LRAB Chapter 50 The Final Frenzy: An "Invitation" from Zhao Ruilong
Chapter 50 The Final Frenzy: An "Invitation" from Zhao Ruilong
The heavy red-lacquered gate of the provincial party committee compound slowly closed behind us.
It made a muffled "clang" sound.
Qi Tongwei stood on the steps without turning around.
The sky had completely darkened sometime earlier, and the leaden-gray clouds, like an old cotton quilt soaked in ink, hung low over Jingzhou City. The wind carried the earthy smell and dampness, and the roadside trees rustled in the wind as if they were sobbing.
It's going to rain heavily.
Qi Tongwei opened the car door and got into the black Audi A6. The interior was a quiet, enclosed space, isolating him from the outside noise and the impending storm. He didn't rush to insert the key, but instead sank deeply into the leather seat and exhaled a long breath.
This anger has been bottled up for two lifetimes.
The scene in Gao Yuliang's office just now replayed in his mind like a film reel. The man who had once been someone he looked up to, someone he revered, and even the only lifeline he could grasp when he was down on his luck, was now, in his eyes, nothing more than a pitiful old man alienated by power and enslaved by desire.
That one kneel broke his spine.
This departure, however, somehow managed to put the broken bone back in place.
Is my heart empty? Yes.
It's like having a piece of rotten flesh that's been sloughed away. It hurts, it feels empty, but it's the space that new flesh has to make to grow.
"it's over."
Qi Tongwei raised his hand and looked at his palm. The fingerprints were clear, and the palm lines were intricate, but this time, the line of fate was firmly in his own hands.
Just then, the cold, mechanical voice deep within my mind suddenly exploded without warning.
【Ding! 】
[Host detected completing an epic life-changing decision: severing ties with mentor, escaping the fate of being a pawn, and forging a new independent personality!]
[Determining...]
[The host's behavior aligns with the core logic of "winning half a move against fate," adhering to their principles and never compromising!]
Overall rating: S-rank (Perfect)!
[Dignity level skyrockets: +1000 points!]
[S-Rank Reward: Special Passive Skill - [Photographic Memory (Limited Edition: Judicial Files)]!]
boom--!
An indescribable coolness instantly rushed in from the top of my head, spreading wildly along my spinal nerves to every part of my body. It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head, instantly clearing my mind to its fullest extent.
Immediately afterwards, countless streams of chaotic information began to reorganize in his mind.
Qi Tongwei suddenly opened his eyes, a faint blue light flashing deep within his pupils.
He tried to recall.
I read "Compilation of Unresolved Cases in Jingzhou City, 1998-2008" three days ago, page 324, line 3.
"The deceased, Wang, male, 42 years old, cause of death: blunt force trauma to the back of the head, a red button was found at the scene..."
clear.
It's so clear.
Even the slightly blurry ink mark on the character "扣" (kou) during printing appeared before his eyes like a high-definition photograph. He felt as if his brain had transformed into a sophisticated biological supercomputer, and the mountain of criminal files accumulated over decades in the entire Handong Province had now become data that he could access, retrieve, and analyze at will.
"So this is the reward for S-rank...?"
Qi Tongwei's lips curled up slightly, a smile that belonged to a hunter, full of a desire for control.
This isn't a skill; it's a "sacred sword" given to him by the system. With this, all the dirty dealings hidden in old documents, all the bloody truths covered up by the powerful and wealthy with "accidents" and "disappearances," will be exposed.
"The Zhao family, the Gao family..." Qi Tongwei murmured, his fingers rhythmically tapping the steering wheel, "I've finally stripped you bare."
He turned the key, and the engine emitted a deep roar. The black sedan, like a shark swimming into the deep sea, instantly merged into the congested and restless traffic of Jingzhou's evening rush hour.
……
Meanwhile, in the northern suburbs of Jingzhou, at the Shanshui Manor.
This once bustling, decadent place, filled with the bright lights and learned scholars, was now enveloped in an apocalyptic stillness.
In the luxurious European-style living room, a priceless crystal chandelier emitted a pale white light.
