Proofreader:Sandra

Chapter 162

On the morning when Lu Siyu and his brother were taken out of school by the driver, the sky seemed to be a shade of blue-green, and the scenery along the river was especially beautiful. The reeds swayed with the wind, vast and lovely, while the entire world was eerily quiet.

As a young child, he didn’t understand why the driver suddenly changed routes and brought them to this unfamiliar place. Where were they? Who were they waiting for?

The car doors were securely locked, and his brother couldn’t open them.

The driver, nervous and uneasy, kept wiping his sweat, repeatedly saying he was sorry.

Then someone arrived. The driver led them to the riverside, walking twenty meters along the embankment before stopping in front of a man who was smoking. The man’s body reeked of an unpleasant smoke smell, and he only turned his head to look at them when they arrived, towering over them with a condescending gaze.

It was then that Lu Siyu realized they might have been sold by the driver…

The person they trusted had turned into a sharp blade aimed at their hearts.

In hindsight, there had been signs all along. This driver was a distant cousin of theirs. Though he seemed honest and straightforward, he often expressed envy toward them, saying how fortunate they were to be born into wealth.

He would frequently say while driving, “If only I had your family’s money, I’d do this and that.” Looking back, his words were full of jealousy.

Being a driver wasn’t a demanding job, but he took the kindness shown to him as condescension, feeling that he had been turned into a servant by his relatives, and that driving them around was a form of humiliation.

Money, indeed, is the root of all evil… Even relatives can betray each other for profit. Stirred up by others, he committed this act.

The driver seemed to be discussing money with the man, talking about how difficult it had been for him, how much risk he had taken, and how he should get a larger share of the money afterward, completely unaware that he was bargaining with a tiger.

The man grew impatient, and casually drew a gun from behind, raising it, and with a loud bang, the shot was fired.

Lu Siyu, frightened, covered his ears. The quiet riverside echoed with the sound, startling a few birds into flight. His brother whispered beside him, “Don’t look back.”

Then he heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground, smelled the scent of gunpowder, and then the metallic tang of blood. It was then that he realized the sound he had heard was the driver collapsing to the ground—the last sound he would make in this world.

The man lowered his head, wiping the gun in his hand. He had done it so casually, as if he hadn’t just killed a person, but had merely fired a random shot into the air.

At that moment, Lu Siyu didn’t listen to his brother’s advice. Still scared, he sneaked a glance back. The cousin who had always driven them was now lying in a pool of blood, his eyes still open. It was the first corpse Lu Siyu had ever seen.

That sense of impending death made him feel sick, as if his heart had lost its ability to pump blood, his entire body encased in ice. He was terrified, scared that he or his brother might be next.

Soon, someone lifted the driver’s body, tossing it off the embankment into the turbulent river below, as if discarding a piece of trash.

A black cloth was then tied over his eyes, and his hands were bound with rope, chafing his wrists painfully. He and his brother were taken to another car, and he could see nothing, only smell the unpleasant scent of perfume and smoke in the car.

His brother whispered in his ear, “Don’t be afraid, Sisi, Mom and Dad will come to rescue us, and so will the police.”

With his eyes covered, Lu Siyu wondered, had Mom and Dad realized they were missing? Would the police really come? When would they come? Would they save them?

It all felt like a nightmare, and he began to doubt whether he was even awake. Perhaps all of this was just a dream, but reality told him that things were only going to get worse.

Someone started the car, and the ride was extremely bumpy. His vision remained pitch black, his fingertips were icy, and he trembled with fear. He had no idea who these people were or where they were taking them. He silently counted the seconds, trying to figure out how long the drive had been. After about half an hour, the car finally stopped.

“We…we…we’ve arrived, get out!” A stuttering, burly man roughly dragged him and his brother out of the car.

They had reached their destination, and the burly man pulled down the cloth that had covered his eyes.

In front of them stood a very dilapidated small building, barely qualifying as a villa, seemingly an illegal construction standing in the wilderness, long abandoned.

