Chapter 19: Pursuit Across a Thousand Miles (7)

It turned out that the people inside the villa were none other than Zhang Zhenbang and his group. Brother Tian, having barged in with a gun despite being confronted by a team of armed bodyguards, truly had the worst luck imaginable.

“Young man, I’m here to repair my grandfather’s old house, and even in such a remote place I run into you—fate really does bring us together!” Zhang Zhenbang said, looking at Wu Zui with a surprising warmth.

Behind him, Ah Xiang dragged out Brother Tian, whose shoulders had been pierced by bullets, and casually tossed him to the ground.

“This is the one you’re after, right? Just look at this fellow—storming in with a gun and scaring an old man like me half to death! He’s yours now. By the way, where’s Miss Xiao?” Though Zhang Zhenbang’s tone was exaggerated, the way he calmly adjusted his glasses betrayed no real fear at all.

“She’s on the helicopter outside. This man was sent by her father to take her home. In a while, I’ll be accompanying her to Yanjing City!” Wu Zui replied, dragging Brother Tian over. Honestly, he felt some regret at not having finished him off on the spot. Yet, knowing that Brother Tian’s arms would never again lift heavy objects and he’d be left to eke out a meager existence—well, that was fate’s retribution for the beating death of Huzi.

However…

Wu Zui grabbed Brother Tian’s collar with his left hand and hauled his unconscious body upright. Then, with two sharp punches from his right, he struck Brother Tian’s chest. These blows damaged both his heart and lung meridians; from now on, not only would he be unable to carry anything, he’d be out of breath after a mere hundred meters.

“Young man, you’re still as ruthless as ever. Such violence goes against the natural order! You should know that harmony brings prosperity—even in this line of work, there’s no need to be so fierce, understand?” Zhang Zhenbang shook his head after witnessing Wu Zui’s actions.

“…,” said Wu Zui.

“…,” echoed Hu Wu.

While they were talking inside the villa, Xiao Keyan had already ordered the pilot to search for the other escaped criminal. Her reasoning: how could the case be considered closed if the criminals hadn’t all been caught? In truth, she simply wanted to apprehend the fugitive herself.

Thus, Xiao Keyan’s stubbornness was innate—utterly unchangeable!

Liu Yong was at a loss in the face of Xiao Keyan’s insistence. He knew that if they waited for Hu Wu and the others to return only to have to search again, it would be a waste of precious time. It was already afternoon; per Minister Xiao’s strict orders, they had to bring Xiao Keyan back before sunset!

No choice, the pilot set off to pursue the other criminal, if only to keep Xiao Keyan from getting off the helicopter. Liu Yong would do the actual arresting—he was determined not to let her disembark. Who knew what wild idea she might have next?

Faced with the fugitive’s cunning resistance, the “evil” Liu Yong simply shot him dead with a single round.

Such, at least, was Xiao Keyan’s inner monologue.

As she glared at Liu Yong, gnashing her teeth over having her “prey” snatched away, Hu Wu’s voice crackled over Liu Yong’s comms.

“Liu Yong! Where are you folks? What did you do with the helicopter?”

At that moment, dragging the unconscious Brother Tian out of the villa, Hu Wu was feeling more than a little irritated.

“We’re about to leave—why spring some new nonsense on me now?”

“Captain, Miss Xiao wanted to take care of the other fugitive herself, so I had the helicopter pursue him. I’ve just finished the job—didn’t let her get off!” Liu Yong’s tone was helpless. With someone like her, what could he do?

“…,”

Hu Wu fell silent. Today, he’d been left speechless more times than in the past year combined. Even when the Minister was assassinated, he hadn’t been so exasperated.

Because the Minister… actually listened to advice!

“Hurry back! We’re running out of time!” Hu Wu told Liu Yong in a grave tone.

Not long after, Wu Zui and his group left Putai for Yanjing City. As for Pearl Island, Hu Wu had already ordered the local detective bureau to handle the aftermath. Regarding Li Xinyi, Hu Wu discovered he had vanished only when he tried contacting a local acquaintance. At that point, Wu Zui and the others hadn’t realized Li Xinyi was the mastermind; they thought he was just another corrupt detective.

Given the time constraints and Hu Wu’s repeated urgings, Wu Zui paid no further attention to this “small fry.” In any case, customs had been alerted; even if Li Xinyi sprouted wings, he’d be shot down as an unidentified aircraft encroaching on Huaxia’s airspace.

For crooked detectives like him, Huaxia’s policy was always strict—no mercy, the harshest penalties!

…

Meanwhile, on the maritime route from Pearl Island to the mainland, Li Xinyi, now out of his detective uniform and sporting a wine-red suit, lounged comfortably on the deck of a private yacht, sipping from a tall glass.

“Tonight there will be a large-scale anti-crime operation; all citizens are advised to remain indoors.”

