Chapter 91 13

Chapter 91.13

Inside the cold storage, the chill intensified rapidly in a short time, with thin layers of frost even forming on the table and walls.

Three of the assailants attacked Li Shang, surrounding him tightly, while another went to grab Zhao Lunjiang, who was trembling and hiding under a machine.

Li Shang remained calm, quickly assessing the situation.

The enemy outnumbered him, and it was uncertain when reinforcements would arrive.

With machines on site that could serve as barriers, he had to take out these thugs as quickly as possible before his strength ran out.

Li Shang moved nimbly, his sharp blade cutting through the air. After a few moves, he seized an opening for a vicious slash—the arc of his blade cutting one man’s forearm. The man screamed as warm blood spurted out, instantly forming a faint mist in the frigid air.

In the blink of an eye, another attack came. Li Shang moved along the machine, deftly dodging the assaults.

Butcher Zheng’s butcher knife came down with a fierce gust of wind; unable to retract it in time, the weapon clanged with a sharp clang against the metal wall of a machine, denting the hard metal and sending sparks flying.

As he fought, Li Shang retreated, luring all three men to a corner of the cold storage. Then, with a single-handed push, he pulled himself onto a nearby machine. From this elevated position, he kicked one man in the head.

Someone circled to the back of the machine, attempting to climb up. Li Shang leaped down with agility, his blade thrusting straight at the target.

Amid a piercing shriek, Li Shang’s blade precisely stabbed into the side of the man’s neck.

The man’s eyes widened as he clamped his hand over his neck, blood gushing through his fingers. He quickly weakened from blood loss and collapsed.

After gaining the upper hand with this move, Li Shang’s offensive didn’t let up. He pivoted his waist and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick, striking another man squarely in the face. The man stumbled back, blood streaming from his nose, as he covered his face.

At that moment, the burly Butcher Zheng finally made his way around the machine and, breathing heavily, charged forward again, raising his butcher knife to strike.

Li Shang nimbly ducked under his arm, spun around to his back, and drove his blade at a tricky angle into Butcher Zheng’s back before pulling it out.

This strike wasn’t meant to incapacitate but to test—against such a thick-skinned opponent, hitting vital points was necessary to gradually wear him down. Moreover, with someone this tough, even targeting pressure points was harder than usual, requiring clever tactics rather than brute force.

Sure enough, as expected, Butcher Zheng’s thick flesh acted like armor; the blade drew little blood and didn’t hinder his movements.

In the cold storage, the chill penetrated deeply into their bones, their exhaled breath condensing into white mist.

Just as Li Shang successfully repelled the first wave of attacks from the three men, Zhao Lunjiang’s screams echoed from nearby.

Without hesitation, Li Shang turned and sprinted a few steps, using his blade to block a fatal strike aimed at Zhao Lunjiang.

With a clang, two metal blades met—the opponent’s weapon was nearly knocked from his grasp, while Li Shang’s arm went numb from the impact. Frowning, he stepped back, a dull ache spreading from the wound on his back aggravated by the impact.

There was no time to catch his breath.

The assailant, recognizing Zhao Lunjiang as Li Shang’s weak point, began searching for him again.

On the other side, Butcher Zheng shook his shoulders with a ferocious roar and charged once more...

.

In the third-floor conference room at the municipal government building.

After reading the conclusion of the environmental assessment report, He Lin placed the document on the table, his gaze sharp and fixed on the leaders across from him.

Vice Mayor Ren was also flipping through the report, which listed detailed values and specified safe ranges—some indicators exceeded limits by even a thousandfold.

Vice Mayor Ren turned to his subordinate: "Director Han, you were the one who contacted the previous assessment companies, right? What’s going on here?"

Director Han, still trying to cover for the companies, stammered: "That... could be due to different testing points, or improper operation, or the instruments..."

The representatives from the companies shifted uncomfortably, their expressions tense. The female representative said: "We also followed procedures strictly and conducted the assessments carefully..."

