Volume Two: Second Scroll
Battle of the Endgame (3)
“A treacherous and sycophantic person, what need is there for benevolence and righteousness?”
On the highway heading to the pier harbor, a long dragon1 had formed. Vehicles were incessantly honking their horns. The traffic police were methodically directing traffic, checking one car after another.
“Let them pass.” The traffic police officer returned the driver’s license to the driver. With a wave of his hand, the barrier slowly lifted, letting the car in front into the lane.
Another car pulled over. The driver lowered the window and handed his driver’s license to the traffic police officer: “Police comrade, what’s going on today, why is the check so strict?”
The traffic police officer saluted: “We have received orders from our superiors to check all passing vehicles. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Ah, okay, thank you.” The driver nodded and bowed as he took back his driver’s license. He closed the window, drove out of the lane, and as soon as he turned his face, he wore a completely different expression.
“Young Master is still the cleverest, knowing the cops would set up a roadblock on the highway to intercept. He had the goods transported to Zhongjing Industrial Port long ago.”
Lin Ge, sitting in the back seat, slowly opened his eyes, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
“It’s almost time. Go, send a big gift to Ding Ye.”
The driver nodded, picked up a walkie-talkie and said a few words. The small car quickly disappeared into the flow of traffic.
Not far away, a white BYD2 was parked on the shoulder of the emergency lane, its double flashers on.
Song Yuhang lowered the car window, her brow slightly furrowed.
It seemed the police had set up a checkpoint, and all passing vehicles had to be inspected. Most people within the Jiangcheng City Public Security System knew her. For someone who was supposed to be recuperating in the City Hospital to appear here was already illogical.
Song Yuhang’s fingertips tapped the steering wheel. She suddenly slammed on the gas, reversed, made a turn, and pulled out of the waiting queue.
I’d better take the mountain road. Although it will be a longer detour, there’s no other way.
Song Yuhang bit her lip slightly, her heart burning with anxiety.
Lin Yan, wait for me.
“Technical Investigation and Network Security, we need a few people to handle communications on the command vehicle. We’re short-staffed.”
Zheng Chengrui was in the office gnawing on a duck neck. Caught off guard when his name was called, he didn’t even have time to wipe the grease from his hands.
“Hey, coming, coming.”
As he spoke, he was about to change his clothes and run out, but Fang Xin tapped his desk: “Your computer, aren’t you taking your computer?”
“Oh, forgot, forgot.” Zheng Chengrui slapped his forehead and turned back. The screen still showed an email in the process of being sent. He closed the laptop without leaving a trace, stuffed it into his computer bag, and was about to turn and leave when he was called out to again.
Fang Xin stood up: “Lao Zheng, you…”
Zheng Chengrui glanced around the office: “Where’s Duan Cheng?”
“He’s on leave today.”
For some reason, she still lied subconsciously.
Zheng Chengrui’s face seemed to hold both regret and relief, his glasses blocking most of his expression.
He just smiled and said, “Then I’m off.”
“Mm.” Fang Xin nodded. “Go on, hurry. Work hard, a promotion and a raise aren’t just a dream.”
After Zheng Chengrui left, she was the only one left in the large technical investigation office. Fang Xin collapsed into her chair and took out her phone to send a message to Duan Cheng.
“There’s something wrong with Lao Zheng.”
Finally, she added another sentence: “Be careful with everything.”
Running out of the office, Zheng Chengrui buttoned his uniform with one hand as he walked.
The colleague following him was on this kind of large-scale mission for the first time and chattered on with some excitement.
“Director Zhao is personally commanding on the front line. Isn’t that a bit too dedicated? Isn’t he afraid something might happen?”
“Hah, what do you know? They call it the front line, but it’s actually a hundred or eighty li away. Besides, are all those special police with him just there to eat plain rice3?”
“Exactly, exactly. His term is about to end. If he can win this battle, it would be a huge accomplishment…”
While talking, they had already reached the parking lot.
Zheng Chengrui, carrying his computer, jumped onto the police vehicle marked with the words “Emergency Communications Command” along with his colleague. He began to set up the equipment and make preparations.
On the way to Zhongjing Industrial Port, the winding mountain road twisted and turned. In the distance, the sea level was faintly visible. The weather was bad today; dense clouds covered the sky, and a thin layer of mist had formed.
The sea breeze blew in through the car window, carrying a salty, damp smell.
