Chapter 42: The Curtain Falls

"Woo-woo—woo-woo—woo-woo—"

"BOOM—"

A sharp, piercing siren, growing rapidly in volume as it approached, shattered the silence of the villa district in the dead of night!

This was immediately followed by the roar of multiple police car engines and the screeching of tires as they braked violently against the asphalt. The final, thunderous crash was the sound of the already damaged gate outside the villa being smashed open yet again by brute force.

"Everyone inside, listen up! We are the police! Drop your weapons and cease resistance immediately! Repeat, drop your weapons and cease resistance immediately!"

Dozens of blinding spotlights, accompanied by the authoritative, amplified commands from bullhorns and the chaotic, heavy thud of boots outside, instantly flooded the courtyard.

This sudden turn of events was like a massive boulder crashing into a tranquil lake.

Whether it was Zhou Fan, who was straining to maintain the formation, or Fan Biao, who was tensed and ready for a final strike, both were caught in a brief, sub-second moment of shock due to the familiar yet jarring sound of the sirens and the police commands.

But that split second was all it took!

"Ugh—ah—!!!"

Trapped within the golden rune cage and suffering agonizing torment from the power of the formation, the vengeful spirit of Old Master Hu seemed to have grasped at a final straw.

The residual resentment within it erupted with sudden, desperate intensity—a final flicker of life—and it forcefully tore a gap in the weakest point of the golden formation!

A thick, opaque cloud of blue-black resentment surged out like a bursting dam. Instead of rushing toward the gate, it plunged straight into the shadows of the second-floor ceiling, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"Blast it!"

Fan Biao and Zhou Fan’s expressions shifted simultaneously; they both knew things had gone wrong.

Turning to look, the glow of the formation dimmed rapidly, the talismans burning to ash and losing all effect. Almost exactly as the spirit escaped, several high-powered flashlights pierced through the smoke and gloom inside the villa, beaming directly in!

"Don't move!"

"Hands in the air!"

"Police! Drop your weapons!"

With several sharp shouts, heavily armed SWAT officers surged into the wreckage of the living room. They moved with swift, disciplined precision, instantly securing every entrance and exit.

Dozens of dark gun barrels were pointed at everyone in the living room who could still move—Fan Biao, Zhou Fan, Le Dong and Cai Kun upstairs who were still dazed, and the ruthless-looking yet now crestfallen Butler Ma and his associates, Hou Kui and Xiao Zhang.

Everything happened so fast that even though Butler Ma and the others wanted to flee, they had no opportunity whatsoever.

"Secure them!"

The lead SWAT officer barked, scanning the scene with his high-powered light. The beam swept across the shattered doors, windows, and furniture, lingering on the deep claw marks and mysterious stains on the walls before settling on Le Dong and the others huddled upstairs.

"Bring them down!"

The team leader tightened his grip on his sidearm. His gaze flickered back and forth between Le Dong upstairs, Fan Biao—who held a bronze coin sword—and Zhou Fan, who was pale and just putting away his talismans. His brow furrowed deeply.

He saw the tattered clothes on Fan Biao, the exhaustion on Zhou Fan, the blood and disarray on Le Dong and Cai Kun, and even the short knives at the feet of Xiao Zhang and Hou Kui.

"Report! Multiple bodies found in the villa, several wounded, two unconscious!" a team member reported after a quick inspection.

"Call an ambulance! Seal off the scene! K-9 units, prioritize searching for narcotics! Bring everyone from upstairs down and have them squat in place for inspection!" the lead officer ordered sternly, his brow knotted in concern.

The scene before him far exceeded his expectations: a shattered living room, claw marks gouged into walls, mysterious stains, several corpses, a critically injured tycoon, and suspicious individuals holding weapons... It looked exactly like a cartel shootout from a movie.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

Taking advantage of the moment, several SWAT officers brought Le Dong’s group down and ordered them to squat alongside Fan Biao and Zhou Fan.

Le Dong, squatting in the corner with his head in his hands, realized the truth behind this sudden "rescue" from the officer’s mention of "narcotics"—his wife! It had to be her!

"You!"

Just then, the lead officer’s gaze fell on Le Dong. He walked over, squatted down, and asked in a low but clear voice, "What is your name?"

"Le... Le Dong." Le Dong’s voice was raspy.

"Le Dong?" The officer’s eyes sharpened. "It was your wife who called the police."

Le Dong’s heart skipped a beat. Even though he had suspected as much, hearing the confirmation caused an indescribable warmth to wash away some of his fear and fatigue. However, it was immediately replaced by a deeper worry—the police were here, but the vengeful spirit of Old Master Hu...

Thankfully, the source had been secured by Cai Kun.

As Le Dong pondered, the officer kept his eyes fixed on his shifting expressions and continued:

"Your wife said she saw a van driving erratically on Yingbin Road and that the driver was behaving crazily, so she suspected drug or drunk driving. We intercepted and checked the vehicle; there was no smell of alcohol on the driver, and we were prepared to let him go, but he looked extremely panicked.

When we cross-referenced that with your wife’s statement, we brought the driver in for a drug test. We asked your wife for more concrete evidence, but she couldn't provide any; she just kept crying, saying her husband—you—had just called her."

The officer paused for a few seconds, trying to gauge Le Dong’s reaction. "On the phone, you told her to stop those two cars no matter what, claiming the people inside were on drugs. We asked where you were, but she didn't know. You were very frantic on the phone and hung up abruptly.

Your wife was extremely worried about your safety, and her demeanor didn't seem like she was lying. Since the driver’s drug test would take time, we synthesized the information and felt something was deeply suspicious. We were worried something major had happened to you."

The officer slowly squatted closer, staring into Le Dong’s eyes, and spoke word for word: "Especially when considering drug driving, we couldn't rule out the possibility of a drug trafficking meeting point or a 'black-on-black' hit. So, while we tried to track your phone, we mobilized a team to rush here."

He paused, and seeing that Le Dong remained composed, he stood up and looked around the room, adding, "When we arrived, we saw the gate smashed to pieces, a vehicle crashed into the courtyard, and could hear sounds of intense fighting and screaming. Given the emergency, we decided to force our way in."

Le Dong took a deep breath, all his fear and exhaustion finding a release. He looked at the officer with sincerity:

"Officer, I am so sorry! I truly apologize! I put you all through so much trouble, but I wasn't able to explain it clearly at the time! The situation was too urgent; I only had time to say that one sentence on the phone. I couldn't explain everything, so I took the only chance I had to use the most concise words possible to make her call the police and stop those cars... And my wife was just worried about me; she doesn't know anything. Also, there are no drugs here! Really, there aren't!"

Le Dong’s apology was sincere and urgent.

The officer looked at his bloodshot eyes and the wounds on his body, then glanced at the unconscious, clearly high-profile Boss Hu on the ground. His brow remained furrowed, but the severity in his eyes softened slightly.

"No drugs?" the captain repeated, his tone skeptical.

"Absolutely none!" Le Dong shook his head vigorously, then immediately pointed at Xiao Zhang and Hou Kui, who were squatting nearby. His voice rose with a mix of anger and lingering fear, "But, Officer! These two—they are murderers! They have blood on their hands! And him!"

Le Dong’s finger suddenly shot toward the ashen-faced Butler Ma. "Butler Ma! He is a murderer too! He killed Boss Hu’s son and daughter-in-law, and he tried to kill Boss Hu for his money! We are all victims!"

This statement caused everyone present to freeze.

The lead officer’s expression turned grim. He held his gaze on the faces of Butler Ma and his associates for several seconds as they struggled to maintain their composure.

Clearly, he did not entirely believe Le Dong’s side of the story.