Nail
After a day and night of escape, they found themselves still in Jiangcheng City where checkpoints were set up on highways, airports, train stations, and bus depots, but no one suspected they were still within the city.
This was considered the most dangerous yet safest place.
The group led by the Supreme Lord arrived near the coastal pier where someone picked them up and hid them in a fishing village.
Lin Yan was surprised to find insiders even near the pier and secretly noted the surroundings for future reference.
As soon as they were safe, Tiger and the others pointed their guns at her.
Liu Zhi was the first to load his bullets, and together with the brothers Lin Yan brought, they shouted.
“What are you doing? What are you doing?!”
“Put down the guns!”
“You first!”
Both sides were at a stalemate, with Lin Yan sitting in one corner of the abandoned construction site, while Supreme Lord was sitting on the other side, eyeing her.
A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“What’s the Supreme Lord up to?”
“Not much, just felt like you guys arrived a bit too quickly,” the Supreme Lord shrugged, and Tiger took a step back but still held the gun.
“Bring her in,” Lin Yan was prepared, even remembering to bring Chen Fang during the escape.
The woman was thrown to the ground like a broken sack.
The match lit up, and Liu Zhi offered her a cigarette. The fire danced in the corner of the woman’s eyes and brows, her face stern with all previous fragility swept away.
“Tell us, what have you done?” he demanded.
“Yes, yes, I’ll tell you… Sister Hong… Sister Hong… Please don’t kill me! I’m willing to do anything for you, anything!”
Chen Fang knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, repeatedly bowing her head with a resounding thud. As she cried and confessed, she revealed every detail of her acquaintance with the undercover informant from the police.
Lin Yan listened while smoking, calm and indifferent, as if not interested in what she was saying or whether it was beneficial to her.
She sat there, emitting an aura that could rival the Supreme Lord’s.
In the presence of these seasoned individuals, lying would be easily detected, but telling the truth would not.
Chen Fang did indeed know the undercover informant, but she was unaware of his true identity. She believed he was like Wang Qiang, working for Supreme Lord, driven by money, fame, and even drugs. She willingly offered herself.
This physical relationship had lasted for quite some time, and she disclosed every detail without missing a word.
Of course, the condition was that she wanted to stay alive.
After Wang Qiang’s death, Lin Yan secretly approached her and repeatedly played the video of his death in front of her. She even took her to see the burning site and forcefully pushed her head into the rainwater.
To this day, she still remembers the nauseating and muddy taste, causing Chen Fang to shudder and not dare to look up at her.
However, in the end, Lin Yan helped her up, held her face, and looked directly into her eyes.
“Do you want to live? Do you want freedom? If you do, listen to me. Once this is over, I will send you out of Jiangcheng and you must never return.”
These are all the facts that Chen Fang knows. What she doesn’t know is that the undercover informant she knew was eventually apprehended by Song Yuhang in a twist of fate, while she disguised and blended in.
Everyone present had seen Song Yuhang before; her unforgettable face made it hard not to remember her.
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So, when Chen Fang hesitated slightly upon mentioning his physical features, she cautiously lifted her gaze to look at her.
Lin Yan’s heart skipped a beat. Oh no, she didn’t know what to say, there was no time to coordinate their stories, and most importantly, she shouldn’t implicate herself.
Calculating in her mind, with the corner of her eye catching the Supreme Lord observing her, she quietly reached for her gun, preparing to incapacitate first and then decide. However, Chen Fang, being a physically weak ordinary woman, might not survive.
In this moment of hesitation, Liu Zhi kicked her shoulder, sending her tumbling to the ground, filled with indignation.
“Damn shameless woman! Destroying the relationship between Sister Hong and Brother Wang, colluding with the cops, almost ruining everything!”
The tense atmosphere dissipated, and Lin Yan’s hand loosened on the gun holster, tapping the ash from her cigarette.
“That’s the situation. Supreme Lord, any more questions?”
“I don’t believe it, Supreme Lord. This woman is full of tricks. Last time she took away a batch of our goods too. She must have some ulterior motives for helping us!”
Tiger interjected before Supreme Lord could speak.
“Ulterior motives?” Lin Yan smirked, lifting the corner of her lip and shifting to cross her legs.
“I do have them.”
“You…” Tiger was enraged, but before he could take a step forward, Liu Zhi’s gun was already pointed at his forehead.
“After being the perennial second for so long, I also want to taste the feeling of being the big boss. Supreme Lord, I think you can understand that.”
Lin Yan said, gesturing with her cigarette towards Tiger.
“This dog of a MAN, when he came to the mainland, he was making a fuss in the nightclub, bullying my brothers, and sometimes even disrespecting me. Last time, he humiliated a singer, who ended up dead in the private room. Damn it, even when you beat a dog, you have to consider its owner.”
Lin Yan was speaking the truth, and Tiger’s face turned red. He disregarded the gun pointed at his forehead and cursed angrily.