He Lin’s lips curled slightly, but his eyes remained piercing as he stared directly at them: "During the previous assessment, I went to the site and recorded official footage. Your assessors didn’t even dig deep with their shovels, nor did they extract groundwater—it was all for show. I suppose you’re planning to blame temporary workers?"

Another leader from an assessment company hurriedly tried to mediate: "Perhaps there were some errors, like issues during the dilution process. We’ll carefully review this later."

"You should indeed review it thoroughly." He Lin gave them no room for excuses. Immediately, he tossed out several bank-issued documents from his folder. "The police also discovered financial transactions between the family members of your companies’ executives and Qin's Chemical. No wonder you could produce environmental assessment reports with whatever results you desired."

These words exploded like a bombshell, instantly stirring up the conference room.

Qin Youlai’s composure finally broke.

"I need to conduct a separate investigation and report on these matters—accountability must be enforced!" Vice Mayor Ren said, then turned to He Lin. "Regarding this case, do the police have any further progress? What are the current difficulties in the investigation?"

He Lin placed a stack of photos on the table showing Zhao Lunjiang burying chemical waste: "Currently, we are searching for the key person in this case, Zhao Lunjiang. Once we find him, the truth will come to light."

Vice Mayor Ren asked: "Boss Qin, is this person your subordinate? How do you explain these matters?"

Qin Youlai’s gaze lowered, settling on the photos. He feigned calmness: "This person did work for our company, but I know nothing about any waste burial."

Director Zou quickly chimed in: "Right, the photos were taken at night, outside working hours. This could be the personal actions of this Zhao guy..."

He Lin looked at Qin Youlai: "Boss Qin, my colleagues have already headed to the farm under your father-in-law’s name..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Youlai’s eyes dropped, and his lips twitched noticeably: "That facility is just the old man’s pet project. I’ve never been involved in its production or management."

He Lin pressed on relentlessly: "Do you think they’ll find Zhao Lunjiang there? And what will Zhao Lunjiang say once found?"

Qin Youlai slowly looked up, through gritted teeth as he squeezed out: "Then I hope the police can quickly locate Zhao Lunjiang, clarify the case, and reveal the truth."

After saying this, He Lin concluded his remarks and returned to his seat.

Director Chen pressed the advantage, asking across the table: "I have another question for Director Han. Based on the current data, can it be proven that children drinking such polluted groundwater would develop serious illnesses?"

All eyes turned to Director Han.

Director Han was still holding the test reports, his hands trembling slightly and sweating profusely, as if he hadn’t heard Director Chen’s question at all.

Vice Mayor Ren frowned, already knowing the answer, and demanded sharply: "Director Han, please answer truthfully!"

Only then did Director Han snap out of it. Once articulate, he now seemed to short-circuit, barely able to form a complete sentence: "Ah... that..."

After stammering for a while, he hung his head in defeat and finally uttered the conclusion that shocked everyone.

"Under such environmental conditions, it would be fatal to those young children..."

.

Back in the cold storage, the fierce fight continued.

As time passed, the temperature dropped below freezing within minutes, and frost began to form inside.

Li Shang kept evading his attackers' strikes while ensuring Zhao Lunjiang’s safety.

The remaining three assailants, though injured to varying degrees, could still stand and fight. Under their relentless assault, Li Shang gradually grew winded. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, dampening strands of hair stuck to his cheeks, quickly freezing into tiny frost crystals.

Not far away, Zhao Lunjiang was cowering pathetically under a machine when someone suddenly activated it, causing it to roar to life.

The next second, Zhao Lunjiang was dragged out by the collar like a lamb to the slaughter, pressed forcefully against the machine by a thug.

The icy machine conveyor began to roll. Zhao Lunjiang screamed continuously, thrashing wildly, but unable to break free.

Instantly, one of his hands was shredded to a bloody mess by the meat-shredding spikes on the machine, splattering blood in crimson arcs.

