Chapter 44: The Express Delivery

Midnight police station.

A glaring spotlight shone on Le Dong's face. The air inside the entire interrogation room was stagnant and oppressive, broken only by the rustling sound of the two police officers on the opposite side turning the pages of their notes. Their scrutinizing gazes felt like invisible needles pricking against his skin.

"In other words, you claim you were hired by Hu Xiansheng to handle 'special matters,' and as a result, you got dragged into a murder plot orchestrated by Steward Ma, while Zhang Qiang and Hou San are wanted fugitive hitmen hired by Steward Ma?"

The chief interrogating officer's voice was completely flat, his fingers leafing through the evidence recovered from Le Dong's phone.

"Yes."

"Tell me about this 'special event' of yours."

Le Dong forced a bitter smile. As he frantically racked his brains trying to figure out how to stretch Fan Biao's absurd narrative of "folklore research" to fit the situation, the door of the interrogation room was knocked upon.

The chief interrogating officer frowned, stood up, opened the door, and exchanged a few words in low voices outside.

Le Dong only vaguely caught a few words: "higher-ups," "special," "release," and "temporarily."

Shortly after, the officer returned. The expression on his face was somewhat subtle, a mixture of faint reluctance and a heavier dose of professional duty.

"Alright, Le Dong." He closed the transcript notebook. "You can leave."

"Leave?" Le Dong was stunned, almost believing he had misheard.

"Yes, right now." The officer's tone allowed for no debate. "Sign here and collect your personal belongings. Remember, you are not allowed to leave the city in the near future and must cooperate with subsequent investigations at any time."

Filled with lingering doubts, he walked out of the interrogation area. The light in the hallway outside appeared somewhat harsh, and Le Dong immediately spotted Cai Kun and Fan Biao, who were also walking out.

"Dongzi! Are you alright?" Cai Kun hurried over the moment he saw him. "You scared the life out of me! I thought we were going to be stuck in there until dawn! I never expected it to be this fast!"

"Fast?" Fan Biao scoffed from nearby, lazily straightening his posture. "In your dreams. If I didn't have some lingering connections with an old friend in some 'special department' higher up and put in a good word, do you really think you'd be getting out this easily?"

He lowered his voice, his eyes sweeping across the passing police officers around them. "They made it clear: the case isn't closed yet, and all of us are considered 'specially related persons.' Don't even think about slipping away—just stay put and wait for further instructions."

Le Dong instantly understood. Fan Biao's network ran much deeper than he had imagined, which explained why he could still crack jokes while being interrogated by the police.

It was likely that this "special department" was an agency specifically established to handle matters that could not be brought to light.

He nodded without asking further questions, a heavy stone in his chest settling down slightly.

"Let's head out first." Zhou Fan rubbed his temples and motioned for them to move.

When they pushed open the heavy doors of the municipal police bureau, the late-night cool breeze carrying the scent of freedom rushed toward them.

Le Dong took a deep breath, his gaze instinctively sweeping across to the opposite side of the street. Under the distant, dim yellow street lamps, a group of figures was anxiously scanning the area.

The moment he recognized them, Le Dong's heart clenched violently before abruptly releasing, giving way to a surging, scalding wave of soreness.

It was his wife! Standing right beside her were his parents and his parents-in-law!

The crowd in the distance also noticed the entrance of the police station. His wife had sharp eyes and spotted him almost the moment he appeared.

"Le Dong!" A cry laced with tears pierced the silence.

"Thud..."

Le Dong's chest heaved. His wife threw herself directly into his arms, her hands wrapping tightly around his waist. Her body trembled violently, and her muffled sobs were pressed against his chest. "Sob, sob... You scared me to death... What drug-related murderer... The police wouldn't even explain clearly... I..."

Warm tears instantly soaked the front of Le Dong's shirt. He held his wife tightly in return, his throat blocked so tightly he could not make a sound, leaving him only able to gently pat her back over and over again.

"It's over... It's all over... I'm fine..." he comforted her in a hoarse voice, his own voice trembling as well.

Both sets of parents crowded around closely behind her. The harshness from before was completely gone, replaced entirely by worry and lingering fear.

Inquiries were naturally unavoidable. Looking at the terrified yet relieved faces of his family members, Le Dong felt a warmth mixed with heartache.

"Dad, Mom, I'm sorry for making you worry. Everything is fine. Some murderer broke into Boss Hu's place, and we happened to run into it by bad luck; we just helped catch the culprit and got a little scared. We'll talk about the details when we get home. It's cold outside, let's head home first."

Although this excuse was rather far-fetched, after experiencing such profound terror, what his family needed most at that moment was simply confirmation of his safety and well-being.

Le Dong wanted to turn around and ask about the source object, but he saw Cai Kun watching their family reunion scene with a complex and envious gaze.

Le Dong understood the "mess" at Cai Kun's apartment and intended to take him along as well, but Zhou Fan stepped forward and pulled him aside.

"While waiting for you at the police station, Fan Biao and I looked at that source object. That thing is somewhat eerie, and we might need a few days to study it."

