Warehouse No. 1

(First Part)

As soon as he hung up the phone, s.h.i.+ Weichong immediately went to find Lian Jun and told him that Xu Jie had snuck out of the hospital. Although he didnt want to admit it, the fact that shed disappeared at this juncture would make any normal person suspicious of her.

Check Xu Jies whereabouts and anyone shes been in contact with the past few weeks. Dont ignore any clues, no matter how small, Lian Jun ordered Gua One, then looked at s.h.i.+ Weichong. This time, I wont let your mother off, even if s.h.i.+ Jin pleads for you, he said, voice freezing. And you and the Xu family better brace yourselves as welljust blame yourselves for being related to her. Finished talking, he waved his hand to summon Gua Three, who was standing to the side, and had him push his wheelchair out of the lounge.

s.h.i.+ Weichongs expression changed. He rushed out of the room, wanting to chase after him, but was blocked by Gua Five. Stop. Until theres news about s.h.i.+ Jin, please rest here in the lounge.

Fei Yujing, who had followed after him, asked with a frown, Whats the meaning of this? Does Lian Jun want to put us under confinement?

Gua Five looked at him, expressionless. Were just temporarily restricting your actions. You dont understand the rules of the underworld. If you just go around doing whatever you want its likely youll only cause everyone more trouble, so please wait patiently and dont interfere with the rescue.

Fei Yujing was indeed trying to think of a way to save s.h.i.+ Jin, and his expression deepened at Gua Fives words. He recalled the conflict he bore witness to in L country; although he was a little reluctant to stay out of the rescue, he had to admit that the way underworld organizations dealt with trouble was drastically different from that of ordinary people. What he was able to do in the current situation couldnt be compared to what Annihilation was able to do.

Pus.h.i.+ng down his temper, he asked, Can you guarantee that you can bring s.h.i.+ Jin back safely?

Gua Five nodded. Yes. From what we managed to find out, s.h.i.+ Jin shouldve been captured by an underworld organization hired by Xu Jie. In B city, there are only a few organizations that would dare to s.n.a.t.c.h s.h.i.+ Jin from us, and even fewer who could do it so skillfully. It wont take long to investigate them. s.h.i.+ Jin is much more valuable alive than dead, therefore, according to a conservative estimate, he should be completely safe for at least the next 24 hours.

Li Jiuzheng, standing behind his brothers, couldnt stop himself from stepping forward. The person who accompanied Xiao Jin mustve seen who attacked them, right? I know a lot of excellent doctors, I can ask them for help

Sorry, but youre all under suspicion as well, Gua Five interrupted him. Before s.h.i.+ Jin makes a safe return, we wont let you get involved with anything related to the rescue. Please rest here and wait for news. Motioning for the subordinates following him to escort the three brothers back to the lounge, he turned around and left.

His words were extremely blunt and caused Fei Yujing and Li Jiuzhengs expressions to turn ugly. s.h.i.+ Weichong, on the other hand, seemed to have collapsed; he crouched down, pressing a hand into his forehead. If only I were more vigilant he whispered.

You think it would have changed anything? Fei Yujing tipped his head down to look at him. He almost couldnt stand seeing the way his oldest brother looked at that moment. Since shes so dead set on harming him, she wouldve found an opportunity even if you tied her up. Get uptheres no time to waste on moping, we need to save s.h.i.+ Jin as soon as possible. Gua Five said that s.h.i.+ Jin should be absolutely safe within the next 24 hours, but thats bulls.h.i.+t. Your mother mustve gone to meet the kidnapperswhat do you think she might do if she sees s.h.i.+ Jin now?

s.h.i.+ Weichong stiffened, his hands clenching.

Li Jiuzhengs face suddenly turned pale. The last time Xu Jie asked Xu Chuan to hire a criminal organization to kidnap Xiao Jin, her requirements were, to disfigure him, cut off his fingers, and kill him, but only after torturing him. If she sees him now

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere sank again.