Lin Yan watched the cars following behind in the rearview mirror. She hadn’t seen Tiger since they had set out.
“Is Tiger-ge not coming with us?”
The yiyiyaya4 of opera music played in the car. Ding Ye tapped along with the drumbeat.
“He’s not coming. He has another mission.”
Lin Yan’s heart skipped a beat. The transaction was at Zhongjing Industrial Port, and Tiger was one of his most capable subordinates. For him to be sent on a mission at this time, it was likely no ordinary mission.
She had a premonition that this trip would most likely not go smoothly.
She could only pray that the shot she fired had injured Song Yuhang to the bone. Don’t come, please don’t come to save me.
She would end all of this herself. If she survived, she would return to her side. If she didn’t survive, this half-life would not have been in vain.
The only regret…
Lin Yan closed her eyes for a moment. The face of Lin Youyuan flashed through her mind, along with Lin Ge’s.
The question she had asked Lin Youyuan many years ago still had no answer, and just how much was Lin Ge involved in all of this?
If…
Lin Yan dug her nails sharply into her palm, a ruthless look in her eyes. No, there are no ifs. I will definitely get a clear answer.
Lin Ge, the only warmth in my childhood, the boy who always had a bright smile and clear, limpid eyes, couldn’t be this kind of person.
Jiangcheng City Detention Center.
“Hello, we’re here to interrogate prisoner number 034589.” The visitor wore a uniform with epaulets and presented identification and official documents to the prison guard.
After verifying their authenticity, the prison guard led them down a corridor, straight to an iron-barred window.
“Number 034589, you have visitors.”
Before long, a woman with disheveled hair and a grimy face, dressed in a filthy prison uniform and wearing holey shoes, was escorted out in handcuffs.
Two burly criminal police officers, one on each side, escorted her into a police car.
The car hadn’t started moving yet. Just as the prison guard closed the door, the walkie-talkie on his chest buzzed. He picked it up and listened, and his expression changed instantly. He drew his gun and charged forward.
“Stop, don’t move!”
The “police officer” escorting the woman turned around, raised his hand, and fired a shot. It hit the guard square in the chest, and he fell backward.
The alarm bells at the detention center gate blared.
The man fired a few more shots to create a distraction, shoved the woman into the car, and jumped in after her, pulling the door shut. Bullets pinged and popped against the car’s body.
“Go!”
The driver quickly started the car, sped across the median, and crashed straight through the guardrail, vanishing in a cloud of dust.
The woman huddled in her seat, watching them warily. Her voice was slightly hoarse. “Who… are you?”
The man took off his wide-brimmed hat, revealing a shock of yellow hair. He grinned, showing uneven, yellow-stained teeth.
“Auntie Hong, long time no see.”
“Fuck!” Just as Duan Cheng arrived at the gate of the detention center on his motorcycle, he saw a pool of blood. Ambulances and police cars were swarming the scene. He was, after all, a step too late.
His eyes reddened. He took off his helmet and hung it on the handlebars, then called Song Yuhang with trembling hands, his voice slightly choked.
“Captain Song, I was too late.”
Song Yuhang was speeding along the mountain road, leaping over a dirt mound and darting onto a gravel path, driving the ordinary sedan as if it were an off-road vehicle.
For Duan Cheng to call her at this moment could only mean that the situation was bad.
She steadied herself. Her palms were covered in a thin layer of sweat, and she could barely grip the steering wheel.
“Don’t panic. Follow that car and see where they’re going. Don’t act rashly. Safety first.”
“Okay!” Duan Cheng responded firmly. He put his helmet back on, hit the gas, and sped out from the congested traffic, following the fake police car ahead.
The police car didn’t go far before turning onto a country lane with no surveillance cameras. The driver stopped the car, took off his clothes and threw them on the passenger seat, and walked quickly toward an off-road vehicle that had been prepared nearby.
Tiger also escorted the woman out of the car. He took off his uniform and threw it away, then took a barrel of diesel fuel from the trunk and poured it inside and outside the car. He then took a lighter from his pocket, threw it, and set everything ablaze.
“Go!” The off-road vehicle started up. With a fake license plate, it got onto the highway without anyone noticing5.
Zhongjing Industrial Port.
