"If you can kill me, then do it directly. Stop spewing so much nonsense," Su Hao scoffed with a cold laugh.
The Su family was not without those who had crossed swords with Chen Jinzhao before. One of his brothers and one of his younger brothers had already been imprisoned, facing imminent execution.
Under such circumstances, Su Hao naturally wouldn't provoke Chen Jinzhao excessively.
Unless—
Chen Jinzhao posed a severe threat to his personal safety.
Han Shangwen instantly lost his temper. The people brought by the two major families didn't even possess the strength to exchange a couple of moves with Chen Jinzhao, let alone kill him.
It was simply wishful thinking.
"Are we just going to stand by and watch Chen Jinzhao defecate on our heads? If he can defecate on our heads today, he'll pluck our heads from our necks tomorrow," Han Shangwen said dejectedly, his words causing much frustration.
Su Hao hesitated to speak, and in the end, he couldn't articulate a reason, only continuing to run his hands through his hair.
"Wait!"
Fang Mingchao suddenly spoke.
This drew the gaze of the other two towards him. Han Shangwen asked, "Mr. Fang, do you have any brilliant ideas?"
Fang Mingchao had been listening to Zhu Xiaotian and Liang Mei's conversation. He had noticed a seemingly meaningless remark from Zhu Xiaotian, where he asked Liang Mei to bury him in his hometown.
He pointed out this issue in front of them.
Han Shangwen dismissed it as a common sentiment, believing everyone wished to return to their roots.
Fang Mingchao shook his head, "I don't think so. Every word Zhu Xiaotian speaks is full of meaning. How could he insert a sentence devoid of substance? Therefore, I deduce that Zhu Xiaotian's hometown might hide a secret. Perhaps it contains evidence of our conspiracy to commit murder. If it falls into Chen Jinzhao's hands, all of us will be finished."
"What did you say?!" Han Shangwen became anxious.
Su Hao also stared at Fang Mingchao, seeking an answer from him.
Fang Mingchao decisively said, "We must send someone to Zhu Xiaotian's hometown immediately. If it turns out to be a false alarm, then so be it. But if there is any evidence..."
All three understood what that implied.
Han Shangwen also expressed some concern, saying to Fang Mingchao, "Mr. Fang, then I'll trouble you."
Su Hao also suggested, "Then for the time being, we must all be careful not to be too ostentatious. All illegal actions must be temporarily halted or canceled."
This suggestion was agreed upon by the other two.
After the three conferred, Fang Mingchao immediately dispatched people to act, aiming to secure the item before Chen Jinzhao discovered the secret. However, they were unaware that Chen Jinzhao had already deployed his forces earlier.
A subtle battle of wits and wills was thus commencing.
Afternoon.
Chen Jinzhao handed Liang Mei's recording to Tao Qiyue, asking her to forward it to Wang Zhenliang.
Wang Zhenliang was currently the only person he could trust.
Not long after.
Wang Zhenliang personally called Chen Jinzhao, informing him that the case involved too many parties and deeply entrenched forces, and it might not be possible to clear Zhu Xiaotian and Yang Qianqian's names.
In other words, more compelling evidence was needed.
Without strong evidence, even knowing that Su Hao and Fang Mingchao were responsible for the case would be useless, as they could not be brought to justice through legal means.
Chen Jinzhao understood and told Wang Zhenliang not to force it, as the situation might soon take a turn.
By evening.
Chen Jinzhao was still sitting in his office, smoking a cigarette. Shangguan Yu'an stood quietly beside him. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she said, "Instructor, it's already nine o'clock. Why don't you have something to eat first?"
"News from Yue Province won't come back that quickly."
Zhu Xiaotian's hometown was in Yue Province.
Chen Jinzhao exhaled a smoke ring and said in a deep voice, "Let's wait a bit longer. By rights, I should have received a call reporting the situation an hour ago. Why haven't they called back yet?"
Shangguan Yu'an hesitated to speak, also finding the situation peculiar.
After about another half hour, the communicator on the desk finally vibrated. Chen Jinzhao picked it up without hesitation and answered, "This is Ninghai Station, Chen Jinzhao speaking. Has there been any progress on the mission?"
Shangguan Yu'an held her breath, also listening intently to the sound coming from the phone.
However, there was no sound from the communicator at first, causing their hearts to sink.
"This is Ninghai, please respond!" Chen Jinzhao said sternly.
"Instructor..."
Wu Gang's weak voice came from the communicator.
"We were ambushed in Li City, Yue Province. Only I escaped from the five team members. The evidence has also fallen into the hands of the enemy. Candle Dragon Special Operations Team member Wu Gang, requesting backup!"
Chen Jinzhao sprang up, clutching the communicator tightly. "Are you safe in your current situation?"
Wu Gang replied weakly, "Reasonably safe..."
Shangguan Yu'an immediately began to track Wu Gang's real-time location and found that he was at Zhu Xiaotian's hometown.
Chen Jinzhao continued, "Tell me exactly what happened!"
Wu Gang took a deep breath, his voice seemingly choked with emotion, "Instructor, we had already obtained what Zhu Xiaotian left behind. It was in a tomb he had prepared for himself in advance. However, after retrieving the item, we were ambushed on our way back. Two out of three vehicles were bombed, and one team member died on the spot. The remaining four of us realized something was wrong and fled into the mountains with the item. They were killed one after another to cover my escape, and now only I am left!"
Danger ahead, pursuers behind.
Moreover, Wu Gang had sustained some injuries in the explosion, so his stamina was already waning.
Being caught by the enemy was only a matter of time.
Chen Jinzhao made a swift decision and said to him, "Hold on a little longer. I'm coming to rescue you right away!"
Wu Gang gritted his teeth and said, "Please rest assured, Instructor. I will complete the mission!"
After hanging up the communication, Chen Jinzhao and Shangguan Yu'an exchanged a look. Shangguan Yu'an said, "Instructor, I've already located Wu Gang. With the armed helicopter we have on standby at our station, we can reach Wu Gang's location within an hour and a half."
An hour and a half was quite long!
But this was already the shortest preparation time and the fastest way to reach Wu Gang's location.
Chen Jinzhao did not hesitate and told Shangguan Yu'an, "Contact Yang Qinshu and have him send another squad of members to assist. You and I will go to Li City as the vanguard."
"Understood!"
Five minutes later.
Chen Jinzhao, clad in his military uniform, and Shangguan Yu'an boarded the station's armed helicopter and plunged into the night sky, heading straight for Li City!
Looking at the city and villages gradually falling asleep below, Chen Jinzhao's face was grave. He hadn't expected the other side to also grasp the hidden meaning of Zhu Xiaotian's words and obtain explosives, a prohibited item, for a desperate struggle!
"Xiao Wu, you must hold on!"
"I'm coming!"