The surroundings were overgrown with wild vegetation. The place was desolate, far from the city; even if they screamed, no one would hear them.

Another car pulled up at the entrance, and he saw his father and mother being dragged out of the car by a tall, thin man.

Their hands were also tied, and their mouths were stuffed with cloth. They were injured, and his heart sank. He called out softly, “Mom.”

He saw his mother’s body tremble, while his father’s head hung low, his face covered by something, hiding his expression.

Then, the man with the cigarette walked over, and the other two addressed him by name: “Brother Rong.”

The man called Brother Rong checked the time: “Good job, right on time. Everything went smoothly. What about the nanny?”

The tall, thin man calmly replied, “She’s already been taken care of.”

They were led toward the villa. He raised his head in confusion and asked, “What is this place…”

Before he could react, someone kicked him hard in the torso, sending a sharp pain through his internal organs. He fell to the ground, which was damp and muddy. He struggled to get up, glaring angrily at the man who had kicked him.

It was the same stuttering, burly man. With hands on his hips, he said, “You…you…little bastards, you’d better…better…behave! Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t ask.”

“Don’t hit my brother…” His older brother tried to help him up, only to be slapped by the burly man.

Sensing their plight, his mother and father let out muffled sounds, struggling desperately. The sound reminded him of a dying swan.

“Dakui, don’t be so tense. If they want to ask, just answer them.” The man called Brother Rong spoke, extending his cigarette-scented hand to pat the top of his head.

“This is Yaojiafang Tourist Area, right on the outskirts of Nancheng. The people here are really wasting resources, getting land approved but not developing it. They built such a nice house, yet no one moved in.” He squatted down, smiling as he answered, “This is the grave I’ve prepared for you…”

Despair engulfed him. In that instant, he realized that they might not make it out of this house alive.

At that time, he never imagined that this was just the beginning; the following week would be a living hell.

If they had to die, perhaps a quick gunshot would be a blessing compared to the torture they were about to endure.

Countless scenes overlapped, memories tearing his body into fragments. He felt pain inside and out.

He felt a strong sense of weightlessness, as if his body was in a constant state of falling. Just when it seemed like he was about to hit the ground, he would continue to plummet, as if the next moment would shatter him into pieces.

This waiting felt like being sliced apart, with death, curses, and hunger shadowing him. No matter how he struggled, it felt like being caught in a tightening net, until a sliver of light broke through the darkness…

Then he realized it was the light in the room.

“Siyu… Lu Siyu?”

Lu Siyu’s consciousness gradually cleared. It was Song Wen calling him. The dream had been too real.

He fought through a wave of dizziness and opened his eyes. Song Wen was looking down at him, the orange-yellow light shining down.

The typhoon hadn’t passed yet; the wind outside was even louder, almost terrifying, with distant howls that sounded like sea monsters roaring.

Something, maybe branches, slapped against the walls, making a sharp “pa” sound. Listening to those noises, the whole villa didn’t seem that safe anymore.

Lu Siyu felt his body growing cold, and his stomach also started to feel uncomfortable. It was probably because he had heard too much about the past during the day and learned the truth of the matter, that he ended up dreaming about that day…

Song Wen reached out to touch his forehead and asked, “Did you have a nightmare?”

Earlier in the night, Song Wen had noticed that Lu Siyu started pulling the quilt over to his side. When he touched him, although his temperature wasn’t high, Lu Siyu’s forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Lu Siyu responded with a soft “Mm.” Under the light, his face appeared ghostly pale, devoid of any color. After a moment, he said, “I have a bit of a stomachache.”

He wasn’t sure if the dream had affected his mood, or if the pain during sleep had caused him to have that dream.

“You brought medicine, right?” Song Wen said as he got out of bed. When Lu Siyu said “a bit,” it usually meant it was serious. When he said “it’s fine,” it meant there was a problem.

Song Wen went to boil some water. He remembered that when Lu Siyu was packing his things earlier, he had indeed brought some medicine.

“I did. It’s in the right pocket of my bag,” Lu Siyu said, leaning back against the pillow to prop himself up. After a pause, he added, “Could you give me a painkiller too?”