A television in front of him played the news for his entertainment. As for his mobile phone and the like, Li Xinyi had long thrown them away—keeping them would be tantamount to announcing his whereabouts. Not only his own, but all crew members’ phones had been confiscated.

He’d been preoccupied cleaning up after Brother Tian’s mess and now with fleeing; recent meetings had passed him by, and he had no idea that every province and city was launching the operation that very night.

And how did he know Brother Tian had gotten into trouble?

Having worked on Pearl Island for many years, he’d not only been ruthless in trafficking, but he’d also planted people in all information-rich positions. That he could place Brother Tian and the others in the Crystal Palace was thanks to his own contacts.

When Wu Zui, Xiao Keyan, and Hu Wu’s group started fighting, he was already tipped off—the receptionist was one of his low-level operatives.

“The Xiao family… what a shame about all those assets! Once I land, I’ll leave Huaxia for good. If I can’t beat them, I can at least get out of their way,” Li Xinyi grumbled inwardly. He knew all too well the Xiao family’s influence in the detective world; with his limited ability, escape was his only option.

A sudden splash sounded behind him, followed by the faint stench of urine and a whiff of blood.

Turning, Li Xinyi saw a crew member relieving himself, the urine tinged red—who knew what illness that indicated? Li Xinyi frowned, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

Bang!

A shot rang out. The crew member toppled over the railing and fell into the sea.

Having killed someone, some of Li Xinyi’s resentment at being forced to flee by the Xiao family was relieved. The poor crewman had the misfortune of crossing his path at the wrong moment.

As the crewman’s body sank, two sharks, attracted by the scent of blood, swam swiftly toward the spot. Unlike normal sharks, their eyes were blood-red.

With a loud crash, the yacht shuddered violently. Li Xinyi, previously at ease, was thrown from his chair onto the deck.

“What the hell! Can’t even steer a yacht—you useless lot!” Li Xinyi scrambled up, furious, and stormed toward the cabin. Before he reached it, the entire vessel capsized, sending Li Xinyi plunging into the sea.

The chill of the water snapped him to his senses. The boat was overturned; the only hope was to get help fast, or he’d die out here. The only satellite phone was in his cabin.

Taking a deep breath, Li Xinyi swam for the yacht, but as he neared it, he saw crew members swimming out in terror, wishing for a few more limbs to paddle with. Behind them, two shadows—four or five meters long—glided through the water.

Li Xinyi didn’t need to think to know they were sharks.

No doubt attracted by the dead crewman!

At this point, Li Xinyi gave up all thought of reaching the satellite phone—swimming that way would be suicide. He frantically swam in the opposite direction.

But how could a primate outswim a shark? Soon, the crew members behind Li Xinyi were being picked off, one by one, their dying screams spurring Li Xinyi to swim even faster.

He felt as if he was swimming faster than an Olympic champion—though, of course, that was just an illusion.

Before long, the two sharks, apparently sated, stopped killing outright. Instead of devouring the next victims in one bite, they took only a chunk, drawing out the agony and terror. The screams of the bitten men spread their fear even further.

The sharks seemed to be reveling in the slaughter.

After a savage chase, Li Xinyi and all the crew were killed and bitten by the two sharks. The once blue ocean was now stained a deep, bloody red.

…

Yanjing City

The helicopter pilot sped through the sky, finally delivering Xiao Keyan to the Detective Bureau headquarters before sunset. The building, only six stories tall, was a surprising sight in the land-starved Yanjing City.

After Hu Wu presented his credentials and Xiao Keyan’s transfer order, the gate guards began their checks—standard identity verification and metal detection. Their firearms were confiscated, but their detective badges were returned.

“Wait! What about him? He’s not on the transfer order!” one of the guards suddenly demanded, pointing at Wu Zui.

Hu Wu stepped forward and handed over a new transfer order on his mobile—a last-minute update he’d arranged with the Minister. After all, without Wu Zui, Xiao Keyan wouldn’t have come; and none of them could handle Wu Zui alone… It was an awkward predicament.

“Binhai City… Wu Zui? Isn’t that the infamous ‘Ruthless Oracle’…” The guard muttered, checking the detective number and verifying the official seal.

Wu Zui’s face darkened. “Ruthless Oracle” was hardly a flattering nickname—he cursed whoever started it. Ever since his demotion, the notorious moniker had only spread, and now more and more people used it.

“Ahem… Please, go ahead!” The guard, a bit embarrassed, quickly opened the gate.

Wu Zui thought the security check was over, but it was only the beginning. Next came iris scans, X-ray imaging—every measure imaginable.

Strangest of all was a room with walls made of some black stone. Wu Zui, Xiao Keyan, Hu Wu, and the others were required to stay inside for five minutes. During that time, Wu Zui could feel his heart pounding incessantly.

Finally, they had blood drawn, and after about ten minutes, everyone was cleared and allowed to leave the security area.