Chapter 115

Chapter 115

The news of Yan Shiqi's disappearance mobilized the entire police force of City A and was simultaneously featured in the national network's real-time news coverage.

Within just two hours, over a dozen trending topics blew up online.

"Prominent Southern Province Entrepreneur Kidnapped"

"Yan Shiqi Vanished Without a Trace"

"Suspected Retaliation by Overseas Elements, Chairman of Yan Group Whereabouts Unknown"

Every road in City A was under strict inspection.

The situation in Southern Province had already shifted dramatically.

Not only in Southern Province, but the Northern Border region seemed even more anxious.

As it was snowing heavily when the incident occurred, most surveillance cameras along that stretch of road were frosted over, with some even mysteriously blacked out.

Several police and city government vehicles were parked by the roadside at the scene.

Yan Shiying sat in a police car, giving his account while overhearing Third Uncle speaking with Mo Huaidou. It seemed Mo Huaidou wanted to dispatch more police.

Mo Huaidou's nervousness was somewhat puzzling.

In reality, the police force mobilized from Southern Province was already sufficient to control the entire City A.

Deploying forces from the Northern Border would be like using distant water to quench a nearby fire.

He turned to look out the window. Xie Yunshen was on the phone with his head down. The helicopter's searchlight cast a strange shadow that enveloped his back.

Xie Yunshen removed the ring from his finger.

This was a locator he had applied for from the Bodyguard Association, embedded in the ring. Through a tiny chip, it could activate the tracking of another ring.

Xie Yunshen crouched by the roadside, one hand holding his phone, the other pressing against his forehead. He felt as if the world was closing in on him, every nerve in his brain throbbing.

"How much longer?"

A colleague's voice came through the phone: "The target's location is equipped with counter-surveillance interfering with the tracking."

Xie Yunshen's brows furrowed deeply. He gritted his teeth: "Get the old man out here!"

God only knew what lopsided terms he had to agree to with the association president just to apply for this pair of rings.

"Give us a few minutes first. When you get back, we'll beat up the president together." The sound of frantic keyboard clattering came from his colleague's end.

"Just give me a general direction." Xie Yunshen couldn't wait any longer.

"You can head north on the main road now! The target's location is constantly moving, likely still in a vehicle."

Xie Yunshen commandeered a police motorcycle at random and sped onto the northern main road against the flying snow, ignoring the shouts from Third Uncle and Yan Shiying.

The sound of the motorcycle vanished into the icy snowscape in an instant.

Only Third Uncle and Yan Shiying were left facing each other on the road.

"What's the situation now?" Third Uncle asked in a low voice.

"Big Brother said we need to wait for the real big fish to surface. But given the situation, Xie Yunshen will find Big Brother within half an hour. Why didn't Big Brother tell him the plan?"

"I actually think not telling him was right." Third Uncle said thoughtfully.

Yan Shiying glanced back at Mo Huaidou.

Mo Huaidou stood in front of the crowd, looking in the direction Xie Yunshen had disappeared, his expression concerned, his gaze worried. He looked every bit the kind, approachable elder.

Was this really the big fish Big Brother mentioned?

"The more anxious Xie Yunshen gets, the more the other side will let their guard down, and the more likely they are to show their hand."

Yan Shiying: "I hope everything goes smoothly."

Light snow hazed the windshield, as dark and heavy as the stone pressing on Xie Yunshen's heart.

"Cracked it!" A colleague's voice came through the headset.

"At your eleven o'clock, there's a large bridge. After crossing it, head northwest for about fifteen kilometers. The target is currently stationary. They might have found the tracker and ditched it, or they've reached their destination."

"Understood. Pass the coordinates to Yan Shiying and the police." Xie Yunshen tightened his grip on the handlebars, his voice sharp and clear in the cold wind.

"Don't worry, we've shared the location with the police. The president is already on his way!"

The motorcycle shot through the night and the searchlight beams like blue lightning.

He almost broke every record he had ever set in motorcycle races.

The motorcycle crossed the bridge, arriving at a dilapidated, unfinished building in the darkness.

Xie Yunshen was very familiar with this building. It was where Gao Langdong had been held captive last time. No, to be precise, it was where Gao Langdong lured Black Impermanence to appear, and where Yi Wuyi almost died.

