Actually, Jiang Langmin didn't even need to look at the mist in the air; he could feel the droplets sliding down his own face.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Zhao Zhijie finally took a few steps back, eyeing Jiang Langmin with satisfaction. "This way, we can truly share our joys and sorrows."
Jiang Langmin prided himself on always being the strategist. Even when forced by circumstances to commit acts of robbery or murder, he maintained a self-imposed standard of "civilized" methods—killing without shedding blood. To him, Zhao Zhijie’s crude and violent approach was practically prehistoric, the behavior of a primitive savage.
The smile on Zhao Zhijie’s face bordered on manic. "Now, where were we?"
Jiang Langmin finally regained his composure, though his movements remained stiff as he reached for a tissue. He mechanically wiped Zhao Zhijie’s saliva from his face before speaking. "We need to find a few of Cheng Hao’s confidants at Micro-Macro. They were all hand-picked by him. Asking them for the items is the most direct way right now."
"Oh? And how long will that take?" Zhao Zhijie stared at him. "I saw how miserable Lu Linjiang looked. Don't think you can stall for time and turn me into that, too."
That had indeed been Jiang Langmin’s original plan, but Zhao Zhijie’s sneeze had forced him to abandon it. Zhao Zhijie was clearly convinced of his suspicion, tilting his head slightly. "Should I sneeze on you again?"
Jiang Langmin immediately recoiled. "Enough!" Zhao Zhijie’s obvious relish for the idea finally caused the mask of hypocrisy Jiang Langmin usually wore to crack and peel away, revealing a raw disgust he had never shown before. "In this situation, there is no need for me to lie to you!"
Zhao Zhijie picked at his nose; when his finger came away, it was stained with a faint crimson. He wiped it on his clothes with a look of loathing. "What exactly is this stuff?"
"A virus."
Zhao Zhijie was clearly dissatisfied with that answer. "You’ve played this game so many times; do you think I can't see that much?"
"It was extracted from fruit bats while searching for the Gaimore antibody. For now, it’s called G-X. It hasn't been systematically researched yet."
Zhao Zhijie’s expression shifted instantly. "Dammit! Then you said there’s a vaccine? You’re still lying to me!"
"A lack of systematic research doesn't mean there’s been no research at all. That fruit bat carried antibodies. I extracted a sample and kept it in storage for when it might be useful." Jiang Langmin’s face was full of impatience. Although he was certain he had wiped the saliva off, he couldn't stop thinking about that highly suspicious mist in the air. He wanted nothing more than to soak himself in disinfectant and scrub off two layers of skin!
"When it might be useful?" Zhao Zhijie sneered. "Now is when it's useful. How are you going to get it? You screwed Cheng Hao over and got him locked up. Are you sure his former subordinates will still listen to you?"
"You don't need to know that much," Jiang Langmin said irritably. "All you need to know is that I will get you the vaccine."
Zhao Zhijie spat at him, making Jiang Langmin jump. "Why are you still playing games with me at a time like this? How about I just stay here, and neither of us leaves alive!"
There was an abnormal frenzy in Zhao Zhijie’s eyes, the look of a man fully prepared to drag Jiang Langmin down to the grave with him. Jiang Langmin took a deep breath. "There's no need to find anyone. All the doors at Micro-Macro can be accessed with a passcode. As long as we have the code, we don't need anyone's help."
Zhao Zhijie let out an unceremonious scoff. Jiang Langmin ignored him. "We’ll go when it gets dark."
"Wait until dark?" Zhao Zhijie reacted as if he’d heard a massive joke. "Do you really think you’ll be able to step out of your door after dark today?"
At first, it sounded like a threat, but Jiang Langmin immediately understood that Zhao Zhijie was referring to a lockdown. G-X was self-limiting; its genes would begin to degrade after an initial burst of rapid self-replication. Even in a culture medium, it couldn't survive past seven generations. This was the reason Jiang Langmin had dared to use G-X in the first place.
