Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In the deserted streets late at night, a sedan was driving steadily.
Next to the driver was Guo Zhuanghuai in the passenger seat. In the back row sat three people: two thugs on either side and a young pharmacist from Dow Pharmaceuticals Group in the middle.
Suddenly, the driver slammed on the brakes. Everyone looked forward and saw a woman in dark clothing and a mask blocking their path. This woman was Cheng Shuhua.
Guo Zhuanghuai turned around and gestured to the two thugs beside the pharmacist. The thugs got out of the car, cracking their knuckles as they approached Cheng Shuhua. At the same time, the sedan began to reverse.
Cheng Shuhua did not regard the two thugs as a threat and directly pursued the car. The two thugs attempted to intercept her, quickly engaging in combat with Cheng Shuhua. In just a few moves, she knocked both thugs aside, took several quick steps to catch up with the retreating sedan, jumped onto the car's hood, and punched through the windshield. Guo Zhuanghuai caught Cheng Shuhua's fist just before it struck the driver. Cheng Shuhua then threw another punch at Guo Zhuanghuai's face, but he dodged it. In a flash, Cheng Shuhua and Guo Zhuanghuai exchanged four or five blows, neither gaining an advantage.
The reversing sedan suddenly crashed into a telephone pole at the back, coming to a stop by the roadside, causing Cheng Shuhua to be forced off the hood due to inertia.
Guo Zhuanghuai urged the driver, "Quickly take Mr. Feng away!"
Guo Zhuanghuai pushed open the car door and rushed out, engaging in combat with Cheng Shuhua once more.
The pharmacist and Mr. Feng were terrified, while the driver was trembling with fear. Suddenly, the driver shifted gears and accelerated forward.
Seeing the sedan drive away, Cheng Shuhua feigned an attack at Guo Zhuanghuai before chasing after the car. Guo Zhuanghuai hurriedly followed.
Cheng Shuhua jumped onto the roof of the sedan, drew a long knife with her other hand, and stabbed down through the roof towards the driver inside. The driver screamed and swerved to avoid her attack, causing the car to sway on the street. Guo Zhuanghuai chased alongside and leaped onto the roof of the sedan as well.
Guo Zhuanghuai fought with Cheng Shuhua on top of the moving car, which had already lost control. With her knife in hand, Cheng Shuhua and bare-handed Guo Zhuanghuai were evenly matched.
The sedan barreled straight toward a telephone pole on the side of the road; the driver urgently turned the steering wheel, causing one side of the tires to lift off the ground while the rearview mirror was knocked off by the pole. Both Guo Zhuanghuai and Cheng Shuhua lost their balance on top of the car but managed to grab hold of gaps along its edge to avoid falling off.
The sedan made a sharp turn at an intersection and crashed into a dead-end alley filled with debris.
Guo Zhuanghuai declared, "Now I will see what 'Thorned Rose' really looks like!"
He reached out to grab Cheng Shuhua's veil, but she leaned back while swinging her knife toward his arm. Guo Zhuanghuai quickly dodged...
As the car continued to crash through the obstacles blocking the road, it was about to hit the wall at the end of the alley. Inside the car, Mr. Feng, the Pharmacist, shouted repeatedly, "Brake! Brake! Brake!"
The Driver's eyes widened in panic as he screamed nervously and desperately pressed the brake pedal, but it was too late; the vehicle was still heading straight for the wall.
Guo Zhuanghuai and Cheng Shuhua quickly jumped off the roof of the car just before a loud crash echoed as the vehicle collided with the dead-end wall.
Cheng Shuhua ran towards the car, but Guo Zhuanghuai grabbed her arm, and they continued to struggle with each other.
The severely deformed hood of the car was emitting thick smoke. The Driver's upper body was thrown onto the front hood of the car, motionless. All the windows of the car had shattered. The Pharmacist crawled up from the back seat and stealthily pushed open the car door.
Guo Zhuanghuai's presence overwhelmed Cheng Shuhua as he shouted to Mr. Feng, "Mr. Feng, hurry up and go!"
The Pharmacist maneuvered around Guo Zhuanghuai and Cheng Shuhua, running away swiftly into the distance.
Cheng Shuhua, eager to kill, feigned two attacks at Guo Zhuanghuai before chasing after the Pharmacist from behind. Guo Zhuanghuai hurriedly pursued them, but Cheng Shuhua managed to catch up just in time. She leaped up and struck with a knife, causing the Pharmacist to fall backward onto the ground.
Cheng Shuhua glanced back at Guo Zhuanghuai before fleeing away.
