The final battle (2)
Perhaps it’s not the doctor she’s calling, but his murderer.
Jin Xia is still too young, Lin Youyuan has experienced all kinds of wind and waves in his life, even if he is seriously ill now, it doesn’t affect his judgment at all. She thought her subtle movements were stealthy enough, but in reality, her nervousness was all seen through by him.
Lin Youyuan turned around, leaned against the head of the bed, breathed heavily, and squinted as he watched her handing the water glass to his lips.
Her hands were shaking, causing ripples on the water surface.
There’s something wrong with this glass of water.
Seeing him hesitating to drink, Jin Xia forced a smile and said, “Master, please drink. You’ve been coughing all this while, moisten your throat.”
As she spoke, she sat by the bed and lightly touched the rim of the glass to his slightly cracked lips.
His face was undeniably beautiful, but it also disgusted people.
A chill crept up Lin Youyuan’s heart, but his expression remained unchanged. He coldly snorted, “I’ll do it myself.”
With that, his withered hand tremblingly held the glass and slightly lifted his chin.
In order to make the medicine evaporate quickly, Jin Xia didn’t pour too much water. At this moment, she nervously watched his actions, with cold sweat in the palm of her hands.
Drink, come on, drink. Once you drink, I’ll be relieved.
As he raised his head, about to touch the water’s surface, Lin Youyuan stopped, a hint of a cold smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
“There might be something in this water.”
Jin Xia’s nails dug deeply into her palm as she forced a smile.
“How could that be? This was poured in front of Master. Even with a hundred courage, Xiaxia wouldn’t dare harm Master.”
Lin Youyuan handed over the water glass, “Then you drink first.”
Jin Xia’s gaze sharpened, realizing it wasn’t good, most likely he suspected something. In that case, she could only…
“Alright.” She smiled charmingly, her slender hand reaching out to take the cup from his hand, the two of them very close.
Lin Youyuan was wearing a thin patient gown, extremely thin and frail, with the collar slightly open, revealing half of his chest.
Lin Ge said that if he noticed, she should strike when he was unprepared. With a knife stabbed into the chest, his current frail body will have no resistance, a sure death.
At this point, with death looming anyway, Jin Xia took a deep breath and committed.
Her left hand securely held the water glass, while at the same time, her right hand seized the opportunity to pull out a fruit knife from her bag and fiercely thrust it towards his heart.
The unexpected turn of events happened too quickly.
A cold flash passed through Lin Youyuan’s pupils, seemingly surprised by Jin Xia’s courage. In the blink of an eye, the tip of the knife was right before him, his skin already beginning to feel the sting.
“Go to hell!” Jin Xia cried out fiercely, but as she tried to move forward with force, she found her arm as heavy as a thousand catties, unable to lift it at all.
Surprised, she turned back, only to see Butler Lin standing behind her, his face as calm as water, his claw-like hand gripping her shoulder tightly.
She had always thought of Butler Lin as a gentle scholar, a mere servant handling everyday tasks for Lin Youyuan. Little did she know that under his pressure at this moment, her arm emitted a creaking sound, the bones almost being crushed.
Jin Xia let out a tragic scream, the knife falling onto the snowy white bedsheet.
Lin Youyuan coughed twice, his robe still loose, lifting his eyes to look at her.
“Who sent you here?”
“Speak!” Butler Lin exerted more force, pressing her down on the bed. Due to the intense pain, tears streamed down her face as she roared hoarsely.
“No one sent me! Lin Youyuan, I just wanted you dead! I wanted you dead! Help…help!”
The woman’s sharp voice quickly pierced through the room, spreading through the entire corridor.
Neither of them stopped this desperate struggle, knowing there was no longer any need to.
No rescue would come; no one could save her now.
Jin Xia, bewildered, tears blurring her face, stuttered, “H…how could this be?”
“In the game of chess, everyone is a sacrificial pawn,” Lin Youyuan sighed, covering his mouth with a handkerchief and coughing a few times.
“I ask you, why did you come to kill me?” A rare hint of compassion appeared on his face as he questioned.
“Whether from the moment you entered, or when you poured the water, I gave you chances. It was your own failure to seize them.”
“If you quietly leave, I can pretend nothing happened, after all, we were once a couple.”
Lin Youyuan leaned in, lifting her chin, carefully scrutinizing her face.
“One should not be too greedy in life. When you have no money, you want money, when you have money, you want love, and when you have love, you want children…”
“Jin Xia,” he sighed, “You are a beautiful woman, but unfortunately not very bright.”
With that, he released her chin, not giving her any chance to speak or refute.
Lin Youyuan closed his eyes.
Butler Lin understood, picked up the half cup of warm water from the table, gripped her chin tightly, pried her mouth open, and poured it in.
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“No…no…” Water filled her mouth and nose, Jin Xia struggled, tears and mucus smeared all over her face.
Soon, there was no movement, she went limp in his hands, blood oozing from her orifices.
