Chapter 77: You want to roast Sir Rabbit and serve me cold QAQ

Meanwhile, chaos echoed through Jing Qizhen’s earpiece, mingled with Manman’s anxious voice.

Manman: “The rabbit’s out! Little Jing, come downstairs now!”

Although Jing Qizhen doubted that his teammates would call him down just because of a giant rabbit, he trusted them enough to act without question. Grabbing the perfume bottle from the bathroom corner, he turned and called out to Yun Shuanghua, “Let’s go!” Then, he hurried downstairs.

Despite Yun Shuanghua’s usual stoic demeanor and lack of words, he obediently followed.

As they stepped onto the staircase, a loud ‘boom’ echoed. The already weakened stairs, scorched by the fire, shook violently.

Jing Qizhen instinctively reached out to steady himself against the wall. Meanwhile, Yun Shuanghua, seemingly unaffected by the shaking, stood firm on the shuddering stairs. He even reached out and grabbed Jing Qizhen’s wrist, helping him regain his balance.

The momentary gesture added to Jing Qizhen’s growing suspicions, but outwardly, he smiled and said, “Thanks.”

Yun Shuanghua gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, unaware of the numerous thoughts flashing through Jing Qizhen’s mind in that brief moment.

Standing on the staircase, Jing Qizhen finally saw the scene unfolding in the first-floor hall.

The March Hare, caught in a net, was thrashing about and had just slammed into a wall.

The enormous rabbit had left a round dent in the soot-blackened wall, complete with two faint impressions resembling rabbit ears. Jing Qizhen now understood why Manman had urgently called him down.

The villa was already unstable after losing part of a wall, so it was undoubtedly a dangerous structure. It could still withstand human weight and cautious exploration for a while. But with the addition of a massive, thrashing March Hare trapped in a net, the fragile building seemed moments away from collapsing entirely.

The entire villa shook as the rabbit’s wild movements continued.

Lu Lingxi made a decisive call, “We need to get out of here first!”

Yan Hong, Lu Lingxi, Si Jiayang, Gu Leshan, and Wilcox each held onto a rope to tighten the net around the March Hare.

The rabbit, though only slightly taller than the already towering Wilcox, created an immense force when struggling. It nearly yanked the men holding the net off their feet.

At one point, Wilcox lost his grip and was sent flying. His younger cousin rushed to catch him, wrapping his arms around Wilcox’s waist to prevent him from slamming headfirst into the already crumbling wall and risking a concussion.

Wilcox widened his eyes in surprise. “Oh, my dear little cousin! You’re such a good boy! I swear I’ll never punch you again!”

Joyce, utterly exasperated, shouted, “Why are you still talking so much at a time like this, Cousin?!”

Si Jiayang, who was also thrown away and barely able to stay upright amidst the chaos: “!!!”

Manman’s eyes were filled with urgency, but she remained calm. “If it keeps ramming like this, the villa’s walls won’t hold for much longer!”

Jing Qizhen immediately made a decision, “Let’s leave the villa first! Let it crash around inside on its own!”

As he spoke, Jing Qizhen grabbed Old Xiao, who was frozen in place, drenched in cold sweat and too shocked to move. Unfortunately, Jing Qizhen’s strength hadn’t fully recovered, and despite his efforts, he couldn’t budge him.

Before Jing Qizhen could feel embarrassed, Yun Shuanghua stepped in. Taking advantage of his height, he grabbed Old Xiao by the collar and effortlessly dragged him out of the villa, ignoring Old Xiao’s terrified cries of, “Ow, my neck!”

Jing Qizhen: “…” He felt a bit guilty for Old Xiao.

But time was of the essence and there was no room for minor concerns like that.

Professor Jones, McCain, and Caroline screamed nonstop but seeing the increasing tremors of the villa, they quickly decided that uncovering the truth could wait. The moment they heard Jing Qizhen’s shout, they bolted faster than anyone else.

Angelina, knowing by now that Jin Guijuan couldn’t understand their language, ran over to her after Jing Qizhen’s call and shouted, “Go! Go! Go!”

Jin Guijuan: “=口=!!! Thank you.” She instinctively followed and, surprisingly, understood the short English phrase for once.

Lu Lingxi, Gu Leshan, and the others, although being yanked around by the thrashing March Hare like kites on a string, also quickly caught on to Jing Qizhen’s warning.

Without worrying about their position, Gu Leshan, who had been flung near the door, dragged the rope and sprinted outside. Meanwhile, Lu Lingxi, whose trajectory threw him near a window, grabbed the window frame mid-air and used it to leap outside.

Yan Hong and Si Jiayang reacted just as quickly. Since the villa was already a burnt-out shell, it didn’t matter which direction they escaped from.

Wilcox and his cousin Joyce also stumbled but managed to race out through the back door.

The housemaid, gritting his teeth with determination, rushed forward to help Lu Lingxi hold the rope, relying on her weight.

“Thanks, thanks, thanks!” Lu Lingxi exclaimed in gratitude.

Everyone scattered around the yard outside the villa until the distant sound of a car engine suddenly echoed through the air.

