[Urban] Fuse (Complete) - 13-15

Chapter 19

July 10th, 8:15 AM, Shengli Road, New District, A City, Fenglei Fitness Center.

Wang Hui and I were in a Toyota Prado parked on the side of the road. Several other cars nearby looked suspicious; it seemed like there were people inside.

Wang Ke and that tough girl were in the same car as us. Wang Ke was on her cell phone; those cars probably contained her subordinates. I didn't know how many people she could mobilize, but it probably wouldn't exceed the number from last time. After all, real life isn't like the exaggerated scenes in movies. A City is a big city, and the police and other aspects are quite strict. Moreover, this violated the organization's consistent low-key and secretive style.

Secrecy is life; this is the basic principle of the organization's operations that I've observed over the past two years. The organization won't expose things in broad daylight unless absolutely necessary; everything is done in secret.

Today's commotion suggests that the organization is really taking a risk, with so many people coming in broad daylight. Could it be that they're planning to use force?

The thought of "hardness" made my buttocks ache again. I couldn't tense my buttock muscles; it hurt whenever I tried, as if the forced penetration last time had strained my internal muscles. I never imagined Wang Ke would use such methods against me; just thinking about it now sends chills down my spine. Honestly, I'll remember this for the rest of my life; I might even have nightmares about it.

Actually, the incident wasn't as serious as I imagined; it was mainly the psychological trauma.

Wang Ke only penetrated a little from behind, just the head of her penis went in; the rest wasn't fully inside, or rather, she didn't have time. The car suddenly jolted, and because of the sudden fear and pain, I reflexively struggled, managing to break free from her. Then it seemed like the roles were reversed; she tried to assault me, and I fought back desperately. But before she could succeed, the car suddenly stopped—we'd arrived at our destination. Seeing that other people had arrived, Wang Ke didn't continue; she simply got dressed and got out, and my buttocks were finally safe.

Later, after we got off the train, we realized we had arrived at our destination. We transferred to several vehicles and arrived in the new district. Originally, Wang Ke and his group planned to sneak into the gym that night to steal the items, but after circling the area a few times, they realized it would be difficult. Now that the municipal government had moved to the new district, police cars patrolled the area constantly from morning till night. A few cars parked on the street in the middle of the night would definitely attract the attention of the police. Moreover, the gym's security measures were quite thorough, with staff on duty 24 hours a day, making it very difficult to sneak in unnoticed.

It seems that even the most powerful organizations cannot necessarily extend their reach to every corner of society; there are many places beyond their reach, beyond my imagination.

Later, Wang Ke decided to proceed during the day. Although it was still risky, at least Wang Hui was with him. Wang Hui had stored things there before, probably more than once, so she should be somewhat familiar with the place. The staff should recognize her; they could just say she lost her keys and explain politely, and it shouldn't be too difficult.

However, since she wasn't a member, things were still quite complicated. If her member friend were there, it would be much easier to handle. But who exactly is that member? I remember Wang Hui's tone was hesitant and unusual when she mentioned it last time. I didn't have a chance to ask then, and I certainly don't now.

"I'll be going in with you later, don't try anything funny, understand?"

Wang Ke's expression was quite serious as she stared into my eyes.

"Okay, I'll listen to you, but aren't you afraid someone has already gotten there? Don't forget, there are more than one group of people eyeing it. Aren't you afraid of being the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?"

"You watch too many movies, don't you?" The tough girl sneered.

I didn't say anything; actually, I wasn't very confident either. I just felt that Feng Wu couldn't possibly not act, and Zhang Ning couldn't possibly not act. Because I discovered that both Zhang Ning and Wang Ke's groups had people secretly providing them with clues, and the key was Chen Yan.

Zhang Ning had already admitted that she got the information from Chen Yan, but what about Wang Ke? Where did her information come from? Maybe Wang Ke had shown those videotapes to someone else; that was the only possibility. The organization has an informant within the police force, who may have access to these videotapes and thus notified Wang Ke.

Who did Chen Yan show them to? It must have been someone she trusted, or someone she considered trustworthy. The only person I can think of is Zhang Ning's brother, Zhang An.

Could it be that Zhang An tipped off Wang Ke? Is Zhang An really a spy for the organization department within the police force? This is too far-fetched.

What reason would a promising young cadre like him have to associate with Wang Ke? Could it be someone else? I'm not familiar with the inner workings of the police force, so Zhang An is the only one I can think of. Moreover, he was the one who took over my case from the beginning; he's the only one with the most opportunity to manipulate things.

But if Zhang An is in Wang Ke's group, why would Wang Ke go to the trouble of coming in person? Why not just have Zhang An use his police identity to come and take the tapes? Oh, perhaps their relationship isn't a simple superior-subordinate one, and Zhang An coming in person might expose his identity, which he doesn't want to take the risk of.

But these were all just guesses. If it wasn't Zhang An, then who could it be?

The faces of three young girls of similar age—Zhang Ning, Wang Ke, and Chen Yan—swirled through my mind like a revolving lantern, leaving my thoughts in a jumbled mess. Just then, Wang Ke nudged me, signaling me to get out of the car. Wang Hui and I got out. Although we weren't handcuffed anymore, Wang Ke and the tough girl followed us from the left and right, and two other people were watching us from a distance, clearly anticipating our escape.

The lockers Wang Hui mentioned were on the second floor of the gym, where there was a yoga studio; the lockers were actually for changing clothes. There didn't seem to be many people there in the morning, but it was hard to say whether Wang Ke was among them.

However, as expected, when we arrived, the staff recognized Wang Hui but refused her request. The reason was simple and valid: Wang Hui wasn't a member. Although she had been there before, she had always used other people's membership cards. While they might have been lenient with her before, that was only when the rightful member was present—as long as you had the key, they would turn a blind eye. "Now you don't have the key, and the person in question isn't with you. Who knows what's going on? If something happens, the gym staff won't be able to explain themselves.

" "No, I really have an emergency. You know me, I left my things inside, and I lost my key..." Wang Hui pleaded, and Wang Ke chimed in, but the manager's attitude was incredibly professional. He remained smiling and polite, saying even more nice things than Wang Hui, but the underlying message was clear: if the person in question wasn't there, there was no way to open the locker.

"How can you be so unreasonable? You know her, right? If you don't like it, here's your ID. If anything happens, you can call the police using your ID. Is that alright?" Wang Ke said, taking out an ID card to hand to the manager. Needless to say, it was fake, but the manager, still smiling obsequiously, refused to take it.

“Well, you can notify Mr. Ma and ask him to come over. With him there, we won't say anything.”

“But… he… what can I do if he can't come?” Wang Hui hesitated, which only deepened the supervisor's suspicion. “Can't come? What do you mean? Surely you can make a phone call?”

“I can't reach him right now.” Wang Hui's evasive answer only made things worse.

“Then I can't help you. I'm sorry, we have regulations here. I have to follow them.”

I listened from the side, feeling a bit strange. Mr. Ma? Who is that? Could it be… I suddenly remembered the little Ma who died mysteriously in the fire. Could it be him?

I've always been puzzled about who killed Xiao Ma and why his body was found there. I always thought these were minor details not worth investigating, perhaps just a trick by the person who framed me. Since I was at Asia World Plaza, they needed to place a corpse where I'd been to further frame me.

But now I realize he's involved more deeply than I thought. The cabinet where Wang Hui kept her USB drive actually belongs to him—is this a coincidence, or

is he also involved? Or perhaps another person surnamed Ma? But could Wang Hui possibly know so many people with the surname Ma? And Wang Hui speaks hesitantly, probably afraid of mentioning Xiao Ma's name and upsetting me. Besides, I can't contact him now. How can I contact a dead person? Everything fits—it's Xiao Ma!

“Okay, I can tell you, I left a USB drive in here, and the files on it are very important to me. You can see it here right now. I absolutely won't take any money or anything else, and it's mine that I put it in.

I need to take it back now.” Wang Hui was clearly getting anxious.

“I'm sorry, I can't help you. I'm really sorry.”

“How much do you get paid a month?” Wang Ke suddenly asked.

“I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean?” The supervisor said he didn't understand, but his expression clearly showed he did.

“What I mean is, I understand you're following the rules. But how should I put it, there's always a human element, right? Sometimes you don't have to be so rigid. If you're willing to help us with this, we won't let you do it for nothing. So? Do you understand what I mean?” As he spoke, Wang Ke secretly slipped something into the supervisor's hand.

“If you’re unhappy here and want to move elsewhere, I can help you arrange it. I guarantee it will be at least double your current salary. I mean what I say.” Wang Ke continued her persuasion, but the manager’s expression changed several times, as if he felt something was amiss.

Normally, most people here were wealthy. If he had continued to argue with her, they would have already stormed off in anger, perhaps even attracting the manager and CEO. These people didn’t seem poor, yet they had been so humble, and now they were even offering bribes. Even he would have felt something was wrong.

“Well, perhaps you could wait a moment, I’ll go report to our manager, because I said I’m not in charge…” The manager’s eyes darted around, trying to slip away, but everyone present was perceptive and immediately saw through his deception. Before he could take a step, the tough woman next to him suddenly stepped forward, blocking his path, her arm swaying slightly, and punched him in the stomach.

The manager, caught off guard by the woman's sudden violence, immediately clutched his stomach and doubled over, unable to utter a sound from the pain. The tough woman then shoved him inside. All four of us went inside, while two others quickly and naturally approached, opening the door on either side, effectively isolating the area inside.

"Damn it, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences!" the tough woman muttered viciously as she pushed the manager inside. She then delivered a karate chop to his neck, knocking him to the ground. He swayed a couple of times and then passed out.

"Quick, quick!" Wang Ke ordered in a low voice. The tough woman immediately pulled out a master key and began picking the lock.

This storage box wasn't a safe; the lock was just a regular one. Clearly, this tough woman was an expert; after seven or eight minutes, she had successfully pried open the lock. Wang Ke then pulled open the cabinet door. Inside, there were only a few simple clothes. After a thorough search, he found a blue 2GB Tsinghua Unigroup USB drive in the corner.

"Is this it?" Wang Ke pulled it out and asked Wang Hui.

Wang Hui nodded, and Wang Ke put the USB drive away. A relieved smile finally appeared on her face.

"Don't lie to me, it's this one, are you sure?!"

"It's this one, no doubt about it." Wang Hui trembled. The tough girl next to her searched again and confirmed that there was only this one USB drive inside. There was nothing else, and the location matched what Wang Hui had said.

"Let's go, hide that person." Two people came in and dragged the unconscious supervisor to a corner of the room. I was pushed on the back and forced to follow them out. I felt anxious and distressed, wanting to run but unable to find an opportunity, but I knew that going back with them would definitely not end well.

But even knowing this, I had no chance.

Zhang Ning, Zhang Ning, where are you? Why haven't you appeared yet? My mind involuntarily started thinking of Zhang Ning. She was the only person I felt had the ability to stand up to Wang Ke. As for Feng Wu, I don't even know if she's in City A. Even if she is, with so many people around, she probably wouldn't be able to make a move.

Damn it, might as well fight! I was really desperate and decided to run for my life. Anyway, this is in public, and causing chaos might give me a better chance. They might not dare to go on a killing spree here.

Just as I was looking around calculating my route, Wang Ke's phone suddenly rang. He stopped abruptly after answering it. Then there was a commotion ahead. I looked up and saw a group of people coming in through the gate, coming face to face with us. The young girl in the lead was Zhang Ning. She was holding a key and spotted us immediately!

It's true what they say, enemies meet again. Zhang Ning, being a gangster, was quick to investigate and managed to catch us before Wang Ke left.

"Don't go!" As soon as Zhang Ning saw Wang Ke, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes widened. She pointed at Wang Ke and shouted that. When Wang Ke saw it was Zhang Ning, his expression changed instantly. He immediately pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and quickly retreated. Zhang Ning's men immediately pounced on him, and the tough girl led two others to meet them. The two groups started fighting in the lobby.

I pointed at Wang Ke and shouted, "The stuff is with her!" I grabbed Wang Hui and tried to run. But as soon as I started running, my buttocks ached terribly, and my legs felt stiff. I couldn't put any weight on them, and after only a few steps, I was tackled to the ground from behind.

In such a public place, probably no one dared to use any weapons. Firearms were out of the question, and there were no knives or clubs either. Most of the fighting was hand-to-hand, with one or two grabbing whatever was nearby and throwing it around. The security guards at the gym panicked when they saw the fight break out. They used their walkie-talkies to call for backup, but they didn't need the walkie-talkies; the lobby's security cameras had already recorded everything clearly. The duty manager called for reinforcements while simultaneously calling the police.

Wang Ke probably hadn't expected Zhang Ning to find the place so quickly, and Zhang Ning's arrival was clearly quite rushed. Neither side was well-prepared, resulting in extreme chaos. At this moment, Wang Ke's men, who had been left outside, rushed in, and nearly twenty people engaged in a fierce brawl.

The people at the gym, of course, didn't know who these two groups were; they just assumed it was a regular brawl. Several security guards tried to separate the fighting, but they were all beaten back, and no one dared to go in again. The entire lobby was a complete mess; almost everything was smashed. The duty manager was sweating profusely, wondering why the police hadn't arrived yet.

Wang Hui and I didn't know which side had captured us, but our captors were quickly surrounded and a chaotic fight broke out. Wang Hui and I crawled on the ground, covering our heads, rolling to a corner. Before we could even assess the situation, Wang Ke suddenly appeared beside us, a small pistol pressed against my head, and a woman was standing nearby.

"Don't move! Get out of here!"

Under Wang Ke's coercion, Wang Hui and I were pushed into a corridor. Just then, the piercing sirens of police wailed outside; the police had finally arrived. Wang Ke didn't slow down, pushing us both straight into the corridor. Dozens of police officers rushed in, shouting, "Don't move! Get down! Get down!" The two groups, locked in a fierce fight, saw the police arrive so quickly and instinctively scattered. But they were no match for the police; only six or seven people managed to escape, scattering in all directions. A dozen or so officers gave chase, and the rest didn't resist, covering their heads and lying on the ground.

