Ling Lie leaned against the wall, waiting for his prey.

The sound of cautious, slow footsteps approached. Ling Lie listened silently to the breathing inside. Two people? No, four.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a bullet being chambered.

He wasn’t carrying a gun. He originally had the authorization to carry one, but during his last long vacation, Shen Xun had temporarily revoked it. The equipment Le Ran brought also didn’t include a gun. But it didn’t matter. Carrying a gun was a burden; it was better to just snatch one.

The footsteps grew closer. Ling Lie pulled out a dagger, the blade resting against his palm. The moment the person inside reached the door, he swept from left to right like the wind, hooked the man’s neck, using the momentum to throw him to the ground, and pressed the dagger to his throat. The gun in the man’s hand flew out.

At that moment, the people inside came out in single file. One of them, with a long face, curly hair, and triangular, sinister eyes, was Qian Bao, the small-time leader Weng Keqiu had mentioned.

Ling Lie quickly picked up the gun, but it wasn’t the only one there. Just as he hit the ground, a spray of bullets came at him. He used the momentum to roll across the floor, then swiftly threw his dagger, precisely embedding it in the curly-haired man’s wrist.

Curly Hair cried out in pain and dropped his gun. The other three were also stunned.

Taking advantage of this unique opportunity, Ling Lie fired three shots to the side of the men. People cherish their lives; they reflexively dodged. As they moved away from Curly Hair, Ling Lie swiftly “filled the gap,” grabbing Curly Hair’s neck and pressing the muzzle of the gun against his carotid artery.

One of the thugs who had been knocked out woke up at this moment and was terrified by the scene. The others didn’t dare to make a rash move, only glaring fiercely at Ling Lie.

Ling Lie used Curly Hair as a shield. “You’re Qian Bao?”

A low growl rumbled in Curly Hair’s throat, but the pain in his wrist and his current restrained position made it difficult for him to resist. He slanted a cold look at Ling Lie. “What do you want?”

Ling Lie raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to bargain with a cop? Fine, we can have a good talk at the police station later. I’m all ears.”

One of the armed men aimed at Ling Lie and started to move forward but was barked back by Curly Hair. Ling Lie held him and retreated towards the slope, kicking the unconscious thug out. “That’s right, be obedient if you value your life.” Then he said to the others, “Bullets don’t have eyes. You might not hit me, but the moment you fire, your Boss Qian’s artery will definitely be shot through by me.”

The men didn’t dare to breathe. Ling Lie slowly retreated with Qian Bao. The passageway, though not long, was sloped, making it somewhat strenuous to walk backward and upward.

After finishing the passageway, the men below sneakily followed. Ling Lie pictured the map of the lair in his mind. He could only return the way he came and rescue Weng Keqiu along the way.

But just then, footsteps and panting came from behind. He pulled Qian Bao aside, and saw three men holding Weng Keqiu, all armed. “Let Boss Qian go, or I’ll kill him!”

Qian Bao laughed ferociously. “Didn’t expect this, did you? We have a civilian in our hands! Aren’t you supposed to be evacuating civilians? Do you dare let a civilian die here?”

Ling Lie frowned. He was confident he could get away with Qian Bao, but with the addition of Weng Keqiu, who was so heavily injured, against their eight men, it seemed a bit difficult.

At this time, the men from the lower passageway also came up, forming a pincer attack.

But Weng Keqiu managed a weak laugh. “Who said I’m a civilian? I’m a police officer!”

The thugs were inevitably stunned. Ling Lie felt Qian Bao tense up too. “What?”

Weng Keqiu put on a brave face, ready to die, and forcefully lifted his neck. “The ones who didn’t expect it are you! I’m a police officer! If I die here, it’s in the line of duty. What does it have to do with other police officers?”

One man slammed the butt of his gun into the back of Weng Keqiu’s head and spat. “Then you can die here!”

“Bang—” Ling Lie fired without hesitation, the bullet hitting the man’s elbow joint. Before Qian Bao could react, he pressed the gun to his neck again. The heat of the muzzle made Qian Bao tremble. Ling Lie’s eyes showed the bloodlust and coldness of a beast as he advanced step by step towards the two men holding Weng Keqiu.

Qian Bao’s right wrist was dripping with blood. The man had some guts; he actually pulled the dagger out and stabbed at Ling Lie’s abdomen.

Ling Lie had three directions to watch. Sensing Qian Bao’s intent, he kicked him away forcefully, but his arm was still cut.

The others took advantage of the moment Ling Lie lost control of Qian Bao and fired successively. Ling Lie dropped to the ground and returned fire. Amidst the gunfire, no one noticed a set of footsteps approaching.