However, the Jinghai CDC wouldn't know that. Seeing Lu Linjiang’s condition, combined with Zhao Zhijie’s escape, a city-wide lockdown would be their best means of control. Forget nightfall—by noon, they would likely need luck just to step outside.
Zhao Zhijie pointed toward the door. "Are you waiting for me to invite you?"
Jiang Langmin put on his coat. As he passed the cleaning lady, he whispered, "Auntie, wait for me to come back."
The woman was still in shock and gave no reaction. By the time she regained her senses, she found the door had been deadbolted from the outside.
Zhao Zhijie watched coldly as Jiang Langmin locked the door. The two remained silent the entire way until the side entrance of Micro-Macro came into view. Only then did Zhao Zhijie ask, "Are you sure they won't call the police?"
Jiang Langmin shot him a sidelong glance. "If you don't trust me, you can get out."
Zhao Zhijie looked away indifferently, but his body remained tense, as if he were ready to strike and seize control the moment Jiang Langmin made a wrong move.
Jiang Langmin parked the car under the shade of a tree by the roadside and got out without waiting for Zhao Zhijie. Zhao Zhijie scanned the surroundings and, unsurprisingly, spotted a surveillance camera at the top right of the side door.
Jiang Langmin, however, paid the camera no mind. He put on a fingerprint sleeve, pressed a button on the control panel, and entered a long string of numbers. With a click, the door swung open, and Jiang Langmin slipped inside. Zhao Zhijie followed, glancing up one last time before entering, only to realize the camera was actually turned off.
"You shut it down?"
Jiang Langmin acted as if he hadn't heard, walking forward without stopping. They were currently in a quiet corridor. After entering the side door, Jiang Langmin had pushed through a fire door and turned into this hallway.
Zhao Zhijie didn't care that he was being ignored repeatedly. He followed closely, watching Jiang Langmin enter passcodes at several checkpoints. After about ten minutes and five doors, Jiang Langmin finally opened the heavy door to the vaccine vault.
The temperature dropped several degrees instantly. Zhao Zhijie, wearing only a shirt, couldn't help but rub his arms to smooth down the goosebumps. Rows of climate-controlled cabinets lined the room, each drawer labeled with a nameplate. While keeping an eye on Jiang Langmin, Zhao Zhijie stole a glance at the labels. The few names he recognized made his heart seize with terror. If these cabinets ever broke... the thought made him shudder involuntarily.
Jiang Langmin stopped. After entering a passcode, he retrieved two vials from an open cabinet.
"Yours."
Zhao Zhijie reached out and took them, noting the label: "G-X." He weighed the items in his hand and said to Jiang Langmin, "You inject first."
Jiang Langmin seemed to have expected this. Without hesitation, he rolled up his sleeve and administered the injection to himself.
Zhao Zhijie waited for a moment. Seeing that Jiang Langmin appeared normal, he finally seemed to lower his guard. He slowly raised his hand, intending to inject the substance into his body. However, before he could fully roll up his sleeve, an alarm suddenly blared throughout the storage room. Zhao Zhijie froze and immediately demanded, "What's going on?"
Jiang Langmin had already leaped back two steps. He turned and sprinted away, vanishing around a corner. Zhao Zhijie took a step to chase him but suddenly stopped and turned to run back the way they had come. He had observed before entering that this room had only one exit. No matter where Jiang Langmin ran, he would eventually have to leave through that door.
However, just as he was about to reach the end of the passage, two transparent glass panels slid out from an inconspicuous gap between the storage cabinets. Zhao Zhijie instinctively tried to speed through, but the glass had already met with a seamless seal, forming an airtight door right before his eyes.
Jiang Langmin stepped out from the other side of the storage cabinets, looking at Zhao Zhijie with cold eyes. Zhao Zhijie immediately turned to run down the path Jiang Langmin had taken, only to find that a glass door had risen on that side as well.
