Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 243

Shen Ping had just finished a program broadcast. He held the TV station’s microphone and wiped the sweat off his forehead, tiptoeing to look around. At this moment, he was excited but also a bit annoyed.

He absolutely loved the current grand scene—after all, the density of the crowd represented the explosiveness of the news. However, it would be even better if there were no flashing lights around and he could have the headline all to himself.

On the large screen opposite, displaying the Ansheng International Mall, the minute hand had moved halfway, making Shen Ping even more restless. When he turned his head, he saw a convenience store in the corner of the square, filled with cunning reporters who were enjoying the cool breeze from the air conditioning. What was even more infuriating was the bald reporter from a rival TV station, holding a microphone and interviewing the store employee.

Shen Ping secretly blamed himself for not being quick-witted enough and became even more annoyed. He took out his phone in frustration. In the WeChat group for his interview team, someone was posting emojis, which made him even angrier. He pressed the button on the microphone and shouted, “Give me some news, any news! Just something!”

At the moment he released the button, an unexpected screeching sound of emergency brakes rang out on the road in front of the square.

Shen Ping shivered, quickly retracted his phone, and felt the atmosphere of a big news story approaching. He desperately stood on tiptoe, but the entire small square in front of the skyscraper was crowded with journalists and onlookers, and all he could see were heads moving about.

Shen Ping looked around, and the surrounding crowd was squeezing towards the road where the braking sound came from. He made a bold decision, turned around, and ran away from the crowd, rushing up the steps at the entrance of the office building. Dozens of companies, including Zhourui Pharmaceutical, shared the entire skyscraper, and people were constantly coming and going at the entrance, leaving hardly any space to stand.

However, when Shen Ping turned around to look at the origin of the commotion again, the scene before him made him feel as if he was witnessing a scene from a police action film.

Five pure black SUVs were lined up in a row on the road; their bodies shining with a cold gleam under the sunlight. Behind them were law enforcement vehicles from the Drug Administration, the Safety Supervision Bureau, and other departments, followed by official vehicles with the logo of the Environmental Protection Bureau. Heaven knew why they had also joined in the excitement.

After setting up this formation, the door of the driver’s cabin of the leading pure black SUV was forcefully pushed open, and a pair of black leather boots stepped on the ground.

From bottom to top, the trousers were impeccably straight, the gloves were so white they reflected light, and the uniform had not a single wrinkle. Going up further, a silver star shone on the shoulder epaulet, and the visitor’s face was mostly covered by pitch-black sunglasses. That face showed no emotion; only tension and seriousness could be sensed from the tightly pursed thin lips.

Shen Ping took a deep breath, wanting the photographer to quickly capture the scene, but he found that he and the other person had already been dispersed by the crowd.

With the sound of the door slamming as the person arrived, all the vehicles following them seemed to have received instructions. At once, the doors of dozens of official cars swung wide open, and dozens of officials wearing uniforms from various departments stepped out of the cars one after another. Some of them carried briefcases, some began driving away the onlooking journalists, and others unfurled banners directly at the entrance of the office building…

The flashes erupted once again, filling the small square with excitement. Which journalist wouldn’t love such a grand scene?

Shen Ping wiped the sweat off his face again, gritted his teeth, and prepared to find his damn cameraman. But at this very moment, he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of someone walking out of the Zhourui Building. It was clearly the head of the security department at Zhourui Pharmaceutical.

The security guard was dressed in a suit, with muscles bulging all over his body. Such a figure was a waste to be concealed under a suit. At the same time, the officials on the square were clearing a path. The police officer, who was obviously the commander of this operation, was slowly climbing the steps, stopping in front of the security guard. The angle was perfect, and Shen Ping couldn’t help but secretly take out his phone and start recording. In the era of new media, all fresh, explosive, and timely news would be accepted, and no one cared too much about quality.

To Shen Ping’s surprise, the first one to speak turned out to be the captain of the security team at Zhourui Pharmaceutical.

“This is a private area. It’s not convenient to invite the police inside,” the powerful security guard said, sounding extremely arrogant.

After that, Shen Ping heard a sneer.

It was a genuine, mocking laugh.

Huang Ze didn’t say a word, didn’t take off his sunglasses, or remove his gloves. It was as if the person in front of him wasn’t qualified to have a face-to-face conversation with him. He raised his right hand and made a simple gesture, and someone behind him handed him a piece of white paper, which unfolded with a swish.

From Shen Ping’s perspective, it was very clear that it was a search warrant issued by the court with a bright red stamp on it. After Zhourui Pharmaceutical made a move against the police, the police retaliated, and they did so with such pomp and disregard for public opinion! This was definitely big news! Shen Ping’s blood was boiling.

At this moment, Shen Ping’s phone vibrated. He lowered his head and saw a reply on the screen: [Boss, my friend at the Traffic Bureau said things aren’t that simple. It seems like the police are arranging something…]

…

“Have the police gone mad? How dare they be so arrogant toward our company!”

In the top-level office of Zhourui Pharmaceuticals, the vice chairman’s office. The infuriated man slammed his hand heavily on the mahogany desk in front of him, and the managers looked at each other, thinking that it was the police, the power of the state, and they could do anything without being excessive. But when facing their immediate superior, they could only echo their indignation.

“How is the finance department doing?”

“The audit team has arrived and is conducting an investigation.” The CFO reported.

The vice chairman slammed the desk again, causing the crystal glass on the desk to tremble violently. “I’m asking about the accounts! Will any problems be uncovered?”

The CFO cowered and said, “It… it shouldn’t…”

This statement seemed to console the vice chairman a little, and he calmed down a bit, muttering, “Drug inspection, safety supervision, auditing, health… everyone who can come has come.” He sneered. “I wonder if the fire department will also come to inspect whether our fire facilities are up to code?”

At this moment, the logistics department supervisor in the corner raised his hand silently. “Chair… Chairman… The fire department—have arrived.”

……

Not only the on-site journalists and the top management of Zhourui Pharmaceutical were shocked by Huang Ze’s sudden appearance, but also the people who were watching the scene through various channels.

“Boss, you actually let Huang Ze steal the limelight in such a good opportunity. I really don’t know what to say!”

Wang Chao sat in the laboratory, with three computers in front of him. One of them displayed the surveillance footage in front of the Zhourui Building, freezing at the moment when Huang Ze made a beckoning gesture. The angle wasn’t particularly good, but the image quality was sufficient.

Comrade Xiao Wang wasn’t watching the surveillance with the posture of watching a soap opera; instead, he took a quick glance in the midst of his busy work to confirm that the data was smooth, then continued to focus on his tasks.

On the computer screen directly in front of him, the traffic map of the entire city of Hongjing was displayed. The blue and white background was densely covered with red and green lines like blood vessels. This was the basic work that had already been completed, so he only needed to observe it briefly. What he was really doing was the task assigned to him by the man on the other end of the earpiece.

“What about the building’s structural diagram? Is it confirmed?”

The man’s voice was extremely cold.

Wang Chao trembled all over and stopped daydreaming, quickly inspecting the three-dimensional model of the building in front of him and comparing it with the actual pictures. Finally, he swiftly compiled the two sets of documents and pressed the Enter key.

……

One colorful image after another quickly appeared in the dim space of the underground parking lot. The quiet compartments were filled only with the faint sound of electronic devices, and the smell of smoke was heavy in the air.

Xing Conglian sat in the command vehicle, silently swiping the screen. Beside him were half of the high-level members of the operation team, waiting quietly.

Flat, three-dimensional, black and white, color… countless lines intertwined with each other, gradually forming a complete three-dimensional model of the entire building.

Zhourui’s headquarters was a skyscraper that integrated a commercial center and office building. It covered an area of about 10,000 square meters, with a total construction area of 180,000 square meters, a structural height of about 188 meters, and a total height of 282 meters, spanning 43 floors. Zhourui Pharmaceutical occupied the 20th to 43rd floors, while the floors below the 20th were separately rented office spaces.

A chaotic noise came from the communication device—footsteps, shouting. Xing Conglian could almost imagine the commotion caused by Huang Ze right above his head.

“Captain Xing, everyone is inside.”

The deputy team leader held his earpiece and reported to him.

Xing Conglian nodded and handed over the tablet. The three-dimensional model of the Zhourui building was still rotating.

The person on the other side glanced at it and said, “The floors are too high. It’s difficult for us to set up actual surveillance at every staircase entrance.”

“We don’t need to,” Xing Conglian just responded.

The deputy team leader hesitated for a moment. “But if we don’t guard the key entrances and exits, it will be difficult for us to monitor the movements of every person inside the building.”

Xing Conglian didn’t answer immediately. He just leaned back in his seat, cigarette in hand, with an indifferent expression.

“Should we still assign personnel to all the key entrances and exits of the building?” the deputy team leader said, pointing to several safety exits on the ground floor of the building, and added, “We also need to monitor the entrances and exits of the parking lot.”

“I have encountered Shen Lian.”

