Chapter 169 - 167: Refusing the Implant
Before Jiang Li even opened her eyes, the killer’s frenzied voice echoed in her ears, and the screams of those around her filled her eardrums.
"Remember, I’m not the one who harmed you, hehehe..."
Jiang Li’s eyes shot open. The scene before her was unbearably gruesome—nothing but blood, nothing but flesh...
"Not coming out, are you? Then I’ll just keep killing until you do."
"AH!" Jiang Li jolted awake in bed, grabbing the notebook beside her and writing a "3" in it.
’Three more lives lost... This is horrifying!’
Jiang Li bit her hand, hugging her legs as her frantic gaze darted around the room. ’Who is he?!’
"Still haven’t found that girl?" Zhou Tiancheng shot up from his chair, glaring furiously at the people around the table.
"Female, seventeen or eighteen years old, white padded jacket, medium-length hair, a round face with almond-shaped eyes, and a birthmark under one eye. How can you not find someone with such obvious features?"
Zhou Tiancheng couldn’t help but slam his hand on the table. She was the key witness; finding her meant they could get a description of the killer.
Ji Qinghe gave Zhou Tiancheng a reassuring look. "I’ve already reported this. Other precincts are keeping an eye out.
It’s just..."
Ji Qinghe’s expression turned troubled. "It’s just that most of them don’t believe it. They say we have no proof, that we’re making things up and wasting police resources."
For Jiang Li’s safety, she couldn’t say too much. Jiang Li’s ability was unusual. ’If it were me,’ she thought, ’my first reaction would be that the person was crazy...’
Ji Qinghe took a deep breath. "This was too risky a move."
They were now in a complete bind. Initially, she had wanted to report the case to get it taken seriously and secure more manpower.
But a call from her superiors made her realize that their recent success in cracking major cases had already earned them the jealousy of other precincts. Now, this just gave those precincts a chance to kick them while they were down.
"It’s fine. At least some people are willing to believe us. Let’s just focus on the case."
Zhou Tiancheng glanced at Ji Qinghe, then laid out all the information everyone had gathered, cross-referencing it repeatedly with Jiang Li’s statements.
Ji Qinghe looked at the message from Jiang Li on her phone. Her face turned pale, and she swayed unsteadily.
"Three more dead."
Zhou Tiancheng stared grimly at the clues in his hand. ’To get more officers involved, they need a solid lead.’
’Relying on just us, the body count will only keep rising.’
Jiang Li hadn’t slept well for three consecutive days, and Yu Huannian and the others had noticed something was wrong.
"Jiang Li, what’s wrong with you? You’re starting to look like a panda."
Seeing her listless state, Wu Ming took her hand, her heart aching for her.
"It’s nothing. I’ve just been having nightmares these past few days." Jiang Li forced a smile for Wu Ming.
Seeing her like this, Wu Ming wanted to do a reading for her, but she didn’t know her birth date and time.
Wu Ming opened her mouth, then swallowed her words. If Jiang Li had wanted her to know, she would have told her last time.
"It’s okay, you’ve got us." Wu Ming gave Jiang Li a comforting hug.
"Okay. We’re going to City A tomorrow. Remember to pack everything you need."
As Jiang Li spoke, she glanced outside, thinking of a video Lu Xingye had sent her. It was of a villa district by the sea in City A. She’d have to figure out the specifics once she got there.
Lu Xingye had just arrived in City A. The moment he walked out of the station exit, he was surrounded.
Lu Xingye watched the group of men in black warily. "Who are you?"
"Are you from the C City Police Department?"
"No." Lu Xingye replied, then turned to leave without a change in expression.
The men instantly closed in. Lu Xingye broke into a run, with the men in black in hot pursuit.
Lu Xingye pulled out his phone to call the department.
"Hello."
"Captain Zhou, he’s noticed. We’re being tailed."
Zhou Tiancheng immediately shot to his feet, grabbing Ji Qinghe’s phone to call Zheng Qichuan.