Blood gushed from Qian Bao’s wrist. Ling Lie used his firepower to get a moment’s respite and controlled Qian Bao again. But the situation was now critical. Weng Keqiu had been shot and had lost consciousness.

Qian Bao gave a dry laugh, the mockery obvious. “How about I send you on your way with him?”

The words had just left his mouth when gunfire erupted from the direction of the warehouse. Qian Bao was stunned, and the other thugs were also taken aback. Someone was coming down? A group?

Leading them was Ji Chenjiao, followed by Le Ran and other members of the special operations team. It wasn’t Ji Chenjiao who had fired; he currently didn’t have the authority to carry a gun either.

Seeing the blood on Ling Lie’s arm, Ji Chenjiao’s eyes turned cold. Le Ran shouted, “Don’t move! Hands up!”

Qian Bao, knowing the situation was lost, gave one of his men a look. The man quietly took out his phone, but there was no signal at all. He couldn’t contact the outside world.

Ling Lie tossed Qian Bao to Ji Chenjiao and looked at his own arm. “Stop struggling. If I wanted to give you a chance to notify your big boss, would I have taken this risk?”

Faced with a group of heavily armed police officers, Qian Bao and his men could only surrender. As they left the underground lair, the city bureau’s SWAT and criminal police arrived and took over the scene.

Weng Keqiu was rushed to the island’s only clinic. Qian Bao and his men were taken to the police station. Ling Lie wanted to personally interrogate Qian Bao but was pushed into an ambulance by a stone-faced Ji Chenjiao.

Ling Lie was stunned for a moment, realizing Ji Chenjiao seemed to be worried about his injury. “This? It’s nothing. Look, it’s just a scratch.”

As he spoke, he even pulled up his sleeve and squeezed the area around the wound.

For someone who was beaten up as a child and had undergone “hell-level” special training as an adult, this kind of injury was truly commonplace. Ling Lie hadn’t felt much pain when he was stabbed, but now, being stared at by Ji Chenjiao, he vaguely felt that this stupid wound was starting to hurt a little.

“Don’t move!” Ji Chenjiao grabbed his arm, also got into the ambulance, and closed the door. The ambulance immediately headed for the community hospital.

Ling Lie’s plan was disrupted, and Ji Chenjiao’s expression was grim, as if he were very angry. He poked Ji Chenjiao. “Xiao Ji…”

“Don’t call me Xiao Ji!”

“How did I piss you off this time?”

Ji Chenjiao couldn’t quite say. Ling Lie’s actions were sound. Qian Bao was the leader here. Quickly controlling the leader to prevent news from getting out was the most efficient method. But Ling Lie had gotten himself injured. Seeing the blood on his arm was extremely jarring.

The atmosphere in the ambulance was a bit stuffy. Ling Lie tried to make conversation. “You called Le Ran and the others?”

Ji Chenjiao nodded impatiently. After separating from Ling Lie, he had also snuck into a courtyard and found a passage into the underground lair. There was no one else in the passage. He advanced for a while and realized the entire lair might be a large, radial network, shaped like a funnel. It was easy to go down, but if a chase occurred, it wouldn’t be so easy to escape, unless there was support from above.

And like Ling Lie, he had thought that there might only be a few high-level members in the lair at this time. Production and experiments had stopped because of the case on the island, and the workers were all resting above ground. Fewer people meant an opportunity.

Putting himself in Ling Lie’s shoes, he guessed that Ling Lie would very likely change the plan on the fly and directly arrest people.

This meant greater danger. Although guns were banned domestically, could these people, who could create such a large counterfeit drug industry chain, not get their hands on guns?

If Ling Lie came out with a hostage, how could one person get through those upward spiderweb-like passages without support?

So he made a decisive decision, left the passage, and contacted Le Ran. The special operations team didn’t have many people on the island at the moment, but they were all authorized to carry guns. They entered the lair and advanced along the warehouse.

Thinking of this, Ji Chenjiao felt both relieved and a little scared. He and Ling Lie had both actually changed the plan. If he hadn’t decisively summoned the special operations team, Ling Lie wouldn’t have received assistance when the unexpected happened. The injury on Ling Lie might not have been limited to just the one on his arm.

Ling Lie praised, “Our special operations team is really strong. Even the temp is so capable.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

Ling Lie shrank back. “I’ll shut up. You saved me today, you’re the boss.”

