Chapter 32: Madness and Loyalty? (Double-Length Chapter)

Do not throw away the needle and syringe; clean them with alcohol, and they can still be used.

It violates medical regulations, but it suits a pauper. Most importantly, it extends the time between his visits to the black clinic, as buying syringes too frequently is too conspicuous.

Unfortunately, the drawn blood cannot be stored. He dare not stuff it into the family refrigerator; once discovered, it would be impossible to explain. Otherwise, he could combine it with [Feast] to create his own blood vials for "healing" during combat.

"I really need to find an opportunity to move out and live alone."

Feng Mu is hiding more and more secrets, making it increasingly unsuitable to live at home. He can't just lock himself in his bedroom every time he returns. Wang Xiuli is already worried about his mental state. Once Feng Ju finishes his current work and comes home to stay, his various behaviors will inevitably arouse suspicion.

After drawing two tubes of blood and adding the crushed iron beads to aid digestion, his four hours of practice boosted his "edibility" by 6 points—an average of 1.5 per hour. Compared to his fastest rate previously, this is a 50% improvement.

[Iron Eater: Tier 1]
[Edible Iron Types: 1]
[Extractable Metal Properties: 1]
[Currently Detected Edible Iron—Ordinary Pig Iron, Edibility: 62.7%.]
[Extracted Property: Embryo Shaping (White)]

Feng Mu was very satisfied, the corners of his mouth curling up even as he fell asleep.

...

798 Street, Blood Rose Bar.

In a reeking, alcohol-soaked back office, Zheng Si sat shirtless on a sofa, two naked women with dog collars around their necks crawling at his feet.

Ma Bin stood opposite Zheng Si, eyes fixed on his own nose, sneering inwardly: "Boss Zheng has already vented his rage and killed four women this week. Does the pain of losing a son truly make one this insane?"

Ma Bin had his own answer, he just didn't understand such stupidity. If a son is dead, just have another; losing a son is not the same as losing the ability to reproduce.

"Did you find the killer?" Zheng Si glared with bloodshot eyes, his raspy voice chilling.

Ma Bin took out the prepared list and said in a deep voice: "I've narrowed it down. It's among these 50 people."

Zheng Si did not take the list. His alcohol-swollen temples made him unwilling to think, as any thought plunged him into the agony of memory.

"It's been a week. One week left. Bring him before me; I want to tear him apart inch by inch." Zheng Si seemed to see the scene before his eyes, a terrifying laugh rattling in his throat.

Ma Bin put away the list and said solemnly: "Understood."

As he turned to leave, he looked back and added: "The police station sent people again. This time it's Deputy Captain Li Xiang, and he brought a search warrant. Does the boss want to see him?"

Zheng Si gnashed his teeth, his lone eye flickering with brutality, yet a shred of reason remained. He snarled: "If there's a search warrant, let him search. You go arrange it."

Ma Bin nodded and left, pulling the door shut behind him. "Guard the door well. The boss is in a bad mood; don't let anyone disturb him," he said gently to the underlings waiting at the door. Ma Wei was one of them; the other was not worth naming. Both nodded in unison.

Ma Bin sighed and added thoughtfully: "Keep the alcohol flowing inside. If those two women die, drag them out to be buried and replace them with Xiao Li and Xiao You."

Ma Wei nodded repeatedly, feeling a chill in his heart: "Xiao Li and Xiao You were brought here by Brother Bin two years ago; among the escorts, they are the closest to him."

"Use your ears more and your mouth less, understand?"

"Yes."

With just a few words, Ma Wei's back was soaked in cold sweat. He watched Brother Bin's figure disappear around the corner, then pricked up his ears, hearing the screams of women and the muffled roars of a man from inside the room.

"My son is dead, I can't even find his corpse, and the police station still comes to me looking for people. Idiots! All idiots!"

"Too much bullying! Do they really think wearing those uniforms gives them the right to invert right and wrong? If they push me too far, I'll throw those two captains into a washing machine!"

"Ahhh! No, Boss, don't twist it! It hurts! Ahhh—"

Ma Wei shivered, his heart heavy with bitterness. The horror stories he heard inside the room had to be relayed to Brother Bin word for word, and before bed, he had to edit the day's events into a text message for another mastermind behind the scenes.

Every day he dealt with wolves and tigers who would eat people without spitting out the bones; he alone was the lamb, walking on eggshells and waiting to be slaughtered. When will this life end? Just die and be done with it!

Ma Wei buried his head and walked into the room to drag out the corpse whose arm had been twisted like a pretzel. He truly felt like he was facing death as he cleaned up the bloodstains.

"I think I heard a woman screaming." Li Xiang sat at the bar, rinsing his mouth with alcohol and spitting it onto the floor, splashing Ma Bin’s pant leg.