The man then pressed his head and face against the machine.

At this critical moment, Li Shang turned back to rescue him. He slipped behind the man and drove the knife into the attacker's shoulder. The man's grip suddenly slackened, allowing Zhao Lunjiang to break free. Clutching his injured hand, he wrenched himself free from the machine.

Though Li Shang saved Zhao Lunjiang, the move left his own back wide open.

Before he could dodge, Butcher Zheng's blade swung from behind—a horizontal slash, a flash of cold steel, and the sharp edge sliced through his combat uniform.

The blade nearly just missed his shoulder blade, tearing through the black shirt and leaving a several-inch-long gash on the skin of his back.

Blood welled quickly.

Gritting through the pain, Li Shang swiftly turned and slammed a powerful kick to Butcher Zheng's chest, forcing him to stagger back several steps.

Then, clenching his teeth, Li Shang grabbed the arm holding the knife of another assailant, twisted his waist forcefully, and using the momentum, hurled the man onto the active machine.

The man struggled to get up, but Li Shang held him tightly, pinning him down with his shoulder.

For a moment, the machine churned wildly, accompanied by horrifying tearing sounds and screams. The man's shoulder and back were shredded gruesomely.

Only when he felt the man behind him stop struggling did Li Shang stagger to his feet.

At that moment, Butcher Zheng and the last attacker rushed him together—one aiming for his head, the other slashing at his waist.

Li Shang reacted swiftly, barely dodging both attacks.

His knife slashed Butcher Zheng's side, but Butcher Zheng, ignoring his own injury, raised his knee and drove it deep into Li Shang's abdomen.

The blow struck old wounds, and in an instant, Li Shang felt as if his internal organs were being churned by a giant hand. Excruciating pain spread from his abdomen throughout his body. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and the agony seemed to drain all strength from him.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Li Shang inadvertently dropped his knife to the ground.

Dark spots danced before his eyes, his consciousness blurring as he barely evaded another attack from Butcher Zheng.

By now, Li Shang's face was deathly pale, blood streaming relentlessly down his back. Like a blood-soaked lone wolf, he was fighting for his life.

Forcing himself to endure the intense internal pain, he bent over, clutching his abdomen, trying to retrieve the knife. Unintentionally, he discovered the gun dropped earlier by Qin Yuheng's bodyguard.

As he leaned down, his fingers closed around the gun. With a quick feel, he estimated there was one bullet left.

The two assailants behind him were already closing in.

He turned, raised the gun with one hand, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

A gunshot rang out.

The bullet struck Butcher Zheng's right arm and, still carrying its force, pierced the other man's chest.

In an instant, only Butcher Zheng remained standing, but the fall of his accomplice and his own injuries drove him into a frenzy.

With his right arm wounded, he could no longer wield the long knife. Butcher Zheng roared, grabbed a sharp, slender boning knife from the table with his left hand, and charged.

The severe pain inside Li Shang had not subsided, and the injury on his back slowed him by a fraction.

The next second, Butcher Zheng, face twisted with rage, was upon him.

Li Shang bent down, narrowly avoiding the strike. Abandoning the gun for the knife, he drove the blade deep into Butcher Zheng's abdomen.

With the successful strike, Li Shang yanked the blade sideways, slicing open a massive wound in Butcher Zheng's stomach. Blood gushed out, and the metallic scent of blood filled the air.

But Butcher Zheng roared, completely ignoring his spilling intestines, and lunged forward knife-first like a madman.

Li Shang tried to dodge, but it was too late.

The cold boning knife, brimming with killing intent, plunged straight into Li Shang's chest from the edge of his sternum.

Butcher Zheng's massive body surged forward, slamming Li Shang against the machine behind him with a thud.

The cold blade seemed to nail his heart and lungs in place.

Li Shang "mmph"ed, his neck veins bulged, his entire body trembling from the intense pain. Then, a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips, misting into the air. Crimson droplets instantly stained his cold, pale cheeks.