SFTD -Chapter 229 The Incomplete Password (Part 13)

“Stop talking nonsense. Xiao Liang, get out of the car and block those people. Don’t drive the patrol car with the siren on. Xu Biao and I will go intercept Chu Menghan.”

Fengzi’s words immediately made the two of them tense up. Xiao Liang stood at the rear of the car, while Xu Biao followed Fengzi and rushed toward the direction where Chu Menghan had disappeared.

When they reached the building, both of them were a bit stunned. All the doors ahead were tightly shut, wrapped in iron chains, but faint lights could still be seen on the second floor.

Fengzi lowered his voice. “What do we do?”

Xu Biao crawled on the ground, using his phone’s flashlight to illuminate the floor. Sure enough, a set of footprints appeared before them. Without needing any reminder, the two followed the tracks to a side door. Xu Biao pulled it—locked from the inside. Fengzi felt around for a moment, then with a click, he pulled out the latch.

But Chu Menghan was still nowhere to be seen. The two exchanged a look.

“Go in?”

“Go.”

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Second Floor Meeting Room, Shihua No. 2 Factory Club

Zhou Hai curled his lips slightly, tapping the glass bottles in front of him with his finger, shifting between the two bottles. Because of his movements, the bottles swayed continuously, and the two capsules inside kept bouncing.

“Choose?”

“Why should I choose?”

“Besides, there isn’t a single non-poisonous pill in either of these.”

“They’re all potassium cyanide. The only difference is probably—”

“concentration?”

“One causes a quicker, less painful death. The other just prolongs the process.”

Zhang Mingquan laughed loudly and raised the gun, aiming at Zhou Hai’s head.

“You will choose. If you choose, you still have a chance to live. If you don’t, you only have death. As a forensic doctor, I respect you—and I hope you respect yourself.”

Zhou Hai picked up the two bottles, examined them carefully, then placed them back down and pushed them toward Zhang Mingquan.

“I’m not interested in this game.”

“Oh right, I forgot to ask—why did you bring me here? Is your boss planning to make me the fifth one?”

“You really are smart,” Zhang Mingquan said.

“If you die, you’ll be even more sensational than that TV station woman.”

“The youngest overseas-returned forensic expert in the southeast, turned into the fifth victim of a serial murder case—just thinking about it is exciting.”

“As for Yu Lele, she was just trash, a lustful woman with nothing but looks. But I have to admit, she was smart—she even hid her phone in my car. If it weren’t for that passenger noticing it, you would’ve tracked us down today.”

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes.

“Trash? Why use that word? Is that the reason you killed her—and the other three?”

Zhang Mingquan smiled.

“Of course not my words. None of these people were good.”

“One was a designer who stole others’ work, claimed it as his own, and slandered the original creator.”

“The teacher was even worse—he sexually harassed a young girl and threatened her parents not to report it.”

“As for the pregnant woman with twins, the child wasn’t even her husband’s. Her in-laws had no idea what kind of person she was.”

“And the worst of them all was Yu Lele. Every decent-looking man in the TV station has slept with her. She seduced all of them.”

“Forget it—they all deserved to die.”

“Don’t try to stall. Your friends won’t find this place. Even if they do, they can’t save you.”

“Alright, time for you to choose.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t want to choose—you don’t want to test your luck? Don’t you care about your girlfriend’s safety?”

At the mention of Lu Xi, Zhou Hai’s eyes narrowed instantly. That was his biggest concern.

Who was behind all this?

How did they know his information?

Especially Lu Xi—only a few people from the forensic center or those close to him would know about her. How did they know she was a teacher? How did they know she went to pick up the little girl?

In this world, only those two were his weak points.

So he couldn’t leave—and had to come here.

Zhou Hai placed his elbows on the table and looked at the two bottles.

“So your meaning is—if I choose one bottle, your boss won’t harm my girlfriend?”

Zhang Mingquan nodded. “Yes.”

Zhou Hai laughed.

“Yes?”

“You don’t even have the ability to protect yourself. What right do you have to make promises?”

“You’re just a pawn, driven by money. What authority do you have to guarantee anything?”

Zhang Mingquan smiled again, revealing yellowed teeth.

“Don’t try to trick me. I won’t tell you who he is.”

Zhou Hai pushed the bottles back.

“Then fine. I can only say the game is over. I won’t choose. I’m leaving.”

“Stop, or I’ll shoot!”

“I said if you don’t choose today, there is only one path—death.”

Zhang Mingquan stood up, pointing the gun at Zhou Hai’s back. Because of his agitation, he coughed violently.

Zhou Hai turned around, staring at him and the gun. A strange smile appeared on his lips.

“Go ahead. Shoot.”

Zhang Mingquan’s finger trembled. He tightened his grip with his left hand, steadying the right, lifted the safety, and aimed at Zhou Hai’s head.

“Three… two… one…”

He didn’t pull the trigger.

Zhou Hai didn’t beg, didn’t move. He just stood there, calm.

Then Zhang Mingquan suddenly laughed and pulled the trigger.

A flame burst from the barrel—it was just a gun-shaped lighter.

“You knew it was fake?”

“Back then, the first four all chose because of this gun. Why weren’t you afraid?”

Zhou Hai sighed deeply.

“Your choice today isn’t just because you’re dying—it’s also because you want to leave something for your child. That’s why you aren’t afraid.”

“And I’m the same. There are things more important than my life. I must protect them.”

Zhang Mingquan’s eyes burned with anger.

“Sounds noble—but so what?”

“You think I have no backup plan?”

“You think you can really escape today?”

“Game’s over. You’ve angered me. Then let’s all go to hell together!”

He threw the gun-shaped lighter at Zhou Hai. Zhou Hai dodged sideways.

At that moment, Zhang Mingquan ripped open his coat. A bundle wrapped in kraft paper was tied around his waist.

He lit a fuse with the lighter and rushed toward Zhou Hai.

Zhou Hai had just regained his footing when he froze—the distance was too close. Zhang Mingquan slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

Only then did Zhou Hai see it clearly: it was explosives. A meter-long fuse hissed and crackled as it burned.

Zhou Hai swung a punch at Zhang Mingquan’s head, but the man only laughed wildly and didn’t dodge.

“Hit me! Hit me harder!”

“We’ll die together!”

“No more game, no more choices. I can finally be free—ahhhh!”