Butler Lin flung her to the ground; Lin Youyuan liked things clean. He took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his hands clean, and dabbed away the water stains on his suit jacket before helping himself up.
“Master, everything is ready. Shall we depart?”
Lin Youyuan nodded faintly, supporting himself on the arm of his assistant as he got off the bed. Butler Lin tidied up his appearance, shaved his beard, making him look neat and refreshed.
Butler Lin sighed, “Master, the sharpness of your sword remains, just like when you were young.”
Sitting in the wheelchair, Lin Youyuan looked at his reflection in the mirror, his face weathered, traces of time visible at the corners of his eyes and in his furrowed brow. He bitterly smiled, “Getting old, won’t make it through this autumn.”
Surprised, the butler said, “Master…”
However, Lin Youyuan independently wheeled his chair to the bedside cabinet and retrieved a handgun from the drawer, fondling it back and forth.
Despite the outdated model, he still cherished it, often taking it out to admire. The black gun gleamed exquisitely.
With a sharp click, the bullet chambered.
Lin Youyuan inserted the magazine, holstered the gun, executing the entire process with professional precision and smoothness, a glint appearing on his face, weakening the signs of illness.
“Let’s go!”
Butler Lin understood; it wasn’t a true recovery but a last burst of light.
Upon hearing that the exchange location was the Zhongjing Industrial Port, Lin Yan hesitated slightly.
She couldn’t confirm the authenticity of this information. If it was false, the drug dealers might set up an ambush, causing harm to many people.
But if it was true, it could wipe out this large transnational criminal group in one fell swoop, saving countless lives and shattered families.
The Supreme Lord didn’t let her hesitate for too long and gathered everyone together.
Several minor leaders took out their personal belongings, including phones and communication devices.
“What does this mean?” Lin Yan watched coldly.
The Supreme Lord sat on a wicker chair, tapping his knee, following the rhythm of the Peking Opera playing on the radio.
“Aunt Hong, for everyone’s safety, we are collecting phones and personal belongings uniformly.”
Tiger held up a cloth bag in front of her.
Lin Yan sneered and tossed her phone into the bag.
Tiger nodded, “And watches.”
“I f*ck…” Lin Yan was about to explode, but the Supreme Lord cut her off.
“At this critical moment, for us to safely evacuate, Aunt Hong, it’s best not to act stubbornly.”
With his words, Lin Yan could only grit her teeth and take off her wristwatch to toss it in.
Then the rooms of the minor leaders were turned upside down, and the contents of their backpacks were taken out.
Tiger checked everything one by one before returning it to her.
A cool smirk played on Lin Yan’s lips, “Even this hairpin sharpened enough to kill, should I hand it over too?”
“Aunt Hong is joking,” the Supreme Lord leaned on his cane, rising slowly with a limp, “This is also for everyone’s safety, Tiger.”
With a command from the Supreme Lord, Tiger lifted the tablecloth, revealing a row of brand-new wireless communication devices underneath.
Several lackeys carried heavy boxes in and set them on the ground.
“We have plenty of guys capable of killing; just worried Aunt Hong won’t use them.”
Arms!
Lin Yan’s pupils contracted as she casually glanced over—it was all the latest foreign military weapons. This group truly had connections.
Though seething with hatred inside, she remained composed on the outside.
“Oh, the fighting and killing are men’s business. I’ll just follow behind the Supreme Lord, pouring tea and serving at your command.”
Even though her phone was gone, and her communication devices seized empty, she could no longer send messages to the outside world.
But that didn’t matter. As long as she stuck close to the Supreme Lord, she would surely find an opportunity to kill him.
And wherever the Supreme Lord was, that would be the trading center.
Lin Yan silently cursed, wondering if he would let her follow.
As she pondered, the Supreme Lord spoke.
“Then it’s settled. Aunt Hong will act with me. Prepare your things, and in half an hour, we’ll head to the Zhongjing Industrial Port for the exchange.”
“Police, investigating a case, make way. What’s inside these containers?”
At the cargo terminal, Xue Rui and his men surrounded the shipping container. Without waiting for a response, his subordinates began their actions.
With a clang, the sealed container was pried open.
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“Hey, what are you doing? Don’t touch our cargo!”
Several workers tried to intervene but were pushed aside.
“Who do you think you are, assaulting us? Are the police that mighty?”
Upon hearing the commotion, the foreman in charge of directing the crane to load the container onto the cargo ship hurried over, smiling apologetically.
“Officer, comrade officer, we’re transporting coal. If you don’t believe me, take a look. The paperwork for this was processed a month ago.”
As the foreman spoke, he pulled out a paper from his work uniform pocket, nodding respectfully.
Xue Rui squinted for a moment, shining a flashlight on the cargo, then had his subordinate come over to report.
“Report, no suspicious items found.”
He handed back the paper, “Let’s go, to the next location.”
The drug enforcement team in that area was also diligently conducting searches.