Ma Bin stopped Chang Erbing, who was about to enter for the search. He smiled at Li Xiang: "There's no sound, Captain Li must have misheard."

Li Xiang's face darkened instantly. He swirled his glass and said: "My ears might have been wrong, but my eyes are very good. Don't mind if I go in and take a look myself, right?"

Ma Bin waved his hand, signaling the surrounding underlings to step back, then leaned down and whispered: "Our boss has a terrible temper lately. I'm afraid if you go in, you won't come out. So, it's better not to."

Li Xiang sneered: "Are you threatening me? Do you know your place? A gang thug dares to threaten a police captain?"

Ma Bin met Li Xiang's gaze, his expression showing a moment of hesitation, but his attitude remained cold: "I wouldn't dare threaten you, but the boss's orders must be followed by his subordinates."

Before Li Xiang could speak, Chang Erbing, unable to suppress his anger, slammed the search warrant onto Ma Bin's face and hissed: "Refusing a search is a serious crime. Move aside, or I'll take you back to the station, and it won't be so easy to get out."

Ma Bin stepped back in a somewhat disheveled state, a red fingerprint mark on his face. He wiped the search warrant off his face, balled it up in front of them, shoved it into his mouth, and washed it down with a bottle of alcohol from the bar.

"You?" Chang Erbing was stunned; he had never seen anyone dare to eat a search warrant in front of a captain. Furious, he reached for Ma Bin's throat.

Ma Bin stood still. The surrounding Azure Wolf Gang members smashed their bottles and swarmed forward aggressively. Chang Erbing's hand stopped an inch from Ma Bin's throat, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He blustered: "You swallowed the search warrant!"

Ma Bin wiped the alcohol from his mouth with his thumb: "Who saw it?"

Li Xiang knocked his chair over as he stood up. He pulled Chang Erbing back, laughing out of extreme anger: "Very good. Harboring a murderer, resisting arrest, interfering with law enforcement—the Azure Wolf Gang's guts exceed my imagination."

Ma Bin seemed cowed by Li Xiang's presence. After a long pause, he waved his hand, and the surrounding underlings dropped their bottles and dispersed. He lowered his voice, half-soft and half-hard: "I'm sorry, Captain Li. Please understand the deep pain of a father who lost his son in middle age."

"Our Azure Wolf Gang definitely did not harbor Zheng Hang. In fact, Boss Zheng believes Zheng Hang was also murdered."

"I'm afraid the police station has handled this case incorrectly. You coming to search now is just rubbing salt in our boss's wounds. The boss doesn't want to see anyone from the police station right now, so..."

"How about this? The Azure Wolf Gang has already narrowed down the suspects for this case. As long as you give us one more week, once we catch the real killer, I will certainly persuade Boss Zheng to buy you a drink to apologize. How does that sound?"

Li Xiang stared deeply at Ma Bin, his tone meaningful: "Are you implying that I, Li Xiang, created a wrongful conviction? A mere Azure Wolf Gang wants to teach our police station how to investigate cases?"

Murderous intent flared in Li Xiang's eyes. He didn't want to waste any more words and turned to leave. Chang Erbing followed with a cold snort.

Ma Bin waited in place for three seconds, then put on a hurried, flustered look and chased after them to the door.

"Captain Li, that's not what I meant. How would the Azure Wolf Gang dare to teach the police station how to do things? It's just..." Ma Bin stammered, then sighed. "Boss Zheng is just immersed in grief, wanting to find the killer and avenge his son. We don't mean anything else. I hope you understand."

With that, Ma Bin quickly pulled a check from his pocket and handed it over: "This is what Boss Zheng ordered, for you and your brothers to have some tea."

Li Xiang glanced at the number on the check, his expression softening slightly. He prided himself on having seen many people and having sharp eyes; how could he not know who really sent this check?

Li Xiang put the check away and said softly: "The police station wants to close the case and catch the killer; the Azure Wolf Gang wants to investigate and seek revenge. These two things don't conflict, understand?"

Ma Bin paused, looking confused. Li Xiang, seeing the check, offered a bit more guidance: "The case at the police station can't be wrong. Whether the Azure Wolf Gang admits it or not is none of my business, but don't cause any trouble that reaches my ears, understand?"

Ma Bin realized and nodded: "The police station wants face, Boss Zheng wants the substance."

Li Xiang frowned, thinking Ma Bin had some brains, but not many. Understanding that was one thing, but saying it to his face? Well, he was just a gang member; even if he had brains, he lacked exposure and didn't know the rules.

Ma Bin seemed to realize he shouldn't have said that. With an apologetic look, he gritted his teeth, asked Li Xiang to wait a moment, and brought out two gold bars. Li Xiang and Chang Erbing exchanged a look, each taking one, their faces showing smiles of "he can be taught." Rules can be taught; that's not a big problem.

Li Xiang took his business card case from his pocket and handed one over; Ma Bin took it quickly.