As Zhou Fan spoke, he glanced over at Cai Kun and sighed. "One of the two of you might need to come with us. It's possible that studying the source object requires one of you to be present..."

"Then I'll go with the old uncle."

Just as Le Dong was about to agree, Cai Kun popped up from somewhere. "Dongzi, go properly take care of your family. Call me whenever you've figured it out!"

"Thanks!"

Le Dong didn't say much, casting a grateful glance at Cai Kun. The day after leaving the police station felt to Le Dong like a chaotic yet warm dream.

His son's condition had improved significantly, and the doctor even announced that he would be able to discharge from the hospital tomorrow!

This news was like a warm current, instantly sweeping away the gloom and exhaustion of the past few days. Seeing everything stepping back onto the right track, he finally had a moment to catch his breath. He took time out to send off both sets of parents and then took his wife out for a decent meal, listening to her chatter on about how her parents actually had soft hearts beneath their harsh exteriors.

Le Dong held his wife's small hand tightly and listened quietly, deliberately avoiding thoughts of that bizarre bug and the escaping lingering ghost, wishing only to immerse himself in this brief peace.

That night, seeing his wife fall into a deep sleep, Le Dong felt entirely devoid of sleepiness.

He gently reached for his wife's phone and tapped on the shared short video link.

The page refreshed, and an official blue-check wanted notice prominently appeared on the screen! The headline was startling: "Mega-scale murder case in neighboring province solved! Slaughterhouse workers brutally murder over a dozen people! Two main suspects still at large!"

Le Dong's heartbeat accelerated abruptly.

He tapped on the video, and two clear photos on the wanted poster pierced into his eyes—they were none other than Hou Kui and little Zhang!

The video briefly described how the two men, during their time working at the slaughterhouse, developed twisted psychology due to trivial disputes. Taking advantage of their profession and familiarity with the environment, they consecutively murdered over a dozen coworkers and innocent people in the surrounding area using extremely brutal methods! Having fled for two years, they were now wanted nationwide!

Le Dong stared fixedly at little Zhang on the screen—that ordinary, even somewhat scholarly face sent a bone-chilling frost creeping all the way up his spine!

He recalled Zhang Qiang's terrifyingly calm threat back at the villa—"Brother Le... you'd better hope I die..."

Now he understood how many innocent lives were stained behind those words! Waves of lingering fear washed over him. Subconsciously, he looked at his sleeping wife, and a strong urge to protect her surged into his mind, though he forcefully suppressed it the next moment.

The matter was over, and the wicked perpetrators had been brought to justice. He told himself this, desperately trying to ignore the lingering unease in his heart.

The next morning, his son was discharged from the hospital. Although still somewhat weak, his energy had improved markedly, and a long-lost smile appeared on his little face.

Just as Le Dong had settled his son comfortably on the sofa, his wife's phone rang. It was a call from Cai Kun.

"Dongzi! Check the local news! Quick!" Cai Kun's voice was brimming with excitement and relief.

Le Dong's heart skipped a beat. He immediately grabbed the remote control, turned on the television, and switched to the local news channel.

"...Mr. Hu Xiansheng has regained consciousness and is fully alert! He has identified Steward Ma as the mastermind behind the murder and provided crucial evidence! It has been confirmed that Zhang Qiang and Hou San are wanted fugitives from a neighboring province and were hired hitmen for Steward Ma! He has also identified Steward Ma's son as deeply involved in the murder... Steward Ma, Zhang Qiang, Hou San, and the son of Ma have all been criminally detained..."

At the bottom of the screen, photographs of Steward Ma, little Zhang, Hou Kui, and the fat driver being escorted by the police scrolled past.

"Hah..."

Le Dong let out a completely relaxed breath. Feeling as though all his strength had been drained away, he slumped softly against the sofa.

This heavy boulder had finally fallen!

Now, only one hidden hazard remained: once the source object was dealt with, he and his family could truly return to the ordinary and peaceful life he so desperately desired.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Suddenly, the knocking at the door gave Le Dong a start.

The person at the door was a courier holding a square, heavily wrapped cardboard box in his arms.

A delivery?

Though puzzled, Le Dong saw that the addressee was undoubtedly him, so he had no choice but to accept it.

It felt heavy in his hands, arousing his curiosity.

"Rip..."

Just as he pushed aside the internal foam packing, a flash of dazzling gold instantly pricked Le Dong's eyes!

Neatly lying inside were five solid gold bars!

Le Dong's breathing stopped instantly! Subconsciously, he glanced toward the direction of the kitchen. With trembling hands, he picked up the topmost gold bar and saw a folded plain white letter pressed underneath it.

He unfolded the letter, which contained a few lines of handwriting:

Mr. Le,

Thanks to your timely assistance in a time of peril, please accept this meager token to express my heartfelt gratitude.

——Hu Xiansheng

Le Dong's pupils constricted, and the phrase involuntarily echoed in his mind:

"Do you want to take my gold, too?"