Zhang Ning didn't even have time to run. In fact, the police had arrived less than three minutes after the initial contact; their response time was astonishing. A hint of doubt flashed in her eyes as she glanced at the officers, before finally obediently lying down as well.

Behind us were the shouts of the chasing police and the screams of innocent bystanders. Wang Hui and I ran ahead, panicked and disoriented. But someone knew the way. The woman with Wang Ke pointed us in and we slipped into a fire escape stairwell. A glass window in the stairwell was open, leading to a small courtyard—we didn't know what it was.

"Quick! Go this way!"

Under the threat of gunfire, we climbed out the window. Outside was a small courtyard with a car parked there. The entrance was a large iron gate, seemingly the fire escape. Before we could figure out how to escape, the gate suddenly opened, and a plainclothes officer in a police bulletproof vest entered, pointing a pistol at us.

I immediately raised my hands in fright, Wang Hui was at a loss, while Wang Ke stared at the officer without moving, still holding his gun.

The woman who had led the way instinctively tried to turn and run, but two muffled thuds followed—she was shot twice and fell to the ground, quickly dying in a pool of blood. I realized something was wrong then; police officers don't use silencers. I'd only ever seen someone use this thing once before; that man was wearing sunglasses, but his voice was very familiar.

"Get in the car quickly!"

Zhang Chaoping! It was him! His hair was shaved short; his former dashing air was gone. I didn't recognize him at first. How did he get here? How did he get here? He was even disguised as an undercover police officer, which made it impossible for me to recognize him at first. How did he know this place? What exactly…? My mind was full of questions. I couldn't react for a moment. But then someone answered for me. Wang Ke pressed the muzzle of his gun against my head and whispered, "Hurry up! Get in the car!"

"What?! It's you!? Could it be you!?"

I was truly shocked, utterly horrified. Wang Ke and Zhang Chaoping were in cahoots? She was actually the traitor of that organization!? After being shoved into the car, my mind was still a little blank, but I saw Lian Yue inside. She must have fallen into Zhang Chaoping's hands a long time ago. Wang Ke held a gun to our throats from behind. Zhang Chaoping drove, with a police light on the roof. While the police were busy dealing with the others, they quickly passed through the cordon.

"You! How could you be with him?" The car had already left the neighborhood where the gym was located. I knew the police probably couldn't catch up in time, so I couldn't help but ask.

"Aren't you usually pretty smart? How come you can't see something so obvious?"

"You... what do you mean? He's not also one of the organization? No! You... could you be the real traitor?" I couldn't believe it. If all of this was true, then Wang Ke was an incredibly good actress. I always thought she was a loyal henchman of the organization, someone who had been chasing me everywhere. I never expected that someone like her, who should be considered a relatively high-ranking cadre in the organization, would actually be a traitor colluding with Zhang Chaoping.

Wang Ke didn't answer, but I could see from her eyes that she admitted it.

"So, you framed me?" My voice seemed to have become unrecognizable to myself. I felt my throat become very thick, and my chest felt extremely heavy.

"You mean murder? I didn't do it." Wang Ke sneered, looking at me like I was a lamb to the slaughter.

"Then you did it?" I asked Zhang Chaoping in the front.

Zhang Chaoping gripped the steering wheel and didn't answer, but his right hand made a salute like a US soldier greeting, which was an admission. My chest was immediately engulfed by suppressed anger, and I clenched my teeth and stared at him. But Wang Ke's gun was still pointed at me, and I managed to resist the urge to strangle him.

"Why did you frame me? We have no grudges against each other."

"I don't care if we have a grudge or not. That's a stupid question. I framed you simply because I needed to, it's that simple. I need you to draw attention from all sides, that's the simple purpose. Is there any need for a grudge? If you really want to count, you came to steal my things, that counts as a grudge. But it's convenient for me to take advantage of this, and I can also have some fun with this sexy, sassy mature woman, why not?"

Zhang Chaoping's tone was full of smugness.

"Did you also leak Feng Wu's identity?" I asked Wang Ke.

"Feng Wu? The one who escaped?" Wang Ke seemed unaware of who Feng Wu was. Zhang Chaoping chimed in, "Hmph, I'd always suspected that woman was no ordinary person, and I was always wary of her. After it was all over, regardless of whether she was an undercover agent sent by A to my side, I silenced her. I just didn't expect her skills to be so impressive that she escaped. But this also confirmed my suspicions about her true identity."

I fell silent. Zhang Chaoping had no reason to lie now; he had already won. But I still felt something was off.

"These police officers were actually called by you, weren't they? You've already planned your escape route. No wonder they arrived so quickly. Your informant within the police force is probably confused right now, since the person they need to meet can't be found. They probably never dreamed you were a traitor. Zhang Ning's arrival was probably also part of your calculations; you just wanted to use the police to take care of them."

"What you said is basically correct, but it's useless for you to know now."

The car drove to an inconspicuous apartment building in the suburbs, which seemed to be Zhang Chaoping's hideout.

"You haven't left City A at all?" When I entered the house, I noticed that it didn't look like it had been unoccupied for a long time; food wrappers and cigarette butts were scattered all over the floor, indicating that someone had been living there for quite some time. I really admire Zhang Chaoping; he's quite bold.

“Of course, nobody here knows anything about this except me. I’ve always lived here. The most dangerous place is the safest place.” Zhang Chaoping gestured to us like a host, “Sit wherever you like, make yourself at home.”

Wang Hui, Lian Yue, and I were forced to sit on the sofa, and Wang Ke handcuffed us to each other.

“The real disc has always been in your hands, hasn’t it?”

“That’s right, want to see it?” Zhang Chaoping was clearly in a particularly good mood, and went into the room to bring out a black briefcase. “This is what you’ve been looking for, right? Actually, it’s always been in my hands. I knew you were coming, so I was on guard. How could I possibly give you the real one? But since you took the blame for me, I’ll let you see what’s inside.”

He opened the briefcase, and inside were nothing but two high-density discs that gleamed.

"Look, these are the two discs. So many people have gone to great lengths to get them, even risking their lives. And in the end, they've fallen into my hands." Zhang Chaoping carefully showed us the two discs, as if he were caressing a baby.

"These things are worth ten million euros?"

"Hahaha, not ten million, but thirty million euros! I never intended to sell to my original supplier. Now that this has happened, I naturally can't do business with them anymore. Besides, my original supplier isn't a monopoly; he has competitors. What he's interested in, his competitors will also be interested in. He's willing to offer ten million, and his competitors will naturally be willing to offer more. Can you guess where my supplier is from?"

To be able to invest so much money in someone I barely know, to be able to throw around so much cash, I can only think of one possibility.

"Your supplier... is Japanese?"

"Smart, smart!" Zhang Chaoping gave me a thumbs up in praise. “I’m starting to really admire you now, yes, you’re Japanese. Only the Japanese in this world can treat money like it’s nothing. Using Euros for transactions is just a cover. I originally thought that just having these two discs would be enough, but I didn’t expect that I would need a decoding program. I didn’t expect that old Liu would trick me like this. If I had known…” Zhang Chaoping’s face turned gloomy, and he didn’t finish his sentence.

"You regret killing him too quickly now, don't you? If you had spared his life, there wouldn't be so much trouble now. He also had a backup plan for you."

"But it doesn't matter, now you're all in my hands. I've got the decoding program too."

I turned back to look at Wang Ke and said hatefully, "I finally understand. I should have sensed something was wrong when we first met in B City. You were ostensibly asking me about the box, but your real purpose was to find out where Wang Hui was, right? You were the first person to tell me that Wang Hui was involved in this matter. Oh, right, I remember now, you kept pressing me about Wang Hui's whereabouts. Because you knew that the disc was actually in Zhang Chaoping's hands. No wonder you framed me as a traitor, you yourself are a traitor."

"That's right, you're right." Wang Ke readily admitted.

"Why did you betray the organization? Was it just for money?"

"Hmph, isn't that obvious? Who wants to live this kind of dark, hopeless life forever? Who wants to live like this, sneaking around all their life? I'm still young, I don't want to waste my youth on this. I have no obligation to dedicate my life to the organization. I've done enough for the organization, it's time to live for myself. With this money, I can go with him to create a new life, to escape this dark world forever. No matter how powerful the organization is, they can't find us overseas."

"With him?" I looked at Wang Ke, then at Zhang Chaoping.

"So what if you are? Let me tell you, we're actually siblings!"

This statement was truly shocking, leaving me speechless. Wang Ke and Zhang Chaoping are siblings? How could this be? Wang Ke is indeed quite beautiful, and Zhang Chaoping is a charming and handsome man; they both look quite pleasing to the eye, and upon closer inspection, they do indeed resemble each other somewhat.

But siblings? That's just too...unbelievable.

"Surprised, aren't you? I couldn't believe it either when I first confirmed he was my brother. My name should be Zhang Ke. I was kidnapped when I was six, and we were separated for almost twenty years. We met again by chance."

"You...you were separated from him for twenty years, how could you know he was your brother?" I really found this increasingly strange. But Wang Ke had no reason to lie. They had the disc, the decoding program, and had already achieved an overwhelming victory; there was no need to hide anything.

“I remember it clearly, he had a mole on his right calf.”

“Just because of that?”

“Of course I’m sure, even after all these years, his appearance wouldn’t have changed much. He’s my brother. So, when he proposed this plan, I agreed. Nothing in this world can separate us anymore; he’s my only family in this world. If I don’t help him, who will? Besides, he shares my wish to say goodbye to this dirty, dark world forever, so of course I will do everything I can to help him.”

As she spoke, Wang Ke looked at Zhang Chaoping with deep affection, an expression that was genuine.

Zhang Chaoping’s expression at that moment was like that of a loving older brother.

He took out a laptop, removed a CD, inserted it into the CD drive, and then plugged in a USB drive. Turning back to Wang Ke, he said, “Xiao Ke, you operate it. This is the result of your hard work; without you, we couldn’t have succeeded. I think it’s most appropriate for you to see the real data first.”

Wang Ke readily agreed. She walked to the laptop, and naturally put down her pistol. Suddenly, Zhang Chaoping fired two shots at her from the side. Caught completely off guard, Wang Ke was thrown to the ground like she'd been hit by a car. Two bloody holes gushed from her body, quickly turning the ground beneath her into a pool of blood.

"Ah!? What are you doing?!" I nearly jumped up in fright.

Zhang Chaoping ignored me, simply strode forward, the smoking muzzle of his gun pointed at her now-weak body. Wang Ke's face was filled with shock and confusion, her eyes brimming with tears, her mouth spitting blood. She seemed too weak even to lift her arm. She struggled to utter broken, rhythmic syllables.

"Why...why...brother...you..."

"Sorry, I lied to you. Actually, I'm not your brother. You just thought I was your brother, but I'm not."

"No...no...you are...brother...why..." Wang Ke seemed unable to believe it. Blood spurted from her mouth, turning her face red, her eyes filled with sorrow and bewilderment.

“I’m not your brother. If I were, how could I have slept with you? Thank you for helping me find my things.” With that, Zhang Chaoping pointed the gun at her heart and pulled the trigger. Wang Ke’s body jerked as if electrocuted, a final tear rolling down her cheek before she fell silent, her eyes wide open in agony, seemingly dying with unresolved grievances.

“You killed her? You…you’re not her brother? You…” I was horrified by Zhang Chaoping’s cold-bloodedness. He killed a girl who loved him wholeheartedly, yet his face remained expressionless.

“I’m not her brother, and she’s not my sister. I just happen to look like her brother, and coincidentally, I also have the same mole on my right leg. The world is full of such coincidences. When she and I met by chance and she revealed her identity, I just went along with it and lied to her; she didn’t suspect a thing. This girl has a brother complex, and I just took advantage of that. Now she’s no longer of any use, and I don’t need to keep her alive.”

“Then you didn’t need to kill her! Can’t you see she truly loves you? Don’t you have a heart?” Unexpectedly, Lian Yue shouted from the side, tears streaming down her face.

"If I don't kill her, what's the point of keeping her alive? Am I supposed to share that 30 million with her? Another person to split it with, why should I be so easygoing? Am I a philanthropist? I didn't intend to share with anyone. The more people who know, the more dangerous it is for me. Besides, you can't see into someone's heart. Who knows if she has the same idea as me? I'm just striking first." "

You...you're utterly inhuman!"

"You're wrong. This is true humanity. People are selfish. 'Every man for himself,' I'm sure she thought the same thing. Who in this world doesn't think this way? These things are usually unspoken. If she didn't think this way, it only proves she's incredibly stupid! It only proves she has no judgment! I believe that if she had the chance, she would have shot me anyway!"

"You'll definitely die a horrible death!"

Lian Yue glared at Zhang Chaoping, gritting his teeth as he spat out each word.

“You don’t need to worry about whether I die a horrible death or not, but you’ll definitely die before me. We haven’t caught up since last time. I’ll give your ass a good thrashing first, and then send you both to the other world. I’ll continue living and enjoying my wonderful life.”

Zhang Chaoping said with a smile as he operated the computer, using a decoding program to open the file on the CD. His expression instantly changed from smug to utterly dumbfounded: “What… what the hell is going on?”

The file on the CD was still just a series of gibberish, with no incomprehensible data.

“This isn’t right! This can’t be!?” Zhang Chaoping was stunned. He closed and reopened it several times, but the result plunged him from heaven to hell. He didn’t know what was wrong; the file content remained incomprehensible gibberish. It was as if the decoding program hadn’t worked at all.

“This is impossible!”

Zhang Chaoping lost his composure and tried another CD, but the result was the same.

"To hell with it, what the hell is going on?" Zhang Chaoping was panicked. He'd gone to so much trouble, and this was the result.

He froze for a few seconds, then suddenly turned and rushed over, searching Wang Ke's body, but found nothing. He grabbed my collar, yelling, "What the hell is going on?!"

