Outside the window, the night became darker. The apartment's lights weren't on. The car lights on the road in the distance passed through the window frames and flickered along the ceiling.
At that moment, Qin Chuan stepped on the edge of the overturned coffee table, throwing it in Jiang Ting's direction!
Clang—
The tri-edged dagger collided with the metal of the folding knife, making a sharp noise. Jiang Ting stumbled back and stepped on the fragments of the broken vase. Then he immediately launched another attack: "Clang! Clang! The blades collided a few times, and Jiang Ting was forced into a corner in the blink of an eye!
Qin Chuan usually showed people the image of a gentle and elegant ruffian, but when he started to use his hands, it didn't seem unusual at all. The level of cruelty and agility was no less than that of a professional like A-Jie. The familiarity with the terrain and overwhelming strength helped him in the dark, and only a squeaking sound coming from the soles of his feet could be heard. Jiang Ting's back was firmly pressed against the wall, and the tri-edged dagger slashed toward him!
The metals pressed against each other, making a very uncomfortable screeching sound, and the tip of the dagger approached Jiang Ting's nose bit by bit.
"—When Yue Guangping died, if you really didn't feel anything at all…," Jiang Ting stared at Qin Chuan's eyes at close range and suddenly asked, "Why did you panic so much that you knocked the ashtray to the ground when you left?"
As soon as the voice fell, the crisp crashing sound from three years ago seemed to resonate in his ears again, still as terrifying as before — bang!
Qin Chuan's expression changed instantly, his wrists subconsciously relaxed, and Jiang Ting pushed him away forcefully!
Qin Chuan was caught off guard, staggering a few steps before he could stand firm, only to see a white light slashing in front of his eyes. His right shoulder to his right chest felt hot and cold, and blood splashed out in an instant!
Jiang Ting kicked Qin Chuan backward with a heavy kick, knocking over the sofa in the process. Jiang Ting didn't wait for him to get up. He jumped over the sofa with the knife, and landed to grab the tri-edged dagger that fell to the ground. Unexpectedly, Qin Chuan grabbed his ankle and tugged on it while he just landed, making the two fall to the ground at the same time!
"..." Jiang Tian cursed silently, and as soon as he got up, he was knocked to the ground by Qin Chuan's hard and heavy elbow, and his head hit the wall. There was a huge cranial shock, and for about half a second, Jiang Ting's eyes turned black. Then he heard the sound of metal; it was Qin Chuan who turned over and picked up the weapon!
Not good—
Jiang Ting's keen fighting instincts saved him. The next moment, he tried his best to tilt his head, and the tri-edged dagger slashed into the wall against the side of his face!
A trace of blood smeared out from Jiang Ting's icy-white cheeks, winding slowly along the groove of the dagger.
"Thank you for giving me a chance to talk," Qin Chuan said softly, "It's been really tough for so many years."
Immediately afterward, the dagger was pulled out of the wall with fine gravel and stabbed toward Jiang Ting's temple!
—Bang!
A gunshot rang out suddenly, and the tip of the knife stopped two inches away from his skin.
"Stop it, Qin Chuan." A gentle, decisive, and familiar voice sounded at the door of the bedroom, saying, "Otherwise, the next shot will kill you."
"..." Qin Chuan turned his head slowly and said, "I was just wondering when you would come out, Chief Lu."
Chief Lu's extremely characteristic figure was against the light. He was standing at the door of the living room, holding a Type-92 police gun in his hand. His reading glasses flickered slightly, and no one could see what his eyes were looking at. He slowly repeated: "Put down the weapon and stop."
At this time, Qin Chuan pressed Jiang Ting against the wall, and the tip of the knife was only a few centimeters away from his temple. As long as he pressed down a little, it would determine the life and death of Jiang Ting.
No one made a sound; not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Qin Chuan said nothing; he slowly let go of Jiang Ting after a long time and turned around.
Just at this moment, the car lights in the distance came in, reflecting his tense shoulder and arm muscles, the sharp three-edged dagger in his hand, and the cold eyes staring at the gun in Chief Lu's hand——
Obviously, nothing happened, but both of them had a sudden realization: if he wanted to, he could throw the dagger and shoot the gun down in an instant!
