"Му lеgs aren't gооd, оthеrwisе I could drive mуsеlf. As for whо I hire as а drivеr, thаt's mу frееdom. If yоu have a grudge against mу drivеr, what dоes thаt hаvе tо do with mе?" Не Zhеngrеn said сalmly. "Do уоu know hоw many yеars kidnaрping cаrriеs?"
Вrоthеr Lоng stаred at him аnd suddеnly аskеd, "Whаt eхaсtlу hapреned оn the day оf the car ассident?"
"...Whаt car aссidеnt?"
Brоthеr Lоng kiсkеd thе chаir, sеnding it toрpling bаckward аnd making Не Zhеngren grimасе in рain. Brothеr Long didn't help him up, loоking down at him from аbove. "Dоes this hеlр yоu remember which car accident I'm talking about?"
At this moment, Brother Long's entire being radiated four words—fearless of death.
"Only a few people survived that crash! Song Fan and Li Haozhang hired thugs to harass that orphanage that had nothing to do with the accident, Zhang Chenguang and Song Fan kept running off to Pearl Peak and several deserts, Ma He disappeared, only to become your driver the next moment... All of this is just coincidence, and you know nothing about it?! Advisor He! You're quite comfortable playing the mastermind behind the scenes, aren't you!"
"What you're saying... I don't know about it... What my drivers do privately... how could I control... Did they owe you money or hurt someone? If you have questions or conflicts, you need to take it up with them." He Zhengren lay on his side on the floor, beads of sweat the size of peas forming on his forehead—whether from pain or fear was unclear. Even so, he remained evasive, afraid Brother Long might be wearing a recording device, determined not to give anything away. In his view, Brother Long was just standing up for Bayunye and wouldn't dare actually do anything to him.
However, with Brother Long's disruption, he felt he needed to extract himself. After finishing this job, he should go to America as soon as possible—no need to wade through this muddy water any longer.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Someone was calling from downstairs.
Brother Long quickly walked over to look—it was Li Haozhang. He didn't press any buttons, just let the bell ring over and over until it automatically disconnected. Li Haozhang didn't call out again. Then, He Zhengren's phone rang—the caller was Li Haozhang.
"Still saying you don't know anything?" Brother Long shook his phone. "This man not only harassed the orphanage but also tailed Bayunye for at least a month. What could you possibly dig up from her? The meaning of the photos? Or some inside information from Diao Zhuo's side, hmm?"
He Zhengren dodged the main issue: "A former driver I hired coming to see me isn't unusual, is it? He resigned two months ago. What work he did after that, I don't know."
Brother Long stepped forward, pressed down on the chair, grabbed He Zhengren's finger and twisted it—this move wasn't fatal; if done with the right force, the finger wouldn't break but the pain would be excruciating. He Zhengren indeed let out a scream, trembling all over from the pain.
Brother Long's eyes were bloodshot, turning crimson like a nightmare from hell, completely devoid of his usual amiability. Before him, He Zhengren's contorted face transformed into Chunni's terrified expression at the moment of the car crash, then into her pale, mutilated head when identifying the body. The hatred and pain he had suppressed for over a decade erupted in this moment.
Actually, before coming here, Brother Long had already prepared himself mentally to kill his enemy and then turn himself in. Or perhaps this mental preparation had been made long ago, when he resolved to guide Bayunye and Diao Zhuo in uncovering the mastermind behind the car accident.At the Sijila Mountain viewing platform, tourists were either craning their necks to gaze at the distant Namcha Barwa Peak or taking turns posing for photos by the landmark sign, thoroughly enjoying themselves. The beautiful snow-capped Namcha Barwa, like a shy maiden, remained veiled in mist and clouds, its outline faintly discernible.
However, Bayunye, who always hoped to catch a glimpse of Namcha Barwa’s true face whenever she passed by, was in no mood to admire the scenery now. After her call was abruptly ended, she stared at Diao Zhuo with rare disarray and said, "Brother Long said he discovered that Song Fan, Zhang Chenguang... even Hippo’s boss is that He Zhengren you mentioned. He didn’t say how he found out or where the person is, but I’m a hundred percent sure he’s in Beijing and went to kill He Zhengren."
