Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Before Qin Lan leaped from the thirteenth floor and made his dramatic superhero landing, he had finished recording the evidence he extracted from Director Wang and the other doctors.
Han Yifan carried his daughter out amid the chaos. He took the evidence with him and handed it to several reporters.
The ledger, of course, was not among it.
The ledger contained too much. If its contents were released in full, the Safe Zone would be swept into an unprecedented storm.
Qin Lan did not yet possess the strength to withstand that storm.
Even with Lu Xingshan backing him, Qin Lan could only guarantee his own survival. He could not drag down every person involved.
Doing so would completely reshuffle the power structure of Safe Zone 088 and inevitably force the United Government headquarters to intervene personally.
A 3-Star Anomaly Hunter carried considerable weight within Safe Zone 088.
But compared with the United Government headquarters in the Central Region, he was still insignificant.
Even a remarkable figure like Luan Zimo was considered only a young prodigy in the Central Region, not a true powerhouse.
Qin Lan was no fool. He understood his limits.
“Have you lost your mind…? Do you really want to turn the entire Safe Zone upside down?!”
Yuan Risheng could barely maintain his expression. Despite all the reporters filming them, he could no longer suppress his low growl. Veins throbbed at his temples.
“Don’t be nervous, Zone Governor Yuan.” Qin Lan continued holding his hand and smiling. “I didn’t publish the most important material. I was waiting to discuss it with you.”
Yuan Risheng’s expression eased slightly.
Good. There was still room to negotiate.
“Comrade Qin, thank you for your contribution to the Safe Zone… Today’s incident is extremely serious. We need to hold a meeting and carefully examine the evidence you provided.”
“If it is convenient, please come with us.”
Yuan Risheng offered a false expression of gratitude, then gestured with his eyes for Qin Lan to get into his car.
Qin Lan nodded cheerfully.
“Will I get an award? Model Citizen or Civic Hero? I don’t mind which. Just remember to hang the banner outside my front door.”
Yuan Risheng smiled without warmth. “There will certainly be a banner… Get in the car first.”
Qin Lan was not worried that Yuan Risheng would ambush him on the way. If anything, Yuan Risheng should be worried that Qin Lan would ambush him.
…
Even after entering the official United Government car, Qin Lan continued to tease him cheerfully.
“Zone Governor, are there any cameras in this car?”
“Probably not. Otherwise, wouldn’t someone easily catch you flirting with your mistress?”
Yuan Risheng closed the door and spoke coldly.
“You misunderstand. Not every official keeps a mistress.”
Realization dawned on Qin Lan.
“Then what’s your hobby? Harvesting organs from civilians and implanting them in yourself so you can pretend to be young again?”
“A mistress would be less disgusting.”
Faced with Qin Lan’s cutting mockery, Yuan Risheng had regained much of his composure.
“Enough nonsense. What do you want?”
“You went to all this trouble and caused such an enormous incident. What benefit do you hope to extract from me?”
From Yuan Risheng’s perspective, Qin Lan had staged this entire spectacle to negotiate an exchange of interests.
Qin Lan only looked out the window as his smile gradually faded.
“Zone Governor Yuan, I grew up in the slums.”
“Compared with the other homeless people there, I was fortunate. At least my parents left me a small house that kept out the wind and rain before they died.”
Yuan Risheng grew impatient when Qin Lan abruptly changed the subject, but he continued listening.
The vehicle sped toward the United Government building.
Qin Lan watched the scenery flash past the window and slowly continued.
“I was a rather withdrawn child, but I still had friends.”
“Sometimes, a friend I had played with only days earlier would suddenly disappear…”
“Two days later, their hollowed-out body would be dumped on a trash heap somewhere in the slums and torn apart by stray dogs.”
Qin Lan turned and looked coldly at Yuan Risheng.
“I’ve seen what those people do. They take every useful part and leave nothing behind. They don’t care whether the victim is an adult or a child…”
“In a place like that, even staying alive normally requires constant caution.”
Yuan Risheng clearly felt the pressure inside the car sink.
The aura Qin Lan unconsciously released, combined with his tremendous Spirit, weighed heavily on both Yuan Risheng and the driver.
“All I want is justice.”
Qin Lan smiled. “An elder once told me that there is no such thing as fairness inside a Safe Zone.”
“Now I understand.”
“Fairness must be purchased with strength.”
Cold sweat beaded on Yuan Risheng’s forehead. “You–”
“Don’t worry, Zone Governor. I won’t attack you–at least not yet.” Qin Lan returned to his relaxed demeanor. The pressure in the car vanished, allowing Yuan Risheng to breathe again.
“But someone must pay the price.”
Yuan Risheng knew they had reached the most important part.
He motioned for the driver to slow down and asked in a deep voice, “Then whose blood will satisfy your demand for justice?”
Qin Lan considered the question, then cautiously tested the waters.
“Uh, could we kill everyone involved except you? Including the United Government officials?”
Screech!
The driver slammed on the brakes, his face deathly pale.
The suggestion was too shocking. Even though the driver had weathered countless crises at Yuan Risheng’s side, it still terrified him.
Kill them all? The gunfire might not stop for three days and nights.
Yuan Risheng was equally furious. “No!”
“Absolutely impossible!”
“Executing every one of those people would throw the entire Safe Zone into chaos, and the forces behind them would never stand by and watch!”
“Do you think their influence ends at Safe Zone 088? How naive!”
Yuan Risheng gritted his teeth. “You have no idea how many people have joined Qianshan Hospital’s chain of interests over the last several decades. Many have already gone to the Central Region or been transferred to positions in other Safe Zones…”
“This would be pure suicide!”
Qin Lan shrugged, unsurprised.
He had read the ledger. Of course he knew how deep the corruption ran.
His extreme proposal was only meant to lower Yuan Risheng’s expectations.
If someone wanted to open a window, the others in the room might refuse. But if he first threatened to tear down the ceiling, they would soon start urging him to settle for the window.
“So we can’t kill all of them? Then it seems I’ll have to do it myself…” Qin Lan sighed. “If the law can’t judge them, I’ll find them one by one and deliver judgment with my own hands.”
Icy killing intent surfaced on Qin Lan’s face.
“They can’t stay indoors for the rest of their lives, can they?”
Yuan Risheng’s face turned green. “Are you insane?!”
“You’re a madman! A complete madman!”
“If you continue, the United Government headquarters will intervene. When that happens, neither you nor I will escape!”
Seeing Yuan Risheng’s reaction, Qin Lan sneered inwardly, then put on a troubled expression.
“We really can’t kill them all?”
Yuan Risheng shook his head frantically. “No! Absolutely not!”
Qin Lan sighed. After several seconds of thought, he spoke with obvious displeasure.
“What about the Qian Group?”
“They were already my enemies. After what happened today, surely I’m allowed to destroy them?”
“I’ll ignore everyone else in the ledger, but the Qian Group must die!”
Yuan Risheng froze, then nodded rapidly.
“That can be done! That can be done!”
“That will be easy enough… Come, let’s discuss the details…”