The conditioned reflex tightened Chief Lu's index finger on the trigger in the blink of an eye, but unexpectedly, Qin Chuan did not move the next moment. He smiled at Chief Lu and dropped the dagger lightly with a "Clang."
In the distance, red and blue rays of light suddenly appeared, and an indistinct siren sounded.
...…
"You originally didn't plan to meet in front of me, right?" Qin Chuan teased.
Chief Lu didn't answer the question and beckoned: "Raise your hands slowly, stand here, and don't move. Captain Jiang? Are you alright?"
Jiang Ting wiped the warm blood from his cheeks, got up tiredly, picked up Qin Chuan's three-edged dagger, and said, "Don't worry about me."
Qin Chuan stepped over the cluttered floor, symbolically raised his hands, and walked to the center of the living room, where he stood still.
His situation wasn't much better. Jiang Ting's knife had cut a long, bloody wound from his right shoulder to his chest. The blood was oozing out, staining the shirt and outlining his body. At first glance, it looked a little terrifying. But in contrast, his expression was not abnormal, and he was even a little relaxed, pointing to the ground and asking, "Can I put on my glasses?"
Chief Lu said, "Wear it."
Qin Chuan thanked him, then bent down to pick up his glasses and put them on. Then he breathed a sigh of relief as if he had finally recovered:
"It was my negligence." I thought you would act alone, but I didn't expect the two of you to join forces. Is it because Yue Guangping's phone call back then made you establish trust in Captain Jiang, Chief Lu?"
"Not really." Chief Lu pointed his gun at Qin Chuan's eyebrows from beginning to end and said, "I've suffered a loss in trusting you, and I will no longer trust others easily—you'd better not act rashly, Qin Chuan. Captain Jiang dare not shoot casually, but I can kill you."
Qin Chuan smiled nonchalantly: "Let's talk, while my colleagues… while the police have not arrived, or I'm afraid I won't have another chance in the future. When did you two meet and join forces?"
Chief Lu looked at Jiang Ting, and the two seemed to have made eye contact for a few seconds. Chief Lu said in a low voice, "At noon today, because we have both found out the only evidence you accidentally left out—"
Qin Chuan was surprised: "Oh?"
Jiang Ting said, "Yes, Wang Xingye."
Rewinding the time back a few hours ago, Amber Mountain Villa, District 9, Building 2, Convenience Store downstairs——
"Who?" As soon as Chief Lu turned back, he was stunned, and an unbelievable look appeared in his eyes behind his reading glasses: "…It's you!"
The young man was wearing a black coat, and his face was pale and lifeless under his black hair wet with water. Even though his lips were so pale that he could barely see the blood, he could still see the sharp and clear facial features from a few years ago:
"Don't be so surprised; didn't you realize my existence as early as when you were handling Hu Weisheng's drug case?"
"..."
The two looked at each other for a long time, and finally, Chief Lu nodded and said hoarsely, "Captain Jiang."
Not far from the back door of the supermarket, the boss hurriedly lifted the curtain and came in. When he saw the scene in front of the cash counter, he couldn't help but freeze in place.
…
"After the attack on the police in Jiangyang County, I began to have doubts about you, but it was only a suspicion. When the news of Old Yue's death came, I still remembered your performance. Whether in terms of motivation or emotional expression, I couldn't make the slightest association between you and the murderer of your father. Over the past few years, I have even begun to ask myself, did Old Yue really die of a heart attack? Was that really the will of heaven?"
Chief Lu shook his head mockingly and added, "Then Yan Xie's aconitine poisoning happened, and I made a connection between it and Old Yue's death, whose body I was only able to have a quick look at because I was late. At the time, I thought you didn't run away just like the last time.
Qin Chuan silently said, "Oh—": "No wonder you suddenly decided to give me an official appointment and asked me to take the internal affairs of the division to you to sign. It was probably because you wanted to take the opportunity to explore the flaws I left in my daily work."
Chief Lu said: "Yes, you are too smart, Qin Chuan. You handed over all the work of killing people and erasing traces to drug dealers, which minimized the possibility of exposing yourself, so it became difficult for me to catch your weakness. If I can't find the evidence, you can't be arrested and questioned on suspicion alone. On the contrary, it would have startled the snake. So I could only use the most mechanical and time-consuming method to find everything you've done, every place you've been, and try to find out even the slightest trace of what you left behind."
