47: Chapter 47

47

Jiang Haojie's gaze fell on the thin dust kicked up by the wheels, and a thought quietly emerged in his mind.

Jiang Haojie's eyebrows twitched slightly; after a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward and followed.

Since entering the interior of the Bai Group was fraught with difficulties, it would be better to start with their material transport links.

This sort of thing was hardly a first for him.

He trailed the transport vehicle from a moderate distance, only quietly accelerating once it entered the suburban area.

In the driver's cab, Zhou Zhengtu felt inexplicably uneasy. Ever since leaving the Bai Group building, his right eyelid had been twitching incessantly, and a vague sense of panic lingered in his chest.

This was his first time personally escorting a shipment since the last hijacking incident.

"Brother Zhou, you don't look quite right?"

The driver, Xiao Wang, caught a glimpse of his furrowed brow.

"It's nothing."

Zhou Zhengtu waved it off but still couldn't help asking, "Were all the steps confirmed before we set out?"

"Everything was checked three times according to the protocol; it's foolproof."

Xiao Wang's tone was certain.

Hearing this, Zhou Zhengtu breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Jiang Haojie had originally planned to wait until the vehicle had completely left the city to act, but unexpectedly, the truck took several turns through suburban paths and finally drove into an abandoned factory area.

He immediately stopped in his tracks and hid in the shadows to observe—perhaps he should see what these people were actually up to first.

Jiang Haojie did not rashly enter the factory area, instead waiting quietly outside the perimeter wall.

About half an hour later, the truck drove out of the gate again. Its direction was not further outward, but rather turned around to head back toward the city.

His eyes sharpened as he followed silently.

"President Liu, is this true?"

Peng Tian's hand tightened slightly on the receiver.

He had originally thought that the agent codenamed X had already perished in the secret realm. He hadn't expected the other party to not only return alive but also bring back critical intelligence.

This news was truly beyond expectations.

"Regimental Commander Peng, this matter is of great importance; how would I dare to speak falsely?"

Liu Jinglong's voice came through the current. "X has performed the top service this time; the rewards from above must not discourage people's hearts."

"Rest assured, as long as the intelligence is verified as true, not a single cent of the deserved rewards will be missing."

Peng Tian responded in a deep voice.

After ending the call, Liu Jinglong turned to dial the Guard Department's direct line.

...

The piercing sound of brakes suddenly tore through the silence of the street.

Zhou Zhengtu looked up abruptly to see a thin back standing in front of the truck at some point. The familiar figure made his heart skip a beat.

Xiao Wang leaned out the window and cursed loudly, "Are you looking to die? Standing in the middle of the road like it's your own living room!"

He hadn't seen where this person had come from at all, and the shock caused a cold sweat to break out on his back.

This kind of fellow who disregarded life and death was the most infuriating; he simply didn't know how they had survived until today.

"Get the hell out of the way!"

Xiao Wang grumbled as he shifted gears, preparing to start moving.

Just then, the figure in front of the truck slowly turned around.

Zhou Zhengtu heard a clear swallowing sound from his own throat.

When Zhou Zhengtu saw the face of the person blocking the truck, his throat bobbed heavily.

"Go,"

He lowered his voice, almost through gritted teeth, to the driver beside him. "Go immediately."

It was actually him.

It really was him.

Zhou Zhengtu's heart thrashed wildly in his chest.

Previously, he had only glimpsed a back, and that blurry silhouette had already given him an ominous premonition. He hadn't expected the premonition to come true.

No wonder his right eyelid had been twitching since early this morning; it turned out to be fulfilled here.

The driver, Xiao Wang, was stunned by the figure that had suddenly appeared in the headlights.

The person wore a strange mask that glinted with a cold, hard luster in the dim light.

Xiao Wang's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. This mask... he seemed to have seen it somewhere, but for a moment, he couldn't recall where.

"Hurry up and go!"

Zhou Zhengtu's voice suddenly rose, almost to a roar.

"Brother Zhou, what's..."

Xiao Wang didn't get to finish his sentence.

The figure outside had noiselessly approached the driver's side door and reached out to pull—the door lock was like a mere decoration, easily yanked open by him.

