Luo Yu, hearing Song Lingyuan’s words, excitedly shifted his body closer to him to look, eagerly stretching his head between Song Lingyuan and the phone screen.

On the phone was a photo of a man.

“That’s him!” Luo Yu immediately recognized him, “Doctor Duan, the one who wanted to send me to the afterlife.”

Luo Yu’s fluffy head brushed past the tip of Song Lingyuan’s nose, causing Song Lingyuan to stiffen:

“Sit properly.”

Luo Yu, confused, turned his head, the tips of his hair scented with orange and citrus brushing against Song Lingyuan’s nose again.

Luo Yu felt a bit of danger when he met Song Lingyuan’s gaze, so he carefully shrank his head back, sitting properly with his legs crossed on the sofa.

“How can you tell the truth from just one photo?”

Song Lingyuan deliberately created some distance between them before tapping on the photo on his phone: “This person is named Duan Dong, and he’s my uncle.”

“Your uncle? The doctor trying to harm me is the uncle of our association’s president?” Luo Yu incredulously slapped the sofa, “With this, you still say it has nothing to do with your association!”

However, he noticed Song Lingyuan’s expression suddenly became serious:

“I haven’t seen him since twenty years ago when Duan Dong drove us out of our home to protect himself.”

“We? Who are we?” Luo Yu blinked, not understanding.

Song Lingyuan suddenly stood up, looking as though he was about to leave, then stopped after a few steps, turning around to pull Luo Yu up from the sofa:

“This place is not safe. You’re coming with me.”

Luo Yu stumbled a few steps: “Where to?”

Song Lingyuan’s voice was cold: “To find the mastermind behind all the troubles and confront him directly.”

Luo Yu was pulled out of the meeting room: “But you haven’t told me who it is yet!”

Song Lingyuan’s expression was not good: “We’ll talk in the car.”

Luo Yu had no choice but to follow Song Lingyuan to the elevator, taking it down to the underground parking lot.

A sleek, deep black colored business vehicle was already waiting in the parking lot, followed by two fully armed security vehicles.

Song Lingyuan gestured for Luo Yu to get in the car first, then he got in and instructed the driver: “Driver Xu, take us to the Management Committee in A City.”

The driver, Xu, replied quietly, and the vehicle started.

The Management Committee?

Luo Yu recalled the initial research he had done—after a great war, the world was divided into Zones A to G, and each region was governed by eleven people who formed the Management Committee of that zone.

All resolutions were collectively decided by the Management Committee.

The last time Luo Yu heard the term “Management Committee” was from Wen Li—

Wen Li had mentioned that Song Lingyuan had a biological brother named Duan Yixun, who was the President of the current Management Committee in Zone A.

Could it be that when Song Lingyuan referred to “us,” he meant himself and Duan Yixun?

“Are we going to find your brother?” Various clues in Luo Yu’s mind connected, and he looked at Song Lingyuan, whose face was grimmed.

“How do you know?” Song Lingyuan suddenly turned his head to look at him, his tone extremely unfriendly.

Luo Yu was taken aback and hesitated, saying, “Didn’t you just say you were going to the Management Committee…”

Song Lingyuan spoke in a low voice, as if interrogating him: “I’m asking, how do you know that the current president of the Management Committee is my brother?”

Luo Yu’s eyelids twitched.

He had thought this was common knowledge; he didn’t realize it was a special secret!

He slowly, humbly lowered his head:

“I only heard it through the grapevine and was just talking nonsense! President Song, please don’t hold it against a mere university student like me…”

“Your gossip is quite abundant.” Song Lingyuan’s expression softened slightly as he glanced at him before quickly returning his gaze, “Yes, I’m going to find Duan Yixun to see what kind of tricks he’s pulling behind my back.”

Tricks?

Luo Yu understood.

Song Lingyuan suspected that all of this was orchestrated by his biological brother!

After all, the only person who could choose Song Lingyuan’s own uncle as a confidant, besides himself, was President Duan Yixun!

No wonder there were different accounts from the association and the Hypnos League it turned out there was a third party involved!