Arriving at the community hospital, the doctor disinfected Ling Lie’s wound and then stitched it up. Ji Chenjiao stood by the whole time. Ling Lie’s arm muscles were well-proportioned, but now there was a hideous scar, like an ugly bug crawling on it. Ji Chenjiao sighed. When the doctor put down the tools and was about to apply gauze, he suddenly said, “Wait a minute.”

Ling Lie and the doctor: “?”

“Let me check it.” Ji Chenjiao took Ling Lie’s arm, looked intently at the stitches, then very naturally washed his hands, disinfected them, and picked up the gauze.

Ling Lie: “You’re doing it?”

Ji Chenjiao: “Practicing first.”

“Practicing what?”

“Do you want to come here every day to change the dressing?”

Ling Lie understood. For future dressing changes, he wouldn’t have to come to the hospital, only when it was time to remove the stitches. So the question was, who would change the dressing? Who would apply the gauze?

Ji Chenjiao’s actions said it all: Of course, it’s me.

When Ji Chenjiao’s fingers pressed next to the wound, Ling Lie’s shoulder flinched. Ji Chenjiao glared at him. “What are you dodging for?”

Ling Lie: “Ner-nervous.”

Ji Chenjiao was baffled. “You weren’t nervous down there, but you’re nervous now? Is your reflex arc longer than your hair?”

Ling Lie: “Isn’t it because you’re the one applying the gauze? You’re being sarcastic with me again.”

Ji Chenjiao didn’t think he was being sarcastic; it was just that the anger stuck in his chest hadn’t dissipated yet. He held the gauze in his hand for a while, his reaction also slowing. “I’m putting gauze on for you, what are you nervous about?”

Ling Lie stood up brusquely. “Ah, let’s not talk about it. Are you putting it on or not? If not, I’m leaving!”

Ji Chenjiao grabbed Ling Lie’s wrist. “What’s the rush?”

After the wound was treated, Ling Lie went to ask about Weng Keqiu’s condition. The community hospital was not well-equipped. After basic first aid, he was to be immediately transferred to a boat and back to Feng City for treatment. He hadn’t been hit in a vital spot and had already woken up, but he couldn’t speak. Ling Lie used hand gestures with him again—get well, your Huangming City is waiting for you to come back and solve the migrant worker case.

Weng Keqiu was very surprised. Ling Lie knew what he wanted to ask and signed—thanks to your persistence, the case has been reopened.

Tears welled up in Weng Keqiu’s eyes, and he gave Ling Lie a fist pump.

Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao went to the police station and met up with Huang Yi. The special police had already secured the old housing area on East Street. Everyone with a secret passage in their home had been arrested and was being interrogated.

And after obtaining evidence linking “Gui Yong Tang” to the drug manufacturing den, Huang Yi immediately applied for an arrest warrant. The team members who had been waiting outside Xiao Yishun’s villa brought him to the city bureau.

Several interrogations were conducted simultaneously in Feng City and on Fengchao Island.

Qian Bao, thirty-nine years old, a native of Feng City, was a nominal manager at “Gui Yong Tang.” Faced with interrogation, he remained silent, his venomous eyes looking at the police in front of him like a trapped snake.

Among the others brought up from the lair, two confessed. They worked under Qian Bao. This drug manufacturing den had existed for nearly ten years. Since they became a part of it, Qian Bao had been there, the “boss” of Fengchao Island. All the participants in the drug manufacturing were the “poor people” of the island, organized by them.

At first, every family was very careful, afraid of being discovered by other islanders, and even more afraid of being investigated by the police. But ever since the island developed its funeral culture tourism, they were like hiding in the shadow of the lights, no longer having to worry about being discovered.

During this period, the underground lair expanded several times. The “poor people” made a fortune, but in order not to attract attention, they still lived frugal lives.

Huang Yi asked, “Did no one escape?”

“There were some, but they were all dealt with. Qian Bao had us stay here to keep an eye on those workers. They couldn’t leave. If they escaped our sight, we wouldn’t know if they had spilled the secret. So we could only kill them.”

“Who did you kill? How?”

The man nicknamed A-Xiong said that since they made drugs, how else could they kill? Of course, they locked people up and drugged them. In the underground lair, it was impossible to call for help. Those who tried to betray the organization could serve as “human test subjects” before they died, “contributing” to the drug research. After death, their bodies were thrown back into their homes, and it was said they died of illness. No one on the island would be suspicious.

Among the people A-Xiong mentioned was Cao Xinxin’s father.

Huang Yi was troubled. So this family had tried to escape with their child who was kept in the dark, but they were killed in the end. That’s why Xu Ling didn’t dare to leave Fengchao Island and never told Cao Xinxin the family’s secret.

