Chapter 99: The Promise of That Day

Beside Liu Qianxun was a recliner, and upon it, a captivating figure lay stretched out.

This beauty was even more stunning than Liu Qianxun herself, the apple of Chairman Li Changsheng’s eye: Li Ziyi of the ChangSheng Group.

Ziyi, a name that evoked refinement and grace.

And purple robes, her favored attire.

Purple, the color of nobility, and as her purple robes flowed, they painted a picture of unmatched elegance in this mortal realm.

She was a woman of sharp intellect.

Some even claimed her influence within ChangSheng Group surpassed all others, that her father heeded her every word.

"In a single day, he broke Ding Lizhong’s deadly trap… it seems we must concede, the boy possesses genuine skill," Li Ziyi remarked.

Liu Qianxun lowered her telescope, her gaze shifting, a hint of contemplation in her eyes.

Li Ziyi continued, "Abandon your plan to confront him directly. Your cultivation is only eighty percent of your father’s, you are no match for him!"

"Ziyi, advise me, what should I do?" Liu Qianxun asked.

"What advice can I offer? This is modern society, a society ruled by law. Your family initiated the illegal activities, while he walks the righteous path. What can you do? You can perhaps only air your grievances to my brother."

Her words were perfectly logical, leaving no room for argument.

Yet, they sparked a sudden realization in Liu Qianxun’s mind.

That’s right, she thought. If she couldn’t deal with him herself, wasn’t there a ChangSheng Group prince-level figure who was madly pursuing her? If she offered him a little taste of sweetness, why worry that this sex-obsessed prince wouldn’t be at her beck and call? "Ziyi, rest here. I’ll be out for a bit…" Liu Qianxun descended the stairs.

Ziyi slowly removed her photochromic glasses, a peculiar smile gracing her lips.

On Nanhu Lake, the speedboat had come to a halt.

Upon the emerald waters, a small boat drifted lazily, bearing a picturesque scene of captivating beauty.

Ding Ruoshui’s legs trailed in the lake, her upper body reclining on the boat, a vision of utter loveliness.

Lin Xiaosu opened two cans of soda, casually handing her one. Ding Ruoshui propped herself up, and the two mounds in front suddenly seemed much fuller.

"You haven’t undergone genetic modification?" Lin Xiaosu had been observing her subtle movements these past few days, and from his perspective, Ding Ruoshui hardly seemed like a genetically modified human.

In fact, she appeared to be an ordinary person.

Yet, how had she managed to kill a mosquito with a single strand of hair that day?

Ding Ruoshui chuckled softly. "Do you think that as long as one has money and opportunity, they must undergo genetic modification?"

"It’s not just what I think, but what many people think."

Ding Ruoshui said, "Genetic modification carries enormous risks. Leaving aside the fact that only fifty percent of people survive the surgery, even those who do aren’t guaranteed to avoid damage to their body functions. And even if everything succeeds, they still face the gates of hell on their annual rejection day… Why would I needlessly subject myself to such suffering?"

"I admire you! You live very clearly!" Lin Xiaosu said.

"It’s not clarity so much as sobriety!" Ding Ruoshui said. "Genetic modification is just one path, not the ultimate choice. Those at the bottom can’t afford it, those at the top disdain it, and only those in the middle class rush headlong down this road without a clear direction."

She didn’t mention martial arts.

Even though she knew Lin Xiaosu practiced it.

But she clearly demonstrated one point: she hadn’t undergone genetic modification.

This indirectly confirmed another: she, too, seemed to be a martial artist…

If she truly practiced martial arts, then a question arose: Where did her martial arts come from? The Ding family wasn’t an ancient martial arts family. Ding Lizhong himself was of average constitution, as was her mother…

The lake was tranquil at this moment.

She seemed to open herself to him without reservation.

Yet, the mysteries surrounding her remained unsolved, even somewhat entangled…

They spent the morning on the lake, enjoying the scenery.

At noon, they dined by the lake.

In the afternoon, they listened to a few Jiangnan ballads at a tea house.

As the sun began its descent, Lin Xiaosu picked up his phone, held it to his ear, listened for about three seconds, and then hung up.

"Who was it?" Ding Ruoshui asked, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

"My older cousin! The one from the Provincial Public Security Department. She has something to discuss with me outside." Lin Xiaosu said.

The Provincial Public Security Department?

Older cousin?

That’s right. Yesterday, Chang Ye, disguised as a glasses salesman, sold Lin Xiaosu a pair of glasses, then revealed her identity, preventing Shen Yinchuan from arresting the Ding family. Shen Yinchuan’s resolute "Yes" confirmed Chang Ye’s special position within the police force.

Of course, Ding Ruoshui had asked, "Who is that?"

Lin Xiaosu’s response was, "My older cousin, she works at the Provincial Department."

Leading this investigation didn’t require the identity of a Hidden Dragon, only sufficient power within the Provincial Department.

Lin Xiaosu rose, and Ding Ruoshui followed suit.

They met Chang Ye in front of a car.

"Older Cousin, hello!" Ding Ruoshui said with a sweet smile.

Chang Ye was slightly surprised. "You’re my younger cousin’s girlfriend?"

"Yes!"

"Not bad, not bad at all. My cousin is a bit wild, it’s good that someone is keeping an eye on him. As his cousin, I feel relieved…" Chang Ye exchanged pleasantries. "Sister-in-law, would you mind if I had a word with my cousin?"

