Chapter 145: Silhouette in the Rain 7
Zhong Pinghe had also been working at the headquarters these past few days. After seeing the email from Fu Han, he said, “Liam’s status within the Invisible Giant has indeed risen recently. The past few years could be considered his dormancy period, during which he was secretly roping in various forces to prepare for his power grab.”
The Invisible Giant’s Number One, codenamed “Adam,” supported Evolved modification, and the MaximeE series was his proudest work. Now, the “Million Dollar Murder” orchestrated by Liam undoubtedly cut off Adam’s financial path directly. Zhong Pinghe said, “Liam picked a very good time to provoke his big brother. The ‘Monolith Project,’ which is about to officially launch, has tied up the vast majority of Adam’s energy and financial resources. He has no time to attend to other matters.”
Once the “Monolith Project” succeeded, the Rule Zones would be completely destroyed. Then, the replicas and modifications derived from the Rule Zones would naturally disappear along with them, and the related logical chains would be completely extracted from the universe. For the Invisible Giant, who had been dedicated to transforming Rule Zones into tools of domination, this was undoubtedly a devastating blow. The many consortium forces behind it would not allow such a thing to happen, so there would definitely be frantic sabotage and counterattacks recently to disrupt the global implementation of the plan.
Of course, this was a problem to be considered at the national level. What the Jincheng Order Maintenance Department needed to do now was to catch Liam and his accomplices as soon as possible and rescue Pei Zheng.
Zhuang Ningyu said, “The MaximeE-S case on Mingzhu Mountain is no different from similar cases globally. If it was just to kill people, Liam could have found a proxy to complete it, just like he found Ah Tai. That would have achieved the goal and been safer. But knowing he was wanted, he still personally risked coming to Jincheng. Why?”
It shouldn’t be specifically to kidnap Pei Zheng, because Pei Zheng’s return plan was very random, while Liam had appeared at the Yingxian Bridge Antique Market at least a month ago.
Yi Ke, who hadn’t spoken, suddenly asked, “Is it possible that his target is you?”
Zhuang Ningyu frowned upon hearing this, and Zhong Pinghe’s hand holding the teacup paused. Yi Ke explained further, “He likes beauty that can represent the East, and he also likes perfect Evolved individuals.”
When we shall meet at compt. Zhuang Ningyu remembered this sentence again. He also hadn’t forgotten the frivolous look the other party gave him back at Yuanbao Street; it wasn’t the look one gave a simple opponent.
“I will inform Huo Ting about this. You be careful too; Liam is not a simple character.” Zhong Pinghe patted his grandson, then cast his gaze toward Yi Ke, entrusting him, “Watch over him, don’t let him always take risks.”
Yi Ke nodded. “Okay, rest assured, Grandpa.”
Leaving the office, the two didn’t go to the meeting room but sat in the garden for a while to get some fresh air. The steamed buns bought on the way to work were cold. Yi Ke bought two cereal bars and two bottles of water from the vending machine, sat back on the bench, and handed them to him. “New flavor.”
Zhuang Ningyu often ate this brand of cereal bars. Most of the time it was chocolate, occasionally honey or cranberry. He had indeed never seen packaging of this color. He took it and looked—Salted Egg Yolk. His first reaction was to ask Yi Ke, “Do you know the owner of this company too?”
“Don’t know them.” Yi Ke opened the package and took a bite himself. “I just wrote them a three-thousand-word thank-you letter from a consumer’s perspective, thanking them for producing such delicious and healthy cereal bars, and further elaborating on why it was necessary to add a brand new salted egg yolk flavor production line. I didn’t expect them to actually adopt my suggestion.”
He spoke so seriously that Zhuang Ningyu suspiciously leaned in to observe him for a long time but couldn’t detect any element of bullshitting. Yi Ke raised his hand to pat his head. “Really, didn’t lie to you. They even wrote back later to thank me, wanting to know the story between me and the cereal bars. I said it’s because my precious wifey loves to eat them.”
They were very close. Zhuang Ningyu simply kissed him before sitting up straight again, quickly finishing the food in his hand in a few bites. The sun came out in the morning, so it wasn’t cold outside. The wind was gentle, carrying the unique floral and fruity scent of late autumn. In this moment when the whole world was as tense as a bowstring, this short period of solitude in the garden counted as recharging. Neither mentioned Liam; they would discuss him repeatedly in the meeting room anyway, so there was no need to bring him up now to spoil the mood. The salted egg yolk cereal bar was salty and sweet, mixed with some freeze-dried taro bits, crunchy and fragrant to chew.
“Is it good?”
“Mm.”
“Then say thank you, Hubby.”
“You’re welcome.”
Yi Ke: How the tables have turned!
Ten minutes later, the two returned to the meeting room, bumping right into Ah Fang from the investigation team running over with her laptop. “Quick! We found Liam’s address!”
