I Run Away with the Earth to Save the World [Unlimited Flow] - Chapter 97

The small truck came out of nowhere but fortunately, Jing Qizhen’s warning had been timely enough.

Wilcox, fresh off the phone with Jing Qizhen, had been preoccupied with the possibility of an attack. He had even instinctively considered what he would do if faced with danger.

And now, when danger struck, the contingency plan he had just formulated surfaced in his mind, ready and actionable.

Wilcox dodged swiftly while simultaneously shoving his stunned younger cousin, Joyce, out of harm’s way with all his strength.

Rolling on the ground to evade the truck’s front end, Wilcox narrowly escaped with his life. His clothes were covered in dust and his golden hair now looked dull and lifeless.

Joyce, who had been pushed to safety, let out a startled cry, “Wilcox!”

Wilcox had no time to respond.

The truck’s elevated floor, higher than a regular car’s, allowed it to easily mount the curb without getting stuck on the chassis.

Relying on his quick reflexes and the brief moment when the driver adjusted the truck’s direction for another attempt to ram them, Wilcox sprinted toward the truck’s door. In just a few strides, he managed to latch onto the vehicle and wrench the door open.

Thank God, the driver’s side door wasn’t locked!

The driver, evidently not expecting his attempted vehicular assault to fail so miserably, was momentarily stunned. His fierce expression froze for an instant.

Wilcox, ignoring the fact that the truck had started moving again and the driver was attempting to crash it into a wall to trap him, used his strength and determination.

Even if his muscular arms were purely for show, they still packed enough power to get the job done. But in reality, Wilcox had genuine combat training; it wasn’t just for appearances.

Before the truck could slam its side into the wall, Wilcox seized the moment, grabbing the driver with brute force and yanking him from the seat as though uprooting a plant.

Wilcox’s body weight added leverage and with an unrelenting grip, he twisted and dragged the driver out without hesitation. Even though the driver was burly himself, he couldn’t withstand Wilcox’ relentless assault and tumbled out of the truck along with him.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Joyce, standing at a relatively safe distance, was utterly stunned.

He couldn’t find the words to speak, only managing to instinctively shout, “Cousin!?”

After Wilcox and the truck driver hit the ground, the now driverless truck veered off and slammed into the concrete barriers in front of the police station, toppling several of them in the process.

As for the driver, whom Wilcox refused to release, he tumbled out of the vehicle during the forced exit, rolling due to inertia. Along the way, Wilcox landed several punches to the driver’s head, leaving him dazed and possibly suffering from a concussion. The man was now in a completely bewildered state, unable to gather his thoughts.

Wilcox, who had escaped with only minor scrapes, yanked the driver up from the ground. He brushed his knuckles against the small cut on his own lip, muttered a curse under his breath, then raised his head and frowned at Joyce, asking, “Does it look like my face is ruined?”

Joyce: “…???”

Noticing the increasingly terrifying look on his cousin’s face, Joyce, who had just been reduced to a panicked screamer moments ago, shivered as he snapped back to his senses. Hastily, he reassured, “It’s just a cut on your lip! It’ll heal in a few days! No scar!”

Wilcox shot a sideways glance at his younger cousin, choosing not to comment on the overly enthusiastic reassurance. He simply hefted the half-conscious driver and nodded toward Joyce with his chin. “Let’s go.”

Joyce hurried after him, blurting out instinctively, “This place isn’t safe. There might be more attackers. Where are we going—”

Before he could finish the last syllable, Joyce saw clearly that his cousin, still holding the driver, had already stepped back onto the police station steps.

Joyce: “…???”

His question now rendered moot, Joyce followed along silently. The very same Wilcox who had just finished explaining things to the police minutes ago was now dragging his cousin back into the station.

The commotion from the truck crash had naturally drawn the attention of police officers inside and a few had come out to investigate, only to run straight into Wilcox, who was hauling the driver along.

The officers froze for a moment before several raised their guns, pointing them squarely at Wilcox.

