Chapter 141: Qilin Has Fought Its Way Back

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Qilin Has Fought Its Way Back

When Zhang Yun dashed inside, Ouyang Mingruo’s heart leaped into her throat. Her father and brother hadn’t come out yet. If Zhang Yun got trapped inside as well... But at that moment, she could only grit her teeth and force herself to stay rational.

Zhang Yun might be able to save them both, or at the very least, he might make it back out alive. If she recklessly charged in after him, he would have to save three people! Not only would she doom herself, but she would also drag Zhang Yun down with her.

Mingruo obediently crouched down, holding her breath and staring unblinkingly at the doorway. Zhang Yun had rushed back at blistering speed, but in her eyes, his movements played out in crystal-clear slow motion. She watched as he made it across the threshold and disappeared inside, only to reemerge and pull Ouyang Chunqiu up. But wait—why did he throw Chunqiu out? To think he could actually toss a grown man out like that!

Ouyang Mingruo immediately stood up and rushed over. She couldn’t possibly catch Ouyang Chunqiu, but by throwing her body in the way, she could cushion his fall and prevent him from slamming heavily into the ground. Thanks to her intervention, Ouyang Chunqiu avoided a brutal landing, but she was knocked flat in the process. A split second later, Ouyang Kunpeng was hurled out as well! Neither sister nor brother had time to scramble up and block his fall. However, as they tumbled into a tangled heap, they effectively served as a human cushion. Ouyang Mingruo ached from the collision and the fall, but thankfully, none of the three had suffered severe injuries.

Right at that moment, another deafening explosion roared, seemingly right near the doorway! Ouyang Mingruo knew she should stay down to protect her face from flying glass, but she couldn’t help peering toward the blast!

"Zhang Yun!"

Hearing her desperate, piercing scream, Ouyang Kunpeng and his son looked over as well. The explosion’s shockwave unleashed a massive wave of fire, followed by widespread structural collapse. The entrance was now completely engulfed in flames and thick smoke!

"Hold your sister back!" Fearing that Ouyang Mingruo would charge into the inferno, Ouyang Kunpeng shouted urgently, joining Ouyang Chunqiu in hauling Mingruo back.

Staring at the scene before him, a cold sweat drenched Ouyang Kunpeng’s back. If Zhang Yun hadn’t rushed in to save them, if he had been even a second slower or delayed in any way, they would have been caught in the blast. Had he been just a few seconds later, the father and son would currently be getting ravaged by the explosion and consumed by the flames! Glancing at his son, he felt profoundly grateful. His daughter was unharmed, and his son was safe. The only sacrifice was an outsider... he would just pay a larger compensation fee to make up for it.

However, Mingruo’s reaction kept him from voicing this aloud. Instead, he put on an expression of deep sorrow. "Zhang Yun was a great man. He died saving us..."

Ouyang Mingruo trembled weakly. Her life had always been far more extraordinary than most, but the roller coaster of events tonight was straight out of a movie! The relentless barrage of shocks had completely shattered her emotional defenses. She didn’t try to rush forward this time. Instead, she lay limply on the ground. She knew Zhang Yun wouldn’t have allowed her to go, and she didn’t want to disobey what she thought were his final wishes...

"Zhang Yun isn’t dead!"

The past few dozen seconds had left Ouyang Chunqiu deeply shaken. This was his first time meeting Zhang Yun, so he didn’t feel as emotionally devastated. Still, he believed in miracles. The man who had managed to hurl his father and him to safety could surely pull off another miracle! When he saw Zhang Yun burst out of the sea of flames, he immediately screamed, cutting off his father’s words.

"Zhang Yun!"

Ouyang Mingruo, who had been slumping lifelessly, sprang back to life. Tearing herself free from her father and brother’s grasp, she sprinted forward. Ouyang Kunpeng was dumbfounded. Mere luck couldn’t explain this. This kid’s strength and reflexes had to be off the charts. No wonder he managed to crush Ouyang Qilin’s conspiracy!

