Chapter 519: Chaos in the Shadows

When Lu Xin and his group reached about thirty meters away, they heard raucous laughter erupting behind them.

The laughter came in bursts, rising in rhythmic segments.

Then, once they were about a hundred meters away, the mirth abruptly turned chaotic. Soon shouts, angry roars, bitter curses, gunshots, thuds, and desperate screams from unknown voices filled the air…

They quickened their pace immediately.

A brawl had erupted behind them—with gunfire in the mix. Best not to get dragged into it…

……

Perhaps because they had pulled away early, they avoided being swept up in the melee. Playing it safe, they circled around back to the hotel. The front desk girl was still absent, but when they boarded the elevator, they encountered her. She was straining to drag out a long corpse-wrapping bag from the elevator, her forehead slick with sweat.

Seeing Lu Xin and his team, she didn’t greet them; she simply glared coldly and dismissively.

Back on their floor, they discovered that the female corpse had vanished.

Recalling the corpse-wrapping bag the front desk girl had dragged out earlier, they instantly understood what it was.

“You two stay in this room for now. We’ve got food—you can fill your bellies and get some sleep,” someone instructed.

“If you can manage to sleep, that is.”

……

Han Bing assigned the sibling pair she’d brought from outside to an extra room.

These siblings had been at the eye of the storm earlier. Leaving them amid the chaos would have been unsafe.

Besides, she had already informed Gecko to kidnap the Group Leader, ensuring tonight in Satellite City Three would be far from peaceful. Sending the siblings home risked them being found by his henchmen.

For that reason, it was safer to settle them in at the hotel first.

Fortunately, the siblings were remarkably obedient. The older sister, though a bit frightened, timidly thanked Han Bing.

Han Bing handed them some canned food and bread. Watching them devour the food hungrily sparked her curiosity. After a few light words, she left their room and, looking thoughtful, asked Lu Xin, “Did you notice anything unusual?”

Lu Xin glanced at her and replied, “Their mental state seems a bit better than the others.”

Han Bing nodded and said, “They do have slight dark circles, but nothing as severe as the rest.”

After a moment’s thought, Lu Xin remarked, “Could it be that children are less affected by the pollution than adults?”

Han Bing shook her head, “Doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Though both are in better shape than the others, the sister is noticeably less afflicted than her brother. I even suspect that the girl’s listless look is due more to hunger than to lack of sleep.”

“She’s the most normal one in this city.”

……

After a brief pause, she added, “They’re terrified right now. Let them rest a bit—I’ll check in on them later.”

Lu Xin nodded, and he escorted her and the Group Leader’s target, the Red Serpent, back to his room, quietly waiting for Gecko’s return.

It wasn’t long before Gecko returned with his captive—the mob boss.

Outside on the street, chaos reigned. Even from several floors up, one could hear the bedlam. Someone was crying out at the top of their lungs, “We’re doomed! That bastard carried our Big Brother away! Quick, give chase…”

“Which direction did he run?”

“What kind of mess is this? A brawl and we lose Big Brother…”

“Search the whole city and bring him back…”

……

Amid the commotion, a knocking at the window was heard.

Han Bing leapt up and opened the window to find Gecko, furtive and with one eye clearly bruised blue.

He clung to the wall with both hands and feet, while in his other hand he carried a semi-conscious man.

He appeared cautious—likely afraid a frenzied subordinate might spot him—so he hadn’t dared to use the main door.

Yet, scaling along the wall for fourteen floors with a man in tow to knock on the window was undeniably impressive.

Irritated, he tossed the man onto the carpet and, exhaling deeply, bellowed to Lu Xin, “Captain, my Captain, another notch in my life’s book! I’ve never kidnapped anyone before—especially not a mob boss…”

“Why not just let me take care of him if you’re so pissed?”

……

Suppressing a laugh, Lu Xin looked at Gecko with concern and asked, “Why is your eye bruised?”

Flustered, Gecko gave the semi-conscious Group Leader a kick and muttered, “He messed around…”

“I got close and had my gun trained on him…”

“I thought that would suffice, but then out of nowhere he elbowed me.”

……

Abruptly, he grew serious and warned, “Don’t tell anyone about this, got it?”

Everyone in the room stifled their laughter and nodded.

The vice-captain—being a Spider-type—kidnapping an ordinary person and still getting elbowed really marked a low point in his record.

Word reached Qinggang, adding another embarrassing episode to his history.

“Mr. Gecko, rest assured. That bruised eye isn’t for nothing—the success of this operation is all thanks to you.”

Han Bing stifled a laugh, looked at the Group Leader sprawled on the carpet, and said, “Wake him up first!”

Gecko paused, a spark of curiosity lighting his face as he dashed into the bathroom for water, then asked, “What plan?”

