“In short…” Jiang Ting smiled and said, “He burned it, his firebird!”
“Yan Xie, I know you. We’ve been brothers for many years. Needless to say, I also understand… No, no.”
“Yan Xie, I know everything about you. When Chief Lu and the others came to question me, everything I said was true. You know that Captain Fang is my direct superior, so…it’s not right.”
“Yan Xie, I already know about your poisoning and car accident. Although Captain Fang is my direct superior, we’ve been brothers for so many years…”
“What are you doing, Brother Qin?” Ma Xiang was walking through the corridor shoulder to shoulder with his colleague when he saw a familiar figure standing outside Yan Xie’s office, chanting. Seeing that it was Qin Chuan, he went up and slapped his shoulder: “What are you chanting spells for? Brother Yan isn’t even here, yo, is this food?”
Qin Chuan was startled and turned back suddenly: “What?”
Ma Xiang had already skillfully opened the plastic bag, taken out a peach, rubbed it a little on his clothes, and said with a smile, “Brother Yan said that he had a quarrel with Chief Lu yesterday, and today he’s sick and didn’t come to work. Do you have something to do with him? Why don’t you go to his house?”
Well, half a day’s worth of mental preparation was in vain.
Qin Chuan felt that he wasted two tons of precious feelings in an instant: “A quarrel? About what?”
“How would I know, but it should be—” Ma Xiang lowered his voice and pointed in the direction of the anti-drug detachment: “About your boss. Hey, don’t take it to heart, it has nothing to do with you anyway. Let them fight with the gods, and beat each other.”
“… alright, alright, ” Qin Chuan shoved the fruits into Ma Xiang’s hand and waved his hand annoyedly: “Go, when Yan Xie comes back, give me a call.”
“Oh! Okay!” Ma Xiangle carried the bag of fruits back to the office.
………
Gongzhou.
Seven o’clock in the evening, in the nightclub.
The corridor on the second floor of the nightclub was dimly lit, and was excessively decorated. The pale gold wallpaper and the thick, red-patterned carpet on the ground complemented each other, successfully creating a cheap luxurious feeling in the interior of the well-known nightclub.
Qi Sihao was wearing sunglasses and had a low-key and casual outfit. Under the guidance of Madam Sang Yinqin, he pushed open the door of the largest box. Seeing him, a man in the room immediately stood up: “Hey, Old Qi is here!”
The girls followed one after another: “Brother Qi!”
“Brother Qi!”
………
Qi Sihao waved his hand and ordered to open two bottles of Macallan 18. Madam Sang immediately burst into laughter, turned around, and went out.
They’d apparently already had a round of drinks in the box. Empty wine bottles were lying on the coffee table. Four or five “champagne princesses” were wearing off-the-shoulder tops and mini skirts, all having excitement and slight drunkenness on their faces. Qi Sihao quickly glanced around, and through their thick makeup, in which even their mother would not be able to recognize them, he vaguely recognized the girls who were familiar to him. He calmed down a little and whispered to the big-bellied man on the side: “You’re really good, Old Liu, this is the second time this month! What did I say at the beginning?”
“Yes, yes, yes — but how could I have thought that the goods would sell so well?” Old Liu stubbornly held the cigarette between his stubby fingers and smiled. He spread his hands exaggeratedly: “Look, it’s not even winter yet, and seventy to eighty percent of the goods are already gone in the middle of the year. The demand has exceeded the supply! What can I do?”
Qi Sihao sat while drinking; his face seemed unhappy.
“However, I also raised the price by 30% according to what you said, and made a lot of money.” Old Liu made a gesture, patted him on the shoulder, and lowered his voice: “Old rules, it’s already been settled on your son’s bank account abroad, don’t worry!”
Qi Sihao’s face became better now: “Hey, with the kind of friendship we have, you don’t need to worry about money…”
Old Liu hurriedly followed his words, praising him for working hard again.
“It’s not that I refuse to approve of it; it’s just that the situation is tight these days.” Qi Sihao sighed: “A while ago, Jianning cracked a 502 drug trafficking and murder case, which somehow alarmed the Ministry of Public Security, and now there are rumors saying that there’s a new type of drug that needs to be strictly investigated. There may be a new round of nationwide crackdowns before the end of the year. These days are going to be rough, in case one day… Hey, I don’t feel very good about it anyway.”
