Will Drawing the “Wife Card” Turn Me Into the Group’s Favorite? 43

Chapter 43: Sorry for Lying

Tang Yu’an’s heart pounded. He looked at Wei Langxing, still oblivious to the danger, chatting with the middle-aged man.

If it weren’t for the system alert, he wouldn’t have noticed either. What kind of odorless, colorless toxin were they using? Unlike ordinary drugs, it subtly eroded your senses.

He remembered a story Xie Cun told him – about a man who fell asleep leaning against a spaceship’s processor, his body gradually adapting to the rising temperature, not waking up until his skin was burned.

Although it was likely a fabricated story, he couldn’t shake the image of his own skin peeling off.

Wei Langxing, perhaps feeling thirsty, reached for a glass of water.

Tang Yu’an’s mind raced, filled with images of the protagonist collapsing from poisoning.

No, if Wei Langxing was incapacitated, he wouldn’t be able to get them out of here!

He quickly thought of a way to warn him without alerting the others.

He casually moved closer to Wei Langxing, their arms touching, and Wei Langxing paused, his hand holding the glass.

Wei Langxing was sitting by the window. Tang Yu’an took his arm, pointing outside: “Look, so many hovercars! We don’t see these on the main star!”

Wei Langxing put down the glass, about to speak, when he felt Tang Yu’an gently tapping the back of his hand.

It was a secret code used within the Bureau, one he had taught Tang Yu’an.

Tang Yu’an tapped out: These people are dangerous.

Wei Langxing’s expression barely changed, only blinking slowly, making Tang Yu’an worry he didn’t believe him.

But then, Wei Langxing squeezed his hand, replying to his earlier comment about the hovercars while tapping back with his fingers—

What did you find?

Tang Yu’an, throwing caution to the wind, told him about the toxins in the air, not questioning why only he could detect them, only wanting to get Wei Langxing and the others out of here.

Wei Langxing believed him without hesitation. Tang Yu’an’s senses and mental energy were more sensitive; it wasn’t unusual for him to notice things others missed.

Realizing his own carelessness, he felt a chill. He had almost drunk the water they offered.

This wasn’t like him…

His mind also felt sluggish, the cabin’s warmth making him feel strangely relaxed.

The thought of an unknown toxin affecting his nervous system made him pinch his thigh hard, his mind clearing instantly.

He was wearing special Bureau glasses that could scan the surroundings. He had scanned the cabin earlier, finding nothing unusual, which was why he had let Tang Yu’an in.

He scanned again, still nothing. It seemed they weren’t planning on attacking them inside the vehicle.

He couldn’t let the toxin spread any further. He grabbed Tang Yu’an’s hand, telling him to brace himself with a coded message.

Tang Yu’an understood, pressing against the back of his seat, preparing for the impact.

He watched as Wei Langxing touched a hidden switch on his glasses. After a count of five, the vehicle jolted violently.

The blond man, who had been casually crossing his legs, almost fell to the floor, cursing: “What was that?!”

His agitated reaction made him seem even less like a government official.

The middle-aged man, in contrast, remained calm, activating his communicator. After being informed of a particle energy storm disrupting the vehicle, he simply nodded.

Tang Yu’an was now grateful for the various gadgets the Bureau had provided. Besides Wei Langxing’s glasses, he had a jammer disguised as a lighter, specifically designed to disrupt B172’s energy systems, using technology they didn’t possess. It could instantly disable devices within a five-hundred-meter radius.

Although convenient, it had limitations – Wei Langxing’s glasses could only be used once, and his jammer required ten days to recharge.

Unable to overcome the vehicle’s malfunction, they were forced to land.

Tang Yu’an spoke first: “What happened? Did the vehicle break down? Are we in danger…?”

The middle-aged man gave an impeccable smile: “Don’t worry, Mr. Tang, it was just a particle storm, a common occurrence. I have backup plans. I’ve already notified our ground team to pick us up.”

Damn it, they had backup.

Tang Yu’an discreetly checked the jammer in his pocket.

It’s okay, once we’re in the car, I can disable them all.

But when they landed, and several beetle-like vehicles approached, they disagreed on transportation arrangements.

Having his team together in one vehicle was the best escape strategy, but the middle-aged man, claiming the vehicles’ controls were different from those on the main star, insisted on separating them, each vehicle driven by one of their people.