"Okay, I’ll wait for you at the tea house!" Ding Ruoshui glanced intimately at Lin Xiaosu and returned.

Chang Ye’s gaze lingered on her back before she turned and entered the car, settling into the driver’s seat. Lin Xiaosu opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.

As the door closed, the interior became eerily silent, the outside sounds seemingly cut off entirely.

"I thought you’d returned to Feng City," Chang Ye said. "It turns out you’ve been tied down by a fatal rope."

Lin Xiaosu smiled, saying nothing.

Chang Ye’s beautiful eyes flickered. "I promised you back then that I would investigate ChangSheng Group, the reward being one hundred thousand yuan, plus a beautiful woman. It seems the results are in. The one hundred thousand yuan has already been reported to the finance department for payment. As for the beauty, you’ve already picked her yourself, which is good."

Investigating ChangSheng Group.

It began with the sudden operation in the Yuntai Mountain anthill.

It was also Chang Ye’s promise that day.

The promise she made on behalf of Hidden Dragon.

One hundred thousand yuan was the reward.

A beautiful woman was the means – to approach ChangSheng Group through this beauty, and ultimately find out who could control non-human creatures with chips…

Lin Xiaosu said, "I recall you said you’d find out the mastermind controlling the alien creatures. Now that you’ve arranged the payment, does that mean you’ve confirmed Huang Chengwang is the black hand?"

"Yes!"

"How did you confirm it?"

"Hidden Dragon participated in last night’s investigation. We can confirm that Huang Chengwang is the ‘snakehead’ in the central region. He was controlling that batch of alien creatures in Yuntai Mountain. He personally sent the information that caused the suspect in the Feng City child kidnapping case to have his life taken by a chip in his brain. He also terminated Du Lifeng, the boss of Dell Company in Feng City. Furthermore, the mastermind behind the Qu Taiqing case in Qingyuan Temple is also him… There’s a clear chain of evidence, ironclad and irrefutable!"

A snakehead was the term for the person in charge of the Hydra organization in each province.

It could be said that each snakehead had a vast network.

Eliminating each snakehead was a great achievement.

Lin Xiaosu said, "Did He Yunfei from yesterday have a chip in his brain?"

"Of course!" Chang Ye said. "We acted swiftly. We blocked the signal transmission the moment we broke into the basement, preventing him from silencing by killing."

"Preventing him in time, he had no chance to silence by killing…" Lin Xiaosu’s gaze slowly fell on her eyes, and he slowly added, "Really no chance?"

Chang Ye paused slightly…

She wasn’t a prodigy at solving cases, just good at conventional analysis.

All of Huang Chengwang’s crimes were enough to support his designation as a "snakehead."

That was enough.

But after Lin Xiaosu’s analysis, she suddenly realized there was a problem. If Huang Chengwang really wanted to kill He Yunfei, he really had the opportunity.

He could have killed He Yunfei at the very last moment before leaving.

At that time, they hadn’t even found the entrance to the basement, and there was no talk of blocking the signal transmission.

He was planning to run, clearly no longer harboring any illusions, so why didn’t he eliminate He Yunfei, who posed a fatal threat to him?

"Things in the world are truly strange. Sometimes cases have similarities. Do you know about the case that just happened in Feng City? The 5.16 major case."

"I’ve heard a little about that case. Where’s the similarity?" Chang Ye asked.

"The key figure in that case is Old Seven with Ghost Eyes!" Lin Xiaosu said. "During our preliminary interrogation of an assassin, this assassin linked Old Seven with Ghost Eyes to a man named Qi Hongzhong. And Qi Hongzhong, coincidentally, escaped to Qingmian Country right before we were about to close the net."

"In fact, Old Seven with Ghost Eyes isn’t Qi Hongzhong, is he?" Chang Ye said.

"Of course not! They’re just creating a misleading setup."

A glint flashed in Chang Ye’s eyes. "So, this snakehead might not be Huang Chengwang at all. Huang Chengwang was just pushed out to confuse us!"

Huang Chengwang had also fled, to Fusang Country.

Just like Qi Hongzhong on that day.

"I’m almost certain that Huang Chengwang is definitely not the real snakehead in this region," Lin Xiaosu said.

"Then who could the snakehead be? Are we back to our original theory… Ding Lizhong?"

A snakehead in a province, controlling countless genetically modified humans under Hydra, these genetically modified humans have chips installed in their brains, so he should be someone proficient in remote control.

Since seeing the chip in the brain of the alien creature in Yuntai Mountain, Chang Ye and Lin Xiaosu had locked their sights on one person: Ding Lizhong, the research leader of ChangSheng Group.

Because this person was a leader in the field of chip control.

"Ding Lizhong is a possibility, but not a very strong one…"

"Just because you suddenly discovered that he was also wronged in the early stages, so you think that someone who has been wronged, is destined to be innocent as long as they are cleared once?" Chang Ye’s eyes flickered. "Or perhaps it’s because his daughter is pure, elegant, beautiful, and cute, and you think that a family that can raise such a cute daughter, should have a good family atmosphere?"

Lin Xiaosu laughed. "Can you not mention his daughter? I always feel like there’s a sourness in your tone when you use a string of adjectives to describe her…"

(End of Chapter)