“You! What kind of scum are you, a pimp of a thousand men? I not only want to kill your men but also want to see you under me, struggling for breath, begging for mercy…”
Before he could finish speaking, a gunshot pierced the silence.
Tiger’s trousers were empty, and a chill ran down his spine. He lowered his head and broke out in a cold sweat.
Lin Yan blew away the gun smoke, “Watch your mouth, I suggest you understand the situation now.”
The bullet hit his belt buckle, springing it open, and the metal part fell to the ground.
The room was dark with no lights on, in such close proximity, in the dark environment, hitting the target with full accuracy was not easy. A slight deviation, and the bullet could have pierced his abdomen, leaving him unable to stand there boasting loudly.
Tiger swallowed hard, his legs starting to tremble, his face turning from pale to green. Quickly pulling up his pants, he dared not curse out loud anymore.
Liu Zhi then holstered his gun and stood back behind her.
As an employee of the Huange Nightclub, Tiger always acted arrogantly when he visited. At this moment, the people Lin Yan brought with her all had a hint of anger on their faces, especially after hearing his words.
But perhaps due to strict discipline, despite the anger, no one spoke up, waiting for Lin Yan to give orders.
Supreme Lord chuckled and clapped for her, alternating between clapping and not, “Indeed, Sister Hong, impressive. You make even this old man admire.”
Lin Yan also smiled and tossed her cigarette butt.
“Supreme Lord, no need for courtesy. It’s just that some people under my command are really unbearable.”
Supreme Lord glanced at Tiger, saying, “You’ll give an explanation when you go back.”
Tiger’s heart trembled, feeling a chill run down his spine, his face filled with fear, “Supreme Lord…”
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“Get out and go patrol!”
No one expected him to suddenly explode like that. The fierce intensity of his outburst shook everyone present.
In his murky eyes, there seemed to be a glint of light that could devour people.
Tiger knew that the Supreme Lord truly harbored murderous intentions towards him. His scalp tingled, and not daring to stay any longer, he grabbed his gun and left.
Lin Yan pointed at the trembling Chen Fang on the ground.
“This person is still under my command. Now that things have come to this, let me handle it myself.”
Supreme Lord nodded in agreement.
With a subtle glance from Lin Yan, two burly men walked in from outside, forcefully dragging Chen Fang and escorting her out.
Downtown Hospital’s Intensive Care Ward.
Rainwater washed against the glass windows.
The woman lying in bed sat up, lifting her oxygen mask, gazing at the silhouette standing by the window.
“How is Lin Yan?”
“The latest update is that she successfully infiltrated the enemy.”
“And the person I subdued?”
“He’s a double agent and has been detained.”
Song Yuhang didn’t seem surprised by this outcome, “Interrogate him thoroughly. We must extract more information.”
She lowered her gaze, pondered for a moment, and raised the current priority, “The location for the exchange?”
Feng Jianguo shook his head, “The Supreme Lord won’t reveal such vital information until the very last moment.”
Song Yuhang gritted her teeth, knowing that holding out until the last moment meant she would inevitably be drawn into the war, facing dual pressures from the criminal syndicate and the police.
“No, before the final showdown, I must bring her back.”
Feng Jianguo turned around, bathed in darkness as a lightning bolt slashed through the night sky, briefly illuminating the room.
“Her codename is ‘Nail,’ yours is ‘Dagger.’ Do you understand what this signifies?”
Song Yuhang paused, crumpling the bedsheet in her hand.
“Even if we kill the Supreme Lord and dismantle this major transnational crime syndicate, saving countless lives, if she…”
“If she…” Her eyes suddenly reddened, clenching her teeth.
“That is not what my heart desires.”
“What can we do then? Should we let unarmed civilians handle these matters when well-trained, experienced police officers don’t?”
The familiarity of these words was striking.
She had also told this to Lin Yan.
For some reason, she suddenly felt some regret, regretting her past self for being so righteous and taking sacrifice and dedication as life’s essence.
Only when it came to her closest person did she fully understand that kind of grief.
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Lin Yan… Lin Yan, you are still so naive.
Weren’t you always a loner?
Weren’t you always dismissive?
Weren’t you always indifferent to the life and death of others?
How could you recklessly throw yourself into this for just a few words from her?
“From the moment we put on our police uniforms, it signifies that although we are flesh and blood, we carry the stability and future of this region, even the entire country and nation on our shoulders. If there is bloodshed all the time, sacrifices every day, should we not do anything? Letting darkness engulf the world?”
Song Yuhang got off the bed, sat at the edge, and together they watched the dark night outside, heavy rain pouring down.
“What you said, I understand, but let me ask you, would you want your granddaughter to pursue this path in the future?”
Feng Jianguo was taken aback, his brows furrowing, after a moment, he sighed and said, “I wouldn’t want that, but it’s precisely because of this that I must eliminate the darkness, clear obstacles, and restore light for them.”
Not for her, but for them.
A faint smile crept onto Song Yuhang’s lips.
“You’re right, a nail for the blade, a blade for the nail. I also wish to welcome my beloved girl back home in the light.”