But when asked about Qian Bao’s superior, A-Xiong couldn’t answer. The others also knew nothing. They only knew that Qian Bao often traveled between Fengchao Island and Feng City. The goods from the island needed to be transported out. Qian Bao had many subordinates in the city who arranged for the distribution of these goods throughout the country. Qian Bao worked for someone, but they didn’t know who he worked for.

After “Gui Yong Tang” appeared in Feng City, Qian Bao got a position there, but it seemed to be just a title. However, “Gui Yong Tang” used its connection with Qian Bao to develop rapidly on the island. The organization received a commission from “Gui Yong Tang.” Qian Bao said this was preparation for future development.

Huang Yi asked, “What future development?”

A-Xiong lowered his head and hesitated for a moment before saying, “We used to only make drugs. Now we’ve started making, making hallucinogens.”

The search team found many finished and semi-finished drugs in the lair. In a newer-looking workshop, they found supplies and materials related to drug production.

A-Xiong said this had caused a huge stir internally. At first, no one dared. In their minds, manufacturing counterfeit drugs wasn’t a major crime. Everyone was just trying to support their families. Even if caught, the sentence wouldn’t be that long.

But making drugs was different. The country promoted awareness every year. Once you did it, it was a capital offense.

But Qian Bao said that what they were making wasn’t a drug, but a psychoactive substance. There was a difference. Hallucinogens were just an alternative type of medicine. And this time, they had taken an order from overseas. They didn’t have to worry about the supply channels at all. The formula was also ready-made. They just had to produce it, and someone would receive it in Feng City. Qian Bao also calculated for everyone that the profit from producing psychoactive substances was ten times higher than making counterfeit drugs.

Hearing there was so much money, some of those who had objected immediately expressed their willingness to do it. Later, some who had been hesitating also gradually joined. For those who were really unwilling, they didn’t force them. Anyway, making counterfeit drugs was the main business, and they didn’t need that many people to produce psychoactive substances for the time being.

It was also A-Xiong who had attacked Weng Keqiu at the beach. He was responsible for observing the tourists who came to the island. On the day of the wedding, he saw Weng Keqiu leave the Nonghai Hotel alone, looking for something by the sea. He called his brothers to follow. Weng Keqiu walked further and further away from West Street. A little further, and he would be above the lair.

They were worried Weng Keqiu would discover something, so they swarmed him, knocked him out, and locked him in the warehouse. But they thought Weng Keqiu was just an ordinary tourist; they never expected him to be a police officer who had stumbled upon them by mistake.

At the city bureau, Xiao Yishun displayed a perfectly appropriate composure and surprise, denying any connection between himself or “Gui Yong Tang” and the counterfeit drug manufacturing. He had some gray hair at his temples and was dressed in a shirt and trousers, looking rather scholarly.

“Qian Bao is indeed my employee, but I was not aware of what he was doing on Fengchao Island. He went to the island to promote my company’s business. A few days ago, he contacted me to say that all the boats were stopped because of a murder case and he couldn’t come back. We have had no contact since then. I am very sorry and regretful that an employee has been involved in such an incident. I will also represent the company in a profound self-examination. But you can’t just assume that ‘Gui Yong Tang’ is a criminal organization just because he is a member of ‘Gui Yong Tang’, can you?”

Xiao Yishun’s statement was flawless. The city bureau was investigating “Gui Yong Tang’s” financial transactions and various communications. If they couldn’t find a direct link between Xiao Yishun and the counterfeit drug manufacturing, they would have to release him after forty-eight hours.

Ling Lie wasn’t involved in the interrogation. Staring at the impervious Qian Bao on the monitor, he ground his teeth. “This man is just a dog raised by Xiao Yishun. Loyal, stupid. Xiao Yishun was long prepared to push him out to take the fall.”

Ji Chenjiao pressed his index finger to his lower lip, his brow tightly furrowed. “Not a single person has confessed to killing Lu Dongyue. We previously suspected that Weng Keqiu was following Lu Dongyue, witnessed his murder, and then disappeared. But these seem to be two separate incidents.”

Ling Lie: “The same group of people did both things.”

Ji Chenjiao rewound A-Xiong’s interrogation video and stopped at a certain point. A-Xiong said that because Qian Bao wanted to expand the business, the workers objected, and in the end, some were still unwilling.

“These people aren’t afraid of producing counterfeit drugs, but they are afraid of touching illegal drugs. And after years of living in the shadow of their superiors, they’ve long wanted to escape this life.” Ji Chenjiao said, “But they can’t escape on their own. They’re not sure how powerful their superiors are. Simply reporting to the police might not even make a splash. So they planned to create a major case when Fengchao Island was receiving the most attention.”