Zhao Ruilong paced barefoot back and forth on the expensive Persian carpet like a mad dog trapped in a cage. Two buttons on his shirt were missing, his hair was a mess, his eyes were sunken, and his pupils were bloodshot.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
He kept cursing under his breath, and with each step he took, the suffocating feeling of impending death intensified.
He received that call just ten minutes ago.
That phone call represented his last hope.
"Ruilong, stop now... Go to America and never come back."
Gao Yuliang's aged, weary, and even pleading voice was like a rusty saw, slowly severing the nerves he called "reason".
"Stop? I'll give you a piece of my mind!"
Zhao Ruilong abruptly stopped, his chest heaving violently like a broken bellows.
This is Handong! It's the Zhao family's private territory!
For over a decade, Zhao Ruilong has had everything he could want here. Which piece of land did he set his sights on? Didn't it obediently hand over? Which woman did he desire? Didn't she wait patiently and meticulously?
Now, let him flee abroad with his tail between his legs like a stray dog?
Why should I?!
Based on that peasant Qi Tongwei?
Based on that Hou Liangping who only knows how to spout grand theories?
"I refuse to accept this... I refuse to accept this!!!"
Zhao Ruilong let out a beast-like roar, grabbed the Ming Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup worth 200,000 yuan from the coffee table, and smashed it hard against the huge oil painting on the wall.
Snapped!
The flying shards shattered the fake smiles on the faces of the people in the painting.
"Brother Long..."
A trembling voice called out from the doorway.
Gao Xiaoqin was dressed in a plain-colored cheongsam, clutching her phone tightly in her hand, her face as white as paper. She looked at the man in front of her who had completely gone mad, a deep fear hidden in her eyes.
Zhao Ruilong suddenly turned his head, his eyes fierce as if he wanted to devour someone.
He rushed over, snatched the phone from Gao Xiaoqin's hand, and stared intently at the screen as if it were Qi Tongwei's neck.
"How's it going? Did you get in touch?" His voice was hoarse and rough, as if he had a mouthful of sand in his mouth.
"Not yet... Secretary Gao said that Qi Tongwei has already left..." Gao Xiaoqin's voice trembled.
"Gone? Hahaha! Good! That means there's nothing to talk about!"
Zhao Ruilong suddenly burst into wild laughter, the sharp, piercing sound echoing through the empty hall, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"Since that old codger Gao Yuliang wants to be a coward, then I'll do it myself!"
"You want to fight to the death, huh? Fine! This time, I'll not only break the net, I'll blow the fishermen to smithereens too!"
He suddenly reached out, grabbed Gao Xiaoqin's slender neck, lifted her up, and slammed her against the cold wall.
"Cough...cough cough...Brother Long..." Gao Xiaoqin struggled painfully, weakly patting his arm with both hands.
Zhao Ruilong moved closer to her face, and her usually handsome face was now twisted like a demon.
"Xiaoqin, do you love me?"
"I love...I love..." Gao Xiaoqin managed to squeeze out a few words.
"If you love me, do one last thing for me." Zhao Ruilong released her hand and gently stroked her cheek instead. His fingertips were cold and slippery, like a venomous snake crawling across her skin.
"Call Qi Tongwei."
"Use your most pitiful, most helpless voice."
"Tell him I'm surrendering. I'm going to hand over all the shady records, recordings, and videos from the Shanshui Group to him."
"As long as he spares my life."
A cruel, sinister smile curled at the corner of Zhao Ruilong's mouth, his eyes flashing with a desperate, mad glint.
"The location is the abandoned Warehouse No. 3 at Dafeng Factory."
"That place is remote. If someone dies, is buried, or is even burned to ashes, no one will know."
Gao Xiaoqin shuddered violently.
Warehouse No. 3
That was the place where Zhao Ruilong disposed of "dirty stuff" in his early years. There were no surveillance cameras, no people, only buried explosives and countless wronged souls.
This is not surrender.
This is an execution.
"What? You don't want to?" Zhao Ruilong's fingers gradually tightened, his nails digging into Gao Xiaoqin's flesh.
"I'll hit... I'll hit right now..." Gao Xiaoqin closed her eyes in despair, tears streaming down her cheeks.
……
Municipal Public Security Bureau, Director's Office.
