On the first day after entering the secret room, Yu Hanjiang was shot in the abdomen and suffered cardiac arrest. He was rushed to the emergency room. Xiao Lou still feels lingering fear when she recalls the scene. If it weren't for the timely rescue, Yu Hanjiang might have died on the operating table.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath to calm himself and looked at Yu Hanjiang, saying, "You mean the person who shot you while hiding in Cheng Shaofeng's house wasn't the murderer who killed his brother, but... an assassin sent by the organization?"
Yu Hanjiang went to see Cheng Shaofeng to investigate the " Cheng Shaoyu dismemberment case".
According to Liu Qiao's description, Cheng Shaofeng went to see his brother on a rainy night on January 25. Near his brother's residence, he saw a tall man wearing a black raincoat and carrying a black garbage bag. That man was very likely the murderer who killed his brother.
If this conjecture is true, then Cheng Shaofeng would be a witness to his brother's murder, and the person with the most motive to kill Cheng Shaofeng to silence him would naturally be the murderer in the Cheng Shaoyu case.
But now it seems that's not the case; that person has a gun, which is very difficult for ordinary people to obtain.
Yu Hanjiang closed his eyes and carefully recalled the scene. He remembered that he and his colleagues parked the police car at the entrance of the residential area and walked in. When they arrived at Cheng Shaofeng's villa, they found the door unlocked. Yu Hanjiang pushed the door open and went inside. The house was pitch black. Just as he was about to turn on his flashlight, he heard a gunshot. Immediately afterward, a dark figure jumped out of the window and escaped...
This scene remained vividly in his memory, but no matter how hard he tried to recall it, he couldn't make out the killer's appearance. Judging from the shadowy figure, the person was likely a man around 1.7 meters tall, who was agile and nimble.
Yu Hanjiang frowned and analyzed, " The murderer who killed Cheng Shaoyu was motivated by revenge. He was most likely a relative of the victim who received the heart transplant from Cheng Shaoyu. He wasn't so resourceful as to know in advance that we were investigating Cheng Shaofeng. I remember that the investigation into Cheng Shaofeng was a secret operation, so it was impossible for the information to have leaked."
Ye Qi was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Could this be a coincidence?"
Yu Hanjiang stroked his chin thoughtfully: "That assassin probably hid in Cheng Shaofeng's house for several days, waiting to kill him when he returned. When I pushed the door open, he mistook me for Cheng Shaofeng, which is why he shot me." Yu Hanjiang turned to Xiao Lou, "What do you think?"
Xiao Lou thought about it carefully and nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. This also explains why Cheng Shaofeng was already prepared to escape the country in his private jet, but someone still tried to kill him halfway. It seems that the organization has to get rid of him."
Old Mo speculated, "Could it be that he knew a secret he shouldn't have known, which is why the organization is hunting him down to silence him?"
A powerful and influential young master like Cheng Shaofeng must already be a high-ranking manager in the organization. What secrets could he possibly not know that would lead to his death?
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou exchanged a glance and asked in unison, "The identity of the organization's leader?"
"That's right, only the boss would execute his subordinates." Ye Qi gasped and said, "Murder, organ trafficking, arms smuggling—if the boss's identity is exposed, any one of these crimes would be enough to get him sentenced to death! So, this boss may have been hiding behind the scenes all along, and even the organization's higher-ups don't know his real identity, but instead call him by his code name?"
Old Mo's expression was complicated: "The code name is Brother Rong?"
Such speculation terrified everyone, but upon closer examination, it seemed quite reasonable.
Yu Hanjiang paused for a moment, then concluded: "There are two possibilities. First, the ' Brother Rong ' that Cheng Shaofeng called out to was one of the suspects we were investigating, someone who was quite familiar with him, such as his senior Lin Rongrong or the pharmaceutical company boss Rong Cheng. This ' Brother Rong ' arranged for him to travel abroad on a private plane and received orders from his superiors to secretly kill him en route."
