Chapter 77#

This shocking case of stolen cultural relics and gold, both domestically and internationally, had started as nothing more than vague rumors online.

Because it involved too many things on too wide a scale, opinions were wildly divided.

Ji Yang was also implicated.

【This thing happened over ten, twenty years ago. Young people today probably haven’t even heard of it, so how come suddenly someone says they found it? Must be a rumor, right?】【It’s real. The official attitude about this is also very strange. If it were fake, it’s been a night and half a morning already—they would have come out and debunked it by now.】【I can testify, it’s real. The items were found at a dock in a place called Lanjiao Village on Nan Island. There are still police officers there right now.】【Lanjiao Village? Why does that sound familiar to me?】【Above, I guess you’re watching the same livestream as me. I’ve figured it out—he’s a walking topic generator. Wherever he goes, things get trending.】

The bystanders were all dumbfounded.

They couldn’t figure out how such a serious topic could be connected to a livestream.

Then someone gave a rundown of a certain young master from a wealthy family’s legendary livestream journey—first causing chaos at a family banquet, getting disowned and cut off from the wealthy household, then his first livestream after starting his own business, single-handedly boosting the KPI for the entire Zhouling region. This time around, though the livestream was an unintentional act by his assistant, right after fans dug up that he was in a small village called Lanjiao Village on Nan Island, a major incident immediately broke out right there.

【That’s honestly a bit mystical.】【Whatever, whether the found relics and gold is real or not, let me pray to him first—bless me so I don’t fail my exams.】【Pass the postgraduate entrance exam.】【Pass the civil service exam, stay healthy!】【Bless me so there’s always seasoning powder in my instant noodles!】

Lin Yue discovered all sorts of random things suddenly flooding into their account. Tracing it back to the source, Ji Yang finally learned that last night’s events had been continuously fermenting online.

But praying to himself? What the hell was that?

Ji Yang had no mind to deal with it.

He had brought the team here originally because of the Nan Island to Zhouling route matter.

Now that Zhao Changgen had run away, and several people in the village had been arrested, Ji Yang had his colleagues contact the leaders of various departments on Nan Island. He went non-stop the entire day. Coordinating with the power supply station and logistics parties, checking data with colleagues in his spare moments, signing documents.

Ji Yang hadn’t noticed that he—someone who claimed he wouldn’t work in an office and wouldn’t manage things—had actually grown at an astonishing pace from the moment he took the lead in coordinating with Huang Kai.

Now that Peng Jiaying was absent, he had become the core of the team.

What needed to be done, what should be done—his mind would automatically generate clear plans.

Even the social engagements he couldn’t avoid, he no longer acted like a useless bystander the way he had back in Huizhou. Yi Yuan was developing, and he, having watched Yi Yuan grow from the very beginning, had a sense of responsibility already carved into his bones.

“President Ji.” At the dinner table, the logistics leader on Nan Island didn’t brush him off because of his youth. Instead, after careful thought, he said, “You mean you want to establish a model for ‘small and scattered orders with centralized shipping’?”

“That’s right.” Ji Yang nodded. “It won’t be limited to just Lanjiao Village. If it succeeds, the entire route can adopt it, which would also save a huge amount of manpower and material costs.”

The other party pondered for two seconds. “Actually, it’s feasible. But this route, even when it was under the Ji family’s hands, was barely managing. Now that it’s transitioned to the Jianyuan Group, profit and loss aren’t the primary consideration for those above. Even a small misstep could turn it into part of a ‘clearance disposal.’”

Ji Yang said, “I know that, which is why I have to find a way to change things. We can’t just cling to the old and outdated, waiting to be filtered out.”

It was already nine o’clock at night.

A well-regarded local restaurant on Nan Island was still bustling with business at this hour.

Someone from the power supply station chimed in at this point, saying with a smile, “You don’t look it, but President Ji is quite full of ideas for someone so young—you even have an intimate grasp of these most grassroots affairs.”

Ji Yang smiled. “Who among us wasn’t from the grassroots to begin with?”

