Chapter 113: Four Hundred and Sixty Thousand—For Your Coffin

Zhuifeng sat beside Ding Ruoshui, his eyes vacant, as if he were sleepwalking.

In the driver’s seat, Heizi’s head was tilted to one side, his leg pressed rigid against the accelerator, sending the car speeding forward.

Li Songtao’s hair stood on end. "Ding Ruoshui..." He actually knew her, but at the teahouse, he had chosen to pretend he didn't.

Ding Ruoshui said coldly, "You owe me 460,000. You don't intend to pay? That's fine. Keep it; you can use it to buy yourself a coffin."

Li Songtao shouted, "I'll pay! I'll pay 4.6 million! 46 million..."

His voice cut off abruptly as a finger pressed against the center of his forehead. A strange energy surged through his body in an instant, rendering him completely immobile; he couldn't even make a sound.

"Too late! Goodbye!"

As the words fell, Ding Ruoshui’s body shifted horizontally, and in the next moment, she vanished from the speeding vehicle.

Ahead lay a curve—a very sharp one.

Li Songtao watched helplessly as the bend rushed toward him, while the car showed no signs of slowing down.

At this moment, he truly realized the truth: Ding Ruoshui, that eccentric among the wealthy second-generation heirs of Jiangcheng, was truly unconventional. She possessed unfathomable martial prowess.

He had lived a life of reckless extravagance, only to lose his life over 460,000? Where was the justice in that?

Boom!

The car vaulted over the road barrier and plunged headlong into South Lake.

Back at the teahouse, everything remained peaceful. Inside that private room, the figures in white and purple continued to sit opposite each other, sipping tea.

Liu Qianxun set her teacup down gently and exhaled. "Is the first round of the exchange over just like that? Ending in our crushing defeat?"

"Crushing defeat?" Li Ziyi smiled faintly. "You have so little faith in me? Are my plans really that easy to defeat?"

Liu Qianxun’s gaze settled slowly on her eyes. "He crippled Du Qi in public with such arrogance, yet not a single piece of evidence can be pinned on him. If that isn't a failure, what is?"

A mysterious light flashed in Li Ziyi’s eyes. "The plan to lock him in using the law failed, but the world is strange; there is the path of the legal system, and there are paths beyond it. He exploited a legal loophole and is likely feeling quite smug. If he knew that this clever plan I set was a plot within a plot, I think he might regret exploiting that loophole."

"A plot within a plot? Paths beyond the law... Ziyi, what exactly are you talking about?"

Li Ziyi replied, "The true essence of today’s strategy wasn't the plan itself, but the person used as a pawn! Du Qi—as long as Du Qi was crippled by his hand, he would be doomed beyond redemption! There was no need to care whether the process of crippling him was seamless or legally compliant!"

Liu Qianxun frowned. "Du Qi... does he have a remarkable background?"

Li Ziyi said, "He has an older brother. If that man has even a shred of humanity left, it’s for this younger brother. Now that this brother is gone, the moment he returns to the country, if Lin Xiaosu or the entire Lin family manages to keep a single sprout alive, I’ll acknowledge their grit!"

Liu Qianxun’s heart pounded...

She finally understood Ziyi’s strategy. It was truly unfathomable and exquisitely brilliant.

The most ingenious point was using Du Qi as the pawn. Du Qi was easily incited; once provoked, he was bound to move exactly according to her baton. As soon as the first step was taken, no matter what Lin Xiaosu did afterward, it was a dead end.

If he killed Du Qi, the law would constrain him. Lin Xiaosu had cleverly designed an insidious provocation, exploiting the "self-defense" loophole to kill Du Qi right off the chessboard. Everyone thought it was a brilliant move.

However, in Ziyi’s chess game, this was merely the ignition button for the inner plot. Because there was someone who stood outside the legal system... and that person's retaliation would be ten or a hundred times more terrifying than any legal sanction.

The entire scheme started with a childish, absurd opening, and the process was incredibly rough, yet the ending was flawless. That was the Ziyi way—always hiding mysteries within a plan.

Suddenly, the phone in front of Ziyi vibrated.

She picked it up and answered, her expression changing instantly.

"What's wrong?" Liu Qianxun watched her friend anxiously. In all the time they had known each other, she had never seen this expression—something had completely bypassed her predictions and shaken her to the core.

"Third Brother is in trouble!"

"What?" Liu Qianxun’s expression changed as well. Although she didn't genuinely like this suitor, he could provide her with what she wanted. How could something have happened to him?

It couldn't be too serious, could it? In theory, it shouldn't be. He was the third young master of the Changsheng Group, with family wealth, bodyguards, and a web of connections in official circles...

Li Ziyi slowly stood up, her body trembling slightly. "Ten minutes ago, his car drove into South Lake."

Liu Qianxun breathed a sigh of relief. "That's nothing, is it? The one driving for him is a gene-enhanced human, and he has a genetic master with him."

Li Ziyi’s gaze shifted to her. "Listen clearly: he fell into South Lake ten minutes ago, and so far, no one has surfaced!"

Liu Qianxun’s heart sank. She understood.

