Yu Hanjiang and Lao Mo had already searched more than half of the maze. After arriving at the easternmost end again, the two walked through a corridor and found it completely dark. The light bulbs and cameras had been destroyed, clearly the work of Ye Qi.
Yu Hanjiang frowned: " Ye Qi has been here? There are traces of debris on the ground."
Old Mo asked in confusion, "We've checked about half of the entire maze so far, and Ye Qi has checked about a quarter of it by himself. But all the rooms in the corridor have a similar layout. Where is the control room?"
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Yu Hanjiang's eyes. "Damn it, we've fallen for their trap!"
Old Mo was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized: "Could it be... the control room isn't underground?!"
Yu Hanjiang nodded and said, "When I sneaked in from the outside just now, I noticed that this is a three-story building. The basement is where you are being held, but the central control room may not necessarily be underground. It could be on the first, second, or third floor. If the first, second, and third floors are all mazes like this, the difficulty for us to find the control room will increase exponentially."
Hearing this, Lao Mo's heart trembled—if it was really as Captain Yu guessed, a maze with three floors would increase in difficulty exponentially, making it an impossible task!
Yu Hanjiang asked Ye Qi in a low voice, "Have you finished investigating the road leading to the archives?"
Ye Qi said, "I only checked half of it. I took the file back to Peach Blossom Spring first."
Yu Hanjiang said decisively, "I'll go over there with Lao Mo and take a look. You hide first and try to move around in the dark corridor."
Currently, only that area remains unchecked. Yu Hanjiang swiftly moved forward using his Swift Shoes, but halfway there, a blinding light suddenly illuminated his vision. Clearly, Ye Qi hadn't been there before.
Yu Hanjiang looked up and spotted an elevator.
At that moment, the elevator stopped on the third floor.
He pressed the up button, and the elevator quickly arrived at the basement, where the metal door slowly opened.
Yu Hanjiang stepped into the elevator, but he couldn't press the number "3". Next to the number was a card reader area, which was probably the kind of setup used in high-end hotels. You had to swipe a card to press the floor number, and only internal staff could ride the elevator.
The elevator stopped on the third floor, so someone must have taken it up. He deduced that the central control room was probably on the third floor. Time was limited, and checking the first and second floors one by one wouldn't be enough time, so he decided to go directly to the third floor to check the situation.
Yu Hanjiang glanced at the surveillance camera in the corner, decisively took out his pistol, and pulled the trigger—two crisp gunshots rang out, one shot shattering the surveillance camera, and the other shot shooting a large hole in the glass ceiling!
The next moment, he used the Lightness Skill card to leap and land steadily on the top of the elevator.
In the pitch black, the chains that held the elevator could be vaguely seen. Yu Hanjiang quickly climbed up the chains to the vicinity of the third floor, took out a powerful submachine gun and shot the elevator door open. He then nimbly rolled into the corridor.
He squinted at it.
The corridors here are very similar to the underground maze, almost a replica. Yu Hanjiang and Lao Mo quickly figured out the direction and began to search rapidly.
There are far fewer rooms on the third floor than in the basement.
It's much larger than the underground chambers, and unlike the gloomy basement, it's quite luxuriously furnished. Most of the rooms have windows on the corridor side, allowing a view of the interior.
Offices, operating rooms, anesthesia rooms, wards...
This is practically a mini hospital!
Yu Hanjiang has confirmed that they have stumbled upon the organization's headquarters by sheer coincidence.
After passing through three of a Kind corridors, Yu Hanjiang came to a room. This side of the corridor had no windows, making it impossible to see what was inside. The silver-white metal door was tightly closed, clearly distinguishing it from the other rooms around it.
Yu Hanjiang thought for a moment, then tossed the last eavesdropping device against the wall. Sure enough, he heard a conversation coming from inside.
"Sister Qing, why don't you press this red button?"
"I just feel that Uncle Zhong and He Rong's deaths were suspicious, as if they were silenced."
"We haven't done anything wrong, what are we afraid of? Do you think Brother Rong would kill you? Let's deal with these people first, and the truth about Uncle Zhong and the others' deaths will eventually come out."
"All right."
The woman's finger was on the button, about to press it, when suddenly, the door behind her was kicked open forcefully. Immediately afterward, a gunshot rang out, and a bullet pierced her hand!
"Ahhh!" the woman screamed in pain.
