and barked at them to hurry up.

She had been brought here some time ago. Initially, she was allowed supervised access to her phone, posting on social media, even making the occasional call. But today was “assembly day,” and Chen Tingjia had a bad feeling. She suspected they were about to be taken somewhere even darker, somewhere with no light at all.

A chill ran down her spine.

Most of the people brought here were like her, many were even elites, not just random individuals snatched off the streets. According to the old woman, they were to undergo DNA allocation surgery, essentially being bred like livestock, stripped of all human rights.

At first, when they were captured, some had the energy to shout, curse, or even cite legal statutes. Some offered money for their release, others threatened to call the police. But the loudest protester was publicly beaten with a baton by the third strike, he was foaming at the mouth and unconscious, his face slashed with a knife. After that, no one dared resist anymore.

There weren’t actually that many people, just that the rooms outside were small, making it feel suffocatingly cramped. Chen Tingjia drifted along with the crowd but secretly prepared to escape.

Under the cover of thick darkness, Pei Yujiang stopped behind a building and signaled for Liu Xijing, who was following her, to halt. Liu Xijing obeyed immediately, quickly finding a suitable hiding spot.

This was a blind spot in the surveillance that Yu Zhiwan had marked for her, a place where they could also hear the movements from the building.

The soundproofing here wasn’t great, and with the night so quiet, the footsteps descending from upstairs were clearly audible.

Pei Yujiang wore night vision goggles, dressed entirely in black with a bulletproof vest underneath and protective wrist guards, fully armed. The night’s visibility became crystal clear before her eyes as she furrowed her brows, scrutinizing the figures descending in the distance.

She had seen Minister Chen’s photo before, and with the sharp clarity of the night vision goggles, she quickly picked out the familiar silhouette among the crowd. The woman was discreetly surveying her surroundings, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to escape.

Pei Yujiang gestured a “ready” signal to Liu Xijing behind her.

With so many people around, Pei Yujiang’s gaze swiftly locked onto a few key figures. Two of them carried batons, but she doubted those alone could intimidate such a large group. Several others appeared to be enforcers as well, bringing the total to about seven or eight.

Seven or eight people, if they were only armed with batons, she could take down five on her own. But whether they had guns was unclear. This residential area likely wasn’t entirely under their control, and she had to consider the potential risk to civilians.

Yu Zhiwan had spent days having people stake out the area, mapping their routes for transporting captives. The simplest method was loading people into tricycles, hidden among cargo, or stuffed into car trunks. For larger transports, they used watermelon trucks, disguising the top layer with fruit.

Pei Yujiang turned and signaled to Liu Xijing, who hesitated, seemingly reluctant to leave her side. Pei Yujiang quickly signed:

“Don’t worry. Just scout ahead, no need to expose yourself. I’ll handle the rest.”

Liu Xijing shook her head, signing back: “It’s not fear. Zhiwan-jie ordered me not to let you out of my sight.”

Pei Yujiang: “…”

Originally, she had planned for Liu Xijing to stake out the front. They had walkie-talkies, and Liu Xijing’s petite, agile frame made her better at hiding. But Liu Xijing refused outright.

Left with no choice, Pei Yujiang abandoned the plan.

Once most of the group had exited the building, Pei Yujiang silently closed in from behind. After a few seconds of stealth, she lunged forward at lightning speed, landing behind the rearmost person and knocking them out with a single punch.

Liu Xijing followed suit, though her strike was fiercer, Pei Yujiang could hear the dull thud of impact. Before she could react, chaos erupted as someone screamed. Masked, Pei Yujiang blended into the crowd and seized Chen Tingjia’s arm.

Pei Yujiang only whispered “Zhao Manlin,” and Chen Tingjia’s eyes reddened, her grip tightening desperately. Amid the commotion, shouts rang out as enforcers swung their batons and flashlight beams swept the area. Liu Xijing, using her small stature to weave between taller figures, took Chen Tingjia from Pei Yujiang’s grasp.

Pei Yujiang shot Chen Tingjia a meaningful look. Understanding, Chen Tingjia slowed her steps slightly, pretending to be shaken but still moving with the group.

With Pei Yujiang causing a diversion up front, the enforcers turned their attention toward her, cursing as people scattered or were silenced by batons. Liu Xijing pulled Chen Tingjia along, blending into the retreating crowd until a man suddenly yanked Chen Tingjia’s arm from behind.