The technical department restored the overwritten records of the dashcam. After leaving the Yingxian Bridge Antique Market, Liam took a taxi to the Mingzhu Chinese Garden Villa District in the north of the city. This villa complex was a supporting facility for the Mingzhu Mountain Scenic Area, scattered among the mountains and forests—one here in the east, one there in the west. It was mainly for recuperation and vacation. Generally, rich people bought them to escape the summer heat; few lived there permanently in autumn and winter.
With a target location, using it as the center to retrieve surveillance footage from the surrounding area to find people became much easier. Investigators quickly located a white sedan. Both the time of appearance and the driving route fit the speculation that “Liam took Pei Zheng back to his residence alone after completing the murder.” It was still a cloned plate, and both front and rear windows had privacy film.
“We also found Qin Ya and Roman in the surveillance. We can now confirm that after abandoning the car on the night of the music festival, these two also returned to the Mingzhu Villa District. The three of them are indeed a gang.” The investigator said, “We have already positioned ourselves on the mountain and are preparing to use thermal imagers first to see which rooms have people.”
The wind roared amidst the mountain rain.
The skylight of the basement was tightly closed, and only faint sounds came through.
Pei Zheng’s hands had temporarily regained freedom. He sat huddled in the corner, silently eating bread and drinking water. Objectively speaking, he was a handsome lad. His features had a clear mix of East Asian and Northern European traits, though his mother’s genes prevailed, giving him light hazel-green eyes and chestnut hair.
“Eirik, is that your name?” Qin Ya walked over. Perhaps because the young man before her had a nice face, she took out a box of ointment and “kindly” used a cotton swab to apply it to the wound on his forehead. “Behave yourself from now on. Don’t always think about running away. You should know that the Boss dislikes neither your parents’ research nor your face. To be more precise, you embody all his pet peeves. If you keep causing trouble, be careful or you won’t have a good ending.”
“Dislikes my face?”
“He doesn’t like mixed blood.”
In today’s world of active global integration, the number of such “retro” pure-blood supremacists was very small. Pei Zheng had only seen the term Pure-blood in wizarding novels before. But he was quite smart and quickly figured out the connection between pure-blood supremacy and his kidnapping. “So he also opposes the interaction between Evolved and non-Evolved individuals, right?”
Just as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open. Seeing the person who entered, Qin Ya immediately fell silent, stood up straight, and respectfully withdrew. Liam seemed to be in a good mood, even proactively answering Pei Zheng’s question just now. “Correct. I disapprove of all non-Evolved individuals harboring delusions of trying to transcend their class. Yet in your parents’ experiments, Evolved individuals, who should occupy the superior position, have become medical tools to give non-Evolved individuals better lives.”
“There are many similar experiments globally.”
“That’s why I need to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.”
They were conversing in English, but when it came to the idiom “kill the chicken to scare the monkeys,” Liam specifically used Chinese. Pei Zheng clearly didn’t understand. Consequently, the look Liam cast at him became even more pitiful, as if once again confirming his pure-blood theory.
The rain began to pour down with a crash again.
Several modified vehicles were parked halfway up the mountain. From here, the entire panorama of Lingyun Villa District could be clearly seen. It was pitch black; not a single house had lights on, looking like a cluster of ghost houses. But on the most advanced thermal imaging device, there was obvious human activity in Unit 16-2.
“Can you determine the approximate number?”
“Three. Pei Zheng should be in the southwest corner of the basement because only that heat source hasn’t moved.”
“Team Leader Zhuang, what do we do now?” Qing Gang turned back to ask. “Rescue directly, or wait a bit longer to see if there’s a better opportunity?”
“This place is very remote. For their daily life needs, they either have to go out to buy things themselves or pay extra for delivery. It’s impossible for them to hide in the room completely. We should be able to wait for an opportunity to breach the door,” another team member said.
Zhuang Ningyu didn’t want to wait. Leaving a mixed-blood child and a pure-blood lunatic in the same room was really not safe enough. He asked, “Are the camera positions confirmed?”
“Confirmed.” A technician sat over holding a laptop. “Blue are wireless transmission cameras, red are the complex’s own security cameras. With Liam’s ability, hacking into the surveillance is easy, so we also need to be careful to avoid them.”
Under the thermal imaging display and signal detectors, almost everywhere in the villa area were light spots indicating operating cameras. Another clap of thunder rolled across the sky, and the mountain rain became more urgent, pouring onto the pavilions of the villa area, then flowing down the copper rain chains with a ding-dong-ding-dong sound—a rhythm unique to the East.
The community security guard, holding an umbrella and a flashlight, patrolled dutifully on time, checking the drainage of each yard. When the strong light of the flashlight swept over, the camera hidden under the eaves had a moment of whiteout. Liam immediately stood up alertly, took a few quick steps close to the window, but the guard had already walked away. After flickering for a few seconds, the surveillance screen returned to normal.
