Chapter Four: Just Right

Chapter Four: Just Right

“The man who just left went to No. 32 Ping’an Road. He’s retrieving a codebook from behind the fan blades,” Liu Peiru stated bluntly, his eyes intently fixed on Mr. Li across from him, watching for any reaction.

Opposite him, Mr. Li remained as silent as ever, his expression betraying not the slightest crack, though inwardly anxiety gnawed at him. His own fate mattered little, but should the codebook fall into enemy hands, the damage to the organization would be nothing short of catastrophic.

All he could hope now was that news of his arrest had already reached the organization, and that the others would sever all contact with him as swiftly as possible.

Liu Peiru chuckled softly, rose to his feet, glanced at his watch, and said, “It’s just half an hour round trip from here to No. 32 Ping’an Road. Why don’t we wait a bit?”

No. 32 Ping’an Road.

Bai Zeshao entered Mr. Li’s house smoothly, hurried upstairs, and looked up to see the fan on the ceiling still slowly turning. His heart gave a flutter. He pulled over a chair, reached up, and caught hold of a spinning blade with his right hand.

Carefully, he probed with his left hand, feeling around until he found something taped in place. A surge of joy rose within him as he pulled it free and gave it a quick inspection—it was indeed the codebook.

“Don’t move.”

Suddenly, two cold voices overlapped behind him. Bai Zeshao’s heart leapt—more than anything, he cursed himself for his carelessness, for letting excitement smother his vigilance, failing to notice someone had crept up behind him.

“Don’t try anything. Drop what’s in your hand on the floor, then step down slowly,” ordered one of the voices. At the same time, Bai Zeshao felt the cold, hard press of a gun barrel against his waist.

With a thud, the codebook fell to the floor. Bai Zeshao climbed down from the chair, step by measured step, and stood still. The two men behind him exchanged a glance; one kept his gun trained on Bai Zeshao while the other bent to pick up the codebook.

When they saw what it was, both men’s faces lit up with delight. But just then, Bai Zeshao sprang into action, lunging forward abruptly.

The one holding the gun had already been distracted, and Bai Zeshao’s sudden movement threw him off balance. His hand wavered; his finger jerked the trigger.

A bullet whistled past Bai Zeshao’s neck, grazing him and drawing a thin line of blood, but he ignored the pain, seizing the chance. He bent his arm, driving his elbow back with force as he spun around.

With a dull thud, the man behind him was sent flying. Bai Zeshao surged forward, using the man’s retreat as cover. In a flash, he tackled the agent holding the codebook, wrested the gun from him, and without a moment’s hesitation, fired a shot.

Blood spattered.

He rolled forward, firing again, finishing off the agent on the ground. The first man he’d struck only now collapsed in a heap.

It had all happened in the span of a few heartbeats, but the danger was real and the thrill unmistakable. The codebook was finally in his hands.

The only thing that troubled him was the wound on his neck—it was far too conspicuous. But there was no time to dwell on it now. Gunshots in broad daylight, in this neighborhood—the police and the Special Services would be here any minute.

There was no time to deal with the two corpses. Snatching up the codebook and the pistol, Bai Zeshao swiftly left No. 32 Ping’an Road.

Barely three or four minutes after his departure, the police arrived to seal off the scene, followed shortly by agents from the Special Services.

“Captain Wu, you’re here,” Sun Yanjie from the police department greeted Wu Zhengke, the Special Services action squad leader, as he stepped out of his vehicle.

“Old Sun, what’s going on?” The two knew each other well, but Wu Zhengke’s mood was foul. His words were edged, for he’d already learned on the way that the dead men were his own.

“I’m not sure of the details. All I know is the dead are our men,” Sun Yanjie replied quickly.

“Let’s go, have a look,” Wu Zhengke said, leading his men inside.

After a brief inspection and confirming the victims were from his action team, Wu Zhengke’s face darkened further. He turned to those beside him. “What’s the meaning of this? My squad leader is dead here, and I don’t even know what mission they were on or why they died.”

“Captain, here’s what I know. Last night, the leader of Group Three took his team out in the rain. Supposedly, they were on a mission with Director Liu, but I don’t know the specifics,” someone reported.

“Hmph, Liu Peiru,” Wu Zhengke snorted angrily. “Withdraw. Leave the rest to Sun Yanjie and his men.”

“Yes, sir.”

The group quickly left No. 32 Ping’an Road, heading toward the Special Services headquarters at No. 56 Nanning Road.

Special Services Headquarters.

At that moment, Liu Peiru received the news as well. His face darkened instantly—not only had he failed to obtain the codebook, but he’d also made an enemy of Wu Zhengke.

Originally, Liu Peiru had intended to keep the credit for Mr. Li’s capture to himself, waiting until he could wipe out the entire Shanning underground organization before reporting it. But now, with this fiasco, his plans were undoubtedly ruined. Wu Zhengke had always been at odds with him, and now, with such a perfect excuse, would certainly seize the chance to cause trouble.

Beside him, Mr. Li observed Liu Peiru’s sullen demeanor after the call and felt a measure of relief. Anything that discomfited Liu Peiru could only be good for him.

Before long, Liu Peiru regained his composure. The codebook was lost, but he still had Mr. Li. Even so, anger smoldered inside him, seeking an outlet.

“Guards, tie him up for me.”

The guards roughly bound Mr. Li to a pillar. Liu Peiru said nothing more, simply picked up an iron-bristled whip from the side, his eyes gleaming with menace as he glanced at Mr. Li, then swung viciously.

With a tearing sound, a row of deep, bloody grooves appeared across Mr. Li’s chest, blood and torn flesh dripping onto the floor. The pain was so intense that Mr. Li bit his gums until they bled, his face drained of all color. Yet he uttered no cries, only muffled grunts of agony.

Liu Peiru did not pause, scraping the flesh again and again as though plowing a field. After several minutes, blood loss and searing pain blurred Mr. Li’s consciousness.

Just then, the interrogation room door was violently kicked open. Only then did Liu Peiru calmly set aside the iron brush, glanced at the newcomer, and asked unhurriedly, “What brings you here? As you can see, I’m rather busy.”

“Liu Peiru, cut the act! Don’t pretend you don’t know why I’m here. If you can’t give me an explanation today, don’t blame me for taking this straight to Director Dai!”