He recognized Liu Xijing and Chen Tingjia’s intentions and was overjoyed. His survival instinct overwhelmed everything else as he whispered urgently:

“Take me with you!”

Chen Tingjia tried to shake him off, but the man’s grip was ironclad, his fingers digging painfully into her arm. She could feel her skin breaking under his nails, blood welling up, but she bit back the pain, glaring at him to let go instead of crying out.

Seeing the situation escalate, Liu Xijing pulled a folding knife from her pocket.

“They’re trying to escape!”

Though everyone here was a victim, Liu Xijing couldn’t bring herself to slit his throat. Knocking him out wasn’t an option with Chen Tingjia between them. But Chen Tingjia acted swiftly, clamping a hand over his mouth while delivering a sharp kick to his groin. The violent motion still drew attention.

People began approaching some victims shrank away, some watched with envy, others tried to follow their escape attempt, while a few, broken by despair, moved to stop them.

Like drowning men dragging others down, these desperate souls turned on their fellow victims. Liu Xijing’s patience wore thin. She was never one for mercy had this been some remote wilderness, she’d have cut out this meddler’s tongue without hesitation. But while this was just a mission to her, for others, it was their only chance at salvation from hell.

As Chen Tingjia and Liu Xijing struggled, the latter grew increasingly frustrated, hampered by the need to protect an unarmed Chen Tingjia.

“Ah!”

A brief, choked scream pierced the darkness. Their captors did carry guns after all, now drawn in this critical moment. Beneath the quiet night in this aging residential complex, a deadly struggle unfolded with both sides trying to minimize noise.

Pei Yujiang, however, rolled to the periphery and activated her pre-set livestream, angling the camera toward the chaos.

Her two million followers, a substantial number even among celebrities received “streamer online” notifications. Viewers flooded in, only to be met with frantic shadows moving in the darkness, their screens soon filled with question mark comments.

“Bang!”

A gunshot rang out.

Pei Yujiang dodged with feline grace before tackling someone to safety. Some viewers who followed her after the Tower Incident recognized the distinctive gunshot sounds.

[Holy shit, Tower Girl’s in a shootout?]

[Live-action CS:GO?]

[Those sound like real guns…]

[Definitely real, my uncle’s in the military, that’s the exact sound!]

Rolling across the ground, Pei Yujiang knew her stream wouldn’t last long before being shut down. But she only needed these precious seconds. She shouted into her phone:

“Human trafficking! Yujing Yuan Court residential area! Call the police now!”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Three faint gunshots rang out. With her phone pressed face-down on the ground, Pei Yujiang wearing gloves also fired. She used a silenced pistol, aiming precisely at one assailant’s hand, the bullet piercing clean through.

Amid the chaos, someone cursed: “Evacuate now!”

Pei Yujiang stole a glance at her phone, seeing rows of densely packed text before the livestream was abruptly banned, her account seemingly suspended. But she had no time to process it multiple flashlight beams suddenly flooded her face.

Streamer “Green Lemon” logged into Pei Yujiang’s channel using a backup account. During his main account’s suspension, Pei Yujiang had somehow gained a massive following. Resentful, he secretly sketched a voodoo doll while reluctantly tuning into her stream to see what nonsense she was broadcasting this time.

Minutes later, Green Lemon forwarded her livestream footage just before her account was banned, hoping to ride the wave of attention.

His account was suspended again immediately.

Under Yu Zhiwan’s arrangement, Ji Lingxian met Zhao Manlin. Though they knew of each other, this was their first encounter, awkward under the circumstances. But Ji Lingxian quickly composed herself, reassuring Zhao:

“Don’t worry. Let’s repost Pei Yujiang’s stream on another platform to delay the ban.”

Zhao Manlin studied Ji Lingxian’s striking features, sensing the undeniable dominance of an Alpha. Yet the woman’s calm, decisive tone wasn’t unpleasant. She nodded.

“Right. We’ll spread it across multiple accounts to buy time.”

Ten minutes later, both were banned for looping the footage.

On the battlefield, Pei Yujiang glimpsed Liu Xijing escorting Chen Tingjia to safety. When gunfire erupted, she ducked and rolled without hesitation.

Without a bulletproof helmet too cumbersome, she relied on agility to protect her head and neck. Fortunately, her trained Beta physique and superior reflexes allowed her to evade and counterattack swiftly.