Meanwhile, Cheng Yuyao had already arrived at the port.
A black suitcase lay nearby, surrounded by five or six Bodyguards who were playing cards together.
Dressed in dark clothing, Cheng Yuyao moved stealthily among the piles of cargo, quietly approaching the black suitcase. Behind her, another person in dark clothing followed closely; they were far apart enough that Cheng Yuyao did not notice.
Cheng Yuyao was now very close to the black suitcase, and those Bodyguards remained oblivious. She quietly moved toward it and successfully reached its side. Feeling pleased yet somewhat puzzled, she thought, "This is going too smoothly."
After hesitating for a moment, Cheng Yuyao grabbed hold of the black suitcase and turned to leave. Just as she lifted it off the ground, it exploded, enveloping her in a cloud of white smoke. She quickly emerged from the smoke while coughing uncontrollably and looked around. In front of her stood more than ten Bodyguards who had emerged from behind the cargo piles, surrounding her completely. The Bodyguards who had been playing cards also stood up to block her escape route.
The Bodyguard Leader said, "Last time we let you steal our goods; this time you won't get away!"
Cheng Yuyao gasped heavily as she slowly drew two short blades from her waist, glaring at the Bodyguard Leader before suddenly launching an attack. However, the Bodyguard Leader dodged swiftly. The other Bodyguards closed in on Cheng Yuyao. It was clear that she was physically exhausted; under the siege of the crowd, she quickly fell into a disadvantage. Finally, after failing in her last attack, she barely managed to support herself with her hand on the ground to avoid falling, but her vision began to blur.
She had been poisoned by the gas released from the exploding box.
"You despicable people!" Cheng Yuyao gritted her teeth.
The Bodyguard Leader retorted, "It's not despicable. How could we easily capture you, the 'Thorned Rose'?" He then commanded his subordinates, "Tie her up and take her away!"
As the surrounding Bodyguards restrained Cheng Yuyao's arms and prepared to bind her tightly, another figure dressed in dark clothing rushed in from a distance. He picked up a few stones from the ground and threw them, hitting the Bodyguard who was tying up Cheng Yuyao, knocking him to the ground.
In the moment Cheng Yuyao was about to collapse, she saw the Night-Clad Man take a few strides to reach her, extending his left hand to lift her body while engaging in combat with the Bodyguards using his right hand. Soon after, Cheng Yuyao lost consciousness.
The Night-Clad Man hoisted the unconscious Cheng Yuyao onto his shoulder. The surrounding Bodyguards charged at him, but he knocked them down and kicked them away with one arm and his legs.
Seeing their prey slipping away, the Bodyguard Leader shouted blindly, "Don't let them escape! Capture them! Capture them!"
The Night-Clad Man kicked the Bodyguard Leader several meters away and then used another Bodyguard's shoulder and a high stack of goods as a springboard to leap into the air.
As the Bodyguard Leader scrambled to his feet, he yelled, "Gun! Gun! Give me a gun!"
One of his subordinates hurriedly handed him a handgun. The Bodyguard Leader sat on the ground and aimed at the retreating Night-Clad Man, but just then, a pair of cargo crates blocked his view. Disappointed, he tossed the gun onto the ground.
This was not an ordinary night.
On this night, Cheng Yuwan fell unconscious from poisoning; Cheng Shuhua killed Mr. Feng, a pharmacist from Dow Pharmaceuticals Group; Cheng Yuyao's mission failed and she was rescued by a masked man after being poisoned. However, what happened that night was far more than just these events.
It was already quite late when Tao Ziwen remained seated in the police station's office.
Finally, Wang Zhiyuan entered briskly with a wine glass and test results in hand.
Tao Ziwen asked urgently, "What happened?"
Wang Zhiyuan shook his head, "Brother Ziwen, there are no traces of poison left in the wine glass. This means that Zhu Dapeng's wife did not poison the drink."
"If there was no poison, then where else could Zhu Dapeng have been killed?" Tao Ziwen was puzzled.
Wang Zhiyuan said, "Since we have determined that the murderer is Zhu Dapeng's wife, why don't we just arrest her? The truth will be clear during the trial."
"Don't you feel that Zhu Dapeng's wife is covering for someone?"
"Covering for whom?"
Tao Ziwen enunciated each word carefully, "The real murderer!"
As Wang Zhiyuan was filled with doubt, Tao Ziwen suddenly stood up and walked towards the office door. "Let's go, we need to visit the Tavern again."
Wang Zhiyuan grabbed the wine glass and chased after him. "Will they still be open this late?"
"They won't be closed!"