"I don't know!" I was completely baffled myself. "Did you mess it up?"

"Impossible! My operation was correct, this decoding program is fake! Where's the real one?!" His gun was pressed against my forehead.

"No, it's real!" Everyone was confused. Wang Hui couldn't lie. We saw Wang Ke take it out with our own eyes; she'd risked her life, so she completely trusted Zhang Chaoping and wouldn't give him a fake one.

"Really, why isn't it working?!" Zhang Chaoping was going crazy.

"I, how would I know!" I was also dizzy; logically, this shouldn't be possible.

"Damn it! Someone among you is lying! Oh right, I get it. Who is it among you? Come out right now, you know what I mean! Otherwise, I'll kill you all one by one!" Zhang Chaoping was like a madman, grabbing my collar and pulling me up.

"It's you!? Tell me! Was it you!?"

"I don't understand what you're saying!" I really didn't understand what he was talking about. Zhang Chaoping's gun was pressed against my chin.

"You, where did you hide the real one? If you don't tell me, I'll kill him!" Zhang Chaoping roared at Wang Hui, who was so frightened that her body went limp, crying and begging him loudly. "Don't kill him, I really don't know, it's real!"

"You're talking nonsense, I'll fucking shoot him!"

Zhang Chaoping kicked me hard in the back of my leg, making me kneel down. But out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly saw a figure flash outside the window, and then the window shattered. Zhang Chaoping instinctively swung his gun, and both of them fired almost simultaneously. Zhang Chaoping was hit in the face by a bullet and fell backward. The person who broke in through the window also stumbled and rolled, seemingly injured as well.

"Feng Wu!" My heart leaped with joy when I recognized the person. But Zhang Chaoping, though on the ground, pulled out a small pistol from his pocket and pointed it at me. I had no time to dodge, and Feng Wu had no time to react. In that instant, I watched as Zhang Chaoping pulled the trigger.

Then, Wang Hui's body shielded me.

Then, the gunshot rang out.

I felt warm liquid splash on my face, and Wang Hui's body slumped limply into my arms.

My hands were covered in her blood, and my mind went blank.

"No!!!" I howled like a wild beast!

Lian Yue picked up the pistol Zhang Chaoping had dropped and fired repeatedly at him until the entire magazine was empty. Zhang Chaoping was riddled with bullets and slumped against the wall. Feng Wu came towards me. Everything around me seemed so unreal, as if everyone's movements had slowed down, like a slow-motion scene in a movie. I couldn't hear what they were saying.

But I didn't care. I only knew that I didn't care about any of that anymore.

I used to think I hated Wang Hui, that I hated her for betraying me. But now I know that the reason I hated her was because I loved her, no matter what she did, I loved her. I hate that I only realized this now, I hate that I didn't cherish her more, I hate that I only realized my true feelings when I was about to lose her!

I hate that I wasn't the one who got shot.

I really wish I were dead right now, if it could bring her back to life.

Why? Why wasn't it me who died...? When Feng Wu and Wang Hui shook me to wake me up, I looked down at Wang Hui. Half of her body was stained red with blood, and her lifeless eyes were just staring at me.

"Wife, it'll be alright! I'll take you to the hospital right away!"

I tried to pick her up, but Feng Wu and Lian Yue stood by without moving, watching us without saying a word. I yelled at them like a madman, "What are you standing there for?! Help me!"

"Your wife has a fatal injury. If you move her, it might... make things worse..."

Feng Wu unusually said something rather tactful, but I understood what she meant. She usually spoke directly, so this meant the situation was indeed beyond saving.

"What, is there... no way?" I looked at Feng Wu pleadingly. She was always good at creating miracles, but Feng Wu avoided my gaze.

"I'm sorry..."

My mind was blank. I looked down at Wang Hui.

"Husband... I... can't... take it anymore..."

"Wife..." I was overwhelmed by grief, and tears streamed down my face.

"I...I'm...sorry...to...you...now...I...have...repaid...what I owed...you..." Wang Hui's eyes were filled with tenderness. Although her life was slipping away with her blood, her expression was more relaxed than ever before, as if the heavy burden she carried had also vanished.

"No...you don't owe me anything...I'm the one who's sorry...I'm the one who's sorry, ahhhh..."

My heart felt like it had shattered into a thousand pieces. I couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.

"Husband...hold me..." As if in a final burst of energy, my wife's voice became clear, and my eyes, already blurred by tears, clearly saw the glistening tears in her eyes.

"Husband...I really don't want to die..."

Our tears mingled together. At that moment, it was as if the whole world had ceased to exist, and only my wife and I remained between heaven and earth.

"In the next life...I'll still be waiting for you..."

At 10:01 AM on July 10, 2008, my wife, Wang Hui, closed her eyes forever in my arms...

I never knew before that grief could make a person so miserable that they wanted to die.

I truly felt that life was meaningless; that's exactly how I feel right now. My mind seemed to have stopped functioning, unresponsive to anything around me. I felt my soul had died with my wife; now I was just an empty shell, a soulless puppet.

Wang Hui was right before my eyes, slowly walking towards death, but I could only watch helplessly.

My beloved is gone, gone forever. But she will forever live in my heart. I am still alive, yet I feel dead, for my heart is dead. Wang Hui is no longer in this world, so what is the point of my life? The pillar of my life has collapsed; everything I have done is meaningless.

I never believed in gods before, but now all I can think about is praying. If gods exist, I would do anything to bring Wang Hui back to life, even if it means my own destruction.

After cursing everything I could, I began to curse myself. I feel that all the mistakes were my fault. If it weren't for me, Wang Hui wouldn't have died. If I hadn't been tricked into joining a pyramid scheme, I wouldn't have accumulated so much debt. If it weren't for that, Wang Hui and I would have lived a peaceful life together.

When I found Wang Hui from the human traffickers, I should have immediately run away with her, away from this place of trouble. It was my stubborn insistence on uncovering some hidden truth that led me to this outcome. If I had known it would end this way, I… I'm such a hopeless idiot! Is the truth really that important? Compared to Wang Hui's safety, I'd rather never know the truth, as long as she's safe.

Why didn't I consider that this would drag Wang Hui into such perilous situations? She's different from me. Even I was powerless in this situation. What power would Wang Hui have to resist if danger struck? Why didn't I realize this then? Now my lover is gone, and I… it was entirely my fault that I destroyed my wife. I really don't want to do anything anymore. Let them come, whoever they want. Just give me a quick and decisive shot.

I sat on the ground, leaning against the wall. There was an empty bottle beside me, the air thick with the smell of alcohol. I still had half a bottle in my hand. Feng Wu sat beside me, drinking with me.

She probably understood how I felt. As a former member of the Korean People's Army Special Forces, she must have witnessed her comrades sacrifice themselves beside her. She too had lost her parents, her dearest family. She had far more experience with such grief than I did.

Therefore, she could understand how much pain I was in.

I picked up the bottle and took another swig, the liquor dripping down my chin and onto my clothes. Feng Wu silently watched me and also took a sip. She had a really high alcohol tolerance; drinking was like drinking water. Perhaps she was just drinking water anyway, who cares? Right now, all I could think about was dying. Maybe drinking myself to death was a good option. I'd never experienced alcohol poisoning before—just passing out in a daze, painless until I never woke up again. So be it… "Do you need my help?" Seeing me limp and lifeless, Feng Wu asked this out of the blue.

"...Help me? What do you mean? What can you do to help me? Don't worry about me, I don't need your help... I don't need anyone's help... None of you should bother with me... I just want this..."

My tongue was slurred, my words were unclear, and my vision was blurry.

"I just wanted to see you..."

"You're still helping me? Why didn't you come when I needed you... Why didn't you show up sooner... Why didn't you show up sooner!?" I was really drunk, and I was yelling at Feng Wu like a madman, as if I wanted to blame her for Wang Hui's death. My mind was a mess, I didn't care about anything anymore, I said whatever I wanted, I cursed whatever I wanted.

"Don't misunderstand, I know you're so sad you want to die, so I'm asking if you need me to help you find relief. My skills are very professional."

"Wh...what? How...relieve?" Even though I was drunk, the cold glint in Feng Wu's eyes still made me break out in a cold sweat as a reflex. I felt like a rabbit being targeted by a wolf; some animal instinct made me sense the danger.

"What, you still don't understand? Relief means stopping your suffering. If you want to die, I'll help you die."

"You...you're going to kill me?" I stared at Feng Wu. Although I had thought about it, hearing it so naturally from her mouth still left me somewhat bewildered.

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Hmph, just as I expected. I knew this day would come. Looks like you really couldn't wait any longer. You want to make your move on me? I knew something was off about your sudden appearance. Now you don't need me anymore, right? Fine, go ahead. You cold-blooded woman, you use me and then get rid of me. Isn't that how people like you always do things?"

"Used you? That probably applies to you too. You've only survived this long because of me."

"So what? I don't want to live anymore!"

"Fine, I'll help you die!" Feng Wu's face was filled with rage. With a flick of her left arm, before I could even see her move, I saw a blur and my left cheek was struck hard, like being hit by a heavy hammer. I was thrown to the side and landed hard on the ground, seeing stars. Half of my face hurt as if the bones were broken, and I felt like I was spitting out broken teeth. February 23,
Chapter 20:

I heard Lian Yue's scream and footsteps, along with Feng Wu's harsh shouts. Then I was grabbed by the collar and lifted up, several blows to the stomach that made my insides churn. I vomited violently, the strong smell of alcohol filling the floor.

Feng Wu, enraged, continued to beat me mercilessly. Lian Yue stood by, watching helplessly, too afraid to intervene.

"Want to die? I'll grant your wish! I'll beat you to death right now!" Feng Wu roared, her fists raining down on my head and body. Her punches were incredibly powerful, stronger than a man's, comparable to a professional boxer. I was completely defenseless, partly because I didn't want to, and partly because I simply couldn't. But the pain was unbearable, stimulating my nerves until I couldn't resist anymore and instinctively began to wildly flail my arms and legs in desperate attempts to defend myself.

But my skill level was far inferior to Feng Wu's. Seeing me fight back, Feng Wu simply used grappling techniques, grabbing my arm in a few moves. First, she kicked me in the ribs, the pain making me squat down. Then, she turned around and was behind me, twisting my arm joint to its limit. I even felt like my tendons and bones were about to break, and I couldn't help but scream in pain.

"What the hell are you yelling for!" Feng Wu smacked me hard in the buttocks, and I stumbled forward two steps, crashing into the wall. Then she pinned me down from behind.

My arm was temporarily immobilized; any movement hurt. I even thought of the scene in Water Margin where Lu Zhishen punched Zheng the Butcher. I guessed that's how Lu Zhishen beat that Zheng the Butcher. Was she really trying to beat me to death?

"Didn't you want to die? What's wrong? Scared again? Weren't you acting tough? Now you're a coward?"

"You fucking want me to die, you're just torturing me! If you've got the guts, give me a quick death!" I finally understood Feng Wu's intentions. I didn't know if she wanted to finish me off, but even if she did, she definitely wouldn't let me die a quick death; she'd make me suffer enough. At the same time, I realized that I wasn't as indifferent as I had thought. Judging from my instinctive resistance to Feng Wu's attacks, my survival instinct didn't seem to have disappeared.

"Give me a quick death? Who's the coward here? You want to die but can't bring yourself to do it, and I'm helping you die but you're afraid of the pain. Stop fucking pretending!" Feng Wu said, but she still let go of me. Then I slid down the wall, my body feeling like it had been torn apart after that storm.

"You don't know anything, you... how could you possibly understand me..." I gasped for breath, muttering to myself.

"What do I know? Hmph, if I know nothing, you don't know anything at all! When people are truly desperate, they don't need anyone to do anything; they'll end it all themselves. I've seen this happen more than once or twice. You haven't reached that point yet, you're far from it. Let me tell you, if you're still a man, stand up and avenge your wife! Your wife traded her life for yours, not for you to pretend to be brave and act like this."

"I... wait, what did you say?" My chaotic mind was suddenly stirred by Feng Wu's words.

"I'm not going to waste my breath on a piece of trash like you. You can be a piece of trash if you want, but come find me when you've thought it through." With that, Feng Wu pulled Lian Yue into the inner room, leaving me sitting alone by the wall outside, stunned.

Avenge your wife?

What does that mean? Isn't everything over? Wang Hui is dead, Zhang Chaoping is dead, what revenge is there to take? Feng Wu and the others buried the bodies, what does revenge mean? I really don't understand, those who deserve to die are all dead. Could it be Zhang Ning? I don't think I have any deep-seated hatred for her, and I have no intention of looking for her again. Frankly, I'm lucky if she doesn't bother me anymore.

As for whether there's anything else, my mind is a mess right now, and my thinking ability is clearly not as good as before. The more I think, the more frustrated I get. Could it be that Feng Wu really discovered some other clue?

After thinking for a long time, I struggled to get up from the ground. Feng Wu really hit me hard; an ordinary person definitely wouldn't be able to get up. My face is numb now. I touched it; there's blood at the corner of my mouth and blood in my nose. I had to hold onto the wall to stand up. Lian Yue came out from the inner room, came over to help me, and helped me inside.

Feng Wu was studying the two CDs on her computer. Actually, she wasn't really studying them, because the monitor was still showing a bunch of gibberish; she was just staring blankly at the screen.

I limped in, and Feng Wu glanced at me, coldly saying, "Don't you want to die again?"

"You're really ruthless, aren't you? Am I your enemy or something?" I didn't know how to treat her. Actually, she didn't want to see me collapse like this; her intention was to provoke me to move on from my grief and get back on my feet. But her method of provocation was a bit too extreme.

"If you were my enemy, I would have beaten you to a pulp long ago. Would you still be standing here talking to me?" "

You don't need to care about me so much. What I do is my business. We don't have any special relationship. Are you just bored?"

"What I do is my business. What's wrong with me caring about you? I just have nothing better to do, so I wanted to check on you, so what? We've been partners for a while, we've gotten through this together, and I consider you a friend! I just don't want to see you like this! Is that wrong?"