This was a difficult request to refuse. Wei Langxing, after a moment of thought, agreed.

He took Tang Yu’an with him in the first vehicle, patting one of his subordinates on the shoulder before entering: “Xiao Yang, I know you love tinkering with gadgets, this is a good opportunity to learn something new. Pay attention.”

Xiao Yang was startled. He was a medic, not a mechanic. Then he felt Wei Langxing’s fingers lightly tap his back—

Something’s wrong. Follow my lead and escape.

His expression flickered for an instant, then he quickly recovered: “No problem.”

The vehicle moved forward smoothly. Wei Langxing and Tang Yu’an sat in the back, with the driver and a stern-faced man in the front.

They rode in silence. Wei Langxing discreetly handed Tang Yu’an a prepared syringe.

He whispered, On my count, inject the man in front of you in the neck. I’ll handle the driver.

Tang Yu’an nodded.

Three, two, one…

Tang Yu’an lunged forward, injecting the stern-faced man in the neck. Half a dose was enough to incapacitate him. Simultaneously, Wei Langxing grabbed the driver’s neck, wrestling for the steering wheel.

Caught off guard, they were quickly subdued. After a few swerves, Wei Langxing gained control of the vehicle.

He immediately veered away from the convoy.

Tang Yu’an looked back, seeing the middle-aged man’s vehicle quickly turn and follow them.

Then, he saw a horrifying sight—

The vehicle carrying his teammates swerved violently, then flipped over, skidding across the ground, clearly out of control.

“Xiao Yang, Xiao Yang and the others…”

“We can’t go back!” Wei Langxing pressed the accelerator, knowing returning would only endanger them further.

Tang Yu’an took out the jammer: “Should I use it now?”

Activating it would disable their vehicle as well.

They were still some distance from the city center. With the other vehicle closing in, Wei Langxing drove into an abandoned factory, hoping to find another means of escape.

“Use it.”

The jammer activated, and the pursuing vehicles, like toys with their batteries removed, lost power and slowly came to a stop.

The middle-aged man got out of his vehicle, watching as the blond man led the others, armed, towards the factory.

“Retrieve the jammer. Dead or alive, I don’t care.”

The blond man hesitated: “Yes!”

Wei Langxing and Tang Yu’an found the factory floor, but it was filled with unfinished products, nothing usable.

They continued searching, finally finding a small aircraft, the wing insignia indicating it was B172 government property, somehow abandoned here.

As Tang Yu’an entered the storage room, he noticed a bullet hole in the wall. Perhaps there had been a firefight, and the government hadn’t had time to retrieve their equipment.

He didn’t have time to think about it, focused on escaping.

To his relief, the roof was clear; they could leave directly.

But after a quick inspection, their hopes were dashed.

The aircraft’s core was damaged.

That left… the emergency escape pod.

The aircraft had a single-person escape pod for the pilot, capable of autopilot.

Wei Langxing grabbed his arm, his voice firm: “Listen, these aren’t government officials. I don’t know how they intercepted the message and impersonated them. I’ll set the escape pod’s destination to the center of the sky city. They won’t dare follow you there!”

The locked metal door buckled inwards with a loud bang. They were here, using something heavy to break down the door.

Then came the sound of bullets hitting the metal.

They didn’t have much time left…

Seeing his reluctance to enter the escape pod, Wei Langxing pleaded: “I won’t be captured. I’ll find a way out. We’ll just take separate routes and meet at the city center, okay?”

Perhaps moved by his desperation, Tang Yu’an nodded.

Wei Langxing sighed in relief. As long as Tang Yu’an escaped safely.

As for himself… he would have to rely on luck.

He opened the escape pod’s hatch, about to help him in, when a soft body suddenly pressed against him.

Tang Yu’an rested his head on his shoulder, his voice muffled: “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

His heart skipped a beat. He hugged him back: “I promise.”

If it were anyone else, he would have been alert, but this was Tang Yu’an, and he was completely unguarded, not even reacting until the needle pierced his neck.

The fast-acting tranquilizer took effect almost instantly. He tried to shout, but darkness consumed him.

Tang Yu’an placed him in the escape pod, closing the hatch, then looked at him one last time.

“Sorry for lying,” he murmured. “But you’re the protagonist, I can’t let you get hurt.”