Sure enough, this was a matter of ability. Even at his age, he couldn’t become a high-level official and wasn’t happy with simply making a small fortune. No wonder he didn’t even dare to fart when the surname Jiang was in power.
Old Liu showed his dissatisfaction with a dejected expression, but he couldn’t say anything on the surface and could only persuade him with good words: “What are you so afraid of? Once the goods are transported from your police department to the waste disposal company, no one will count them again. Besides, the final count before disposal is also done by our people in the provincial notary office. I’ve already explained everything, and there will be no mistakes — what else is there to worry about?”
It makes sense. Qi Sihao’s tense face seemed to loosen up a bit: “But we have just started this business, and the higher-ups are about to start cracking down; it is too coincidental…”
“As I said buddy, why is it so harsh? Cracking down every year? Huh! Those who sell dozens to hundreds of kilograms are fine, so why would the country take so much trouble to pay attention to us? I think you’re being overly cautious. Come here, a toast to Brother Qi!”
Several “Champagne Princesses” all came up with charming smiles to persuade them to drink the wine, each with their own beauty. After drinking a few glasses, Qi Sihao’s face became hot, and his heartbeat accelerated. He held a girl in his arms, and the last bit of caution was thrown into the horizon.
“I’ll get another batch of goods this week,” Qi Sihao said to Old Liu with a half glass of wine: “But you should also be careful. You can’t do this kind of thing all the time, keep it under control. People walking by the river…”
Old Liu was perfunctory: “I know! I know!”
The two of them were so drunk that they hugged the girls, sang, played games, and threw dice. Qi Sihao patted Old Liu with a cigarette between his fingers and said drunkenly, “It’s good to know—hey, I’m going to take care of something.”
The box door opened and closed, and Qi Sihao walked toward the end of the corridor dizzily, not seeing the dark place in the corner behind him; a figure wrapped in a red dress floated by the corner.
“Brother Jiang,” Yang Mei whispered, “he came out.”
The red velvet dress enveloped Yang Mei’s curvy figure. Her hair was pulled back charmingly, revealing a slender, creamy neck, and the diamond necklace glimmered brightly in her deep cleavage. She lifted her curly hair on the side of her earlobe and pressed the small button connector in her ear, only to hear Jiang Ting’s steady voice:
“There’s no need to follow; continue to observe.”
Yang Mei was nervous and anxious: “He didn’t notice that something was wrong and planned to run away, right?”
“……” The other side of the earphones was silent for a moment, and then Jiang Ting’s calm voice sounded: “According to my understanding of men, it should be because he drank too much and needs to use the toilet.”
Yang Mei: “……”
At the same time, at the back door of the nightclub
Jiang Ting was wearing a Bluetooth headset, with one hand on his head and the other on the Phaeton steering wheel. At this time, the passenger door suddenly opened, and Yan Xie sat inside along with the cold wind outside the car. For some reason, his face was blue, and he appeared to be in unspeakable secret pain.
“Huh—” Yan Xie sat down with a sigh of relief.
On the other side of the headset, Yang Mei obviously heard the movement: “What’s the matter? The surname Yan went to the toilet again?”
Yan Xie rolled his eyes in a subtle manner.
“Vice-Captain Yan, although we haven’t known each other for a long time, and I don’t know if you have a “hidden illness”, but you seem exhausted every time you go to the toilet. Do you want to go to the hospital for a check-up?” Yang Mei gloated and said, “After all, you’re only in your thirties, and you haven’t found a wife yet. For the sake of your married life in the next few decades—”
From Jianning to Gongzhou, Yan Xie swallowed his anger all the way, but this time, he finally didn’t intend to endure it anymore.
“Hey, it’s fine,” He said lazily, taking a wet tissue to wipe his hands, “Actually, I never told you that this pot should belong to Han Xiaomei.”
Yang Mei: “?”
Jiang Ting pressed his forehead.
“It’s all her fault that she brought me some scrambled eggs with leeks — leeks, you know, Boss Yang. In addition, your brother Jiang is very enthusiastic. As a responsible man, I can’t let my spouse down. No matter how strong I am, there are times when I am squeezed dry.” Yan Xie said modestly: “It’s okay; don’t worry about your brother Jiang. I’ll be fine by tonight, he understands.”
Yang Mei: “……”
Yang Mei’s face was blank, and after a long while, she said two words: “Brother Jiang?”