Not long after the vehicle left the parking lot, Song Lingyuan’s phone rang again.

This time it was his assistant, Li Rui.

“President!”

Li Rui’s voice was quite tense.

“The analysis result of the drug has come out; it is indeed a nti-sleep-inhibiting drug, but it’s different—”

“Get to the conclusion,” Song Lingyuan impatiently interrupted him.

“Right.” Li Rui forced himself to calm down, “The pill that Doctor Zheng delivered to Luo Yu is a remade anti sleep-inhibiting drug. Therefore, in terms of appearance, smell, and taste, it is indistinguishable from regular anti-sleep-inhibiting drugs, but the components… far exceed the general anti-sleep meds and surpass the limits of what the human body can tolerate.”

“This remade drug has a high chance of causing the body to fall into a coma or even death within a short time after consumption!”

The name of the component was quite technical, and Luo Yu couldn’t catch it all.

But he knew that wasn’t the main point; the crucial part was the final conclusion—

That pill was actually the weapon meant to kill him, and he had nearly died again!

Luo Yu’s heart raced as he turned to look at Song Lingyuan, but he saw that this person appeared quite calm, as if all of this was already within his expectations:

“I understand. Keep this matter confidential; do not disclose it to anyone.”

Li Rui replied, “Understood!”

Song Lingyuan paused for a moment: “Go check the drug warehouse and see how the routine inspection results came out today.”

The association has millions of drug warehouses worldwide, supplying the required drugs to sleep hospitals every day, which are then distributed to various drug collection points.

The underground facility of the association was the largest drug warehouse in A City.

“Got it. I’m heading there now.”

On the other end of the line, Li Rui’s hurried footsteps could be heard as he spoke while walking:

“A few hours ago, the inspectors in the warehouse just submitted yesterday’s inspection report, and the data shows everything is normal. You can rest assured, President; the inspectors are our people, and they have been conducting daily checks on the drugs stored in the warehouse for the past two years. They have never found any abnormal drugs mixed in… Hey, why is this door closed?”

Suddenly, the sound of knocking on a metal door came from the other end of the line.

“Bang—Bang—”

Empty and heavy.

Li Rui seemed to sense that something was off and shouted several names.

Song Lingyuan frowned: “What’s going on?”

A few seconds later, Li Rui replied in terror: “President, the drug warehouse has been locked from the inside, and the door won’t open; no one is responding inside! I’m going to find someone to pry the door open now.”

Song Lingyuan’s expression instantly darkened, and he clenched his fist tightly.

The lock on the drug warehouse was extremely hard, and it would take some time to pry it open.

However, Song Lingyuan immediately sensed something was wrong.

The person who locked the warehouse must still be inside; even if their intention was to destroy the abnormal drugs, they would definitely be caught once the door was opened.

In a flash of insight, Song Lingyuan realized everything!

For him, prying open the door was just wasting time.

And the factor most affected by time was the consumption level of the drugs that had been sent to various collection points today!

—In Zone A, the time for drug distribution at collection points around the world is from eleven to midnight every night.

It was already 10:30 PM, and the bulk distribution of today’s drugs was about to begin.

If they were delayed by the locked drug warehouse, they might miss the most important evidence!

“Driver Xu, turn back to the headquarters.”

Song Lingyuan glanced at the rearview mirror and spoke into the phone:

“Li Rui, arrange for the security team to handle the door prying. Immediately call the transportation department to urgently recall all the sleep-inhibiting drugs sent out today.”

“Okay…” Li Rui was about to comply when suddenly his head buzzed, “President, all of today’s?”

“All of them worldwide?”

“It’s about to start distribution; if we recall these drugs, what will be sent out today?”

Song Lingyuan’s tone was steady: “First, announce an upgrade of the drugs; delay the global release of all medications by a few hours.”

Li Rui’s voice trembled but he tried to remain calm: “Then in these few hours, we need to…”

Song Lingyuan interrupted: “Conduct component testing on all drugs that are about to be distributed today. I suspect they’ve been mixed with remade drugs!”