Without hesitation, Wilcox raised his hands to indicate he meant no harm. In the process, the driver, no longer restrained, slumped to the ground with a heavy thud that sounded painful even to onlookers.

Taking a deep breath, Wilcox spoke to the officers with an innocent expression, “Alright, I admit it. The homeowner attacked earlier in the villa district was my friend. And now, as I stand at the police station’s doorstep, someone just tried to run me over. You can check the surveillance footage from the intersection. The cameras should have caught everything clearly. This guy here,” he gestured to the driver on the ground, “is the culprit who tried to crash into us and stage a car accident.”

A heavy silence spread through the crowd.

Joyce, standing a little farther back, stared at the raised guns with growing unease. After a moment’s hesitation, he raised his hands as well and cautiously called out, “Cousin Wilcox?”

Wilcox introduced himself to the police without hesitation. “This is my cousin, Joyce. He’s also one of the targets of this attack and a survivor of the previous Boston villa disappearance case!”

Joyce, the ‘lucky’ victim and survivor: “…”

At that moment, Caroline, having received word from David, came clicking out of the police station in her high heels. She glanced at the dusty but composed Wilcox, then at Joyce, who shared a similar ordeal with her. She voiced her suspicion as a question, “So, Joyce and Wilcox have also been attacked? I suspect the relatives of the victims are venting their anger on us and have resorted to extreme retaliation!”

Wilcox couldn’t quite figure out why Caroline was suddenly speaking on his behalf. Perhaps their interests aligned?

The thought passed quickly through his mind but outwardly, he simply nodded at Caroline and greeted her, “Hi.”

Finally, the police lowered their guns. After glancing at the battered truck that had caused the commotion, two officers handcuffed the incapacitated driver, identified by Wilcox. Then, they brought the driver, Wilcox, and Joyce back into the station for further questioning.

Three minutes later, David, still holding his phone, hesitated before lifting his head to look at Jing Qizhen, Tang Song, and the others. He seemed unsure how to begin. “Uh…”

Everyone turned their attention to him.

Jing Qizhen assumed he had another question about the documents and asked casually, “What is it? Something you don’t understand?”

David shook his head. “Not exactly. I haven’t finished reading the documents yet. But Caroline just told me that Wilcox and Joyce were attacked. The assailant drove a small truck and tried to run them over at the police station entrance.”

Jing Qizhen: “…”

Although he had just warned Wilcox, he hadn’t expected to hear about the attack through such a roundabout channel.

As he spoke, David raised his phone, showing Jing Qizhen and the others the screen.

The video on the screen had just been recorded by Caroline.

In the footage, Wilcox could be seen rolling on the ground, looking dusty and disheveled. His golden hair was now drooping lifelessly but his eyes were sharp. The attack hadn’t rattled him. Instead, it seemed to ignite his fierce side even further.

Joyce trailed obediently behind his cousin, following his every move like an innocent little rabbit.

In the background of the video, several uniformed police officers were moving busily around the station, the chaos punctuated by ringing phones and hurried conversations.

Everyone: “…”

Jing Qizhen: “…So they’re meeting up inside the police station now!”

At that moment, the Earth suddenly chimed in, “I’ll go check it out!”

Its voice was full of eager curiosity.

In his mind, Jing Qizhen replied, “Go ahead, go ahead!”

Jing Qizhen had just carefully observed the situation and noticed that, judging from the police’s attitude, Wilcox and his cousin Joyce weren’t receiving the same treatment as Caroline.

After a brief pause, Jing Qizhen turned to David and said, “Joyce was originally just a victim but because his cousin has some ties with us, they’ve been targeted. From this perspective—”

David interrupted him. “Caroline is my best friend. From this perspective, she’s also facing significant danger. I’ve already spoken to her about it.”

When Jing Qizhen called to warn Wilcox earlier, David had immediately sent Caroline a message.

Jing Qizhen nodded and remarked, “The police station should be a relatively safe place.”

