SFTD -Chapter 414 White Spots Reappeared (Part 55)

In the darkened room, a withered hand pulled back the curtain slightly and peered downstairs under the moonlight. Whatever he saw seemed to please him, and a faint smile instantly appeared on his face.

“So they finally came! They’re here to save you. Happy now? Still, I have to admit, Zhou Hai is truly impressive. He arrived an hour earlier than I expected! And the first line of defense I set up never even went off. What a shame…”

Behind him came the scraping sound of a chair being moved. The man let the curtain fall shut and turned toward a spot hidden in the darkness, where a large figure was bound tightly to a chair.

He patted the man on the shoulder and leaned close to whisper in his ear.

“Stop struggling. I know you’ve got plenty to say. How about we play a game?”

As he spoke, he switched on a small blue lamp. The dim light cast a chilling glow through the room, while the heavy curtains sealed off every trace of it from the outside world.

The man chuckled and looked playfully at the person tied to the chair.

He casually picked up a small box containing a syringe filled with liquid, walked over, and yanked the black cloth off the captive’s head.

A round, fleshy face shook violently as the man panted heavily. His eyes were unfocused, but he still tried hard to stare at the man before him—and the syringe in his hand.

With a disdainful snort, he said: “Cut the crap already. So what if you can make a few drugs? If you’ve got guts, just stab Xu Biao once and be done with it. Maybe today I can finally die like a hero! You think you can still escape? Or that you’re some god controlling everything? Stop fantasizing. You’re nothing! We already know who you are and all your disguises. If I hadn’t been careless, you never would’ve succeeded. It was all wishful thinking!”

The hooded man standing opposite Xu Biao was none other than Yang Duxiu. He pulled down his hood and laughed at Xu Biao’s determined expression.

“You’re not bad yourself. Brave and clever too. Honestly, you could’ve run earlier.”

Xu Biao rolled his eyes.

“You’re overthinking it. I didn’t stay because I was scared. You were carrying explosives, and there was a restaurant nearby. I just didn’t want innocent people getting hurt, so I didn’t rush you. Didn’t expect you to be such a cowardly bastard though—sticking me with a needle!”

Yang Duxiu’s smile widened further. Under the eerie blue light, the wrinkles on his face resembled dry tree bark trembling in the wind.

“You may look stupid, but you’re actually quite smart. Don’t worry. I only injected you with an anesthetic, which is why your right leg isn’t working too well. I imagine it’s getting worse now, isn’t it? Feeling sleepy?”

Xu Biao sneered at him.

It was true—he was getting drowsy. But ever since learning Wang Xuchao’s tricks, he could still stay conscious by biting his tongue.

Besides, with his size, if Yang Duxiu really knocked him out cold, moving him would be a nightmare.

Still… why was Yang Duxiu keeping him alive?

Just to threaten Zhou Hai? Or was there another purpose?

“Don’t play psychological games with me. It wasn’t easy for them to find this place. Come on, tell me—what exactly are you trying to do?

Back in Douping, you manipulated Zhang Mingquan into killing four people. We investigated them; none of them were good people. Maybe that was your twisted sense of justice, wanting to punish evil personally. I can at least understand that.

But then you killed Teacher Lu Xi. Was it really just because she was Zhou Hai’s fiancée?

That reason feels flimsy. She was just a girl who studied abroad. Did her family ever offend you? Or did she do something to you?

People always need a reason for what they do, right? Even if you want to play god, there should at least be some standard for judgment.”

Yang Duxiu stepped closer and tugged at the tape wrapped around Xu Biao’s body. The tape bound his hands, feet, and torso completely to the chair, turning him and the chair into one solid H-shaped unit.

The chair itself wasn’t heavy, but with half his body numb, even standing up and taking two steps was practically impossible.

Yang Duxiu lifted the syringe again, flicked the barrel, and pushed out the air bubbles. His eyes drifted toward the window as though he were genuinely considering the question.

“Killing Zhou Hai’s girlfriend was an accident. The target that day was him. We just got the information wrong beforehand. We thought the first-floor locker room was the men’s changing room. After all, the second-floor one was larger and more open.”

Xu Biao’s eyes widened in shock.

“Why did you want to kill Zhou Hai? Was it because Zhou Hai’s father didn’t work hard enough on the Hong Haier case back then?”

Yang Duxiu pursed his lips and tilted his head back, closing his eyes slightly. After a long moment, he gave a low hum.

“I can’t really explain it. The moment I saw him, I instantly recognized who he was. He looks almost exactly like his father. In that instant, all my memories were dragged back to those years.

And besides, he’s too smart. The moment Zhang Mingquan showed me the dashcam footage, I knew this man had to die. Otherwise, it wouldn’t take long before he found me.

Fortunately, Zhang Mingquan died in the end. I didn’t expect him to use the explosives I gave him in an attempt to take everyone down together.”

Xu Biao curled his lips.

“You’re wrong. He was just afraid that if he fell into police hands alive, you’d go after his child. That was what scared him most.”

Yang Duxiu spun around sharply, instantly suppressing the trace of sorrow that had appeared on his face. He smiled again, then leaned close to Xu Biao and whispered: “You really aren’t stupid. You guessed correctly—that’s exactly the kind of person I am. Go on then. Tell me what else you know. And if you’re done talking, it’ll be time for the injection. This stuff will make you feel like you’re floating on clouds. I was never even this generous to Mule…”

Xu Biao’s heart trembled slightly, but his chubby face still grinned so broadly his eyes nearly disappeared.

“Dong Bin’s death was a clue you deliberately left behind. Then you arranged your own ‘death’ too. Of course, Su Mule was just your stand-in.

That way, you could assume a brand-new identity and continue living in Dongnan City.

But our investigation went beyond your expectations. The archives room never exploded—we found the bomb. We also uncovered the secret of the Third Hospital basement. You were definitely planning to destroy everything through that explosion.

Hard to personally destroy something you spent your whole life building, huh?

But the underground area didn’t blow up either. And we found the hidden door behind the locker in the archive room.

All these failures finally made you panic. Because even if you obtained a new identity, you’d never truly be able to enjoy it. At any moment, we could come knocking at your door.

And abandoning the identity you spent years building… that must’ve been hard. After all, you spent your entire life laundering everything clean, transferring funds, controlling the family…

Now every possible escape route has been cut off, and the police are watching you closely. If you flee now, you’ll definitely get caught. But at the same time, you refuse to accept defeat.

That’s why you kidnapped me. Either to threaten Zhou Hai or vent your anger by killing me.

But will any of this save you?

If you’d fled to another city the moment Su Mule died, then escaped to Germany, you might’ve made it. But you didn’t.

Your own arrogance ruined you!

Even if you kill me now, do you really think you can escape?

Hahaha!”

Yang Duxiu’s smile stiffened.

From the expression on his face, Xu Biao could tell that at least part of his deductions had hit the mark—

And not just any part.

The part Yang Duxiu cared about most.

Now…

He was angry.