Fei Yujing pulled out his phone to call some of his contacts. s.h.i.+ Weichong immediately got up from the ground and took out his phone as well, wanting to call Xu Jie and the rest of the Xu family, trying to gather as much information as possible. Li Jiuzheng also intended to call several fellow doctors who were studying under the same master and currently residing in B city and ask them to hurry to the hospital where Gua Two was.

But before they even managed to make the calls, they were stopped by Gua Fives subordinates.

Stop trying to make the situation worse, the team leader warned in a cold voice, grabbing Li Jiuzhengs phone and hanging up the call before it connected. B city is a tangled web of competing powerswho knows if one of the people you want to seek help from could have a connection to a hostile force? If you dare to try something like this again, dont blame me for being rude to you.

The situation he described was not impossible. The brothers expressions changed, and in the end, they put away their phones with reluctance. Fei Yujing, the first to recover his calm, said, For now, lets stay put and wait for news. Though I dont want to admit it, it really is better to leave the rescue to Lian Jun than for us to mess around without knowing what were doing.

The three returned to the lounge, escorted by Gua Fives subordinates, and each found a place to sit and wait quietly. s.h.i.+ Weichong kept his head down after he took a seat, leaving the others unable to make out his expression. Fei Yujing watched him for a moment, then frowned and withdrew his gaze.

No one could offer comfort to anyone else in this kind of situation.

Over the next hour, Rong Zhouzhong and Xiang Aoting arrived at the club as well. They were also forced to stay in the lounge to rest.

Are we really just going to wait? Rong Zhouzhong snapped out, barely stopping himself from kicking the door. Catching sight of s.h.i.+ Weichong hunched in the corner, he strode over and grabbed him by the collar, growling, How the h.e.l.l have you been watching your mother? s.h.i.+ Jin laid everything out so clearly, so how could you still give Xu Jie an opportunity to move against him again? s.h.i.+t, if I had known this would happen, I wouldve told s.h.i.+ Jin to cut contact with you!

Third Brother! Xiang Aoting grabbed Rong Zhouzhong and pulled him back, persuading, Dont say things youll regret later. This is already hard on Big Brother. Calm down, its not his fault

Then whose fault is it? Rong Zhouzhong shook his hands off. s.h.i.+ Jins again? Because he just had to go out to buy groceries? Are you guys going to blame everything on him again, like in the past?

His words were really poisonous, stomping straight on the sore point. Face sinking, Fei Yujing said, Zhouzhong, get a grip on yourself! Thats the pot calling the kettle blackyoure not in any position to point fingers, you know. Sit down and stop making trouble.

At his rebuke, Rong Zhouzhongs expression stiffened. Irritated, he plopped down on the nearest sofa.

Once he was released, s.h.i.+ Weichong sat back down, continuing to keep his head lowered. His eyes were dark and gloomy, and his hands slowly clenched into fistsif something really happened to s.h.i.+ Jin If

In the study, Lian Jun looked at the surveillance video of the lounge, and his finger tapped on the armrest of the wheelchair. How is the situation at warehouse no. 1? he asked.

Gua One glanced at the messages on his phone. The warehouse is all set up, and s.h.i.+ Jin is getting familiar with the surroundings. Xu Jie will be there in about half an hour. If we add in the time shell spend on negotiations with Tarantulas branch head, shell be meeting s.h.i.+ Jin in about forty-five minutes.

Forty-five minutes, plus the time s.h.i.+ Jin will need to stimulate Xu Jie Lian Juns finger stopped tapping. In half an hour, send someone to inform the brothers that weve found s.h.i.+ Jin, then take them to the warehouse.

Gua One acknowledged the order and left to make arrangements.

Lian Jun looked back at the screen of the laptop. Watching the low-spirited atmosphere in the lounge, the corners of his mouth curled up a little.

He only hoped that s.h.i.+ Jin could have fun, like he said earlier.

Despite the name, warehouse no. 1 was, in fact, not a real warehouse, but an abandoned factory building.

s.h.i.+ Jin had no idea that there was such a desolate and secluded place on the outskirts of B city. He looked around with curiosity as he followed Lu Shan inside.

