After dragging A-Fan away like trash, Ning Zhuo finally had time to mock him: “You really know how to manage your subordinates.”
Shan Feibai, thick-skinned, didn’t react at all.
With practiced ease, he used his ring finger and pinky to release the magazine, flipped it up, and disassembled the gun in a few seconds to show he had no intention of causing trouble.
Holding the bloody barrel end, he handed it back to Ning Zhuo: “Heh, not bad.”
Returning the weapon to ensure he posed no threat, Shan Feibai then supported himself on his knees, attempting to stand but wobbling and failing to straighten up.
Kuang Hexuan quickly moved to help but got a solid slap on the back of his head from Shan Feibai.
“Couldn’t you see he was trying to stir things up?” Shan Feibai slapped him again, making Kuang Hexuan shrink his neck. “If you’d rushed out as he provoked, don’t you think he’d use the chaos to rush into the operating room and kill me?”
With things happening so suddenly, Kuang Hexuan had no time to reflect. Now, thinking back, cold sweat started to trickle down.
The loudest bird gets shot.
A-Fan kept saying to wait and see, but he was the one rashly charging out, which made it look like he was guilty and trying to stir up trouble to cover his tracks.
But…
While Kuang Hexuan was brooding over being manipulated, Ning Zhuo coldly said to Shan Feibai: “Your subordinate’s brain only works intermittently; are you realizing things now?”
Kuang Hexuan, unable to vent his anger, glared at Ning Zhuo with veins popping: “You—”
“Don’t blame Kuang-ge.” Shan Feibai defended Kuang Hexuan, “He’s not usually like this.”
Ning Zhuo made a sound: “So it’s my bad luck here affecting his thinking?”
“No.” Shan Feibai’s smile deepened, “We all know Kuang-ge is just afraid of gays.”
Ning Zhuo: “…”
Shan Feibai tried to stand up a second time, but failed again.
He had no choice but to squat and gesture towards Ning Zhuo: “Kuang-ge saw you take Sister Phoenix away, and you always have… those kinds of rumors about you. He got a bit anxious.”
Ning Zhuo squatted down in front of him, coldly examining him: “Your tongue is so sharp, are you feeling better?”
Although modern medicine has advanced, Shan Feibai was still barely hanging on. After all the commotion, his face was almost translucent, and his forehead was covered in fine sweat.
Ning Zhuo’s comment made him stop pretending, and he pressed down his mouth, saying pitifully, “It hurts so much.”
The next second, seemingly to prove his point, he tilted his body and threw himself into Ning Zhuo’s arms.
Ning Zhuo was momentarily disoriented by the embrace and couldn’t help but think back to the past.
— He was walking quickly when suddenly someone jumped on him from behind and threw their arms around his neck: “Ge, guess who I am?”
Ning Zhuo’s steps never stopped for anyone, yet he had paused countless times for such childish games.
Probably because he was still young back then.
Now this little wolf cub had grown taller than him, with strong muscles and bones mixed with liquid gold. Even after being seriously injured, his skin still radiated youthful energy and warmth.
Much warmer than himself.
Just as Ning Zhuo was about to push him away, he heard him whisper in his ear: “Ning-ge, I believe you didn’t harm me.”
Ning Zhuo sneered: “If you don’t believe it, then die.”
Kuang Hexuan, hearing this, was even more indignant and was about to speak when Ning Zhuo pushed Shan Feibai aside. Kuang Hexuan didn’t have time to curse and hurriedly extended his arm to catch him.
Ning Zhuo told his followers, “Clean up, then send him directly to my room later,” and then lifted his leg to leave, leaving Kuang Hexuan stunned on the spot.
After a moment of pain, Shan Feibai brushed the damp hair from his forehead and watched Ning Zhuo disappear around the corner, gently exhaling.
Kuang Hexuan looked at him with tearful eyes: “Boss!”
Shan Feibai, with an unchanged expression, patted his head casually: “Stop crying.”