The rain finally started falling outside the window.
Large raindrops pounded against the French windows, gathering into winding streaks on the glass, much like gaping wounds.
Qi Tongwei did not turn on the lights.
He sat in the darkness, a newly delivered report on his desk.
Preliminary progress on the reopening of the investigation into the "Crescent Lake female corpse case"
The report is signed by Li Wei.
That "old hand," whom everyone considered useless, on the third day after receiving Qi Tongwei's authorization, was like a mad dog that had smelled blood, managing to bite out a bloody bone from that pile of moldy files.
The suspect is Cheng Du, the security manager of Shanshui Group and Zhao Ruilong's top henchman.
"Quick enough." Qi Tongwei tapped his fingertips lightly on the table.
Just then, the personal cell phone on the table suddenly lit up.
The light on the screen was particularly glaring in the darkness.
Caller ID: Gao Xiaoqin.
Qi Tongwei stared at the name, his eyes unwavering. He had long anticipated this moment. Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall; Zhao Ruilong, when cornered, will naturally bite.
He pressed the answer button but didn't say anything.
A series of rapid breaths came through the receiver, accompanied by suppressed sobs and a deliberately lowered, fear-filled tremor.
"Director Qi... Director Qi..."
"Young Master Zhao... he's gone mad..."
"He told me to trick you into coming out... saying we were going to surrender..."
"At Dafeng Factory, Warehouse No. 3..."
"Director Qi! Please don't come! There's an ambush there! He brought a gun, and...and explosives!"
"He's going to die with us! You..."
Beep, beep, beep.
The call suddenly dropped.
Perhaps she was discovered, or perhaps Gao Xiaoqin's last bit of courage was enough to last this long.
Qi Tongwei put down his phone, his expression eerily calm.
hum-
The field of vision suddenly changed.
[Skill Trigger: Understanding People's Hearts]
Even though they were on the phone, he could still sense the intense, unyielding gray (despair) and the faint green (kindness) in Gao Xiaoqin's emotions just moments before.
This woman switched sides at the last minute.
Perhaps it was because he didn't take advantage of her that night, or perhaps she had long been fed up with being Zhao Ruilong's plaything.
Whether for self-preservation or to repay a debt of gratitude, this intelligence is genuine.
"Warehouse No. 3..."
Qi Tongwei stood up and walked to the safe in the corner of the office.
Enter your password and verify your fingerprint.
Click.
The heavy steel door popped open.
There were no gold bars or US dollars inside, only a pistol lying quietly on a black velvet cloth.
The domestically produced Type 92, with a 5.8 mm caliber.
The grip of the gun was wrapped with anti-slip tape, somewhat worn—a mark left by countless life-or-death battles he fought on the southwestern border during those years. This gun had drunk the blood of drug dealers and saved the lives of his comrades.
Qi Tongwei reached out and gripped the gun handle.
In that instant, the icy touch traveled through his palm, making his blood boil.
This is what truly belongs to him.
It's not about power struggles or official positions, but about the weapon in his hand and the courage to pull the trigger no matter who he's facing.
Click.
Check the magazine and chamber a round.
The movements were fluid and fast, so fast that the afterimages of the fingers were barely visible.
He took off his police uniform, which symbolized authority but also restricted his hands and feet, and casually hung it on a hanger.
He changed into a black tactical jacket, zipping it all the way up to cover his chin.
He tucked the gun into the quick-draw holster at his lower back and straightened his clothes.
No support is needed.
"There's no need for negotiation."
Qi Tongwei straightened his collar as he looked at his reflection in the glass. The man in the mirror had eyes as cold as knives, like a lone wolf about to go into battle.
This is a personal grudge.
It's a debt from two lifetimes, past and present.
If Zhao Ruilong wants to maintain a respectable image, then let him maintain that image.
However, this dignity must be washed away with blood.
Qi Tongwei turned around and pushed open the door, his steps steady, each step seeming to tread on Zhao Ruilong's heartbeat.
Downstairs, it was pouring rain.
The black Audi sped into the rain, its headlights tearing through the darkness, heading towards the direction of Dafeng Factory.
Tonight, the hunt begins.