Chapter 380: The Maximum Passenger Capacity of a Corpse Transport Vehicle

The motion-sensor light at the stairwell entrance lit up, stretching two unfamiliar shadows long across the ground.

Just standing at the doorway, the two made Li Shang, who opened the door, feel as if shrouded by two terrifying shadows, his heart thumping nonstop.

The one on the left was a burly giant like an iron tower, his shoulders nearly wider than the door, standing quietly there; the light above his head seemed twisted, making him feel as if one foot had already stepped into Ghost Gate.

The one on the right was much more normal in build, but his expression was even more sinister, his gaze cold and gloomy, as if a green venomous snake coiled in his pupils, and the corners of his lips held an ill-intentioned sinister smile.

The two said nothing, but the unhidden aura about them practically branded the words "murderer" on their foreheads.

And certainly not ordinary murderers, but the most vicious and evil sort who would slaughter a man's entire family and clan at the slightest provocation.

"Captain Li, the prison sent people to pick me up. I originally wanted to chat with you a while longer, but it seems I have to leave first."

Feng Mu appeared behind Li Shang and lightly patted Li Shang's shoulder.

Li Shang immediately reacted—the two at the door were brought by Feng Mu. He hurriedly stepped aside and squeezed out a smile like they were friends.

Feng Mu walked out the door, turned his head, and waved at Li Shang:

"Very happy today, to have become friends with Captain Li. Goodbye."

Li Shang was ten times happier than Feng Mu in his heart; he was extremely glad he had finally agreed to be friends with Feng Mu, otherwise, he might have already received a death full set by now.

"I'm very happy too!"

Li Shang took a deep breath, trying to make his tone sound more eager, then added,

"Goodbye!"

Feng Mu turned and left with a smiling face; Gong Qi naturally draped a black coat over Feng Mu's back, while Li Bashan followed the two indifferently, as if covering them with yet another thicker raincoat using his towering figure.

Watching the three figures disappear at the end of the stairwell, Li Shang finally let out a long breath, as if he had struggled up from the deep sea to the surface.

He raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead; his fingers touched something icy. He lowered his head and felt—his shirt behind was already soaked through.

He shook his head, barely suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart, turned, and closed the door, as if that could keep the outside danger out.

He had just sat back on the sofa when hurried footsteps came from the stairwell again, each step like striking his nerves.

He frowned, immediately stood up and walked to the door. This time he did not open it directly, but peeked through the cat's eye twice, then opened the door with a grim face.

This time, standing outside the door were indeed Chang Erbing and a team of constables under him.

Only, they were all pale-faced, anxious, and even showed obvious alarm, unlike their usual blustering selves.

Li Shang's face sank. He raised a hand to stop them, letting only Chang Erbing into the room, while the others were left outside the door.

He turned and walked into the room, his voice low: "What's going on? Why are you so late?"

After Chang Erbing entered the room, his expression was uncertain.

He looked down at his toes, seemingly not daring to look Li Shang in the eye. After a moment, he lowered his voice and spoke:

"Captain Li, the brothers actually arrived long ago... but just now, downstairs, they were stopped by a group of prison guards. It's really not that the brothers aren't capable."

Li Shang frowned even tighter: "Speak!"

Chang Erbing lowered his voice, his tone carrying obvious lingering fear:

"Ten or so prison guards, wearing uniform uniforms, stood in a row at the door, each holding a gun, not letting the brothers in."

"Captain Li, you know the brothers. The brothers handle cases on a daily basis; when trouble comes, they draw their guns without hesitation."

"But this time is different. Prison guards—prison guards—also have the word 'police' in their name, so the brothers have some misgivings. If guns went off, the nature would be different. It would surely bring big trouble to Captain Li."

His voice grew lower and lower, until the last few words were almost a whisper, as if afraid someone might hear.

"But those prison guards downstairs—they all seemed completely without misgivings. The naked killing intent in their eyes was not fake. They really dared, even..."

Chang Erbing stopped here, suddenly paused, raised a hand to wipe the sweat on his forehead, his fingers trembling slightly, his gaze drifting, as if he had returned to that suffocating scene downstairs.

He swallowed some saliva and added:

"Even, they were all eager to move, wishing to draw guns and shoot at the brothers, in a posture that cared neither for the skin on their bodies nor for their own lives."

"The brothers aren't afraid of death, it's just..."

Chang Erbing seemed not to know how to describe that feeling specifically. Anyway, he felt it was no wonder they felt that way.

He paused, as if searching his mind for a way to describe it, but finally shook his head, obviously unable to find suitable words.

With a dry mouth, he picked up the teacup on the table and gulped down a large mouthful to steady his shock. Tea dripped down his chin, but he was unaware, his voice trembling as he said:

"Captain Li, really, those prison guards from the Second Prison—they're all fucking crazy in their eyes!"

Li Shang suddenly stood up, quickly walked to the window, and lifted a corner of the curtain.

Outside the window, rain drizzled sparsely. The ground was soaked into a dark mirror, vaguely reflecting the outlines of high-rises and streetlights. The glaring car lights in the rainy night seemed especially icy cold.

Umbrellas opened in the rain, like abrupt and solemn black flowers in the rain. The people under the umbrellas moved with extreme uniformity, both hands holding the umbrella handles, bodies slightly bowed.

Between the overlapping umbrella shadows, raindrops like fine beaded threads slid from the eaves, splashing tiny water flowers on the ground.

Under the umbrellas was Feng Mu's tall and elegant stride. Two figures, one tall and one short, followed closely behind.

Li Shang's gaze involuntarily followed. He saw Feng Mu slowly walk toward a black sedan parked by the roadside.

The car door had been respectfully opened long ago. The umbrella shadow moved with him, precisely blocking the raindrops, until he elegantly sat inside the car, and the umbrella was quickly closed.

Li Shang narrowed his eyes. His fingertips exerted slight force, and the curtain was opened a bit wider.

His gaze followed those holding umbrellas. He found their movements uniform, even the direction of closing the umbrellas was consistent, as if a group of carefully controlled puppets, or as if a group of bodies were all dominated by one brain.

If they had rehearsed, that would be ridiculous; if they hadn't rehearsed, that would be even more ridiculous!

Within a few seconds, this group of people had all returned to their own cars.

Immediately after, a row of low-key black vehicles started up one by one.

The engines' low roar penetrated the rain curtain. Tires rolled over accumulated water, and the splashing water sparkled like broken diamonds under the lights.

The motorcade was like a racing black snake. The taillights, under the dim yellow streetlights, drew out cold lines of light until they disappeared into the night sky.

Outside the window returned to silence. Only sparse rain sounds struck the ground, like an unfinished low movement, carrying a kind of unsettling lingering resonance.

Li Shang's hand released the curtain, letting that corner of fabric slowly fall, covering everything outside the window.

He turned around, sat back on the sofa, and silently drank a mouthful of tea.

Setting down the teacup, the last scene glimpsed in his Nao Hai would not drift away.

If he hadn't seen wrong, just now, at the tail end of the departing convoy, that last one blended in among them seemed to be the Incineration Plant's... Corpse Cart?

Li Shang's fingertips unconsciously tapped against the rim of the teacup, emitting a faint "ding ding" sound.

His train of thought drifted uncontrollably toward a hair-raising question: just what was the maximum passenger capacity of a Corpse Cart...?

End of Chapter