"Xiao Ye, where are you now? Hello? Hello?! Xiao Ye!"
Zhou Tiancheng could only hear chaotic noise from the other end. No matter what he said, Lu Xingye didn’t reply.
"Something’s happened to Xiao Ye."
Just as Zhou Tiancheng said that, Zheng Qichuan picked up the call. He must have just finished training, as his breathing was still a little unsteady.
"Qi Chuan, my brother Lu Xingye went to City A on business and got targeted. Can you keep an eye out and see if you can find him?
Given the time, it probably happened near the airport. I’m counting on you."
Zheng Qichuan took a sip of water. "Alright, I’ll see what I can do."
Ji Qinghe looked at Zhou Tiancheng. "I just submitted the report yesterday and they already found out. Their intelligence is too good.
If Jiang Li goes there, doesn’t that mean..."
Zhou Tiancheng stared ahead, torn. Finally, he let out a long sigh. "Whether she goes or not, the result will be the same. We might as well take the risk."
"Jiang Li can protect herself. Besides, Xiao Nian, Xiao Ji, and Wu Ming are no ordinary people either. It probably won’t be as bad as we think."
Hearing Zhou Tiancheng’s words, Ji Qinghe let out a breath of relief. ’I was just letting my anxiety get the better of me.’
"Qinghe, give Jiang Li a call and ask her to come to the station."
After saying that, Zhou Tiancheng went to make another call to an expert.
Jiang Li rushed over as soon as she got the call from Ji Qinghe.
"Jiang Li, for your safety, we’d like to implant a tracking chip in you. That way, we can monitor your location at all times. What do you think..."
Before Zhou Tiancheng could finish, Jiang Li couldn’t help but shudder. She quickly shook her head. "No, that’s not necessary. If the other party finds it, they’ll probably dig it out of me raw."
As Jiang Li said it, her scalp tingled. That was exactly the kind of thing they were capable of doing.
Zhou Tiancheng hadn’t expected Jiang Li to refuse. "But this way..."
"It’s alright, Officer Zhou. If it really comes to that, the chip won’t be of any use anyway."
’They’re too extreme. If they really catch me, they won’t give me a chance to be rescued.’
’Besides, I don’t like the feeling of being watched.’
Hearing her say that, Zhou Tiancheng didn’t press the issue. He went on to explain Lu Xingye’s situation to her.
"So... alright. Xiao Ye was targeted the moment he arrived, and now his whereabouts are unknown.
When you get there, help look for him, regardless of the outcome."
Jiang Li looked up in surprise. The words swirled on the tip of her tongue, but in the end, she just nodded in agreement.
After returning, Jiang Li paced her room, unable to sit still.
Little Li sat on the princess bed, hugging a doll and swinging her legs as she watched her pace back and forth.
"Big Sister, are you worried about Brother Xingye?"
Jiang Li’s steps faltered. She walked over to Little Li. "It’s only right for me to worry about him. He’s helped us so much, hasn’t he?"
Little Li looked at her sister, sighed, and cupped her small face in her hands. "Big Sister, Brother Xingye is actually a pretty great guy."
Jiang Li blinked, then turned back to look at her with utmost seriousness. "Little Li, I told you there won’t be a second time."
If she hadn’t believed Qiao Siyuan, Little Li wouldn’t have disappeared for three years.
For those three years, she was lost and helpless, even believing Little Li would never come back. She lived every day consumed by guilt.
If it hadn’t been for Little Li, she would have been sold off by Jiang Dewang long ago. In her heart, Little Li was the most important person to her.
Ever since the incident with Qiao Siyuan ended, she had come to a realization: a person’s life doesn’t have to include marriage and children.
"Okay, okay, Little Li won’t say any more. Don’t be angry, Big Sister." Little Li came forward, shaking her hand and acting cute.
"I’m not angry. Let’s get some sleep. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning."
"Jiang Li, aren’t we taking a plane? Why did we switch to the high-speed rail?" Wu Ming asked, confused, as Jiang Li drove the car to the high-speed rail station.