Finally, Xing Conglian spoke. He looked at each person in the vehicle and believed that his voice would be transmitted to all the operatives through the radio communication devices. After a few seconds of silence, he calmly said, “But I failed to apprehend her, and an officer lost his life during the operation.”

The deputy team leader called out, “Captain,” and then hesitated to say something comforting, but felt it was inappropriate.

“I’m telling all of you this so that you understand. First, Shen Lian is a desperate criminal. When facing her, never take it lightly. It’s never too cautious. Second, what I have planned next may seem very risky to you, but please trust my judgment.”

After he finished speaking, there was a few seconds of silence on the communication channel.

Then, the repeated voices of “Understood” came through the earpieces.

Subsequently, Xing Conglian straightened his body and said seriously, “My plan is that no personnel will be assigned to the entrances and exits of the entire building. No surveillance will be conducted. All personnel will guard one specific location…”

His calloused fingertips drew a circle on the map.

……

Shen Ping touched his phone, trying to disguise himself as an employee of another company to enter the building.

To his surprise, the passing police officers paid no attention to him, treating him like an ordinary employee and not stopping him.

Shen Ping opened his phone again and found a quiet corner of a men’s restroom, crouching down to view the traffic information sent by his subordinates.

To be honest, he wasn’t an expert in traffic matters. Even after so many years in Hongjing, he sometimes relied on navigation when traveling. But even for him, looking at the real-time map now, he realized how strange the traffic in Hongjing had become.

There were several road sections where the police had set up temporary barriers, requiring all passersby to stop for inspections. As a result, the surrounding traffic wasn’t smooth at all. Shen Ping silently observed those key areas and had a feeling that there might be something wrong there. It seemed like the police were conducting surveillance or arranging something in those areas. They were treated as high-priority monitoring zones, as if something big was about to happen.

Shen Ping regretted not obtaining the traffic map earlier. If he had, maybe he could have chosen a different location and tried his luck to get a big exclusive scoop. But now, as Shen Ping looked around, no matter what, this place was filled with police officers. Would the fugitive really come here and walk into their trap?

……

“Why?”

Inside the speeding car, Li Nuo asked Lin Chen this question.

The car radio was broadcasting the news of the police raid on Zhourui Pharmaceutical, and the host’s tone seemed to hope that the police and the giant Zhourui Pharmaceutical would clash. Li Nuo felt annoyed and lowered the volume, looking at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen cleared his throat, his face not looking too good. “Shen Lian is a lunatic. How do you catch a lunatic?”

“I don’t know!” Li Nuo abruptly turned the steering wheel to avoid a car that was aggressively trying to cut in due to the chaotic traffic in the city.

“It’s simple. You have to be crazier than her.”

Thinking about the experiences he had gone through with Lin Chen, Li Nuo couldn’t help but shout, “We’re already crazy enough!” He waved his hand towards the congested elevated bridge, where all the vehicles had their red tail lights flashing, clearly stuck in traffic. “The entire city’s traffic is like this just to trap Shen Lian.”

“It’s not enough,” Lin Chen said. “We use the police communication system to make Shen Lian think that our surveillance locations are outside of Zhourui Pharmaceutical. We use the traffic to create convenience for her. But that’s not enough because the most crucial part is the trap itself.”

“But if we don’t have any surveillance or controls at the entrances and exits, what if Shen Lian successfully enters the building?”

“Even if Shen Lian arrives at Zhourui Pharmaceutical according to our plan, any detail could make her change her plans, like a government official who appears to be sealing off Zhourui Pharmaceutical but is closely observing pedestrians passing by. What if she opens the medication right then and there and we can’t stop her in time? What then?” Lin Chen countered.

Li Nuo was instantly at a loss for an answer. As if to match Lin Chen’s words, the radio inside the car started playing a chaotic live broadcast.

Just from the radio broadcast, one could sense the terrifying crowd inside and outside the building. The host spoke rapidly, “According to our on-site reporter, a large number of electronic devices related to Zhourui Pharmaceutical have been seized by the police, and many materials are being removed from the building. The scene is in chaos.”

Li Nuo suddenly woke up. “On one hand, we use the investigating officers involved in apprehending Shen Lian to enter the building, but on the other hand, we also use them as bait to lure Shen Lian. But… but… what if we can’t control Shen Lian and she succeeds? What about all the people in the building?”

“It won’t happen.”

“What do you mean it won’t happen?”

“She won’t succeed.”

“Why?” Li Nuo anxiously asked. “You’re too confident. There are too many uncontrollable factors in a live arrest operation.”

“I know…” Lin Chen interrupted Li Nuo and looked out the window at the building that was getting closer to them. “But I believe in him.”

Lin Chen spoke calmly.

……

An Xu wasn’t the person Lin Chen trusted, but right now, he was the one entrusted with an important task by “that person”.

He was a sniper, but at this moment, he had become a member of the building’s property management team, slowly and covertly making his way to the upper floors of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.

Thanks to the commotion caused by Inspector Huang, their entire team encountered no obstacles as they dispersed and made their way up. They appeared just like ordinary company employees, busy at their respective positions, maintaining order amidst the chaos throughout the entire building.

The icy elevator doors opened with a swoosh, revealing a cold corridor. This was the central hub of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.

Normally, personnel like him wouldn’t be able to take the elevator to this location, but that was the advantage of a modern, intelligent building. He walked past a surveillance camera, nodding to the person monitoring it, and the camera responded with a slight up and down movement.

An Xu walked calmly, pushing open two doors, scanning his fingerprint, and then entering a completely different area from the beautifully decorated building.

This area was unfinished, with the raw structure of steel and concrete still exposed.

Just then, he heard a faint conversation up ahead.

In an instant, An Xu stopped in his tracks and quickly hid behind a wall.

He took a deep breath, and the scene before him made his heart race uncontrollably. In the area designated for him by Xing Conglian, two janitorial staff members were chatting casually. Around them, plastic bottles were piled up densely.

What had not been reported in any of the surveillance images was that the critical area where he was supposed to snipe Shen Lian had been treated by the janitorial staff as a storage area for empty water bottles.

An Xu took a step back, returning to the empty corridor, and reported back to Xing Conglian through his earpiece, “Captain Xing, this is Fox. There’s a problem in the target area… Should we change the sniper position?”

He briefly described what he had just seen, and there was a tense exchange of questions and answers on the other end of the earpiece.

Finally, a definite command came through the earpiece.

But that voice furrowed An Xu’s brow.

“Captain Xing… The linear distance from the Jin Sui Building to the designated target location exceeds 1,000 meters, and it’s very difficult to calculate the wind speed at such a high altitude.”

The person on the other end said a couple more things.

“Okay, I understand, but…” After pondering for a moment, An Xu decided to give a direct response, “With my abilities, I cannot guarantee the completion of this sniper mission. I request consideration for a replacement sniper.”

There was a slight noise in the earpiece, and then a very certain answer followed.

An Xu suddenly looked up, but in the end, he could only respond in the calmest tone, “Understood.”

That was what he said.

……

Some time later, on the same floor.

“Inspector Huang… The personnel from the drug inspection team have all entered the laboratories of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.”

Huang Ze sat in the office of the Chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical with his legs crossed as the voice of his subordinates’ reports came through his earpiece.

“How’s the situation?” Huang Ze asked.

“The investigators have smoothly entered the premises without encountering any obstacles,” the subordinate replied.

“Nephew.” The middle-aged man across from him spoke up.

Huang Ze tried to maintain his composure, but in the presence of the man before him, he couldn’t help but curse Xing Conglian and his entire family in his mind. Yes, indeed. After he had very amicably inquired what he could do to help Xing Conglian, the other party mercilessly sent him to lead the team to investigate the secrets of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.

“Nephew, isn’t it a little inappropriate for you to show no mercy?” The vice chairman of Zhourui Pharmaceutical, to be precise, the father-in-law of a distant cousin, said so.

The middle-aged man’s face was filled with fake smiles and sincere threats, and Huang Ze once again grew tired of the intricate web of alliances between large families.

“When have you seen me show mercy?” Huang Ze retorted.

After he said these words, a distant chime rang out in the square.

Ding… Ding…

Huang Ze shivered suddenly, thinking it was an illusion. Although the sound was faint and the soundproofing of the building wasn’t too bad, Huang Ze couldn’t help but feel that each distant chime struck his heart.

Ding… Ding…

It was the end-of-work chime, and it seemed like a sign of something else.

Unconsciously, he looked out the window, completely shutting out the incessant voice of the person who could barely be considered his uncle behind him.

Sitting in his seat, he lowered his head and could just see Ansheng International Mall across the street. Several months ago, a serious public security incident had occurred in that mall, and ironically, it was Lin Chen who had saved him at that time, and then Xing Conglian had told him to scram. But now, Huang Ze told himself that it wasn’t the best time to reminisce about the past.

