Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 493: Holding Hands

Hearing Yang Chen's question, Stern reluctantly stopped entwining with his sister. He leisurely straightened his body against the wall, spread his hands, and said, "As you can see, we are imprisoned in a warehouse. As for why I know it's a warehouse, it's because we were kidnapped here when we left the hotel this afternoon. Although our eyes were covered during the journey, we at least saw that we were entering a warehouse. The network communication signals here are all interfered with, so we can't call for help. By the way, there are quite a few single-room warehouses here. We've heard other people's cries for help, so there should be a lot of people locked up."

"Is it really like the rumors say, that a terrorist organization is kidnapping rich people?" Goodman said with a bitter face.

"Who knows," Stern said quite casually, looking deeply at Alice in his arms. "We just came to attend Fashion Week. We didn't expect to encounter such a thing suddenly. However, no matter what happens, as long as I'm with my Alice, even death doesn't matter."

Lin Ruoxi, who couldn't stand the siblings anymore, had turned her back. Since she didn't understand French, she had to speak in English, "Can you speak in English so I won't be the only one who doesn't understand?"

"Oh, sorry, Miss Lin, I'll pay attention," Stern said courteously, apologizing in standard London-accented English.

"If you could be less affectionate, it would be even better," Lin Ruoxi thought to herself but was too embarrassed to say out loud.

Yang Chen glanced around. He could sense that this was a fairly large warehouse and that there were other people imprisoned besides them. However, he was curious as to why these people kidnapped a group of wealthy individuals and nobles but did nothing else. What was their intention?

At this moment, Alice climbed out of her brother Stern's arms, flirtatiously ran her hand through her silver hair, and said coquettishly, "I really want to take a bath. The floor here is so dirty. How do you think we can contact the guards outside?"

Goodman's face twitched, and he said with a dry laugh, "Miss Alice, it doesn't seem like the right time to discuss taking a bath. We are still in a kidnapping situation."

"Why not? Being kidnapped doesn't mean you can't take a bath," Alice blinked her big, bright eyes innocently. Then she stood up, walked towards the warehouse door, and knocked on it with her hand, using the glow from her phone as a guide. She called out in English, "Someone come quickly, I want to take a bath!"

Goodman was dumbfounded and shouted, "Miss Alice! It's too dangerous!"

"It's okay. I'm so cute and charming. How could they bear to kill me?" Alice ignored him, laughing as she reached the warehouse door. She knocked on it a few times and then called out coquettishly in English, "Hurry up, I want to take a bath!"

Lin Ruoxi, standing behind Yang Chen, slightly parted her lips. For the actions and words of this peculiar sibling pair, she even suspected they might have escaped from an asylum. She couldn't help but ask Yang Chen, "Don't you think they're very strange? Who would think about bathing in this situation?"

Yang Chen touched the sparse stubble on his chin, having had no time to shave due to the flight, and said, "What's so strange? Just don't think of them as normal people."

Lin Ruoxi felt a headache coming on and regretted talking to Yang Chen about this. This guy himself wasn't normal, so of course, he wouldn't think the Cromwell siblings were abnormal.

Unexpectedly, Alice's shouting seemed to have an effect. Suddenly, they heard someone approaching outside the warehouse door.

"Clang!"

The large iron door was opened again. A man in black, who had appeared earlier, stood at the door holding a gun. In a voice obviously altered electronically, he said, "Only food and water are provided. No other services. Please return."

"They're quite humane," Lin Ruoxi said coldly and expressionlessly.

Alice, however, refused and pouted, "Oh, come on, isn't there a bathroom? It's so dirty and damp here. I want to take a shower, I need to use the restroom. You can't expect a young and beautiful lady to do such things in a place like this, can you?"

As she spoke, Alice stomped her feet in front of the guard, looking exactly like a kindergartener throwing a tantrum.

"Haha, Stern, your sister—no, your woman is so adorable, haha," Yang Chen laughed as he watched Alice.

Stern's eyes were filled with starlight and deep love as he said, "You think so too, Mr. Yang? That's right, my little Alice has always been the most adorable woman."

Lin Ruoxi, standing nearby, felt a bit nauseous upon hearing this. She glared at Yang Chen in frustration. How could this guy have the mind to humor these crazy siblings?