Feng Wu's tone was forceful, as if she were arguing. But the content of her words warmed my heart. I looked into her eyes, and behind that usual cold gaze, I seemed to see something else.

Our eyes met, and Feng Wu turned away, no longer looking at me.

"Fine, okay. Do you think I dare refuse? My face is numb now. If I don't agree, my limbs will probably be crippled."

I slowly moved to sit down next to her. Feng Wu found me some medicinal wine and plasters, and Lian Yue helped me take off my clothes. He applied the plasters to my wounds; my whole body was covered in bruises and welts. Even though he was careful, it still made me tremble with pain. Moreover, I couldn't move my arm at all; I didn't know if Feng Wu had twisted it and injured my tendons or bones.

"Don't worry, I was careful just now. I only hit the areas that hurt the most and had more flesh. I didn't touch your vital parts. With your constitution, your bones and internal organs will be fine. At most, it will hurt for a few days and then it will be fine."

Feng Wu said it casually, but I was in so much pain that I was gritting my teeth. She was careful even after hitting me like this? If she wasn't careful, wouldn't she have crippled me?

"How did you know where I was?"

"I planted a GPS tracker in your belt buckle. As long as you're in City A and your belt is still on you, I can pinpoint your location."

"What? Why didn't you say so before?" I was stunned. What did she mean?

"Just in case." Feng Wu remained expressionless.

"So you've always known my whereabouts?"

"I only found out after you returned to City A."

"Then why didn't you show up sooner?" A surge of anger rose within me again. Although I knew Feng Wu didn't necessarily have to show up, and although I knew that if it were me, I would also try to use Feng Wu as much as possible, when it really happened to me, I couldn't remain calm and objective.

"Why should I show up? To walk right into a trap? Would you have done that if you were me?" Feng Wu completely disregarded my anger, her tone cold as if mocking me.

"You..." I was speechless with anger. Actually, I knew I was just using this as an excuse to vent my pent-up frustration. Feng Wu and I made it clear from the beginning that it was just a collaboration; she had no obligation to risk her life for me. Besides, she was injured, and judging from her fight with Zhang Chaoping, she had done her best.

Wang Hui is my wife to me, but she's not that important to Feng Wu. In the eyes of someone who has faced life and death together, a human life might not mean much.

I could only suppress my impulsive emotions and let out a long breath. To be honest, I had no right to blame anyone else; I could only blame myself for being too weak, unable even to protect my wife.

Ultimately, I'm just an ordinary person.

"Tell me, what did you find out? What did you mean by what you just said?" I calmed myself down, knowing that arguing wouldn't solve anything now, so I got to the point.

Feng Wu opened the CD drive, took out the disc, and waved it in her hand.

"Don't you find it strange? We got the decoding program, but we still can't read the data on the disc. Haven't you thought about what might be wrong?"

"How would I know? Maybe we need a special computer or something... Maybe this laptop isn't powerful enough..." I couldn't figure it out either; this whole thing was inexplicable from the start.

"I feel something's not right. I think Zhang Chaoping might have been tricked too."

"You mean there's someone behind him?"

"It's very likely there's someone else, because the fact that this is happening speaks for itself. But it might not be someone behind him. Maybe... I feel like what he said was a bit... strange." Feng Wu frowned, seemingly thinking about something.

"What did he say?"

"Never mind, let's not talk about that now. I think one of these things is definitely fake, but we can't determine it right now. The computer problem you mentioned is unlikely." "

Why can't we determine it? The decoder must be fake!"

"How do you know?" "

Of course, if it can't read the data, that proves it's fake."

"What if the disc is fake?" Feng Wu asked me unexpectedly.

"How could that be? Zhang Chaoping himself admitted it. He's already on his deathbed, why would he risk his life to lie to us? What good would that do him?"

"But what if he was also deceived by someone else?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever thought about this? This disc and decoder are like a lock and a key. They are interdependent. If one is missing, the other becomes useless, right?"

I was stunned and didn't say anything.

“If a CD doesn’t have a real decoder to decode it, then no one knows what its contents are. Similarly, if a decoder doesn’t have a real CD to decode it, then no one can be sure if it’s a real decoder. In other words, the two can only function together when they are both genuine, allowing people to determine their authenticity. If one of them is fake, you have no way of knowing which one is fake.”

“Like the current situation, there are no special characteristics to identify it; it’s just a bunch of gibberish. You could say it’s a problem with the decoder, and I could say it’s a problem with the CD.”

“Then, then… then who knows where the real one is?”

“Now we face three possibilities: either one could be fake, or both could be fake. If both are fake, then there’s absolutely no hope of turning things around. It means that we, including the groups that arrested us, have all been tricked. While we were still fighting each other, they had already gotten their hands on the stuff without us even knowing. And we don’t even know who did it or how.”

“Is that possible?”

"Yes, I also think that possibility is very small, unless it's a superhuman. Otherwise, it's very difficult to steal something without anyone noticing. The organization and Zhang Ning's people aren't fools. They're investigating so closely, and their intelligence sources are much more effective than ours. Their power is also beyond the imagination of ordinary people. They should be wary of a situation where the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. If they discover a third party's involvement, they shouldn't be able to escape their notice."

"Then what exactly do you mean? The facts are right in front of us. If there isn't a third party, then how do we explain this situation? There definitely is!"

"Why are you in such a hurry? I didn't say there isn't. But what's certain is that this third party is currently very well hidden, and they've already obtained at least half of both items. We can only make the following judgment: one of the discs and the decoder we have is genuine. Only then will we have leverage to continue fighting against them. Even if both are fake, we have to pretend that one of them is genuine."

"What's the use of pretending?"

“Because we can’t determine which one is real right now, you know? So we have to pretend we do. If the third party has a genuine item, they also need another genuine item to verify it before they can be certain. So if this assumption holds true, then the third party can’t be sure if what they have is genuine either. Even if they are 99% certain, the remaining 1% still needs verification. After all, the buyer bought the whole set.”

“If that’s the case, Zhang Chaoping might have another collaborator, and Wang Ke is just a pawn he’s using. Zhang Chaoping’s real collaborator is someone else, and this person is clearly also using Zhang Chaoping. Zhang Chaoping was very likely tricked by this person until the very end.”

“Yes, given Zhang Chaoping’s cunning nature, it’s very possible. He must be one of the insiders, but unfortunately he’s dead and can’t get any information out of him.” Feng Wu said, glancing at Lian Yue beside her.

"You were pretty ruthless back then. I didn't realize you were so skilled with a gun."

"I swore an oath long ago: how he killed A, I'd kill him the same way. For every bullet A was shot, I'd repay him tenfold. Besides, the situation was critical; I didn't think much, I just kept firing at him. Only after I ran out of bullets did I realize I'd torn him to pieces. Even if it happened again, I'd still tear him to pieces." Lian Yue seemed to recall the situation, a hint of lingering fear in her eyes, but even more so, a surge of vengeful pleasure.

Lian Yue had told me she loved A, and now I understood her feelings perfectly. If Zhang Chaoping were alive and standing before me now, to avenge my wife, I would absolutely tear him apart, skin him alive, and slice him into a thousand pieces.

Feng Wu clearly had no intention of pursuing this already established fact, but she tilted her head and pondered, "However, think about it. Since Zhang Chaoping is so cunning, he certainly won't easily trust others. He himself said that people in their world treat integrity like hot air; they all use and deceive each other, it's just a matter of who has the more skillful methods. I suspect his cooperation with that third party wasn't genuine either; neither of them had good intentions. They probably both knew it."

"Nonsense, everyone knows that. What exactly do you mean by this?"

"If that's really the case, then it's strange. Even someone as cunning as him was outmaneuvered. That means the other party isn't exactly innocent either. Whether Zhang Chaoping knew beforehand is debatable. Given his experience and personality, I doubt he wouldn't have been unaware. Knowing it was a mutually destructive arrangement and still choosing to cooperate seems illogical. If you were in his shoes, even in ordinary business dealings, knowing the other party was no less intelligent than you and had ill intentions, would you still do business with them? Especially not this dangerous, high-stakes deal—it could cost you your head. And even if the other party didn't outmaneuver him, there must have been an agreement on how to divide the profits. What's the binding force of that contract?"

"Who knows? As you said, how could a law-abiding citizen like me understand the brains of people in their world? Maybe they're just born mentally unstable. Otherwise, why would a sane person choose this profession?"

"You're no law-abiding citizen!" Feng Wu cursed at me, then returned to the main point.

"Do you remember what Zhang Chaoping looked like at the beginning? Can you describe it to me? After he succeeded, did he really believe that the two genuine items, the disc and the decoder, were in his hands?"

I thought for a moment and gave Feng Wu a brief description. At that time, Zhang Chaoping did indeed appear relaxed and genuinely believed that he had achieved final victory.

"That's right, that's the problem. Zhang Chaoping must have felt he had found everything he needed. So why would he need that unknown collaborator? He had no reason to need him anymore. And that person must have anticipated this situation. What methods did he use to prevent Zhang Chaoping from dumping him and taking everything for himself?"

"That person managed to take one of the genuine items, that was his precaution."

"No, that's not a foolproof method. If that person had that ability, why not take both? What if he failed and Zhang Chaoping got both? Wouldn't he be left with nothing? Zhang Chaoping is probably playing both sides, keeping Wang Ke and that third person's backs. Wang Ke and that third person probably don't even know of each other's existence, thinking they are Zhang Chaoping's only collaborator. Using Wang Ke to search for the decoder, what use is that third person to him?"

"How do you know that the third person didn't actually take both?"

"I don't know, but that possibility is relatively small. We must consider the more likely scenario first. Besides, if he had that ability, why would he cooperate with someone like Zhang Chaoping who has ulterior motives?"

"Maybe he's just using Zhang Chaoping as a decoy."

"That's not right. It's easier said than done. Zhang Chaoping isn't stupid; he's not that easy to fool. It's impossible to gain his trust with empty promises. Furthermore, if he's already wary of the other party, it's even more difficult. It's unbelievable that someone as cunning as Zhang Chaoping could be tricked by someone without them even realizing it." "

Moreover, because Zhang Chaoping is dead, we can't confirm the identity of that third person. But Zhang Chaoping's death was accidental. The consequences of that gunfight are hard to predict; there are too many unpredictable factors. What if the outcome was different? What if Zhang Chaoping had taken care of you, or I hadn't arrived in time?"

"Would he have discovered that the things were fake? And then..." I finally understood what Feng Wu meant.

"Then he'll realize he's been tricked, and he'll go after that person! We don't know that person's identity, but Zhang Chaoping does. If we push Zhang Chaoping too far, he might reveal that person's identity. No matter how cunning that person is, they couldn't possibly have foreseen such a chance event as Zhang Chaoping dying at our hands."

"Maybe he could silence Zhang Chaoping afterwards, wouldn't that solve the problem?"

"Damn! Have you watched too many movies? Murdering someone isn't something you can just do casually. Zhang Chaoping is a living, breathing man with a gun; do you think he'd just stand there obediently and let you silence him? Do you think murder is as easy as killing a chicken? Besides, he's not alone; he has a group of men under his command. Have you forgotten those two assassins? That person would be lucky to escape Zhang Chaoping's pursuit afterward, let alone silence him."

"So what exactly do you mean?"

“What I mean is, of these two things, there’s a high chance one is real. It’s unlikely both are fake; a third person couldn’t possibly do that. He also couldn’t use Zhang Chaoping as a decoy; he doesn’t have that ability either. It’s too dangerous, there are too many uncertainties. It could easily backfire.”

“So which one is real? Even if Zhang Chaoping were alive, he couldn’t be sure.”

“If Zhang Chaoping were alive, he wouldn’t need to be sure. He just needs to know who to turn to if there’s a problem. But we’re different. We don’t know who to turn to. And we also need to figure out which one is real.”

“Which one do you think is real?” I asked Feng Wu.

“That’s hard to say…” Feng Wu stroked her chin, her eyes filled with doubt. “Zhang Chaoping didn’t know about the USB drive decoder beforehand, maybe the disc is real?” Her tone wasn’t very certain.

“Maybe the disc he has is fake. With so many boxes together, the chances of someone tampering with it are much higher.” The cost of the USB drive was Wang Hui’s life, and I instinctively didn’t want the USB drive to be fake.

"This is also..."

"What do you think? Which one is real?" I asked Lian Yue, who was sitting next to me. The conversation had been mainly between Feng Wu and me, with Lian Yue mostly just listening. My question clearly showed she'd been pondering this for a while. She frowned and said, "I think the USB drive is probably real."

"Why?" Feng Wu asked.

"Because if the USB drive were fake, Zhang Chaoping wouldn't risk showing herself to steal it. Even if she had Wang Ke as an inside man, she could still be discovered by others. Since no one knew about the decoder beforehand, the decoder must be real. Otherwise, it would have been taken long ago. Leaving a fake here is pointless; a simple test would reveal the real one."

I really hadn't expected Lian Yue, a woman who usually didn't talk much, to be so intelligent; her analysis was quite logical.

"Besides, that locker wasn't opened in your wife's name, and Xiao Ma is dead now. Who knows about this place? No one knows except your wife."

Feng Wu and I exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. Lian Yue, perhaps being an outsider, had a much clearer understanding than those of us directly involved.

And Xiao Ma's face resurfaced in my mind. His death was very suspicious; who killed him? Wang Hui certainly wouldn't have let him know she'd put something in his cabinet, so why did he die? Was it simply because I'd been there, and they wanted to leave a corpse where I'd been so I could have another life on my record?

I seemed to have a clearer understanding, but I gestured for Lian Yue to continue.

“Furthermore, while the disc and the decoder are interdependent, the decoder was discovered later. It's unlikely to be forged in such a short time. The disc, however, is different. People have been planning this for a long time, with ample time to forge and prepare. And there are so many intermediaries involved, some of whom are now dead, making it impossible to trace the truth. So, even though Zhang Chaoping seems to have had the disc from the beginning, the possibility that it's fake is actually quite high.”