"Fortunately, it didn't take me too long." Chief Lu changed the subject and said, "When Yan Xie went undercover in the "Three Spring Flowers" bar drug trafficking site that night, a man used a phone booth to call the police to sweep down pornography, so that Yan Xie and others' anti-drug operation was sabotaged by the anti-pornography team. I called up the surveillance records near the phone booth again and found that the man who called the police had a very familiar physique—he was one of the drug suppliers of the "Three Spring Trees", and he was also Bu Wei's "uncle" in the June 19 kidnapping case, Wang Xingye."
"..." Qin Chuan sighed and murmured something. Judging from his mouth shape, it should be: "Sure enough, he couldn't accomplish anything, but spoiled everything…"
"After confirming that you had colluded with Wang Xingye, things became much easier. I found one of Wang Xingye's hiding places, Building 2, District 9, Amber Mountain Villa, and found that the surveillance video nearby had indeed been destroyed in the name of the "public security system," but fortunately we still had a vast ocean to struggle in." Chief Lu said coldly, "An anti-theft camera has been installed in a convenience store downstairs from Wang Xingye's house. It had captured the evidence that you entered and exited Wang Xingye's house and told him the information a few hours before he absconded six months ago."
Qin Chuan nodded as he listened and finally shook his head and sighed, as if thinking that the treasured knife does not age: "As expected of Chief Lu."
Chief Lu did not answer.
"What about Captain Jiang?" Qin Chuan felt that it was still unfinished: "You don't have the authority to read the case file and check the monitoring, do you?"
"I don't need it." Jiang Ting replied indifferently, "I locked you in the analysis results of Captain Fang's pants. When I recalled everything you did, I thought of Wang Xingye."
Qin Chuan asked, "So you also want to find evidence of my tip-off—"
"No."
Qin Chuan raised half of his brows, revealing a look of inquiry.
"I just wonder why you colluded with Wang Xingye. This matter is full of discord from the beginning to the end." Jiang Ting said, "Then, I thought that this should be done by you behind the King of Spades's back."
The siren was getting louder and louder in the distance, and someone in the community had already opened the window.
In the living room, although the visual conditions were very dark, Qin Chuan's changed expression could be seen clearly——
Even Chief Lu didn't understand why, so he raised his eyes and glanced at Jiang Ting who was standing in the corner.
"There is not a single stronghold under the King of Spades called "Three Spring Trees." It was Wang Xingye's private business. So, you telling him the news before the operation should not be because of the instructions of the King of Spades. Of course, Wang Xingye wanted to please you as the vice-captain of the anti-drug division. If you imply that you want to establish a private "business relationship" with him without the King of Spades' knowledge, Wang Xingye should be eager for it, and he will even show his very sincere allegiance to you immediately…"
Jiang Ting smiled mockingly. This action causes the wound on his side cheek to ooze blood once more, which flowed down his side cheek to the neck, contrasting with his unusually pale and indifferent face.
"At the same time, in the June 19 kidnapping case, Wang Xingye absconded at night. If it was the King of Spades', it would not actually do any good to him; on the contrary, it might cause trouble. If you think in the way of the King of Spades, the best arrangement should be to let you immediately kill Wang Xingye and at the same time use your convenience as the internal leader of the police to destroy the body…"
"But you let Wang Xingye escape, why?"
A trace of blood ran across Jiang Ting's cold lips; his smile seemed to deepen, and he said leisurely: "You originally wanted to use this person, didn't you, Vice-Captain Qin?"
Even Chief Lu didn't expect this and suddenly glanced at Qin Chuan: "Is there such a thing?"
"..." Qin Chuan sighed once more, this time helpless: "But I didn't expect him to be so useless… "
"What do you want to use him for? How much profit did you make in private?! Qin Chuan!" Chief Lu angrily scolded: "I advise you to honestly explain everything! You have no turning back! "
Qin Chuan replied with a smile, "Yes, Chief Lu, as long as you can find evidence."
