Jiang Langmin arrived at the police station to report in early that morning, accompanied by Zou Liming. He had always been meticulous about this routine procedure; usually, the officer in charge would see him in the office before they had even finished their breakfast.
In the past, a specific officer had always handled his paperwork, but today, it was Lu Linjiang sitting behind the desk when Jiang Langmin arrived.
"Oh, Dr. Jiang is quite early."
Jiang Langmin nodded with a smile, the picture of a model citizen. "I must cooperate with your work, after all."
Lu Linjiang gave a dry chuckle. "That’s good to hear. As for the case, we’ll clear it up as quickly as possible. You should tell your friends to stop calling our Director. He’s getting on in years and isn't in the best of health; all those calls yesterday forced him to work overtime."
A hint of coldness bled into Jiang Langmin’s smile. "I’m afraid the phone calls are secondary. Ultimately, isn't it because his subordinates are so inefficient that the Director has to stay late to clean up the mess?"
Lu Linjiang’s smile became even more sincere than Jiang Langmin’s. "No need to rush. Work must be done step by step. Here, fill out the form."
Lu Linjiang flicked a form across the desk. Jiang Langmin took it, pulled a pen from his pocket, and began filling in the same information he had provided many times before. Just as he was about to finish, Lu Linjiang suddenly asked, "What were you doing on December 18th?"
Jiang Langmin’s pen paused for a fraction of a second, his expression one of confusion. "What?"
"December 18th. The day you all set off for Jinghai. What were you doing?"
Jiang Langmin looked up at Lu Linjiang, his face clouded with the effort of remembering. "I recall packing my luggage, checking various reports with the Professor, and then preparing to board the plane."
"Oh?" Lu Linjiang rested his hands on the desk and leaned forward, his gaze sharp with a sense of impending victory. "You didn't go out at all?"
"Go out?" Jiang Langmin tapped his pen against his chin. "I did."
Lu Linjiang was not pleased by such a straightforward answer. Sure enough, Jiang Langmin continued, "If I didn't go out, how would I have found the Professor or reached the airport?"
Lu Linjiang curled his lip in a sarcastic sneer. "True. I seem to have forgotten that point." Yet, his eyes held a certainty as clear as the sun breaking through the clouds.
Jiang Langmin calmly returned the form to him and stood up. "If Captain Lu has nothing else, I shall take my leave."
Sitting at the desk, Lu Linjiang gave a nonchalant wave. "Remember to keep reporting in. Don't go wandering off."
The moment Jiang Langmin stepped into the car, the smile vanished from his face. Zou Liming glanced at him through the rearview mirror, and seeing his foul mood, wisely remained silent. The car pulled up beneath Jiang Langmin’s apartment building. Jiang Langmin, who hadn't spoken the entire way, suddenly said, "Go to the hospital. Check on Luo Jia’s condition for me."
"Hmm?" Zou Liming turned back, puzzled.
"Once Lu Linjiang is done with his business, I’ll be returning to Sweden. I haven't visited him since his accident. One way or another, I should at least check in," Jiang Langmin said. "It’s inconvenient for me to move about right now, so I’ll have to trouble you to make the trip."
Zou Liming replied, "Oh. I’ll go ask the doctor then. It’s the City Hospital, right?"
"Yes. Thank you," Jiang Langmin said politely before heading upstairs.
The moment he turned away, he could no longer maintain his composure. When Lu Linjiang had suddenly asked where he went before departure, he had appeared calm on the surface, but a tempest had surged in his heart. A single thought raced through his mind: *Could Luo Jia have woken up?*
Guzman’s appearance in Sweden the day before they left was entirely by Jiang Langmin’s design. While performing a routine check of Tao Minxing’s e-reader, he had discovered that the Professor was beginning to suspect the data tampering. Before he could investigate further, Tao Minxing—who usually trusted him implicitly—had unexpectedly returned to retrieve the device.
Jiang Langmin had watched Tao Minxing’s retreating back in silence, a single thought taking root: *Tao Minxing cannot be allowed to remain.*
If it had been anyone else, Jiang Langmin might have planned how to turn them into an accomplice. He was exceptionally skilled at manipulating hearts; nearly everyone of value within Hughes had already been brought under his wing. But Tao Minxing was different. Setting aside his status and reputation, Tao Minxing’s very character made it clear to Jiang Langmin from the start that they were not of the same kind.
If he could not be used, he had to be removed.
Once the decision was made to eliminate Tao Minxing, Jiang Langmin had to prepare for two possibilities. The first was that the plan would go perfectly—undetected and seamless—and everything would vanish once Tao Minxing was buried. But if things didn't go smoothly, he needed the second option: a plausible scapegoat to shoulder all the blame.
