Card Room

Chapter 352 - Moment of Life or Death

Yu Hanjiang and Old Mo’s investigation area had exceeded half of the maze. After reaching the easternmost end again, they walked forward and found a corridor that was dark. The light bulbs and cameras were destroyed. This was obviously done by Ye Qi.

Yu Hanjiang couldn’t help frowning. “Ye Qi has been here? There are traces of debris on the ground.”

Old Mo was puzzled. “The area we have checked accounts for half the entire maze. Ye Qi should’ve checked a quarter of the area alone. However, all the rooms in the corridors have similar layouts. Where is the control room?”

A cold light flashed in Yu Hanjiang’s eyes when he heard this. “We fell into a trap!”

Old Mo froze before soon reacting. “Can it be... the control room isn’t in the basement?!”

Yu Hanjiang nodded, “The first time I came to this building, I noticed it was a three-storey building. The basement is where you were detained but it isn’t necessarily where the central control room will be. It might be on the first, second or third floors. If the first, second and third floors are also labyrinths then the difficulty of finding the control room will increase exponentially.”

Old Mo’s heart trembled at these words. If Group Leader Yu’s guess was correct and the difficulty of the three-storey maze increased exponentially then it was an impossible task!

Yu Hanjiang asked Ye Qi in a low voice, “Have you checked the path where the file room is?”

“I only checked half of it. I first brought the files back to the Peach Blossom Spring.”

Yu Hanjiang simply instructed, “Old Mo and I will go over there to see. Hide first and try to move only in the dark corridors.”

At present, only that area hadn’t been checked. Yu Hanjiang quickly walked forward with the acceleration shoes. Halfway through, a dazzling light suddenly appeared in front of him. Ye Qi obviously hadn’t been here yet.

Yu Hanjiang looked up and found an elevator. At this time, the elevator had just stopped on the third floor. Yu Hanjiang pressed the button to go up. The elevator quickly came down to the basement and the metal doors opened slowly.

Yu Hanjiang walked into the elevator but was unable to press the number ‘3’ to go up. There was a swiping area next to the number. This should be the same setting as a high-end hotel. One could only press the elevator floor after swiping a card. It was an elevator that only personnel could ride.

Just now, the elevator had stopped on the third floor. Someone had obviously taken the elevator up. He speculated that the control room should be on the third floor. Time was limited and it would definitely be too late if he checked the first and second floors sequentially. It was better to go directly to the third floor to see the situation.

Yu Hanjiang looked at the surveillance camera in the corner, took out his handgun and pulled the trigger. There was the clear sound of gunshots. One shot exploded the camera and the other shot created a big hole in the glass ceiling!

The next moment, he jumped with the light footwork card and landed firmly on top of the elevator.

In the darkness, he could vaguely see the elevator chain. Yu Hanjiang quickly climbed along the chain to near the third floor. Then he took out a powerful submachine gun, shot open the door and rolled into the corridor.

He squinted. The corridor here was very similar to the underground labyrinth and was almost a replica. Yu Hanjiang and Old Mo quickly figured out the direction and started to investigate.

The rooms on the third floor were much smaller than the basement but the area was several times larger. In addition, it wasn’t gloomy like the basement. It was rather upscale. Most rooms had windows to the corridor and they could see the furnishings of the rooms through them. Offices, operating rooms, anesthesia rooms, wards...

This was a small hospital!

Yu Hanjiang determined that they had touched the organization’s nest. After passing through three corridors in a row, Yu Hanjiang saw a room. There were no windows to the corridor and it wasn’t clear what was inside. The silver-white metal door was closed tightly and it was obviously different from the other surrounding rooms.

Yu Hanjiang thought for a moment before throwing the last bug on the wall. Then he really heard the conversation inside.

“Sister Qing, why aren’t you pressing this red button?”

“I just feel that Uncle Zhong and He Rong died strangely, like they were killed.”

“We didn’t make any mistakes so what is there to be afraid of? Can Brother Rong kill you? Let’s deal with these people first. The truth about Uncle Zhong and He Rong’s death will surely be revealed later on.”

“Okay.”