Falling into the lake ten minutes ago—under normal circumstances, it wouldn't even take a minute for two genetic beings to rescue one spoiled heir. But they hadn't surfaced yet.

Ten minutes was enough to turn Li Songtao from a man into a ghost.

"Let's go!" Li Ziyi rushed out of the teahouse.

Liu Qianxun was even faster than her; after all, she was a descendant of the ancient martial arts.

At the same time, a flying vehicle from the Changsheng Group soared into the sky...

The Jiangcheng police mobilized immediately...

Even He Jiang, the top detective of the Jiangcheng Detective Agency, received a call directly from the chairman of the Changsheng Group...

Regardless of the noise outside, the Criminal Investigation Brigade remained quiet and solemn.

Lin Xiaosu followed Shen Yinchuan down a long corridor and stopped in front of an office.

Shen Yinchuan said, "Mr. Lin, go in. I’ll be outside."

This was the treatment Lin Xiaosu received today. It wasn't for a statement. Instead, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade himself had led him to the door and bowed, inviting him inside, while the captain stood guard outside like a sentry.

Lin Xiaosu didn't mind at all. He nodded to Shen Yinchuan, pushed the door open, and closed it behind him.

By the window, a familiar face wore a smile. Truth be told, Number 88 usually looked like a coffin lid, so such a smile was rare.

Yes, the visitor was Qianlong Number 88.

"Changye sent me a message yesterday. I was wondering how to ask you out; I didn't expect an outsider to report you and provide the excuse to bring you here," Number 88 said. "Your conflict with the third young master of the Changsheng Group today—that wasn't part of your plan, was it?"

"That really wasn't. That kid was just looking for trouble," Lin Xiaosu said.

"Sit down. The tea is ready," Number 88 gestured.

Lin Xiaosu sat by the window with him, and both raised their teacups.

Number 88 said, "A toast to you first! For Number 65!"

"I thought you would say, for the sake of our friendship, so that we don't remain parallel lines forever because of diverging paths," Lin Xiaosu said, drinking the first cup.

"That was what I intended to say for our second cup," Number 88 replied.

"I'll say it for the second cup then, consider it my toast to you," Lin Xiaosu picked up the teapot and poured them both another round.

After two cups of tea...

Number 88 felt a bit emotional. "Brother, your trip to Fusang shook many people."

The word "brother" came without warning. A strange feeling rose in Lin Xiaosu’s heart. "You called me brother?"

"If you were a Qianlong, it might be inconvenient for us to call each other brother, but you aren't!" Number 88 said. "I think only this address can clearly tell you how much I genuinely recognize your repeated actions."

Brotherhood doesn't mean blood ties. Brotherhood doesn't mean status. Brotherhood only signifies recognition.

Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly. "How much did Changye tell you about this mission?"

"She was frank, saying she didn't know much about it either, so this mission is led by you, and I am your support," Number 88 said.

"Led by me! Aren't you afraid I'll mess it up?" Lin Xiaosu laughed.

Number 88 smiled too. "It doesn't matter. If you mess it up, at worst, you'll be fined 100,000. Besides, even after a 100,000 fine, you'll still have 1.4 million left—that's enough to find a wife."

"Damn! Who did you learn that from?" Lin Xiaosu shot him a look.

"Just joking. Let's get to the point," Number 88 said. "How do you plan to start?"

"Tomorrow, we'll go visit Li Changsheng together!"

Number 88’s eyes flickered. "State the plan of action."

"There is no plan."

Number 88 was momentarily stunned.

Lin Xiaosu said, "The current Changsheng Group is a fog. No matter how much the outside world probes, they cannot see the truth within. But do you believe in a great man's famous saying? Opportunities arise during movement."

Number 88 pondered for a long time. "If you were a reservist, I would judge you as unqualified based on your reckless style alone. However, your planning successfully completed an SS-rank mission... so, stupid or not, I'm with you on this one!"

"That's the spirit!" Lin Xiaosu laughed. "Trust in your comrade is the fundamental guarantee for completing a mission... Drink up, to this mission!"

The two teacups clinked, and they drained them in one gulp.

The door was suddenly tapped lightly.

"Come in!" said Number 88.

Shen Yinchuan walked in, his expression somewhat strange.

"What is it?"

"Reporting to the leader! A homicide case just occurred, and there are some mysteries to it..."

"Speak!" said Number 88.

"Half an hour ago, Li Songtao’s car plunged into South Lake. All three people in the car drowned."

Number 88 didn't feel much. To him, a single homicide case wasn't worth much attention. What he cared about were matters involving thousands of lives and the survival of the Great Xia nation.

But Lin Xiaosu was shocked. "Half an hour ago? Roughly ten minutes after we left the scene?"

"Yes!"

Lin Xiaosu asked, "Who was with Li Songtao?"

"One named Zhuifeng, the other named Heizi. Heizi was driving, and Zhuifeng was sitting beside Li Songtao."

Lin Xiaosu frowned. "Were they both gene-enhanced humans?"

"Yes!"

Number 88 shifted his gaze. "This wasn't a normal accident. This was murder!"