This remark made everyone around the table exchange glances, thinking he was just being modest.

Ji Yang didn’t bother explaining.

He wasn’t born a boss, nor did he come from a commercial or financial background. The only advantage and perspective he possessed probably all stemmed from his bottom-tier origins. This also ensured his methodology was never grandiose or hollow—he approached everything from a practical standpoint.

The conversation went smoothly, and all parties quickly reached a preliminary understanding.

When it came to the matter of Lanjiao Village…

The logistics leader sighed. “I dealt with Old Zhao quite often too. I knew he had some connections above, even tried to suck up to him. Who’d have thought he’d be so brazen—a single move and he kicked up a huge mess.”

The person next to him tsked. “You can’t judge a book by its cover. The officials have already released a statement confirming it—the items were found at his dock, and now the man has vanished.”

“How could he not run? If caught, it’s at least ten years minimum.”

“In my opinion, this whole thing isn’t simple. Old Zhao is at most a scapegoat. Think about it—that was nearly twenty years ago. How did those goods get from Fanzhou to Nan Island? A shipment that large—would Old Zhao alone dare steal it? Even the discovery last night was suspicious. A friend at the police station told me that by the time the officers arrived, the items had already been hoisted up. That clearly means someone was trying to move them!”

“Sigh, we’re all just guessing. The most important thing is that this doesn’t affect our business.”

Someone then said to Ji Yang, “President Ji, if you know any additional information, you absolutely must let everyone know right away.”

“I certainly will,” Ji Yang said.

He said that, but there was really nothing he could share.

The officials had released a brief announcement regarding the discovery of the stolen cultural relics.

As for Zhao Yuan being caught, and the list in Zhao Changgen’s possession documenting the falsified cargo data from the Qiming’s docking back then—all of it was still under police confidentiality. It was impossible to make public at this time.

Ji Yang certainly couldn’t go around telling people that he had been at the scene.

As the dinner was drawing to a close, Ji Yang suddenly received a phone call from the police.

The police said they had a few questions about the ledger he and Jiang Lei had found at the scene, and asked him to come to the station.

He left two colleagues to wrap things up at the dinner and headed over with Lin Yue.

On the way, Lin Yue stared at his phone and said carefully, “Little Boss Ji, Mr. Nie told us to keep an eye on you, but you’ve been out all day. Shouldn’t you let him know proactively?”

Ji Yang found it amusing. “Are you all planning to report my itinerary to him from now on?”

“I—that’s not what I meant.” Lin Yue hurried to explain. “You’re my boss, Little Boss Ji, I know that.”

Ji Yang was equal parts amused and exasperated. “That’s not what I meant either. What I meant is don’t be so afraid of him. It’s not like everything he says has to be followed immediately. I already told him I was going to the police station.”

Lin Yue muttered quietly, “But aren’t you two together? And Mr. Nie is the kind of person whose words carry the weight of commands—who dares disobey?”

Ji Yang immediately clarified, “Don’t talk nonsense. We’re not together.”

“Huh?” Lin Yue’s eyes went wide in shock, his gaze flicking repeatedly to Ji Yang’s neck, muttering with open suspicion: “You two have slept together. And Mr. Nie doesn’t seem like the type who’d shirk responsibility.”

Ji Yang sighed in defeat and tugged at his collar.

He was still wearing a high-collared shirt right now. Thank goodness the weather wasn’t hot anymore, otherwise he’d definitely be in a foul mood.

Ji Yang draped an arm over Lin Yue’s shoulder and said, “You’ve even seen the inside of a filthy place like Xilemen. Who told you that sharing a bed means someone owes responsibility?”

Lin Yue’s expression was one of disbelief, then quickly shifted to seeming reasonable. “It’s you who doesn’t want to take responsibility, Little Boss Ji.”

Ji Yang: “…”

He didn’t want to talk.

They arrived at the police station just before ten.

It was the same officer they had met at the dock the night before.

Seeing Ji Yang arrive, he said apologetically, “Sorry to trouble you—heard you weren’t feeling well last night, and now I’ve made you come out this late.”