The blond man next to him hurriedly pressed the button, but before his hand could touch it, a gust of wind suddenly rushed to his ear. He instinctively reached out to block it, but the next moment, his wrist was grabbed and twisted by a pair of long, strong hands. A sharp pain shot through his wrist, and his wrist joint was dislocated by a strong force!
Immediately afterwards, his knee was swiftly kicked, and the blond man was knocked to the ground.
The whole process took no more than 2 seconds, so fast that no one had time to react.
What's even more terrifying is that they can't see anything, as if the house has suddenly become haunted, and a gust of wind knocks them both down in an instant.
Yu Hanjiang took out a white silk card, tied the two people up with white cloth strips, threw them aside, and walked to the control panel.
There were three buttons of different colors on the table: blue, green, and red. Before Yu Hanjiang could press the red one, he interrupted him, clearly indicating that it was the mechanism to activate the explosives. The green one had the letter B on it, which should be the second item to activate, the poison gas. Yu Hanjiang reached out and pressed the blue button with the letter "A" on it, while saying in the Telepathic Connection channel, "Have Xiao Liu prepare to evacuate immediately."
Xiao Lou hurriedly gave Liu Qiao a vaccination and told her to leave Peach Blossom Spring.
The moment Liu Qiao stepped out of Peach Blossom Spring, she saw the metal door in front of her slowly opening.
Instead of waiting for the door to slowly rise, she simply rolled on the ground and squeezed through the crack in the door. Then, she used her Lightness Skill card to run away at top speed, and the torrential rain outside did not affect her speed at all.
Long Sen and Qu Wanyue waited outside, while Liu Qiao used her Lightness Skill to fly between the treetops and quickly arrived outside Qinghe Village to find the Longqu Couple. After confirming that it was safe, she hurriedly activated Li Qingzhao's mark.
Yu Hanjiang wasn't in a hurry to go back; he still had some time left on his vaccination card.
He took off his Invisibility Cloak, leaned down and forcefully pinched the blond man's chin, asking in a deep voice, " Who is Brother Rong? Tell me."
The man's eyes welled with tears from the pain, but upon recognizing Yu Hanjiang's face, he suddenly sneered, "So it's you, Officer Yu! None of you will escape today, you're all going to die soon, hahaha, why would I tell a dead man like you? Go ask the King of Hell in hell!"
Yu Hanjiang suddenly pulled out a sharp military knife and forcefully stabbed it into the back of his hand—
Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered, filled the control room.
"Ahhh—"
Yu Hanjiang rotated the military knife that had pierced the back of the man's hand ninety degrees. Blood gushed from the blond man's hand, cold sweat poured from his forehead, and he convulsed in pain, his screams sounding terrifying.
The woman next to her stiffened, her body trembling slightly uncontrollably. She hadn't expected Yu Hanjiang to be so ruthless, actually stabbing her companion's hand through with a knife!
Yu Hanjiang turned to look at her: "And you, Ms. Song Xiaoqing, would you be willing to tell me?"
Song Xiaoqing had beautiful big curly hair when she attended the birthday banquet today, but now she has a neat short haircut.
In public, she is clearly the big boss of a medical device company, wearing a wig and exquisite makeup, an elegant and powerful businesswoman; but in reality, she is an important member of an organ transplant organization, making all her money through shady means.
When Song Xiaoqing heard the question, her lips trembled slightly, and she couldn't say a word.
The man in front of me exuded a menacing aura, probably because he was soaked by the rain. Being near him felt like being stared at by a cold, venomous snake, sending chills down my spine.
Yu Hanjiang brandished the bloodstained military knife at her slender fingers. Song Xiaoqing was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes. She stammered, " Officer Yu, I don't know what you're talking about! What Brother Rong?"
"Is it Rong Cheng?" Yu Hanjiang asked calmly.
Song Xiaoqing's face suddenly turned pale, and her hands involuntarily clenched.
Seeing her reaction, Yu Hanjiang knew his guess was right. He forcefully stabbed the knife into Song Xiaoqing's hand, startling her. Yu Hanjiang then slowly said, "More than ten years ago, you and Rong Cheng were a couple deeply in love. He started a pharmaceutical company with funds from his family, while you were in the medical device business. As you earned more and more money, you gradually lost your minds in the desire for wealth. One day, by chance..."