Jiang Ting affirmed: “Well, it is indeed Han Xiaomei’s fault.”
Yan Xie sat on the passenger seat and stomped his legs proudly.
“Han Xiaomei brought him scrambled eggs with leeks without peppers. Yan Xie thought it was tasteless, so he had to cut the millet peppers and fry them again. After cutting the peppers, he suddenly had to go to the toilet before washing his hands…”
Yan Xie realized something was wrong and suddenly came to cover Jiang Ting’s mouth, but it was too late.
“When he came back, he was like this.” Jiang Ting smiled and said, “In short… he burned it, his firebird!”
Yang Mei’s professionalism as an informant for many years saved her at this moment. If it weren’t for the tracking, she would surely have the most hearty laugh of her life.
The firebird Yan Xie covered his face with one hand, and his horrible expression could be seen through his fingers.
“You should know that I won’t keep this secret,” Jiang Ting teased. “It started when you took the initiative to tell people that you were almost drained by your wife last night when you passed by the toll booth.”
Yang Mei hid in the corner, looking at the corridor of the private room with a small makeup mirror while covering her mouth and laughing. Suddenly she saw something in the scene reflected in the mirror and quickly whispered, “Qi Sihao is back!”
“Don’t rush, be careful while hiding.”
“No, wait.” Yang Mei suddenly realized that something was wrong: “It wasn’t Qi Sihao. It was the manager bringing the other two men… Strange.”
When these new guests came, Madam Sang didn’t have any enthusiasm or flattery on her face. On the contrary, her head was lowered, her shoulders were shrank, and her walking movements were stiff, as if she was attempting to conceal a hint of… fear?
Why would she be afraid?
Yang Mei boldly tried to probe a little, only to see Madam Sang bring the two men in black into Qi Sihao’s box. After a while, she came out with a few trembling exposed princesses, and brought them to the door without daring to stop, immediately beckoning the girls to hurry out.
Who was the visitor?
Yang Mei looked suspiciously at the closed box, but the walls and doors of the nightclub were designed with sound insulation, preventing all information from leaking out and making it impossible for her to find out what was going on inside.
Jiang Ting asked into the headset, “What’s wrong?”
“The situation is not right,” Yang Mei quickly reported what happened in a low voice and asked worriedly: “Why hasn’t Qi Sihao come back?”
In the Phaeton car, Jiang Ting and Yan Xie looked at each other.
“Wait, he’s back!”
Qi Sihao’s face was red, and he smelled of alcohol. He didn’t notice anything unusual around him and didn’t know that he was about to face a disaster. He strode to the door of the box and pushed it. The next moment, Yang Mei clearly saw his back freeze.
“Who are you?!”
Before he finished speaking, he was pulled in by the people in the box. Bang! The door slammed shut!
“Brother Jiang!” Yang Mei lost her voice and said, “The situation has changed!”
“—What are you doing? What are you trying to do?” In the box, Qi Sihao’s face was completely red because of his drunkenness, and his shrill voice was out of tune: “Stop, who are you?!”
All the girls had disappeared. Old Liu’s face was red and purple, and a man in black had placed a foot on his chest. Old Liu was struggling against the back of the sofa, making a whimper. The man restrained Old Liu and at the same time took out the paper bag from his pocket, poured the white powder into the mouth of the wine bottle, and shook it a few times. Then, he leaned over and grabbed Old Liu’s chin, forcing him to open his mouth, and poured the whole bottle of wine into his throat.
“Stop it! Someone, someone! Help!”
Qi Sihao turned around to rush toward the door, but as soon as he turned around, he ran into another man. The person hit him in the stomach with his fist, and he fell heavily to the ground, letting out a miserable scream.
Old Liu struggled for his life, but he couldn’t break free from the man’s well-trained restraint. In the chaos, half a bottle of wine was spilled on his body and on the sofa, and most of it was poured into his throat. The deadly, high-purity heroin quickly melted into his blood.
As soon as the man’s hand loosened, Old Liu’s fat body slid down, his pupils quickly expanded, and there was a “gurgling” sound in his throat.
“It’s over.” The man squatted down and rolled his eyelids, then said coldly, “Drug overdose caused the death, the police will deal with the rest.”