“It’s fine,” Ji Yang said. “I was already out and about. Besides, cooperating with the work of our hardworking police officers is every citizen’s duty.”

The police station had been quite busy.

Everyone who heard Ji Yang’s remark broke into laughter, and the atmosphere lightened noticeably.

Because Ji Yang counted as one of the parties involved, his background wasn’t a secret within the police system. Anyone doing a check would find that he not only had a prior record of calling the police himself, but had also voluntarily reported to the police regarding his sister’s marriage.

The officer in front of Ji Yang laughed as well, guiding them to sit down and asking a few questions about how they had discovered the ledger and where exactly they had found it.

Ji Yang answered everything in full detail. Remembering what Nie Xu had said at the dock, he proactively asked, “Is there something wrong with it?”

“The item itself is fine,” the officer said. “But since the explosion happened right in the cabin, we want to understand the details more thoroughly. Plus, the contents involve a great deal, and it’s all very important—so every part needs to be verified.”

Ji Yang had looked through the contents and could tell that Zhao Changgen only had dealings with Zhao Yuan on a daily basis, and it was a single-line communication. Most of the time, he was the party receiving instructions, and then carrying them out.

Ji Yang asked, “What about Zhao Yuan?”

“Interrogation room.” The officer looked genuinely troubled. “That man is tough as nails—old as he is, he won’t budge. Not a single word since he was brought in. Plus, he’s not from Nan Island, so he’ll be handed over to their jurisdiction soon for continued investigation.”

Ji Yang: “Can I take a look?”

The officer nodded. “I heard he used to be a butler for the Ji family. Perfect—see if he’ll open up with you around.”

The officer led Ji Yang over, and Ji Yang saw Zhao Yuan once more.

Compared to last night, his condition looked slightly better—the wound on his forehead had been bandaged—but his vitality seemed to have been drained all at once. Like a piece of dried-out, rotten wood, utterly indifferent to everything around him.

When he saw Ji Yang come in, he merely lifted his drooping eyelids and gave him a cold glance.

“Uncle Zhao.” Ji Yang pulled out a chair and sat down, still addressing him this way.

Zhao Yuan: “I can’t accept the Fourth Young Master calling me ‘uncle.’”

Ji Yang smiled. “We do have some fate between us, don’t we? Back in Fanzhou, we might not have crossed paths even once in months, and yet here we are, reuniting on this distant island of Nan.”

Zhao Yuan said coldly, “What exactly do you want to say?”

“I want to say, Uncle Zhao, holding out like this really won’t do you any good,” Ji Yang said. “Who wanted the goods? Who have you been working for all these years? It’s actually plain as day. The police just need time and evidence. Even if you say nothing, Zhao Changgen has already sold you out. Once he’s caught, this knot will be untied in no time.”

Zhao Yuan laughed coldly. “You think I’ll confess just because of that?”

Ji Yang: “I just think you’re getting on in years. No need to cause yourself more suffering.”

“Fourth Young Master.” Zhao Yuan sat up in his chair, leaning forward, his voice hoarse. “You don’t need to fish for words from me. I won’t say a single extra thing.”

Ji Yang leaned in an inch as well. “You’re so determined. Is it because you think someone will still come to save you?”

Zhao Yuan shut his mouth and refused to speak, even leaning back and closing his eyes.

Ji Yang: “Who could it be? It couldn’t be the Ji family—Ji Yansong is finished. They might not even be willing to spend the effort to protect you. The chamber of commerce and Xilemen even less so—you’re not worth it to them. Ji Chengyi?”

Zhao Yuan opened his eyes again and looked at him.

Ji Yang understood inwardly. “Looks like you really do have hopes pinned on him. I’ve noticed it for a long time now—you’ve always had such high expectations for my Third Brother. I’m curious, how exactly did he convince you that he has that kind of ability?”

A look of disdain surfaced in Zhao Yuan’s eyes.