The siren was already close at hand. The red and blue lights downstairs were interlaced, and through the mottled glass windows in the rainy night, they flickered in their eyes.
Chief Lu's anger that he had endured gradually calmed down. Although his tone was still slightly trembling, he managed to regain his patience and seriousness:
"Old Fang's trousers without aconitine toxin can't be used as evidence because we can't prove that the physical evidence hasn't been cleaned, so we can't form a chain of evidence. But about the cooperation between you and Wang Xingye, and the process of leaking information to the King of Spades several times, there must be traces to follow and evidence can always be found, so don't feel so lucky yet!"
"I know." Qin Chuan's expression was still very gentle. The gentle and handsome face did not change in any way, as if he could deal with it in peace no matter what happened next. He said: "I will cooperate with you as I should, don't worry."
The police car was parked downstairs, and footsteps and shouting could be heard faintly. Chief Lu took a deep breath, forced himself to turn to Jiang Ting, and nodded.
——Jiang Ting stayed until the last moment, just to ensure that Qin Chuan would not turn around and escape again. Now that the police car has arrived, he must leave as soon as possible.
"Take care." Jiang Ting said briefly, wiped the wet blood from his jawbone, went out the door under Qin Chuan's gaze, and disappeared into the dark corridor.
After a while, the elevator lights came on, and a group of men wearing national emblems and dark blue uniforms appeared in Qin Chuan's sight.
...…
The rain had picked up again, washing over the world, and the water on the road glistened in the dark night. Chief Lu stood alone on the side of the road and watched the police car turn around and head for the police station. He took out his mobile phone and walked back to the entrance of the corridor, signaling to the driver, who was about to hold an umbrella, to step farther away.
"Hey, you're out?"
Jiang Ting's indifference came from the phone: "Yes."
"Qin Chuan will definitely explain your existence when he returns to the city bureau. From now on, you should be more careful." Chief Lu paused, rubbed his gray hair, and smiled bitterly in a low voice: "The scene when the old man Yue told me he had a son, is still vivid in my mind, and in a blink of an eye… it's been so many years, hey, I'm getting old too!"
On the prosperous street in the rainy night, Jiang Ting walked among all kinds of colorful umbrellas with his hands in his pockets; the black collar covered half of his side face, and only half of his earphones were exposed: "Pretending to drink normal medicinal wine because he was afraid of death, thus leaving a flaw to be discovered as evidence, it's not like Qin Chuan's character. The only explanation is that he did not lie. He really has some unfinished tasks that are much more important than the murder of Yan Xie, so he wasn't willing to risk his own life. This person is hiding a lot of things. When you showed up and pointed a gun at him, he clearly had the strength to fight, but he voluntarily gave up."
Chief Lu's brows were also furrowed.
"Maybe Qin Chuan didn't think it was worth taking the risk to escape at that time. His IQ is indeed very high, and he is a goal-oriented person who is good at planning." Jiang Ting said, "No matter what, this person will definitely try to escape from prison. I suggest you keep an eye on him and don't leave any gaps."
Chief Lu made an "mhm" sound and nodded solemnly, only to listen to the other side of the phone: "There is one more important thing."
"What?" Chief Lu's spirit was raised.
"When will you release Yan Xie?"
"..."
There was silence at both ends of the phone for a few seconds, and Chief Lu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Tonight, I will interrogate Qin Chuan for what he did to Old Fang's car. Tomorrow, at the latest, that kid Yan Xie will be able to be released—Do you want to bring in something? Something to eat and drink? Towels and bedding? Books and magazines are not good, let me tell you!"
Jiang Ting crossed the street amid loud horns, and at the traffic light across the road, Han Xiaomei's red Toyota car flashed.
"No need," Jiang Ting said lazily, "Boiled eggs are quite healthy."
He opened the back door. Han Xiaomei and Yang Mei turned back from the front seat at the same time; their movements were in sync, and they looked at him brightly.
"Oh yes," Jiang Ting was about to hang up the phone when suddenly, as if he had remembered something, he quickly added: "Add half a bowl of vegetables boiled in plain water, put out the heat."
Chief Lu: "..."
Jiang Ting closed the car door, and soon, the red car drove in the direction of the KTV of the Sleepless Palace and merged into the endless sea of lights.