Ding… Ding…

But the more he thought about it, the stranger the memories became. He saw the musical fountain in the square opposite the mall spring to life. He suddenly remembered a family meeting where, it seemed, he had made a proposal that all the family’s shopping malls should have iconic musical fountains in front of them. He didn’t know why he had made such an arrangement at the time, perhaps for artistic purposes or maybe because he had a problem with his mind when he was young.

But as he watched the fountain in the square shoot water high and low, clear and transparent, Huang Ze’s expression grew solemn, overwhelmed by a strong sense of foreboding.

Because the instruments playing for the musical fountain in the square were from Johann Strauss Jr.¹, and the piece was called <The Blue Danube>². And there was not a single piece of music by Johann Strauss Jr. played inside or outside Ansheng International Mall, because he detested the Vienna waltzes that were so sticky.

¹Was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas as well as a violinist. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. In his lifetime, he was known as “The Waltz King”, and was largely responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century.
²A waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866. It has been one of the most consistently popular pieces of music in the classical repertoire.

Huang Ze stood up and walked slowly to the floor-to-ceiling window. His hand involuntarily tapped lightly on the handrail in front of the window as the musical fountain sprayed a mist of water into the air under the sunlight.

At the same time, a pair of white canvas shoes with gray footprints stepped onto the final step in front of Zhourui Pharmaceutical Building.

Huang Ze looked around and saw the insignificance of humanity beneath his feet, like ants.

In that instant, the diverse expressions on the entire square transformed into pure, flat lines. The expressions dissolved into circular shapes of varying sizes for the eyes and lips, making the world appear very singular, yet the edges were exceptionally vivid and sharp.

The waltz music was light and cheerful, as if dancing to a joyful rhythm. Employees who were finishing work on time stepped out of the elevator and happily rushed towards the vast world outside the building.

Huang Ze’s gaze wandered over the heads of the small figures on the square.

Cleaners emptied various garbage from trash bins, sorting plastic bottles and cardboard together. Janitors wearing masks drove garbage trucks out of the underground parking lot. Secretaries in high heels continued to shuttle back and forth between the inside and outside of the building, holding documents in their hands.

Some people were answering phone calls on the square, others were chatting with friends nearby, and someone angrily threw what they were holding to the ground, venting their anger at the government officials in front of them.

But inside the building, more people remained busy, forced to stay at their posts.

Huang Ze took a deep breath, pressed his earpiece, and uttered the most chilling words to everyone on the channel.

“She’s here.”

……

An Xu stood in the descending elevator, and those words were transmitted through his earpiece.

His heart trembled, and as he looked around, he felt the entire lobby fall silent, without a single sound.

The elevator in which he stood was completely transparent, swiftly descending, and he scanned the floors from top to bottom.

In his eyes, all the images converged into the calmest and clearest lines and data.

As far as the eye could see, there were countless offices and company employees who hadn’t yet left work. On the higher floors, all the government officials inspecting Zhourui Pharmaceutical were busy. The situation on the lower floors of the companies varied, with some people looking at their watches, others turning off the lights and leaving, and some seemingly still immersed in their work…

Looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the companies with different logos, the myriad appearances of people made one’s throat tighten. But An Xu was certain that among all the people he had scanned, none of them were Shen Lian.

The numbers on the LCD display in the elevator, indicating the floor, continued to decrease. An Xu steadied his breath. Suddenly, the elevator stopped, and the ding sound rang again as the doors opened.

Another wave of girls in vibrant skirts entered the elevator. The girls had radiant smiles, as if spring had returned and the ice had melted. They stood in front of him, and he caught a whiff of their perfume.

The glass doors closed again, and the floor indicator continued to descend.

One of the girls in the elevator let out a low exclamation.

The male employees in the elevator turned their heads to look at the sky, with smiles on their faces.

An Xu also followed their gaze, and through the transparent elevator and glass curtain wall, he saw the building where he had told Xing Conglian that he couldn’t complete the sniper mission there.

In the distance, the sunset glowed like fire, as if burning above their heads.

In the moment when the descending elevator crossed paths with the ascending elevator, a pair of black high heels flashed past in his field of view.

‘Hope everything goes well,’ An Xu silently thought in his heart.

……

The elevator continuously stopped and then started again. After numerous dings, the elevator finally stopped on the first floor.

Dressed in the building’s property uniform, An Xu followed the girls out of the elevator.

Just as they were walking out of the elevator, he felt someone brush past him, causing him to involuntarily stop in his tracks.

Although he tried his best not to turn around, he couldn’t help but lower his head and reluctantly look back.

He saw a pair of white canvas shoes, and the owner of those shoes, following various types of leather footwear, calmly stepped into the elevator.

The elevator doors closed, and the elevator went up.

An Xu took a few steps forward and, once he reached a safe distance, couldn’t help but turn around to look.

In the ascending elevator that he had just stepped out of, the police consultant lowered his cap. His face was serene as he squeezed among the crowd of various people and nodded at him.

……

An Xu walked out of the building, following Xing Conglian’s previous instructions. He sat down on the second bench on the left side of the square.

Through his earpiece, he heard the quiet breathing of the entire action team. No one was assigning tasks or reporting positions. He seemed to have entered the quietest moment of radio silence.

He took a deep breath of the fresh air outside the building, and everything was silent on the communication channel. However, he had a feeling of escaping and ascending to the heavens.

He unscrewed the mineral water in his hand, took a sip, and then heard the sound of the elevator doors opening again.

Someone was walking out of the elevator, moving slowly in the quiet corridor.

The person walking was the consultant who had brushed past him earlier.

An Xu silently counted the footsteps he heard through the earpiece, calculating the number of steps to infer the person’s approximate location in the building. But this tranquility lasted for a very brief moment. With the accompaniment of light music, he suddenly heard someone on the team’s shared channel just answer a phone call.

Before anyone had a chance to scold the person who dared to answer a call during the operation, a very anxious female voice came through the entire channel. The woman’s voice choked up, sounding somewhat gentle yet filled with suppressed sadness.

“Chenchen, Lao Su… He just went to the hospital, and his condition isn’t good. What happened all of a sudden?”

An Xu held his breath, and there was silence on the channel. The woman’s voice seemed to have plunged into complete darkness, unable to stir any ripples.

An Xu unexpectedly felt a lump in his throat and couldn’t find any words to say because he suddenly realized who had answered the phone call.

There was still no one speaking on the channel, only a soft click, like a pebble falling into a dark world, silently ending the call.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 242

Hongshu Town Police Station. Lin Chen also heard Li Nuo asking the same question.

“I can’t guarantee.” Lin Chen replied.

The police officer in front of him was startled. “This isn’t… This isn’t…”

“A gamble, right?” Lin Chen stood up, pushed the chair, picked up his phone, and calmly said, “This is a gamble.”

After he finished speaking, he walked out again. Li Nuo took the car keys and quickly caught up, as if he wanted to say something but found that he was speechless.

……

Almost every big city had a Zhongshan Road, just like every city had landmarks such as Renmin Road and the Drum Tower Community.

But Zhongshan Road in Hongjing was somewhat special. It was the central hub of Hongjing from south to north. Whether you want to enter the city from the suburban Hongshu Town or go from the location of the city government to the Huihaodi shopping mall, you may pass through here.

It was a weekday afternoon—a little after two—and there weren’t many vehicles on the road.

The driver of bus route 18 yawned and stopped at the bus stop. A few scattered passengers boarded from the front.

The driver had received a notice from the police beforehand, so when the passengers boarded, he responsibly turned his head to confirm if any of these people were the suspected criminal that was rumored.

However, there were very few passengers getting on the bus heading north on Zhongshan Road. Apart from two boys wearing earphones, there was only an elderly lady with mobility difficulties. The old lady was holding a bag from Bai Fu Supermarket, and it seemed like the supermarket was running some special promotions, so she was desperately trying to grab things even in this hot weather.

The driver turned his head, and as the traffic light at the intersection turned red, a row of traffic police on motorcycles whizzed past.

He yawned again, pressed the vehicle startup prompt, and started the vehicle.

……

Traffic officer Xiao Lin had just parked his motorcycle at the roadside booth when the opposite bus on route 18 started moving.

Just at that moment, a Santana drove from south to north through the intersection. It happened to be when the green light turned red, and the brief yellow light stayed for a few seconds. A motorbike was crossing the east-west non-motorized lane diagonally.

The sunlight was dazzling, and the hot air distorted the asphalt road, causing the driver of the Santana to have a flushed face and a drunken look. He was instantly awakened, but it was too late. It was as if something had streaked across the vast mirror of the world, with the sound of brakes piercing the sky, shattering eardrums.

Compared to the sound of braking, the sound of the impact was barely audible.

When Xiao Lin regained his senses, the motorbike’s red and blue fragments and the Santana’s headlight pieces were already scattered on the ground. An injured person was thrown more than 10 meters away, and those colorful fragments shimmered on the ground, creating a shocking sight.

