Chapter 396: Shi Huacheng

2022-05-20

Wu Zui laughed out loud, the kind of laugh that doubled him over clutching his stomach.

“Let’s move!” he shouted, and in a flash he turned the corner. Moriko gave my arm a tug and hurried after him, keeping pace.

Moriko seemed about the same age as Wu Zui but I had no clue how these two even met. She followed Wu Zui’s every word without question. I wondered if he’d hypnotized her the same way he did Guan Zengbin.

As for Guan Zengbin and Gu Chen, who knew where they’d ended up? But I had no time to care about them now. In the blink of an eye, I was already beside the high wall. I still didn’t know what Scarface’s past job was but judging by this hole in the wall, his skills were the real deal.

The hole made for easy entry and exit but didn’t compromise the load-bearing wall at all.

Just like Wu Zui guessed, there were guards inside but not many.

With Wu Zui leading the charge, the chaos didn’t take long. The guards, trained only to kill, didn’t know what to do. Plus, the front entrance was now going up in flames. Caught off guard by the eruption of violence, the security force had no hope of organizing any real resistance right now.

The cells were up ahead, not far. Quite a few people had already broken out, dressed in gray uniforms, shouting and fighting like wild animals. The scene had slipped completely out of control, everything swallowed by pure chaos.

No one left had time to care about Wu Zui or Moriko as the two of them pulled me forward. By now, plenty of people had violence in their eyes—didn’t matter who you were, everyone was a target. Wu Zui wasn’t spared either, and more than a few set their sights on Moriko.

Wu Zui actually seemed to enjoy the chaos. He’d gone full bloodthirsty now, completely unhinged.

Moriko, always the quiet one, actually spoke up then. “We only have ten minutes to get Shi Huacheng out. Yinzi can keep the system under control for ten minutes.”

“You’re killing my mood,” Wu Zui groaned, but finally started running inside.

“Where exactly?” Wu Zui asked.

“Level B1, West Side, Room 001.” Moriko answered—straight to the point.

While we spoke, the three of us slipped inside. An ear-splitting alarm screamed, drilling right into my head and refusing to leave. The emergency lights flashed again and again. Looking at the security monitors, plenty of cell doors were still locked. The people inside, riled up by the chaos beyond the walls, pounded on the doors with growing excitement.

That’s when someone stepped straight into our path.

Clear as day—it was Li Ai.

Li Ai caught sight of me too and shook his head. “Hard to believe after all this time, we’re meeting again. But I’m not lying this time—I’ve only got one personality left. For once, I have full control of my own body. And let me tell you, it feels incredible.”

He waved his hand. “Don’t think I didn’t notice what nearly happened before, underground—if the other person hadn’t shown up, you’d have put that shard right through my neck. But looks like you’ll be the one to die before I do, this time.”

Wu Zui just made a gesture. “Lead the way.”

Li Ai nodded and took the lead, guiding us forward.

He talked as we went. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited. I’d already escaped, you know. If it wasn’t for your promise to get me abroad—and set me up for life with more money than I could spend—I never would’ve stuck around here for months.”

“Just the key points,” Wu Zui cut in.

Li Ai nodded. “I’ve spent the last two months figuring out how to get Shi Huacheng out. I already passed what I learned on through that inside guy you bought off, so you should know the basics. First up, we have to get past the main security. It’s pretty much empty now since everyone’s run off to the front doors.”

He picked up the pace. “But we need to move quick. Next, there are two locked doors we’ll have to pass.”

“First is an electronic door. Only those with access can open it,” said Li Ai. “Problem?”

Wu Zui shook his head. “Yinzi can hack the system for five to ten minutes, enough to open it.”

Li Ai looked relieved. “Perfect. Second is an iron door, needs a key.”

Wu Zui shot Li Ai a look. “So, have you finished the job I gave you? Fail now and you die.”

Li Ai just smiled. “Of course I did. You should have more faith in me. Thanks to our contact, I’ve got a spare key. Once the electronic door opens, I’ll get you to Shi Huacheng.”

He patted his pocket as he spoke.

“Good,” Wu Zui said, clearly satisfied.

By the time we’d finished talking, we’d reached the basement. This level wasn’t like the one above—it was all bare walls, nothing but concrete on both sides. A few cameras still blinked red overhead.

It looked like this floor was set up for Shi Huacheng alone.

Li Ai broke the silence. “That’s all the intel I could get. I’m honestly curious—this guy living down here, I’ve never once seen them let him out for fresh air. He’s almost an urban legend. If they locked me down here for this long, never letting me see the sky, I’d have gone insane ages ago.”

I knew Shi Huacheng was dangerous, but I never dreamed security would be this tight. Team Leader Shao once told me Shi Huacheng tried every crazy method possible to cure his daughter, even hypnosis.

They kept Shi Huacheng all alone, never letting him out—not out of cruelty, but fear he’d hypnotize the staff without them realizing. And even now I remembered crossing paths with hypnosis master Wei Demian at the Dongxing City Psychiatric Hospital. Wei Demian was Wu Zui’s master and apparently knew Shi Huacheng well.

If Shi Huacheng was as skilled as Wei Demian, then he’d be a nightmare to face.

No wonder Wu Zui had masterminded so many plots—this was all to get Shi Huacheng out.

Now the electronic door loomed before us.

It was massive—solid steel by the look of it, designed to rise up when unlocked. There wasn’t a single seam in the whole sheet of metal. From the outside, there was no way brute force would ever get it open.

Next to the door was a card slot, clearly for swiping in. Its indicator glowed red—not authorized.

“The door’s still locked,” Li Ai said, a hint of anxiety in his voice. “We only have ten minutes. If people catch up, no one escapes.”

Wu Zui stepped up and felt around, deep in thought.

Right then, the entire basement went black. All the lights died. I was about to bolt when Moriko gripped my hand tight. Something icy pressed against my throat. I didn’t need to guess—a cold dagger.

A second later, the lights snapped back on.

The card slot switched from red to green. With a whir, the door began to lift. Through the widening gap, I saw another iron door further in. We hurried over and saw there wasn’t even a vent on this one—no way to see inside.

Wu Zui knocked. “Are you in there? It’s Wu Zui.”

“Wu Zui?” A raspy voice answered. “You’re finally here.”

Wu Zui gestured and Li Ai stepped up, handing him the key.

Wu Zui unlocked it and swung the door open.

At last, I came face-to-face with the man I’d wanted to meet for so long. But his appearance was nowhere near what I’d imagined—he looked ragged and worn.

Shi Huacheng froze for a second when he saw me, then burst out laughing.

“You finally crossed paths,” he said. “Interesting—very interesting.”