Chapter 50: The Sealed Passage

"Patrol team, continue the search with me. Comrades from the Public Security Bureau, please continue to maintain the blockade and do not approach the search scene."

Lin Qing's voice spread through the loudspeaker, and immediately he led a group of patrol officers, walking briskly toward the Red Oak Boxing Gym deep in Changshui Street.

As for the Public Security personnel, naturally they would not join the patrol in the search.

In this era, the reason a separate Patrol system was established and allowed to rise so quickly is that the Patrol's work is more dangerous! Searching and patrolling day and night, how could the probability of encountering danger be low? Therefore, even if many Patrol officers privately skimmed off some profits, as long as it wasn't too excessive, no one said anything.

On the cold street, a large group of tall figures in black uniforms walked briskly forward, while Lin Qing led Zhao Jiayi at the very front of the formation.

"Team Leader Lin, are we going to search the Red Oak Boxing Gym?"

Xiao Peidong hurriedly caught up and couldn't help asking, "The whole team searching together? Do we not need to search other places?"

"It doesn't matter."

Lin Qing said calmly, "Didn't we check that VIP elevator at Qingtai Hotel last time? Since there were no problems, I have already requested the Public Security Bureau to help block the surveillance. Let's search the Red Oak Boxing Gym first."

He glanced at Xiao Peidong and said, "Since Chu Tianyao has appeared, that means there is likely truly something wrong here, don't you think? Team Leader Xiao?"

"Indeed so."

Xiao Peidong also nodded in agreement, "But not just the Red Oak Boxing Gym; other places cannot be spared either."

"That is natural." Lin Qing's lips curled up slightly.

Very quickly, the Patrol team arrived in front of the Red Oak Boxing Gym, which was closed and locked.

"It's not open?"

Xiao Peidong frowned slightly, glanced imperceptibly at the surveillance camera at the entrance, then turned to instruct the patrol officers behind him, "Contact the person in charge of the Red Oak Boxing Gym and have them open the door immediately."

At this moment, Lin Qing stepped forward.

"There is no need for that; it wastes too much time."

While speaking, Lin Qing suddenly took a step forward, raised his leg sharply, and kicked the electronic lock door of the Red Oak Boxing Gym.

"Bang!"

The force of this kick was incredibly condensed, and invisible force penetrated directly into the interior of the door lock, immediately destroying several precision structures and support points inside the lock.

The door trembled and was shaken open to reveal a gap.

Xiao Peidong's pupils contracted slightly.

Such a thick anti-theft door, kicked open with just one kick?

"Enter."

After Lin Qing gave the order, the patrol officers behind him rushed forward, pushed open the gym's main door, and a large group of patrol officers in black uniforms immediately filed in one after another.

Footsteps echoed within the empty gym.

Although the gym was empty, there were still people in charge inside.

A short, fat middle-aged man hurriedly came to greet them, smiling ingratiatingly while daring not to show anger, "Fellow Patrol officers, why didn't you notify us? Or even just knock on the door. This door lock is expensive; now the boss will scold me again."

Lin Qing ignored him and simply ordered, "Patrol officers, thoroughly search every corner of the gym. Patrol Bureau members, draw your service weapons and follow me."

The person in charge hurriedly asked, "Wasn't there a thorough search just a few days ago? Why search again today?"

"The search warrant is here."

Lin Qing casually slapped a paper search warrant into the other man's chest, then led Zhao Jiayi and six group leaders of the Patrol Bureau level, walking briskly toward the locker room.

"Where does Team Leader Lin start the search?" Xiao Peidong asked.

He was only a temporary team leader and had no authority to order Lin Qing, who was of the same rank.

Moreover, this search task requested by the Public Security Bureau was accepted by Lin Qing, so Lin Qing had command authority during the search, and he could do nothing about it.

But watching Lin Qing walk directly toward the locker room, he already had a bad feeling in his heart.

"During the last search, I found something suspicious that wasn't searched thoroughly. Just watch, Team Leader Xiao."

While speaking, Lin Qing moved as if wind was under his feet, striding quickly toward the locker room where he had discovered the clue during the first search, immediately leaving everyone else behind.

Very quickly, they arrived in front of the locker room where the clue was found last time.

The door was tightly locked, but he didn't wait; he slapped it with his palm, invisible fine force penetrated inside, destroyed the lock, and immediately pushed the door open to enter.

Xiao Peidong also hurriedly shook off the others and followed Lin Qing into the locker room.

In the crowd of patrol officers, Zhao Jiayi blinked her eyes and muttered to herself, "Finally have the confidence to search here; let's see what's going on down below..."

Inside the locker room.

After Xiao Peidong followed Lin Qing inside, he pretended to be puzzled as he surveyed the locker room, saying, "This locker room has been checked several times before, right? Seems there were no problems?"

Lin Qing said no more, walked to the row of wardrobes standing against the wall, grabbed the edges of the wardrobes with both arms, and suddenly exerted force—

"Crack!"

Under his skillful application of force, the row of large wardrobes was suddenly dragged open, revealing the bare wall behind them.

With a clang, the wardrobe fell to the ground, immediately raising clouds of dust.

Although the Order Level did not drop this time, Lin Qing's intuition still warned him...