The owner of the Santana, covered in blood, was unconscious in the driver’s seat. Xiao Lin cursed, “Damn it, driving under the influence at a time like this is asking for death!” He ran over there while reporting through his earpiece, requesting an ambulance.

The momentarily still four-way intersection resumed operation, and pedestrians cast concerned glances at the accident. The bus maneuvered around the debris and continued to the next stop.

The victim’s injuries turned out to be more severe than expected. Blood flowed out of the victim’s body as if it didn’t cost a thing, soaking the grayish road surface.

Just then, Xiao Lin heard an inquiry over the radio. He pressed the earpiece and replied, “Report, there has been an accident at the intersection of Heping Avenue and Lihe Road. The injured person’s condition is critical.”

However, the instructions coming through the earpiece surprised him. Xiao Lin was stunned for a moment and incredulously asked, “Why should we handle the accident slowly? It will cause a traffic jam at this intersection, and nearby roads will most likely be congested!”

“Get the injured person to the hospital as soon as possible. As for the tasks arranged by the city, why are you asking so many questions?” The voice of the deputy squadron leader on the other end of the earpiece rose in volume.

Xiao Lin wanted to ask more, but the squadron leader’s voice suddenly lowered and became hoarse. “Set up roadblocks and capture the fugitive.”

Xiao Lin’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly responded, “Yes, understood!”

……

Li Zhipeng and Xiao Lin both belonged to the Heping District Traffic Police Brigade, but they received tasks that were the opposite.

Currently, Li Zhipeng was rushing at a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour along the elevated road toward the intersection of Anning Avenue to provide reinforcement. However, his objective was to regulate traffic at the entrance that directly led to the Experimental Primary School, ensuring it didn’t get congested.

Tall buildings flashed by outside the window. The wailing siren echoed in a prolonged tone as vehicles on the road separated to the sides, allowing the police car to speed through the cleared path.

The sky presented a bright deep blue, and the air conditioning was turned up high, but Li Zhipeng’s inner restlessness and anxiety were growing.

The in-car radio transmitted various ambiguous orders from the traffic police department. Some patrol officers were instructed not to issue tickets in a certain area, while other duty officers were notified of reassignments, and everything was in complete chaos.

He was about to press the communication button and say something to his colleague on the other end when he suddenly remembered the instructions he received earlier. He was strictly prohibited from communicating his location with his colleague through the radio equipment.

He quickly withdrew his hand from the walkie-talkie, feeling even more frustrated. If he hadn’t already confirmed the authenticity of the information with his superiors, he would have doubted that this was some new plan to disrupt the normal order of the entire city.

What the hell is going on? It’s just the capture of a female fugitive.

Li Zhipeng thought to himself.

……

Not only on the main roads, but Lin Chen’s actions also caused a huge uproar in the Municipal Transportation Bureau.

The central air conditioning seemed useless as the previously calm and orderly hall was in complete chaos. Employees were walking through office desks and chairs everywhere.

Printers clattered, footsteps were incessant, and phone rings were continuous. Internal and external inquiry calls kept pouring in, to the extent that the staff answering the calls didn’t even have time to take a sip of water.

Traffic volume, violation situations, road conditions, and police deployment—all the information was presented in various forms on large screens.

Zhongshan Road, Heping Avenue, Nanhuang Elevated Road—two-dimensional data, three-dimensional simulated graphics, and complete surveillance videos kept refreshing.

In the lower corner of the screen, there was a complete map of Hongjing. The numerous colored marks on the map were dazzling, and they were constantly being updated.

The employees of the Transportation Bureau could hardly understand the symbols on the screen. They only knew that the man sitting in front of the monitoring screen was causing chaos throughout the entire hall.

What made it even more infuriating was that the mastermind behind all this chaos sat calmly in front of the enormous monitoring screen, as if nothing had happened.

The man had an earphone in his left ear and one finger holding the microphone on the earphone cord, seemingly in conversation with someone. The remaining idle ear, however, seemed to serve no purpose at all.

Li Nuo had a feeling that Lin Chen’s auditory system might have some special construction that could block out all noise.

For example, the incessant voice of the second-in-command in the command center behind them was driving him crazy, but this voice simply couldn’t enter the ears of Mr. Consultant.

The second-in-command shouted at them, “We all have the duty roster. Taking so many police forces to Zhongshan South Road—what about other places? It’s utter chaos!”

Lin Chen remained indifferent, speaking into the microphone, “Yes, deploy half of the police forces from the Liuxing Brigade in Yulin District to set up roadblocks near Hesheng Square… Mm, maintain a certain distance from Huihaodi… Yes.”

“This won’t work!” The second-in-command roared again, slapping Li Nuo’s shoulder heavily, splattering all his saliva on Li Nuo’s face. “You’re clearly disrupting the normal order of the city!”

Li Nuo wiped his face, and just then, he felt Lin Chen poke his hand on the back. Li Nuo looked down, quickly crossing out a detail he had recorded incorrectly on the paper and rewriting the content that Lin Chen instructed him to record.

This one detail was like the spark that ignited a firecracker, and the second-in-command exploded instantly, shouting at Lin Chen’s back, “Stop it, all of you!”

The voice was so loud, like a bomb going off, and everything fell into sudden silence.

Because it was so quiet, Lin Chen’s voice sounded exceptionally clear in such a solemn atmosphere.

“Yes, every vehicle must stop for inspection,” Lin Chen said, word by word.

The second-in-command’s face couldn’t be any worse. It seemed like Lin Chen sensed something, as after finishing that sentence, he finally slowly took out his earphone and handed it over.

“I have already explained to you just now. This is to apprehend the suspect,” Lin Chen said.

“As the price for inconveniencing the lives of the citizens?” the second-in-command questioned.

Li Nuo took the earphone handed to him by Lin Chen, shocked and unable to speak. Lin Chen looked up and made a gesture at him, so he quickly put the earphone into his own ear. He heard the voice of the sunny teenager that he had heard before. He remembered Lin Chen calling him Wang Chao. Lin Chen pointed at the earphone and said to him, “Answer whatever he asks.”

“Li Nuo, right? Has Li Ziyuan’s Sub-Bureau Traffic Police set off?” Wang Chao asked smoothly through the earpiece, seemingly not paying attention to Lin Chen handing over the headset.

Li Nuo looked around, finally finding the information on the large screen.

“They have already set off,” he replied.

Things seemed to be going smoothly on Li Nuo’s end. Lin Chen turned to look at the leader, who had reached the peak of accumulating emotions, and calmly said, “The price is necessary. The suspect is extremely dangerous. Evidence shows that the suspect has received professional counter-surveillance training, making it difficult for us to capture her through conventional surveillance. We can only take risks.”

“Even if she is dangerous, she is just a woman. Are you making such a big fuss to put on a show for the public? Don’t you think it’s exaggerated?” the second-in-command asked again.

“That… Is that drug real? Does it really cause confusion?” A cautious female voice came from the corner.

This time, Lin Chen didn’t answer anymore.

Li Nuo listened tensely, recalling the gruesome and bloody scene he witnessed in the nursing home earlier. He felt a chill run through his body and was about to speak on behalf of Lin Chen when he heard a crisp sound of something being put down from the earphone.

“Such a hassle.” Li Nuo heard Wang Chao murmuring to himself, followed by the sound of typing on a keyboard in the earpiece.

Li Nuo pressed the earphone tightly, wanting to hear clearly what Wang Chao was saying. Suddenly, a cry from the hall made him raise his head abruptly.

At some point, a section of the road surveillance footage on the screen turned black, like a dead pixel on a huge white canvas.

Then he realized that it wasn’t entirely black; it was a segment of surveillance footage from that night.

The surveillance was recorded at a bustling night market near a new district. Under the night sky, people mingled, laughing and chatting, with the lingering scent of sunlight in the air. The sudden turn of events came in the next second without any warning. The diners in the footage ruthlessly fought each other, inflicting brutal harm with the most merciless means.

The timid female police officer in the hall had already covered her eyes. Although it was a silent black-and-white film, the screams and blood in the footage seemed so real that they were about to splash out of the screen.

“The night market barbecue stall incident!” Li Nuo instantly realized what the replayed footage in the surveillance was about.

He had seen this footage before, and now, as it played again, he still felt a chill running up his spine. Despite being in the lively and noisy police hall, in that instant, he felt like he was immersed in cold water.

The playback on the large screen quickly stopped, and the hall returned to a deathly silence.

The first one to react was still Lin Chen. Li Nuo heard him say, “Focus on your own tasks; I will handle things here.”

Li Nuo didn’t understand what Lin Chen was talking about, but he suddenly heard Wang Chao’s voice in the earpiece, “Got it!”

Only then did Li Nuo realize that Lin Chen wasn’t talking to him but was educating Wang Chao. Li Nuo tightened his grip on the earpiece and subconsciously asked, “Was it you who did it?”

“Oh, it was nothing,” Wang Chao modestly replied from the other end.

