"Damn it, he got away." The governor, furious that he had missed Rulu, slammed the steering wheel and drove the car toward Nana and Mrs. Qiao. They screamed in panic and tried to escape, but they couldn’t outrun the vehicle.


    "Nana, you have to survive," Mrs. Qiao looked deeply at her daughter, thinking that rather than both of them dying together, it would be better to let Nana live. She pushed Nana away with all her might just as the black van arrived—


    With a loud thud, a figure was thrown out, landing on the ground and rolling several times before coming to a stop.


    Gunshots rang out in the distance as Captain Guan ordered his men to fire at the black van again. Bullets rained down like raindrops, piercing the vehicle''s exterior and glass with sharp sounds.


    "This car can''t take much more. Let''s retreat for now and deal with them later," the governor said, turning his head to glare fiercely at Rulu and the rebels before speeding away down the street, quickly disappearing from sight.


    "Dad, Mom…"


    Nana stared at her parents lying in a pool of blood, crying her heart out. Mrs. Qiao had died instantly from the violent impact of the car, while Mayor Qiao had been stabbed, injuring his internal organs and losing too much blood. Although he still had a breath left, he was close to death.


    "Captain Guan… from now on… I leave my family to you," Mayor Qiao said weakly, gasping as he looked at Captain Guan standing beside him.


    Captain Guan slapped himself hard, filled with deep regret. "I''m so sorry. If I had come sooner, this wouldn’t have happened. It’s all my fault."


    Mayor Qiao shook his head, looking at Rulu not far away with exhausted eyes. He struggled to say, "Rulu…"


    "I''m here." Rulu hurried over and squatted down beside Mayor Qiao, his brow furrowed and his expression dark with worry.


    Mayor Qiao trembled as he reached out and grabbed Rulu''s foot. "Rulu, even though you''re not my blood, I’ve always treated you like my son. I even sent you to the best school. Shouldn''t you repay me?"


    Rulu nodded slowly, his expression solemn. "I will never forget Uncle Qiao''s kindness."The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Mayor Qiao continued, "Now, I only have Nana left as my daughter. If you want to repay me, you must always be with her, protect her, and not let her be bullied…"


    "Rest assured, Nana is also my family," Rulu said firmly, gripping Mayor Qiao''s hand tightly. "I will ensure her happiness and protect her from any harm."


    "That''s great… then I can rest easy…" A smile appeared on Mayor Qiao''s face as he slowly closed his eyes. Not long after, he breathed his last breath and never woke up again.


    "Damn it, that governor is so despicable! I want to kill him and avenge Mayor Qiao!" A thin man named A-Bing raised his gun and shouted angrily.


    His words were echoed by others:


    "Mayor Qiao has always treated us well and secretly supported us. Without him, we wouldn’t be here today. This cannot go unpunished; we must avenge Mayor Qiao."


    "Let’s go to the governor''s mansion and fight them!"


    Voices of outrage filled the air, and while the others were consumed by anger, Captain Guan remained calm. He raised his hands and said loudly, "Everyone, please calm down. I understand your feelings, but what we need to do now is not to seek revenge for Mayor Qiao, but to leave here."


    "How can we do that? Doesn’t that mean Mayor Qiao died for nothing?" someone questioned.


    "Captain Guan is right; we need to leave here as soon as possible," Rulu interjected. "Because that governor is likely to return, and he will bring the Sanctuary''s army with him."


    Hearing Rulu''s words, A-Bing grew displeased. "You just know how to run away. What a shame for someone raised by Mayor Qiao. They died, and you didn’t shed a single tear. Mayor Qiao wasted his efforts raising you."


    Rulu snorted coldly and glanced at A-Bing. "I will settle the score with that bastard governor eventually, but staying here now won’t allow us to take revenge; it will only lead to our deaths. Do you really think you can fight against the Sanctuary''s army with just your group?"


    A-Bing was taken aback. Although he felt Rulu had a point, he was embarrassed to be scolded by this young boy and persisted in his stance.


    "Kid, speak to me respectfully. We rebels may not be heroes, but we are not cowards either. If the Sanctuary''s army comes, we will fight them to the death. Even if we die, we will take a hundred or eighty of them with us!"


    "That’s foolish," Rulu said disdainfully. "No wonder you’ll never win against the Sanctuary; you’ll always be oppressed by them."


    "What did you say?!" A-Bing was enraged by Rulu''s words. He rushed over and grabbed Rulu by the collar, raising his fist as if he wanted to hit him.


    "Stop it, A-Bing!" Captain Guan shouted sternly. A-Bing glanced at Captain Guan and then reluctantly lowered his fist, stepping aside.


    "Sorry, Rulu. A-Bing’s personality is like that, but he means well. I hope you don’t take it to heart," Captain Guan said as he walked over and patted Rulu on the shoulder, his face filled with apology.


    Rulu waved his hand. "It’s fine; I was a bit harsh too. I should apologize as well."


    Captain Guan nodded, thinking that although Rulu was young, his maturity and calmness surpassed that of most people. He surveyed the crowd and said, "Alright, we should leave. Although we couldn''t save Mayor Qiao, we can still save his family, which is a way to repay him for all the help he has given us over the years."