He didn't have many choices. Luo Jia was naturally the most suitable candidate. Although Luo Jia handled most of the business with the shell companies Guzman operated, he was ultimately mediocre. To Jiang Langmin, who had already won over the majority of the people at Hughes, Luo Jia had become quite expendable. Without much hesitation, Jiang Langmin had concocted an excuse, claiming it was too dangerous for all data and funds to pass through MURA Company. He suggested adding another company to spread the risk and summoned Guzman to Sweden on short notice, instructing the two of them to hand over the existing materials.
Everything had gone smoothly at first, but for some reason, Guzman had sensed something was wrong and had even pursued them from Italy to Jinghai. Guzman, intent on saving his friend, encountered Jiang Langmin before he could reach Luo Jia. Even though Guzman was on high alert, he was still no match for Jiang Langmin—a man who played with human hearts and was accustomed to controlling the entire board. Guzman was persuaded, believing it truly was just a diversification of investment to reduce risk.
Jiang Langmin had not decided to spare Guzman because of this. Upon learning that Guzman intended to stop by Camel City to finalize a contract, he deliberately guided him toward Liucheng Island, then notified Zhao Zhijie on the island.
Thinking of this, Jiang Langmin narrowed his eyes. There were no flaws in the plan; the only thing that could fail was the people involved.
Zhao Zhijie was one of the individuals Jiang Langmin’s mother had once sponsored. After his mother passed away, Jiang Langmin found that the man indeed possessed some talent. Because of his mother’s past kindness, bringing Zhao Zhijie to his side had required very little effort.
Not long after Guzman arrived on Liucheng Island, Zhao Zhijie had targeted him. Poisoning Guzman was no difficult task for Zhao Zhijie. Once the deed was done, he had even lured Guzman to Baiweiju, making everything appear seamless.
If... if it hadn't been for Lu Linjiang...
Jiang Langmin gritted his teeth at the mention of that name. Everything should have been perfect. Although Lu Linjiang hadn't found any substantive evidence in these cases, his actions had exerted immense pressure on Jiang Langmin. Specifically, Zhao Zhijie had once accessed the system and discovered that Guzman’s case had never been closed. Although Lu Linjiang was no longer spending time on that case, his refusal to close it felt like a thorn in Jiang Langmin’s side.
He paced restlessly around the apartment, checking the time repeatedly. By the time he estimated Zou Liming should have reached the City Hospital, Jiang Langmin finally calmed down. He opened his laptop and pulled up a map of Jinghai. A red dot that had been stationary at the CDC finally began to move slowly. Before Jiang Langmin could judge the direction of the movement, Zou Liming’s call came through.
"Hello, Mr. Jiang. I’ve asked around. They say Luo Jia woke up last night."
Jiang Langmin’s right hand slipped uncontrollably. The mouse, along with the water glass beside it, tumbled to the floor. Fortunately, the floor was carpeted; the glass didn't break, but the water spilled out, soaking a large patch of the smoke-gray carpet.
Jiang Langmin stared at the glass lying on the carpet and cleared his throat before asking, "Has he regained consciousness?"
"The doctor said not fully. However, since waking up yesterday, he’s been repeating a few phrases. The gist of it is that he had to meet Guzman on the 18th. The doctor suspects that the impact on his brain when he fell, combined with being comatose for so long, has caused some memory confusion."
Jiang Langmin took a deep breath. "Then I should go see him. We were colleagues, after all..."
"Oh, there’s no need for a visit. I didn't get to see him either. Since yesterday, the police have increased security here. No one except doctors is allowed near Luo Jia’s ward."
"...Who gave the order?"
A name surfaced in Jiang Langmin’s mind. He couldn't help but hold his breath. Sure enough, Zou Liming said, "Supposedly it was Lu Linjiang. He arrived shortly after Luo Jia woke up last night."
Jiang Langmin’s face darkened further. His voice trembled slightly, and it took every ounce of his strength to maintain his composure. "Oh, then never mind. Thank you, Lawyer Zou."
He exchanged a few strained pleasantries and hung up. The room fell silent, save for the sound of his own breathing. Luo Jia waking up now was an enormous threat. In the past, he could be certain that Luo Jia wouldn't dare betray him, but how a man who had walked the line between life and death would act was now an unpredictable variable.
For the first time in his life, Jiang Langmin, a man who demanded total control, felt the sting of panic.
The emotion was too foreign to him. Jiang Langmin began to gnaw on his fingernails neurotically. As he struggled to untangle his chaotic thoughts, the red dot on the screen continued its stop-and-go movement, finally coming to a halt at a familiar set of coordinates.
Jiang Langmin stared at the screen, his nails between his teeth, as the suppressed hatred within him finally erupted.
Thinking back, it seemed everything had started when Jiang Cheng was dragged into Tao Minxing’s death. From that point on, things had slowly, imperceptibly, begun to slip from his grasp.
The stationary red dot on the screen seemed to expand, eventually transforming into a beast with a gaping maw, lunging at him. With an instinctive swipe of his hand, Jiang Langmin sent the laptop flying. The sharp clatter of the computer shattering echoed through the room, and Jiang Langmin finally regained a shred of reason.
"The game... has only just begun!"
***
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