Although the voice in the earpiece sounded very relaxed, the people present were clearly scared by that short video.

The second-in-command, who had harbored resistance towards Lin Chen just a while ago, had calmed down. His face turned pale as he asked, “Is the lethality of the drugs held by Shen Lian really that great… Can they still be considered drugs?”

Lin Chen glanced over the faces in the hall and finally nodded.

In the brief seconds that followed, the hall fell silent again, and one could hear the sound of a pin dropping.

Li Nuo took a deep breath and heard the second-in-command finally regain his senses, saying to everyone in the hall, “What are you looking at? Disperse and return to your positions!”

After that sound, the hall became busy again. The officers answering phone calls continued to do so, and the officers responsible for relaying Lin Chen’s instructions continued to pass on the orders. Everything returned to the same chaotic state as before, but Li Nuo felt that something was different.

The interlude quickly passed, and Lin Chen sat back in his position. Li Nuo glanced at him and saw the serious expression on the consultant’s face, wondering what he was thinking.

He could only comfort him, saying, “Actually, the other units don’t have any intimidating intentions. Just explain things clearly to them when you meet with them, and they will cooperate.”

Lin Chen’s gaze followed, and his expression was unreadable. It certainly had nothing to do with the word “relaxed”.

“What’s wrong?” Li Nuo became a little nervous. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Some things are not suitable as examples for clarification,” Lin Chen replied vaguely.

“Why?” Li Nuo asked in return.

“Because fear, while it can make people obey, is also the most dangerous virus.”

Until they encountered later events, Li Nuo didn’t understand the meaning behind Lin Chen’s ambiguous words.

All he knew was that when they left the monitoring hall, the city’s traffic had been twisted and rearranged by Lin Chen into an unclear and ambiguous state.

But if you could stand at a high point in the city, or if you could integrate the city’s traffic data like the young man on the other end of the phone, you would discover that a clear path was opening up in a deliberate and methodical manner, leading the aimless criminal.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 241

Wang Chao was pacing around in the Guanghua Chemical Factory.

He didn’t understand why the boss had thrown him here to assist a junior chemical engineer. Even though he was obviously younger than the busy engineer, he felt that he might be more useful at the crime scene.

Xiao Zhan was busy in front of the gas chromatograph, surrounded by a bunch of beakers and various complex chemical instruments that were incomprehensible to Wang Chao. Wang Chao sighed heavily and shifted his gaze. Suddenly, Xiao Zhan stopped his work and glanced at him.

“What’s wrong?” Comrade Xiao Wang stood up straight and turned to ask.

“I…” Mr. Xiao Zhan hesitated, struggling with his words. After a while, as if he had made a decision, Mr. Xiao Zhan silently walked to the desktop computer at the other end of the lab bench and began typing on the keyboard slowly.

His typing speed was incredibly slow, and it was only then that Wang Chao realized that Xiao Zhan had wanted him to look up some information.

“Wait, wait, why don’t you let me do it? If I’m here, you don’t have to do it yourself. Isn’t this underestimating me?” Wang Chao swiftly opened his own laptop.

“It’s a lab report, mainly in English, and I’m afraid… afraid that you…”

“What do you need? Just tell me!” Wang Chao exclaimed loudly. He wasn’t sure if he had shouted too loudly or what, but in the next second, his phone rang, and seeing Lin Chen’s name on the caller ID almost made his hand tremble.

Excitedly, Wang Chao answered the call. Of course, he knew about the news regarding the nursing home and the unfortunate incident. He was deeply concerned about Lin Chen, but the feeling of being completely useless was driving him crazy. Now that Lin Chen was calling, he finally had a chance to talk to him. “A’Chen Gege, what happened? Are you okay? Do you need me to come over?”

On the other end of the phone, Lin Chen’s calm voice came through the waves. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I need you to do something for me.”

“Tell me, tell me!” Wang Chao held the phone between his shoulder and cheek, gesturing to Mr. Xiao Zhan to search for the information on his own. Then he grabbed a pen and paper, adding, “A’Chen Gege, you can speak now.”

“First, I need the driving route map from the nursing home to the abandoned car location; second, I need a map of the current locations of the roadblocks set up by the police; third, I need the current locations of Chen Jianguo, Shen Lian’s middle school teacher, the old police officer who received Shen Lian along with Lao Bian at that time, Shen Lian’s middle school, and… Zhourui Pharmaceutical. Fourth, please compile the above requests on a map of Hongjing and send it to me. Fifth, do we have an alternative communication network that is not easily monitored?”

Wang Chao quickly jotted down the information and suddenly realized something. “A’Chen Gege, what are you planning to do?”

“Preparing a chessboard.”

……

Like Wang Chao, Li Nuo also had a vague understanding of the consultant’s final words, but that didn’t prevent him from following Lin Chen’s orders.

He was driving with the car window halfway open, and Lin Chen sat beside him. Their destination was a small police station close to the nursing home. With the wind blowing through the open window, they appeared as if they were leisurely going for an outing rather than embarking on something of life-and-death importance.

Li Nuo’s palms were slightly sweaty, and after Lin Chen finished the phone call, the atmosphere in the car became heavy once again. The sound of the engine was clearly audible. Li Nuo had a strong feeling that whatever Lin Chen was about to do was extremely dangerous, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. He remained silent and focused on driving.

They soon arrived at the police station.

From getting out of the car to entering the building and turning on the computer, it took no more than three to five minutes; a brief moment that could almost be ignored. But the moment Lin Chen opened his email, a complete map of Hongjing appeared on the old computer screen at the police station.

On the blue and white base map, a yellow line indicated Shen Lian’s driving route from Hongshu Town to Yulin District. In addition, there were several colored markers on the map. Li Nuo was amazed that such detailed map markings could be made in such a short time. The person who did this was truly terrifying.

Li Nuo could recognize the red circular markers, most of which represented intersections and roadblocks set up by the police.

Standing beside Lin Chen, he watched as Lin Chen clicked on one of the green markers. A note popped up, clearly indicating specific individuals, locations, and brief descriptions of those places.

Li Nuo realized that it was the information about Chen Jianguo’s workplace that Lin Chen had been looking for.

Chen Jianguo was a security guard who worked at the Hongjing Huihaodi shopping mall. According to the shift schedule, he should be on duty at the moment. The straight-line distance from the abandoned car location to the Hongjing Huihaodi shopping mall was about 5 kilometers.

Following Lin Chen’s clicks on the markers, Li Nuo looked at the information one by one. Each marker represented a predetermined chess piece strategically placed on the map. And in that moment, he finally realized what Lin Chen meant by the “chessboard.”

“Do you know where she’s going?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then… are you planning to… lead… Shen Lian?” Li Nuo stared at Lin Chen in shock.

Lin Chen, as if finishing reviewing all the markers, leaned back in his chair and spoke in a calm tone. “Mm, thank you for your reminder earlier. I want to try guiding Shen Lian to a predetermined location.”

“What did I say earlier?” Li Nuo quickly waved his hand. “I just said something casually. I really don’t understand criminal psychology.”

“It doesn’t require too much specialized knowledge. What’s more important is the analysis of human nature. It’s actually quite simple. You reminded me that Shen Lian had too many potential targets for attack, and the incident happened suddenly. She wouldn’t have had a chance to decide on a final target. Therefore, her choice has a high level of randomness. Since it’s random, we can manipulate her choices.”

“Attack?” Li Nuo took a step back, accidentally bumping into the desk behind him, causing a long and jarring noise as the desk legs scraped against the floor.

“She killed everyone in the nursing home. With such madness, how could she continue to live as a lone individual?”

“Do you think she wants to make sure she gets enough victims before she dies and uses more people as shields?”

Li Nuo instinctively asked, but at the same time, Lin Chen’s phone rang.

The office was very quiet, and Li Nuo could hear the crisp sound coming from the other end of the phone.

“A’Chen Gege, the boss asked if you’re planning to trap Shen Lian!”

Lin Chen’s face showed a serene expression of understanding as he responded to the person on the phone. “Mm, that’s the plan.”

“Did you see the map I sent? Did it help? You asked me to mark so many locations earlier. Where exactly do we plan to trap Shen Lian? And the new secure communication channel will be set up quickly. What should we do? You tell me, and Mr. Xiao Wang will take care of it for you!”

The rapid-fire words came through the receiver, which was, of course, the question Li Nuo wanted to ask.

“Yes, I’ve chosen a location.”

When Lin Chen answered the call, he supported his cheek with one hand and tilted his head slightly, looking at a specific spot on the map.

Li Nuo followed Lin Chen’s gaze and once again looked at him with disbelief.

……

“Is… Is Consultant Lin insane?”

Inside the Municipal Bureau Command Center, Wang Chao’s voice came through the speakerphone, and everyone gathered around the square table listened intently. When they heard the location, someone couldn’t help but interject.

Xing Conglian sat at the edge of the table, furrowing his brows in contemplation, and didn’t immediately respond. Another officer spoke after hearing the comment. “If we really lure Shen Lian to that location, the media and public will definitely condemn us!”