" The opportunity arose when you met Shao Zhengyang, a business tycoon, and joined his organ transplant organization."
" Rong Cheng was blinded by greed and sold counterfeit drugs to make huge profits. A large number of patients became seriously ill and were hospitalized after taking the drugs. The drug administration found out about him, revoked his company's business license, and imprisoned him. During his imprisonment, you never visited him once, pretending to cut off all contact with him. In reality, you recruited his subordinates back and secretly helped Uncle Zhong and his son He Rong launder money."
" After Rong Cheng was released from prison, you created the illusion that he went abroad. On the surface, he took an international flight abroad, but in reality, he secretly returned using a private jet, changed his identity, and continued the illegal organ transplant business. It wasn't until Cheng Shaoyu's heart transplant killed an innocent person, and that person's family returned to take revenge, killing Cheng Shaoyu and dismembering his body, that your conspiracy was gradually discovered by the police. Am I right?"
"..." Song Xiaoqing's face turned pale and then red, her eyes filled with shock, her pupils slightly contracted, clearly not expecting Yu Hanjiang to know so much.
" Brother Rong promised Cheng Shaofeng a private jet to take him abroad, but then killed Cheng Shaofeng on the way to silence him. Are you aware of this?"
"I...I don't know anything." Song Xiaoqing hurriedly shook her head.
"Do you know that he actually planted explosives underground, intending to kill us all, and also silence you?"
"Impossible!" Song Xiaoqing's eyes widened as she frantically shook her head. "Impossible! He said that once this was over, he would go abroad with me to get married..."
"You should be glad I arrived in time. Once that red button was pressed, this building would have been blown to ashes in an instant." Yu Hanjiang's gaze was incredibly cold and sharp as he stared directly into Song Xiaoqing's eyes. "Still so stubborn? Do you really want to die in vain? You haven't forgotten how Uncle Zhong and He Rong died, have you?"
"..." A struggle appeared in Song Xiaoqing's eyes, as if she was still doubtful about Yu Hanjiang's words.
Old Mo was quite amazed to hear Yu Hanjiang interrogate people while his pocket was inside the man's pocket.
Just now, Captain Yu stabbed the blond man's hand with a knife. The action was swift and without the slightest hesitation. Time was of the essence, and Yu Hanjiang had to take more extreme measures to find a witness, because the key to conviction was witness testimony and physical evidence, and preferably a confession!
Shao Zhengyang was a prominent figure, after all. Without any evidence, would they arrest him based solely on speculation?
If Song Xiaoqing is willing to confess, that would be even better.
In those few minutes, Yu Hanjiang had already broken down Song Xiaoqing's psychological defenses. Seeing the struggle in Song Xiaoqing's eyes, he told Xiao Lou through the Telepathic Connection, " When Liu Qiao activates the teleportation later, you two go out together. I need to take Song Xiaoqing with me; she's an important witness."
Xiao Lou asked worriedly, "Are you alright on your own?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Don't worry, you take Lao Mo and Ye Qi back to Peach Blossom Spring first."
A series of hurried footsteps sounded behind him, clearly indicating that a group of accomplices had come to his aid after hearing the commotion in the control room. Yu Hanjiang cut the white silk in two and tied it to Song Xiaoqing separately. He grabbed her by the back of her collar, lifted her up like a chick, and smashed her out of the third-floor window!
Outside, the rain was still pouring down, and Song Xiaoqing was instantly soaked to the bone. Yu Hanjiang carried her away at high speed using the Lightness Skill Card.
At that very moment, a deafening explosion rang in his ears, a sound so loud it almost shattered his eardrums. Yu Hanjiang stopped atop the tree and turned to look behind him—
That three-story building was instantly razed to the ground by a large amount of explosives!
In the pitch-black rainy night, smoke billowed and flames soared into the sky. Yu Hanjiang stood on a treetop, his expression calm and indifferent. Song Xiaoqing was filled with disbelief as she stared at the flames ahead. She couldn't tell if it was the rain or her tears that blurred her vision, and her whole body was trembling violently.
Yu Hanjiang whispered, "Now you believe me? You almost got blown up too."
Song Xiaoqing closed her eyes in despair and stopped speaking.
Yu Hanjiang asked in his mind, " Xiao Lou?"
Xiao Lou responded, "We're fine. Xiao Liu activated the teleportation in time, and everyone is outside the village."
