Chapter 537: Under the Shadow of Deception

Chapter 537: Playing the Tool Again (5 Updates)

“Not lying…” Xiao Yu’s expression flashed with both surprise and suspicion.

Could the Laboratory explosion have nothing to do with Yao Zhengqi?

If that were the case… we’re in trouble!

What kind of trouble?

Xiao Yu realized someone was scheming against Yao Zhengqi.

And this person was very likely the one who vanished from the Laboratory.

That’s right—Yao Zhengqi isn’t stupid.

How could he not know that if the Laboratory exploded and people died, the consequences would be dire?

Even if everyone were slaughtered to silence them so he could monopolize the anti-cancer drug formula,

he’d still be looking at ten, maybe even eight long years behind bars.

A single misstep could easily land him a life sentence.

In that scenario, what use would any formula be?

Moreover, Yao Zhengqi wouldn’t be able to hoard the formula all by himself.

Because the formula had already been leaked.

Somebody was blackmailing him with it, demanding a hundred million.

Under these circumstances, does Yao Zhengqi really need to kill to silence his enemies?

No, his fundamental reasoning was wrong from the start… Xiao Yu’s expression shifted as he pondered.

He had always believed that this case was the work of a single individual—or a small group.

Yet he had overlooked one possibility… a case within a case!

While Yao Zhengqi was ruthless in pursuing his own ends,

another group was equally desperate for their own objective,

a group determined to see Yao Zhengqi meet his end!

……

“Have you tracked down the identity of the missing person?”

Outside the Interrogation Room, Xiao Yu received a call from Guo Qiang.

“Not only have we identified him, but we’ve also uncovered a bizarre case.”

On the phone, Guo Qiang explained, “They even found the man. Last night, he voluntarily went to the local police station and reported that he had been kidnapped and unlawfully detained—held for more than twenty days until he was finally released just last night.”

“……” Xiao Yu’s face went blank.

Detained for over twenty days and only freed last night?

That’s one way to look at it.

This researcher had never even set foot in Yao Zhengqi’s Laboratory.

Someone had impersonated him instead.

And none of Yao Zhengqi or his colleagues had discovered it?

The sudden clue didn’t unsettle Xiao Yu; instead, it quickly steeled his resolve.

With his mind racing at high speed, his logic began to crystallize with clarity.

“If I were that man… why would I do this?”

“Kidnapping and unlawful detention are crimes, don’t you know that?”

“To abduct a researcher and then impersonate him to infiltrate Yao Zhengqi’s Laboratory…”

“It suggests I’ve been watching Yao Zhengqi all along. Kidnapping and detaining him was merely a cover to assume the researcher’s identity—to get close to Yao Zhengqi at the right moment.”

“But what would I be after, enough to break the law?”

“The anti-cancer drug formula?”

“No, there’s no way Yao Zhengqi would ever give that formula away.”

“If not for the formula, what else does Yao Zhengqi have that would justify risking everything to get close to him?”

“Every crime boils down to three things: grudges, profit, and hatred!”

“By elimination… it can’t be profit. At this point, Yao Zhengqi has nothing he could profit from.”

“And grudges? A petty vendetta hardly justifies such extreme measures.”

“That leaves only one possibility… hatred?”

“So my motive for getting close to Yao Zhengqi is revenge?”

No wonder… Xiao Yu broke out of his trance, his eyes reflecting the fatigue of overthinking.

It was clear now.

The Laboratory explosion case indeed involved two parties.

One was Yao Zhengqi himself.

The other was a party out for revenge.

All the key clues likely centered on the man who kidnapped and detained the researcher, impersonated him, and then left the Laboratory!

Xiao Yu licked his lips like a wild beast about to pounce.

“If you plan to play it this way, then count me in—I’m excited now!”

……

In the suburbs of Bincheng,

an armed helicopter descended slowly.

A striking middle-aged woman with short hair stepped off the helicopter.

Team Five’s leader, Shen Mei!

“Sister Shen, long time no see!”

Xiao Yu grabbed her outstretched hand and said with a smile.

“Team Leader Xiao, you’re too kind—greeting me in person?”

A faint smile broke through Shen Mei’s usually cold demeanor.

“Bincheng is my territory after all.”

Xiao Yu laughed heartily, “When Sister Shen is in town, of course you roll out the red carpet. With Dog King around, things would be entirely different.”

Anyone who knew Xiao Yu understood his strong sense of ownership.

He’d always been attached to his little patch of land.

Bincheng was his turf—a fact acknowledged even by the two Big Bosses.

It was just that the two Big Bosses had expanded his territory a bit.

As the Police Department’s ‘King of Cops’ and the head of National Security’s team, he couldn’t afford to lose face.

In fact, the entire L Province belonged to Xiao Yu!

“If Wang Dong heard you say that, he’d throw a fit.”

Shen Mei laughed, “Alright then, let’s head into the city.”

The group climbed into a convoy of business vans.

Having worked together before, they were all well acquainted with one another.

Once seated, Xiao Yu asked the burning question in his mind, “Sister Shen, isn’t Team Five usually focused on external affairs? This job seems more like Team Four’s domain.”

Team Four was the counter-espionage unit.

Team Four’s leader, Shao Jiafu, had also collaborated with Xiao Yu before.

That cooperation stemmed from a jailbreak case involving an overseas spy linked to case 513.

Shen Mei’s Team Five was entirely different.

Every member was in the Special Forces—a so-called all-agent unit.

There’s no need to explain what agents do.

They usually don’t handle internal affairs.

The last time Team Five teamed up with Xiao Yu, the entire team was mobilized in response to a ‘traitor’ situation.

“Old Shao is tied up with another mission at the moment,”

Shen Mei explained with a smile, “Team Five happens to be relatively relaxed right now. Besides, this is your territory. It’s not summer anymore—come see your kid, and I haven’t seen your sister in ages. Think of it as a mini-vacation.”

When Baby turned one month old, all the team leaders showed up.

Mu Qingwu and Shen Mei got along well from their chats.

It’s the classic case of birds of a feather flocking together.

Damn… Xiao Yu was left utterly speechless.

Weren’t you afraid of angering the Big Boss?

“Didn’t you say this was your territory?”

Clearly reading through Little Brother’s thoughts, Shen Mei winked, “For now, you’ll take over command of Team Five. If you can uncover the spy network hidden in that Yang Yuhui, the credit’s all yours. By the way, you’re not planning to interrupt our vacation with your sister, are you?”

Xiao Yu chuckled, “Using me as a pawn right in front of you—aren’t you pushing it?”

He thought about it—Mu Qingwu didn’t have many friends or confidantes; having someone keep her company wasn’t such a bad thing.

A pawn’s a pawn, after all!