"The second possibility is that the ' Brother Rong ' Cheng Shaofeng mentioned on the phone is the leader of the organization, who has never shown his face. Cheng Shaofeng accidentally found out his identity. The other party deliberately arranged for Cheng Shaofeng to take a private plane abroad, actually to run him over and silence him."
Xiao Lou nodded and said, "In either case, Brother Rong is definitely related to the driver who killed Cheng Shaofeng."
Ye Qi asked curiously, "Did the driver confess?"
"No," Yu Hanjiang said. "I took the driver back for questioning, and he insisted that he was driving while fatigued and that he forgot to check his rearview mirror when changing lanes, which caused Cheng Shaofeng's accident. I didn't arrange for anyone to interrogate him for the next two days; I just locked him up. He'll be panicking and will definitely overthink things. I'll let him be nervous for a couple of days. When I get back tomorrow, I will conduct a high-pressure interrogation on him overnight to see if I can get him to talk."
With Yu Hanjiang personally interrogating him, Xiao Lou felt the driver wouldn't last long. His concern was for another problem: "We triggered the alarm when we entered the secret room. I'm afraid this operation has alerted them, and they'll immediately move the weapons, making it difficult for the police to find evidence."
"Don't worry," Yu Hanjiang said. "When I left just now, I put the mirror back in place, removed the hair that was stuck in the mirror's gaps, destroyed the security camera, and set a fire in the bathroom trash can."
"..." Xiao Lou looked at him in disbelief, "You actually had time to arrange all this in such a short time?"
"Wearing the Swift Boots will increase your speed fivefold; a few seconds will be enough," Yu Hanjiang said calmly.
He's a police officer, and when it comes to counter-surveillance techniques, no one is more professional than a police officer.
" Captain Yu thought this through very well," Ye Qi said, giving a thumbs up. "This way, they'll assume the alarm that suddenly went off on the third floor was because the bathroom was on fire."
?
"Hopefully, we can get away with this." Yu Hanjiang was only trying to salvage the situation, but if the other party was more careful and left other clues on the mirror, they would be able to detect it as soon as the mirror moved, and then there would be nothing he could do.
***
At this moment, at the Tianya Club.
Upon receiving the message, He Rong quickly walked to the mirror at the end of the third floor.
The mirror looked normal; the single hair tucked in the crevice was still there. Black smoke billowed from the bathroom trash can, and the alarm on the ceiling flashed red…
It all looked like someone accidentally lit trash while smoking in the bathroom, triggering the smoke alarm.
However, the alarm sound when the mirror was opened had a different frequency than the usual smoke alarm. The former sounded once per second, while the latter sounded three times every two seconds. Most people couldn't tell the difference, but he had specially modified the alarm to ensure the safety of the items inside the hidden door.
He couldn't have misheard!
He Rong's face turned ashen. He immediately turned to his subordinates and said, "Go check the surveillance footage and see who was walking through the third-floor corridor just now!"
The subordinate went to the monitoring room and pulled up the surveillance video from the third-floor corridor—but the screen was completely black. He Rong flew into a rage, slamming his hand on the table: "When the hell did the surveillance cameras break?!"
The security guard in charge of monitoring said tremblingly, "This... it was fine just now? I just went to the restroom, how could it break... Brother Rong, I really, really don't know."
He Rong grabbed the other man's collar forcefully and roared, "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on things? Why the hell did you have to go to the bathroom at this crucial moment?!"
The security guard was trembling with fear, his face as pale as paper.
He Rong shoved him onto the stool next to her, picked up her phone with a stern face, and dialed a number.
The call was answered quickly, and He Rong said respectfully, "Boss, it seems like someone has been in my warehouse. I suspect we're being watched by the cops. Should we change the location for tomorrow's transaction?"
The other party said calmly, "You're overthinking it. The cops aren't that capable. The deal continues."
He Rong had no choice but to nod obediently: "Then let's meet at the usual place, see you there or not."
After hanging up the phone, He Rong felt uneasy.
The perpetrator was highly skilled, leaving no trace. The mirror looked exactly the same as before, down to the position of a single hair. But the security camera malfunctioning was too much of a coincidence! He didn't know if anyone had been on the third floor, nor was he sure if the mirror had been opened…
I hope I'm just overthinking it.