Zhao Zhijie hadn't expected to be played by Jiang Langmin even at this stage. He hammered on the glass and roared at him, "What the hell are you doing?"
At that moment, two security guards in full gear and masks appeared at the entrance. Jiang Langmin raised his hands and looked at Zhao Zhijie through the glass with a frigid gaze. "He used violence to threaten me into helping him steal a viral strain."
Zhao Zhijie was incredulous. "What kind of bullshit are you talking?"
"What he’s holding is a strain I previously handed over to Cheng Hao."
"What does he want the strain for?" one of the guards asked.
"I don't know! He suddenly burst into my home, kidnapped me, and threatened to kill me if I didn't help him get it!"
The two guards exchanged a look and drew their stun batons. "Step back. We'll handle this."
Jiang Langmin backed away cautiously. With his back to the guards, he looked at the trapped Zhao Zhijie and let a mocking smile spread across his face. *You think you can beat me?*
He watched Zhao Zhijie like a trapped beast, already calculating how to make Zhao Zhijie’s logic seem consistent. Even if it might be difficult, it didn't matter. The sudden death of the already conscious Luo Jia, Lu Linjiang’s infection, and the pressure from various sectors meant the City Bureau was desperate for an explanation.
Who was more suitable to be that explanation than the man currently trapped inside?
Jiang Langmin had almost finished his calculations when a sudden sound from his wrists interrupted his thoughts. A pair of silver handcuffs had snapped around his hands. Even Jiang Langmin couldn't react for a moment—not until he saw Zhao Zhijie being released by the guards and walking out of the storage room to stand before him.
Only then did Jiang Langmin realize something was wrong. Looking closely at one of the two guards, his build seemed remarkably familiar...
After confirming the storage room was secured, the tall guard removed his mask. Lu Linjiang rubbed his face. "This thing is really uncomfortable to wear." He looked at Jiang Langmin, whose eyes were darting between him and Zhao Zhijie, and smiled. "Dr. Jiang probably never expected that one day, he would be the one getting set up."
In an instant, Jiang Langmin felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. Lu Linjiang looked at his expression of disbelief. "Don't bother calculating how to escape in your head. Let me remind you: my standing here is the best evidence there is."
Jiang Langmin froze. He couldn't immediately grasp the meaning of Lu Linjiang’s words. Even if it was the G-X in the hourglass, it wasn't a suspicion that Jiang Langmin couldn't eventually shake off.
Lu Linjiang saw through his thoughts. "Oh, I forgot one thing. You didn't know I have the antibodies. The 'raw solution' you had Zhao Zhijie give me on Liucheng Island didn't infect me, but it did allow me to produce antibodies. Isn't that a coincidence? The antibodies the CDC developed were all provided by me and Yang Bo."
Beside him, Yang Bo also removed his mask, speaking to Jiang Langmin with a smug grin. "Actually, you don't need to say anything now. The evidence we have is enough to convict you even without a confession. Dr. Jiang, are you surprised? Is this unexpected?"
"You played me?"
"Not exactly. Letting you take a trip with Zhao Zhijie was just to make the evidence look a bit more solid." Lu Linjiang took the vial from Zhao Zhijie’s hand and placed it in a prepared cooler. "Of course, this is also my return gift to you, Dr. Jiang."
Lu Linjiang stepped slightly to the side, revealing the corridor behind him. "After you."
At the end of the corridor stood several police officers armed with live ammunition. Seeing the signal, they stepped forward. Jiang Langmin watched them approach step by step, and only then did he truly realize that everything was over.
As the two officers reached him and greeted Lu Linjiang, flanking Jiang Langmin to lead him away, he suddenly spoke. "How is Jiang Cheng?"
The aura around Lu Linjiang suddenly became aggressive, but the invisible pressure vanished in an instant. "What right do you have to ask about him?"
Lu Linjiang strode out. "I'll leave the rest to you."