Upon hearing this, both Li Rui on the phone and Luo Yu in the car held their breaths.

What did Song Lingyuan mean?

Li Rui said, “President, do you suspect someone tampered with the drugs during transportation? But testing all medications worldwide isn’t possible in just a few hours…”

Song Lingyuan responded, “Recall them first and do as I say. I’ll figure out the rest later.”

Song Lingyuan quickly hung up the phone, frowning as he turned to Luo Yu:

“Do you believe me now? Someone wants to kill you, and it’s not me.”

Luo Yu nodded, feeling as if his soul had left his body.

“If I’m not mistaken, the reason you almost died before was also due to taking this remade drug.”

Luo Yu connected all the dots and broke out in a cold sweat: “So this is intentional poisoning—”

Before Luo Yu could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Song Lingyuan’s tense voice:

“Driver Xu, I told you to turn back to the association. Where are you heading now?”

“This isn’t the way to the Management Committee!”

As soon as Song Lingyuan finished speaking, Driver Xu did not respond, and the entire vehicle fell into a deadly silence.

Suddenly, a voice that sounded wet and cold, like a snake’s hiss, came from the black phone next to Driver Xu:

“Brother.”

At the same time, the phone screen lit up.

They were on a call, and the duration showed one hour and eighteen minutes.

“Have you been blinded by a beauty? This car has been driving for almost twenty minutes, and you just realized it’s not the route to the Management Committee?”

Brother?

Luo Yu quickly reacted.

This was Song Lingyuan’s biological brother, Duan Yixun, the President of the Management committee in Zone A!

He had been eavesdropping on their conversation!

Luo Yu turned his head to look at Song Lingyuan, who had a face like thunder;^[1]This is an idiom meaning, look extremely angry if his brother were standing right in front of him, he might just punch him.

“Duan Yixun, once the recalled drugs are all tested and found to have abnormal sleep-inhibiting components, I will immediately file a lawsuit against you.”

Song Lingyuan’s voice was colder than the car’s air conditioning, but on the phone, Duan Yixun laughed heartily:

“Even if the components are abnormal, what does it have to do with me? Don’t pour dirty water on me; anti-sleep-inhibiting drugs are your association’s project…”

Song Lingyuan leaned forward, staring at the phone screen:

“The grounds for the lawsuit would be eavesdropping on association secrets.”

“Each zone’s committee is prohibited from using any means to influence the decisions of the association; that alone is enough to get you dismissed.”

On the other end of the phone, Duan Yixun clearly hadn’t expected Song Lingyuan to say this. He immediately understood he had been trapped, paused for a moment, then quickly laughed again:

“Good brother, tell me, how do you think the public will react to the association’s sudden recall of these drugs?”

“Will they not be more suspicious of the drugs having hidden dangers?”

“If in a few days, when the testing results come out, the public finds out that the medication they have been taking for thirty years has been mixed with poison, do you think they will still be willing to obediently take their medication?”

Song Lingyuan’s voice turned icy: “I’ll take care of the association’s matters; you don’t need to interfere.”

But Duan Yixun laughed even more triumphantly: “Brother, I’m actually very interested in how you will handle this; unfortunately, now that you’re in the car, there are only two paths left for you.”

“Either back off, or die.”

Luo Yu felt the vehicle suddenly accelerate, and he immediately grasped the seatbelt tightly!

In the pitch-black night, this business car was speeding down a strange, deserted road!

A fragmented moon hung at the end of the road, and faintly visible there was a desolate lake!

At the same time, several black vehicles suddenly appeared by the roadside, seemingly having lain in wait for a long time, surrounding the two security vehicles following behind.

The sound of gunfire pierced the air!

Luo Yu swallowed hard and turned to look at Song Lingyuan, who squinted at the rearview mirror.

In the mirror, beads of sweat had already formed on Driver Xu’s forehead, his hands unsteady on the wheel, but he still slammed down on the accelerator.