He Rong turned and left with a sullen face, unaware that his every move had been transmitted to Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou's card screen via drone monitoring.
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang with admiration: "He wanted to check the surveillance footage to find us, but unexpectedly, Captain Yu monitored his movements instead."
[ drone ] This card was an S card given to them by Tang Ci, which could be placed high in the air. Monitoring dynamic images within a designated range, Yu Hanjiang completed a series of operations in just a few seconds: restoring the mirror, setting fire to the bathroom, destroying the surveillance camera, and placing the drone. "Swift and decisive" is not enough to describe this man's sharp actions at the critical moment.
Ye Qi leaned closer to look at the image on the card and asked suspiciously, "A deal? The deal He Rong mentioned, could it be the weapons in the secret warehouse? Is he going to hand them over to the boss tomorrow?"
"Hmm." Yu Hanjiang confirmed Ye Qi's speculation and said, "The batch of guns in the warehouse on the third floor is very new. They must have just acquired this batch of goods and haven't had a chance to trade it yet. Tomorrow, He Rong will definitely attend Uncle Zhong's birthday banquet, which is held at the largest five-star hotel in the area. We'll find out whether the transaction takes place at the hotel together."
***
After leaving Peach Blossom Spring, Xiao Lou and his three companions went back to rest for the night.
The next day at noon, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang arrived at the five-star hotel together, while Ye Qi and Lao Mo pretended to be shopping and strolled to the hotel entrance. Ye Qi pointed curiously at the magnificent hotel and said in a childlike, innocent tone, "Grandpa, this hotel is so beautiful, shall we stay here?"
Old Mo led him to the entrance, intending to go in, but was stopped by the security guard.
Old Mo said with a smile, "We're from out of town and would like to stay at this hotel. Are there any rooms available?"
The security guard said coldly, "The venue is booked by a client today, so we are not accepting walk-in guests. Please find another place to stay."
Old Mo regretfully turned and left with Ye Qi.
Taking advantage of the security guards' attention being drawn to the old man and the child, Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang quickly circled around to the back of the hotel. Yu Hanjiang glanced at the tall stone pillar and said, "Let's fly up from here and find a window to enter the hotel."
Xiao Lou looked up at the ten-story building and asked worriedly, " Can the Lightness Skill Card fly that high?"
"Don't worry, I have a way."
After speaking, Yu Hanjiang stretched out his long arm and gently embraced Xiao Lou's waist. He activated his Lightness Skill card, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he used his legs to propel himself forward, leaping like a nimble goose onto an air conditioner on the third floor. Then, using this landing point, he continued jumping to the sixth floor…
In a matter of seconds, Yu Hanjiang had already leaped to the tenth floor. He found an open window and climbed through it into the hotel.
A guest had just left, and the bedding in the room was still a bit messy. The cleaning lady was opening the window to ventilate and clean the room. Suddenly, she saw two handsome men climbing in through the tenth-floor window. The cleaning lady opened her mouth wide in fright and was about to scream when Yu Hanjiang swiftly stepped forward, forcefully covered her mouth, and cleanly chopped her neck with a chop. The cleaning lady fell straight down.
Yu Hanjiang helped her to sit down on the sofa and gave Xiao Lou a wink.
color.
Xiao Lou nodded and took a key card from her pocket. For cleaning convenience, the cleaner's key card could be used to access any floor via the elevator. The two left the room and headed straight for the hotel restaurant on the eighth floor.
The birthday banquet has not officially started yet, but the venue has already been set up.
A bright red "longevity" character was pasted on the wall, looking very festive, and there were also many longevity peaches on the banquet table.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou went to the kitchen, knocked out the two waiters, tied them up, took them to the bathroom, and quickly changed into their clothes.
At 12:30 pm, guests arrived one after another to celebrate the birthday of the celebrant.
Uncle Zhong, the star of the day, wore a burgundy Tang suit and beamed with smiles. At 60 years old, he looked remarkably energetic, clearly very pleased with the birthday banquet arranged by his nephew, happily receiving gifts until his hands were sore.