Xing Conglian listened silently, as if he didn’t notice the inquiring gazes around him. He turned his head, and on the display screen behind him was a map of Hongjing, compiled according to Lin Chen’s requirements.

He looked at the various colored markers on the map, imagining the pros and cons that Lin Chen had considered in that brief moment. Despite having various personal emotions, in the end, all he could do was silently marvel; indeed, it was Lin Chen, truly worthy of being Lin Chen.

At that moment, another officer ventured, “No matter the outcome, Consultant Lin’s arrangement will undoubtedly implicate public safety. The other side is quite capable of causing trouble, and they might even accuse us, the police, in the end!”

Upon hearing this, Xing Conglian calmly spoke, posing a question in return, “Then, should we let Shen Lian target the middle school?” He turned to the first officer who had raised doubts. “Nearly two thousand teachers and students.”

The person was instantly rendered speechless.

“Or the Hongjing Huihaodi shopping mall?” Xing Conglian looked at the second person. “It’s a workday today, and the mall has relatively low foot traffic. But the problem is, we know this, and Shen Lian is well aware of it too. Similarly, if she appears during the peak hours after work when the foot traffic is high, the danger level in the mall is clearly no less than that of the school.”

“What about the Louyuan Community? Can’t we use that place?”

On the speakerphone, Wang Chao suddenly explained, “A’Chen Gege said that the area that needs to be monitored there is too large. It’s a very remote and modern residential area, and it’s unlikely to satisfy Shen Lian’s psychological desire for ‘massive harm’. The chances of her choosing that place are very low.”

“The office building isn’t remote, but there are too many people!”

“Lin Chen’s intention is actually quite simple. He wants to choose an area that appears to have a dense crowd, which can attract Shen Lian, and at the same time, it should be convenient for us, the police, to set up surveillance and implement the arrest.” The old director, who had been silently drinking tea in the background, suddenly spoke up. “A large building with a single entrance and exit is certainly preferable.”

“But is there really no other way? No matter where Shen Lian appears, as long as Consultant Lin’s plan is revealed, it will be seen as a sign of incompetence on the part of the police.” A policewoman spoke up. “Moreover, it’s really unfavorable for your team, Captain Xing. It will be seen as… retaliation.”

The policewoman emphasized the last word, and Xing Conglian looked at her and nodded, expressing gratitude for her concern. Then he looked at everyone present and calmly said, “You should all be aware that whether we are seen as competent or not is the public’s evaluation of us. But many times, what we need to care about is not these hypocritical praise or malicious criticism, but whether we have done our best within our capabilities for each case.”

After Xing Conglian finished speaking, he stood up from his chair.

“Captain Xing!” The surrounding officers spoke up one after another.

However, Xing Conglian seemed not to hear them and decisively said, “Mobilize all available police forces in the city and divide them into three groups: A, B, and C. Group A will maintain their original communication devices and follow Consultant Lin’s arrangements; Group B and Group C will use more secure communication systems. Group B will be responsible for surveillance at the following locations, and Group C will accompany me to the final possible location where Shen Lian may appear for surveillance.”

Xing Conglian laid out the specific arrangements in great detail, and for a while, the office was filled with the sound of writing.

At the end, someone suddenly raised their hand and asked, “Captain Xing, everything you said is fine, but how can Consultant Lin guarantee that Shen Lian will really go there?”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 240

“What can I do, Consultant Lin?”

Just before Lin Chen left, he specifically asked him to come down the mountain together. Li Nuo was both excited and at a loss for what to do.

He stood at the foot of the small hill, breathing rapidly to take in the fresh air around him, but the nauseating smell of blood and gore from earlier still lingered. He didn’t even dare to close his eyes because once he quieted down, the overwhelming fear of death would come rushing back. So he could only desperately follow closely behind the person in front of him, fearing he would be left behind.

“Help me find a place to stay.” Lin Chen reached the car at the foot of the mountain and turned around, saying so.

Li Nuo was stunned for a moment. The consultant before him seemed completely unaffected by the brutal and inhumane scene from earlier, except for his pale complexion. But there were moments when Li Nuo felt that grief was engraved in his bones, that it could easily find outlets for emotional expression, and it couldn’t be considered nothing.

He quickly sniffed and hurriedly asked, “What kind of place are you looking for?”

At the same time, an elderly officer in the car at the foot of the hill hurriedly opened the door and nervously asked Lin Chen, “Did you catch the person?”

Lin Chen shook his head at the old officer first, then turned to him and said, “Anything will do.”

Upon hearing this, the old man seemed to have guessed something, and a look of terror quickly appeared on his face, accompanied by deep guilt that seemed to weigh him down. Li Nuo didn’t know what had happened between them, but it definitely wasn’t something good.

Just as Li Nuo thought Lin Chen would coldly nod to the old man and pass by him, he was very surprised to see Lin Chen deliberately stop in his tracks.

The young police consultant stood in front of the old man, appearing tall and imposing. He slightly bowed his body, one hand holding the old man’s weathered hand, while using the other hand to pat his back forcefully. His tone was gentle but carried a comforting power. “Do you remember what I said earlier? I was serious. It’s not your fault. There are many people who should bear responsibility for this, but it’s not your turn for now.”

The old man trembled at his words, looking up towards the direction of the mountaintop with a distant and teary gaze.

Lin Chen didn’t say anything more. He opened the rear door of the car and took out a stack of files enclosed in a leather document bag from inside.

Li Nuo noticed that the name “Shen Lian” was written on the paper bag. He shivered once again, only to see Lin Chen quickly turn his gaze back. That look instantly brought him back to his senses. It turned out that when the consultant said to find a place, he meant immediately and without delay.

He hurriedly turned back up the mountain. Though the mountain breeze was gentle around him, he became nervous. The images of the elderly people with brown bloodstains on their necks resurfaced in his mind one after another. But now wasn’t the time. He suppressed the urge to vomit once again, looked around, and realized that the elderly lady who had been sitting under the tree enjoying the breeze had disappeared. Perhaps she had gone up the mountain to see what was happening.

In his memory, there was a small shack where villagers stored thatched grass and miscellaneous items. So he ran up the path on the right side and indeed saw that shack. However, unlike his memory, this makeshift brick house was extremely dilapidated and didn’t even have a door.

He turned back to Lin Chen once again and asked, “Should I go find a resident’s house instead?”

Lin Chen shook his head. “This place will do.”

Li Nuo didn’t know what Lin Chen intended to do, but he rushed into the house ahead of him. However, the foul smell of the thatched grass inside made him take a step back.

With a snap, a dim yellow light bulb lit up, but the light only illuminated a small area of the broken brick floor, leaving the rest of the space in a gloomy haze.

At some point, Lin Chen was standing in the doorway with a calm expression. He let go of the switch on the wall, and, for a moment, Li Nuo felt that this rundown and drafty house was a true reflection of this psychology consultant.

But Lin Chen’s actions quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. The consultant entered the shack and swiftly took out the papers from the document bag, placing them casually on the pile of grass, the broken cabinet, and the floor.

Those were all the materials related to Shen Lian saved in her personal file, from birth records to medical reports, from report cards to teacher evaluations. There were even a few crayon drawings and handcrafts that were probably submitted for the school’s comprehensive education assessment.

Each item represented a clear trace of important events in a person’s life. With each bend of Lin Chen’s body, they were slowly presented in this stuffy and damp old house.

Finally, a large expanse of white paper formed a sea of documents before Li Nuo’s eyes. When the wind blew, ripples seemed to appear under the dim yellow light.

Lin Chen took a step back, leaned on a low brick, and sat down.

Li Nuo tried his best not to associate the low brick wall with a fence of a livestock pen, nor did he recall the previous purpose of this dilapidated house. He followed Lin Chen’s gaze and looked back at the uneven sea of paper materials, contemplating whether he should go out and return this space to Lin Chen.

He silently took two steps back, accidentally stepping on a piece of broken brick that produced a clanging sound, breaking the silence.

Lin Chen’s gaze followed the sound, and Li Nuo quickly said, “I’m sorry, Consultant Lin. I’ll leave immediately.”

“Just a moment…”

Li Nuo suddenly looked up, but when he looked towards Lin Chen, Lin Chen wasn’t looking at him.

The consultant sitting on the pile of bricks lowered his head slightly, subconsciously holding his phone in his hand. His black hair hung down, revealing a fair nape above his collar. His pale fingers lightly brushed over the call records, as if he was about to dial someone’s number. A trace of vulnerability or longing appeared on his face, and then he paused for a few seconds. Unexpectedly, Lin Chen put away his phone and looked at him again.

With his dark and calm gaze, Lin Chen said to him, “Stay, and let’s talk.”

……

The command center at the Municipal Bureau.

