I yanked him up forcefully and, together with Gao Qiang, dragged him into the Buick. Then I asked, "Do you know Hong Xingchen?"
"Hong Xingchen? Who's that?"
"You're telling me you don't know?" I barked angrily.
"I really don't! Honestly, I came here to throw rocks for fun. Why are you arresting me?"
"For fun? Stop pretending. You think I don't know you work for Hong Xingchen?"
He shook his head. "I don't know any Hong Xingchen. I have no malicious intent; I was just having fun."
"Do you even know who we are?"
I pulled out my badge, and he immediately started apologizing profusely. "Sorry, officers! I won't do it again, I swear."
I used my "Piercing Insight" ability to scrutinize his reactions. His body trembled slightly, and his eyes darted nervously—it was obvious he was lying. Slamming him onto the steering wheel, I growled, "If you don't start being honest, I'll take you to the station right now!"
"You… haha, didn't they already revoke your authority to investigate this case?" he retorted, suddenly shifting his expression.
"How do you know that?" I demanded.
"Stop digging. Some cases are better left alone, or you'll all end up dead. You arrested Li Xiude and took down our Sima Chao. Impressive. But if you keep going, you're signing your death warrants!"
Them? I didn't understand what he meant. Pressing him harder, I asked, "You know them?"
"No comment. Just know this: if you drop this case, nothing will happen to you. But if you persist, when your lives are ruined, don't blame me for not warning you."
As if we'd be scared! Zhao Simeng snapped, "Since I joined the police force, I've never thought about backing down. Even if it means dying, I'll make sure to bring criminals like you to justice."
"Exactly!" I added. "Have you ever seen a cop back down?"
"And how would we face the citizens if we did?" Gao Qiang chimed in.
"Well, well, such admirable courage. Go ahead, then!" he sneered, even as I restrained him.
"You must know how to get into the forest breeding facility, don't you?" I probed.
"Now that you've caught me, do I have a choice but to tell?"
"Lead us there now. Even if you don't, we'll find a way ourselves. We're prepared."
"Haha! You think ordinary tools can open that door?"
What?
Grabbing him roughly, I shoved him toward the forest where we'd discovered the underground iron door. Zhao Simeng and Gao Qiang helped drag him along.
Soon, we arrived at the door. Gao Qiang tried slicing it with an electric saw, but despite several attempts, the door showed no sign of damage.
"Hahaha! Told you—you can't open it!" he laughed.
Furious, I kicked him to the ground and pinned him down. "Tell us how to open it!"
"How can I open it when you're pressing down on me so hard?" he complained. I knew he was trying to stall, so I pressed harder, drew my Falcon pistol, and threatened, "Open it. Now."
Frightened, he complied, pulling out a key and carefully inserting it into the lock. With a click, the iron door opened.
Forcing him to accompany us, we descended into the underground space. What we saw shocked us: rows of vials containing Western bullet ants, along with numerous strange instruments.
Western bullet ants aren't naturally this large. It must have been some sort of experimentation that altered their growth patterns, turning them into terrifying creatures. A project like this couldn't have been conducted by a mere businessman like Hong Xingchen. There had to be more people involved.
The man leading us finally revealed his name: Gong Yongyan. Initially, he refused to talk, but after I snapped his photo and threatened to use facial recognition to uncover his identity, he reluctantly confessed.
However, when questioned about Hong Xingchen, he once again feigned ignorance.
Looking at the equipment around us, Zhao Simeng suggested we destroy everything. Since we couldn't call for backup due to our suspended status, we had to act on our own. Armed with hammers and electric saws, we started smashing the instruments.
But as soon as we shattered a few pieces of equipment, countless Western bullet ants swarmed out of their vials. Previously dormant, they now flooded the lab, their sheer numbers overwhelming us.
"Spray them!" Zhao Simeng shouted, handing us insecticides.
But these ants were far more numerous than those we'd encountered in the Qing Dynasty mansion. Spraying only killed a fraction of them, while more emerged from the lab walls.
"Haha! Didn't I tell you not to investigate this case? Regretting it now?" Gong Yongyan taunted with a cold sneer.
We ignored him, but while Gao Qiang was holding him down, Gong suddenly seized the moment, broke free, and snatched his gun. Pointing it at us, he smirked, "You're dead."
"If we're not leaving alive, neither are you. Do you think you can escape those ants?" I countered.
Unfazed, Gong laughed. "Do you know why I helped you open the door? The moment you discovered this place, I planned to trap you here."
"Why?" Gao Qiang demanded.
"To eliminate you, of course. The ants are starving. You'll make a delightful feast," Gong replied smugly.
Damn it! Looking at the advancing ants, we realized they weren't attacking Gong at all.
How could they distinguish between humans?
Noticing our confusion, Gong explained with a sinister grin, "Recognize this sound? I used the same recording at the Qing mansion. You never found it. My unique body chemistry lacks the scent of blood, which keeps the ants from attacking me. It also allows me to raise them."