Zhao Junfeng had been standing in the command center, eyes fixed on the large screen all night.
Until daybreak, the overcast clouds had not dispersed, with a haze in the distance, indicating an upcoming storm.
A junior officer entered carrying boxed meals, “Time for food, time for food, hot breakfast from the cafeteria.”
Feng Jianguo waved for two portions, placing them on the table and pushing one towards him.
“Director Zhao, have some.”
Zhao Junfeng glanced at him. After having a late-night operation meeting the previous night, he hadn’t slept much and was now slurping a bowl of congee with gusto.
“Can you still eat?”
Feng Jianguo let out a sigh, “Wasn’t it you who said it? People are like iron, and food is like steel. Skip a meal and you’ll feel starved.”
Zhao Junfeng silently shook his head, reminiscing that he used to be quite proactive when he was younger. How had he become so negligent now that he was older?
As he was about to respond, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Without a change in expression, Zhao Junfeng said, “Just save me a few buns, I need to visit the restroom.”
Feng Jianguo called out to him with his chopsticks, “Director Zhao, do you even know where the restroom is? Need someone to show you?”
Zhao Junfeng turned back with a smile, teasing, “Enjoy your meal. After all, I came out from here. Even if the city bureau turned to dust, I’d know my way.”
“Of course,” Feng Jianguo teased, poking at the few remaining grains of rice in his porridge, slurping it up noisily. However, a hint of hidden meaning flashed in his eyes as he turned away.
“Location of the transaction—”
“Cloud Island.”
A line of text slowly appeared on the phone screen.
Taking a deep breath, the man quickly called back, lowering his voice in anger as he questioned intensely.
“Why are you telling me this?!”
“If it’s cooperation, then it should be mutually beneficial. I can honestly tell you, whether it’s Zhongjing Industrial Port or Wanghai Bridge, they are just facades. Only Cloud Island is real.”
“Why should I believe you?!”
“Believe it or not, it’s up to you.”
With that, the other party hung up abruptly.
The man stared at the text message on his phone for a while, then ultimately pressed delete. He thought of turning around, hand reaching for the door lock, but he hesitated and let go. His gaze shifted back to the phone as he opened the map of Jiangcheng City.
After about five minutes.
Hu Senji encountered Zhao Junfeng in the corridor, who had just come out of the command center holding a trash bag, seemingly about to dispose of it.
Quickly taking it from him, Hu Senji remarked, “Hey, such a small matter and you’re still bothered by it.”
Zhao Junfeng allowed him to take it, “By the way, I was just looking for you.”
Hu Senji stood at attention, “What instructions do you have, Director Zhao? Just give the order!”
Approaching him, Zhao Junfeng lowered his voice.
“Gather your team and the Special Operations First and Second Squads. Surround Zhongjing Industrial Port for me, don’t let a single fly escape!”
Hu Senji’s expression turned serious, showing no doubt about his command. He raised his right hand near his temple.
“Yes, I guarantee the mission’s completion!”
In the command center, another intense operational meeting was underway.
“The Zhongjing Industrial Port? Why that? Hasn’t it been abandoned long ago?”
Someone questioned in confusion.
Feng Jianguo casually skimmed off the foam from his tea cup, then suddenly tapped it on the table, creating a sound that was neither loud nor soft.
However, everyone in the room was fully focused on the meeting, paying him no attention.
With a gesture from Zhao Junfeng, his officers pointed to a location on the electronic display.
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“Based on the criminal suspect’s confession, the drug traffickers’ transaction point is near the third waterway under the Wanghai Bridge, and the closest port to the Wanghai Bridge is this Zhongjing Industrial Port.”
A red light had lit up on the maritime map.
Placing his tea cup on the table, Zhao Junfeng stated, “Just to be safe, I’ve already dispatched the anti-drug bureau personnel there.”
His gaze swept over the large group of people in the room, finally fixing on Feng Jianguo.
“We must win this battle, show our force, show our momentum, so that the drug traffickers understand clearly. Anyone trying to act lawlessly and disrupt order within China, we will never allow it!”
Before getting into the car to head to the Zhongjing Industrial Port, the Supreme Lord raised his hand, releasing a white dove into the air.
Kuba supported him, watching as the well-trained dove fluttered its wings and soared into the sky.
“Why did the Supreme Lord reveal the information about Cloud Island to him?”
It was their last resort.
“It’s not a big deal.” The Supreme Lord, getting older, took a few steps with a slight wheeze, then laboriously settled into the car.
“Smart people all have one trait, do you know what it is?”
Kuba shook his head honestly, starting the car.
Not getting upset, the Supreme Lord chuckled, turning to Lin Yan sitting beside him.
“Aunt Hong should know, right?”
Lin Yan, calmly grabbing a crease in her clothes without moving her finger, quickly relaxed her grip.
“Jinhong is unaware.”
The old man smiled warmly, straightening his coat and leaning back in the seat. He sighed, “Sometimes being too smart can lead to being outsmarted.”