Qi Sihao had already collapsed on the ground, his entire body trembling in fear: “I, I am a police officer; how dare you…
“So you still know you’re a police officer,” The man who punched him sneered, “How could you not remember that you were a police officer when you secretly took out our boss’s goods to sell them?”
Qi Sihao was struck by lightning, and he forgot to even tremble.
Who knew what the man was thinking, muttering contemptuously, “You’re all police officers, so why are your bones so soft?”
“Okay, talk less.” The man in black, who had killed earlier, stepped forward and easily dragged Qi Sihao, who was like a dead dog, from the ground, saying, “Let’s go.”
“You, you, you, where are you taking me, you—”
“Shut up!” The man in black scolded impatiently: “Dare to say one more word and I will kill you on the way!”
Qi Sihao’s throat seemed to be blocked by a stone, and his knees were so soft that he couldn’t even stand up. The two killers nodded to each other and opened the box door with him.
“They’ve come out.” Yang Mei disappeared behind the large vase, trying her best to sound calmer: “What should I do now, Brother Jiang?”
“Follow.”
Yang Mei paused.
The next second, she heard a bang from the communicator. It was the door of the Phaeton being thrown open. Jiang Ting pressed the wireless headset with one hand and strode into the back alley, his jacket swaying in the night wind behind him.
“Yan Xie and I are walking in.” His instructions were always concise: “Prepare to meet.”
………..
Qi Sihao didn’t dare say a word or even raise his head to look for people. However, the visitors had obviously made preparations in advance. The entire corridor on the second floor was empty, and there was not even a shadow of a ghost.
He was so violently held that he staggered through the corridor and plunged into the fire escape, not noticing that the two killers seemed to feel something at the moment when the door was closed, and they exchanged quick glances with each other.
“They should have gone down from the fire escape on the second floor.” Yang Mei took off her high heels and stuffed them into the trash can at the corner. She followed silently with bare feet like a cat and whispered, “I’ll go in to take a look, Brother Jiang; you must be careful. I guess the director of the notary’s office, surnamed Liu, has been silenced. This nightclub probability has something to do with drug trafficking…”
Jiang Ting said, “I see, you should also be careful.”
Yang Mei was just about to answer when another awkward voice came from the communicator: “Be careful.”
“?” Yang Mei couldn’t help but ask, “That was Vice-Captain Yan just now?”
Jiang Ting: “……”
Yan Xie: “……”
“Who was Vice-Captain Yan telling to be careful?” Yang Mei was shocked, as if she had discovered a new world: “Is it me? Is it me?”
“Yes, it’s you!” Yan Xie gritted his teeth and said, “You are fireworks of different colors! You are the strongest bubble! Do you still have any questions?!”
Yang Mei: “…………”
Jiang Ting held his forehead and sighed: “I will never take you two out to run errands at the same time again…”
Yang Mei hid in front of the fire escape, counted to twenty silently in her heart, and then gently pushed open a crack in the door.
Squeak—
Incandescent light poured through the crack, but there was no movement. The footsteps of the man in black holding Qi Sihao down faintly echoed in the corridor.
Yang Mei breathed out silently and pressed the communicator in her ear: “I’m going in now.” Then she nimbly dove into the fire escape.
The last time she and Jiang Ting came to Gongzhou to investigate, she had already found the nightclub that Qi Sihao used as a secret base, and at the same time, she had also learned about the basic terrain here. In addition to the first and second floors, the nightclub also has a basement that serves as a warehouse. The elevator couldn’t take you there, and you could only enter through the corridor. The man in black obviously intended to take Qi Sihao to the warehouse.
So, what’s in the underground warehouse?
Are they planning to kill him?
Yang Mei’s soft toes stepped on the concrete steps, and she went downstairs lightly and quickly without making any sound. When she walked to the corner on the first floor, she really heard the sound of the warehouse door in the basement being pushed open. She was about to continue to follow, but she suddenly noticed something; her scalp exploded, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.
Now——
Why are there only two people walking ahead?
The two men in black were wearing boots, and Qi Sihao was also wearing hard-soled shoes. The movement was obvious in this corridor. Unless Qi Sihao had passed out and was carried away by the two, the sound of the footsteps walking into the warehouse should be three.
What about one more person?
Where is the other person—
Yang Mei raised her head subconsciously, her pupils tightening instantly.
A man in black stood by the handrail of the corridor above, looking down at her from a height, and slowly took a short knife from his pants pocket, revealing a wide smile.
