Chapter 685: The Golden Cicada Sloughs Its Shell

The night was dark and deep, the outskirts joint department.

An abandoned chemical plant warehouse, hidden in the boundless darkness, only a few strands of bleak moonlight shone through the damaged roof, casting mottled light and shadow.

This was the "old place" agreed upon by Qian Youcai and James.

Weeds grew inside the warehouse, spiderwebs covered the abandoned machinery, and the air reeked of rust—perfect for filming a horror movie.

Jin Zhaofeng of the West City Branch, nicknamed Lao Jin.

A few years ago, Lao Jin received a favor from Lin Dongfan in the "Song Wen suicide case," after which his career rose rapidly; he has now been promoted to chief of the West City Branch.

Upon receiving Lin Dongfan's call today, Lao Jin wasted no time and immediately led his team out.

Lin Dongfan and Lao Jin, leading a team of criminal investigators, had already silently infiltrated the warehouse interior, using the complex terrain and machinery shadows to perfectly conceal their presence.

Everyone's communication devices were kept silent, waiting only for the target to appear, to catch him red-handed.

Following instructions, Qian Youcai arrived half an hour early, standing alone in the open space at the warehouse center, with an encrypted box containing forged "core data" placed at his feet.

He nervously rubbed his hands, occasionally glancing at the pitch-black entrance, feeling each second stretch like an eternity.

In the spacious warehouse, any slight sound made his heart leap with fright.

Time passed in the dead silence.

Finally, the sound of a car engine approached from afar outside the warehouse; two beams of headlights pierced the darkness like swords, coming to an abrupt halt before the warehouse door.

Qian Youcai's heart leapt up to his throat.

The car door opened, and a tall man in a trench coat and hat stepped out, with typical Western features—it was James.

James appeared highly vigilant.

He did not rush in, but stood beside the vehicle, sweeping his flashlight several times into the warehouse interior.

"Qian, alone?"

James asked in heavily accented Chinese, his voice echoing in the empty warehouse.

"Yes, just me." Qian Youcai hurriedly replied, his voice trembling from nervousness: "I brought the goods."

James then stepped inside, but his steps were cautious.

His gaze remained wary, continually scanning the dark corners around him: "Where's Manager Li? Didn't he say he'd come in person?"

"Manager Li... Manager Li has an urgent matter temporarily; he'll be here soon." Qian Youcai responded with the pre-prepared excuse, his palms sweating.

James approached Qian Youcai, but instead of touching the box, he stared at Qian's face, as if trying to discern something from it.

"He probably won't come, but your coming is just as good." James said in a calm tone.

Dongfan, hiding in the darkness, exchanged a glance with Jin Zhaofeng.

Both felt something was off—big-nosed James! Acting so cautiously alone, yet he took Li Hengbo's "tardiness" for granted, as if he had anticipated all this.

"Open the box." James commanded, meanwhile slightly stepping back, adopting a posture ready to retreat at any moment.

Qian Youcai steeled himself, crouched down, and his trembling fingers moved to open the combination lock.

At the very moment the box was about to open, James caught a glint from the darkness out of the corner of his eye—the barrel of a policeman's gun, accidentally exposed!

"Qian, you betrayed me!"

James's face changed drastically; in the next second he drew his gun, but he did not aim at Qian Youcai—instead he fired two shots straight at the warehouse ceiling!

"Bang! Bang!"

The gunfire deafened in the enclosed space!

"Action!"

Seeing that they had been exposed, Jin Zhaofeng unhesitatingly issued the order.

"Police! Don't move!"

"Drop your weapons!"

The ambush police, like heavenly soldiers descending, surged out from all directions; several beams from strong flashlights instantly locked onto James.

James had clearly undergone professional training, yet he also knew the principle that a lone tree cannot stand alone.

He fired while retreating, using Qian Youcai and the box as a temporary shield, attempting to fall back to the vehicle by the door to escape the scene.

"You think you can run?!"

Lin Dongfan, agile and swift, lunged forward with a stride, delivering a side kick that precisely struck James's gun-wielding wrist.

The pistol flew from his hand!

Almost simultaneously, two officers lunged from left and right, pinning the struggling James to the ground; with a click, they cuffed him with cold handcuffs.

Although there was a minor hiccup, the whole process was completed in the blink of an eye.

"Damn it, Little Li hasn't shown up yet, ruining my plans!"

Saying that, Lin Dongfan kicked James in the abdomen, his anger still unabated. He turned to glance at the warehouse door—only a lone car sat there, and far off lay deep darkness.

"Check the vehicle and surroundings! See if there are any accomplices!" Jin Zhaofeng commanded his subordinates.

The officers acted quickly, but soon reported: "Chief Jin, the vehicle is empty, and we found no traces of anyone else nearby."

Lin Dongfan coldly stared at James: "Old foreigner, what's your relationship with Li Hengbo? Today you were played by him, do you understand?"

"!!!"

James spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva; a flash of betrayed anger crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by gloom, and he clenched his teeth, remaining silent throughout.

"Take him back to the bureau for thorough interrogation!" Jin Zhaofeng ordered.

At that moment, Lin Dongfan's phone vibrated; he pulled it out to see an encrypted message from Lao Ba: "Master Fan, we just discovered Li Hengbo's bodyguard—He Qixing—has been lurking about a hundred meters outside the warehouse. After the gunshots rang out from the warehouse, He Qixing turned and withdrew from the scene."

A cold glint flashed in Lin Dongfan's eyes.

As expected!

Li Hengbo had people monitoring from the shadows the whole time!

Little Li never trusted Qian Youcai from start to finish, and used James and Qian Youcai as bait to verify his own suspicion—Qian Youcai is a traitor!

……

At the same time, the VIP ward of that private hospital in the city center was already empty; Li Hengbo had already changed into an inconspicuous outfit and was sitting in a fast-moving car.

He gazed at the tablet displaying the hidden camera's feed that had turned to snow—the warehouse surveillance image—and a cruel, delighted smile appeared on his face.

"Qian Youcai! Lin Dongfan!" Li Hengbo, as if he had just won a battle, laughed with anger: "You two bastards really teamed up."

Li Hengbo was not annoyed by James's capture.

Just a foreign information dealer.

Lost is lost.

Insignificant.

In Li Hengbo's view, being able to see Qian Youcai's betrayal tonight and cut off the hand that Lin Dongfan extended was a great gain.

Li Hengbo picked up another encrypted phone, dialed He Qixing's number, and his voice was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion: "That bastard Qian Youcai, so ungrateful—send him to meet the Buddha."

"Understood, boss."

On the other end of the line, He Qixing's voice was like cold iron.

Li Hengbo hung up, leaned back in his chair, and gave a thin grin: "Lin Dongfan, you think you've won? Next, watch me break your dog legs!"