“Fourth Young Master, the Third Young Master has never been someone you can compare yourself to. So what if the Ji family has fallen? So what if Jin Husheng swept away all the capital? He is the chosen one—destiny itself selected him, not some ant like you.”

Ji Yang was stunned by this almost cult-like declaration.

In a daze, he recalled the look of shock on Nie Xu’s face when Ji Yang told him he had transmigrated into a book.

Ji Yang exchanged a glance with the young female officer taking notes beside him. Her expression was truly hard to describe, so Ji Yang had to signal that Zhao Yuan’s mind had problems and to just ignore his words.

Just at that moment, a sudden commotion erupted outside the interrogation room.

An officer pushed the door open and said to the officer who had come in with Ji Yang: “We’ve got news on Zhao Changgen!”

“Really?!” The atmosphere in the entire interrogation room tensed.

Even Zhao Yuan sat bolt upright—this news had finally gotten him nervous.

The officer behind Ji Yang asked, “Where? What’s the situation?”

The young officer at the door said, “We partnered up with Mr. Nie’s people and staked out for an entire day before catching a glimpse of him at a small bus station. But there weren’t enough people on site at the time, and he slipped away. Ten minutes ago, Mr. Nie led a team and cornered him at an abandoned factory building on the north side of the city—but a sniper was found at the scene!”

The officer behind Ji Yang made an immediate decision. “A sniper?! Head count! Notify the city bureau! We’re going in right now to provide backup!”

“Right!”

He was about to leave when he turned back at the door.

The officer who had called Ji Yang in, probably remembering the scene at the dock last night, suddenly asked, “Mr. Ji, care to join us?”

A police car raced down the road.

Red and blue lights flashed against the darkness of night.

Ji Yang sat in the back seat of the lead vehicle and didn’t disturb the officers’ conversation up front.

However, he listened to every word. From what he could gather, the situation at the scene was tense. Nie Xu had only told him he had things to do during the day—before Ji Yang went to the police station, he had even replied to Ji Yang’s messages, giving no hint whatsoever that he was at the scene.

But now, his voice came through the walkie-talkie.

It sounded like it had just been grabbed from a breathless officer’s hand. His voice was calm and precise.

“Zhao Changgen is injured.”

“He’s at the base of the wall at the left corner on the west side, unable to stick his head out. The sniper isn’t alone—there are likely three to five more on the perimeter. Identities not yet confirmed. They don’t seem to be here to rescue anyone. You can only enter from the east. Don’t face them head-on.”

The officers in the car steadied themselves. “Are there any other injured?”

Nie Xu seemed to be surveying the area to confirm. “One with an arm wound. Not serious for now.”

“Got it! We’re almost there. Stay safe.”

Ji Yang, sitting in the back, heard the young officer next to him ask: “Who is this Nie Xu? From staking out to making the arrest, it’s all too professional. For our precinct to crack a case this big—it’s all because of him.”

The older officer in the front said, “His line of work is somewhat similar to ours. He came from a bodyguard background.”

“No wonder,” the young officer marveled.

Ji Yang knew the older officer was deliberately not going into detail.

The implications were too wide-reaching.

Ten minutes later, the backup team arrived at the scene.

The vast expanse of abandoned factory buildings looked pitch-black. The night wind swept through the holes in the rusted sheet metal, producing an eerie, unsettling howl.

Ji Yang only understood why the capture was at a stalemate after he stepped out of the car.

The limited visibility was part of it, but the terrain around the site was also extremely complex—the weeds around the factory buildings were at least waist-high.

Ji Yang got out of the car and stood by the door.

In the exact second he steadied himself, he suddenly heard a sharp bang of a gunshot. Almost all the police officers rushed toward the west corner of the wall.

The scene exploded into chaos.

The walkie-talkie was filled with heavy breathing, pounding footsteps, a rapid string of commands, and shouted orders.

“Zhao Changgen is heading toward the building!”

“Shit! Does he have a death wish?”

“We’ve got someone incoming on this side! Send two people over!”

Ji Yang instinctively looked toward the building.