“In short…” Jiang Ting smiled and said, “He burned it, his firebird!”
“Yan Xie, I know you. We’ve been brothers for many years. Needless to say, I also understand… No, no.”
“Yan Xie, I know everything about you. When Chief Lu and the others came to question me, everything I said was true. You know that Captain Fang is my direct superior, so…it’s not right.”
“Yan Xie, I already know about your poisoning and car accident. Although Captain Fang is my direct superior, we’ve been brothers for so many years…”
“What are you doing, Brother Qin?” Ma Xiang was walking through the corridor shoulder to shoulder with his colleague when he saw a familiar figure standing outside Yan Xie’s office, chanting. Seeing that it was Qin Chuan, he went up and slapped his shoulder: “What are you chanting spells for? Brother Yan isn’t even here, yo, is this food?”
Qin Chuan was startled and turned back suddenly: “What?”
Ma Xiang had already skillfully opened the plastic bag, taken out a peach, rubbed it a little on his clothes, and said with a smile, “Brother Yan said that he had a quarrel with Chief Lu yesterday, and today he’s sick and didn’t come to work. Do you have something to do with him? Why don’t you go to his house?”
Well, half a day’s worth of mental preparation was in vain.
Qin Chuan felt that he wasted two tons of precious feelings in an instant: “A quarrel? About what?”
“How would I know, but it should be—” Ma Xiang lowered his voice and pointed in the direction of the anti-drug detachment: “About your boss. Hey, don’t take it to heart, it has nothing to do with you anyway. Let them fight with the gods, and beat each other.”
“… alright, alright, ” Qin Chuan shoved the fruits into Ma Xiang’s hand and waved his hand annoyedly: “Go, when Yan Xie comes back, give me a call.”
“Oh! Okay!” Ma Xiangle carried the bag of fruits back to the office.
………
Gongzhou.
Seven o’clock in the evening, in the nightclub.
The corridor on the second floor of the nightclub was dimly lit, and was excessively decorated. The pale gold wallpaper and the thick, red-patterned carpet on the ground complemented each other, successfully creating a cheap luxurious feeling in the interior of the well-known nightclub.
Qi Sihao was wearing sunglasses and had a low-key and casual outfit. Under the guidance of Madam Sang Yinqin, he pushed open the door of the largest box. Seeing him, a man in the room immediately stood up: “Hey, Old Qi is here!”
The girls followed one after another: “Brother Qi!”
“Brother Qi!”
………
Qi Sihao waved his hand and ordered to open two bottles of Macallan 18. Madam Sang immediately burst into laughter, turned around, and went out.
They’d apparently already had a round of drinks in the box. Empty wine bottles were lying on the coffee table. Four or five “champagne princesses” were wearing off-the-shoulder tops and mini skirts, all having excitement and slight drunkenness on their faces. Qi Sihao quickly glanced around, and through their thick makeup, in which even their mother would not be able to recognize them, he vaguely recognized the girls who were familiar to him. He calmed down a little and whispered to the big-bellied man on the side: “You’re really good, Old Liu, this is the second time this month! What did I say at the beginning?”
“Yes, yes, yes — but how could I have thought that the goods would sell so well?” Old Liu stubbornly held the cigarette between his stubby fingers and smiled. He spread his hands exaggeratedly: “Look, it’s not even winter yet, and seventy to eighty percent of the goods are already gone in the middle of the year. The demand has exceeded the supply! What can I do?”
Qi Sihao sat while drinking; his face seemed unhappy.
“However, I also raised the price by 30% according to what you said, and made a lot of money.” Old Liu made a gesture, patted him on the shoulder, and lowered his voice: “Old rules, it’s already been settled on your son’s bank account abroad, don’t worry!”
Qi Sihao’s face became better now: “Hey, with the kind of friendship we have, you don’t need to worry about money…”
Old Liu hurriedly followed his words, praising him for working hard again.
“It’s not that I refuse to approve of it; it’s just that the situation is tight these days.” Qi Sihao sighed: “A while ago, Jianning cracked a 502 drug trafficking and murder case, which somehow alarmed the Ministry of Public Security, and now there are rumors saying that there’s a new type of drug that needs to be strictly investigated. There may be a new round of nationwide crackdowns before the end of the year. These days are going to be rough, in case one day… Hey, I don’t feel very good about it anyway.”