There seems to be a problem beneath this wardrobe!

Watching this scene, Xiao Peidong almost couldn't control his expression, managing only to maintain composure as he said, "Last time we moved all the wardrobes to check, and there was no..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Lin Qing suddenly raise his leg sharply and stomp hard on the floor tile that had originally been pressed by the wardrobe! After activating his combat technique, strength nearly ten times that of a normal person poured out completely through this stomp, and through invisible fine force, the immense force was applied to this floor tile! Cracks immediately appeared on the smooth floor tiles.

"Crack crack crack crack crack—!!"

In the blink of an eye, Lin Qing quickly stomped five more times in succession, each time using fine force to penetrate and destroy as much as possible. Then—

"Crash!"

This floor tile, long since shattered, suddenly collapsed entirely. As dust rained down, it revealed a hollow passage one meter square.

Through this passage, one could still see the deep stairs inside, which were much wider than the entrance.

The thickness and layered structure of this floor used for concealment were clearly unusual; originally, it was obviously a 'door' capable of blocking detection and disguising itself.

Judging from the remaining structures at the edge of the passage, it should have been possible to control the opening or closing of this floor tile, deciding whether to reveal the passage below.

Yet now, it had been forcibly crushed by Lin Qing.

"As expected..."

A hint of a smile curled Lin Qing's lips; his peripheral glance caught Xiao Peidong, finding him equally stunned, seemingly having never imagined such a hidden passage existed.

Just then, Zhao Jiayi and several Patrol Bureau officers entered the changing room, instantly freezing in place.

"A passage?"

"There's actually a passage here?"

The squad leaders stared in shock at the hollow opening in the floor.

"Give me the signal light."

Lin Qing reached backward; Zhao Jiayi immediately handed him a small, spherical signal light.

Immediately, Lin Qing tossed the signal light into the passage.

The flexible, bouncy signal light bounced several times inside the passage, instantly illuminating the deep, dim interior.

"Hmm?"

Just then, Lin Qing suddenly noticed that deep within the illuminated passage stairs, a heavy black metal plate was slowly moving to close! Moreover, judging by the plate's speed, the passage would be completely sealed in at most two seconds! "Not good!"

Xiao Peidong cried out, suppressing the wild joy in his heart, pointing at the closing metal plate deep in the passage with a look of utter alarm.

He knew this defensive measure of the underground boxing arena; it was the last resort deployed only upon exposure, relying purely on mechanical levers to block the passage, immune even to computer hackers.

An alloy plate fully 45cm thick could completely jam this sturdy alloy passage!

Even if Squadron Leader Yuan Anping arrived, breaking it open by brute force would be difficult; digging through the earth would be more efficient.

Once the passage was completely sealed, the personnel inside the underground arena below could buy enough time to evacuate! Seeing this, the squad leaders were also stunned.

Actually, the speed at which this metal plate closed was not fast.

If one rushed in immediately, even a squad leader-level cultivator unskilled in speed would make it in time.

But...

An armed force like this underground boxing arena would make even squad leader-level cultivators hesitate; it was truly a dragon's pool and tiger's den.

If an entire Patrol squad entered to suppress it, led by a squad leader, there would naturally be a very high chance of success, after all, it was merely an underground boxing arena.

However...

Sending a single squad leader to charge in alone?

That would be quite dangerous; even self-preservation would be far from certain.

Only someone with the strength of a Squadron Leader, capable of holding down the entire Lin'an City, could single-handedly pierce through the entire Crimson Yarrow Society.

Even if this underground boxing arena was merely a small part of the Crimson Yarrow Society, it would probably require strength far exceeding that of an ordinary squad leader to pierce through it alone, right?

The two squad leaders present had only recently been promoted; their strength was obviously not that great.

Xiao Peidong glanced at Lin Qing, noticing Lin Qing's eyes slightly narrowed, clearly hesitating as well, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

At this very moment—

Lin Qing, whose battle technique had already been activated, looked at the passage closing at an extremely slow pace; indeed, he was hesitating in his heart.

With his current strength, he was naturally confident, but doing so would expose most of his power; unless he could gain substantial merit allowing him to learn several battle techniques in succession, it would hardly be worth it...

Just then—

Lin Qing suddenly felt a strange intuition in his heart.

Within this underground boxing arena, there seemed to be hidden some treasure he desperately craved, as if a starving man smelled food, or a greedy ghost heard the clinking of a chest full of gold coins...

How could he have such an intuition?

He found it strange, but the accuracy of this intuition before had been so high that he couldn't help but doubt—

Could this underground boxing arena really contain something I urgently need? As the metal plate slowly closed, the heavy stone in Xiao Peidong's heart also settled.

Watching as, in less than a second, the metal plate had already closed more than half, the remaining gap would likely be too small to rush through.

In this final instant—

"Whoosh!"

Lin Qing suddenly moved, instantly transforming into a blurred phantom; like a swift wind, he charged into the passage, and just before the metal plate fully closed, he swiftly sidestepped and darted inside!

The crowd couldn't help but be stunned.

"Clang!"

Immediately following a thunderous crash, the metal plate had completely closed, deeply jammed into the passage walls.

(End of this chapter)