As the reinforcements pressed the red button, Liu Qiao had already used Li Qingzhao's marking skill to pull his teammates outside the village.
Xiao Lou's voice trembled slightly: "Besides Xiao Ye being covered in blood, no one else was injured. We must..."
"I know Ye Qi being shot was my negligence. We only have 24 hours left." Yu Hanjiang paused, then said in a low voice, "I've apprehended a witness and am heading back to the city for questioning immediately. I'll instruct my colleagues at the city bureau to control the airport expressway to prevent the suspects from escaping. Once we have the evidence, we will arrest Shao Zhengyang and Rong Cheng immediately!"
***
Outside Qinghe Village.
Under the torrential rain, the bloodstains on Ye Qi's clothes looked particularly gruesome.
The teammates were terrified when they saw this. Qu Wanyue rushed over and said in a panic, "Xiao Ye, how come you have so much blood on you?!"
Ye Qi chuckled and smoothed his wet hair, saying, "It's alright, I'm the transformed Insect King now, I'm not afraid of external injuries." He revealed his fair and smooth arm, saying, " Teacher Qu, look, my wounds have all healed. This blood was just on my clothes the moment I was shot. I don't even have a single scar on my body!"
Qu Wanyue was slightly relieved after hearing this.
But Shao Qingge suddenly walked over and hugged the child tightly.
Ye Qi was taken aback: "Shao... CEO Shao?"
He is only 7 years old and his height only reaches Shao Qingge's waist.
With Shao Qingge's hug, Ye Qi was almost completely enveloped in the man's embrace.
Shao Qing
Ge gently ruffled the child's hair, his voice low and husky: "Next time, let me handle these adventurous tasks. You can't use the Bug King Card like that anymore, understand?"
Ye Qi asked in confusion, "Why? Hasn't my wound healed?"
Shao Qingge didn't explain—the wounds have healed, but those bullets are still inside your body.
In other words, you only have 24 hours to live. As the Insect King, you can survive being riddled with bullets. But once your transformation ends in 24 hours, if the team can't catch the culprit and successfully complete the game... you will die.
Seeing Ye Qi's radiant smile, Shao Qingge couldn't bear to tell her the news.
He took a deep breath, tightened his arms, and held Ye Qi tightly in his embrace, using his body to shield her from the torrential rain.
Ye Qi buried his face in Shao Qingge's chest, feeling utterly lost.
The man's voice seemed especially gentle in the rainy night: "Listen to me. If you keep taking such risks, I'll take the card back and give it to someone else."
Ye Qi said helplessly, "Fine, you paid to copy the card, so you get to decide. From now on... I'll use my Bug King card as a healing card, and yours as an attack card?"
Shao Qingge smiled slightly: "That's how it should be."
Knowing the truth, Xiao Lou and Liu Qiao were also very worried. Ye Qi's body did not have any external injuries, but the deadly bullets were all left in his body. Once he transformed, there would be no way to save him.
Fortunately, not long after, a familiar figure appeared in everyone's sight— Yu Hanjiang flew down from the treetop carrying Song Xiaoqing and landed steadily in front of Xiao Lou. His eyes were full of concern: "Are you alright?"
Xiao Lou shook his head: "It was a close call, but no real danger."
The two exchanged a glance, and Xiao Lou walked to Shao Qingge's side and said, " CEO Shao, don't worry too much. I believe Captain Yu can solve the case within 24 hours."
Shao Qingge released Xiao Ye, stood up, and looked Yu Hanjiang straight in the eye, his eyes full of trust: "My father hasn't been home recently, and I don't know where he lives. I brought out the filing cabinet that Ye Qi gave me. Now, it's up to you."
Yu Hanjiang nodded calmly: "Okay, leave the rest to me."
With those words from him, his teammates felt particularly at ease, for some reason.
Flames soared into the sky behind them, and torrential rain pelted countless flower petals. The air was filled with the acrid smell of explosions and the cool fragrance of plum blossoms. The eight people stood in the downpour, their hair completely soaked and clinging to their faces, their vision becoming increasingly blurred.
Thinking back on what just happened, I'm still a little scared.
Even if a single link in the chain goes wrong during the teamwork, they might perish in the inferno.
Fortunately, it ended without any serious incident.
Next, it's time to bring these cold-blooded and brutal criminals to justice, one by one.