The guard at the door was also taken aback, unable to comprehend how a hostage could be in the mood to act coy. However, he clearly wasn't going to listen to Alice. He raised his voice and shouted, "Get in! If you make any more noise, I'll shoot you!"

Seeing the muzzle already pointed at her, Alice screamed, "Ah! How could you treat a lady like this!"

"Do you think I won't shoot?" the guard, now annoyed, gripped his gun with both hands.

Alice pouted and turned around in displeasure, addressing Yang Chen and the others in the corner, "Darling, they won't let me take a shower. What should I do?"

Stern thought seriously for a moment but could only shake his head, "Darling, there's nothing I can do. Mr. Yang, Miss Lin, do you have any ideas? My little Alice really needs a shower. She feels awful if she doesn't bathe for a day."

"I can give it a try," Yang Chen volunteered, raising his hand.

The guard, of course, ignored the idle chatter of the prisoners in the warehouse. After pushing Alice back in, he intended to close the door. But before the guard could shut the iron door, Yang Chen had already walked to the door and held it open.

"Don't be hasty. Let's talk this over. Do us a favor," Yang Chen said with a cheeky grin to the guard.

"Do you want to leave this world early?" the guard asked viciously.

Seeing Yang Chen blatantly provoking the guard, Lin Ruoxi's heart jumped to her throat, despite her trust in him. She wanted to step forward and stop Yang Chen but was pulled back by Goodman.

"Ruoxi, don't go! It's too dangerous!" Goodman exclaimed in panic.

Lin Ruoxi shook him off with all her strength, but before she could reach the door, she heard a loud crash of the iron door!

Turning around, she saw that Yang Chen, somehow, had already gone out with the guard, leaving the warehouse in darkness once again!

"Yang Chen!" Lin Ruoxi called out but received no response.

Suddenly, a burst of rapid machine gun fire echoed through the warehouse!

Immediately after, there was silence outside.

In the blink of an eye, the drastic change in situation left Lin Ruoxi speechless. She stared blankly at the door, with only one thought in her mind—that man would be fine!

But somehow, even with her confidence in Yang Chen, Lin Ruoxi couldn't help but feel her eyes welling up with tears. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her feet seemed nailed to the ground, unable to move.

"Director Yang, he's... he's been..." Goodman couldn't think of any other possibility. To him, even through the iron door, it was clear that Yang Chen had been shot and killed.

Stern, meanwhile, had taken out his phone, using its light as he nonchalantly held Alice and walked to the door. He reached out to open it.

"No!" Goodman, sweating profusely, rushed forward to stop Stern. "Mr. Stern, please don't act rashly! Director Yang is already dead. We can't follow the same fate! As long as we're alive, there's always a chance to escape..."

Before Goodman could finish, Yang Chen's lazy voice came from outside the door, "Hey, hey, Goodman, who are you saying is dead? Don't jinx people from behind the door."

Goodman jolted and quickly turned around, just in time to see the iron door opening again.

Yang Chen stood there, casually smoking a cigarette, its red tip glowing brightly in the darkness like the most unique firefly. He was holding the automatic rifle that had belonged to the guard, who was now lying motionless on the ground with Yang Chen's foot on his head, clearly dead.

"You... you..." Goodman was dumbfounded, unable to process what he was seeing.

Alice clapped her hands and laughed, "Mr. Yang is amazing! It looks like we can go back to the hotel for a shower. Mr. Yang, can you kill all these bad guys for us?"

"Heh, not really. I just fired a few random shots, and it turned out the guard had his gun the wrong way around. When I pulled the trigger, he just died," Yang Chen said with a sigh.

"Is that even possible?" Goodman was drenched in cold sweat, but he had to accept it, as he couldn't believe Yang Chen could outfight these kidnappers.

Yang Chen proudly lifted his head, "Why not? Let me show you again."

With that, Yang Chen picked up the rifle and turned around, firing a burst of shots into the darkness behind him, all while blowing smoke rings, looking every bit the rogue. Goodman rolled his eyes at the sight.

"Hahaha, Goodman, see? Shooting isn't that hard," Yang Chen turned back around, one hand holding the gun, the other patting Goodman's stiff shoulder.

Goodman snapped out of it and shouted, "Are you crazy?! You'll attract all their accomplices! And since when did I become Goodman?!"

"Huh? Unless you'd prefer to be 'Goodwife'? Goodwife, hmm, that doesn't sound bad either," Yang Chen said with a mischievous grin.