Ling Lie took the list of workers. There were four who insisted they had not participated in the production of psychoactive substances. Ling Lie circled them. “So the murderer of Lu Dongyue is among them.”

Somewhat surprisingly, the owner of the small restaurant on East Street was also among them.

“Yes, it was us.” When Ling Lie sat in front of her, the restaurant owner, after a moment of silence, confessed to the crime.

She was pulled onto this road of no return by her husband. Back then, to make quick money, her husband became one of Qian Bao’s first workers, making counterfeit drugs behind her and the family elders’ backs. Later, she found her husband often stuffing money into the house. Under her pressing questions, she found out what her husband was doing.

Her husband’s eyes gleamed as he told her how much money it made, that they could get rich immediately. She was persuaded and also became a drug manufacturing worker. But after a few years, she witnessed workers who wanted to escape being killed as “human test subjects.” She became more and more afraid, both of going to jail and being executed one day, and of her own family being killed by the organization.

The muddled days passed year by year. This year, a few of the managers suddenly said they were going to make illegal drugs. How could that be? Qian Bao tricked them, saying they were just producing psychoactive substances, but she had checked. It was a drug!

She and her husband were very resistant to the production. Qian Bao didn’t force them to participate immediately, but she grew more anxious every day. If they weren’t forced to participate now, what about later? What if the orders increased?

She wracked her brains, trying to figure out how to stop this, and finally thought of using the police. She knew that after the underground lair was discovered, she and her husband would definitely be arrested too, but they hadn’t touched the illegal drugs. For this alone, their prison time would be shorter than the others!

Ling Lie: “But you killed someone.”

The owner froze for a moment, then covered her face and began to cry. “I just didn’t want to live like this anymore!”

Her husband confessed the details of the crime—before the incident, they hadn’t targeted Lu Dongyue, thinking the groom would always be in the public eye. They searched among the wedding crowd and saw Lu Dongyue leave alone and head for the beach. They followed him closely and found Lu Dongyue almost walking into the sea. Was this person trying to commit suicide? Wouldn’t that make him the perfect target for them?

The two knocked Lu Dongyue unconscious and dragged him into a cliff cave unknown to outsiders. Inside, Lu Dongyue was injected with a lethal dose of antihypertensive drugs.

After Lu Dongyue died, the two, having gone this far, cut off his head. They threw the body into the sea and the head at the wedding venue.

When Ling Lie asked why they imitated the case in Feng’an County, they were stunned for a moment, saying it wasn’t an intentional imitation. It was just that the island revered that man surnamed Tan as a patriarch. They had heard about that method of death, were somewhat influenced, and did it reflexively.

The investigation on the island was still ongoing, but Ling Lie was more concerned about Xiao Yishun at this time and rushed back to Feng City.

Xiao Yishun was a somewhat reputable entrepreneur in Feng City. He had done a lot of charity work and had a very good reputation.

The information the police had at this stage was that after returning to Feng City from the south, besides running his own auto repair chain, he had also invested in the funeral industry. For example, providing favorable channels for the workshops in Feng’an County and using his connections in the south to promote the products to more places.

“Gui Yong Tang” was a funeral company with chain stores in many cities in the east. It had entered Feng City through Xiao Yishun’s connections. Currently, the operation of “Gui Yong Tang” in Feng City was entirely handed over to Xiao Yishun.

Xiao Yishun had also invested a lot of money in the development of the ghost and funeral culture on Fengchao Island and had invited friends from the business world to invest with him.

It could be said that although his main business was nominally auto repair shops, he had actually cultivated deep roots in the funeral industry.

However, the police had not yet found any illegal parts of these investments. The person in charge of the underground lair was Qian Bao. Qian Bao was a manager at “Gui Yong Tang.” A-Xiong and other mid-level members confirmed that Qian Bao took orders from someone, but Qian Bao’s lips were sealed, and he refused to say who his superior was.

Everyone at the city bureau knew that the superior must be Xiao Yishun, but the existing evidence at best indicated that Xiao Yishun was poor at judging character, having entrusted his business to a criminal who dug tunnels to make counterfeit drugs, while he and his “Gui Yong Tang” were completely innocent.

Xiao Yishun seemed very confident in Qian Bao. Except for showing a measured amount of anger when he was first “invited” to the city bureau, he was patient and polite during subsequent interrogations.

The chain of evidence was not complete. In another dozen or so hours, the city bureau would have to release him.

Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao rushed back to Feng City. Ling Lie said, “I’ll go have a word with him.”