In the early days of the Reform and Opening-Up6, this place had once been bustling. Later, due to the development of nearby shipping lanes, the tonnage of vessels that could navigate them gradually increased, and this port could no longer meet the loading and unloading needs of large cargo ships, so it was slowly abandoned.
Now, there were only a few nearby plastic factories that were barely still in operation, also on their last breath, unable to make ends meet, and could go bankrupt at any time.
Sewage from the pipes was discharged directly into the sea without any treatment.
As soon as the car entered the area, the pungent smell of chemical raw materials mixed with a fishy stench flooded the nostrils.
Lin Yan pushed open the car door and got out. Following Ding Ye and his group, she walked onward with uneven steps7. Ripples spread across the stinking puddles on the ground. She looked up; it was raining again.
The empty storefronts on both sides of the road had “For Rent” signs on them, but they were covered in dust and completely neglected. Underfoot, she stepped on a flyer for a song and dance hall, on which multicolored lights illuminated red men and green women8, as if proclaiming the prosperity of a bygone era.
After walking a short distance, Lin Yan had already familiarized herself with the terrain and environment; her only frustration was being unable to send out a message.
Despite the road ahead being filled with danger, confusion, and unknowns, she appeared completely calm and composed, even in the mood to make a joke.
“There’s a place like this in Jiangcheng City? How come I never knew?”
Ding Ye glanced at her with a smile. “You were born late, so of course you wouldn’t know. This was an extremely popular port in the fifties and sixties. It was also ordered to be built and supervised by the father of that Lin Group founder, Lin Youyuan.”
Isn’t that my… grandfather?
How come I’ve never heard that old bastard Lin Youyuan mention it?
To be able to order the construction of such an industrial port back then, he must have had a certain status, either rich or noble.
Just as she was thinking this, the main gate of the plastic factory opened, and Ding Ye walked in first.
“Let’s go. Time to meet our guest of honor.”
Several cars were already parked inside the factory. As soon as they entered, the main gate was slowly closed behind them.
Lin Yan immediately became guarded, but Ding Ye, in contrast, just smiled nonchalantly.
“Don’t be nervous. He’s an old friend.”
The moment he finished speaking, someone began to applaud.
“As expected of Ding Ye.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly to look at the middle-aged man leaning against a luxury car.
“Boss Long?”
The legendary top Singaporean tycoon had finally appeared. It seemed the one who died at the suburban camp was just a body double.
Lin Yan sized him up. Boss Long was middle-aged, with a fairly robust build and slightly graying temples. He was full of vigor, but for some reason, despite his face being that of a stranger, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Boss Long’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before quickly shifting away.
“Enough with the small talk. My ship is waiting at the pier. Inspect the goods with one hand, pay with the other.”
Ding Ye waved his hand, and a few of his followers pulled open the warehouse door. “Boss Long, please.”
With a cigar in his mouth, Boss Long walked in, accompanied by his men. He patted the neatly stacked boxes, randomly picked one, and used a switchblade to slice open a corner. He took out a blue syringe, examined it, seemed very satisfied, and put it back.
“There’s also the white powder9.”
“This way, Boss Long.”
Tiger tore open a cardboard box and took out a packet of powder in a transparent PVC plastic bag.
The blade swept lightly across it, and white powder spilled out.
“It’s all good stuff.”
Boss Long took a pinch with his fingers and tasted it, smacking his lips.
“Not bad, it has a strong kick.”
“Of course. It’s 95% pure. It took a lot of effort to extract.”
To achieve this level of purity, it would be impossible without the help of a professional laboratory.
Boss Long sneered inwardly. He used a handkerchief to wrap the packet of white powder and put it in his pocket. “Aiyo, be careful, this is all money.”
“Boss Long, how about it? Can you pay the rest of the money now?” Ding Ye asked, having watched his series of actions from outside.
“Of course. Gouzi10, pay him.”
Boss Long waved his hand magnanimously. A follower behind him stepped forward and said, “A deposit of fifty million Renminbi11 has already been paid. The remainder has been transferred in installments to your designated overseas account.”
Kuba handed Ding Ye over to the care of others, turned to make a phone call for confirmation, and returned to their side a moment later with his phone, whispering a few words in Ding Ye’s ear.
Lin Yan was standing a bit too far away to hear clearly, but she saw a strange smile slowly form on Ding Ye’s lips.
Her gaze fell on a bandit standing to the side holding a gun—or more precisely, on the gun itself.