Lu Siyu sat on the edge of the bed, pressing his hands against his abdomen, enduring the pain quietly while watching Song Wen busy himself.

If it weren’t for the person in front of him, Lu Siyu thought he might have lost everything by now.

In his quest for revenge, he had forfeited his original identity in human society. For the sake of the truth, he was willing to burn all bridges and pay any price.

The person known as Lu Siyu might never appear again.

But now, Song Wen had forcibly pulled him back onto the right track.

Upon hearing Lu Siyu’s request, Song Wen paused while rummaging through the bag. He then realized that they were on an island, and with the storm raging outside, he couldn’t bear to think what would happen if Lu Siyu’s stomach condition flared up now.

Song Wen didn’t argue further and brought the medicine over. Lu Siyu’s pitiful tone had softened his heart, so he gave him one pill, saying, “This is all you get. Don’t take any more after we get back.”

Lu Siyu hummed in response, took the medicine, and then swallowed one of his stomach pills as well. He checked his phone—it was a little after 2 AM, and the internet was still down.

It seemed that the typhoon had indeed affected the island’s base stations. But the timing of the internet outage was strange; it had occurred just after their boat arrived, long before the typhoon had hit.

Now, stranded on this isolated island, anything could happen.

After putting away the medication, Song Wen noticed that Lu Siyu seemed restless and unable to fall back asleep.

Sitting at the head of the bed, wrapped in the coat Song Wen had handed him, Lu Siyu leaned against the pillow, listening to the howling wind outside. The wind sounded very close, as if it were right in his ear. The thin walls seemed incapable of blocking out the storm, and the entire villa felt like it was teetering on the brink of collapse.

It wasn’t his first time experiencing a typhoon, but it was the first time he had encountered such a storm on a small island. It made him acutely aware of how insignificant humans are in the face of nature, as if they could be mercilessly wiped out at any moment.

Lu Siyu spoke softly, “Song Wen, I dreamed about those things from the past…”

Song Wen hummed in acknowledgment and sat back down beside him. “If you can’t sleep, I can keep you company and chat with you.”

Lowering his head, Lu Siyu said, “When I go back to the city bureau… do you think I can still continue being a police officer?” He was never one to navigate social situations easily; sometimes, he acted purely on impulse, without regard for others’ opinions.

He had left without explaining things clearly before, disappearing without a trace, without caring about the consequences. It wasn’t hard to imagine how his colleagues and superiors would view him.

Song Wen asked him in return, “Why wouldn’t you be able to? You didn’t kill anyone, break the law, or betray your identity. Misunderstandings can always be cleared up. Once they understand your concerns, they’ll come around. I also promised Commissioner Gu that I’d look into Captain Xu’s case. We still need to figure out who leaked the information from the city bureau.”

Previously, Lu Siyu had left without notice to follow up on the 519 case. Now, even though Xu Changying had passed away, they had obtained that notebook and crucial evidence related to the case.

Lu Siyu continued to lower his head, his eyelashes casting a shadow under the light as he muttered, “But before, I…”

Song Wen looked at him and said, “Don’t worry, I’m here, you’ll eventually need to face your identity…”

Song Wen’s words reassured Lu Siyu. He cradled the cup in his hands and said, “Before I came to the Nancheng City Bureau, Teacher Wu had once told me that while I could handle other cases myself, I needed to be cautious with the 519 case and not trust anyone here. I feel like Teacher Wu might have known something back then.”

Song Wen recalled something and asked, “Did you also contact Teacher Wu regarding the Wushan Nursing Home case?”

At this point, Lu Siyu decided not to hide anything from Song Wen. He nodded lightly, “Teacher Wu was particularly concerned about that case.”

Lu Siyu then asked, “After I left, did you meet with your dad?”

Song Wen shook his head, “I called Commissioner Gu to ask for leave, saying you needed a few days off and that I had some things to deal with. Afterward, I told him that I would investigate the truth behind Xu Changying’s case when I returned.”