Sure enough, this was a matter of ability. Even at his age, he couldn’t become a high-level official and wasn’t happy with simply making a small fortune. No wonder he didn’t even dare to fart when the surname Jiang was in power.
Old Liu showed his dissatisfaction with a dejected expression, but he couldn’t say anything on the surface and could only persuade him with good words: “What are you so afraid of? Once the goods are transported from your police department to the waste disposal company, no one will count them again. Besides, the final count before disposal is also done by our people in the provincial notary office. I’ve already explained everything, and there will be no mistakes — what else is there to worry about?”
It makes sense. Qi Sihao’s tense face seemed to loosen up a bit: “But we have just started this business, and the higher-ups are about to start cracking down; it is too coincidental…”
“As I said buddy, why is it so harsh? Cracking down every year? Huh! Those who sell dozens to hundreds of kilograms are fine, so why would the country take so much trouble to pay attention to us? I think you’re being overly cautious. Come here, a toast to Brother Qi!”
Several “Champagne Princesses” all came up with charming smiles to persuade them to drink the wine, each with their own beauty. After drinking a few glasses, Qi Sihao’s face became hot, and his heartbeat accelerated. He held a girl in his arms, and the last bit of caution was thrown into the horizon.
“I’ll get another batch of goods this week,” Qi Sihao said to Old Liu with a half glass of wine: “But you should also be careful. You can’t do this kind of thing all the time, keep it under control. People walking by the river…”
Old Liu was perfunctory: “I know! I know!”
The two of them were so drunk that they hugged the girls, sang, played games, and threw dice. Qi Sihao patted Old Liu with a cigarette between his fingers and said drunkenly, “It’s good to know—hey, I’m going to take care of something.”
The box door opened and closed, and Qi Sihao walked toward the end of the corridor dizzily, not seeing the dark place in the corner behind him; a figure wrapped in a red dress floated by the corner.
“Brother Jiang,” Yang Mei whispered, “he came out.”
The red velvet dress enveloped Yang Mei’s curvy figure. Her hair was pulled back charmingly, revealing a slender, creamy neck, and the diamond necklace glimmered brightly in her deep cleavage. She lifted her curly hair on the side of her earlobe and pressed the small button connector in her ear, only to hear Jiang Ting’s steady voice:
“There’s no need to follow; continue to observe.”
Yang Mei was nervous and anxious: “He didn’t notice that something was wrong and planned to run away, right?”
“……” The other side of the earphones was silent for a moment, and then Jiang Ting’s calm voice sounded: “According to my understanding of men, it should be because he drank too much and needs to use the toilet.”
Yang Mei: “……”
At the same time, at the back door of the nightclub
Jiang Ting was wearing a Bluetooth headset, with one hand on his head and the other on the Phaeton steering wheel. At this time, the passenger door suddenly opened, and Yan Xie sat inside along with the cold wind outside the car. For some reason, his face was blue, and he appeared to be in unspeakable secret pain.
“Huh—” Yan Xie sat down with a sigh of relief.
On the other side of the headset, Yang Mei obviously heard the movement: “What’s the matter? The surname Yan went to the toilet again?”
Yan Xie rolled his eyes in a subtle manner.
“Vice-Captain Yan, although we haven’t known each other for a long time, and I don’t know if you have a “hidden illness”, but you seem exhausted every time you go to the toilet. Do you want to go to the hospital for a check-up?” Yang Mei gloated and said, “After all, you’re only in your thirties, and you haven’t found a wife yet. For the sake of your married life in the next few decades—”
From Jianning to Gongzhou, Yan Xie swallowed his anger all the way, but this time, he finally didn’t intend to endure it anymore.
“Hey, it’s fine,” He said lazily, taking a wet tissue to wipe his hands, “Actually, I never told you that this pot should belong to Han Xiaomei.”
Yang Mei: “?”
Jiang Ting pressed his forehead.
“It’s all her fault that she brought me some scrambled eggs with leeks — leeks, you know, Boss Yang. In addition, your brother Jiang is very enthusiastic. As a responsible man, I can’t let my spouse down. No matter how strong I am, there are times when I am squeezed dry.” Yan Xie said modestly: “It’s okay; don’t worry about your brother Jiang. I’ll be fine by tonight, he understands.”
Yang Mei: “……”
Yang Mei’s face was blank, and after a long while, she said two words: “Brother Jiang?”