Lin Yan secretly swallowed, calculating the probability of success if she were to snatch the gun, fire it, and kill Ding Ye.
Or should I wait for the police to arrive?
“Remember, safety first. Do not act unless it is absolutely necessary. Lin Yan, you trust us, and we will not betray your trust. The police will definitely come to support you.”
Feng Jianguo had stood before her then, his hands braced on the table, vowing solemnly.
How precious the word “trust” is. Wasn’t it because of mutual trust that she and Song Yuhang had come together?
Lin Yan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she unclenched her fists.
“Boss Long is truly a man of his word,” Ding Ye sighed, ordering his subordinates to clear a path to let Boss Long’s men in to move the goods.
With a click, Boss Long lit his lighter, lit another cigar, and offered one to Ding Ye.
“Ding Ye, care for one?”
Ding Ye politely declined. “No, thank you. I’m getting old, cough cough… smoking… it irritates my lungs…”
“Hurry up, move your asses!” An underling Boss Long had brought was yelling at the workers.
The boxes from the warehouse were loaded onto the truck one by one. The boxes were heavy, requiring two people to lift one. A young man at the back fell behind.
Seeing that his movements were slow, the underling cracked a whip at him.
“Fuck your mother’s, didn’t you eat breakfast!”
The whip landed squarely on his arm. The person carrying the box was young, just a lad. Caught off guard by the pain, he suddenly let go, and an entire box of white powder spilled onto the ground.
“Fuck!” The underling was furious and kicked him. “Damn it12, do you know how much this is worth? We couldn’t afford it even if we killed you!”
The boy was kicked to the ground, but he scrambled back up and began cleaning. “Yes, yes, yes, I’m sorry, I was wrong.”
After he had cleaned up the mess and was limping away with the box, the underling squatted down. He looked at the spilled white powder, swallowed, and an idea came to him.
The boss said this is 95% high-grade stuff. I’ve never tasted anything this good before.
The underling looked around to make sure no one was watching, then took a pinch with his finger and put it in his mouth. He narrowed his eyes to savor it, but his expression suddenly froze, and a cold sweat broke out all over his body.
Pah! Dry and astringent. This isn’t heroin, it’s actual flour!
The underling scrambled up from the ground and ran out in a panic. “Boss, bad news, this shipment is…”
Before he could finish the word “fake,” he was shot in the head.
Boss Long’s men were shocked and immediately chambered their rounds. Kuba and his men also aimed their guns at them.
“Ding Ye, what is the meaning of this?” he asked, glancing at the body on the ground and grinding his teeth.
Ding Ye, standing in the crowd, took a small step forward on his cane, smiling.
“It means nothing. Stop hiding. At best, you’re just a dog. Let your master come out and show his face. The good stuff, naturally, is reserved for the big shots.”
“Report, report, traces of drug traffickers spotted on West 14th Street. In pursuit, in pursuit!”
Static crackled over the communications channel, and then the line was cut. The message was quickly relayed to the command headquarters.
Zhao Junfeng slammed his fist on the table. “Damn it, such audaciousness13, to dare hijack a prisoner right under our noses!”
Feng Jianguo’s eyelid twitched. On the large screen in the command vehicle, an image popped up showing several special police officers dousing a burning vehicle with water. The fake police car had been burned down to its frame.
“Report, the vehicle involved has been incinerated. Numerous tire tracks were found at the scene, but we are temporarily unable to determine the direction of travel.”
A message also came from the network security team.
Wearing headphones, Zheng Chengrui typed on his keyboard. “Road surveillance has not yet revealed any suspicious vehicles or personnel.”
“Pursue them! Find them for me even if you have to dig three chi into the earth14!” Zhao Junfeng was furious, his spittle spraying onto the walkie-talkie.
Feng Jianguo silently stood a little further away, also burning with anxiety. A trace of worry creased the brow of the usually calm and composed man.
Far away at another port, Xue Rui, who was leading a team to inspect merchant ships, glanced at his watch, then suddenly waved his hand, signaling his men to withdraw.
The team he led were all veterans. Since they started following Song Yuhang, they had developed the habit of ensuring orders were strictly followed. At this moment, no one questioned his command. They followed him into their vehicles without hesitation, quickly turned around, and sped off in another direction.
In the small command vehicle, one could cross it in just a few steps. Zhao Junfeng still couldn’t sit down. He kept frowning, looking at the large screen from time to time.