The woman put her finger on the button. She was just about to press it when suddenly, the door behind her was kicked open. There was the bang of a gunshot in her ears and her hand was struck by a bullet!

“Ahhh!” The woman screamed with pain.

The yellow-haired man hurried to press the button. Unfortunately, before his hand could touch the button, a strong wind headed toward his ear. He reached out to block it but the next moment, his wrist was grabbed and twisted by a pair of slender and powerful hands. A severe pain came from his wrist and it was dislocated by a strong force! Immediately after, his knees were kicked sharply and the yellow-haired man uncontrollably fell to the ground.

The whole process took two seconds and it was too fast for others to react. The more terrifying thing was that they couldn’t see anything. It was like the room was haunted. A gust of wind brought them down in an instant.

Yu Hanjiang took out the white silk card and tied the two people up. Then he walked to the console.

There were three buttons of different colors on the console in blue, green and red. Yu Hanjiang had interrupted before the red button could be pressed. This was obviously the mechanism to start the explosives. There was a letter B on the green button so this should be the poisonous fog that was activated second. Yu Hanjiang reached out and pressed the blue button labeled A. At the same time, he spoke in his mind, “Have Xiao Liu prepare to evacuate immediately.”

Xiao Lou hurriedly vaccinated Xiao Liu and told her to leave the Peach Blossom Spring. Liu Qiao exited the Peach Blossom Spring and saw the metal door in front of her slowly opening. She didn’t want to wait for the door to rise slowly. She simply rolled on the ground under the door. Then she used the light footwork card to move quickly. The rain outside didn’t affect her speed at all.

Long Sen and Qu Wanyue were outside. Liu Qiao took advantage of the card to fly between the trees. In the blink of an eye, she came outside Qinghe Village and found the Long Qu couple. After confirming it was safe, she hurriedly set Li Qingzhao’s mark.

Yu Hanjiang wasn’t in a hurry to go back. There was still some time for the vaccine card. He took off his invisibility cloak and pinched the yellow-haired man’s chin. Then he asked in a deep voice, “Who is Brother Rong? Say it.”

The man was tearful from the pain. After seeing Yu Hanjiang’s face, he sneered. “So it is you, Officer Yu! None of you can run away today. You will die soon. Hahaha, why should I tell you? Tell a dead man? Go and ask the king of hell!”

Suddenly, Yu Hanjiang took out a sharp dagger and thrust it forcefully at the back of the man’s hand. A scream like a pig being killed instantly filled the control room.

“Ahhh—”

Yu Hanjiang rotated the dagger that pierced the back of the hand by 90 degrees. The yellow-haired man’s hand was bleeding, his forehead was sweating and his entire body convulsed with pain. The screams were shocking.

The woman next to him stiffened and her body shook slightly. She didn’t expect Yu Hanjiang to be so cruel that he would stab her companion’s hand with a knife!

Yu Hanjiang turned his head to look at her. “What about you? Ms Song Xiaoqing, would you like to tell me?”

Song Xiaoqing had beautiful curly hair when attending the birthday party today but now she had neat short hair.

She was the boss of a medical equipment company and obviously wore a wig and delicate makeup. She seemed like an elegant and powerful businesswoman but in fact, she was an important member of the organ trafficking organization. The money she had was illegal money.

Song Xiaoqing’s lips couldn’t help trembling slightly when she heard the question and she couldn’t say a word. The man in front of her was full of hostility. His body was wet by rain and being near him was like being stared at by a cold, poisonous snake.

Yu Hanjiang drew the bloody dagger and waved it at her slender fingers. Song Xiaoqing was so scared that there were tears in her eyes. She spoke in a trembling voice, “Officer Yu, I don’t know what you are talking about! What Brother Rong?”

“Is it Rong Cheng?” Yu Hanjiang asked calmly.

Song Xiaoqing’s face was white and her hands clenched involuntarily.

Seeing her reaction, Yu Hanjiang knew that his guess was correct. He thrust the blade toward Song Xiaoqing’s hand, making her shake with fear. “More than 10 years ago, you and Rong Cheng were a loving couple. He founded a pharmaceutical company with money from his family and you entered the medical equipment business. You made more and more money and gradually got lost in the desire for wealth. By chance, you met Shao Zhengyang, the big business tycoon and joined Shao Zhengyang’s organ trafficking business.”