“That makes sense. If it were me, I would also target the disc. Because it's changed hands so many times, it's easy to slip through the cracks. And compared to the decoder, having the disc truly puts you in an invincible position.” Feng Wu nodded in agreement.

“What do you mean?” I looked at her, puzzled.

“After all, the data is stored on the CD. Even the most sophisticated decoding program is still written by humans. Even if there really isn't a decoder, there are plenty of skilled hackers and programmers in the world; it doesn't mean the secrets on this CD will never see the light of day. And a decoder alone is truly worthless trash.”

“So, you're convinced the CD is fake?”

“There's no time for us to keep hesitating and guessing. Solving problems requires a swift and decisive approach. We need to act quickly. If we have to choose one, choose this USB drive.” Feng Wu looked me in the eye, her gaze resolute.

"Okay, you're in charge. So what are we doing down here? Waiting for the guy with the disc to come to us?"

"No, that's too passive. You don't even know who he is; he might come to us and we wouldn't even know what's going on. Now that we have the goods, we need to take the initiative!"

"How do we take the initiative?"

"Actually, it's not that difficult. Because we have the real decoder, the person holding the disc doesn't actually know the true contents. In other words, even if he's 99% sure the disc is real, he can't be 100% certain until the decoder unlocks it. What we need to do is amplify that 1% uncertainty, make him panic, and eventually force him to reveal his weakness."

"You mean, eventually make him think the real thing he has is fake?"

“Yes, that will definitely panic him. Once he panics, we'll have an opportunity. Everyone is suspicious; it's human nature. And the more cunning and shrewd a person is, the more turbulent their inner thoughts may be, even if they always appear calm and collected. To put it bluntly, we're playing a psychological game with him. History is full of examples of this. Many people who were just one step away from success ultimately ruined their careers because of their own suspicions.”

“How do we play that game? You don't even know who that person is. You can't possibly pass on any information to him.”

“You really think we can't do it?”

“What? Zhang Chaoping is dead. Who else knows besides him?”

“Hmph.” Feng Wu smiled mysteriously.

“You're wrong. Zhang Chaoping's death has indeed created a great obstacle for us. But it's not an insurmountable hurdle! Because, I just realized, besides Zhang Chaoping…” Feng Wu's tone became more forceful, almost enunciating each word clearly.

“At least one person knows the identity of that third person!”

My heart started pounding involuntarily.

“And…” Feng Wu stared into my eyes, as if she could see right into my heart.

“You are the most capable among us to find this person who knows the truth…”

July 12th, 9:11 AM, a public phone booth on a street in City A.

I put down the receiver and walked out. People were coming and going on the street. Feng Wu and Lian Yue were waiting for me in the car next to me. A patrol car slowly drove up in the distance. I lowered my head and got into the car. However, the police car did not stop next to our car. It seemed to be a routine patrol. It slowly drove past along the street.

Feng Wu started the car and drove forward along the road until it stopped in a secluded spot.

"What did she say?"

"That's it. We told her everything, and she agreed to meet with us later to discuss it." I was a little uneasy. "Isn't this too risky? She's a police officer, after all. What if she brings people to arrest us now?"

"Nonsense. If she wanted to arrest anyone, she would have done it already. Don't forget she's seen the footage too. None of the incidents along the way involved the police, which means the police weren't aware of it. This shows she really didn't leak any information to the police."

"I still feel uneasy. Zhang Ning said she got the information from Chen Yan, but who knows if it's true? It's also possible that Chen Yan told someone else, and that person told Zhang Ning."

"Just say that person is Zhang An." "I'll be

frank. Zhang An and Chen Yan are both police officers, and they're probably lovers. With such a close relationship, and Zhang An probably in charge of this case, Chen Yan might keep secrets from others, but not from him. Given Zhang Ning's position, we can't rule out the possibility that Zhang An was also involved.

Zhang An might have gotten the information and told Zhang Ning."

“Wait a minute, if that's the case, then it should be the police who come to arrest us. Zhang An is a policeman after all. If he received the information and didn't take any action, but instead those criminal groups made their move first, even a fool would know that he's suspected of leaking information.”

“So Chen Yan is really keeping secrets?”

Feng Wu didn't answer, but asked again, “Did you tell her about Zhang Ning?”

“No, I didn't. If she goes to confront Zhang Ning, it will be troublesome. Although Zhang Ning was cornered by the police last time, it's not necessarily a big deal. Wang Ke and the others have disappeared, and the remaining people will definitely not tell the truth. It might just be treated as a regular brawl. She's Zhang An's sister, so she must have been released by now.”

“The police came a bit too fast last time. It might have been pre-arranged. I guess it was Wang Ke's informant within the police force. Wang Ke used them to escape in the chaos, but I don't know who it was. But no matter what, that informant definitely knows Zhang Ning's true identity.”

"That's no use. Even if he finds out, he can't say it openly. Zhang Ning has her brother protecting her."

"Xiang Chenyan should be able to find out. But that insider will probably be on guard too. Wang Ke tricked him, and now his identity is definitely in danger of being exposed. Zhang Ning must also know that there's something wrong here. Maybe she'll use Zhang An to investigate the insider's identity."

"Who cares? These things don't concern us for now. Let the two groups fight like dogs." I was unconvinced, and after a pause, I asked, "You're really something, thinking of investigating the buyer. I never even thought of that."

"I was wondering what kind of agreement existed between Zhang Chaoping and that third party. I finally figured it out. Zhang Chaoping said he contacted a new Japanese buyer, but it might not have been him personally. It's very likely that the information about the next buyer is in the hands of that third party. Without a third party to make the contact, he couldn't have gotten in touch with the next buyer."

"That's the unique resource."

“That’s why he has to cooperate with that third party. So if Zhang Chaoping really wants to make a deal, he has to go through that third party to contact the buyer, because only the third party knows the buyer. In other words, the buyer may not know who Zhang Chaoping is, but he definitely knows who the third party is.”

“But since only that third party knows who the buyer is, how can we find out? Even Zhang Chaoping ca

n’t find out.” “Zhang Chaoping is different from us. At that time, he hadn’t faked his death and disappeared yet. Everything was proceeding cautiously. If he wanted to investigate, he would do so secretly, afraid of being discovered by others. He probably doesn’t have any connections within the police force, so it’s not time to use Wang Ke’s connections yet, so the investigation is naturally slow. But since he said he’s Japanese, he obviously knows some inside information. With this clue, if he can find out, so can we.”

“Even if we find out, so what? They might not cooperate with us.” I frowned.

Before Feng Wu could speak, Lian Yue suddenly slapped his fist in the palm.

“I understand! We’re different from Zhang Chaoping; we’re not trading with him, so we don’t need to cooperate. We just need to disrupt his plans and arouse his suspicion. These kinds of illegal transactions can never have any unexpected situations. Tell the buyer we have genuine goods; whether the buyer believes us or not, it will definitely affect the normal transaction. Then, are we afraid we won’t be able to provoke that third party? Following the clues, we’ll definitely find out who the traitor in that organization is.”

“Look at him, his brain works much better than yours. I’m increasingly seeing you improve.” Feng Wu gave Lian Yue an approving look.

I glanced at Feng Wu and asked again, "Even finding Chen Yan might not be enough to find out."

"Things have changed. Knowing it's Japanese and the price of the transaction makes it much easier. A company that can afford such a high price must be a large Japanese corporation. These underground transactions are unlikely to involve others; otherwise, they'd be easily scammed. They'd definitely send someone from Japan to verify it personally. And it would have to be a medical expert. Ordinary people can't understand this kind of specialized technical data."

"Maybe those Japanese are still in Japan. How do you know you can contact them now?"

“Now that Zhang Chaoping is dead, that third party has no competitor and will definitely contact the buyer. China isn’t as closed off as it used to be. City A is a coastal city with plenty of foreigners. It’s no problem for two Japanese people to stay here for two or three months. Besides, Japanese people have Asian faces, and if they don’t talk, they look just like Chinese people on the street. Who would pay attention to them? Once the transaction is successful, they can take the goods and leave. If anything unexpected happens, they can say they are tourists. Without solid evidence, we can’t take any action in matters involving foreigners.”

Lian Yue’s words once again won Feng Wu’s praise. She clapped her hands twice: “That’s right, you said everything I said. It seems you really didn’t waste your time working under A. I never would have guessed before.”

"Then I really have to make an appointment with her. You'll have to protect me then." ...************************************************ (Separator line) We saw Chen Yan at the agreed location. I gave her 10 minutes to call her, deliberately not giving her a chance to call for reinforcements.

I came out of my hiding place and walked towards her.

Chen Yan looked tense when she saw me

, but relaxed after looking around to make sure no one was there. "You're still in City A? I thought you had already run away. Did you come to turn yourself in?" I ignored Chen Yan's words and just looked around. Chen Yan sneered, "Don't be so paranoid. I came here without thinking after receiving your call. I came alone. Where are your two female accomplices?"

"They'll appear when it's their turn."

“Listen, I’ve reviewed your videos, and I believe you. I guarantee that as long as you cooperate with the police and help us take down this criminal gang hiding in City A, and as long as you perform meritorious service, we will apply to the prosecution for special treatment for you, and everything you did before will be forgiven. How about it?”

“Can you make that decision?”

“I can’t make that decision, but someone else can. Don’t worry about that. I’ve already started a secret investigation within the police force and have identified several suspects…”

“Really? But it seems the news is still leaking out, and because of this, my wife has already lost her life!” I glared at her, the muscles at the corners of my eyes twitching slightly. My jaw muscles were bulging from clenching my teeth.

"What? This... I'm sorry, I really didn't know this would happen... I... I'm so sorry..." Chen Yan lowered his head, his expression filled with gloomy apology.

“An apology… I don’t need anyone’s apology right now. I just want to settle this debt with those murderers.”

“Just a few of you? As you said, the organization you’re facing is a huge underground organization, ruthless killers. Do you think a few of you have the power to shake them? I advise you to cooperate with the police…”

“No need. I don’t want to cooperate with the police. You cops will never show up when people need you, you only come back after the fact to spout empty platitudes. If the police are reliable, pigs will fly! How did the information leak out? Since you were monitoring so closely, how did those people still get the information? Who did you tell?”

“This… I can’t tell you that, but I’ll investigate when I get back.”

“You don’t need to investigate. This incident itself shows that you’ve misjudged who you’re monitoring. The mole is deeper than you think. I’m not asking you for anything else now, just help me investigate something.”

“Wait, since you don’t want to cooperate with me, why should I help you?” Chen Yan interrupted me. "I'm not your subordinate, why should I help you unconditionally?"

"Don't you want to solve this case?"

"It's true I want to solve this case, but I don't need to be bossed around by you like this. If you want my help, you have to provide something I want in return. Right now, I feel like I'm being treated as an outsider. You're not telling me anything, how am I supposed to solve the case?"

"Once I've settled my own affairs, you'll understand everything by then. Wouldn't it be better to come out and clean up the mess?"

"My duty is to prevent crime, not to pick up the pieces. Who knows what kind of mess it will be then?"

"Then what do you want?"

"You know."

"We can't tell you the whole truth, for our own safety." A voice suddenly came from the side, and Feng Wu emerged from her hiding place.

"If you don't trust me, why did you contact me in the first place?" Chen Yan seemed to have known she was nearby all along, so he didn't show much surprise.

"You want to solve the case, and we want to find out the truth. But we don't want to go to jail together. You're a soldier, and we're thieves; we're natural enemies. Our cooperation is out of necessity, and we also need to consider our own safety."

Chen Yan stared at Feng Wu, their eyes meeting in mid-air, as if static electricity had been generated.

"You won't escape sooner or later. Remember, the net of heaven

is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it." "If that day ever comes, it's my fate. We're just like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying our own abilities. If you're capable, even if I don't tell you anything, you can still find out the whole story. If you're an idiot, telling you is like casting pearls before swine."

"You're very confident..." Chen Yan's gaze towards Feng Wu changed, perhaps sensing the provocation in her words. "You're not like an ordinary woman. You were in the military?"

"You don't need to probe my background. I was indeed in the military, and I've even killed people, believe it or not?" Feng Wu's expression remained natural, but her eyes were as cold as blades.

Chen Yan seemed like a different person now, staring at Feng Wu without flinching.

"Fine, I'll remember you. We'll meet again sooner or later."

"I feel the same way," Feng Wu retorted sharply. "Now, can we get down to business? Don't forget, you still owe Song Bin a favor. Based on the principle of equivalent exchange, I can tell you some things." ...***************************************************** (Separator) "You actually told her? What do we do now? Wait for a phone call?" I sat on the sofa, feeling an indescribable weariness. I could only temporarily numb my grief with other things, but that didn't mean the grief had disappeared. I knew that a part of my emotions had been extinguished forever with my wife's death. I was an incomplete person now, and sometimes that feeling of sadness was even stronger than before.

"Telling her doesn't make much difference, if my feeling is right." Feng Wu looked at the computer screen, seemingly deep in thought. "This woman named Chen Yan may be young, but she's not simple. That kind of look in her eyes isn't something an ordinary policeman possesses..."

"Your feeling? Do you always act on gut feeling?"

"I only act on instinct when there's danger."

"So this is what you mean by 'only I have the right conditions'? You're taking too much of a risk!"

"Only you and Chen Yan have a direct relationship here. If you make the request, she's most likely to lend a hand. Neither of us would do it."

"Aren't you afraid of making things worse?"

"If she wanted to harm us, there's no reason she'd wait until now."

"Why didn't you tell her about Zhang Ning?"

"She'll find out sooner or later. If I tell her now, and she confronts Zhang Ning, it might alert her."

"You've already alerted her enough. Since she knows we're looking for something, and that it's connected to the organization, won't she follow the clues from what we asked her to do..."