Noticing his relaxed att.i.tude, Lu Shan said deliberately, Arent you afraid that Im actually deceiving Lian Jun? What if I intend to catch you for real and use your life to threaten him?

s.h.i.+ Jin looked at her. No, Im not, he replied, honest. You dont have any intention to harm me. Besides, half of the kidnappers are members of Annihilation. You wouldnt dare. And most importantly, when he was close to Lu Shan, his progress bar not only didnt rise but even fell a little. It proved that Lu Shan was a survival factor for him and would protect him in case of danger.

I really dont like the slick types, kid. Unable to scare him, Lu Shan humphed. She led him to the big storeroom in the deepest part of the factory, and said, Make yourself look roughed up, mess up your clothes a little or something, and lie down in the middle. When everything is ready, Ill get someone to bring Xu Jie here.

Very cooperative, s.h.i.+ Jin dropped down and rolled in place to cover his body and clothes in the dirt, then rubbed his hair, making it messy. Lying flat, he looked up at Lu Shan and asked, Is this enough?

His actions looked very skillfulthe kid was a b.l.o.o.d.y natural talent.

Lu Shans cheek twitched. Wordless, she waved her hand towards the several subordinates following behind, motioning for them to tie s.h.i.+ Jin up, then turned away and left.

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Lying on the ground with his eyes closed, s.h.i.+ Jin asked Xiao Si in his mind, Are there any buffs that can make me look like a girl? I dont need to look completely like a girl and it doesnt have to be very strongI just want Xu Jie to see me as Yun Jin every so often.

Xiao Si was quiet for a short while, apparently searching the data. < Yes, there is, but it has side effects. This kind of appearance-changing buff with a confusion effect will have a burden on your body. After it ends, youre going to feel unwell for a while. >

Thats okay, thats the kind of side effect I can handle, s.h.i.+ Jin replied carelessly, but then something crossed his mind. Wait a moment, will the side effects last for long? School will start soonwhen I go to report, there will be a physical exam, and then Ill have to attend military training.

The system made some calculations. < Its fine, they wont be affected. The side effects will last for three days at most, and they will ease as time pa.s.ses. >

s.h.i.+ Jin was relieved to hear that. He didnt say anything else, quietly waiting for Xu Jies arrival.

An unknown amount of time pa.s.sed. Just as s.h.i.+ Jin was about to fall asleep, he heard the staccato clacks of high heels against a concrete floor. Members of Tarantula, who had been sitting on the side, chatting and relaxing, stood up and took positions around s.h.i.+ Jin, making it look as if they were dutifully guarding him.

The lights in the storeroom were dim. s.h.i.+ Jin opened his eyes; through the gaps between the guards, he saw a woman in a long skirt and a man of medium height standing at the door, talking.

Its not safe here, we have to move him to another place soon. We only allowed you to come here to check the goodsyou cant touch him today or Ill have a lot of trouble to deal with, the man said. Listening to his voice, it was the person who had negotiated with Xu Jie in the video, the head of Tarantulas B city branch.

Impatient, Xu Jie gave him a perfunctory, I know, and walked towards s.h.i.+ Jin.

The guards tacitly moved apart, revealing his figure.

The two people looked at each other, one standing high above, one lying on the ground, cutting a sorry figure. The situation appeared to be very unfavorable for s.h.i.+ Jin.

h.e.l.lo, mongrel. Xu Jie seemed satisfied to be looking at s.h.i.+ Jin from this angle. A gentle smile on her face, she prodded s.h.i.+ Jin with the tip of her shoe, taunting, Didnt you say that youd kill me if I tried something again? But look at your pitiful state now. It seems that cripple youre hanging on to didnt protect you after all, did he?

Xiao Si was so angry it exploded, < She called Darling a cripple! I want to punch her! >

Calm down, be ready to give me buffs at any time. Her words angered s.h.i.+ Jin as well, but he still remained calm. After pacifying Xiao Si, he struggled to sit up and looked up at Xu Jie, giving her a toothy grin. Sure enough, I knew it was impossible for you to give up so easily. Xu Jie, does your son know about your little scheme? Let me guesshe doesnt. I may be in a tight spot right now, but you know what? After all this is over, youre going to be abandoned for real.