Screams filled the air as injuries mounted. Liu Xijing ignored them, focused solely on extraction.

Pei Yujiang drew fire to help others flee toward the monitored front gate. Bullets rained down. She disarmed two attackers, sparing their lives.

Her opponents were outmatched. One tried Alpha pheromone suppression, but Pei Yujiang scoffed at the weak tactic, holding her breath as she fought toward cover.

Even if Wing City police dragged their feet, they’d eventually intervene. She just needed to last.

Yet spotting several civilians being dragged toward the unmonitored rear exit, Pei Yujiang gritted her teeth and gave chase. Upstairs, lights flickered off, residents too terrified to intervene.

Pei Yujiang ran swiftly, her back stinging from the bullet’s impact, numb yet painful. Thankfully, the bulletproof vest had saved her; otherwise, that shot would have shattered her ribs. As she sprinted, her lungs burned, filled to bursting with air, and amidst the chaos, she caught the acrid, pungent scent of gunpowder.

Wait, gunpowder?

Pei Yujiang fired at the figure ahead, then discarded the empty pistol in one fluid motion. Charging forward at full speed, she grabbed two people and yanked them back. Her eyes locked onto a watermelon cart being driven toward them, its cargo ominously draped in black cloth, homemade explosives.

These lunatics!

She cursed inwardly.

After shoving the civilians into a corner for safety, Pei Yujiang gasped for breath, her stamina nearly depleted. Yet instinct kept her alert. Spotting a furtive figure lurking near a residential building, she lunged without hesitation.

The real bomb was hidden beneath that building, the cart had been a decoy. As Pei Yujiang severed the fuse and disarmed the assailant with a knockout blow, a searing pain suddenly tore through her body.

Truly, it’s easier to dodge an open attack than a hidden dagger. She’d dismissed this trembling coward, never imagining he’d turn out to be an undercover mole.

When police sirens wailed outside, Pei Yujiang knocked the man unconscious and staggered aside, bracing for backup. The neighborhood erupted in footsteps, screams, and sobbing accusations. Only when she caught a familiar scent did she finally let go, collapsing into waiting arms.

Pei Yujiang lost count of how many times she’d woken in hospitals.

For a Beta, her physique was exceptional even surpassing many Alphas who neglected training. But as she eyed the thick bandages swathing her arm, a darkly humorous thought struck her: Should she get a VIP hospital membership? At this rate, bulk pricing might save costs.

If only hospitals offered such packages.

Whether they did remained unclear, but the young Omega nurse changing her IV had a voice sweet as honey, her gaze equally syrupy. “You’ve been unconscious for two days and made headlines both days!” the nurse chirped while administering glucose. “Miss Pei, you’re amazing! Helping police crack that serial disappearance case!”

The chatterbox Omega barely paused for breath: “Hungry? Should I fetch cafeteria food? No strong flavors yet though. Maybe fruit juice later? Let’s exchange Talk contacts, I can bring you meals!”

Through the haze, Pei Yujiang wondered if she had some innate nurse-attracting aura. Why else would this keep happening?

Then she focused, this was the same nurse from last time, now promoted from intern status. Recognizing the name, Pei Yujiang realized she’d returned to the same hospital. With a weak smile, she deflected: “Sorry, my partner’s strict about adding random contacts.”

Pei Yujiang felt this nurse might have a poor memory. She clearly mentioned last time that she was in a relationship with Yu Zhiwan, so how could the nurse forget so quickly?

The nurse paused while changing her IV, looking at her in surprise:

“You really have a girlfriend?”

Pei Yujiang, ever patient, was about to explain when the nurse suddenly seemed to remember:

“Oh, are you talking about that stunning Omega sister in the wheelchair? The one who looks like a fairy?”

Because of the nurse’s highly complimentary description of Yu Zhiwan, Pei Yujiang felt a bit proud and was about to nod with a smile, when she noticed the nurse’s expression darken slightly.

“Indeed. Miss Pei, although I deeply admire you, I just asked Miss Yu yesterday, and she said she’s not close with you.”

“Could it be that you’re Miss Yu’s dream girl?”

In the past, when someone asked Pei Yujiang, “Do you like Yu Zhiwan?”

Pei Yujiang: “No, not at all” (triple denial)

Now, when someone asks Pei Yujiang.

Pei Yujiang: “No, I do, and she loves me too” (tears)

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