“Rong Cheng was eager for profit and sold fake drugs. A large number of patients were admitted to hospital after taking the medicine. The drug administration found him, revoked his business license and put him in jail. During his prison term, you never visited him and pretended to cut off contact with him. Yet in fact, you recruited his men and secretly helped Uncle Zhong and He Rong launder money.”

“Once Rong Cheng was released from prison, you created the illusion that he was leaving the country. On the surface, he took an international flight abroad but in fact, he used a private jet to return secretly and changed his identity to continue the organ trafficking business. This lasted until Cheng Shaoyu’s heart transplant killed an innocent person and a relative of that person came back to retaliate and kill Cheng Shaoyu, then the police gradually discovered your conspiracy, am I right?”

“......” Song Xiaoqing’s face was blue and white, her eyes full of horror and her pupils contracted slightly. She obviously hadn’t expected Yu Hanjiang to know this much.

“Brother Rong promised to send Cheng Shaofeng away by private jet but he killed Cheng Shaofeng on the way. Do you know about this?”

“I-I don’t know anything.” Song Xiaoqing hurriedly shook her head.

“Then do you know that he actually buried explosives in the ground and was ready to kill us and you as well?”

“Impossible!” Song Xiaoqing’s eyes widened and she shook her head frantically. “It is impossible! He said that once this matter is over, he will leave and marry me.”

“You should be glad that I came in time. Once that red button is pressed, this building will be blown up in an instant.” Yu Hanjiang’s eyes were extremely cold and sharp as he stared into Song Xiaoqing’s eyes. “You are still being stubborn. Do you really want to die in vain? Did you forget how Uncle Zhong and He Rong died?”

“......” There was a trace of struggle in Song Xiaoqing’s eyes like her suspicion was aroused by Yu Hanjiang’s words.

It was eye-opening for Old Mo who was listening to Yu Hanjiang’s interrogation from the pocket. Just now, Group Leader Yu pierced the yellow-haired man’s hand with a knife. The action was neat and he didn’t hesitate at all. Time was tight and Yu Hanjiang had to use some extreme means to find a witness. It was because the key to conviction was witnesses and material evidence. It was better to have a confession!

After all, Shao Zhengyang was a person with prestige and there was no evidence. Were they going to catch Shao Zhengyang with speculation? It would be better if Song Xiaoqing was willing to confess.

In these few minutes, Yu Hanjiang pried open Song Xiaoqing’s psychological line of defense. He saw that Song Xiaoqing’s eyes were full of struggle and he spoke to Xiao Lou in his mind, “Later once Xiao Liu opens the transmission, go out together. I will take Song Xiaoqing. She is an important witness.”

Xiao Lou was worried. “Will you be okay alone?”

Yu Hanjiang reassured him. “Don’t worry about me. You pull Old Mo and Ye Qi back to the Peach Blossom Spring first.

Just then, there was the sound of footsteps behind him. A group of people had heard the movements in the control room and were coming as support. Yu Hanjiang cut the white silk into pieces to tie up Song Xiaoqing alone. Then he grabbed the back of her collar, picking her up like a chicken and exited from a broken window on the third floor!

It was still raining heavily outside and Song Xiaoqing was instantly drenched. Yu Hanjiang used the light footwork card to carry her away. Then there was the sound of an explosion in his ears. The sound was so loud it almost broke their eardrums. Yu Hanjiang stopped on the tree and looked behind him.

The three-storey building was actually razed to the ground by a large number of explosives! Smoke billowed and a fire blazed in the sky on this dark rainy night. Yu Hanjiang stood on top of the tree with a calm and indifferent expression. Song Xiaoqing couldn’t believe it. She stared at the flames and didn’t know if it was the rain or tears blurring her vision. Her entire body was shaking violently.

Yu Hanjiang whispered to her, “Do you believe it now? You were almost killed.”

Song Xiaoqing closed her eyes in desperation.

Yu Hanjiang asked in his mind, “Xiao Lou?”

Xiao Lou responded. “We’re fine. Xiao Liu opened the transmission in time and we’re all outside the village.”