The smile on Xu Jies face disappeared. Looking at s.h.i.+ Jins confident expression, she suddenly pulled a folding fruit knife out of her pocket and lunged at him, swearing, Shut your dirty mouth, you mongrel!

Xiao Si shrieked, < The progress bar is almost full! JinJin, run! >

Without a blink, s.h.i.+ Jin rolled along the ground, avoiding Xu Jies unskilled attack. He had managed to loosen the rope binding his legs who-knows-when, and now took advantage of the opportunity to kick her.

Xu Jie was wearing high-heels; the kick unbalanced her and sent her falling to the floor, dropping the fruit knife along the way.

Perfectly calm, Tarantulas branch head first ordered his subordinates to tie s.h.i.+ Jin again, then bent down, rudely pulled Xu Jie up, and slapped her. What did I just tell you? Dont think that I wont do anything to you just because youre a customer, he said, voice icy. If you cause trouble one more time, youll be leaving here in a body bag! Hey, someone search her to see if she brought more weapons!

The subordinates standing behind him stepped forward at once; one restrained Xu Jie and the other conducted a careful body search, which yielded a small but very sharp eyebrow razor.

Get off me! Dont touch me with your dirty hands! Get off! Xu Jie screamed, mad with anger and putting up a frantic struggle. This was the first time she had ever been humiliated like that.

The branch head sneered and slapped her again. Dirty hands? From what I see, youre not any cleaner than us, you vicious old hag. If you dare to ignore my words one more time, Ill cut off your ears!

Threatened and belittled, Xu Jie shook with fury. Usually, she wouldve already exploded, but the ferocious air emanating from the other party was too intimidating. Not daring to act overbearing any longer, she pushed down the rage and forced out an ugly smile on her face. I just lost my composure for a moment Let me go, I want to check the goods.

The branch head scrutinized her with a frown. Determining that she was sincere, he signaled for his subordinates to let her go and step aside.

Xu Jie touched her face that had been slapped twice and turned to glare at s.h.i.+ Jin, who was once again tied up and sitting on the ground, with hatred.

s.h.i.+ Jin was absolutely delighted by the wonderful performance of Lu Shans subordinates. Not concealing his schadenfreude, he smirked. Oh my, whats the matterwhy is the customer getting abused rather than the goods? Right now, you look much more pathetic than me.

Xu Jies expression distorted. Unable to stop herself, she stepped forward, raising her hand to give s.h.i.+ Jin a slap.

The branch head coughed loudly.

Xu Jie froze. After a sideways glance at him, she reluctantly lowered her hand.

Seeing this, s.h.i.+ Jin smiled again, but then his expression cooled. You said that the cripple Im hanging on didnt protect me? Youre wrong, hes protecting methe reason Tarantula doesnt dare to do anything to me right now is precisely because I have such a boyfriend. And you? Youre paying them, but why is it that youre being treated worse than me? Admit it Xu Jie: you lost to me, and youve always been losing to someone else. Everything you were trying so hard for, my mother could have it all with a single smile at my father; all the things you desperately fought to obtain for your son, I could have as long as I asked. Even though Dad is dead now and you seem to have won, all I had to do was tell s.h.i.+ Weichong what youd done, , and he couldnt wait to quarrel with you and return Ruixings shares to me. Hey, wouldnt you say your whole life is nothing but a failure?

Shut up! Face distorted by rage, Xu Jie wanted to rush forward again.

The guards in front of s.h.i.+ Jin immediately reached out to stop Xu Jie, looking at her in warning.

Unable to endure, Xu Jie struggled to push them away. Why are you protecting him?! Dont you want Ruixings shares?! You took the payment, so do what I paid you for!

Why are they protecting me? Of course, because they only care about their intereststhey will help whoever can give them more benefits, and conversely, whoever damages their interests will suffer, s.h.i.+ Jin said before the branch head could speak. How big is your stake in Ruixing? As long as Im in their hands, Lian Jun will fulfill any of Tarantulas demands. I can even give them the whole of Ruixing directlydid you forget s.h.i.+ Weichong returned it to me? Xu Jie, I advise you not to overestimate your worthas long as I give Tarantula enough benefits, they wont have any qualms about killing you.