On the phone, Duan Yixun waited patiently before continuing:

“Brother, as long as you immediately stop recalling the anti-sleep-inhibiting drugs and no longer interfere with this matter, I can spare you and the little streamer in the car a way out.”

“Today, it was my people who acted too hastily; they were in the wrong, and I will teach them a lesson. If you back off, we can pretend this never happened. What do you say?”

Song Lingyuan’s chest heaved violently: “Duan Yixun! You’ve mixed lethal drugs into the anti sleep-inhibiting drugs; you’re killing people! What exactly do you want?”

Duan Yixun’s laughter grew increasingly flippant:

“Sorry, but my objectives are temporarily confidential.”

“But if you continue to investigate this matter, you’ll be the one I kill. Xu, the driver, has been with you for ten years, right? Letting him take you both to your deaths would be fulfilling his duty.”

“After that, as the President of Zone A, I will temporarily taking over the responsibilities of the association’s president. All the issues that arise from the anti-sleep-inhibiting drugs will be borne by you, the deceased.”

Luo Yu had been quietly listening to their conversation until he couldn’t help but curse:

“Are you crazy?”

“Is that the lovely little streamer?”

Duan Yixun, hearing Luo Yu’s voice, responded with a warm laugh:

“Streamer Luo Yu, I’ve watched your Live stream; you’re quite charming. If I had a choice, I really wouldn’t want to send you and my unfortunate brother to die together… Unfortunately, given my brother’s character, he would probably only choose the dead end.”

Luo Yu: …

Why did he always have to face death in this world?

If he couldn’t sleep, he would die; if he did sleep, he would die; if he live-streamed, he would die; if his live stream was shut down, he would die!

Could he have one peaceful day?

With a beep, he saw Song Lingyuan reach out and hang up the phone mercilessly.

Then came a “crack.”

A clear, crisp sound.

Luo Yu turned his head sharply and saw that Song Lingyuan had pulled a gleaming silver gun from his pocket.

“Stop the car.”

Song Lingyuan pressed the loaded silver gun against Driver Xu’s temple.

“P-President, I can’t stop. If I stop, I haven’t completed my mission, my family will die, and my granddaughter is still in his hands…”

Driver Xu looked to be in his fifties, with deep wrinkles on his face, and two streams of hot tears flowed down the furrows:

“President, please stop your command on retracting the anti-sleeping pills by retracting your order we can all live, and my family can live too…”

The car suddenly felt stifling.

Luo Yu was witnessing a gun pointed at a head infront of him for the first time and was momentarily breathless.

But he could tell that Song Lingyuan didn’t genuinely want to pull the trigger.

And that driver had clearly made up his mind to die.

Under the cold moonlight, the shimmering body of water at the end of the road was getting closer, and there were no signs of life around, just overgrown weeds.

At their current speed, the vehicle was heading straight into the lake!

“President Song, can you drive?”

“Streamer Luo, let’s jump out of the car.”

The two spoke almost simultaneously.

Luo Yu quickly refused: “Don’t jump out yet, the car is going too fast! Let me give it a try; you get ready to grab the wheel!”

Song Lingyuan turned to him, frowning tightly: “I can drive. How are you going to try?”

In the front seat, Driver Xu was gripping the steering wheel tighter, and sweat was pouring down his face.

Luo Yu quickly closed his eyes: “Admin, use the deep sleep card!!!”

The moment he opened his eyes, he pushed Song Lingyuan’s arm hard: “Go grab it!”

Song Lingyuan quickly turned his head and saw Driver Xu suddenly close his eyes, slumping toward the steering wheel!

His head hit the steering wheel with a “bang,” but he showed no reaction, and his fingers, which had been on the wheel, fell limply!

Song Lingyuan was stunned for just a second before quickly squeezing his upper body between the front two seats, pushing Driver Xu to the right so he fell into the passenger seat, awkwardly taking over the steering wheel and moving Driver Xu’s foot onto the brake.

The bottomless lake was getting closer.

With just ten meters to go, the black sedan finally came to a stop!

It screeched as it skidded over the grass!

Luo Yu breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize he was drenched in a cold sweat.