This news didn’t surprise Diao Zhuo. Perhaps he had long harbored suspicions but lacked the means to confirm them. Compared to Brother Long’s grief over losing his wife, Diao Zhuo, who lost his father early in life, possessed far more composure. Moreover, "revenge" had never been the theme of his life. Even if there were grievances to settle and debts to repay, he preferred to make the mastermind pay through legitimate means.
"Stop him."
Bayunye was taken aback.
"Stop him from using the wrong method to confront He Zhengren and force the truth," Diao Zhuo explained. "Even if He Zhengren has a guilty conscience and knows the inside story, he won’t easily reveal the truth about the car accident. He’s kept this secret for so many years—it must be something extraordinary. Revealing it would bring nothing but harm and no benefit. If I were him, I wouldn’t talk either. Since Brother Long discovered that Song Fan, Zhang Chenguang, and Hippo are all He Zhengren’s people, they must belong to some kind of organization. And if there’s an organization, you can’t guarantee He Zhengren is the absolute mastermind. Who might be behind him remains unknown. Acting rashly would only alert the enemy."
Bayunye tried calling Brother Long again, but the automated message indicated his phone was turned off. "Damn it!" she thought irritably, wanting to throw her phone, but the car loan payment due this month reminded her—you can’t do that.
"Master Ba! Are we leaving?" drivers from other vehicles asked.
"Wait a little longer!" Bayunye replied. "Let the guests enjoy the view here a bit more!"
Unaware of Brother Long’s current situation, they teased her, "You just want to spend more alone time with your man! Hahaha!"
Bayunye sighed helplessly. She wasn’t the sentimental type, but seeing them joke around like this reminded her of a poem she had memorized in middle school, something about "singing girls unaware of a nation’s sorrow" still singing and enjoying themselves. Though she couldn’t recall the author, she suddenly felt the greatness of ancient poets—how poetry written so long ago could still resonate with people’s emotions today. She wondered, if Brother Long went through with this, would the Eagle Club even exist anymore?
Diao Zhuo said calmly, "Because of his leg disability, He Zhengren mostly stays at home. Even when he goes out, he wouldn’t choose to walk or take crowded buses. According to Brother Long, Hippo is his driver. If Brother Long tried to intercept and confront him while he’s out, would Hippo comply? He Zhengren isn’t mute. Even if Brother Long found him elsewhere while Hippo wasn’t paying attention, He Zhengren wouldn’t just sit and wait to be captured. So, to control him, what would Brother Long do?"
"Knock him out and drag him to a quiet place." Bayunye knew Brother Long had the ability to do just that."That's just an optimistic estimate." Diao Zhuo frowned deeply. "That's the capital. Knocking someone out in public is extremely risky. If he could get into He Zhengren's home, it would be relatively safer. But since Hippo was sent by He Zhengren to monitor you or Brother Long, he must know what Brother Long looks like and wouldn't easily let him inside. It can be said that it's very difficult for Brother Long to get close to He Zhengren. Yet in his phone call with you, he seemed very confident, saying he was more than halfway successful. Clearly, he has managed to get close to He Zhengren, or perhaps..."
He seemed to remember something and called an acquaintance at the Beidou Rescue headquarters office. After a while, he said to Bayunye, "The headquarters holds a monthly meeting on the last Sunday of every month. He Zhengren left after finishing the meeting an hour ago, and before the meeting, he submitted his resignation. He should have just arrived home not long ago. He has a housekeeper who takes care of his daily needs and rests on Sundays, so she happens to be off today. If he wants to break in, today is the best opportunity."
Bayunye asked incredulously, "You mean Brother Long might be at He Zhengren's place?!" She pointed at several failed call attempts. "And he turned off his phone! Clearly, he doesn't want to be disturbed by me!"
Diao Zhuo nodded and asked, "Did you hear any other sounds during the call?"
"It was quite quiet. The last call was noisier, and I even heard someone mention a bar in Houhai, which made me suspect he was in Beijing at the time. This time... I didn't hear any other people or vehicle sounds. It seemed like he was indoors. Oh, right, before he hung up, I heard the sound of a bell ringing, very close, not like a distant bell tower."