1:00 AM. Two hours had passed since Mr. Yan's disappearance.

Xie Yunshen didn't know how he could still remain calm, forcing himself to hold his breath and cautiously listen for any sounds around him.

The wind howled, weeds rustled, and faintly, the sound of rotor blades could be heard.

Xie Yunshen entered the dark building and discovered that the screen of the old, broken elevator inside was actually lit up with a dim, gray floor number.

It stopped at the 24th floor, then the screen went dark—the power had been cut.

Xie Yunshen ascended the rough, uneven stairs, rushing upward. Second floor, fifth floor, fifteenth floor...

In the freezing weather, his legs rubbed rapidly against the fabric, blood circulation accelerated, blood vessels dilated, sending a tingling, slightly painful itch.

In sub-zero temperatures, his forehead was already sweating.

Mr. Yan!

When he reached the top floor, he saw a helicopter slowly ascending.

Xie Yunshen rushed over, trying to grab the external boarding ladder.

Two men nearby charged to stop him but were repelled by a violent elbow strike and a side kick.

Yet others still rushed at him like fearless warriors, undeterred by pain.

Xie Yunshen swiftly dispatched two more men with flying kicks. As the ladder was about to retract, he managed to grab a rung, spun around, and climbed onto the outer edge of the helicopter.

The man in the cockpit had just picked up a pistol and leaned out the window, but before he could pull the trigger, Xie Yunshen snatched it away, elbowed him in the face, and knocked him unconscious.

He charged from the cockpit into the main cabin of the helicopter.

He saw Yan Shiqi lying on a cold gurney, with a man in a white coat sitting beside him. A thick needle was inserted into the softest part of Mr. Yan’s arm, and fresh red blood flowed through the needle into a transparent tube, draining into a blood bag.

The sight hit Xie Yunshen like a physical blow.

Bang!

Before the man in the white coat could even stand up, Xie Yunshen shot him in the head.

Blood splattered across the cabin wall.

Two more gunshots followed, hitting two armed thugs further back in the cabin.

Just then, the police arrived at the scene.

Yan Shiying saw Xie Yunshen pulling the needle from Mr. Yan's arm and applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

The bag beside him was already half-filled with blood.

The remaining assailants were subdued, and medical personnel also arrived on the scene.

“He'd been briefly anesthetized and lost too much blood. He’s being taken to the hospital for a transfusion now.”

Xie Yunshen’s eyes were bloodshot.

Yan Shiying breathed a sigh of relief, but also regretted that his elder brother’s carefully laid plan had ultimately fallen short.

“The big fish my brother mentioned never showed up.”

“Lost too much blood?” Third Uncle’s sharp gaze fell on the insulated blood transport box on the table, his eyes sharpening. “That means part of the blood must have been transferred earlier.”

The police chief chimed in, “Two other suspects drove away from the underground garage here about ten minutes ago. We’re preparing to intercept them at the next intersection!”

“Wait! Follow them first. Don’t spook them,” Third Uncle urged anxiously.

Xie Yunshen looked at Yan Shiying coldly. “What are you talking about?”

Yan Shiying was taken aback, seeing the fury in Xie Yunshen’s bloodshot eyes. If he were to say that all of this had been part of his elder brother’s plan, Xie Yunshen would probably go mad.

At that moment, Mo Huaidou hurried to the scene.

“How is it? Is Mr. Yan alright!?”

Third Uncle replied, “Governor Mo, he’s fine.”

Mo Huaidou’s expression shifted slightly, and he smiled. “That’s good, thank goodness…”

“But some of the blood was taken away by a few of the thugs.”

“Then hurry up and get it back!” He stared at the evidence bag in the police officer’s hand, which contained a sealed half-bag of blood.

Xie Yunshen sneered at him, his piercing gaze seeming to cut right through Mo Huaidou’s face.

Mo Huaidou jolted awake from his daze.

The internet was abuzz with discussions about the kidnapping case, and more and more videos were surfacing.

Some captured the tense atmosphere of police cars speeding by, while others showed the fight and gunshots from the helicopter above the abandoned building.

Later that night, someone posted a video with a luxurious mansion in the background, showing police cars parked outside one of the villas.

“The Huang family head has been arrested.”

“Why was the Huang family head arrested?”