But he saw that Song Lingyuan didn’t relax at all; he forcefully pushed Driver Xu entirely into the passenger seat, swung his legs over, and sat in the driver’s seat, quickly starting the car and turning the steering wheel to drive back.

So urgent?—

Before Luo Yu could think it through, he heard Song Lingyuan say in a low voice: “Get down.”

Luo Yu figured that in such an unexpected situation, Song Lingyuan must be more familiar with it than he was, so he quickly bent down and buried his head tightly between his knees.

He felt Song Lingyuan make a sharp turn, nearly making him throw up, and at that moment, the car windows vibrated violently!

“Stay down.”

Luo Yu didn’t dare to move, not even a muscle—

He saw bullet holes from gunfire on the window!

The glass was solid and hadn’t been penetrated, just cracked with a line. But at this rate, it seemed only a matter of time before it would break through.

There were also people lying in wait for them near the lake!

“Don’t be afraid; the glass is bulletproof.”

Luo Yu doubted he heard wrong.

Was Song Lingyuan comforting him?

“I’m not afraid; you drive faster!” he shouted, his voice muffled from the cushion.

“Hold on tight.”

In the next moment, the car surged forward at an even faster speed, and Luo Yu heard what seemed like several cars chasing them from behind, the windows rattling from the gunfire.

Luo Yu’s ear brushed against his jeans, yet he could still hear the rush of wind howling outside as the car sped by.

The last time he heard wind that loud was the day he walked out of the study room and was crushed to death by someone falling from the sky. Today, he wouldn’t have to meet his end here too, right…?

After a while, the car no longer drove in a straight line. Luo Yu raised his head slightly and was surprised to see a winding alley lined with red brick houses ahead. The red brick buildings loomed in the darkness like ferocious beasts lurking in the shadows, making the road appear blurry.

His heart was in his throat as he watched Song Lingyuan, with an expressionless face, skillfully maneuver the steering wheel, guiding the massive vehicle deftly into the alley. Then, with left and right turns, they navigated as if they were returning home!

Luo Yu leaned left and right in his seat, thinking that in such darkness and with so many twists and turns, if those people managed to catch up, they would have to be gods.

Sure enough, the glass behind them soon stopped vibrating.

The gunmen had lost their trail.

“In one minute, we’ll switch to that gray car over there.”

Luo Yu suddenly heard Song Lingyuan speak.

He looked up, and in the dim light by the roadside, he saw, just a few dozen meters away on the cobblestone path, an inconspicuous, worn-out gray car parked there.

It looked like it had been sitting there for a long time.

“Do you have the car keys?”

Song Lingyuan didn’t respond.

Luo Yu felt as if he had asked a very foolish question.

Regardless, he had no choice but to trust Song Lingyuan now.

No matter how devilish this person was in rumors, right now, he was his savior!

The moment the vehicle came to a stop, Luo Yu pushed open the rear door with all his strength.

He saw Song Lingyuan rush toward the passenger side faster than he could, while he pulled open the rear door, jumped in, and quickly shut it behind him.

In this life-and-death situation, he faintly heard Song Lingyuan quietly say:

“Sorry, Driver Xu.”

Luo Yu suspected he had misheard because by the time he settled into his seat, Song Lingyuan was already firmly in the driver’s seat, expression unchanged as he inserted the key and started the car.

“The previous car had a tracking device.”

After turning down a few more roads, they finally lost sight of the car they had just abandoned. Luo Yu then heard Song Lingyuan let out a sigh of relief as he explained:

“This is an emergency vehicle set up by the association in various areas for unforeseen needs.”

“The association is impressive,” Luo Yu said with a sense of admiration, turning back to look through the rear window. The group chasing them had completely vanished, and only then did he dare lean back in the seat:

“Respected President, where are we going now? Back to the association?”

Song Lingyuan sensed the change in Luo Yu’s tone, and his mood improved slightly. However, seeing the vast dark road ahead, his tone turned somber again:

“Next, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you, Streamer Luo, to continue fleeing with me.”