Jiang Haojie tilted his head slightly, his gaze passing over Xiao Wang to land directly on Zhou Zhengtu's face in the passenger seat. A cold smile curled at the corners of his mouth. "We meet again."

His voice was very steady. "You haven't forgotten my rules, have you?"

"Who the hell are you? To dare be so..."

Xiao Wang was young and impetuous. Seeing the newcomer so arrogant, his temper flared up instantly, and he shouted before Zhou Zhengtu could speak.

Before his words could finish.

A crisp and clean slap accompanied by the sound of wind struck.

Xiao Wang didn't even see how the other party moved before he was slammed into the steering wheel by a massive force.

After the dull thud of his forehead hitting the hard object, warm liquid immediately flowed down along his brow bone.

His vision went dark, his ears rang, and he slumped in the seat, unable to move for a long time.

Jiang Haojie didn't spare him another glance. He leaned in, grabbed Xiao Wang's collar, and dragged him out of the driver's seat like a piece of junk, casually tossing him onto the cold road.

Then, he turned to the pale-faced man in the truck.

"And you,"

Jiang Haojie asked, "do I need to 'invite' you down?"

The last bit of color drained from Zhou Zhengtu's face.

He stiffly twitched the corners of his mouth, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying. He hurriedly unbuckled his seatbelt, pushed open the door himself, and stumbled out to stand before Jiang Haojie.

He knew very well that the person before him was not someone he could afford to provoke.

Any resistance or wishful thinking would only make the outcome uglier.

"Just now,"

Jiang Haojie's gaze swept over the direction they had come from, "what business were you attending to?"

"No... nothing,"

Zhou Zhengtu's tongue was tied, his voice trembling. "Just... just a regular run..."

"Not telling the truth?"

Jiang Haojie flexed his wrist, his knuckles letting out a clear crack.

That sound was like a key, instantly opening a box of fear in Zhou Zhengtu's memory.

He shuddered all over, no longer daring to hide anything, his words coming out as fast as beans pouring from a bag: "Delivering, delivering goods! I went to deliver goods!"

"Delivering goods?"

Jiang Haojie's brow arched slightly. "Or... picking up goods?"

"It was delivering... delivering goods..."

Zhou Zhengtu's voice grew quiet.

Jiang Haojie stopped questioning him and turned toward the back of the truck.

He had to see for himself what the Bai Group was transporting this time.

The cargo door lock snapped open in his hand. It was empty inside, with only an indescribable faint scent lingering in the air.

He closed the door and walked back to Zhou Zhengtu. "The rules remain as before.

Go back and tell Xu Jing that I've taken this shipment."

His tone was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable weight. "Now, get lost."

Zhou Zhengtu felt as if he'd been granted a grand amnesty. He didn't dare stay for a second, scrambling to help up the still-dazed Xiao Wang and stumbling back the way they came in a panic, not even having the courage to look back.

It seems that guy wasn't lying... Jiang Haojie watched their retreating backs as they disappeared into the night, his fingertips unconsciously stroking his chin.

So, what exactly did they deliver?

He turned, his gaze casting toward the suburban fields shrouded in darkness at the edge of the city.

It seems necessary to go take another look at that factory.

...

After walking a long distance until the lonely truck and that terrifying figure were no longer visible, Xiao Wang finally cleared his head slightly from his grogginess.

Clutching his still-aching and bleeding forehead, his voice was distorted by fear and anger: "Brother Zhou... what the hell is that guy's background? To... to not even care about the Bai Group..."

Zhou Zhengtu's steps were unsteady; hearing this, he only shook his head bitterly. "Who is he?"

He croaked out that heart-pounding codename, "He is 'X'."

After speaking, his trembling hand fished out his phone, the screen light illuminating his deathly pale face.

He found the name and pressed the call button.

The phone was quickly answered, and a series of sweet, heavy breaths came through the receiver, mixed with intermittent moans.

Any adult could understand what was happening on the other end.

"Madam—"

As soon as Zhou Zhengtu spoke, he was interrupted by a long-drawn-out moan.

"Mmh... you... ah... go ahead, I'm listening... mmh..."

"Madam, X has appeared.

He hijacked our truck and even found that secret base in the suburbs."