Shocked and alarmed, Xu Jie looked around at the members of Tarantula blocking her way and took a step back. Turning to look at the branch head, she began, Dont you care about your reputation

The kid is right, Ill help whoever will benefit me the most, so I advise you to behave yourself. A gangsters principles are pretty flexible, the man said coldly.

Xu Jies face turned white. She looked back at s.h.i.+ Jin, grit her teeth, and suddenly calmed down again. When are you going to move him to another place?

Hmm? She actually calmed herself? What a letdown.

s.h.i.+ Jin felt surprise mixed with disappointment.

The branch head checked the time and replied, In an hour. We have to secure our exit route first.

I can afford to wait for an hour. Easing her tone, Xu Jie asked, Can I stay here while we wait?

Of course, but youre not allowed to mess around.

I know, she replied, looking at s.h.i.+ Jin. She began to tidy up her hair and clothes that had become a bit disheveled earlier, saying with a calm smile, I wont do anything, I just want to have a good chat with s.h.i.+ Jin.

s.h.i.+ Jin calculated the time and returned her smile with his own. Thats perfectit just so happens that I wanted to talk to you too. As he spoke, he had Xiao Si give him a buff.

Xu Jie felt as if she fell in a daze; she had the illusion that s.h.i.+ Jins silhouette slowly faded and turned into Yun Jins. Her heart jumped, but when she looked again, the teenager still looked like himself. She frowned, wondering if she was too tired.

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Tarantulas branch head left the storeroom, leaving behind s.h.i.+ Jin, sitting on the ground, Xu Jie, sitting on a chair, and several guards standing around.

What do you want to talk about? s.h.i.+ Jin broke the silence.

Xu Jie crossed her legs and ran a hand through her hair, pus.h.i.+ng it away from her face. Lets see, how about your mothers death?

Sure. Contrary to her expectations, s.h.i.+ Jin didnt lose his calm but smiled affably instead. Since thats what you want to talk about, why dont we let my mother come out and reminisce about the past with you?

Xu Jies expression froze. When she looked at s.h.i.+ Jin, she saw the shadow of Yun Jin again, and the other woman seemed to stare back at her, eyes glittering. Her breath caught and she leaned away, almost collapsing into the chair. Pretending to be a ghost? Nowadays, not even children would be fooled by such a trick, she forced out.

What do you mean? Cant you take a joke? s.h.i.+ Jin replied, enduring the discomfort caused by the buff. As he recalled his mothers death, all of a sudden, his heart overflowed with malice. Xu Jie, remember the nurse you bribed to take special care of my mother after I was born? You were never able to find her afterward, right? Dont you wake up in the middle of the night, afraid that shell step forward out of nowhere and reveal what youve done?

Xu Jie felt her heart pound. Shaken, she snarled, What do you know?!

What do I know? s.h.i.+ Jin raised his chin to look at her. No expression on his face, he said coldly, I know all the dirty things youve done. Xu Jie, do you know what despair feels like?

In a van on a road not far from warehouse no. 1, the five brothers of the s.h.i.+ family anxiously watched as Gua One and the others put on their equipment and got off.

Looking at Lian Jun sitting opposite, Rong Zhouzhong asked, Isnt there anything we can do but wait?

This is reality, not a movie. If you want to die, go ahead, Lian Jun replied, cold. After Gua Five got out of the car, he ordered Gua Nine to close the door.

The team members reporting the situation outside could be heard from the comm in the van; before long, the sound of gunshots followed as a firefight broke out. The brothers frownedexcept for Fei Yujing and Xiang Aoting, none of them had ever witnessed a fight between underworld organizations before.

Gunshots, screams, calm commands, the sound of explosions n.o.body in the car was talking. Rong Zhouzhong and the others eyes were fixed on what seemed to be a burning abandoned factory not far away. When they thought that s.h.i.+ Jin might be inside, their expressions became more and more uglythe world their youngest brother was living in turned out to be this dangerous?

s.h.i.+ Weichong was also looking over there, his eyes hard and dark.