David agreed wholeheartedly. “Exactly. Caroline just told me that after witnessing what happened to Wilcox and Joyce, she’s decided to stay at the police station for now.”

While applying for a protection order was an option, it couldn’t guarantee safety as much as staying at the police station. David had learned that the hard way. The loyalty of bodyguards could falter but it was unlikely that an entire police station would turn against them. So Caroline decided to stay put, using the opportunity to monitor the investigation into the villa shooting case.

At the extreme, even if she were to die, the perpetrator would have to confront the police station head-on.

Jing Qizhen commented, “…Honestly, that’s actually a pretty good idea.”

People like Caroline, who were highly vigilant and sensitive to details, had a strong likelihood of surviving until the very end.

Meanwhile, the border collies that had been circling around Si Jiayang, trying in vain to win his favor, decided to switch tactics. Observing that Si Jiayang was paying attention to Manman, they imitated him and began nudging their heads into Manman’s palm.

However, when Tang Song put down his bowl, one of the border collies immediately changed course, attempting to paw at his bowl.

Tang Song, still preoccupied with the attack on the Wilcox brothers, mused, “This attack targeting Wilcox and Joyce, especially with a truck, was clearly intended to kill.”

Jing Qizhen scratched the furry head of a passing border collie, finding the scene rather lively, and speculated, “Before we arrived, Wilcox, as a relative of a missing person, must have already been in extensive contact with other rescue teams. Also, his prior experience entering the erosion area sets him apart from other missing persons’ families.”

David added, “Because of that, the other families from the rescue teams had defaulted to letting Wilcox take command of the teams.”

Manman chimed in, “And he did a great job. The previous monitoring and isolation efforts in the erosion area were probably driven by his initiatives, right?”

David nodded in affirmation.

Jing Qizhen blinked. “So, Wilcox is just attracting too much attention?”

Tang Song replied, “It’s more than that. Joyce was rescued but the other three missing persons died. It’s easy for others to resent him because of that. And with Wilcox’ demonstrated understanding of the erosion area, he’s essentially a clear target now.”

Thinking about Wilcox’s situation, it was hard not to sympathize. While Jing Qizhen’s group faced the same attack, at least they were getting paid for their work. Meanwhile, Wilcox had to spend money while putting in all the effort, only to end up in the worst situation of all.

Before they could express their sympathy, the Earth returned from its little excursion to check out the commotion at the police station.

The Earth announced, “You guys actually don’t need to worry about Wilcox anymore.”

Jing Qizhen asked, “…? Why not?”

The Earth explained, “After he met up with his little cousin Joyce and Caroline, the two of them took turns cursing out the attackers in multiple languages. After that friendly exchange, Wilcox proposed an idea to Caroline that really appealed to her and could effectively solve their current predicament.”

Jing Qizhen’s eye twitched. “What idea?”

Hearing the mention of ‘effectively solving the predicament,’ Jing Qizhen immediately had a thought pop into his head. A classic and simple plan: run away. After all, of all strategies, retreat is the best.

Sure enough, the next moment, the Earth enthusiastically continued, “Wilcox is planning to arrange a private jet to take his cousin Joyce and Caroline with him to your country! After all, not only do you have strict gun control but most people there have black hair and foreigners with distinct facial features would stand out in any crowd.”

Jing Qizhen: “…” Just as I thought!

After a pause, Jing Qizhen asked, “Is he planning to take us along too?”

The Earth sounded surprised, “Huh, how’d you guess? He’s currently discussing the next steps with Caroline. She’s considering bringing David along as well.”

Jing Qizhen remarked, “David truly didn’t make that friendship in vain.”

The Earth added, “Caroline did express a concern to Wilcox, though. She’s worried about whether the crew on the private jet might include someone untrustworthy. That’s what’s making her anxious right now.”

Jing Qizhen: “…” If Caroline can stop overthinking things, she’ll definitely survive until the end.