“She’s a police officer; she needs evidence. Even if I told her everything, without any evidence, she can’t do anything. Besides, the scope is too broad; she might not be able to cover everything. So her wise choice is to continue observing quietly and wait for the situation to turn in her favor before making a move.”

“So, based on your intuition, do you think she’ll tell us what she wants?”

“Based on my intuition? She will. Knowing what we’re looking for is a clue in itself. And… I feel like it doesn’t really matter whether I tell her or not.” Feng Wu’s words seemed to contain some kind of implication, but I didn’t press further. Since she was so confident, I didn’t want to worry about it anymore.

Sitting on the sofa, I unconsciously took out the videos Wang Hui had left behind.

Before, when I watched these images, my heart was filled with pain, humiliation, and anger. But now, only pain remained. In my eyes, the moving images seemed to have become blurred; the men moving on Wang Hui’s body had become insignificant things, as if they were just pure images, unable to stir any ripples in my heart anymore.

The only thing that remained in my eyes was Wang Hui’s voice and smile.

Only then did I realize that Wang Hui wasn't so far away after all. Those vivid memories, even in this situation, were something I didn't want to let go of.

Lian Yue and Feng Wu tactfully didn't bother me.

After watching for what seemed like an eternity, Lian Yue brought me a glass of water. I wasn't paying much attention until I noticed someone approaching. Instinctively, I turned and raised my arm, spilling water all over the table, splashing it onto my laptop, causing it to crash.

Startled, I quickly grabbed a towel to wipe it.

The screen froze on a certain image. I wiped the keyboard and unplugged the data cable. But I was captivated by that image, growing increasingly astonished, my eyes widening involuntarily.

This…this is…I'd never noticed before. If it weren't for this accidental event today, I definitely wouldn't have noticed. This is…could it be…No, I can't see clearly, but…we need some technical means… Lian Yue came over with the towel, and I closed the laptop.

“Your computer…”

"It's nothing, forget it. I don't want to look anymore." I buried my face in my hands, my mind filled with the scene from earlier.

Lian Yue thought I had seen too much and it had stirred up old sorrows, so she didn't say anything more and gently patted my shoulder. I peeked at her back through my fingers, my mind a complete mess.

That evening, Feng Wu indeed received something from Chen Yan.

It was information about the Japanese people who had recently entered City A. As expected of a former North Korean intelligence agent, he was extremely knowledgeable about their arch-enemy, Japan. After reviewing it, Feng Wu quickly determined the direction of her investigation.

Some time ago, a high-purity carbon nanotube that was both soft and very strong, along with its production equipment, was successfully developed at a famous university in City A and had begun mass production. As a product with independent intellectual property rights, the technology has already obtained 12 national invention patents. Three days

ago, the Japanese government, in the name of the Ministry of Education, organized an inspection team to visit City A, mainly for the university's nanotechnology. These Japanese people hadn't left yet, and Feng Wu believed there was something wrong with this inspection team.

"Nanotechnology? I've only heard of it. The Japanese are also eyeing this stuff, aren't they? What's the use of it?" My knowledge of nanotechnology was limited to what I'd heard.

"Nonsense! Nanotechnology is so popular worldwide right now; it's the future trend. Who wouldn't be envious? It'll definitely be a huge use in the future military industry." As she spoke, Fengwu searched online for the university's website. Such an internationally significant event would certainly be heavily publicized, and she easily found a detailed introduction, even including a photo: Dr. Iijima, a professor at Meijo University in Japan, posing with a professor who was in charge of the project.

Looking closer, she found the introduction to this nanotechnology.

Carbon nanotubes are tubular "fibers" formed by one or more layers of carbon atoms rolled up, hollow inside, with an outer diameter of only a few tenths of a nanometer. Its density is 1/6 that of steel, but its strength is 100 times that of steel. If these nanotubes were made into a rope, it could be hung from the moon to the Earth's surface without breaking under its own weight. This high-purity carbon nanotube and its production equipment were successfully developed over seven years by researchers from the university and a technology company in City A.

Carbon nanotubes have extremely wide applications and are currently used in aviation, aerospace, automotive, food, light industry, textiles, IT, and medicine.

Moreover

, the newly developed carbon nanotubes utilize a simple and unique process; one gram of catalyst material can produce over 40 grams of carbon nanotubes, four times the efficiency of similar foreign products. Simultaneously, the initial product produced by the catalysis has very high purity and quality, reaching over 95% purity and reaching lengths in the micrometer range. It can be said to have reached an internationally leading advanced level. Once this technology was disclosed, it immediately attracted great attention from domestic and international peers and related industries. Not only Japan, but even relevant institutions from the United States and Europe are preparing to visit and inspect City A.

"Wow, that's amazing! This is real cutting-edge technology. If the Japanese were going to steal anything, they should be stealing this."

"You're right, everyone else probably thinks so too. The Japanese are clearly here for this nanotube technology. The people at this university aren't stupid; they're definitely keeping a tight rein on it. The relevant security departments will definitely be drawn to it, and might overlook other aspects."

"What? You mean these Japanese people's interest in nanotubes is just a smokescreen, and they're actually using it as a cover to steal those drug data? Does that mean the Japanese government is involved too?"

"Not necessarily. This research team might not be fake. The Japanese people's interest in nanotechnology is definitely real. But that's out in the open, but it's easy to plant one or two people with ulterior motives. They definitely know that China is very strict about nanotechnology, so they'll take advantage of it if they can, and if not, it doesn't matter. As for what they're doing behind the scenes, whether they know it or not, they'll definitely say they don't know and it's none of their business."

I understood what Fengwu meant: "You're saying that most of these people are genuinely here to investigate nanotechnology, but there are one or two fakes with ulterior motives? Do you know who they are?"

“I can roughly figure it out,” Feng Wu pointed out two people.

“I know this Fujita Mitsuo. He is indeed a professor at Meijo University, but one of his classmates is the brother-in-law of the director of the industrial information department at Takeda Industries. His lab has been secretly receiving funding from Takeda Industries. His own research field is in medicine, and nanotechnology has great potential for the pharmaceutical industry. Although his presence here isn't entirely unrelated, his connection to Takeda Industries itself exposes a problem.”

“Who is Takeda Industries?”

“It’s Japan’s largest pharmaceutical company, ranked 16th in the world, a standard conglomerate.” I understood. Nine times out of ten, Takeda Industries is the recipient of this data. Only a super-large corporation like this could casually throw away tens of millions of euros.

"How do you know he's connected to Takeda Industries?"

"Have you forgotten what I used to do? North Korea and Japan are mortal enemies. We're constantly gathering intelligence on all aspects of Japan, preparing for a future showdown. Large corporations like these, influential within Japan's national economy and people's livelihoods, are the first to be targeted for maximum disruption in the event of war, aiming to cripple Japan's socio-economic strength and social stability. After decades of infiltration and reconnaissance, I doubt anyone in the world knows more about these companies than North Korea. I know every single person at every level of Takeda Industries, from top to bottom."

"Didn't you mainly come to China before? How do you know so much about Japan?"

"Back then, this was part of our daily training: 'Revolutionary soldiers are like bricks, ready to be moved wherever needed.' That's a slogan I learned from you guys. Superiors can assign you entirely new tasks at any time, so you have to know and understand everything, otherwise it's difficult to handle so many different types of missions."

"Damn, so Fujita Mitsuo is the downstream agent?"

"He should be one of the agents. Although he's an expert, he's not a spy. He's probably responsible for inspecting the goods, and there needs to be someone to receive them. That person is the one who actually meets with the upstream supplier."

"Stop being so mysterious."

"The other one should be this one." Feng Wu was pointing to a photo of a woman. She looked to be around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, with regular features, like a scholar. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had a very feminine charm. Her hair was dyed a dark red. I felt like I recognized her. After thinking for a while, I remembered that she looked somewhat similar to a Japanese AV actress.

"This is Ikeda Narumi. In her early years, she was an employee of a publication in which Takeda Industries was a major shareholder. Later, she got married and left the company. Her husband taught at Meijo University and died young. She has remained single ever since. Now, she is a contracted writer for a journal under Meijo University."

"You mean her? This woman is the real deal?" I was a little incredulous. This woman looked harmless and wasn't particularly eye-catching.

“That’s right. She originally worked for Takeda Industries. Her marriage and resignation were just a smokescreen. Actually, she was sent by Takeda Industries to the Japan Industrial Protection Academy for training, a different way to continue serving Takeda.”

“Japan Industrial Protection Academy? What’s that?”

“It’s a Japanese academy that specializes in training industrial spies. It’s considered a top-tier advanced training institution in Japan.

” “Japan even has specialized spy schools?”

"Of course, it can't be said so openly on the surface, but in reality, the courses and training content taught there are all pure espionage skills. The Japanese have always attached great importance to spy training. Back in the day, before the First Sino-Japanese War, there was the Genyosha, and during the Republic of China era, the Japan East Asia Dobunkai and Dobun Gakuin established in Shanghai were all spy schools disguised as spies."

"But that's in the past. Now Japan is a defeated country in World War II and is subject to international restrictions. Can it still open spy schools so openly?"

"So what? International treaties only restrict its military power. This Industrial Protection Academy trains industrial spies and does not engage in military activities. Besides, the US and Japan are so close now that the so-called treaty restrictions are almost a dead letter. What's the use of talking about them?" "

This is the first time I've heard that Japan actually has such a school." I sincerely exclaimed.

"After World War II, as a defeated nation, Japan's military recovery was no longer realistic. Therefore, to adapt to the policy of prioritizing economic development, the country placed greater emphasis on economic talent, making industrial espionage a popular profession. Schools dedicated to training industrial spies emerged as a result. The Japan Industrial Protection Academy is one such institution, specifically designed to train spies and counter-espionage personnel for various companies. Founded in 1982, its first president was Kurihara Katayoshi, a career diplomat who had served as ambassador to Turkey. Most of his instructors were veteran intelligence personnel with extensive experience, such as Yuzuru Fukamoto, a former naval cryptography expert, and Tatsuo Furuya, an intelligence chief who had conducted intelligence activities in Shanghai during World War II. Both were hired to teach espionage techniques."

"Wait a minute, if this academy is really that powerful, its students will be all over the world. Who would dare hire these students as employees then? They might be spies infiltrating their own ranks to gather secrets."

"Hmph, do you think they haven't thought of this? This academy doesn't recruit externally; their students are all selected and trained by their own companies. All the students are young people under 30, and the tuition is paid by the company. Each training session lasts four months. After graduation, some return to their original companies and are sent domestically and internationally to engage in industrial espionage and counter-espionage activities. Others don't return to their companies; they change their identities in various ways and go abroad to engage in clandestine industrial espionage activities. Moreover, this academy strictly keeps the situation of its trained students confidential; they have a lot of professional ethics."

"So, this Ikeda Narumi is a top student trained by this industrial protection academy? Then her situation should belong to the latter, right?"

"This is probably a combination of two scenarios. But there's no need to investigate that; we just need to confirm that she's the person we're looking for. Hmph, this kind of thing is something that ordinary people, even the police, couldn't possibly uncover. Even China's security agencies might not be aware of it. Only years of accumulated investigation can uncover such information."

I remained silent. North Korea's hostility towards Japan is probably even greater than South Korea's; a few years ago, a Japanese patrol ship chased and sank a North Korean spy ship in the Yellow Sea. Such persistent infiltration and reconnaissance over decades can indeed uncover things that others cannot.

This is indeed a situation that only people within specific circles can access.

Although Zhang Chaoping isn't an ordinary citizen, he's not a spy and probably wouldn't have access to such people. Therefore, he couldn't contact the buyer. I'm also very fortunate to have Feng Wu, a genuine former North Korean agent, to assist me. If I were to search on my own, I probably wouldn't be able to find out who was who even after a year.

But that mysterious third person was able to contact the main person; does this mean that this person also has connections within this circle? I'm certain we'll meet soon. The truth will come out then.

"What do we do now?" Now that I know who we're looking for, I can only trust Fengwu's judgment.

"It's simple. Contact this Ikeda Narumi immediately and tell her we have what she needs, and it's genuine. Our price is more competitive than others." ... ****************************************** (Separator) "Damn, will this woman contact us? Since she's a spy, she'll definitely be careful." That afternoon, the three of us watched the clock on the wall in the room, but time ticked by, and the newly bought phone remained silent, lying quietly on the coffee table.

Fengwu easily found the hotel where Ikeda Narumi was staying. I went to the hotel, but didn't see her. This was expected; I claimed to be her friend and left her a letter at the front desk.

But so far, there's been no reply. I don't know if she hasn't returned or what the reason is.

"Do you think all spies are as amazing as they are in the movies? Most of them are just ordinary people, but they do some special work. Besides, she's an industrial spy, not a military spy, so her work isn't very dangerous. She can't possibly be as vigilant as I am. Compared to me, she's just a half-baked amateur."

Feng Wu's eyes shone with confidence, and of course I believed her. Four months of training is definitely not the same as the rigorous training she received over a decade of childhood.

Around 7 o'clock, the long-awaited response finally arrived. I received a text message on my phone, telling me to look for something under the right side of the seats at a sightseeing bus stop on Binhai Avenue. Now I was completely convinced. This phone number was newly registered; no one else knew it except for the one I mentioned in the letter I left for Ikeda Narumi. Moreover, this method of contact further indicated that her true identity was not simple.

I didn't expect this Japanese woman to be so familiar with City A; it might not be her first time in City A.

Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the location specified in the text message. I was the only one there; Feng Wu was still observing from a distance. I glanced at the few people sitting on the platform, but they all seemed normal, nothing out of the ordinary.

Ikeda Narumi wasn't there, but that was expected. Perhaps she was somewhere watching me with binoculars. I slowly and casually approached the right side of the bench. However, a young female student was sitting there, so I couldn't approach her abruptly or bend down to look.

After a few minutes, a bus arrived, and the girl with the unconventional style boarded. Only then did I get a chance to sit where she had been. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, I carefully looked under the seat and saw an envelope held together with clear tape.

I tore off the envelope, looked around, and then opened it.