Xing Conglian still maintained the same position as when he entered the room, holding his phone. The content of the previous call was that the traffic police in Yulin District had already found the abandoned van left by Shen Lian, and forensic officers were now on their way there. In the brief moment he took the phone away from his ear, he inadvertently glanced at the call records. Lin Chen’s name was the last entry on the phone’s screen, with the bottom half obscured by the number keys, only revealing half of the name.

An inexplicable emotion welled up in Xing Conglian’s heart; an emotion that he didn’t even have time to carefully ponder at that moment. His fingertip gently touched the half name of Lin Chen, but in the end, he didn’t dial the number.

……

“What… do you want to talk about?” Li Nuo carefully avoided the papers on the floor and didn’t dare to get too close to Lin Chen.

“Ask me questions. Anything will do.”

Lin Chen sat on the fence like this, with his toes touching the ground. There was a bit of distance between his heels and the floor, looking like an ordinary student.

“Why do you want me to ask questions? Won’t it disturb you like this?” Li Nuo gathered his courage and asked.

“No, because asking questions is the best heuristic strategy for problem-solving,” Lin Chen replied.

Li Nuo squatted down, finding it difficult to understand what a heuristic* strategy was; it was probably something related to psychology. But since Lin Chen asked him to ask questions, and he had a lot of questions in his mind, why not ask?

*Any approach to problem solving or self-discovery that employs a tactical method that’s not guaranteed to be optimal, perfect, or rational, but is nevertheless sufficient for reaching an immediate, short-term goal or approximation. Such techniques include trial and error, a rule of thumb, or an educated guess.

“Why did you lay out Shen Lian’s files? What are you trying to do?” In the quiet and dilapidated shack, Li Nuo pointed to the vast sea of paper materials and asked.

“It’s Shen Lian’s past in front of you. I want to deduce her future.”

“How can you deduce that? Can you really know what she’s going to do next just based on Shen Lian’s personal files?” Li Nuo was astonished, but he suddenly remembered how Lin Chen was able to pinpoint the exact location of the nursing home on the mountaintop. He immediately wanted to swallow back the question he had just asked. However, to his surprise, Lin Chen patiently answered him, “By understanding her past to speculate on her personality traits, and by using her personality traits to judge her thinking logic and behavioral characteristics in a given environment. Human choices seem random and irrational, as if each of us has free will, but in reality, it’s just an illusion created by the one above.”

As Lin Chen spoke, he raised his index finger and pointed at the ceiling. Li Nuo knew that the one above referred to a higher power. He shivered, feeling dizzy from the flickering of the light, and couldn’t help but say, “I’m a materialist. This sounds too mystical.”

“Who said it wasn’t?” Lin Chen replied calmly.

Just then, Li Nuo noticed several drawings that Shen Lian had made as a child in the corner. He suddenly remembered the scene from the live stream when Lin Chen and Li Jingtian faced each other across the wooden table. He had watched the entire live stream, and the summary was that Lin Chen asked Li Jingtian to draw a picture, and then miraculously guessed the exact location where Li Jingtian had hidden the incriminating evidence.

Thinking about this, he asked, “What about those drawings? Can you tell where Shen Lian might go now based on those drawings?”

Lin Chen also looked over. “Those are works from Shen Lian’s childhood. Art can indeed reflect a child’s inner world, but unfortunately, I can’t.” Stepping down from the pile of bricks, Lin Chen walked through the narrow path between papers and picked up the drawings from the floor, as if he could see through people’s hearts. He looked back at Li Nuo and said, “The success of the drawing test I gave to Li Jingtian relied heavily on modern scientific methods that you didn’t see, such as pressure sensors, and so on. Now that Shen Lian is not in front of me, I can’t stimulate her to react by asking various questions.”

“Are you saying it’s more difficult now than it was back then?” Li Nuo scratched his head.

“Yes, and Shen Lian is far more dangerous than Li Jingtian. That’s the difference between a terrorist and an ordinary psychological deviant,” Lin Chen answered decisively. Then he looked at Li Nuo as if waiting for the next question.

Li Nuo took a deep breath, and the scene of the frenzied massacre in the nursing home once again surfaced in his mind. Those images kept looping in his head, like a nightmare that he couldn’t escape for a lifetime. He shook his head desperately, trying to calm himself with a question. He pointed to the image in Lin Chen’s hand and asked, “What was Shen Lian’s inner world like when she was a child?”

It was a sketch, depicting a group of children sitting inside a house. It seemed like Shen Lian had drawn a birthday party, with a messy cake on the table. The picture appeared dark and made people feel very uncomfortable.

“She was very talented. She drew this when she was eight years old.” Lin Chen casually placed the drawing on a stack of grass and stared at the paper. “Her drawings of houses were not two-dimensional, and she used overlapping strategies, omitting invisible lines. She even used perspective when depicting the structure of the house, showing that the objects she drew extended in three-dimensional space. She is a genius, or rather, her spatial thinking ability surpasses that of children her age.” Lin Chen continued, absorbed in his own thoughts. “This reflects her high intelligence quotient. That’s why I doubted her low academic performance before the second year of middle school. After eighth grade, her grades improved significantly. I deduced from this abnormal period that Shen Lian might have experienced something that caused a major transformation.”

“Is her bad experience related to the nursing home then?” Li Nuo asked.

“No, it’s more complicated than that,” Lin Chen replied.

Li Nuo felt a bit stuck, but then the profound and penetrating gaze of Lin Chen hit him again. He could only continue asking questions. “The picture she drew seems very isolated and terrifying. Could her poor academic performance be due to being ostracized at school? Would she seek revenge on teachers and classmates?”

After Li Nuo blurted out all his questions, he realized his presumption. How could Lin Chen not have thought of things that even he could guess? Lin Chen must have already ruled out this possibility! As he thought this, he saw Lin Chen turning around and saying seriously, “Is that what you think?”

Li Nuo nodded, not knowing how he became the one answering questions.

Lin Chen asked, “If I told you that the person Shen Lian despises the most is her former neighbor Chen Jianguo, would you speculate that she wants to seek revenge on Chen Jianguo?”

“That’s definitely her seeking revenge on the neighbor. Where does her neighbor work? Should we notify the parties involved to be cautious?”

“Why couldn’t Shen Lian possibly seek revenge on Zhourui Pharmaceutical? After all, they ruined her plans, didn’t they?”

Li Nuo was once again caught off guard. “That’s also a possibility—a very likely one!”

As he finished speaking, Lin Chen suddenly turned around and stared at him intently.

Li Nuo was startled and quickly apologized, “I… I’m sorry. I really don’t understand this.”

“No, you understand the psychology of the masses very well. Thank you.” Lin Chen lowered his head, took out his phone from his pocket, and made a call.

“Do you know where Shen Lian might go?” Li Nuo asked.

“To a place that she thinks, and I think, she wouldn’t go.”

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Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 239

It was hell.

Although Lin Chen had never had a precise imagination of such an unreal concept, he thought that if hell truly existed in the world, it should look like this.

The entire room was quiet and tidy, like an ordinary room in a nursing home. The window was half-open, and the curtains were partially drawn, with a gentle breeze lifting the hem of the curtains. Bright sunlight fell on the coffee table beside the bed, seemingly without any dark areas, except for the two elderly people on the bed.

However, to be precise, they were neither living nor human, but two corpses.

The bodies were covered by two thin white sheets neatly tucked, aligning perfectly with the collarbones of the elderly.

And a little higher up, there were necks resembling dead tree bark.

Of course, the description of “dead tree bark” was Lin Chen’s imagination, as the necks of the two elderly people had been slit open, forming deep and dark gashes. Blood flowed out from the wounds, soaking their necks and trickling down, staining the snow-white bedsheets, forming a large and vibrant red ink blot. Under the sunlight, the brownish-red blood appeared to emit steam, as if it could evaporate the shape of their souls.

Lin Chen didn’t know how he managed to approach the bedside, but it seemed that human potential was always greater than he had imagined.

As he got closer, he realized why he could still sense the presence of the living.

Because the eyes of the deceased were open, and the two elderly people gazed peacefully at the ceiling. The whites of their eyes were tinged with a yellow-brown color, while their pupils were completely black, devoid of any emotions, hollow as if they could consume one’s soul. It was as if the cut at their throat wasn’t lethal; the real cause of death was the long-lasting, impoverished, and tasteless life they had endured. They should have died long ago but were forcibly kept in this world.

The wind from the lakeside and the fields blew in through the window, carrying a faint, scorching scent that could only come from long exposure to the sun. Lin Chen didn’t know if he stumbled, but he forcefully grasped the bedside table, standing in front of the two elderly people, looking at them intently.

At that moment, all of Lin Chen’s senses were extremely sharp, even magnified several times.

The police officers, who arrived a bit later, rushed in with their footsteps resounding like thunder.

Doors from the end of the corridor were being opened one after another, with brief pauses between each door, and then another one would follow. Gradually, the sound of doors opening became slower and slower, as if no one had the courage to continue.

In the end, all footsteps stopped outside the door of the room where Lin Chen stood.