“I heard the thugs went to the Huang family, and the police were lying in wait. They found a secret underground medical lab inside.”

“What does that mean? Rich people have their own medical rooms—is that a crime?”

“It must be something confidential. How would we know?”

“But with the North Region Governor personally stepping in, this is definitely not a simple matter.”

Yan Shiqi found himself lying on a cold bed, the harsh fluorescent light above stinging his eyes. The walls around him were stark white and seemingly endless. He glanced around, noticed Xie Yunshen wasn’t there, and abruptly sat up.

“Brother, how are you feeling?” Yan Shiling hurried over. “You’ve been asleep for a full day and night.”

Yan Shiqi frowned, his face still pale. “Where’s A Shen?”

“He's at the police station. He’s been there for a while.”

Yan Shiying added, “It’s nothing serious. He just shot and killed a few people, so he’s giving a statement.”

“Was he injured?”

“No.”

Finally, Yan Shiqi asked the crucial question. “What was the outcome?”

“So far, only Huang Jianxing has been arrested because the blood was delivered to him. But we don’t know if he’ll reveal the mastermind behind it.”

“Was Mo Huaidou at the scene?”

“Yes.”

“Since Mo Huaidou was there, Gao Langdong won’t be able to escape,” Yan Shiqi said.

Unless Gao Langdong could get the forces behind him to intervene and save him. Unfortunately, a creature that was neither human nor ghost once it lost its descendant’s blood—who would care about him?

At that moment, the door opened. Yan Shiqi looked toward the entrance, but it wasn’t Xie Yunshen.

It was Yan Shizhou and Third Uncle.

Yan Shiying asked, “Third Uncle, how did it go?”

“Huang Jianxing is still being interrogated. He’s being stubborn, but we found some evidence at his home. Over the years, he’s been secretly in contact with Top Star Gate, and some of his biomedical research was aided by a certain mastermind. We just don’t know who that person is.”

“Will he escape again, like with Top Star Gate before?”

Third Uncle said, “Governor Mo has ordered a thorough investigation. The whole internet is watching, and with the situation blown up this big, it won’t be so easy this time.”

Third Uncle looked at Yan Shiqi lying in the hospital bed, his expression serious. “If Shiying hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known you were so reckless. If we had been even a step later, something terrible could have happened.”

Yan Shiqi remained calm. “Didn’t he save me?”

The others were suddenly hit with an unexpected wave of public affection.

Yan Shiying said, "But... your wife seems really angry."

Yan Shiqi glanced at the ring on his finger and smiled. "If she weren't angry, that wouldn't be her."

Yan Shiying found it strange that his elder brother could still smile.

Third Uncle said, "You all go out first. I need to talk to your brother alone."

The others walked out, leaving only Third Uncle, Yan Shiqi, and the unmoving Yi Wuyi in the room...

Yi Wuyi said, "Xie said that when he's not here, I must stay by your side and not leave for a moment."

Third Uncle smiled, unfazed. "Alright."

"When did you find out you weren't their birth son?" He sat down, looking at Yan Shiqi.

"Ten years ago."

Third Uncle sighed. "That must have been a heavy burden to carry for so long."

"Once this matter is over, I will return the position of family head to Shiying."

"That's not what I meant. If I opposed you being the head, I wouldn't have waited until now. Besides, since your grandfather left the position to you on his deathbed, isn't that proof enough of his trust?"

"My... no, Shiying's parents also died because of Top Star Gate. Grandfather didn't know, did he?"

Third Uncle was silent, rubbing his face with his hands. "Maybe your grandfather knew, maybe he didn't. Back then, Top Star Gate was so powerful. Even if he knew, he had to pretend not to. Resistance would have meant total ruin."

Yan Shiqi said, "So, I hope you will support Shiying in becoming the chairman of the Yan Group when the time comes."

"And what about you?"

"I still have Yunqi. Compared to the Yan Group, that is my own life's work."

Third Uncle left the room and saw Yan Shiying squatting by the door. The corridor light highlighted his deep-set, cold eyes.

"Actually, I've wondered too why Big Brother is so relentlessly focused on Top Star Gate," he said softly.

Third Uncle patted his shoulder, about to speak. "You..."

Yan Shiying looked up. "Just pretend I didn't hear anything."