"If this is really the case, then this is terrible. We need to find Uncle Qiao and get to the bottom of this!" Rulu realized the severity of the situation. He stood up and walked quickly toward the door.

Although Nana didn't want to disturb her father, she didn't stop Rulu either. She followed him out of the room and came to the door of Mayor Qiao's bedroom.

"Uncle Qiao, are you in there? Can you open the door?" Rulu knocked hard on Mayor Qiao's bedroom door and called out loudly.

There was no movement inside the room, as if no one was there.

"Dad, what's going on? Please come out and say something!" Nana also called out loudly toward the door and banged on it forcefully.

The situation remained the same. There was still no movement inside the room. Rulu and Nana waited outside the door for quite a while, but the door never opened. Rulu and Nana looked at each other, both seeing panic and unease in each other's eyes.

"Uncle Qiao, are you in there? If you're not, we're going to break in!" Rulu felt they couldn't delay any longer and wanted to force the door open.

Just then, the door opened with a creak, and Mayor Qiao's figure appeared before Rulu and Nana.

Seeing her father appear, Nana hurried over and grabbed his hand, saying anxiously, "Dad, what happened? Can you tell us?!"

Mayor Qiao looked gloomy and haggard. He looked at Nana and Rulu with weary eyes and said in a low voice, "Oh, it's Nana and Rulu. Nana, has your mother come back yet?"

"Mom hasn't come back yet, but she should be home soon," Nana answered.

"I see. Then you should go prepare yourselves and pack your luggage. Our whole family is leaving here tonight."

Hearing this, both Nana and Rulu were shocked. Rulu said, "Does this mean that governor really wants to harm us?!"

Mayor Qiao was also shocked: "You already know?!"

Rulu and Nana nodded slowly. Mayor Qiao sighed and said with a sorrowful expression, "I was afraid you'd worry, so I didn't want to tell you about this. But since you already know, I'll tell you. That governor wants to control our entire family. If we can't leave the concession area before tomorrow, our whole family will be finished."

Nana cried out in alarm, "How can this be? Dad, aren't you the mayor? How can he treat you like this? Isn't there any law?"

Mayor Qiao shook his head. "This is a concession area. Sanctuary people have supreme privileges here. Although I'm the mayor, I'm not from Sanctuary after all. They can eliminate us at will without receiving any punishment. The previous mayors are the best examples. Now our only option is to escape."

Rulu said, "But can we escape? The concession area is garrisoned with a large number of Sanctuary troops and completely controlled by Sanctuary. If that governor discovers us along the way, things will be even worse."

A cunning gleam flashed in Mayor Qiao's eyes as he said, "Actually, I anticipated this kind of thing would happen a long time ago and prepared in advance. This time I've also contacted others to meet us. There shouldn't be any problems."

Rulu said, "If that's really the case, then that's best."

Nana said, "I hope our family can safely get through this crisis."

Afterward, Mayor Qiao's family quickly sprang into action. They packed their belongings and put their valuables in suitcases and bags. Late that night, when it was deep and quiet, Mayor Qiao, his wife Mrs. Qiao, along with Rulu and Nana—the four of them—quietly left home, carrying their luggage to a secluded and deserted street.

With a "whoosh," a black large van appeared from nowhere and stopped with a screech on the street in front of Mayor Qiao's house. A tall, burly middle-aged man and five strong young men got out of the car and quickly walked up to Mayor Qiao's family.

Seeing these people appear, Mayor Qiao's expression immediately changed, because the leading tall, burly middle-aged man was the very governor he had met during the day.

"Mayor Qiao, it's so late. Where is your family going?" The governor wore an ill-intentioned smile on his face, squinting his eyes and staring intently at Mayor Qiao's family.

Although Mayor Qiao was extremely panicked, he still put on a surprised expression and said with a forced smile, "Ah, what a coincidence! So it's you, Governor! It's like this: today is my daughter's birthday, and our family is going out to have dinner to celebrate her birthday."

"Hehe, having dinner—coming out to have dinner in the middle of the night, and bringing so many things. I thought you were moving," the governor said with sarcasm.

"Well, this is..." The smile on Mayor Qiao's face became stiff as he tried hard to explain. "It's like this: after we finish dinner, we're also going to a friend's house. These are all things to give to him..."

"Hehe, so that's how it is. So you're going to a friend's house?!" the governor said with a strange laugh. Suddenly his face darkened and he shouted sternly, "You old fool! Instead of doing what I told you to do, you're trying to run away. Do you think you can escape?!"

"No, I'm not trying to run away. Governor, please don't misunderstand," Mayor Qiao said loudly in panic.

The governor said fiercely, "Still not being honest! You old fool, do you think you can deceive me? I think you need to be taught a lesson!"

After saying this, the governor lifted his right foot and kicked Mayor Qiao hard in the lower abdomen. Mayor Qiao's face showed pain, his body curled up, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Sir, please, I beg you, let us go. I will definitely do what you've asked me to do," Mayor Qiao pleaded. Kneeling on the ground, he grabbed the governor's feet with both hands.

"Take this old guy away!" The governor kicked Mayor Qiao away. Two strong men beside him walked over, grabbed Mayor Qiao's arms, and despite his resistance and struggle, forcibly dragged him toward the black van parked on the roadside.