He didn’t see Zhao Changgen.

He saw Nie Xu.

The headlights of several police cars were all trained on that direction.

Even from that distance, even though he could only see two figures locked in combat, Ji Yang recognized him at a glance by his silhouette.

He was too tall. He and that sniper were right at the edge.

Ji Yang watched as Nie Xu executed a sweeping leg kick—the other man’s blocking wrist buckled from the searing pain, and the weapon in his hand tumbled from the rooftop.

Ji Yang didn’t feel relieved at all. His eyes were locked on that direction.

The wind on the rooftop was fierce.

The sniper, seeing his handy weapon gone, dug the toes of his boots against the edge of the wall, drew a dagger, and closed in with his body low.

Nie Xu’s left palm struck down on the hand holding the blade while his right fist drove straight for the throat.

The two grappled in close quarters, fists and feet cutting through the air.

Nie Xu forced the man to the edge until half of one foot dangled in midair.

The sniper suddenly laughed, ripped off his voice modulator, and spoke: “Nathan, you’re still this strong. Been well these years?”

“Marge.” Nie Xu recognized him at a glance.

The other man was in high spirits, even letting out a whistle. “Glad you remember me. How many years has it been? At least ten, right? Care to catch up?”

Nie Xu was ice-cold: “I don’t have the habit of catching up with internationally wanted criminals.”

The words fell as he struck straight for a vital point.

The other man barely dodged, cursing in English.

Then he said: “If I’d known you were here, I never would have taken this job.”

Nie Xu closed in again without mercy: “That’s just your bad luck. If you’re willing to tell the police who hired you to kill, we can sit down and have a chat tonight.”

Marge: “That won’t do. I have a strict code of professional ethics.”

The conversation sounded casual, but every strike between them was aimed at taking the other’s life.

As a ranked international assassin, Marge’s placement wasn’t particularly high. The reason they knew each other was that when Nie Xu had first met Knox and the others, he had also met Marge.

Marge: “I heard Knox is holed up in some lab these days playing inventor. Your doing, wasn’t it?”

Nie Xu seized an opening, clamped his hand around the man’s neck, pressed inward against the carotid artery, and held it until the man’s face turned an abnormal purple-red before speaking: “If it weren’t for saving you, his legs never would have ended up like this. And yet you refuse to change. Now you’re even taking jobs inside our borders.”

Marge couldn’t speak at all. In raw combat, he was no match for Nie Xu.

His feet were half off the ground, and he managed, with difficulty: “Killing me won’t help you. You know I’ve always just been in it for the money.”

Nie Xu, of course, wouldn’t actually kill anyone. At the last second, he shoved the man aside and let him go.

Marge was of mixed heritage, his entire body limp as he collapsed against the edge.

He clutched his throat and coughed twice dryly. At this point, he seemed to notice something and said: “Nathan, look—there’s a little sweetheart down there watching us.”

Nie Xu glanced over casually, and paused ever so slightly.

Even that minuscule reaction was caught by Marge.

Marge smiled meaningfully. “He seems important to you?”

Nie Xu looked at him without a word, the warning in his eyes unmistakable.

“Just a joke,” Marge said. “I know you’ve got your own affairs in this country these years. We mind our own business—just let me go today, and I guarantee I’ll call this job a miss on my part. Won’t mention you. How about it?”

Nie Xu crouched down, resting one elbow on his knee, and said: “A deal like yours doesn’t interest me right now.”

Instantly, Marge kicked off the wall and sprang back up.

Below, all the police who had captured the perimeter members had regrouped and withdrawn.

Now only two groups remained: the team that had pursued Zhao Changgen into the building, and the two figures locked in combat on the rooftop.

Some officers might never encounter a major case in their entire careers.

This time, however, it genuinely felt like they were walking the line between life and death.

No one knew who it was, but a sudden cry of alarm rang out.

One of the figures on the rooftop suddenly plummeted, trailing an arc through the air—then, caught by someone’s firm grip, slammed hard into the outer wall.