Jiang Ting affirmed: “Well, it is indeed Han Xiaomei’s fault.”
Yan Xie sat on the passenger seat and stomped his legs proudly.
“Han Xiaomei brought him scrambled eggs with leeks without peppers. Yan Xie thought it was tasteless, so he had to cut the millet peppers and fry them again. After cutting the peppers, he suddenly had to go to the toilet before washing his hands…”
Yan Xie realized something was wrong and suddenly came to cover Jiang Ting’s mouth, but it was too late.
“When he came back, he was like this.” Jiang Ting smiled and said, “In short… he burned it, his firebird!”
Yang Mei’s professionalism as an informant for many years saved her at this moment. If it weren’t for the tracking, she would surely have the most hearty laugh of her life.
The firebird Yan Xie covered his face with one hand, and his horrible expression could be seen through his fingers.
“You should know that I won’t keep this secret,” Jiang Ting teased. “It started when you took the initiative to tell people that you were almost drained by your wife last night when you passed by the toll booth.”
Yang Mei hid in the corner, looking at the corridor of the private room with a small makeup mirror while covering her mouth and laughing. Suddenly she saw something in the scene reflected in the mirror and quickly whispered, “Qi Sihao is back!”
“Don’t rush, be careful while hiding.”
“No, wait.” Yang Mei suddenly realized that something was wrong: “It wasn’t Qi Sihao. It was the manager bringing the other two men… Strange.”
When these new guests came, Madam Sang didn’t have any enthusiasm or flattery on her face. On the contrary, her head was lowered, her shoulders were shrank, and her walking movements were stiff, as if she was attempting to conceal a hint of… fear?
Why would she be afraid?
Yang Mei boldly tried to probe a little, only to see Madam Sang bring the two men in black into Qi Sihao’s box. After a while, she came out with a few trembling exposed princesses, and brought them to the door without daring to stop, immediately beckoning the girls to hurry out.
Who was the visitor?
Yang Mei looked suspiciously at the closed box, but the walls and doors of the nightclub were designed with sound insulation, preventing all information from leaking out and making it impossible for her to find out what was going on inside.
Jiang Ting asked into the headset, “What’s wrong?”
“The situation is not right,” Yang Mei quickly reported what happened in a low voice and asked worriedly: “Why hasn’t Qi Sihao come back?”
In the Phaeton car, Jiang Ting and Yan Xie looked at each other.
“Wait, he’s back!”
Qi Sihao’s face was red, and he smelled of alcohol. He didn’t notice anything unusual around him and didn’t know that he was about to face a disaster. He strode to the door of the box and pushed it. The next moment, Yang Mei clearly saw his back freeze.
“Who are you?!”
Before he finished speaking, he was pulled in by the people in the box. Bang! The door slammed shut!
“Brother Jiang!” Yang Mei lost her voice and said, “The situation has changed!”
“—What are you doing? What are you trying to do?” In the box, Qi Sihao’s face was completely red because of his drunkenness, and his shrill voice was out of tune: “Stop, who are you?!”
All the girls had disappeared. Old Liu’s face was red and purple, and a man in black had placed a foot on his chest. Old Liu was struggling against the back of the sofa, making a whimper. The man restrained Old Liu and at the same time took out the paper bag from his pocket, poured the white powder into the mouth of the wine bottle, and shook it a few times. Then, he leaned over and grabbed Old Liu’s chin, forcing him to open his mouth, and poured the whole bottle of wine into his throat.
“Stop it! Someone, someone! Help!”
Qi Sihao turned around to rush toward the door, but as soon as he turned around, he ran into another man. The person hit him in the stomach with his fist, and he fell heavily to the ground, letting out a miserable scream.
Old Liu struggled for his life, but he couldn’t break free from the man’s well-trained restraint. In the chaos, half a bottle of wine was spilled on his body and on the sofa, and most of it was poured into his throat. The deadly, high-purity heroin quickly melted into his blood.
As soon as the man’s hand loosened, Old Liu’s fat body slid down, his pupils quickly expanded, and there was a “gurgling” sound in his throat.
“It’s over.” The man squatted down and rolled his eyelids, then said coldly, “Drug overdose caused the death, the police will deal with the rest.”