Jing Qizhen looked over in shock and disbelief. He saw Manman, who had been the first to escape, sitting in a sturdy luxury car she’d apparently commandeered from the roadside. The car’s front was pointed directly at the villa’s load-bearing wall.

Her voice came through the walkie-talkie, clear and decisive, “Everyone, get further away.”

Jing Qizhen quickly pulled Old Xiao and Yun Shuanghua several meters back.

Si Jiayang, still holding the rope, screamed in horror, “Baby, what are you doing?!”

His precious baby, Manman, didn’t answer. Instead, she slammed her foot on the gas and drove the car straight toward the villa.

Si Jiayang shrieked louder than if he’d been hit himself, “Manman!”

With a deafening ‘boom,’ the car crashed directly into the villa’s load-bearing wall. Somehow, the fuel tank ignited instantly, and with a loud ‘whoosh,’ the entire vehicle went up in flames.

Si Jiayang’s pupils dilated in shock, his expression blank.

Even for a brick-and-mortar structure, the villa was first doused in oil and set ablaze, then blanketed by snow. It had already become structurally unstable due to the thermal expansion and contraction, which had weakened its integrity.

When the car struck, half of the villa’s load-bearing wall collapsed.

Everyone had evacuated the villa, so apart from being startled by the deafening sound of the collapse and getting covered in dust, no one was harmed.

However, amidst the crashing rubble, Jing Qizhen distinctly heard a panicked voice shout from inside the villa, “You despicable humans! What have you done? Sir Rabbit will never forgive you!”

Before the March Hare could finish its sentence, the giant rabbit, still trapped in the net, was buried under the collapsing debris. While it wasn’t entirely crushed, the weight of the rubble left it unable to struggle any further, finally stopping its chaotic thrashing that had sent people flying earlier.

Manman, who had rolled across the lawn to cushion her fall after jumping out of the car, shook her injured hand. It was now bleeding again from overexertion. She panted lightly and called out, “I’m here!”

Si Jiayang, who still clung tightly to the rope, immediately relaxed when he heard her voice. His tense shoulders loosened, and he yelled, “You scared me half to death!”

Manman approached Si Jiayang, blinking innocently, and held out her injured hand. “It’s bleeding again…”

Si Jiayang’s expression froze as he stared at her, nearly forgetting to breathe.

Frustrated and exasperated, Si Jiayang quickly barked out a stream of English to summon Professor Jones and McCain. He thrust the rope into their hands, grabbed Manman by her uninjured arm, and led her to a garden chair, firmly seating her as he began re-bandaging her wound.

Seeing Si Jiayang finally calm down, Jing Qizhen let out a long sigh of relief.

To be honest, Manman’s daring maneuver had scared even him.

Glancing at the others, Jing Qizhen noted that his long-time comrades, those who had been through life-and-death situations with him, seemed mostly unfazed. But the foreigners in the group were clearly shaken and were eyeing Manman with extreme caution.

The contrast was obvious. While Jing Qizhen’s method of dousing the villa with oil and setting it on fire gave an impression of controlled chaos, Manman’s high-speed car crash and deliberate explosion resembled the sudden, high-octane intensity of an action movie.

Angelina stammered, “W-Where did she get the car keys?”

Gu Leshan, evidently knowledgeable, casually replied, “Pop the hood, pull out the wires, connect them, and spark it up. It’s just manual ignition for an automatic system!”

The March Hare, now completely subdued under the collapsed villa, was no longer able to resist. Gu Leshan released his grip on the rope, shaking out his sore hands. The earlier effort had left his palms burning painfully, and without gloves, his skin would likely have been peeled raw.

Jing Qizhen looked at Manman with a mix of amazement and disbelief. “Manman?”

Manman remained calm, replying nonchalantly, “I also know exactly how long it takes for a car fire to cause a fuel tank explosion.”

Gu Leshan enthusiastically chimed in, “Ah, I know that too! Timing the jump is critical!”

Jing Qizhen: “…” Why are your skill points so terrifying?

He glanced at the foreigners, who seemed to have filled in the gaps with their imaginations. Their fearful gazes at Manman were nearing the point of trembling.

As for the villa, Manman’s stunt had turned it from a precarious structure into a complete ruin.

Fortunately, most of the furniture and flammable materials inside had already burned away. Otherwise, the massive March Hare might have ended up as a roasted rabbit.

Once the car’s fuel tank burned out and with no other combustibles nearby, the fire quickly died down.

To be cautious, Jing Qizhen took out a music box and used the Christmas carol ‘Jingle Bells’ to help cool down the fiery explosion engulfing the brand-new car.

Just as he was about to call out to the March Hare trapped under the ruins to check if it was still alive, he suddenly heard a pitiful sobbing sound from beneath the rubble, “You horrible humans! Not only do you want to roast Sir Rabbit for dinner but now you’re planning to serve me cold! QAQ”

The Earth chimed in, “Cold spicy rabbit! I’ve heard of that!”

Wilcox, who had studied in Sichuan, nodded knowingly. “Ah, yes, Sichuan has cold spicy rabbit. I tried it in college. It’s very spicy but delicious.”

Jing Qizhen: “…” Why do I feel a strange pang of sympathy?

Bonus chapter!😋