In the midst of the ups and downs, Kuang Hexuan’s mind was a mess: “Where’s Phoenix?”
Shan Feibai: “Phoenix is fine. I tricked her first before coming here.”
Kuang Hexuan: “…Huh??”
Shan Feibai raised his hand and smoothed the electronic pattern on his face: “I asked her to come over to see me. I know she has at least seven or eight kinds of poison on her, but she didn’t want to kill me.”
Only then did Kuang Hexuan’s anger finally surge: “… A-Fan! That traitorous bastard!”
Shan Feibai waved his palm outward nonchalantly: “Ah, don’t scold him. It’s my fault for being blind and trusting the wrong person. Go take the eye I gave him later, it’s annoying to look at. Also, check the records in the eye. I remember I put an internal camera in it when I gave it to him.”
Finally, he turned half his face towards Kuang Hexuan, speaking calmly: “By the way, he doesn’t need the good eye either.”
Kuang Hexuan, still angry, agreed: “Okay! I’ll go right away. I’ll make him reveal the mastermind behind this!”
“Don’t expect to get anything out of him. He has a guilty conscience, so what he reveals will be a mix of truth and lies. We can’t tell whether it’s a smokescreen or the truth. Besides, does he even know the truth? In any case, it’s unnecessary to listen.”
Kuang Hexuan hesitated: “Then…”
“After you finish what I just told you, throw him outside. Tell Second Brother to spread the word that Shan Feibai doesn’t kill his own people.”
Shan Feibai’s tone remained relaxed: “Then let’s see if anyone comes to kill him and silence him.”
Kuang Hexuan: “And if no one does…”
Shan Feibai curled the corner of his mouth, smiling with a bit of a charming demeanor: “Oh, if no one does, so be it. Whether he lives or dies, what does it have to do with us, Panqiao?”
Kuang Hexuan’s eyes darted around, finally catching up with Shan Feibai’s train of thought: “Got it!”
Finally, he hesitated again, lowering his voice: “Boss, do you really not suspect…”
Shan Feibai interrupted firmly: “He had a thousand opportunities to kill me.”
Kuang Hexuan said urgently: “Ning Zhuo also has a thousand reasons not to kill you! Keeping you alive is to torture you! Did you hear what he said just now—”
Shan Feibai spoke a lot in one breath, his injured body unable to handle it, and he slightly lowered his head.
His vision was filled with flickering, scorching flames.
That person had half an arm blown off, standing in front of him, with disheveled, sweat-drenched black hair hanging down, and sweat dripping along the curve of his lowered head, falling onto his outstretched fingertips.
Shan Feibai pinched his heated fingertips.
Only he knew that, just like when they first met, Ning Zhuo was risking his life to save him.
But he also knew that such a reason couldn’t convince his subordinates.
Shan Feibai exhaled: “I’d rather it be him.”
Kuang Hexuan: “Huh?”
Shan Feibai tilted his head and looked at him: “If it was Ning Zhuo’s doing, it’s just a pure gang conflict; if not, I’d be leaving here with injuries, not knowing who is behind it. I’d still end up dead.”
Kuang Hexuan’s scalp tingled.
Oh right.
But he still couldn’t be at ease: “Then go home. It’s better than staying here.”
“Home?” Shan Feibai smiled, “Home.”
Kuang Hexuan also became distressed.
He knew Shan Feibai’s relationship with his family was not very good.
But staying in “Haina” seemed to him to be the worst idea.
Kuang Hexuan looked at his handsome and young boss, distressed: “What if Ning Zhuo tries to harm you!”
“Then I can only…” Shan Feibai bit his lip, with a serious and enduring expression, “I can only listen to him.”
A sudden light sound of steel joints came from the end of the corridor.
Shan Feibai, seemingly satisfied with his prank, smiled with a smirk.
Ning Zhuo walked from the direction of the confinement room, his pace increasing. He nearly collided with Min Min, who was coming out of the room.
He immediately asked, “Where’s the mouth gag? The ball gag?!”
Min Min: “…Huh?”