At this moment, Lin Ruoxi also stepped out of the warehouse, her steps light, standing silently in front of Yang Chen. In the faint light from the phone, her face had a cold glow, and her autumn-like eyes glistened with tears.

"Ruoxi darling, you..." Yang Chen forgot about the cigarette in his mouth as he gazed at Lin Ruoxi's serene and stunning face, feeling an inexplicable heaviness in his heart.

"Very impressive, isn't it? Killing a guard is quite an achievement, isn't it?" Lin Ruoxi's tone was as cold as the wind on a frozen tundra. "Is scaring people fun for you? Do you enjoy making others worry about you?"

"Uh, I..." Yang Chen opened his mouth to say something, but he found himself at a loss for words. It was as if the hundreds of foreign languages and countless words in his mind couldn't help him express his feelings and thoughts at that moment. He stood there, dumbfounded.

Lin Ruoxi had no intention of waiting for Yang Chen's response. After giving him a deep look, she took out her phone, using its light to find her way out.

Not understanding the situation or the relationship between Yang Chen and Lin Ruoxi, Goodman, recently dubbed "Goodwife," saw Lin Ruoxi walking away and hurriedly chased after her, shouting, "Ruoxi! Ruoxi! Don't be impulsive! Walking out like this, you'll easily be discovered by the remaining guards!"

Lin Ruoxi ignored him, acting as if she hadn't heard Goodman at all.

"It's okay," Yang Chen finally snapped out of his stupor and quickly walked in the direction Lin Ruoxi was heading. "No one will stop us."

"How do you know?" Goodman asked skeptically.

Yang Chen glanced at him. "Because they're all dead."

"What?" Goodman thought he misheard, but seeing Yang Chen's serious expression, he realized it was true.

Stern and Alice, on the other hand, seemed completely fearless, cheerfully holding hands and following closely behind Yang Chen.

Seeing this, Goodman decided to follow suit, taking out his phone to maximize visibility as he explored the way out with the others.

Yang Chen had caught up to Lin Ruoxi, walking beside her. He glanced at her icy expression and a complex smile appeared on his lips. Before Lin Ruoxi could react, Yang Chen grabbed her right hand with his left.

"What are you doing?" Lin Ruoxi stopped and asked coldly.

"Holding your hand, leading you out," Yang Chen replied with a smile.

"I don't need your kindness. I'm just an ordinary person. Live or die, it doesn't matter. You're so powerful, take care of yourself," Lin Ruoxi sneered.

Yang Chen's face turned bitter, showing a hint of pleading. He leaned close to her face and lowered his voice, "Sweet wife, don't be mad. I was wrong. I shouldn't have just played around and made you worry. I promise, from now on, I'll report everything to you, take you with me for everything. When I eat, I'll take you with me. When I go out, I'll take you with me. When I shop, I'll take you with me. I'll take you with me to kill people and bully people. Heck, even when I go out to flirt with girls, I'll take you with me. How's that?"

This string of nonsensical words made Lin Ruoxi's ears burn. She glared at Yang Chen, unable to maintain her cold demeanor, and burst into laughter. "Who wants to go to the bathroom with you? Don't be so full of yourself."

"Hehe, as long as you're not mad, my dear," Yang Chen let out a long breath of relief. Comforting his wife was definitely more exhausting than comforting a lover. The "maintenance fee" for a legitimate marriage was indeed higher, but at least he had avoided a cold war for now.

Although Yang Chen spoke softly, Stern and Alice, walking close behind, noticed the small details in their actions and expressions, causing the siblings to exchange winks and knowing smiles.

Lin Ruoxi felt a bit embarrassed. She had just found their affection nauseating, and now she was whispering sweet nothings with this man. To cover her embarrassment, she pinched the soft flesh on Yang Chen's waist.

It didn't hurt Yang Chen, but understanding her feelings, he pretended to be in pain and made a pained expression before smiling and saying, "We don't need to find the main door. Let's head straight to our car and drive back to Paris. They wouldn't park the car right outside the warehouse; that would be too conspicuous."

Lin Ruoxi thought this made sense, and Stern and Alice certainly had no objections. As long as they could take a shower soon, they were up for anything.

Just then, Goodman, who had been walking a bit behind and was still on edge, let out a blood-curdling scream!

"Ah! Help!"