Chapter 485: Chen Shaokang, Who Can't Be Propped Up

At the North Harbor Old Fish Market, the air is thick with a salty, rancid stench that has seeped into the bones over years, like the resentment left by countless fish and shrimp that rotted and dried here.

The abandoned cold storage factory crouches in the darkness like a steel beast.

Rust stains blotch its surface.

Windows are shattered.

They exude a deathly gloom.

Xie Xiaofeng cat is behind a low wall, the night vision device clearly shows the outline of the tightly shut side door of the cold storage factory.

A low voice came through the earpiece from a subordinate: "Brother Feng, confirmed, the heat signatures are concentrated in the innermost large warehouse; there are at least three people inside. One's build matches Chen Nianian exactly. The other two seem to be his bodyguards; their exact identities cannot be determined for now."

"Received, keep your eyes peeled—Chen Shaokang will be here shortly, and Brother Fan will come too."

Xie Xiaofeng's voice was as cold as ice.

He worried that his brothers would rush in and seize the person.

Xie Xiaofeng issued another order: "We are only assisting the arrest, do not overstep! Without orders from above, nobody may move! That old fox inside is slippery—don't startle the snake!"

He had just finished speaking when a sudden screech of brakes sounded not far off, followed by chaotic footsteps and stifled breathing.

Xie Xiaofeng turned his head and saw indeed Chen Shaokang leading a few police officers, rushing over in a flurry, his face full of the eager impatience to achieve merit.

"Old Xie, where are the people? Inside?"

Chen Shaokang lowered his voice, but the urgency in his tone was intense.

He didn't care about the night vision device Xie Xiaofeng handed him; his eyes were fixed on the pitch-black factory entrance, as if Chen Nianian would walk out and surrender any second.

"Section Chief Chen, the target is in the innermost warehouse, there are three people." Xie Xiaofeng patiently repeated the known information: "Director Lin will be here soon, his meaning is…"

"Don't wait, lest night bring many dreams."

Chen Shaokang impatiently cut off Xie Xiaofeng's words, waving his hand: "Follow me up! Assault! Take them alive! Remember, the primary target is Chen Nianian, the live captive Director Lin specifically demanded!"

"Section Chief Chen, should we wait for Director Lin to arrive before acting?"

As for the idea of "warning Chen Shaokang," Xie Xiaofeng felt embarrassed to say it; he merely wanted to stop him, thinking that once Lin Dongfan arrived to take command, everything would be foolproof.

Unexpectedly, Chen Shaokang burst with confidence and said: "Since we've already confirmed the people are inside, there's no need to alert Director Lin—brothers, charge!"

Saying that, he crouched toward the side door; his subordinates the police officers followed.

Xie Xiaofeng was so angry he punched the wall.

He growled into the earpiece: "Damn it! Team one, follow me and provide support! Teams two and three, tighten the perimeter! Don't let the fish slip through other holes! Notify Director Lin, Section Chief Chen has launched the assault!"

Inside the warehouse of the cold storage factory.

The chill seemed to have congealed for over a decade, more piercing than outside.

Chen Nianian was wrapped in a filthy military greatcoat, huddled behind a pile of discarded fishing nets and foam boxes, his complexion ashen, his eyes sunken—where was the composure of the Sea God Foundation's "chief steward"?

He clutched an old-style mobile phone tightly in his hand.

The screen was lit.

It displayed an encrypted message just received, only eight short characters: "The dust has settled, Mazu guides."

The sender showed as "Great Nephew."

Chen Nianian stared at those eight characters, his hand shaking violently, his turbid old eyes full of despair and disbelief—"The dust has settled? Mazu guides?"

Wu Changsheng, his own nephew! Wang Daochen's chief secretary! Too ruthless!

What does "Mazu guides" mean?

Is this meant to silence him?

"Wu Changsheng! Damn your mother! Curse your ancestors! I'm your maternal uncle! I helped you…" Chen Nianian let out a hoarse, ragged growl from his throat, but he didn't finish his curse.

"Bang!"

The side door was blown open by force.

"Police! Don't move!"

Chen Shaokang charged in first, his flashlight's strong beam instantly piercing the darkness, aimed straight at Chen Nianian's hiding spot.

The several police officers behind him quickly spread out, their gun muzzles pointed at the corners.

"Shit!"

The two bodyguards beside Chen Nianian reacted extremely quickly.

One of them shoved Chen Nianian hard toward a pile of huge, foul-smelling discarded fish baskets, while the other raised his hand and pulled the trigger!

"Bang! Bang!"

Gunfire exploded in the sealed cold storage, deafening! Bullets struck the rusted steel beams and concrete floor, sending up sparks and fragments.

"Take cover!"

Chen Shaokang roared, himself scrambling for cover.

He hadn't expected the enemy to react so quickly, their fire so fierce. His men were clearly inexperienced, and for a moment they panicked. Their blind return fire sent debris flying through the warehouse, yet it was hard to hit the target.

In the chaos, Xie Xiaofeng led his men in as well.

Taking in the scene, he felt like cursing his mother; his men were far better trained, quickly finding effective cover and laying down precise suppressing fire.

"Chen Nianian! You can't run! Surrender!" Chen Shaokang kept shouting, attempting a psychological assault.

Behind the fish baskets, Chen Nianian curled up, listening to the fierce gunfire outside, staring at the cold "Mazu guides" on his phone screen, utterly despondent.

He knew he was finished, whether falling into police hands or…

He trembled, then suddenly turned vicious, slamming the phone onto the ground with all his strength, trying to destroy the phone and all the information inside.