The people who came were all prominent figures in the town, a room full of big bosses.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou carried plates, deftly serving dishes from table to table while observing the guests...
Aside from Uncle Zhong and his nephew He Rong, there are no other suspicious individuals at the moment. People on their suspect list, such as Lin Rongrong, Rong Cheng, and Nie Rong, haven't come.
Just as the two were wondering what was going on, they heard someone say to Uncle Zhong, "Boss Song has arrived!"
Uncle Zhong immediately stood up to greet them. Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang looked towards the door and saw a tall man in a black suit and sunglasses walk in, accompanied by a short-haired woman in a royal blue cheongsam with a commanding presence.
Yu Hanjiang whispered in Xiao Lou's ear, "The woman, Song Xiaoqing, is the businesswoman who bought He Rong's house in the countryside for a high price; the man, Song Dongping, is Song Xiaoqing's older brother, from Qingshui Town." The developer of the Jinxiu Villa real estate project.
Xiao Lou nodded; he remembered that these two people were also on Captain Yu's suspect list.
Although their names have nothing to do with "Rong," they have frequent financial dealings with He Rong. Song Xiaoqing bought He Rong's house in the countryside at a high price, and He Rong bought three properties in Jinxiu Villa, developed by her brother, and converted them into luxury homes for her uncle. Moreover, Song Xiaoqing was once the mistress of Rong Cheng, the owner of a pharmaceutical company...
The interests of this group are very complex and deserve Yu Hanjiang's special attention.
The Song siblings walked straight up to Old Master Zhong. Song Dongping smiled and said, "On Old Master Zhong's 60th birthday, we siblings wish you boundless happiness and longevity!" Song Xiaoqing opened a box and presented a piece of jade to Uncle Zhong, saying, "This is just a small token of our appreciation, please accept it, Uncle Zhong."
Uncle Zhong looked at the crystal-clear jade and smiled, his eyes crinkling: "Mr. Song, you're too kind!"
After exchanging pleasantries and taking their seats, He Rong, on behalf of Uncle Zhong, said a few words to thank everyone for attending. The birthday banquet officially began at one o'clock.
The birthday banquet was a lively and bustling affair, with toasts and laughter filling the air.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou moved among the crowd, serving dishes and food, without noticing anything suspicious—everyone was just eating, drinking, and chatting. He Rong stayed by Uncle Zhong's side, serving him tea and water, and showed no intention of leaving.
Could it be that they are mistaken?
The transaction didn't take place in the hotel; Uncle Zhong was simply celebrating his birthday.
Time passed slowly, and half of the delicacies on the table were eaten. After everyone had eaten their fill, they took turns toasting Uncle Zhong to wish him a happy birthday.
Uncle Zhong was in a good mood today and accepted all offers of wine. He drank quite a bit of wine, and his cheeks turned red from drinking.
A beer-bellied, bald boss stepped forward: "Mr. Zhong, thank you for your care over the years. I wish you a long and healthy life!"
Uncle Zhong smiled and accepted the drink, saying, "Alright, thank you, Mr. Zhang. I'll drink this one!"
The red wine flowed down his lips and down his throat.
The next moment, Grandpa Zhong suddenly rolled his eyes and fell straight to the ground.
"Ah—" A piercing scream rang out from all around.
He Rong's expression changed, and he said in a trembling voice, "Uncle? What's wrong, Uncle?!"
Yu Hanjiang suddenly turned around and quickly walked to the scene.
In the crowd, Old Master Zhong lay stiffly, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his lips. His eyes were wide open, his face filled with disbelief and horror.
He Rong reached out to check his breathing, then broke down in tears, crying, "Uncle! Uncle, wake up! What are you standing there for? Call 120! Call an ambulance!"
The surrounding area immediately descended into chaos.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou exchanged a glance, a chill running down their spines at the same time.
They had hoped to find some clues at the birthday banquet, but unexpectedly, Uncle Zhong's 60th birthday banquet... turned into a funeral.