Lu Siyu looked surprised, “So Commissioner Gu approved it?”

Song Wen replied, “Commissioner Gu said that given the gravity of the situation, we needed to take some time to adjust. However, due to the urgency, he could only grant me a few days. During this time, he’ll handle things for me, but afterward, I’ll need to return to my duties.”

Lu Siyu calculated the time and realized that the few days of leave would align perfectly with the end of the holiday, allowing them to return then.

Whether for merit or fault, there would be evaluations, especially with Song Cheng. No matter how it was calculated, it was unavoidable.

Song Wen, sensing Lu Siyu’s concern about returning, comforted him, “With our combined efforts, there’s nothing we can’t resolve.”

With Song Wen by his side, it felt like any problem would be easily solved. Lu Siyu looked at him and said, “I want to find out who the White Whale is.”

Song Wen nodded, “We will find that person.” Then he asked, “Are you still in pain?”

Lu Siyu shook his head, indicating that the medication seemed to be taking effect.

Song Wen glanced at his watch. Unknowingly, they had been talking for twenty minutes. “It’s almost 3 AM. Are you going to try to sleep?”

Lu Siyu, having talked for a while and feeling a bit more relaxed, said, “I’m not very sleepy right now, but I’ll give it a try…”

Just as they were talking, a huge noise suddenly came from outside the window.

It sounded like the earth had been heavily struck, or like a meteor with fiery trails had crashed down. The ground trembled, and the glass in the villa rattled loudly.

Immediately afterward, a red glow erupted from the left side of the window. Song Wen, barefoot, quickly moved to the window and pulled back the curtain.

In the pitch-black night, amidst the wind and rain, a fire had started behind the cake shop.

Song Wen stared in shock and said, “The cake shop exploded!”

At this moment, the explosion seemed far from over. Fireballs continued to rise, with fierce flames and smoke lighting up the sky.

Song Wen’s first reaction was to quickly put on his outerwear and see if he could rescue anyone. Lu Siyu also saw the fire outside and quickly got up, saying, “With such a large explosion, there must be flammable materials. It could be a short circuit that ignited a place storing nitrous oxide…”

The explosion on Nansha Island happened very suddenly in the early morning.

The other guests at the Happy Hostel were clearly startled awake by the explosion. Uncle Wang, who lived on the first floor, was the first to react. He put on his pajamas and went to the lobby, squinting sleepily at the outside, and then was stunned by the scene before him.

Outside the hotel, a storm raged with howling waves, as if the entire island was about to be swallowed by the frenzied sea.

Outside the guesthouse, in the direction of the cake shop, a violent blaze was burning. The fire shot up nearly ten meters high, like a massive torch in the night sky.

The window in front of them rattled as if it would shatter at any moment.

The scene was akin to hell on earth.

Guests on the second floor clambered down in a panic. Two girls in pajamas, not bothering to put on shoes, rushed downstairs.

Teacher Su, even more flustered, shouted, “Was there an earthquake? Or did it trigger a tsunami?”

Amy also ran downstairs from the second floor, asking, “What’s happening?”

Chen Zui followed behind, shouting, “Did you see the fire?” Then he suddenly remembered something and muttered, “Oh no… all that nitrous oxide must be destroyed!”

Tourists gathered downstairs, peering through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the guesthouse.

From this vantage point, the view was much clearer than from upstairs. The cake shop, just a few dozen meters away, was already engulfed in flames.

The fire continued to spread, fiercely burning in the typhoon, with explosions ringing out constantly.

No one had expected such an accident to occur on the island during this typhoon night.

Song Wen and Lu Siyu, who had been staying on the third floor, were a few seconds late in coming down. They reached the lobby and rushed outside.

Uncle Wang asked them, “Hey, hey, it’s dangerous! Where are you going?”

Song Wen replied simply, “To rescue people!”

Teacher Su also reacted and shouted, “Wait for me, I’m coming too!” Then he remembered something and warned them, “Don’t wear raincoats, they’re flammable!”