As soon as the words fell, the breathing on the other end of the phone abruptly stopped.

"What did you say?"

Zhou Zhengtu repeated his words.

"Understood."

Xu Jing's voice instantly turned cold, and the call was immediately cut off.

She pushed Bai Wenluo off her body, her breath not yet fully recovered. "Stop it, something's happened."

After hearing the brief summary, Bai Wenluo's eyes turned dark. "Contact Kamo.

Tell him to deal with X."

He hadn't had time to deal with that fellow lately, yet he jumped out on his own and even dared to actively provoke them.

This time, he must be thoroughly resolved, leaving no future troubles.

Xu Jing dialed the number directly.

"Oh, dear Madam Bai, how did you guess I was thinking of you?"

A cynical tease came through the receiver.

Xu Jing's tone was flat. "Kamo, X has appeared.

At the suburban base.

Haven't you always wanted to clear your name?"

"Very well."

The voice on the other side immediately turned to ice. "I didn't expect him to dare show his face.

Leave it to me."

At the same moment, on the outskirts of the suburban factory.

Jiang Haojie had returned here.

There were guards, but they were much more lax.

Taking advantage of when no one was looking, his figure flashed, and he silently vaulted over the wall, landing inside the factory area.

Before long, he crept to a window and peered inside.

Inside were only a few rusty old machine tools; it was abnormally empty.

Something was wrong.

He had seen the Bai family's truck enter this place with his own eyes.

If it were really this ordinary, why would they need to come personally?

Jiang Haojie pondered for a moment and decided to go in and investigate.

He seized an opening and slipped into the factory building like a shadow.

Moving while holding his breath, he skillfully avoided all surveillance cameras.

Gradually, an anomaly emerged.

He discovered that this single-story factory building actually contained an elevator.

What use was an elevator for one floor? Since there was no way up, then the real space—was likely hidden below.

Confirming no one was around, Jiang Haojie slipped into the elevator car.

On the button panel, the "B1"

indicator was indeed lit.

A man of great skill is bold.

He pressed the button, and the elevator slowly descended.

The elevator doors slid open, and Jiang Haojie stepped onto the basement level.

He looked around, and the sight before him made him furrow his brow slightly, a flash of surprise crossing his expression.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of a mixture of rust and disinfectant.

Jiang Haojie's gaze swept over the silhouettes floating in the eerie blue liquid. Giant glass columns were like silent tombstones, imprisoning non-human things.

He had once fought these distorted creations; now they were soaked here in rows, serving as cold footnotes to some mad plan.

Further away, more containers were on display. What they held were no longer complete forms, but various unspeakable biological tissues, glinting with a moist and bizarre luster under the dismal light.

Bai Group.

Xu Jing.

These two names were silently ground between his teeth.

Using humans as material and flesh as bricks to construct this secret underground workshop of evil.

Under the high-hanging sword of Dragon City's laws, someone actually dared to extend forbidden tentacles toward the bodies of their fellow countrymen.

Organ trafficking in the past, a melting pot of flesh today—any single one of these was enough to drag the entire group into an abyss beyond redemption.

He took out a communicator, the lens steadily recording this purgatory-like scene.

Light and shadow shifted, sealing the evidence.

Immediately, he dialed that number.

"Mr. X?"

Liu Jinglong's voice came through with its habitual hint of a smile.

"Sending you a merit."

Jiang Haojie was concise, transmitting what he saw along with the coordinates.

After a brief silence, Liu Jinglong's tone changed, the smile vanishing completely: "...Related to the Bai family? This matter is no small thing. Mr. X, how did you find such a place?"

He seemed to realize his questioning was blunt and added, "It's not that I don't believe you, but when reporting upward, there needs to be a clear origin."

"You are well aware of my entanglement with the Bai family."

Jiang Haojie's voice sounded exceptionally calm in the empty laboratory. "I was originally tracking a shipment of materials, but unexpectedly stumbled through this door."

"I understand."

Don't move from your spot; I'll come immediately."

The communication cut off.

Jiang Haojie did not wait. His gaze was like a probe, moving between the cold machinery and the stacked documents.

His finger brushed the edge of a metal office desk, and he smoothly pulled open one of the drawers.

There were no documents or items as he had expected.