Diao Zhuo glanced at his watch. It was 5:05 PM. Indoors, the sound of a bell—could it be from that expensive wall clock in He Zhengren's home?
If so, Brother Long was already inside and had likely subdued He Zhengren.
"Call the police." Diao Zhuo picked up his phone.
"Why call the police out of the blue?" Bayunye stopped him.
"Facing Brother Long, He Zhengren would never tell the truth. As a nominal consultant, he hardly has any duties on a daily basis, so having this title or not makes no difference. But suddenly submitting his resignation must have some other reason. Although Brother Long once said that several of his comrades retired and joined the police force, after discovering the connections between those people, he didn't choose to report it to the police. Instead, he traveled thousands of miles to Beijing to find He Zhengren himself, deliberately turned off his phone, and cut off all contact, including with you and me, the survivors of the accident. He’s probably dead set on killing someone. He’ll be angered by He Zhengren’s attitude and stubbornness, and who knows what he might do then. If the police arrive before he makes a grave mistake, He Zhengren won’t dare tell them why Brother Long broke in, and Brother Long could walk away unscathed—at worst, he’d be detained for a few days. Otherwise, it might be 'years,' 'over a decade,' or even..."
Bayunye, who had shared a brotherly, almost fatherly bond with Brother Long for many years, still clung to a sliver of hope. "Maybe after Brother Long gets the truth, he’ll take He Zhengren to the police station?"
"On the condition that He Zhengren is willing to talk." Diao Zhuo said firmly. "We have to stop him!"
"What if the police come and Brother Long refuses to let him go, and he... he gets shot?!"
"He Zhengren wants to avoid Brother Long meeting the police even more than you do."Anxious, Bayunye called Brother Long again, but his phone was still off. Meanwhile, Diao Zhuo tried calling He Zhengren. Although the phone wasn’t off, it rang twice with no answer before someone finally picked up.
Brother Long’s hoarse voice came through—"Diao Zhuo! For the sake of your old man, stay out of this! I’ll handle it alone!"
Bayunye snatched Diao Zhuo’s phone, but the call had already ended. Desperate, she tried sending a text message to He Zhengren’s number—
"Brother Long! Whatever you’re planning, stop!! I understand how you feel! Come back!"
Before she could send it, Diao Zhuo quickly grabbed her hand, signaling her not to send such an uncontrolled message to He Zhengren’s phone, and deleted the entire text.
"Is there any other way to make him come back?"
Diao Zhuo spread his hands. "I’ll call the police, or you can."
"I…" Calling the police to arrest Brother Long—Bayunye, with her strong sense of loyalty and honor, felt she couldn’t do it. Seeing him about to dial, she grabbed his wrist with both hands, unsure of what to say.
"Let go."
"Let’s think of another way!"
"What other way is there? You know better than I do what he’s planning—He Zhengren’s life is in danger."
"So what if it is! If he caused the car accident, he deserves to die!"
"Does Brother Long deserve to die too?"
Bayunye froze. "I don’t want him to be arrested…"
"This time, you have to listen to me!" Diao Zhuo pulled his hand free, causing her to stumble. Without looking up from the screen, he hesitated between "110" and "Ran Jinxian," ultimately choosing the latter. He didn’t mention Brother Long holding He Zhengren captive, only that Brother Long had gone to Beijing and gone missing, possibly in an agitated or desperate state, and asked Ran Jinxian to use police technology to locate him.
Furious and helpless, Bayunye stomped her foot hard and punched the guardrail a few times. On one hand, she wanted to stop Brother Long from doing anything extreme; on the other, she didn’t want him to go to jail for it. These conflicting emotions clashed inside her like a fire dragon and a water dragon locked in a life-or-death battle.
After hanging up, Diao Zhuo tried to say something to her, but she shot him a fierce glare and turned away.
Today, Mount Namjagbarwa seemed determined to hide its true face, its peak shrouded in thick clouds. Several guests, having taken enough photos and enjoyed the view from the observation deck, came over to ask when they’d be setting off again.
Distraught but unable to vent her frustration on the guests, Bayunye called everyone back to the vehicle. She sat sullenly in the passenger seat, refusing to say another word to Diao Zhuo.
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