By the time the reinforcements had pressed the red button, Liu Qiao used Li Qingzhao’s marking skill to pull the team members out of the village.

Xiao Lou’s voice trembled slightly. “Apart from Xiao Ye’s body that is covered in blood, no one else is injured. We must...”

“I know. Ye Qi was shot due to my negligence. We only have 24 hours left.” Yu Hanjiang paused and spoke softly. “I caught a witness and will immediately set off for the city for questioning. I will inform my colleagues in the city to control the airport roads to prevent the suspects from leaving. Once we have the evidence, we will immediately arrest Shao Zhengyang and Rong Cheng!”

***

Outside Qinghe Village.

In the torrential rain, the blood stains on Ye Qi’s clothes looked particularly terrible. His teammates were scared to death when they saw this scene. Qu Wanyue hurried over and asked in a frightened manner, “Xiao Ye, why is there so much blood on your body?!”

Ye Qi smiled and brushed back his wet hair. “It’s fine. I’m now the bug king and I’m not afraid of skin trauma.” He showed his white and clean arms. “Teacher, look. All my injuries have healed. The blood on my clothes were from the moment of being shot. I don’t even have a scar on my body!”

Qu Wanyue was a bit relieved when she heard this. Suddenly, Shao Qingge walked over and forcefully took the child into his arms. Ye Qi was stunned. “C-Chief Shao?”

He was only 7 years old now and his height only went up to Shao Qingge’s waist. Ye Qi was hugged like this and he was surrounded by the man’s arms. Shao Qingge lightly rubbed the child’s hair, his voice low and hoarse. “Next time, leave this type of adventure to me. You can no longer use the Bug King card, understand?”

Ye Qi wondered, “Why? Didn’t my injuries heal?”

Shao Qingge didn’t explain that the bullets were still in the body despite the injuries having healed.

In other words, he only had 24 hours left. It was fine to be shot in the bug king state but once the transformation was over, if they couldn’t catch the murderer and clear the instance smoothly... Ye Qi would die. Shao Qingge couldn’t bear to say this when seeing Ye Qi’s brilliant smile.

He took a deep breath, tightened his arms and hugged Ye Qi tightly. He used his body to block the torrential rain. Ye Qi’s face was buried in Shao Qingge’s chest and he was at a loss. This man’s voice seemed particularly gentle in the rainy night. “Listen to me. If you take such risks again, I’ll take the card back and give it to someone else.”

Ye Qi felt helpless. “Okay, you have the final say regarding the cards copied with your money. Then... in the future, my Bug King card will be used as a healing card while yours will be used as an attack?”

Shao Qingge smiled. “Yes.”

Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao knew the truth and were also worried. Ye Qi’s body didn’t have any trauma but the deadly bullets remained inside him. Once the transformation ended, he couldn’t be saved at all.

Fortunately, not long after, a familiar figure appeared in everyone’s vision. They saw Yu Hanjiang flying through the trees with Song Xiaoqing. He landed firmly in front of Xiao Lou, eyes full of concern. “Are you okay?”

Xiao Lou nodded. “There is no danger.”

The group glanced at each other. Then Xiao Lou walked to Shao Qingge’s side and said, “Chief Shao, don’t worry too much. I believe Group Leader Yu can solve the case within 24 hours.”

Shao Qingge released Xiao Ye and stared at Yu Hanjiang with eyes full of trust. “My father hasn’t been home recently and I don’t know where he is staying. I brought out all the file cabinets that Ye Qi handed over to me. Next, it is up to you.”

Yu Hanjiang calmly nodded. “Yes, leave the rest to me.”

The others heard his words and were relieved.

Behind them, a fire blazed while rain smashed down countless petals. The air was mixed with the smell of the explosion and the cold fragrance of plum blossoms. Eight people stood in the rain, their hair sticking to their wet faces and their vision was blurry.

They were a bit scared looking back on the experience just now. In the process of everyone’s cooperation, if there had been a single problem then they might’ve been buried in this sea of flames. Fortunately, they escaped safely.

Next, it was time to pull out these cold-blooded and brutal criminals one by one and bring them to justice.

Proofreader: Fictional Reality & Paranoid Kitten