CHAPTER 422: CHAPTER 422: STILL VERY AWARE OF CURRENT AFFAIRS

After spinning mid-air, Sang Ning managed to adjust her center of gravity, softening the impact upon landing.

Both Hu Yaoji and the driver immediately closed in on her, showing no mercy just because Sang Ning was a girl—each of their blows landed solidly, and every move was ruthlessly executed.

It was Sang Ning’s first time facing such relentless fighting machines. She retaliated with full force for every punch, aiming specifically at their most vulnerable spots for maximum damage.

But the driver and Hu Yaoji seemed like anomalies of evolution, completely devoid of pain. Instead, their eyes gleamed with bloodthirsty excitement, growing more fired up as the fight dragged on.

Sang Ning shook her wrist out, her hands now aching so much they had turned numb, yet she still couldn’t manage to wear the two of them down.

For the first time, Sang Ning felt a slight sense of defeat in this fight. Was this what they call an inherent racial advantage?

"Little girl, if you’ve got any skills left, you better show them now. I promise, when I kill you later, I’ll at least try to make it painless." Hu Yaoji licked his molars and flashed a sinister, chilling smile.

Sang Ning took a step back, crossed her hands outward to stretch and loosen her limbs, twisted her head side to side, and returned a knowing smile, one full of daring mystery. "Racial advantage, is that it? Let’s see if you’re really all evolved head-to-toe."

Her fists clenched firmly, one placed ahead of the other by her chest, while her feet started bouncing lightly into small quick steps. She had entered combat mode.

As Hu Yaoji and the driver charged toward her, Sang Ning matched their aggression, her feet springing into alternating kicks aimed mercilessly at the exact same spot on both of them. Her kicks blurred at such high speed they left behind afterimages.

This time, Hu Yaoji and the driver weren’t invincible anymore. Both clamped their legs shut, clutching their pants as they let out miserable shrieks, yet stubbornly stayed on their feet.

Not bad. Quite resilient indeed.

Sang Ning’s lips curled into a smirk. Like a cold, unyielding countdown machine, she began counting back from ten—with each count came another kick.

"Three, two, one..."

As the final count dropped, Hu Yaoji and the driver finally succumbed to the heavy blows, their knees buckling as they collapsed straight down to the ground.

Exhausted herself, Sang Ning sat down unceremoniously where she stood, pulled off her shoes, rubbed her sore feet, and cursed through gritted teeth, "Just psychos! Why are they so damn hard to beat?"

Watching the entire scene unfold, Li Haidong and Wei Lan exchanged uneasy glances, swallowing nervously more than once.

So violent. So terrifying. Sang Ning was the real maniac here!

The husband and wife simultaneously began worrying about one shared concern: if their son ever married Sang Ning and suffered one-sided domestic abuse in the future, how could they best leverage their resources through Hai Chuan to get top-notch legal aid?

But when they heard Hu Yaoji and the driver emitting pathetic, chick-like whimpering cries, they decided it would be better to educate Li Juezhou. Never provoke Sang Ning—no matter whose fault it is, it’ll always be his fault.

After rubbing her feet for a full two minutes, waiting for the discomfort to ebb away, Sang Ning slipped her shoes back on, tucked the stray hair back behind her ears, lazily tied a low ponytail, and stood up. She walked up to Hu Yaoji and demanded the handcuff key.

The first thing Hu Yaoji saw was Sang Ning’s toes. Then, as his gaze traveled upward from her feet, he came face-to-face with her gorgeous yet violently intimidating expression. Instantly, he felt an excruciating ache in his gut and obediently handed the key over.

After unlocking the handcuffs, Li Haidong thanked Sang Ning, though his awkward expression betrayed how reluctant he felt.

Without hesitation, Sang Ning re-cuffed his wrists. "Seems like Uncle Hai isn’t happy with the result of his rescue—then I suppose you can stay cuffed a little longer."

She tossed the key belonging to Li Haidong’s cuffs away as she spoke.

Li Haidong flared up. "Why are you so petty?"

Sang Ning fired back, "I risk my life to save you all—not asking for gratitude, but don’t think you can throw your weight around with your old age to disrespect me."

Any good impression Li Haidong had managed to form of Sang Ning shattered into bits yet again.

He acknowledged Sang Ning saved him, and for that, he was grateful. But that didn’t mean he had to like her. A young woman lacking respect for elders was still unfit to join the Li Family.

Wei Lan, noticing Sang Ning’s tough and uncompromising personality, dropped her typical senior demeanor and softened with a smile, apologizing on Li Haidong’s behalf. "Xiao Sang, my old man’s just someone who has a sharp tongue but a kind heart. He didn’t mean to target you, so don’t take it too personally."

Despite Wei Lan’s conciliatory tone, Sang Ning’s aura was far from retreating, though her demeanor softened somewhat. "He’s not my dad—why should I care about his kindness or lack thereof? Saving people only to land myself a bunch of enemies—I didn’t sign up for this."

For a moment, Wei Lan’s smile stiffened awkwardly at the corners of her mouth. Turning her gaze to Li Haidong, all her expressions turned into reprimands.

At his age, he still clings to insignificant arguments. Absolutely deserved.

Li Haidong raised his hands in surrender, his eyes pleading silently for advice on what to do now.

Wei Lan, recalling all the time spent negotiating with the kidnappers earlier, found herself boiling with irritation. She rolled her eyes at him. "Weren’t you full of ideas earlier? Well, figure it out yourself."

With Sang Ning tossing the key away and his wife leaving him to fend for himself, Li Haidong helplessly turned on his phone’s flashlight and began searching where the keys had landed.

Compared to Li Haidong, Lu Yujing’s gratitude toward Sang Ning came across far more sincere, though it was only a performance.

Sang Ning didn’t even give face to Li Haidong—throwing away the key like it was nothing. Honestly, who was Lu Yujing to her?

Originally, Lu Yujing planned to mock Sang Ning a little for failing to stop them from boarding the vehicle despite suspecting the others’ motives, thus landing the guests in this mess they didn’t deserve.

But seeing that Sang Ning wasn’t joking, and could very well throw away her keys too, Lu Yujing smartened up and stayed firmly grounded.

Poor Li Haidong, still combing through the Banana Forest for his lost key while everyone else regained their freedom.

Finally, it was Sang Ning who couldn’t bear watching him suffer, and she dropped the key right at Li Haidong’s feet.

Without saying a word, Sang Ning turned and walked off, leaving Li Haidong staring at her retreating back in utter grievance. He groaned, "You tricked me! You never threw the key away in the first place!"

Wei Lan picked up the key from beside Li Haidong’s feet and unlocked his handcuffs. "Xiao Sang’s kindness shines through—it’s just her words that can be a little sharp."

Li Haidong scoffed, retorting, "Kindness? She’s already abusing the elderly!"

Having said that, he spat in frustration and slapped himself repeatedly. Sang Ning had truly done a number on him—she had him treating himself like some decrepit old man.

Sang Ning thought the situation had finally settled. The two kidnappers were incapacitated, and the group appeared to be safe now.

Unexpectedly, just as she finished binding the two kidnappers and tossing them into the trunk, ready to escort the guests back, two SUVs appeared.

Five or six men stormed out of the vehicles, armed with heavy machine guns, encircling them tightly.

Sang Ning, ever pragmatic, was the first to raise both hands in immediate surrender.