Jiang Langmin was left completely speechless. By the time he looked up again, the man had already disappeared around the corner of the corridor. His mind went blank until he was brought to the holding cell. As the iron door slammed shut with a heavy *thud*, Jiang Langmin finally felt the crushing reality: it was all over.
***
On the day of Jiang Langmin’s sentencing, Jiang Cheng also went to the court. He looked from a distance at Jiang Langmin sitting in the defendant's seat. If the man hadn't been wearing a prison uniform, he would have still looked like a member of the elite. Jiang Langmin clearly noticed him as well. After they locked eyes for a moment, Jiang Cheng was the first to look away.
Because he had to handle various procedures, Lu Linjiang came out a bit later. Jiang Cheng was waiting for him in the car, clutching his phone. Seeing Lu Linjiang get in with a somewhat sour expression, he asked, "What's wrong? Is there trouble?"
Lu Linjiang looked disgusted. "Jiang Langmin said he wanted to see you to say he's sorry."
Jiang Cheng was bewildered. "What's there to say?"
"That's what I told him, but he held onto the pen and refused to sign. Eventually, I just told him I'd pass the message along, and then he gave up." Lu Linjiang snorted. "What a nuisance."
Jiang Cheng scratched his head, wanting to change the subject, but then he noticed Lu Linjiang had turned on the right blinker.
"Didn't Wang Ling invite us for dinner? Why are we going this way?"
Lu Linjiang’s hands suddenly tightened on the steering wheel, the lines of his arms becoming distinct beneath his shirt sleeves. He cleared his throat and, under Jiang Cheng’s searching gaze, said, "Um, that glove box in front of the passenger seat... open it. There's something inside."
Jiang Cheng did as he was told, revealing two small red booklets. The three golden words on the covers were quite striking.
Seeing him hold the divorce certificates, Lu Linjiang turned his gaze straight ahead. "Would you mind... exchanging these two things for something else?"
Back then, Jiang Cheng had left in a hurry, practically fleeing. Lu Linjiang had handled the aftermath, and today was the first time Jiang Cheng had actually seen these divorce certificates.
Jiang Cheng looked at the road outside. After a moment, he let out a soft laugh. "Yeah. I remember if we take a right up ahead, we'll reach the Civil Affairs Bureau. It's on the way. Since it's on the way, we might as well exchange them."
Lu Linjiang relaxed instantly, but then Jiang Cheng let out a sudden "Ah!", making his nerves tighten again. "My ID card... I don't think I brought it." He had grown accustomed to leaving the house with just his phone; unless necessary, he never thought about his wallet.
Lu Linjiang coughed lightly. "I brought it. I saw you left your wallet on the shoe cabinet before we left, so I grabbed it."
Jiang Cheng gave an "oh" in response. Silence fell over the car as both of them focused on the road ahead, their expressions somewhat solemn. An atmosphere that wasn't quite awkward but definitely ambiguous filled the cabin. The radio host droned on lazily, but neither of them paid attention to what was being said. When a song began to play, Jiang Cheng, half-lost in thought, only felt the melody was quite old. Lu Linjiang began to hum along softly. Seeing Jiang Cheng look over, Lu Linjiang took advantage of a red light to gently hook his finger around Jiang Cheng’s. Only then did Jiang Cheng realize what was happening, his face flushing a brilliant red.
The man was still humming the lyrics to a tune that had wandered off into another galaxy: "In exchange for a lifetime of love, I'll hold your hand, mmm~"
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| G-X | G-X | The specific viral strain mentioned in the text. |
| 垓莫尔 | Gaimore | A virus name (transliterated). |
| 微观大 | Micro-Macro | The name of the company (Weiguan Da). |
| 民政局 | Civil Affairs Bureau | The government office in China responsible for marriage and divorce registration. |
| 零口供入罪 | Convicted without a confession | A legal term where a defendant is found guilty based on evidence despite refusing to confess. |