Han Bing replied, “Of course it’s the Special Pollution Investigation Plan in Black Marsh City.”

She took out a sheet of paper and began writing meticulously while explaining, “I’ve already reported this to the single soldier captain.”

“Right now, here in Black Marsh City, our biggest problem is not knowing who to trust or where to begin the investigation. If the Administration Hall here has already fallen, we might be seen as the enemy.”

“So why not shift our focus and start at the grassroots level?”

“Before setting out, I did thorough research. Unlike Qinggang, Black Marsh City has long been steeped in underhanded dealings, with grassroots forces deeply entrenched in every industry.”

“With their cooperation, gathering any intelligence or data will be much easier.”

……

As she spoke, a mischievous smile crept onto her face, “This is classic bottom-up takeover!”

Just then, Gecko emerged from the bathroom clutching a damp towel and asked in astonishment, “So you want me to kidnap him?”

Han Bing laughed, “Yes, he must have considerable influence.”

“In the chaos earlier, one word from him could silence the crowd—a clear sign of authority.”

“Even if his own power isn’t overwhelming, he can always hitch a ride on someone else’s network.”

“I figure that even if someone controls the Administration Hall in Black Marsh City, waiting for us to take the bait, they wouldn’t expect us to bypass it and rally the grassroots for our investigation, right?”

……

“Tsk tsk…”

Gecko was momentarily stunned before exclaiming, “What exactly do you train them for, anyway?”

Even Lu Xin, who had long been aware of Han Bing’s plan, couldn’t help but admire her as she explained it.

The current Han Bing, so confident and meticulous in her calculations, had managed to factor in all the grassroots forces across Black Marsh City. She was a far cry from the little girl she once was. Who knows how Qinggang managed to train someone so…

…sinister?

“I need to wake him up. Anything else required?”

Understanding the task, Gecko crouched before the unconscious Group Leader, his expression vengeful as he said, “That bastard, even while I had his head under my gun, dared to elbow me. He’s one tough nut. I think we should at least have red-hot irons, toothpicks, pliers, whips, and salt ready to make sure he behaves…”

Han Bing had already inscribed plenty on the paper. She glanced at it and then handed it over to Lu Xin.

Shaking her head, she added, “Those methods won’t do. Since we’re relying on him for intel, we can’t use such punishments. People who’ve clawed their way up from the bottom have fierce tempers—if one is bent on mutual destruction, we’d be in real trouble.”

Gecko shook his head regretfully, “Then what do we do?”

Han Bing, having thought it all through, looked at the Red Serpent beside her and said with a smile, “Miss Red Serpent, could you step in?”

Ever modest and unassuming as a newcomer, Red Serpent simply offered a gentle smile.

“Alright.”

……

Lu Xin and Gecko exchanged a curious glance as they looked over at Red Serpent.

“We have four top interrogators in Qinggang,” someone stated.

Noticing their puzzled looks, Han Bing explained, “Leading them is Professor Jia Mengyi, Qinggang’s highest-ranking researcher in psychology; second is Team Leader Chen Jing; third is you, Red Serpent; and fourth is the Watchdog from the City Defense Department. Both the captain and vice-captain trust her skills.”

Red Serpent’s cheeks flushed with shyness, though she offered no denial.

“Then I’ll wake him up…”

Gecko gave Red Serpent a cautious look.

“Alright.”

Red Serpent nodded, subtly rolling up her sleeve to reveal her pale, delicate forearm.

Lu Xin perked up, genuinely curious how this shy woman would handle the imposing Group Leader. After all, the stronger one’s will, the better the resistance to pollution—and this Group Leader was no ordinary man.

In his intrigued gaze, he watched as Gecko raised the soaked towel to the Group Leader’s face and squeezed firmly.

Splash.

A handful of water cascaded onto the Group Leader’s face, making his body shudder noticeably.

But soon he fell still again, as if he hadn’t truly woken.

Gecko then kicked him, “Stop pretending—get up now.”

The Group Leader, lying on the floor, took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes, sitting up.

Realizing his predicament yet surrounded by enemies, he maintained an unruffled demeanor.

He straightened his clothes and slowly scanned Lu Xin and the others. His eyes, resigned yet defiantly unyielding, stated, “Clearly, you aren’t ordinary people. But kidnapping me was futile.”

“I’m a cripple who has clawed my way up through sheer ruthlessness—both against others and myself.”

“So, no matter what you want or plan to do to me, I won’t…”

……

As he spoke, his face hardened into a determined mask of defiance.

At that moment, Red Serpent, crouched beside him, suddenly burst into tears as she trembled and grasped his hand.

“Dad…”

Her words sent shivers down Lu Xin and Gecko’s spines as she cried, “Don’t you recognize me?”