Qi Sihao had already collapsed on the ground, his entire body trembling in fear: “I, I am a police officer; how dare you…
“So you still know you’re a police officer,” The man who punched him sneered, “How could you not remember that you were a police officer when you secretly took out our boss’s goods to sell them?”
Qi Sihao was struck by lightning, and he forgot to even tremble.
Who knew what the man was thinking, muttering contemptuously, “You’re all police officers, so why are your bones so soft?”
“Okay, talk less.” The man in black, who had killed earlier, stepped forward and easily dragged Qi Sihao, who was like a dead dog, from the ground, saying, “Let’s go.”
“You, you, you, where are you taking me, you—”
“Shut up!” The man in black scolded impatiently: “Dare to say one more word and I will kill you on the way!”
Qi Sihao’s throat seemed to be blocked by a stone, and his knees were so soft that he couldn’t even stand up. The two killers nodded to each other and opened the box door with him.
“They’ve come out.” Yang Mei disappeared behind the large vase, trying her best to sound calmer: “What should I do now, Brother Jiang?”
“Follow.”
Yang Mei paused.
The next second, she heard a bang from the communicator. It was the door of the Phaeton being thrown open. Jiang Ting pressed the wireless headset with one hand and strode into the back alley, his jacket swaying in the night wind behind him.
“Yan Xie and I are walking in.” His instructions were always concise: “Prepare to meet.”
………..
Qi Sihao didn’t dare say a word or even raise his head to look for people. However, the visitors had obviously made preparations in advance. The entire corridor on the second floor was empty, and there was not even a shadow of a ghost.
He was so violently held that he staggered through the corridor and plunged into the fire escape, not noticing that the two killers seemed to feel something at the moment when the door was closed, and they exchanged quick glances with each other.
“They should have gone down from the fire escape on the second floor.” Yang Mei took off her high heels and stuffed them into the trash can at the corner. She followed silently with bare feet like a cat and whispered, “I’ll go in to take a look, Brother Jiang; you must be careful. I guess the director of the notary’s office, surnamed Liu, has been silenced. This nightclub probability has something to do with drug trafficking…”
Jiang Ting said, “I see, you should also be careful.”
Yang Mei was just about to answer when another awkward voice came from the communicator: “Be careful.”
“?” Yang Mei couldn’t help but ask, “That was Vice-Captain Yan just now?”
Jiang Ting: “……”
Yan Xie: “……”
“Who was Vice-Captain Yan telling to be careful?” Yang Mei was shocked, as if she had discovered a new world: “Is it me? Is it me?”
“Yes, it’s you!” Yan Xie gritted his teeth and said, “You are fireworks of different colors! You are the strongest bubble! Do you still have any questions?!”
Yang Mei: “…………”
Jiang Ting held his forehead and sighed: “I will never take you two out to run errands at the same time again…”
Yang Mei hid in front of the fire escape, counted to twenty silently in her heart, and then gently pushed open a crack in the door.
Squeak—
Incandescent light poured through the crack, but there was no movement. The footsteps of the man in black holding Qi Sihao down faintly echoed in the corridor.
Yang Mei breathed out silently and pressed the communicator in her ear: “I’m going in now.” Then she nimbly dove into the fire escape.
The last time she and Jiang Ting came to Gongzhou to investigate, she had already found the nightclub that Qi Sihao used as a secret base, and at the same time, she had also learned about the basic terrain here. In addition to the first and second floors, the nightclub also has a basement that serves as a warehouse. The elevator couldn’t take you there, and you could only enter through the corridor. The man in black obviously intended to take Qi Sihao to the warehouse.
So, what’s in the underground warehouse?
Are they planning to kill him?
Yang Mei’s soft toes stepped on the concrete steps, and she went downstairs lightly and quickly without making any sound. When she walked to the corner on the first floor, she really heard the sound of the warehouse door in the basement being pushed open. She was about to continue to follow, but she suddenly noticed something; her scalp exploded, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.
Now——
Why are there only two people walking ahead?
The two men in black were wearing boots, and Qi Sihao was also wearing hard-soled shoes. The movement was obvious in this corridor. Unless Qi Sihao had passed out and was carried away by the two, the sound of the footsteps walking into the warehouse should be three.
What about one more person?
Where is the other person—
Yang Mei raised her head subconsciously, her pupils tightening instantly.
A man in black stood by the handrail of the corridor above, looking down at her from a height, and slowly took a short knife from his pants pocket, revealing a wide smile.
