Chapter 88
Chapter 88
This was the first time I had ever seen someone take their own life right in front of me.
Blood sprayed almost directly into my face.
That bodyguard hadn’t hesitated for a single second when he killed himself.
The pungent, metallic scent of blood made me want to vomit. The sheer intensity of the visual shock nearly suffocated me.
I knew he must have been under Li Xiumei’s control.
Just then, a burst of light suddenly flared up in the room.
I looked up and saw Old Zhao Seven holding a talisman between his fingers. The paper was burning bright.
He seemed to be preparing to deal with Li Xiumei.
Song Xiaotian didn’t hesitate. He snapped his short batons together and swung, striking Old Zhao Seven’s hand.
With a sharp cry of pain from Old Zhao Seven, the burning talisman was extinguished instantly.
The dark shadow felt the threat and moved straight toward Old Zhao Seven.
In the blur of motion, I saw Old Zhao Seven get sent flying by the shadow. I couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive.
“Run! Stop staring!”
Song Xiaotian ran over, grabbing Meng Yifan and me to drag us away.
He didn’t head for the elevators; instead, he bolted toward the emergency exit.
As we sprinted down the stairs, Meng Yifan was practically ecstatic. “Brother Tian, were you just acting back there?”
Song Xiaotian glared at him fiercely. “Dumbass! I’m not Old Zhao Seven!”
Despite the insult, Song Xiaotian didn’t actually hold it against him. He knew Meng Yifan was a simple-minded guy.
When he had stepped forward earlier, it was clearly not because he actually intended to defect to Du Ruhai.
If he had really planned to join Du Ruhai, he would have specified exactly where Du Mingyang’s ashes were in the car when he handed over the keys.
I had hidden Du Mingyang’s ashes under the seat. Whoever went down to get them would naturally open the trunk first. There were indeed ashes in the trunk, but they weren’t Du Mingyang’s-they were Li Xiumei’s.
Furthermore, while we were still in the car, Song Xiaotian had specifically warned us that we needed to trust each other no matter what happened. So, from the very beginning, I never truly believed he was betraying us.
It was just that I couldn’t exactly tip Meng Yifan off at the time. The moment Meng Yifan saw Song Xiaotian walk out, he had lost his head.
“I saw Li Xiumei send Old Zhao Seven flying… do you think he’s dead?” Meng Yifan asked while running.
Song Xiaotian cursed, “If he’s dead, he’s dead! That bastard had it coming. If Chen Mo hadn’t put Du Mingyang’s ashes under the car seat, you two would be dead meat for sure today.”
“Du Ruhai never intended to let you go, and he didn’t plan on letting me go either. He was just putting on a show for Lin Zhifeng.”
I remarked that Lin Zhifeng seemed like just a thug-a big-time thug, maybe, but was he really important enough for Du Ruhai to show him that much respect?
Song Xiaotian said, “You’re thinking too simply. Anyone who’s anyone in the underworld of Lanjiang City has to call Lin Zhifeng ‘Boss.'”
By then, we had reached the lobby.
The Club manager, who had been so polite to us earlier, was now standing at the main entrance with several bodyguards to intercept us.
“Grab them! Don’t let them get away!”
Several bodyguards quickly rushed forward, lunging at Song Xiaotian, who was in the lead.
Song Xiaotian didn’t even blink. He swung his baton in a wide arc, knocking everyone down in a few swift moves.
He raised his baton and didn’t hold back at all, slamming it right into the manager’s head.
This guy was truly ruthless when he fought. I’d noticed several times now that he went straight for the kill.
Whether that manager ended up in a vegetative state or not was probably entirely down to luck.
We burst out of the Club and had just opened the car doors to get in when someone chased after us, shouting Song Xiaotian’s name.
I looked back and realized it was Song Xiaotian’s sworn brother, Lin Zhifeng.
The man had likely been scared out of his wits by the ghost and wanted us to give him a lift.
“Song Xiaotian! Wait for me!”
Song Xiaotian spared him a single glance before slamming the car door shut and flooring the accelerator.
“You’re not letting him in?” Meng Yifan couldn’t help but ask. “Isn’t he your sworn brother?”
“Sworn brother my ass. Is he even worthy?”
Song Xiaotian shook his head, his face full of disdain. “I’m a cop. He’s just a thug. He doesn’t have the right to call me brother.”
I chimed in, “But weren’t you fired? You even own half the shares in his bar.”
Song Xiaotian didn’t respond, his expression suddenly turning solemn.
Sitting in the passenger seat, I could see his face clearly. I immediately got the feeling he was hiding something from us.
Just as I was about to press him, he suddenly pulled out his phone and made a call.
The call was answered quickly. Judging by the voice on the other end, it sounded like a middle-aged man.
“Hello?”
“It’s me.”
Song Xiaotian spoke urgently to the person on the line. “I’m exposed. You need to move now.”
The person on the other end sounded instantly aggravated. “What the hell are you doing? Why didn’t you coordinate with me beforehand? I’m not prepared at all on this end.”
Song Xiaotian grew impatient. “I can’t explain it all to you right now. Just move. I’ve already gathered plenty of evidence of his crimes.”
There was a long silence on the other end before the man spoke again. “I understand. Leave Lanjiang City for a couple of days to lie low.”
Song Xiaotian refused. “I’m not leaving. I still have unfinished business.”
The voice on the phone rose. “Do you have a death wish? You’d better watch out for Lin Zhifeng’s retaliation.”
Song Xiaotian sighed. “I’ll just hide out. Regardless, I’m not leaving; I have things to do. I’m hanging up.”
After he ended the call, Meng Yifan and I were left stunned.
It sounded like… he was gathering evidence of Lin Zhifeng’s crimes?
“You both heard that. I wasn’t supposed to say anything yet.”
Song Xiaotian looked dead serious, displaying a gravity I had never seen from him before. “I’m a cop. I always have been. I was never actually fired from the Police Force. I’ve been undercover, investigating that serial murder case that happened in Lanjiang City fifteen years ago.”
I stared at him, slack-jawed.
I’m just an ordinary citizen. The things I’d encountered recently were already pushing the limits of my understanding, and now Song Xiaotian was telling me he was an undercover agent.
“My Master-my old superior-his son was one of the victims of that serial murder case fifteen years ago. He’s been investigating his son’s killer ever since. This undercover operation is entirely our own personal initiative; it wasn’t approved or authorized by the higher-ups.”
Song Xiaotian frowned as he explained his undercover plan to us. “A year ago, he arranged for me to be transferred to another unit. I hung out with thugs every day and intentionally got myself fired just so I could go undercover at Lin Zhifeng’s side.”
“At first, we suspected that the killer from fifteen years ago was Lin Zhifeng, the local underworld boss.”
“But after investigating, I found that he had absolutely nothing to do with what happened fifteen years ago. Instead, I turned up a mountain of evidence regarding his other crimes. Lin Zhifeng has done plenty of wicked things in Lanjiang City over the years, and he has a lot of our own people backing him up.”
“My Master and I had to pivot our plan. We’re going to put Lin Zhifeng and his backers behind bars. That’s the only way my Master and I will be safe. Using our authority to investigate that serial murder case privately is, at best, a conflict of interest, and at worst, an abuse of power. We could very well end up in prison for it.”