The surroundings were quiet again, leaving only the rustling sound of rain.
Unease welled up in Liam’s heart. In this complex, security guards patrolled every night, checking everywhere with flashlights, just like now. It seemed normal, but was that “coincidental” strong light really not unusual?
His face darkened. He turned and strode down the stairs, deciding to take Pei Zheng away from here as soon as possible. But suddenly, the crisp sound of shattering glass rang in his ears!
The entire Lingyun Villa complex had only one floor plan, so Zhuang Ningyu’s route was very clear. He broke through the skylight and dropped into the basement like a feline. As expected, Pei Zheng was huddled in the corner. Seeing him, the boy immediately stumbled to his feet.
Gunshots rang out immediately from behind!
The trajectory deviated, and metallic gunpowder smoke left deep marks on the ceiling. Liam’s left arm was hit, forcing him to choose to retreat. Yi Ke took off in pursuit. Zhuang Ningyu grabbed Pei Zheng and climbed directly back up the rescue rope hanging from the skylight. “Take the child back first; everyone else go support Xiao Yi!”
Liam ran very fast, almost keeping pace with Zhuang Ningyu in his evolved state. Yi Ke raised his gun, ready to pull the trigger, but his vision suddenly blurred for a moment. The next instant, white fog rose abruptly from under his feet!
“Retreat!” Zhuang Ningyu also saw the formation of the Rule Zone and issued the command decisively. Although the other team members didn’t understand why they had to retreat, they all turned around and ran in the opposite direction of the white fog. Yi Ke also gave up chasing Liam and left the newly formed Rule Zone at maximum speed.
The white fog continued to spread, finally stopping at the edge of the Lingyun Villa District.
This Rule Zone didn’t trap anyone. The patrolling security guard earlier was an action team member in disguise; the real security guards had long been evacuated. The action team members, thanks to Zhuang Ningyu’s timely order, were also not swallowed. As for Liam, according to surveillance video, he had run away long ago. He used the white fog to create an escape route similar to a maze for himself, disappearing into the ink-black emerald forest of Mingzhu Mountain amidst the heavy rain.
Qin Ya was captured, though she suffered gunshot wounds during her resistance and was currently being rushed to the hospital. Roman’s whereabouts were unknown.
“Honestly, the moment I saw the white fog, I thought Liam was going to hide inside the Rule Zone and almost followed him in,” Qing Gang said in the car. “Luckily Team Leader Zhuang reacted fast.”
“Hiding in the Rule Zone means he would be trapped in this villa complex forever. Even if the Rule Zone is extensive inside, once the white fog dissipates, the landing point will still be the original spot. By then, dozens of police cars would be waiting for him,” Zhuang Ningyu said. “So he wouldn’t really hide in the Rule Zone. He would only try every means to make us think he had hidden inside. Including the scene Xiao Yi saw of the white fog swallowing Liam’s back—it was just a spatial magic trick he carefully arranged.”
“Last time at Qingniao Pavilion, the Rule Zone in Fu Dong’s house, he killed a little boy. What about this one?” Zhong Mu asked. “Did he sacrifice another innocent person?”
The car fell into silence instantly. This kind of thing was like Pandora’s box; once opened, it could never be closed again.
Because the Lingyun Villa Rule Zone didn’t trap any civilians, and the villa owners weren’t in a hurry to move in, Huo Ting simply arranged for the research team to come over, wanting to see if they could find loopholes in this artificial product and forcibly dismantle it before the next expansion arrived.
In the headquarters building, Zhuang Ningyu turned on the tap and washed his face hastily with cold water. Closing his eyes, he reached for the paper towels nearby, but his chin was lifted up. Subsequently, a soft handkerchief touched his cheek, carrying a familiar scent.
Yi Ke wiped his face clean carefully before saying, “Pei Zheng has finished his physical examination. Nothing serious. He’s on his way here now. He said he’s very grateful to you. Oh, and he only thanked you.”
Zhuang Ningyu pulled his palm over, lowering his head to kiss it. “It’s fine, the kid was probably too nervous at the time. He didn’t thank you, so I’ll thank you. Thank you, Comrade Xiao Yi, for deflecting the kidnapper’s muzzle at the first moment, successfully saving Xiao Pei, and sparing me from punishment for a decision-making error.”
“Since you arranged for me to be in that position, it means you had already considered that Liam might jump over the wall in desperation, and you also considered that I could stop him,” Yi Ke said. “So no matter what, it doesn’t count as your decision-making error. If there was an error, it would be mine. Of course, I definitely won’t make errors. I guarantee 100% completion of tasks assigned by Wifey.”
Zhuang Ningyu laughed. “Let’s go, talk outside. If we stay here any longer, the person at the door is probably going to have their bladder explode.”
Qing Gang stuck a hand in, waving frantically. “It’s fine, Team Leader Zhuang, you guys continue. I want to learn a bit. I can still hold on!”
