Chapter 78: I Have a Witness (Please Vote for Me)

Show myself? Are they joking? Both of them want to use Li Changqing as a witness, to accuse each other of betraying their father. When the two sides confront each other, which side should Li Changqing take? No matter which, it wouldn't be right. He can't split himself in two. A turncoat must have the mindset of a turncoat; at this point, even if he doesn't show up, those two will still end up fighting if they're going to. If he were to join them now and get caught in the crossfire, how unjust that would be.

However, Li Changqing wasn't entirely absent. Inside the dock, among the stacked containers, Li Changqing, Bai Chuan, Li Minghao, and Tang Xiaoyu—a trio of men and a ghost—were hiding quietly behind a large container, patiently waiting for the two at the dock to come to blows.

Li Changqing sat on the cold ground, yawning. Beside him, Li Minghao tried to light a cigarette to wake himself up, but under Bai Chuan's murderous gaze, he hesitated and put it away.

"Girl, stay here and wait for us. Don't go over there," Li Changqing said to Tang Xiaoyu at his side. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes," Tang Xiaoyu nodded obediently. "I'll just hide here."

In truth, it would have been best if Tang Xiaoyu stayed at home. But she feared something might happen to Li Changqing, so she followed him for peace of mind.

Suddenly, there was a faint sound from inside the container they were leaning against. Though it wasn't loud, Bai Chuan, Li Minghao, and Li Changqing heard it clearly.

"Is something inside?" Bai Chuan pressed his ear to the container and heard subtle breathing from within. His brows furrowed slightly. "Open it and see."

With nothing better to do, they decided to investigate. The container was locked with a heavy padlock, which Bai Chuan deftly pried open with a sharp dagger. With a creak, the container door swung open.

After seeing what was inside, all of them were stunned.

…

On the concrete square in front of the office building, Shen Qingchi and Shen Qingdai stood facing each other. Shen Qingchi had six subordinates behind him. Shen Qingdai was accompanied by Uncle Yun.

Both wore calm expressions, their gazes locked. The scene became deadlocked; neither side showed the slightest intention to strike first. Three minutes passed quickly…

Shen Qingchi cursed inwardly. Damn it, why doesn't this girl make the first move? Does she expect him to lose patience and attack her first? No matter who strikes first, neither would gain any advantage before their father. Both understood this well.

Another three minutes passed. They continued facing each other until finally Shen Qingchi could not contain himself. He looked at Uncle Yun and said, "Uncle Yun, you've been loyal to my father and watched my sister and me grow up."

"You probably don't know yet, but Shen Qingdai has colluded with the Thirty-Sixth Bureau and wants to kill me first!"

"Uncle Yun, you'd best step aside so you don't get hurt."

Shen Qingdai sneered, "Shen Qingchi, how ridiculous. It is you who first colluded with people from the Thirty-Sixth Bureau and tried to kill me! The evidence is clear, and yet you still argue?"

Shen Qingdai smirked inwardly, then produced a photograph and tossed it to Shen Qingchi. "This was captured by surveillance—after disembarking that day, you met secretly with those two and warmly shook their hands."

"Do you know they belong to the Thirty-Sixth Bureau? What do you think our father will make of this photo?"

What nonsense? These two are from the Thirty-Sixth Bureau? Shen Qingchi was taken aback, but his eyes soon gleamed with joy. "Well played, Shen Qingdai. You sent people to meet me, but those people were from the Thirty-Sixth Bureau! Framing me deliberately, your intentions are deadly. Looks like you're the one truly colluding with them—now that's real evidence!"

As their exchange unfolded, both grew certain the other had allied with the Thirty-Sixth Bureau.

"I have a witness!"

"I have a witness!"

Both spoke in unison. Internally, they laughed—their witness, Li Changqing, could prove their own innocence and plunge the other into ruin.

"You probably don't know, my foolish fourth brother," Shen Qingdai said, her face bright with satisfaction. "Idiot! Li Changqing is the agent I planted at your side—unexpected, isn't it? Surprised?"

Shen Qingchi replied, "My naive and lovely sister, you could never have guessed that your undercover agent has already betrayed you and joined me!"

"Is that so?" Shen Qingdai sneered. "Let him come and talk, then. Let's see who really colluded with the Thirty-Sixth Bureau."

"Just what I wanted."

Both took out their phones and called Li Changqing.

Beep… beep… beep…

Inside the container, Li Changqing's phone suddenly rang. He saw Shen Qingdai's number, frowned, and rejected the call. Then Shen Qingchi called. He rejected it again. Shen Qingdai called once more.

"Under the moon, at such a fine hour, instead of tearing each other apart, they're calling me—what do they want?" Li Changqing was baffled. He simply turned off his phone.

Inside the container, they discovered it was filled with animals…

Foxes, pythons, eagles, rats…

Creatures of all kinds, each locked in cages of various sizes.

Bai Chuan pinched his nose, enduring the stench. "Why are there so many animals locked up here?"

"Could these animals have something to do with the secret of the dock?" Li Minghao frowned. "But if that's the case, why would those monsters go to such lengths to smuggle animals? Unless there's something more to them?"

Thinking of this, Li Minghao sniffed. "Old Bai, stop pinching your nose. Your sense of smell is sharp—try to identify this scent."

Bai Chuan's obsessive cleanliness wasn't without its benefits; his sense of smell was exceptionally keen. He released his nose and sniffed the air inside the container.

"It's the scent of wild spirit grass—hmm."

Bai Chuan walked up to the animals and sniffed each in turn.

"They all carry the scent of wild spirit grass."

"What is wild spirit grass?" Li Changqing asked curiously.

Li Minghao explained, "It's a plant found in the wild containing demonic energy. The energy isn't much, but if wild animals consume it over time, they gradually gain intelligence. With enough time, they can transform into demons."

"This is one source of demons."

"But wild spirit grass usually only grows in remote forests—finding even a single stalk is difficult."

"Yet all these animals have eaten wild spirit grass. Unless…" Li Minghao suddenly thought of something and said to Bai Chuan, "Old Bai, check the demonic energy inside these animals."

The two quickly stepped forward and examined each animal for traces of demonic energy.