Chapter 170 - 168: Found You, Jiang Li
Jiang Li parked the car in a lot, then led Wu Ming and the others onto a high-speed train. They got off midway to buy plane tickets to City A.
All the tickets were for City A.
Wu Ming watched Jiang Li’s maneuvers in surprise, while Yu Huannian and Miao Anji obediently followed along the entire time, bags in hand.
"This should be safer," Jiang Li said, turning to Wu Ming.
Wu Ming nodded, only half understanding.
Meanwhile, two groups of people waited for a long time at the entrances of the airport and the high-speed rail station, but they never saw the person from the photograph.
"Yeah, that’s right. We didn’t see them at the airport or the train station. Is it possible they never boarded in the first place?"
"Useless."
The person on the other end of the line cursed under their breath, hung up, and opened their computer. The screen filled with code as their fingers flew across the keyboard.
Soon, a strange travel route appeared.
"Heh. Found you, Jiang Li... Jiang Li..."
...
After arriving at the station, Jiang Li led Wu Ming and the others to a private inn—the kind that didn’t require registration.
After they sat down, Jiang Li took out her phone for a look, then promptly removed the SIM card and powered it off.
Before she could even look up to say anything, the others followed her example and turned off their phones too.
"Jiang Li, this is just like a battle royale," Wu Ming said, her face flushed with excitement. ’This is so thrilling!’
The corner of Jiang Li’s mouth twitched. For the sake of safety, she decided to give them a rundown of the situation.
"A murderous maniac! A highly intelligent one, at that!" Wu Ming exclaimed, jumping to her feet and pacing around the room.
Wu Ming fretted, counting on her fingers and shaking her head.
Miao Anji glanced up at Jiang Li, then silently placed a few Heart-Eating Gu on her in inconspicuous spots.
Jiang Li took a notebook from her bag and began making deductions with her less-than-stellar skills.
The others stared at her, but one by one, they drifted off to sleep.
Jiang Li stared at the dense, messy scrawls, scratching her head in frustration. ’Forget it. I’m clearly not cut out for this. Might as well just let things happen as they will.’
Giving up, Jiang Li tossed her pen aside. She told Yu Huannian and Xiao Nian to go sleep in the next room and helped Wu Ming to bed.
Jiang Li sat by the window, looking down at the food stall-lined street below. A cold breeze blew in, carrying the scent of smoke.
Suddenly, Jiang Li spotted a familiar article of clothing. She shot to her feet and raced downstairs.
But by the time she got there, the girl was nowhere to be seen.
Jiang Li searched all around. She wasn’t sure if it was the right person, but the clothes were identical.
"Grilled sausages! Get your grilled sausages! Three yuan each, or three for ten!"
"Custom fried rice! Ten yuan a bowl!"
Jiang Li stood in the middle of the crowd, the cries of street vendors filling her ears. Countless people streamed past her, but no matter how she scanned the area, she couldn’t find the person she was looking for.
She moved to a corner. Lu Xingye had told her that the style of clothing she was looking for was from an online shop that had long since closed.
"Boss, I’ve been working for half a month! How can you not pay me? You can’t just bully people like this!"
"Tsk, tsk. What nonsense are you spouting, little girl? You’ve been late and you’ve messed up the bills these past couple of days. You should be glad I’m not demanding compensation from you! And you want to get paid? Dream on."
Jiang Li turned to look. In front of a barbecue stall, a girl in an apron was tearfully trying to reason with the owner.
Jiang Li took two steps forward. Her breath caught when she got a clear look at the girl’s face.
"How much is it? I’ll pay you," Jiang Li said, her gaze fixed intently on the girl.
’It really is her. The girl who ran away that night. So she’s been hiding in a place as chaotic as this. No wonder I couldn’t find her.’
Yu Changle looked back at Jiang Li, her heart torn.
"Are you crazy? Shoo, shoo! Don’t get in the way of my business," the stall owner said, waving them away in disgust.
’Suckers like this are rare these days.’
Jiang Li pulled Yu Changle aside.
"Who are you, really?"
"That night, a man in a raincoat was chasing you."
As soon as Jiang Li spoke, she could feel the girl’s body begin to tremble uncontrollably.
"Don’t be afraid. He’s looking for you, and I’m here to help. Did you see his face that night?"
Jiang Li was desperate to find out who he was.
Yu Changle said in a panic, "No, I don’t know! I don’t know anything!"
"How could you not? You..."
Yu Changle quickly interjected, "The doctor said the shock caused... what was it... stress-induced memory suppression."
Yu Changle clutched her head in pain. "I can’t remember clearly... I just know that night was terrifying, so terrifying... It feels like if I remember, I’ll die.
I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die."
Jiang Li held her, comforting her. "Don’t be afraid. We’ll figure this out together."
Jiang Li led Yu Changle toward a nearby inn.
"So, you were on the road at the time?"
"Yes, he just kept chasing me. I thought I was going to die of fright."
Jiang Li glanced at Yu Changle, then found the innkeeper and got a room. She led the girl upstairs.
Once in the room, Jiang Li grabbed a cup and a kettle and poured Yu Changle a glass of water. Some flaky sediment was floating in it.
"Drink some water to warm yourself up. Are you hungry? I can go get you something to eat."
Jiang Li sat beside her, her expression full of concern.
Yu Changle held the paper cup, staring at its contents. Her stomach churned and her face grew paler, but she still nodded at Jiang Li’s offer.
"Okay... thank you."
Jiang Li turned and left the inn. While waiting to buy the fried rice, she slipped the SIM card back into her phone.
Chunlai Inn, Room 103.
She sent the message but received no immediate reply, which made her eyebrow twitch.
"Your fried rice is ready, young lady."
"Thank you, sir." Jiang Li took the fried rice and walked back toward the inn.
Meanwhile, the man stared at the location pinging from Jiang Li’s phone number and the message he had just intercepted. A soft chuckle rumbled in his throat.
’I thought she had some sense, but it seems her caution still isn’t enough.’
Gain her trust.
After sending the message, the man tossed his phone aside, lit a cigarette, and stared at the enlarged photo of Jiang Li on his computer screen.
’How exactly does she control my thoughts?’
’It’s truly fascinating.’
The man shifted his position.
"Sir, the new equipment you purchased from overseas has arrived. Mr. Robert says it’s their latest invention, and it’s the only one in existence.
As per your requirements, performing a craniotomy will be no problem."
The chair he was sitting in swiveled around. He frowned in displeasure at the man on the large screen behind him.
He hated having his thoughts interrupted. A smirk played on his lips. "Well done. Here’s your bonus. Come and get it."
The man on the screen’s eyes lit up. "Of course, sir. Thank you, sir!"
A few minutes later, the subordinate left his own room and approached the one that no one was ever allowed to enter.
The keypad lock before him began to whir. The heavy door then swung open automatically, and lights flickered on along the walls, revealing a long, cold, and gloomy corridor.
Thinking of the case full of cash, he rubbed his hands in excitement and hurried inside.
’This boss of his was exceptionally mysterious. He was said to spend all his time in his secret base, was incredibly wealthy, and extremely generous.’
’The construction inside looked like something out of an AI-generated image of a doomsday bunker.’
The subordinate grew more excited with every step.
’Money, here I come!’