Lin Chen lifted his head and saw many pairs of shocked, incredulous, and desperate eyes at the door. The emotions in those gazes were too complex. They hesitated for a moment, and each person’s throat seemed choked, unable to speak first.

What happened? How could things turn out like this…

And what really snapped Lin Chen back to reality was the sound of footsteps that came last. It was the young officer, the one who had rushed into the nursing home ahead of everyone else. Lin Chen remembered that his name was Li Nuo.

Li Nuo’s eyes were bloodshot, and he covered his mouth. The intense smell of blood was obviously too overwhelming for an ordinary patrol officer. Lin Chen momentarily thought that Li Nuo might run out and vomit. However, to his surprise, Li Nuo managed to hold himself together. With a hoarse voice that indicated he had already cried for a while, Li Nuo said to him, “Consultant Lin…”

Li Nuo’s voice sounded helpless yet determined to the extreme.

Lin Chen shuddered, regaining his clarity. He looked at the many eyes at the door once again and realized that Xing Conglian wasn’t there, so he had to do something.

He lowered his head, covered the eyes of the elderly with his hands, gently closing their eyelids. Then, he walked towards the door and said in a clear voice, “Check if there are any survivors inside the nursing home, notify the hospital and emergency department, and report to the city bureau.”

After finishing his instructions, Lin Chen nodded to everyone and walked straight out.

“Where are you going?” someone called out to him.

“Me?” Lin Chen put his hands in his pockets, turned back, and said, “I’m going to find her.”

……

Before the incident occurred, Huang Ze was sitting on one side of the long circular office desk, with Xing Conglian on the other side.

Xing Conglian lit a cigarette, adopting a tough attitude. His phone was placed on the corner of the table, and he didn’t hand over his communication devices as requested.

Huang Ze held a pen and spoke to Xing Conglian in the coldest tone he could muster, “Xing Conglian, you have been temporarily suspended. Don’t act like you don’t know anything. It’s better for everyone if you clarify the situation as soon as possible.”

As he spoke, he looked directly into Xing Conglian’s dark eyes. Xing Conglian’s gaze remained calm, and only he knew why he still had such composure at a time like this. But Huang Ze was well aware that Xing Conglian had no intention of answering his question.

The ash of Xing Conglian’s cigarette fell bit by bit, and smoke rose lazily in the silence. With a steady pace, Xing Conglian finished smoking before the cigarette was extinguished.

Before that cigarette was finished, Xing Conglian even took a glance at the phone on the table, which remained as calm as ever. Huang Ze knew that Lin Chen hadn’t called him.

When this thought crossed his mind, Xing Conglian suddenly stood up. He stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, picked up his phone, kicked the chair backward, and grabbed his coat that was thrown over the chair before walking towards the door.

Xing Conglian’s attitude made Huang Ze realize that he had only been waiting for “Lao Wu” during the time it took to smoke a cigarette.

Caught off guard by Xing Conglian’s swift actions, Huang Ze didn’t have time to react before he reached the door. His subordinate stood there, but how could a clerk who struggled to pass the physical exam be a match for an officer like Xing Conglian? Before the two of them could exchange any words, Huang Ze’s subordinate winced in pain, clutching his arm, and the door was easily opened.

“Xing Conglian, stop right there!” Huang Ze stood up and slammed the table.

However, Xing Conglian didn’t even look at him and took out his phone to make a call, as if all the warnings and admonitions from earlier were meaningless words, and as if Huang Ze himself didn’t exist.

Huang Ze wanted to say something more, but Xing Conglian had already disappeared from his sight. Holding the phone, Huang Ze chased after him, regretting his choice of sitting in the wrong position in the office just a few steps away.

This was the main office area of the Hongjing Municipal Police Bureau, where most of the officers worked. With so many people coming and going, it was clear that most of them were familiar with Xing Conglian.

As Xing Conglian walked down the long corridor, busy officers on both sides either nodded in acknowledgment or stopped and saluted him. For a moment, whispers of “Captain Xing” or similar words filled the entire office.

“Xing Conglian, you are being disrespectful!”

Huang Ze almost ran to catch up with him.

At that moment, Xing Conglian put down his phone, evidently having not connected the call. Instead, he grabbed someone and asked, “Where is Director Wu?”

The officer quickly pointed out the direction to Xing Conglian. He accelerated his pace and walked towards the temporary command center at the end of the hall.

“I was just disrespectful towards Inspector Huang,” Xing Conglian replied with both hands in his pockets, using a nonchalant yet remarkably steady tone. “Does Inspector Huang represent the rule of law?”

Huang Ze was frustrated. “You should know that I am giving you face right now. I could arrest you on the spot.”

As they spoke, they reached the entrance of the command center. Suddenly, Xing Conglian stopped and turned back to look at Huang Ze. “You can try.”

Huang Ze realized for the first time that, besides Lin Chen, there were others in this world who excelled at verbal sparring.

He took a deep breath, and just as Xing Conglian placed his hand on the door handle, Huang Ze held his wrist, preventing him from opening the door.

But this simple action seemed to trigger a terrifying signal.

In the next moment, the office was filled with the continuous ringing of phones. Then, the sound of rushing footsteps echoed throughout the building as many people started running. There was an overwhelming sense of tension, as if a stampede of a thousand horses was taking place.

Everyone’s face showed an expression that something terrible was happening, but no one had the courage to speak up about what had actually occurred.

Many officers crowded at the entrance of the command center, obviously trying to enter or exit to deliver reports, but they couldn’t because Huang Ze and Xing Conglian were blocking the way.

In that instant, Xing Conglian seemed to realize something. His gaze turned cold, and with a disdainful expression, he turned to Huang Ze and said, “Let go.”

Huang Ze’s breath hitched, and the command center door was pushed open from the inside out.

Xing Conglian’s immediate superior, Director Wu, was standing in the doorway.

Seeing his subordinate, Director Wu abandoned his previously reserved demeanor. Clearly, whatever had just happened had also left this old man feeling overwhelmed. He said to Xing Conglian, “You’re here?”

“I’m here,” Xing Conglian stood at the doorway, responding with a bold and steady posture.

The old man nodded.

Xing Conglian continued, “I have two things to discuss, so I’ll be brief.”

“Go ahead.”

“First, what crime have I committed?”

The old man hesitated for a moment, not expecting Xing Conglian to come in such a forceful manner, and the first question was surprisingly simple. Nevertheless, he succinctly answered, “Bribery, involving Zhourui Pharmaceutical.”

A look of disbelief briefly flashed across Xing Conglian’s face. After a moment, he furrowed his brow, as if suppressing a feeling of disgust deep within, yet remained calm as he said, “You know I couldn’t have done that.”

“I know.” Director Wu nodded solemnly, then took a step back, pointing towards the room where the ringing of phones persisted, signaling for Xing Conglian to enter. He said, “So, it’s yours now.”

“What happened?” Xing Conglian didn’t decline; only asked while walking. The officers blocked at the door followed with their respective materials and crowded into the room.

“Huihe Nursing Home. None of the 38 elderly residents survived.” The old director stopped in his tracks, speaking each word distinctly.

In an instant, the entire office seemed to be under a spell as everyone froze, and everything turned icy cold.

Xing Conglian also came to a halt. Huang Ze clearly saw a multitude of emotions flicker in Xing Conglian’s eyes, and he was certain that many of those emotions were related to Lin Chen. But what surprised him was that Xing Conglian didn’t immediately take out his phone to call Lin Chen. Instead, he contemplated for a moment and then decisively said, “Find the person in charge of the Transportation Department. Report on the surveillance situation at the checkpoints and the last known location of Shen Lian.”

“Yulin District, Zhongming Road intersection, south to north lane.” One of the officers near the door stood up swiftly and reported to Xing Conglian without any hesitation.

“The Yulin District officers will secure the southwest position, while the remaining personnel stay on standby.” Xing Conglian paused and asked again, “What is the specific situation in Hongshu Town?”

“Reporting, Captain Xing!” Another officer stood up. “Currently, nine officers, including the consultant from the Criminal Investigation Team, have arrived at the scene in Hongshu Town. The situation is as follows…”

The voices of inquiries and the subsequent responses echoed rapidly, as Xing Conglian seemed to have no need for contemplation. Command after command fell swiftly and with extreme clarity.

Huang Ze lowered his head, lost in thought.

“Captain Xing must undergo an investigation. It is a direct order from the Department!” A voice of admonishment came from behind him at that moment.

Huang Ze turned around and found his subordinate, who had been pulling at his arm, urgently speaking.

At that time, Xing Conglian had just finished answering a question from an officer about whether he would be heading to Hongshu Town.

“No, I won’t go for now,” was Xing Conglian’s response.

Huang Ze’s heart shook violently because of his subordinate’s question, and the entire office fell silent as everyone looked toward his position.

Finally, he made up his mind, raised his head, looked at Xing Conglian, and asked, “What do you need me to do?”

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