After the phone was smashed to pieces.

He then violently drew a dagger from his waist, not aimed at the police but at his own throat, madness flashing in his eyes, attempting to end his own life.

Just then.

"Pfft!"

An extremely faint sound, almost drowned by gunfire, similar to that of an air nail gun, rang out.

Chen Yongnian's hand holding the dagger stiffened suddenly, his pupils instantly dilated.

He lowered his head in disbelief, looking at his own heart position.

On his military overcoat, a barely noticeable tiny hole was rapidly being soaked by a dark red liquid! No intense pain, only a cold numbness quickly spreading throughout his body.

"Hoh… hoh…"

He wanted to say something, but only a hoarse, bellows-like 'hoh-hoh' came from his throat.

His strength felt as if it had been instantly drained.

The dagger clanged to the ground.

His body went limp and he pitched forward, headfirst into the pile before him that reeked of strong fishy stench, filled with rotting fish and shrimp entrails and ice shards—a discarded fish basket.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!"

Xie Xiaofeng keenly noticed the target's abnormality, shouting to suppress friendly fire. At that moment, one of Chen Yongnian's two bodyguards also lay in a pool of blood, the other having vanished.

Gunfire ceased abruptly.

Only the smell of gunpowder and an inseparable, thick fishy rot lingered in the storeroom.

"Chen Yongnian!"

Chen Shaokang was the first to rush over, he flung aside the blocking torn fishing net.

A strong-beam flashlight shone over.

All that could be seen was Chen Yongnian half-buried in the nauseating pile of rotting fish, face down, motionless. Around the small bullet hole at his heart, bloodstains were rapidly expanding, turning dark black.

Xie Xiaofeng also rushed over.

He took just one look at Chen Yongnian's stiff posture and dark red bloodstain, and his face changed. Ignoring the stench, he crouched and quickly checked Chen Yongnian's carotid artery and pupils.

"He's dead."

Xie Xiaofeng's voice was icy, carrying a barely perceptible gravity.

He turned his gaze to Chen Shaokang: "Just died, the wound… isn't from our bullets. The caliber is tiny, like a specially made silent round or poison needle—seals the throat on contact with blood."

"Dead?!"

Chen Shaokang felt as if struck by lightning, his head buzzing.

He snapped his head up, like an enraged lion, wildly sweeping the flashlight beam across the storeroom's dark corners and ceiling beams: "Who?! Who fired?! Come out!"

The criminal investigators he brought also nervously looked around, guns pointing wildly.

"Stop looking!"

Xie Xiaofeng stood up, his voice holding suppressed anger and a hint of mockery: "The person fled long ago, or perhaps never even came in! A professional silencing, remote-controlled, fired and left—clean and neat. Section Chief Chen, is this the 'live specimen' you wanted? Now it's truly become a 'canned seafood'—and a rotten one at that!"

"……!!!"

Chen Shaokang's face turned ashen as paper, gazing at Chen Yongnian's twisted, stiff corpse in the rotting fish heap, smelling that nauseating stench.

And hearing Xie Xiaofeng's merciless sarcasm.

A huge sense of defeat and fear surged straight to his heart.

His aggressive push wasn't for credit, but to prove he wasn't a waste! The result? The man died! And was silenced right before his eyes!

The live specimen Director Lin had named, in his hands, turned into a dead, stinking fish.

"Ugh…"

The intense psychological shock combined with that fishy stench shooting straight to the crown of his head made Chen Shaokang unable to hold back; he bent over violently and began to retch.

Tears and snot streamed out together, a sorry sight.

Just then……

A steady, hurried footsteps came from the doorway.

Lin Dongfangu Da's silhouette appeared at the doorway; he glanced at the chaotic scene, the corpse in the rotting fish heap, Chen Shaokang violently vomiting, and Xie Xiaofeng's grim face.

In an instant he understood what had happened.

His face showed little expression, only his eyes cold as the lingering chill in the storeroom, as he stepped steadily toward Chen Shaokang.

Chen Shaokang was still retching, feeling someone approach; he barely lifted his head, saw Lin Dongfan's icy face, and was instantly startled, wanting to stand straight but his legs went weak.

Lin Dongfan didn't look at his wretched vomit; his gaze passed over him and landed on Chen Yongnian's corpse soaking in the rotting fish heap, lingering for two seconds.

Then he spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet like an icepick it pierced Chen Shaokang's ears and the hearts of everyone present: "Chen Shaokang, you are truly a talent!"

"Director Lin, I…"

Chen Shaokang didn't know how to explain for a moment, nervous and ashamed, head lowered.

"What?"

Director Lin stared disappointedly at Chen Shaokang, uttering a regretful tone: "It seems the deputy section chief position is indeed your ceiling."

"……!!!"

Still mired in guilt, Chen Shaokang kept his head lowered.

"Clean up the scene, pack this 'canned seafood' and take it away… and you…" Director Lin pointed at the still-retching Chen Shaokang: "Write a detailed, profound report that nails yourself to the pillar of shame, and place it on my desk first thing tomorrow morning."

Having said that, Lin Dongfan glanced at no one else, turned and strode out of the cold storage filled with gunpowder smoke, foul odor, and the air of failure.

The night wind blew the sea‑scent onto his face, yet could not disperse the chill gathered in his brow.

Chen Yongnian is dead, the lead cut off—damn it! Now how do we drag out that rebellious lackey beside Wang Daochen and bring him to justice?

Just thinking about it gives me a headache!

The city of Haishan seemed shrouded in a layer of thick, impenetrable dark clouds.