Ji Yang couldn’t help but take two steps forward.

“Don’t be nervous.” The older officer who had brought him grabbed him, probably afraid he’d rush up there, and said: “In terms of combat, the other guy is clearly no match for Nie Xu. Another team has already gone up. He’ll be fine.”

Ji Yang nodded. “I know.”

Although he said he knew, Ji Yang didn’t dare relax.

Only after seeing seven or eight officers swarm over and haul the person dangling on the outer wall back up did he finally let out a full breath of relief.

But just as Ji Yang’s heart settled, he noticed that the person crouched at the edge pulling someone up had stood, yet hadn’t left.

Ji Yang felt that gaze.

So… he had seen him?

Hesitating for a moment, Ji Yang raised his hand and waved at the rooftop across the way—then watched the figure turn and disappear.

The police officer next to Ji Yang couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

Ji Yang: “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing, nothing.” The officer said: “I was just thinking that the young officers in our precinct don’t have the temperament when dealing with Nie Xu—not half as good as you. You two seem to have a solid relationship.”

Ji Yang: “We’re… I suppose we’re all right?”

Nie Xu came down soon after.

He carried his jacket draped over one hand. Behind him were the unfinished building and the hurrying figures of police officers moving back and forth, as he walked over.

“Are you okay?” Ji Yang went to meet him.

Nie Xu raised the hand holding his jacket and took two steps back. “Don’t come close—I’m covered in dust.”

He brushed the dirt off his sleeves.

Ji Yang then noticed that he really was quite dirty—his back, his trouser legs, even his sleeves had been scuffed up over large patches.

Ji Yang’s gaze swept over his entire body, confirming there were no traces of bleeding.

But Nie Xu, as if finally having a moment, looked him over and frowned: “Who told you to come?”

“It was me,” the older officer who had brought Ji Yang hurriedly said. “When we got the news, Mr. Ji happened to be at the station. I figured this situation had at least some connection to him, so I asked him to come along.”

The captured suspects were loaded into police vehicles one after another.

The officer then reached out his hand: “Thanks to you today. That was way too intense just now.”

“No problem. I know that man,” Nie Xu said.

Ji Yang blinked. “You know him?”

Nie Xu glanced at him and gave a small nod. “He specializes in contract killing. That line of work operates on a job-by-job basis—the information they have is very limited.”

He was answering Ji Yang, his tone perfectly calm, but Ji Yang found himself unable to meet his eyes.

It wasn’t exactly guilt. It was simply that the ferocity from the combat hadn’t fully subsided on him. Even the tiniest spark could be magnified a hundredfold beneath that surface calm.

Ji Yang’s gaze drifted downward and caught sight of a patch of white dust on his shoulder. Without thinking, he reached out to brush it off.

Before Nie Xu could stop him, Ji Yang said: “It’ll wash off when we get back.”

Nie Xu let him be. But after just a couple of swipes, Nie Xu caught his hand—not letting go immediately, just indicating that it was enough.

Only Zhao Changgen remained.

The direction he had gone up happened to be diagonally opposite to where Nie Xu and his team had been positioned. But with that many people going after one man, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Sure enough, the walkie-talkie soon crackled with results.

“We’ve got him. Sixth floor.”

“He’s very agitated.”

“His leg can’t take his weight, and it’s still bleeding. We need to bandage it first.”

With that, the matter seemed to have drawn to a close.

Following the light of the car, Ji Yang looked toward the sixth floor of the building. That feeling of everything settling into place had just begun to settle in his chest when he suddenly saw something hurtle out of the pitch-black window on the sixth floor.

It dropped in free fall and struck the ground with a heavy thud.

The open ground below the building was covered in gravel. That muffled sound echoed in his eardrums like an illusion.

Time stretched out. Everything moved in slow motion.

Just then, Ji Yang felt darkness fall over his vision.

Nie Xu had blocked it.

His hand was pressed over Ji Yang’s eyes.

Ji Yang smelled the faint scent of blood and dust on his palm.

He said: “Don’t look.”