Li Xiang lowered his voice: "The pain of losing a son is understandable, but don't lose your mind and do things with no regard for consequences, adding trouble for others."

Ma Bin nodded: "Don't worry, Captain Li, I will persuade Boss Zheng."

"Persuade?!" Li Xiang’s mouth curled in contempt. "You're a smart man, and you're loyal enough to your Boss Zheng, but let me teach you a lesson: a gang is a quagmire, and those who are too loyal are often the first to sink to the bottom."

Ma Bin looked embarrassed and didn't know how to respond.

"Think about what I said." Li Xiang left this parting shot and walked away swaggeringly with Chang Erbing.

Ma Bin watched them leave, his rich expressions fading into cold indifference as he pocketed the business card. Then, he unhurriedly pulled out a white handkerchief, knelt down, and meticulously wiped the alcohol stains off his pant leg.

Leaving the Blood Rose Bar and sitting in the blue-and-white car, Chang Erbing started the engine and said to Li Xiang in the back seat: "Captain Li, although the Azure Wolf Gang boss is stubborn, their second-in-command is quite sensible. This trip wasn't a loss."

Li Xiang gave a soft "hmm" and said dismissively: "Normal. These gangs usually choose the boss with the highest martial arts cultivation, the one who can fight best. It's rare to find one with brains."

Chang Erbing nodded: "Looking at the Azure Wolf Gang, they really seem to be looking for the killer everywhere. Could it be that Zheng Hang didn't kill and flee, but is actually dead?"

Li Xiang squinted: "What do you think?"

"I think..." Chang Erbing caught Li Xiang's dark expression in the rearview mirror and changed his tune: "The Azure Wolf Gang is acting well, but unfortunately, we investigated Zheng Hang's last mobile communications. Wang Wei was called by Zheng Hang to the school warehouse. Before she died, her bank card received a transfer from Zheng Hang. The evidence is conclusive; Wang Wei was lured there and killed by Zheng Hang."

Li Xiang snorted, firm and decisive: "The case is settled. Whoever tries to overturn it is looking for trouble. Don't mention it again."

Chang Erbing nodded, drove out of 798 Street, and asked: "Captain Li, where to now?"

Li Xiang: "Back to the bureau to reapply for a search warrant."

Chang Erbing: "Ma Bin gave us money. Is it really good to come back?"

Li Xiang lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly: "You ate yesterday; are you not going to eat today?"

Chang Erbing swallowed, his heart racing with excitement. He thought, "Captain Li has such a big appetite! But if I can get a gold bar today, maybe I can get another tomorrow? Damn, no wonder everyone in the unit likes working with Captain Li!"

Li Xiang didn't hide his greed: "That portion today was from Ma Bin. But Ma Bin can't call the shots for the Azure Wolf Gang, so what he gave is just the scraps. If we want to eat meat, we have to pry open Zheng Si's mouth. Once we do that, we get the meat, and not just one meal—we can come to the Azure Wolf Gang to feast anytime in the future. This case is the best opportunity."

"The big case the bureau is supervising hasn't asked for our support; it's likely we aren't getting a share of that. So, we brothers have to find our own food for the time being."

Chang Erbing understood completely and was filled with admiration: "Brilliant, Captain Li! You're going to train this wolf into a house dog and cut the meat with a dull knife."

Li Xiang rolled down the window and flicked the cigarette butt away: "Brothers working under me, Li Xiang, I won't say I'll get everyone a promotion, but I'll make sure everyone eats their fill!"

Chang Erbing nodded heavily. He believed Li Xiang's words and secretly decided to follow him wholeheartedly. If Captain Li says go east, he will never go west.

The blue-and-white car drove east back to the police station.

...

—Boss, Li Xiang brought a captain and came to cause trouble again, but Brother Bin smoothed it over.
—Following Brother Bin's orders, I'm guarding the door for Boss Zheng. He seems a bit insane lately; he's already played a few women to death.
—Buried another female corpse. Ever since I buried Brother Tong, I've been burying corpses every day.
—Boss, I'm so panicked. I feel my situation is very dangerous. I'm afraid the next corpse I bury will be my own.

Morning.

Feng Mu opened his eyes and checked the four unread messages on his phone. He felt Ma Wei was under immense mental pressure; his speech was becoming incoherent.

It’s impossible for a person to bury their own corpse, so what Ma Wei is worried about won't happen. As for the things Ma Wei reported, they were all fragmented. Or rather, Ma Wei, as an observer, can only see the surface; he isn't a microscope and cannot observe the core behind the phenomena.

Feng Mu couldn't infer the connection between these events from this; they were more likely independent events. The only useful information was...

"Zheng Si has gone insane?!" Feng Mu's eyes showed contemplation. "The act of guarding the door is intriguing. Is this a form of soft house arrest?"