Chapter 60: The Trap Dug

Du Lifeng exhaled softly, his breath long and measured. “Your story… is not particularly captivating. I have other matters to attend to. Please, see yourself out.”

This was an open dismissal.

Whether it was Lin Xiaosu or Zhou Mei, both had been welcomed in with polite hospitality, only to end up being unceremoniously shown the door.

Yet Lin Xiaosu’s face betrayed no disappointment whatsoever. He rose with a gentle smile, even extending his hand as if to shake Du Lifeng’s in farewell. Unfortunately, Du Lifeng did not notice him, so the gesture was left unreturned.

They departed, and Du Lifeng watched from the window.

Their car sped out of the factory grounds, leaving Du Lifeng standing in the gathering gloom, his expression dark and brooding.

The wind swept by, stirring Du Lifeng’s slicked-back hair. He slowly turned around, his voice low. “That man… is somewhat terrifying.”

Behind him, his secretary spoke coolly. “What you should focus on is not whether he is terrifying, but rather… why he wants to show you he is terrifying.”

“To warn us?” Du Lifeng asked.

“Perhaps he’s after the same thing as we are.”

“Go on,” Du Lifeng prompted.

In just a few words, she revealed something others would never have imagined: this secretary was not an ordinary assistant.

At that moment, she sat calmly on the sofa, while Du Lifeng, the boss, remained standing beside her.

“He laid out his reasoning with precision, but he has no evidence,” Secretary Xiaojun said. “Ordinarily, what would we do?”

“Break the chain of evidence.”

Li Yufeng had already been arrested. The police, citing the complexity of the case, detained her for fifteen days. If Lin Xiaosu’s narrative was accepted by the authorities, they would deploy every interrogation method to crack the case. Should Li Yufeng talk, the police would have grounds to open a thorough investigation into Dell Company. Therefore, the ideal solution was to resort to extreme measures and silence her.

This was Du Lifeng’s explanation of breaking the evidence chain.

Xiaojun replied, “That’s precisely the trap he’s set for us.”

Du Lifeng’s brow furrowed. “So, the purpose of today’s story was to prompt us to kill Li Yufeng?”

“Otherwise? You think he’s just bored? He has no evidence; even if he suspects us, he cannot launch an investigation. But if we dare to go into the detention center to kill Li Yufeng, we’ll walk straight into the jaws of his greatest skill: investigation. At that point, you’d best believe he’ll find any trace left behind by the assassination.”

Sweat began to bead on Du Lifeng’s forehead.

Moments ago, his mind was in turmoil, already caught in the undertow of assassinating Li Yufeng and breaking the evidence chain.

His focus had been solely on how to execute the killing without leaving any trace.

He hadn’t considered that Lin Xiaosu had deliberately left him an escape hatch…

So cunning?

A gentle knock sounded on the door…

Both inside were startled. Du Lifeng sat down, and Secretary Xiaojun stood, walking to the door and opening it.

Outside, there was no stranger—only the driver, Dongzi.

“Sister Jun, there’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. It feels very wrong,” Dongzi said.

“What is it?”

“When Lin Xiaosu shook my hand just now, the strength was unusual,” Dongzi continued.

Xiaojun’s eyes suddenly grew grave and deep.

“Moreover, after the handshake, he plucked one of my hairs.”

Xiaojun’s whole body tensed. “He plucked your hair? Are you certain?”

---

“I’m absolutely certain! The handshake was a pretext; plucking my hair was his real aim. It was because of his move that I judged his actual fighting ability to be at least equal to mine.”

“This… is serious,” Xiaojun whispered, her eyes bottomless.

---

Fengcheng Avenue, nearing the South Gate Bridge.

The May wind rustled over the Yishui River, stirring the willow trees along the banks.

Everything was beautiful, everything serene.

The car cruised slowly along the riverside.

Inside, Zhou Mei’s face was grave. At last, she exhaled softly. “How likely is your story?”

“When I first entered Dell Company, my judgment was fifty-fifty. Now, it’s eighty percent.”

“If that’s true, did we make a rookie mistake today? Did we alert them too soon?”

Lin Xiaosu smiled lightly. “For the police, alerting suspects is the hallmark of a rookie mistake. But in my book, sometimes it’s a clever move.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it. If they truly did it, what would happen if they suddenly heard this story?”

Zhou Mei recalled past cases. “Two possibilities: one, they kill Li Yufeng; two, they kill us.”

“And then? Would they walk away clean, leaving no trace?”

Zhou Mei’s eyes flashed. “This is the trap you set for them?”