"By the way, should we return this wine glass to them?"
"You can keep it for yourself!"
They made their way downstairs. Wang Zhiyuan stopped and looked at the wine glass, feeling a shiver run down his spine. "This is bad luck; how can I use something that a dead person has touched?"
Without thinking, Wang Zhiyuan tossed it into the trash can on the first floor and ran after Tao Ziwen, who had already exited the police station.
"Brother Ziwen, wait for me!"
At this time, the clock in the police station's case handling hall showed it was eleven o'clock at night.
When Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan arrived at the Tavern, it was indeed closed.
Wang Zhiyuan complained, "Ziwen, I told you they would close! Look, it's closed, right? Let's head back! We can come back tomorrow morning!"
Tao Ziwen sat down on the steps in front of the Tavern, thinking while asking, "Brother Wang, what’s the nearest way from the Tavern to Zhu Dapeng's house?"
Wang Zhiyuan impatiently replied, "Haven't we walked this route before? Just follow the main street and take a few turns!"
Tao Ziwen added, "I mean the path!"
"Path?" Wang Zhiyuan thought carefully. "There seems to be an abandoned path that goes through a graveyard."
Without thinking twice, Tao Ziwen said, "Let's go that way tonight!"
"What?" Wang Zhiyuan exclaimed, nearly dropping his jaw in shock. "It's so late; are you joking?"
Tao Ziwen took out a flashlight he carried with him and headed down the path.
"Are you really going?"
"If you're scared, I can go alone!"
"Who’s scared? If we're going, then let's go!" Wang Zhiyuan also took out his flashlight and closely followed behind Tao Ziwen.
The grass on both sides of the path was almost overgrown. A chilling wind blew through the area, with flickering will-o'-the-wisps appearing here and there, accompanied by the sounds of insects and birds at night. The entire atmosphere was eerie and terrifying.
This was indeed the path, with a graveyard covered in wild grass on both sides.
Wang Zhiyuan was trembling all over, but Tao Ziwen remained calm and composed.
Wang Zhiyuan spoke with a quiver in his voice, "Ziwen, aren't we taking this a bit too far? How about we head back?"
Tao Ziwen replied, "Since we're already here, we should at least take a look around!"
The two of them continued walking forward. Suddenly, the hoot of an owl made Wang Zhiyuan shiver uncontrollably.
Wang Zhiyuan scanned the surroundings, shaking with fear. "I have goosebumps all over! Aren't you scared?"
Tao Ziwen said, "With you here, what do I have to be afraid of?"
Tao Ziwen swept the beam of his flashlight across the ground, his expression focused as if searching for something. Suddenly, he noticed that several blades of grass ahead were stained red with blood. He hurried a few steps forward, crouched down by the blades of grass, picked one up to examine closely, and sniffed it. After a moment of thought, he shone the flashlight further ahead. The ground showed more bloodstains and numerous footprints—some large and some small. There were also patches of grass that had been trampled down.
Tao Ziwen felt a mix of excitement and sadness. "We found it."
Wang Zhiyuan caught up and also illuminated the messy patch of grass with his flashlight, suddenly realizing, "This... this is the first crime scene?"
Tao Ziwen nodded. "This is it; there must be many clues here. Let's search now!"
"How about we look tomorrow instead? This place isn't going anywhere, right?"
"If you're not scared, just keep talking. We can stay here overnight if necessary; how does that sound?"
Summoning his courage, Wang Zhiyuan gritted his teeth and said, "Alright! Let's search!"
The two of them crouched down in the grass, rummaging through it. Occasionally, the howling of wild dogs and the hooting of owls sent chills down Wang Zhiyuan's spine. He tried to calm his emotions while searching through the underbrush.
Tao Ziwen discovered something and quickly crouched down, holding the flashlight in his mouth as he dug out a bullet from the dirt.
Tao Ziwen excitedly said, "I found it!"
Wang Zhiyuan quickly leaned in and asked, "What did you find?"
Tao Ziwen held up a bullet casing for Wang Zhiyuan to see. "Evidence of the crime. What about you?"
Wang Zhiyuan pulled out a blood-stained rag. "I found this. It must have been left by the killer or the victim."
Tao Ziwen stood up and looked at the sky. "It's almost dawn; let's head back!"
Wang Zhiyuan replied eagerly, "I was waiting for you to say that! This evidence is enough to identify the murderer! This whole night has scared me to death!"
Wang Zhiyuan appeared very happy, but Tao Ziwen was filled with worry.
After all, the outcome of the case had exceeded his expectations.
Comment 0 Comment Count