Inside was a map of City A, which I didn't understand at first. But after looking closely, I noticed a red mark on the map—the amusement park in City A.

What did this mean? Why was this place specifically marked? Was this the meeting point?

I looked around blankly; there was no one around. The map was completely blank; Ikeda Narumi had only given me this map and said nothing else. Just as I was feeling lost, my phone received another text message:

"Keep your phone on. Be at the designated location at 9:00 AM sharp tomorrow."

July 13th, 8:57 AM.

I stood at the entrance of the A City Aquarium, watching the bustling crowd around me, counting down the time in my mind.

Today was a rare overcast day, relatively cool, so there were quite a few people here. This aquarium project was built by the city government with a huge investment; I heard they hired foreign designers and completed it as a political achievement project. The architecture is unique, magnificent, and spectacular, like a large blue conch shell lying on a beach surrounded by green trees and flowers. It boasts a world-class life support system and a total water volume of over 15,000 tons, claiming to be one of the best aquariums in Asia.

This is practically a landmark building in City A, completed just over three years ago. I didn't expect that Ikeda Narumi would know about it and even arrange to meet here, showing she's quite familiar with the area. It seems this woman's understanding of China is far beyond the average person.

My concern is Chen Yan.

She now knows our target is Japanese, which greatly narrows her investigation scope. If she informs others, like Zhang An, it will be troublesome.

City A, as a newly emerging coastal city, has many foreigners. Moreover, the city has recently been quite successful in attracting foreign investment, with many Japanese companies investing and setting up businesses here; there are many Japanese people. There are probably a hundred or so Japanese entering and leaving the country every day. Accurately locating a specific person from among them won't be easy.

Besides, this involves foreign affairs; it's not like dealing with ordinary citizens where the police can just arrest and question them at will.

But I suspect Chen Yan will definitely need to call for backup. Since foreigners are involved, she must understand that this isn't something she can do alone. Even with her family's background, she might not act rashly.

The most likely option is to ask Zhang An for help; after all, he's my boyfriend, and it wouldn't be like letting the benefits go to outsiders.

But what about that informant within the police force? If this news gets out, the organization might find out.

Although Wang Ke and Zhang Chaoping are dead, that informant might have betrayed us; he might still be working for the organization.

The more people involved, the more complicated the situation becomes.

But Feng Wu believes that the more chaotic things get, the easier it is to fish in troubled waters. Of course, this is just her opinion; she's a skilled fighter with extensive experience, so she's confident and bold. I don't have her abilities, and I'm incredibly nervous. What if something unexpected happens (which is almost certain)? What will I do then? Feng Wu might not care about me; what will I do then?

Perhaps I should find a way out, but I realize there are almost no options. No matter how I look at it, my life is in someone else's hands. At this point, I really feel like I'm at my wit's end… I look at the time; there's still half a minute until 9 o'clock.

At exactly 9:00 AM, I received a new text message instructing me to immediately take a taxi to the train station in City A.

I hailed a cab, got in, and told the driver I wanted to go to the train station. The driver turned and drove off. I wondered if he wanted me to go to another city to meet her.

But before we even reached the train station, after just two intersections, we encountered a traffic light and got stuck in traffic. The driver had barely stopped when another text message came in, telling me to get out of the car immediately and return to the aquarium. I hurriedly gave the driver some money, ignored his attempts to stop me, and jumped out of the car. The driver yelled at me from behind, "Are you crazy?" I didn't care if the police saw me or not, and ran straight to the side of the road.

When I got back to the aquarium entrance, the text message told me to look for a black plastic bag in the fifth trash can next to the aquarium.

I easily found it; inside was a piece of paper that said "Shark Pier." I bought a ticket, went inside, looked at a map, and headed straight for Shark Pier.

Shark Pier is the shark exhibit tank. In front of an extra-long acrylic display window, in the dark underwater environment, fearsome great white sharks seem to brush past you.

Unlike traditional flat or tunnel displays, this tank offers a three-dimensional, full-view experience, achieving the effect of a painting from afar, and surprises at every turn. The enormous floor-to-ceiling window pushes visual limits, and the nearly 1,000-square-meter canopy challenges your eyes. Holding your breath and diving into the shark zone, the effect truly makes you feel like you're underwater, as if you've merged with the deep ocean. This

was my first time here, and honestly, the sensory impact was indescribable. I imagine most people would never forget this experience. The other tourists around me probably had similar expressions.

I was even a little mesmerized, forgetting for a few seconds why I came.

"You're the one looking for me? Bai Lu?"

I turned around at the sound of a voice and saw a woman standing behind me. She was dressed very simply, but upon closer inspection, I recognized her face—it was the Japanese woman, Ikeda Narumi. I had no idea when she appeared; to be honest, I hadn't even noticed anyone coming from behind me.

I also didn't expect her to actually show up in her true form without any disguise, but none of the surrounding tourists paid any attention to us; their attention was all on the great white sharks.

"Hello, nice to meet you, Ms. Narumi Ikeda. I am Shirakawa, but I should say I am the person you are looking for." In my message to her, I referred to myself as Shirakawa, of course, just a pseudonym.

Narumi Ikeda spoke fluent Mandarin; if you didn't know beforehand that she was Japanese, you wouldn't be able to tell her apart from an ordinary Chinese person. At that moment, she was looking at me with a puzzled expression, as if trying to glean something from my eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean."

"Your Chinese is quite good; you must have practiced a lot."

"Excuse me, but who are you? What do you want with me? I'm just an ordinary tourist, here in China for academic exchange, and sightseeing on the side..."

"Alright, let's stop beating around the bush. The fact that I, a complete stranger, know your name means I already know a bit about you. I know exactly what you do—Takeda Industries, right? I also know why you're in mainland China. I wouldn't have approached you if I didn't understand the situation."

"You know what I do?"

"Of course, you're here for the data, right? If you weren't interested in that, or if I'm wrong, why did you ask me to meet you? And that whole series of tricks just now—we both know what we're up to. Since we're already here, why play dumb? It's pointless." "

So what is your purpose?"

"My purpose, hmph, you can guess just by thinking about it. I want money, I want to do this business with you. I know you agreed on 30 million euros with your original supplier, I can reduce it by 10 million, so I'll only charge 20 million.

I think this is a very good deal, a price you can't refuse, right?"

"Mr. Bailu, I now believe you have some understanding of the inside story. But that doesn't mean I'm willing to do this business with you. Who knows if what you're saying is true or false? We've never dealt with each other before, why should I believe you and not my original supplier?"

"Hmph, finally you're not pretending to be stupid anymore? That's good, this makes communication easier."

"Hmph, don't misunderstand. What I'm saying doesn't mean anything. I can deny knowing anything about what you're saying, I'm just interested in hearing what you have to say. That's why I'm going along with what you're saying. I'm just listening to this as a story, and if you keep spouting this nonsense, please forgive me for not wanting to waste any more time."

"Fine, fine, say whatever you want. I just noticed the atmosphere between us is a bit tense, so I wanted to change the mood."

"We're just strangers meeting for the first time, and we won't be seeing each other again. So there's no need for this nonsense, and I don't have that much time to waste. You haven't answered my question yet."

"It's simple. Your previous supplier couldn't provide you with satisfactory products, but I can."

"What makes you think you can do that? And why should I trust you?"

"You can trust your former supplier, so why can't you trust me? I can tell you, the real data is in my hands. What your supplier provided is worthless; it's fake. He just doesn't know it yet. I'm a businessman; I'm primarily in it for the money. I believe you are too. You're just here to collect this data. As long as the data is real, it doesn't matter who you trade with, right?"

"How can you prove that the data you have is real? Right now, I'm only listening to your side of the story. Who knows your true identity?"

"This shouldn't be a problem for you, right? Fujita Mitsuo came with you, didn't he? He's an expert; he can definitely determine the authenticity of the data. As for whether what I'm saying is just one side of the story, you'll find out later. Your goal is the data; as long as it's real, that's enough. As for my true identity, you don't need to know. I want to quietly enjoy the wonderful life that huge sum of money brings me. I'm very shy and don't like to be in the public eye."

“Okay, even if what you say is true, even if I don’t care who I’m dealing with, the deal still needs to be verified before it can be finalized.”

“I understand. You can arrange that. You can set the time and place. But I have one condition.”

“What condition?”

“I know your original supplier offered 30 million, but I can offer 10 million less. However, this 10 million isn’t free; the price is the identity of your supplier. That’s essential.”

“This… why do you want to know his identity?”

“That’s none of your business. I have some personal issues with him that I need to resolve. It’s none of your concern. Just take the data and leave; you don’t need to worry about the rest.”

“Since you know what I do, why are you asking me to betray my supplier?”

“This is just business. Your goal is the data. Once you get it, the rest is none of your business.

Besides, I believe your relationship is purely financial. He’s lost the right to do business with you, so he can no longer be considered your supplier. Why should you care about that?”

“Do I have the right to refuse?”

"No, to be honest, absolutely not. If this condition isn't met, I guarantee your mission will never succeed. And I will never let it succeed! I have the ability! I know about you and Fujita Mitsuo, and I know about others. When the time comes, as long as I contact the relevant departments, I think you know the consequences without me having to say more."

"Looks like you've been planning this all along? If I had refused your meeting request from the beginning, would you have tried to sabotage my deal anyway?"

"That's right. If you don't agree, I won't let you go back smoothly. Don't forget this is China, not Japan. We Chinese have a saying: 'Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake.' Here, you Japanese don't have the final say; we Chinese do. This is our territory. A simple accident can ruin your shady dealings. And I can easily create many accidents."

"Are you a yakuza organization?" Ikeda Narumi remained unfazed by my threat, at least outwardly stable.

However, her words were tinged with Japanese slang.

"Pretty much. I'm similar to a gangster. In short, like you, I live a double life. I'm also very familiar with the world you're familiar with. That's all you need to know."

"So you're saying I have no room to refuse?"

"Yes, that's right. To put it bluntly, even if I didn't have that data, I'd still have to interfere and extort you, and you'd have to obey, otherwise I'd ruin everything. The difference is, I have what you need, so cooperating with me won't cost you anything; on the contrary, you'll save ten million."

"What's the benefit for you? If we part ways, you still won't get the money."

"I might not get the money, but I can find other buyers. It's not like Takeda Industries is the only dominant player in the world. You should know who this data is originally meant for. But what I have is unique; if you miss it, you won't find it anywhere else." "

I understand. Since you're asking this, I can have him present during the transaction. Are you satisfied now?"

"Okay, that's fine."

“But that’s after I’ve verified your data, please remember that.”

“I know.”

“I’ll give you an answer within 24 hours, still the same phone number?”

“Yes, I’ll keep my phone on 24/7. I’m waiting for your reply, and I believe you’ll make the right choice.”

I took out my phone and waved it in front of her. Ikeda Shiromi didn’t say anything and turned to leave. I was momentarily stunned. That was it? I thought there would be a lot of hard bargaining and heated debate involved. A transaction worth hundreds of millions, possibly even involving lives, was settled with just a few simple words? Was this woman up to something else?

“Wait!” I blurted out involuntarily.

"What's wrong? Is there anything else?"

"You didn't even ask my real identity, you don't even know who I am, and you just agreed like that? Aren't you afraid I'll double-cross you? You agreed too easily! How am I supposed to know if you're up to something? How do you know everything I said is true?"

"I don't know what you're up to either. What difference does it make to us? I don't care who you are. That's not my concern. I only care if the deal goes smoothly. As you said, you already know my background, which is enough for me to prove you're qualified to negotiate with me. Isn't that enough? It's enough for me."

"You made your decision too quickly... abnormally quickly..."

"So you want me to take my time? I don't mind, but I'm afraid you can't wait. Some things don't need to be discussed for a long time, especially in the current situation." Ikeda Shiromi looked at me with a hint of disdain and mockery, as if she saw through me and thought I was an inexperienced newbie.

I was speechless. To be honest, I only had the advantage of knowing her background from the start, but she was a genuine, professionally trained spy. If it came down to a battle of wits, I wouldn't stand a chance. Compared to her, I was truly inexperienced. I had no idea what she was planning.

Perhaps Feng Wu could handle her here, but I couldn't.

"Is there anything else?"

"By the way, the mainland police might have gotten wind of this. Be careful."

"Thank you for your concern. I'm capable of taking care of myself. I'm just a travel journalist; I haven't done anything illegal. I don't think the Chinese police would arrest people without reason. After all, I'm Japanese, and I have human rights."

With that, Ikeda Shiromi turned and left.

**********************************************

Ikeda Shiromi's figure had disappeared. I stood there for a while, then slowly walked in another direction.

I was very unhappy with what that woman said before she left, but there was nothing I could do because what she said was basically true. The terrible reputation of China's public security system is no longer news to ordinary people. Every day, they see various media reports about the "great achievements" of the police, which sometimes even gives them the illusion that there is no difference between the police of the Communist Party and the police of the Kuomintang.

When dealing with their own people, they're like wolves and tigers, treating ordinary citizens like dirt. But when they encounter foreigners, they don't dare utter a sound, not even daring to raise their voices. It's as if foreigners are the only human beings, while their fellow Chinese are nothing but weeds.

In the same case, foreigners and Chinese are treated completely differently. One side is always glaring at the other, the other always polite and courteous. The public has long lost faith in the police, and there's even a strong sense of antagonism. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been the widespread celebration of the assassination of six Shanghai police officers.

For the same reason, I never considered asking the police for help, because I instinctively have no trust in them whatsoever.

Ikeda Shiromi is Japanese, a foreigner. With this special status protecting her, the police can't do anything to her. At least not like they would to ordinary citizens. Without evidence, even if she swaggered down the street right in front of them, the police couldn't lay a finger on her.

She probably already knew the true nature of the Chinese police, which is why she was so confident and unconcerned.

After all, they were experts trained in espionage, and their courage far surpassed that of the average person. An ordinary person, upon hearing they were being watched by the police, would likely have backed down long ago.