The more arrogant and high-profile the drug traffickers acted, the more they were drawing attention, which conversely confirmed the suspicion that Zhongjing Industrial Port was the actual transaction site.
Does Ding Ye think I’ll divert resources to deal with the situation at the detention center?
No, I won’t.
Zhao Junfeng watched the red dot on the map gradually approach the industrial port, and a sharp glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.
This time, they had to round up the entire criminal organization in one fell swoop15. There could be no survivors, especially not Ding Ye.
“I’m going down for a smoke and some fresh air,” he said, grabbing a pack of cigarettes from the table and striding out of the command vehicle.
“Hey, once you have eyes on the target, there’s no need to arrest him and bring him to justice. Shoot to kill on sight.”
Hu Senji was taken aback for a moment but still accepted the order.
“Yes, Director Zhao! I guarantee the mission will be completed!”
Zhao Junfeng’s guess was correct; the transaction was indeed taking place at Zhongjing Industrial Port. What he never expected, however, was that Ding Ye would engage in a dog-eat-dog16 fight, and that Lin Youyuan would also be here.
When Lin Yan turned, she saw him being helped out of the car and into a wheelchair by “Boss Long,” and she froze.
Her throat moved as she swallowed. The scene was so shocking that she couldn’t regain her senses for a long time.
If he’s here, then “Boss Long” is…
Butler Lin tore the human-skin mask from his face, and his voice returned to normal.
“Ding Ye, this dog-eat-dog move of yours isn’t very benevolent and righteous, is it?”
“For a treacherous and sycophantic person, what use is benevolence and righteousness?”
The moment Ding Ye finished speaking, Lin Youyuan, sitting in his wheelchair and stroking a green thumb ring, smiled.
“It’s been a long time. How did you become such a ghostly sight? Even your voice has changed. You’d be better off dead.”
As expected of a father and daughter who shared the same blood as Lin Yan, their skill with a sharp, poisonous tongue was unparalleled.
Ding Ye’s face changed instantly, and he gritted his teeth.
“You should take a piss and look at your own reflection17. You’re just a useless cripple who can’t even stand. What right do you have to criticize me?”
The corner of Lin Youyuan’s eye twitched. He couldn’t be bothered to respond to him. Only when his peripheral vision caught sight of Lin Yan standing nearby did his expression flicker slightly.
Ding Ye noticed this subtle change. He grinned, showing his gapped teeth, and pointed his cane at her.
“Auntie Hong, come, meet this very famous helmsman of the Jingtai Group, a man who has a hand in both the black and white worlds. You probably don’t know, but we’ve done a lot of business with him over the past few years. We’ll be helping each other out a lot in the future, so get familiar with his face.”
The scene of Butler Lin personally tasting the heroin was still deeply imprinted in her mind, as were many minor details from the past that she now recalled.
Why was the Lin family so powerful? It had only been founded a few decades ago, yet it had already become one of the top enterprises in the country, with subsidiaries blooming everywhere and products sold overseas.
Although she had been suspicious before, her secret investigations had yielded no results. She had just assumed that Lin Youyuan was skilled at business and had caught the wave of development, getting rich by speculating in real estate and stocks.
Who knew that this money was not only dirty, but also stained with blood.
And Lin Youyuan, what role did he play in this chess game?
Butler Lin took drugs, so what about him?
The drugs he bought, who did he turn around and sell them to?
How many innocent families had been ruined?
Were the factories under the Lin Group all producing this stuff?
Chunan’s bizarre death, was it because she knew or saw something?
His obstruction of her investigation for so many years, was it because he didn’t want this truth to come to light?
The successive assassination attempts on Song Yuhang, were they related to him?
…
In the instant their eyes met, a storm of thoughts raged through Lin Yan’s mind.
Every single one made her want to die.
Was there anything in the world more ironic than being a police officer whose father was a drug lord?
There was not.
Lin Yan’s eyes burned, but she clenched her jaw and forced her emotions down.
She heard her own voice, as cold as ice.
“Chairman Lin’s great name is truly like thunder in my ears18. Seeing you once is better than hearing about you a hundred times19. What, does a transaction like this also require you—”
She raised her gaze to meet his directly, and said, word by word.
“to attend… in… person?”
LP: Re-translated on September 01, 2025
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