Chapter 255: The Secret Beneath the Well

The cast-iron cover of the observation well weighed two hundred jin; when Luo Fei pried it open with a hydraulic clamp, rust flakes rained down.

The beam of his flashlight pierced the deep, dark vertical shaft; moss coated the steel ladder, and droplets seeping from the shaft walls glimmered faintly in the darkness.

“I’ll go first.” Luo Fei secured his safety rope; the moment his tactical boots touched the first step, a metallic clanging echoed from the bottom. Gu Changzheng gripped his shoulder and signaled silence—the bottom of the shaft had breathing.

As Ye Lin’s drone descended into the shaft opening, the feed suddenly jerked violently. The infrared lens captured a half-shadow darting around a corner below—a helmet with a gas mask glinted sharply.

“Not police!” Gao Ye hadn’t finished speaking when a muffled explosion rang from the shaft bottom.

The blast wave hurled the cover off; Luo Fei swung on the safety rope to the opposite wall, shards of stone grazing his ear.

The passage below reeked of acrid smoke; Luo Fei advanced along the slick wall. His tactical flashlight swept the ground—he spotted fresh footprints: size 42 anti-slip boots, a unique pattern on the right heel!

At the end of the passage lay a sealed room, its iron door slightly ajar. As Luo Fei reached to push it open, a gleaming dagger suddenly lashed out from the crack!

He reacted instantly, arching backward to evade the lethal strike—the blade’s tip skimmed his tactical vest, missing his skin by a hair’s breadth!

The masked man lunged out; Luo Fei swept his leg, knocking him down, and the two tumbled together in the mud and water.

The assailant was clearly trained—he drove an elbow straight toward Luo Fei’s scarred chin.

Luo Fei twisted his head aside, seized the man’s wrist, and noticed a radioactive burn mark on his palm.

The hand not restrained suddenly pulled a spray can from his chest—*pssht!* Luo Fei snapped his eyes shut and rolled, but the acrid gas still burned his throat, triggering violent coughs…

When Gu Changzheng arrived with his team, Luo Fei was kneeling on the masked man’s back. Gu Changzheng ripped off the gas mask—revealing a face crisscrossed with scars: Wang Zhen, missing for ten years.

“Where is Sun Xiaojuan’s camera?” Gu Changzheng stamped on Wang Zhen’s right hand; the platinum tail ring bent under his tactical boot.

Wang Zhen spat blood and sneered: “You’ll never find it...”

The sight inside the room stole everyone’s breath: rows of lead containers stood neatly stacked; Geiger counters shrieked wildly. Old Zheng trembled as he opened one—inside were sealed film rolls and magnetic disks.

“Chen Guodong’s backup data!” Ye Lin reached to touch them—Wang Zhen suddenly surged up, slamming his head into the container rack. Luo Fei lunged and pinned him; as they crashed into the wall, a hidden door burst open.

The hidden chamber looked like a horror film set: an old projector sat on an operating table; walls were plastered with Longhu pollution data charts. Most horrifying was the glass cabinet in the corner—inside, a preserved right hand floated in formaldehyde, its little finger curled—Sun Xiaojuan’s severed limb.

While everyone stared in shock, Wang Zhen broke free, drew another dagger from his boot, and stabbed at Gu Changzheng.

Luo Fei snatched a lead container and smashed it into Wang Zhen’s wrist—the dagger clattered to the floor.

They grappled in the cramped space; Wang Zhen’s elbow shattered the glass cabinet, spilling formaldehyde across the floor.

“You think Chen Guodong was a good man?” Wang Zhen laughed wildly. “If he hadn’t signed off on rerouting the river back then, Longhu would’ve...” Before he finished, Luo Fei drove a heavy punch into his temple.

The projector suddenly powered on; yellowed footage flickered through the smoke: a young Chen Guodong signed documents; the camera zoomed in—the title read: *Acceptance Report for Longhu Old River Channel Renovation Project*. The scene shifted—Zhou Shichang pushed a black briefcase before him.

“This is the video Sun Xiaojuan secretly recorded,” Old Zheng brightened the lights. “It seems Professor Chen was forced to sign.”

Gu Changzheng’s phone buzzed—an anonymous number sent an audio clip. Through static, Chen Guodong’s voice trembled with tears: “...They threatened my daughter. I had to sign. But I left evidence in Observation Well No. 3...”

Luo Fei suddenly remembered something and rushed to the safe in the corner of the room. The combination lock was rusted shut—he smashed it open with the hydraulic Qian . Inside lay stacks of yellowed blueprints; the top one had a coordinate circled in red ink.

In the storm, Longhu churned violently—the coordinate pointed to the lake’s center. After thirty minutes underwater, divers retrieved a sealed titanium alloy box. Inside were Sun Xiaojuan’s original photos, experimental data, and a micro-tape.

The recorder played Chen Guodong’s final words: “...The new water treatment agent resonates with radioactive materials—the formula must be destroyed...” Suddenly, Zhou Shichang’s sneering laugh cut in: “Too late. The formula’s already been sold overseas.”

Gu Changzheng clenched his fist, nails digging deep into his palm. Distant sirens wailed—Zhou Shichang’s Rolls-Royce was trying to break through the cordon. Luo Fei leapt onto a police motorcycle; the engine roared, tearing through the rain.

The Rolls-Royce sped wildly across the lake bridge; Luo Fei chased without pause. Zhou Shichang slammed on the brakes—Luo Fei couldn’t stop in time; the motorcycle crashed into the guardrail. He rolled with the impact, grabbing the car’s rearview mirror.

Zhou Shichang drew a pistol; a bullet grazed Luo Fei’s shoulder. Luo Fei flipped onto the roof, smashing the sunroof with his tactical boot. They wrestled inside—the steering wheel spun out of control; the luxury car crashed through the guardrail and hung suspended over the lake.

“Where’s the formula?” Luo Fei choked Zhou Shichang. The man sneered and pressed a button—the trunk popped open, bundles of cash scattering in the wind. Luo Fei saw the black briefcase sliding toward the lake—he leapt out the window.

He snatched the briefcase midair, crashing hard into the lake. Cold water swallowed his head; Luo Fei clutched the box tightly, as if holding the final truth.