Ning Zhuo clenched his teeth: “Whatever it is, quickly shut his mouth!”
…
At this moment, there were many people in Silver Hammer City who were more frustrated than Ning Zhuo.
Logically, “White Shield” should be able to shape the case to their liking, being seasoned professionals.
Everything should have been straightforward.
However, this time, they hit a snag.
According to regulations, the drugs used for the death penalty are delivered to the execution department a day in advance.
“White Shield” certainly didn’t want to offend the medical department that provided the drugs, so they couldn’t be held responsible for this.
Naturally, the execution department that stored the drugs couldn’t be blamed either.
Thus, the best way was to make the public believe that it was the victim’s family who tampered with the drugs during transport.
The day before the execution was the most appropriate time.
This should have been a simple task.
The surveillance in the lower city had long been in disrepair.
As long as they could catch someone who was at home sleeping the day before, even if it was a victim who didn’t want to go out due to facial injuries, they could successfully pin the blame on them.
However, something strange happened.
On the day before the execution, all the victims and their families with criminal motives had clear alibis:
They were either visiting relatives and friends, consulting at a slightly higher-level hospital for facial restoration, or reading in a library with precious collections.
Some were even working night shifts in areas with dense surveillance.
Moreover, everyone seemed to have the same excuse.
When “White Shield” investigators questioned them about why they weren’t staying home, everyone’s response was remarkably uniform:
“Why, can’t we go out?”
Of course, they could go out.
But how likely was it that everyone happened to have a perfect alibi?
“White Shield” was left with no place to turn and had to come up with other ideas.
Some victims’ families had undeniable witnesses, such as those visiting relatives or working night shifts, making it inconvenient to frame them.
Others, like the girl who went to the electronic library for psychological books, were alone.
They could just erase the relevant surveillance, right?
But unexpectedly, just as they were considering this, they received bad news.
The library surveillance showed that the girl had bought coffee from the library’s café, accidentally spilled it on someone, and got into an argument.
In the heat of the argument, she pulled off her mask, revealing her corroded face, which scared people around her into backing away.
Clearly, with this incident, “White Shield” could no longer use her to take the fall.
Someone would definitely remember this crazy woman!
As the investigation by “White Shield” deepened, every victim and their family had strangers besides their relatives who could serve as alibi witnesses.
…Someone must have directed them!
But the poor surveillance system in the lower city came in handy at this time for no reason.
“White Shield” could not determine who they had met before.
At this moment, former Police Superintendent Mr. Charlemagne was anxiously waiting in the interrogation room.
Of course, compared to the two cold benches in the “Haina” base’s confinement room, this place had a bed, a terminal, and a sofa, making it seem like a five-star hotel by comparison.
However, the situation online was racing towards a direction “White Shield” did not welcome.
A full 24 hours had passed, and “White Shield” still hadn’t given the public a convincing reason.
Why had the already dead murderer Basil reappeared as Laskin and committed crimes again?
Why did “White Shield” Police Superintendent Charlemagne shoot the murderer?
Was he hiding something?
Online, some had already predicted that the police would pin the blame on the victim’s family.
Of course, such information was quickly deleted.
But the more it was deleted, the more people believed it was true.
Soon, the public opinion department dared not take any further action and had to report up the chain, indirectly urging the decision-makers to make a decision quickly.
Mr. Charlemagne bit his nails, and no matter how cold and comfortable the air conditioning was, it couldn’t dry the sweat that was forming on him.
His nails were cracked and had accumulated blood, and he was completely unaware.
With the synchronization of investigation information, he felt a huge, invisible net closing in on him.
A precise, premeditated net with no escape.
Even though he was in the safest place in Silver Hammer City, he felt buckets of alternating hot and cold water pouring over him, forming thicker and thicker ice layers on his heart.
After responding to his frantic wife for the umpteenth time that there was “no progress,” he heard footsteps and the sound of a door opening.
His despondent spirit suddenly perked up. He put down the communicator and asked the incoming person immediately, “What’s the update?!”
