Chapter 272: Feigning Death Still Requires a Potent Medicine

Gunfire rang out in the courtyard; Gao Peng, who had been sitting with his eyes closed and silent, suddenly opened his eyes. Yet his gaze showed unusual firmness, as if he had figured something out during his closed-eyed contemplation.

Seeing Gao Lu about to go out to check the situation, Gao Peng coldly barked: "Stop!"

"Gunfire's broken out outside; I need to go see." Gao Lu, not wanting to implicate her older brother, added: "I'll take responsibility for anything that happens; it's nothing to do with you."

"Nothing to do with me?"

That's both infuriating and laughable to say—you're my own sister, two melons on the same vine! Now that someone wants to pick melons, would they really pick only you and leave me?

Even kindergarten kids know you pick the big melons—they're sweet!

So who's older now, you or me?

Gao Peng, stifling a sense of helplessness, made up his mind: since his authority could no longer protect his sister Gao Lu's safety, he would throw caution to the wind—using medical technology!

Doing this, Gao Lu might well die in an accident.

But there's no other option now; this is her only chance to escape the tiger's mouth, and to survive she must accept a nine-in-ten risk of death.

Gao Peng took out the bottle of potent medicine he had prepared earlier.

He handed it straight to Gao Lu: "Take this; if you swallow 300 mg at once, your heartbeat will drop to five to ten beats per minute in a short time. Your pupils will dilate, losing their light reflex. At the same time, your body temperature will fall to 30°C, producing outward signs of a false death…"

"Brother, what are you planning to do?"

Gao Lu took the bottle, looked at it, a little puzzled: "A barbiturate nerve‑inhibiting capsule? I've never heard of such a drug before."

Gao Peng said: "If you want to live, take the medicine, then go back to your room and lie down. As long as you don't give the forensic examiner a chance to autopsy you, outwardly no one will see that you're still alive."

"A trick to deceive heaven and cross the sea? Haha, brother, you've got deep schemes." Gao Lu narrowed her eyes with a smile.

Gao Peng furrowed his brow: "Don't get too excited just yet—overdosing on this drug carries great risk; if mishandled, it could kill someone…"

"How great is the risk?" Gao Lu asked cautiously.

Gao Peng frankly replied: "The golden window is only twenty‑four hours; if we don't get a chance to revive you within that time, at best you'll suffer irreversible brain damage, at worst you'll die."

"Twenty‑four hours of golden rescue time—that's plenty, brother, I trust you." Saying this, Gao Lu walked toward her bedroom to take the medicine.

Gao Peng turned to check the situation in the courtyard.

Just now several shots rang out in the courtyard; Gao Peng had originally thought it was Gao Lu's handful of lackeys fighting for their lives with the task force.

He stepped out and looked—he couldn't help but feel astonished.

He saw no members of the task force.

All he saw was Shi Baojie, the big‑gold‑chain guy, jumping up and slapping Huang Mao on the head, yelling: "You motherf‑‑‑ing idiot! Are you an idiot or not!"

Huang Mao shrank back, not daring to even let out a fart.

Gao Peng asked Shi Baojie: "Why did you just fire?"

"Secretary Gao."

Shi Baojie waddled over to the steps.

He reported the facts to Gao Peng: "Just now, one of my men—a total idiot who'd never handled a gun before—was just curious, fiddling with it, and accidentally discharged it."

"……!!!"

Faced with this speech‑less truth, Gao Peng really wanted to give Shi Baojie a slap that would flatten him.

Then he thought again.

Maybe this couldn't be blamed on Shi Baojie after all.

As the old saying goes—'One foolish soldier makes a whole company of fools'—my own sister isn't exactly reliable, so how could I expect her underlings to be social elites?

Gao Peng calmed himself and ordered Shi Baojie: "Take your people and leave right away."

"Secretary Gao, it really was just an accident; I've already given that idiot a stern talking‑to, and I hope you'll give us another chance." Shi Baojie thought he had blown his chance to be reused by the boss.

Gao Peng put on a mournful air: "Your boss—Gao Lu—has just committed suicide. You may all disperse now."

Suicide?

General Manager Gao committed suicide?

Shi Baojie and the others stared at each other, shocked.

A brother nearby sighed: "More than a thousand years ago, that plump sister Yang Yuhuan died by suicide; today's plump sister Gao Lu has also died by suicide. Women born with a consort‑like constitution simply don't live long. As the saying goes, beauties have short lives—truly, heaven envies the fair‑skinned! One moment life and death are vast and vague; without thinking, they're impossible to forget…"

"Come on, you're just trying to show off your learning, aren't you?"

Shi Baojie suddenly slapped the brother on the back of the head, knocking out all his talent—his brains turned to pure mush.

Shi Baojie's cursing continued: "Damn it, you deserve a beating! General Manager Gao's dead, and you're not even trying to stay busy—what the hell are you busy with? You're busy with a hammer!"

"……!!!"

The little brother, sporting a black‑thread headband, thought: "Fine, you don't get my 'life and death are vast and vague,' and I don't get your hammer—can't I just shut up?"

To avoid getting hit on the head again, the little brother wisely stepped back a few paces.

Shi Baojie turned back and apologized to Gao Peng: "Secretary Gao, my men are worthless—heartless, gutless, uncultured, yet they love to pose as intellectuals; don't take it to heart. As for the funeral, if there's anything you need us to help with, just give the order."

For no reason, Gao Peng felt a little moved.

Although Shi Baojie is no looker—and even twists the classic line of literary grandmaster Su Dongpo—his loyalty to Gao Lu is still as evident as the sun and moon.

In view of that loyalty.

Gao Peng kindly reminded them: "I'll handle my sister's funeral myself. If you don't leave this place, the guns in your hands will give the Provincial Department cause to arrest you."

"Well… alright, we'll pull back first. Secretary Gao, my condolences."

Shi Baojie led his several dozen brothers, splitting into two Range Rovers, and hurriedly left Villa No. 8 of Scenic Ripple Heavenly Realm.

At this moment, Gao Peng.

He actually seemed more like a jianghu big shot than someone placing himself in the role of a parent‑official. If he had positioned himself correctly, there would be no reason to let Shi Baojie and the others leave armed.

Not long after, five police cars drove into Villa No. 8.

The first to get out was Director Qi, followed shortly by Lin Dongfan, Yang Qing, and others; the police quickly surrounded Villa No. 8.

To avoid suspicion, Luo Xiang and Xu Liangyuan of the City Bureau did not come to the scene.

Since they are Gao Peng's subordinates, showing up at the scene would inevitably worsen their conflict with him, so both are being very careful.

The characters involved are Gao Peng; "they two" refers to two people, likely the two subordinates, who are not named, so we have Gao Peng.

Also, "subordinate" is a generic term, not a specific title or rank; it's just a general way of referring to someone's position, so we should exclude it.

"Secretary Gao, you're here too? Hope you've been well."

Director Qi politely greeted Gao Peng, and unless absolutely necessary, he also did not want to break face with Gao Peng.

Gao Peng stood on the steps at the doorway.

He looked at Director Qi walking toward him, then glanced at Lin Dongfan following closely behind, and said: "You're a step late; my sister Gao Lu has already committed suicide."

Suicide?

Everyone's faces darkened with shock.

Especially Lin Dongfan, who felt this was utterly absurd—Gao Peng hasn't even fallen from power yet, how could Gao Lu be desperate enough to commit suicide?

Lin Dongfan laughed: "Secretary Gao, this joke has gone too far—Gao Lu is your own sister; even if she did something wrong, you can't curse her."