Upon bursting out, Zhang Yun immediately patted down the flames that had caught on his clothes and hair. Ouyang Mingruo threw caution to the wind and hurled herself into his arms. She hugged him tightly, terrified that he would vanish or that he was just a hallucination.

Ouyang Kunpeng and Ouyang Chunqiu scrambled to their feet as well. They were sore from the fall, but otherwise unhurt.

"Zhang Yun, thank God you’re all right!"

"Zhang Yun! Thank you so much for saving us!"

Zhang Yun stroked Ouyang Mingruo’s hair. "It’s not safe here. Let’s get further away before we talk."

"Right, right," Ouyang Kunpeng hastily agreed. The explosions seemed to have stopped, but if they triggered a gas pipe or something similar, they would be in serious trouble.

"Are you hurt? You didn’t..." For the umpteenth time that night, Ouyang Mingruo frantically inspected Zhang Yun for injuries.

"I’m fine. After I threw them out, I didn’t have time to run, so I hit the deck. I just waited for the shockwave to pass before making a run for it." Zhang Yun gave a brief explanation, guessing that the chaotic situation had masked his brief disappearance.

On the road down the mountain, Ouyang Qilin had just put his phone away when the sound of an explosion rang out, followed by a series of successive blasts! The noise came from behind them—from the very villa they had just left! Pulling over to look back, they could vaguely see flames piercing the night sky in the distance.

Without needing any orders, the bodyguards immediately turned all the vehicles around and sped back to the scene. The boss and his two children were still there. This was a catastrophic disaster!

Ouyang Qilin, however, smiled triumphantly. He certainly wasn’t going to object to heading back. This entire setup was his doing. His original plan had been to wait for Ouyang Mingruo and her brother to turn on each other, let Ouyang Kunpeng step in to deal with his daughter, and then, once things escalated, inform Kunpeng that Mingruo had been captured alive. At that point, Ouyang Kunpeng would inevitably bring Ouyang Chunqiu along... and then Qilin would blow all three of them to kingdom come. Once the entire villa was reduced to blazing rubble, there would be no evidence left behind. He could easily chalk it up to faulty wiring or a gas leak.

In Ouyang Qilin’s original scheme, this wasn’t supposed to happen until the dead of night, perhaps right before dawn. Although Zhang Yun’s unpredictable involvement had thrown a wrench into the works, Ouyang Kunpeng’s early arrival had put everything right back on track.

Dead was dead. Once he became the new Patriarch and seized total control of the Ouyang family, who would dare step out of line to search for the truth? And even if they tried, what truth was left to find? Now, Ouyang Qilin was more than happy to return to the scene. It would be a terrible shame not to witness his masterpiece with his own eyes.

By the time their convoy raced back, the entire villa complex was engulfed in a raging inferno. The fire trucks wouldn’t arrive in time, and accessing water was too difficult up here. Whether they tried to put it out or not, the estate was destined to burn to ashes. The streetlamps had all shattered from the shockwaves. The towering flames captivated everyone’s attention, leaving the four figures huddled near the distant perimeter wall completely unnoticed.

"You all saw it, right? Your boss, Ouyang Kunpeng, along with his daughter Mingruo and son Chunqiu, have all perished in the flames!

"My men and I were taken to the hospital by you long before this happened. I couldn’t possibly have started this fire. They must have accidentally triggered a gas explosion.

"Now, as Ouyang Kunpeng’s younger brother, I am temporarily taking over everything in his stead! You have two choices. The first is to disband right here and now, and I’ll calculate your severance pay later! The other is to remain employees of the Ouyang family—but from this day forward, I am your only boss!"

Ouyang Qilin laughed uproariously, waiting for Ouyang Kunpeng’s direct subordinates to swear their allegiance. His own subordinates, both the injured and the unhurt, began clamoring excitedly.

"Long live Mr. Ouyang! Mr. Ouyang is a god!"

"Mr. Ouyang has returned to rule with an iron fist!"

"Watch your mouth! What iron fist? Mr. Ouyang is the return of the king!"