Leaving Shark Pier, we arrived at the Underwater World. Diving from the South China Sea, passing through the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean, the underwater tunnel, like a gentle and soothing melody, softly and smoothly led you into a tranquil and magnificent marine world. The vibrant underwater visual effects, the authentic underwater dreamlike atmosphere, and the oversized curved acrylic display window unveiled the mysterious veil of the sea.

Among the tourists strolling through, I saw a familiar figure.

Zhang Ning was staring intently at the fish leisurely swimming in the tank, seemingly oblivious to me. But my phone rang. I answered and saw it was Zhang Ning's number. Looking at her again, she was still watching the fish, her gaze not turning towards me at all.

"Hello? You…"

"Let's meet at the Rainforest Wonders." From a distance, Zhang Ning's lips seemed to move as if she were talking to herself, then she slowly walked away. I held my phone, looked around, and then wandered off in a different direction.

The Rainforest Wonders is actually an eco-museum. Stepping inside, winding paths, cascading waterfalls, babbling brooks, mysterious statues, ancient bridges, and the sounds of insects and birds make visitors feel as if they've entered the mysterious Amazon rainforest. Following the natural contours of the land, display tanks of varying sizes are cleverly inlaid like scattered pearls among the forest and rock crevices. The lush tropical rainforest scenery is captivating.

Moreover, because it's designed to resemble a rainforest landscape, the various paths twist and turn, creating a maze-like effect. Hidden among the artificial mountains, vines, and foliage, visitors appear and disappear, with countless blind spots. If you want to sneak around doing something, this is a good place.

I found her in front of a tank displaying discus fish.

“You saw what happened just now, right? The buyer of that data is Japanese. That woman is called Ikeda Shiromi; she's the one representing the buyer to make contact. Now you should believe me, I wasn't lying. What you want—money or data—you can get from her.”

“Zhang Chaoping is really dead?”

“Dead.”

“So he really does have something.”

“One of two things, but I don't know which one is real. But we'll know when that mysterious mastermind appears. The reason I arranged this transaction was to lure him out.

He definitely has the other one. He probably knows I have what he wants, and he'll definitely show up when I make the deal with Ikeda. Because this is his only chance to snatch it from me.”

“Why are you so confident I'll help you? After all, you clearly didn't trust me before.” Zhang Ning didn't answer, but slowly countered with a question.

"The past is the past, and the present is the present. Now I can only trust you; I have no other choice. Besides, you should understand now that I was truly framed. Clinging to this argument is pointless to you. Your goal is the data, or to put it bluntly, the money that data can bring you. When the truth comes out, you can control the discs and the downstream buyers, and I can find out who framed me. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

"Hmph, how do I know if this is a play you and that Ikeda Narumi are putting on?"

"If I were putting on a show, why would I notify you? To arouse your suspicion. You should know that I'm currently alone and powerless. Compared to the forces behind you, I'm like an ant compared to an elephant. I have no ability to play any tricks on you."

"Who knows? You and Chen Yan are so close. Maybe you and she planned to catch me red-handed?"

“If I were in cahoots with her, she would be the one meeting here now. Why bother with you?

Besides, she has to believe everything I say. You're much closer to her than to me. If I said you were involved in organized crime, she'd arrest me immediately. And your brother Zhang An is a cop. Even if I wanted to take you down, it's impossible for me alone, given the time constraints.”

“Oh, someone like me, so harmful to society, and directly related to your current situation, don't you have any thoughts?”

“Having thoughts is only half the battle; you need the ability to carry them out. Besides, all of this was orchestrated by Zhang Chaoping and that guy; you were unaware. And whether you're harmful to society or not is none of my business; I'm not a cop. My goal is to catch the only one who escaped. My goal is him. If cooperating with the devil can achieve my goal, I'll do it.”

“Then why don't you cooperate with Chen Yan? The police have far more power than us.”

"Besides, cooperating with her might not be as good as cooperating with you. She's a police officer, representing the government. Their goal is to take both people and goods. They've done this kind of thing too many times; I don't trust cooperating with them at all. Relatively speaking, you seem more trustworthy, at least your goals don't conflict with mine."

"Why do you want to cooperate with me? Don't you want to keep those twenty million euros for yourself?"

"Hmph, you have to be alive to spend money, not just to earn it. Rather than being hunted down around the world with tens of millions on my back, I'd rather live a normal life. Honestly, with Wang Hui dead, I've really become indifferent to everything.

Money isn't important to me anymore. Now I just want to confirm that person's exact identity; I just want to know who he is!"

I was speaking from the heart now; my choice to cooperate with Zhang Ning was a last resort. At this point, it was time to put an end to everything. In the end, I didn't care what happened to Zhang Ning, what happened to the police, what happened to the organization—I didn't care about any of it. In the end, let them fight to the death. Ideally, everyone would die together, and the world would be at peace.

But I have only one goal: I need to know who truly holds the other half.

If this isn't cleared up, I won't be able to die in peace. If I don't drag him down with me, I'll become a vengeful ghost and haunt him.

As for my own safety, I haven't really thought about it much. If I'm lucky enough to survive, I'll live one day at a time. If I die here, then it's probably God's arrangement, and Wang Hui might be waiting for me in another world. I don't have any particular opinion about that.

As for the money, I don't care about it at all. I know I'm simply not capable of spending that kind of money.

But Feng Wu might not share my thoughts, so I didn't tell her my plans. My meeting with Zhang Ning was also behind her back. I guessed Feng Wu was very interested in this deal, and if she knew my true intentions, she might immediately eliminate me, this obstacle.

Only I know my true thoughts, and I will never tell anyone before I die.

"Now that you know who that person is, what do you plan to do?"

"I will use everything he has to pay for my wife's death. If necessary, I will drag him down to hell with me!" I said through gritted teeth. Zhang Ning looked into my eyes, and from her gaze, I knew she believed me.

“Okay, I regret what happened to your wife. I… never mind, we’ll talk about it later. What are your specific plans?”

“That woman will give me an answer within 24 hours. If she agrees, she’ll give me the time and place . I’ll let you know then

. If she doesn’t agree, then we’ll have to take force. Even if it means kidnapping her, we have to make that person show up. Otherwise, we won’t achieve

our goal .” “I understand. It’s 24 hours too. I’ll wait for your news.” … ********** ... "Won't she be that docile? Will she just obediently accept my conditions?" I described the meeting. "Basically, she agreed to my demands, saying she'd give me a reply within 24 hours. But it seems like that reply is just informing me of the time and place. Did she agree too easily? Is she just going to let me blackmail her like this? She's a spy, doesn't she know how to fight back?" "Trying to retaliate? I think you're overestimating her. In my opinion, this is the normal reaction. First of all, she's a spy, but she's also a person, not a soldier. Her greatest weapon is her hidden identity, and now that it's been exposed, her biggest weakness has been exposed, leaving her with no choice but to compromise. She's not the kind of military spy trained in special operations; she's just a half-baked industrial spy. In this unfamiliar environment of a foreign land, even if she had a hundred lives, she wouldn't dare to do anything extreme. Besides, she lacks the ability. As a Japanese person, she probably knows only a handful of people here, and what she's doing is shady. If things get out of hand, she might not be able to return to Japan alive. Under these circumstances, she can only choose to compromise." "Then what's the difference between her as a spy and an ordinary person? She doesn't have any special abilities." "Don't think of spies as too mysterious. They're just ordinary people, albeit ordinary people with some special skills. They have the same weaknesses as ordinary people, but they deal with them differently. She's currently alone in an unfamiliar environment, carrying out a secret and illegal mission. The most basic requirements are secrecy and safety. Any unexpected interference should be taken seriously. You could say that any abnormal interference should be considered a signal of impending danger, and the mission should be stopped immediately. Because in these kinds of things, there's no middle ground, only success or failure. If you knowingly continue something that's not going well, you'll most likely lose everything. Not to mention your blatant blackmail and harassment. Anyone else would probably pack their bags and go back to Japan immediately. Safety first is common sense in the intelligence community. It's better to cancel the mission than to risk greater losses. The fact that she hasn't backed down yet shows that she's much bolder than the average person. Knowing that the risks are beyond her control, she still dares to persist." " Then does her violation of this common sense mean that she's determined to get this data?" "So she's an amateur. A real professional spy would have retreated long ago. Perhaps she's not lacking in common sense, but she's definitely bolder than most. Maybe the temptation of that ten million euro difference made her willing to take the risk." "You think she's more trustworthy?" "That's right. I guess she's prepared to risk earning that ten million euros. Going back would be pointless; she'd likely be sidelined. Besides, at least for now, she's just changed her trading partner, and she's probably afraid that deserting will displease you. Your threats should have worked on her. For both personal and professional reasons, she has no choice but to continue." "How do you know my bluff worked? Even if she really left now, there's nothing we can do." "But she doesn't know that. You know her background, but she doesn't know who you are. And we know where she's staying, which is enough to make her hesitant to act rashly. She's probably checking her room for surveillance equipment right now, and those plainclothes police officers near the hotel make her feel like she's being watched." "Plainclothes officers near the hotel? What's going on?" "It seems that young policewoman Chen Yan has made a move. There are police informants near the residences of all the Japanese people on that list. Asking her for the list of Japanese people pointed her in the right direction. Although she can't be sure which one it is, she can still monitor them all. She's probably already told Zhang An about this, otherwise she probably couldn't mobilize so many people." "Won't that hinder our plan? I'm still wanted, and it's very dangerous to show myself openly in the police's sight." "We can put on makeup. Besides, they haven't identified Ikeda Narumi yet, so it won't affect us much. We can also use this to deter that woman from having any ulterior motives. Maybe Ikeda will even think those policemen are our subordinates." "So what exactly should we do when we go? Just take the items? Take both?" “Actually, it doesn’t matter if the disc is fake anyway. The most important thing is to protect the decoding program. Even if we’re going to make a deal, we should give out the disc first. Without our decoding program, the other party won’t be able to tell which one is real. Even if that person comes with the real disc, he still won’t be able to prove it. We’ll just lure them out,” Lian Yue said from the side. Feng Wu thought for a moment and nodded approvingly. I called Lian Yue over: "Okay, the plan is good. Just take the disc. I reckon the location Ikeda Narumi chose will be somewhere she feels safe. We might not be able to use force. Take the disc and wait for my instructions." "Me too? The disc is fake, what use is it?" "That guy has the real one, but I doubt he'll show himself easily. I think he'll seize this opportunity to steal the deal. If he shows himself, fine. If he doesn't, I'll have you show up with the disc, try to disrupt the situation, and force him to reveal himself. This is just a backup plan, it might not actually be implemented. Don't be so nervous." "Okay..." "Next , we just wait for Ikeda Narumi's message. Let's hurry up and prepare..." ********** ...

As the saying goes, "Those who live near the mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near the sea live off the sea." As a coastal city, City A naturally has a port and harbor. The transaction location chosen by Ikeda was a luxury cruise ship owned by a shipping company in Macau. These cruise ships are specifically built for entertainment, and those who board them are there for food, drink, and fun. They are fully equipped with various facilities, and rumor has it that they also have a casino. They regularly dock at City A's port. Moreover, the route doesn't go overseas; it only cruises on the high seas for two or three days before returning home. For Ikeda, this was indeed a good choice.

"A cruise ship, the East China Sea Star? That's certainly a nice place. I really didn't expect it." Feng Wu nodded after looking at it. "It seems that Ikeda Narumi is quite capable."

"What's wrong?"

"This cruise ship is registered in Macau. It's actually a gambling ship with casino operations. Because it's a gambling ship, the security measures are very strict, and it's difficult to bring ordinary weapons on board. In addition, it spends most of its time on the high seas, and mainland police have no law enforcement authority on the high seas." "

Gambling ship?" To be honest, this is the first time I've heard of such a legendary term. Before, my concept of it was only seen in movies and TV dramas.

"Then how can it dock at a Chinese port? Gambling is illegal in China!"

"Hmph, Chinese law is all decided by the officials. If they say it's illegal, it's illegal; if they say it's not, it's not. Other ships can't dock, but this one can. It hasn't announced it's a gambling ship, so why can't it dock? This ship is registered in Panama, nominally in Macau, but actually has a big boss behind it. It's said to be a powerful conglomerate in Beijing called the Dongxing Group. With such a powerful figure backing it, naturally, nothing is off-limits."

"The Dongxing Group?" I think I've heard of it.

"Yes, their boss's surname is Hou. He's a super tycoon with connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles, a figure registered with the central government. His Dongxing Group has businesses all over the world. He recently obtained citizenship in an African country and started mining there, specializing in rare strategic metals. Among the merchant ships escorted by the Chinese naval fleet in the Gulf of Aden in Somalia are cargo ships carrying ore for Dongxing. Dongxing's ships are on the escort fleet's priority protection list."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I vaguely remember. I think I read his autobiography before, what was it called? I can't remember right now."

"A golden carp is no ordinary fish! You've never heard of this?"

"Oh, right, right, I remember now. Dongxing Group, Donghai Zhixing (East Sea Star), remove the sea and it's still Dongxing. So that's the background of this ship. Does Ikeda choosing this ship mean that the Dongxing Group is involved in this matter?"

"Unlikely. Tens of millions of euros is an astronomical figure to us, but it's just a pittance to a group like Dongxing. Besides, it involves leaks of secrets, and Dongxing wouldn't get involved in that mess. And this ship operates normally except in special circumstances; anyone with money can board. Ikeda probably chose this ship because she knows its background, using it to deter us from acting recklessly."

"I see. Then..."

"We'll see how things go. Once the ship is on the high seas, the concept of law disappears. The rules set by the Dongxing Group are the law on the ship, which has both advantages and disadvantages for us. At least we don't have to worry about police threats for the time being, and we can temporarily eliminate any organizational or gang-related factors. We can focus on our business."

"Then when do we leave?"

"Let's leave now. The ship won't let us leave at 5 o'clock. This woman is clearly not giving us enough time to prepare.

Grab your things, and proceed according to plan!"

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