“Exactly. Li Yufeng’s life is not precious… Forgive me, but I can say this. If her death could give us ironclad evidence against the big fish, I think it’s worth it.”

“You underestimate your opponent. If he can create genetic toxins and antidotes, his backing is unimaginable. Even if they kill Li Yufeng in detention, we may never trace the chain.”

“There are countless ways to kill, but the claim of absolute flawlessness does not exist in theory.”

“So you’re not underestimating them, you’re just overconfident,” Zhou Mei replied. “Anything else you gained?”

“Yes. This is the greatest gain of today.” Lin Xiaosu lifted his hand. At his fingertip, a single strand of hair.

The car sped ten meters and stopped.

Zhou Mei’s gaze locked onto the strand. “Whose hair?”

“It’s the hair of the gift-giver—the driver, Dongzi.”

Zhou Mei frowned deeply. “Dongzi, driver and bodyguard… his hair…”

“This is no ordinary hair. It contains special blood traits. If you have a genetic test kit in the car, you might want to do a quick check.”

“You suspect he’s a genetic human?”

“I’m almost certain.”

Zhou Mei reached forward, opened a compartment, and took out a small pouch containing three vials of reagent.

Since the emergence of genetic humans, officers like her always carried such kits.

Why?

Genetic humans are highly sensitive.

They surpass normal limits, representing the most uncontrollable factor in law enforcement.

That’s why the case of genetic humans kidnapping children directly alarmed the Hidden Dragon.

It’s become standard practice: any case involving genetic humans escalates to a higher level, handled by special authorities.

---

Ordinary police cannot handle genetic humans; specialized departments must intervene.

The strand of hair was split in two, half placed in the vial. The transparent liquid slowly changed color, turning blue.

Zhou Mei’s heart pounded wildly. “He is a genetic human! Xiaosu, we need to report this immediately!”

“No,” Lin Xiaosu stopped her.

“No?”

A mysterious light shone in Lin Xiaosu’s eyes. “Think, what will Du Lifeng do if he knows I plucked a hair from his driver?”

“The issue of genetic humans is more sensitive than anything. He really might kill us!” Sweat broke on Zhou Mei’s nose.

“If he knows, it won’t be so easy for him to kill me.”

“He… he’ll run! He’ll leave Fengcheng at once, severing all ties. Even if the provincial bureau sends experts, they won’t find him. So, Xiaosu, this isn’t up for discussion; we must report it immediately.” Zhou Mei was frantic.

“What if I told you… the core of today’s drama was to force him to run?”

Zhou Mei stared at him, speechless…

Why is it that working with him always overturns police procedures?

The police dread alerting suspects; he does it at will.

The police fear key suspects fleeing; he forces them to run.

This…

“Zhou Mei, Fengcheng is small, but the world’s storms are vast. Things that seem monumental to you are merely minor pieces on the great board.”

“I understand, but…”

“Don’t dwell on it. Trust me,” Lin Xiaosu said, sealing the matter.

Zhou Mei hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently. “You want him to run because you plucked his hair. Most people wouldn’t even notice; I was close by and never saw your move… Is it possible he didn’t notice at all? Are you acting for a blind man?”

“Ordinary people wouldn’t notice, but he will,” Lin Xiaosu said. “Because he is a genetic human, and this strand is connected to his entire being. After plucking it, I observed his reaction. He noticed.”

Zhou Mei shook her head lightly. “I can’t even decide if I want to keep working with you. It’s refreshing, but I always feel like a fool…”

“Don’t be discouraged. You have strengths I lack. For example, you can stay up all night; your police star shines with pride. You fulfill your duties faithfully, working tirelessly without complaint…”

Zhou Mei made a sour face. “If you want to call me stupid, just say it!”

“Who says you’re stupid? Out of all the people in the world, you chose me—that’s the greatest wisdom! I handle the complexity; you handle me. All the brain cells I burn turn into your shining police star…”

“You win! Let’s go…” Zhou Mei hit the gas and headed for the detective agency.

The agency doors were closed tight.

“Ruolan isn’t back yet?”

“I told you, she won’t be back tonight.”

“You said she was out on a case, but never that she wouldn’t return at night,” Zhou Mei replied. “Looks like we’ll have to stick together tonight.”

Tonight, according to their earlier analysis:

Du Lifeng might send people to kill them.

He could kill Li Yufeng, kill them, or both.

These were all options for the other side.

Of course, if they were smart, they wouldn’t likely use such drastic measures, but who could guarantee that Du Lifeng wouldn’t act on impulse?