Chapter 730: Scapegoat
"Alright then, I’ll leave Master Chen in your care."
Yang Cheng raised his hand to pat his head, then quickly walked out of the room.
Originally, Chen Shixiang wanted to give him a few weapons, but after searching the whole room, he couldn’t find any worth offering. He could only send him to the door and wave goodbye.
...
Kong Family Villa.
The living room was deathly silent. Elder Kong and his grandchildren looked ashen, having been forced to accept the fact of Kong Jingshan’s death.
At this moment, footsteps sounded at the door, and Kong Lingwen immediately stood up and threw herself into Yang Cheng’s arms.
"Why did you come back so late? I thought you didn’t care about me anymore."
After receiving such a heavy blow, she was like a flower battered by the storm, devoid of life and very insecure.
Yang Cheng held her in his arms and softly asked, "How could I not care about you? I promised you I would take revenge for Uncle Kong. You go upstairs and sleep well, and I’ll take action tonight."
"I can’t sleep; every time I close my eyes, I see my dad!"
"He died without a complete body, and as his daughter, I can’t even bring his head back."
Kong Lingwen was heartbroken, and as soon as she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
Yang Cheng sighed and made a decision in his heart, "Tonight, you come with me. I’ll let you personally avenge your father and kill Cao Ruibin."
As soon as he said this, all three of them simultaneously looked at Yang Cheng.
"Brother Cen, I want to go with you too!"
Kong Lingchuan couldn’t wait, filled with nothing but hatred for Cao Ruibin now.
"The Cao Family has surely laid an inescapable trap. I can only take Lingwen in to ensure her safety. Besides, Cao Ruibin is still your uncle. If you kill him, it would be an unforgivable breach of morality."
Yang Cheng advised, and Kong Lingchuan could only nod.
Kong Lingwen looked up at Yang Cheng, finally showing a glimmer of determination, "I’m going with you. I must kill him with my own hands!"
"There’s still some time before it gets dark. If you want to go, you must have a good sleep, eat well to keep your strength, or else it will be dangerous."
Yang Cheng, trying his best to calm her emotions, carried her upstairs again and stayed with her as she slept for a while.
When he opened his eyes again, the sky had already darkened.
As he got up, Kong Lingwen awoke, still looking exhausted but with bright eyes.
"Yang Cheng, I’m hungry. Let’s go downstairs to eat."
"Okay."
As they went downstairs hand in hand, the corpse on the sofa had been carried away, and the dining table was filled with delicious dishes.
Once everyone was seated, Kong Lingwen, unlike her despondency during the day, began to eat heartily.
"You guys eat too, why are you just staring at me?"
She appeared composed and although she ate with gusto, it was clear she did not enjoy the food, merely swallowing mechanically.
Yang Cheng didn’t stop her, softly saying, "Eat slowly, there’s no rush to leave."
Everyone found the meal tasteless, but Kong Lingwen ate her fill, quickly dragging Yang Cheng out.
At that time, most of the police station staff had left; Cao Zhihao was being held alone, his face full of gloom.
He didn’t understand why, after being detained for so long, no one had come to rescue him. Would he be locked up here for a long time?
"Ah! Let me out! You bastards, I need to call my dad. Do you know the consequences of arresting me!"
He grew agitated and began to shout angrily.
"Stop shouting. The captain has instructed us to watch you carefully. You can leave once the formal verdict is given."
Two young officers walked over, looking at Cao Zhihao with disdain.
"What’s with the look, who do you think you are, daring to look down on me?"
Cao Zhihao was instantly infuriated, lunging forward, trying to grab the officers’ collars through the bars.
"Someone like you who has done so many vile deeds expects me to respect you?"
After the past two days of investigation, people in the police station roughly knew about Cao Zhihao’s case. Despite his young age, the things he did were despicable.
They found many imprisoned women and children at Jile Clubhouse, along with some fierce beasts, and even discovered numerous human remains in freezers.
As the person in charge of Jile Clubhouse, Cao Zhihao couldn’t possibly be unaware of what went on there, so now it’s his comeuppance.
"Damn you! I’ll kill you all. Once I get out, I’ll chop you up to feed the dogs!"
Cao Zhihao roared furiously, like a mad beast.
"You’re not getting out."
The young officer sneered and stood aside, ignoring the two of them.
Just then, there was a slight noise at the door. They didn’t pay attention, but suddenly felt dizzy, their eyelids growing heavy, and then they collapsed to the ground.
"What’s wrong with you? Don’t pretend to act dead; I haven’t even touched you yet, you better not be dead!"
Cao Zhihao was confused, a sense of unease creeping in.
Sure enough, in the next second, someone walked in from the door wearing a mask, their figure tall and steps steady, approaching Cao Zhihao.
"It’s you!"
Cao Zhihao instantly recognized him as the ultimate winner of the Jile Clubhouse.
"Who are you really? Did my dad send you to rescue me?"
His heart lifted with hope, thinking he’d finally be saved. If he could leave this hellhole, he could immediately flee abroad, and return once his father settled things here.
"Cao Zhihao, your father said the situation is a bit tricky, so he asked me to...kill you."
Yang Cheng’s voice was steady, laced with mockery and provocation.
Upon hearing this, Cao Zhihao’s expression changed drastically, incredulous, "What did you say? My dad wants me dead?"
"That’s impossible. I’m his only son. How could he bear to kill me?"
He completely disbelieved Yang Cheng’s words, given that Cao Ruibin had pampered him from a young age, treating him as the apple of his eye.
"Clearly, you don’t know. He has other illegitimate sons elsewhere, not just you. Otherwise, why did he make you the person in charge of Jile Clubhouse, fully aware of its dangers and high likelihood of trouble?"
"Now that things have been exposed, you have to be the scapegoat, to protect the rest of the Cao Family. So, you need to die."
Yang Cheng’s voice was ethereal, handing a pill to Cao Zhihao.
When Cao Zhihao looked up again, the person had vanished, leaving no trace. If it weren’t for the pill in his hand, he would have thought everything was just a dream.
Soon after, the two fainted officers regained consciousness, looking bewildered, "What happened? Why did we suddenly pass out?"
"Maybe we’ve been too tired lately. Let’s check the surveillance later."
Though puzzled, they were relieved to see Cao Zhihao still inside.