Chapter 716: Blood‑stained Dawn

At the instant the gunshot exploded in the night sky, Lin Dongfan and Lao Ba instinctively dove and rolled sideways; the bullet grazed Lin Dongfan's shoulder and struck the earth mound behind him.

After firing that shot, Li Hengbo didn't wait for the result; he dragged his injured leg up and rushed into the depths of the shantytown without looking back.

"Chase!"

Lin Dongfan gritted his teeth and stood up; his shoulder burned with pain—the bullet hadn't hit him, but the close-range hot blast still scraped his flesh.

Lao Ba led the charge into the alley, with two bodyguards close behind.

Lin Dongfan pressed on his shoulder, quickly checking the wound—a superficial burn that wouldn't impede his movement.

He sprinted to catch up, meanwhile pressing his earpiece: "Peng Team, the target is fleeing deep into the shantytown; request external support to seal all exits! Repeat, he has entered the residential area—be careful not to harm innocents!"

"Received!"

Peng Tianhua's voice sounded anxious.

Lin Dongfan rushed into the alley.

The scene before him was worse than expected—this shantytown was a typical illegal‑building maze of the urban village, with alleys no wider than two meters at their broadest and barely enough for one person to turn sideways at their narrowest.

Both sides were packed with self‑built shacks, clotheslines crisscrossing haphazardly, and miscellaneous items piled up like mountains.

What made it worse, it was already past 1 a. m., yet some residents still had lights on, and the faint sound of mahjong tiles being shuffled could be heard.

No wonder it's called the Mahjong Capital.

Li Hengbo's fresh blood dripped onto the uneven concrete, forming a discontinuous dark‑red trail under the dim yellow streetlights.

But the trail suddenly became confused at a three‑way intersection—he had obviously detoured here on purpose to throw off the pursuit.

"Split up and chase!"

Lao Ba made a quick decision, and the three of them each chose a different alley.

Lin Dongfan chose the middle, narrowest alley. He lowered his body, gun in hand, moving forward slowly while sharply scanning every shadowy corner.

Twenty meters ahead, a faint rustle came from behind a pile of discarded furniture.

Lin Dongfan held his breath.

He crept closer.

Just when he was less than five meters from that pile of furniture—suddenly!

"Clatter——!"

A large stack of empty plastic bottles was shoved off the right‑side roof, crashing down onto his head and face!

Lin Dongfan stumbled back, but still got hit by a few bottles; the instant his vision was blocked, a black figure lunged out from the left!

It wasn't Li Hengbo.

But a middle‑aged man in a worn‑out cotton jacket, drunk, waving a broken bottle and slurring: "Who… who the hell smashed my stuff?!"

He'd been used!

Lin Dongfan instantly understood—Li Hengbo had deliberately created the noise to lure the drunkard out, giving himself a chance to escape!

Lin Dongfan had no time to explain; he shoved the drunkard aside and rushed toward the direction the black figure had lunged from.

There was a gap between two shacks, less than forty centimeters wide. Lin Dongfan turned sideways and squeezed through; at the end of the gap lay a backyard piled with trash.

The backyard's wire‑mesh fence had been cut open, leaving a large hole.

Beyond the hole was a relatively clean little lane—this was already the edge of the shantytown; farther ahead lay a regular residential compound.

At the hole in the fence, a blood‑stained gauze patch hung on the wire.

Li Hengbo had exited from here.

Lin Dongfan crawled out of the hole and quickly surveyed the street.

The pre‑dawn lane was deserted; under the streetlamp, a few fresh drops of blood pointed toward the right‑front. There was a 24‑hour convenience store there, with a delivery truck parked at its entrance.

Behind the convenience store lay the outer wall of the upscale Splendid Jiangnan residential complex.

Was Li Hengbo's target that place?

Lin Dongfan's thoughts raced.

Splendid Jiangnan is one of Wu Zhou's top‑tier upscale communities, with tight security and residents who are either rich or noble. Li Hengbo, covered in blood as he is, could hardly get in through the main gate.

Unless…

He glanced at the delivery truck—the rear cargo door was ajar!

Lin Dongfan sprinted toward the convenience store, meanwhile pressing his earpiece: "Lao Ba, the target may be trying to slip into Splendid Jiangnan! Immediately notify the estate security to seal all entrances and exits! But don't startle the snake—he might have hijacked a vehicle or personnel as cover!"

"Received!"

Lao Ba's reply came with the sound of hurried footsteps.

Lin Dongfan rushed to the delivery truck and yanked open the rear door.

The cargo hold was empty except for a few empty cardboard boxes and a strong smell of blood.

On the floor.

A pool of fresh blood still not fully coagulated.

Li Hengbo had stopped here briefly, tended to his wound, then…

Lin Dongfan's gaze fell on a corner of the cargo hold, where a blood‑stained black jacket lay tossed, while beside it lay a clean blue work uniform.

He had changed clothes!

"Convenience store!"

Lin Dongfan whirled around and shoved open the convenience store's glass door.

Behind the counter, the young night‑shift clerk was dozing over the desk; the door opening startled him awake, and he blinked up, mumbling: "We… welcome…"

"Has anyone come in just now? Someone injured, or wearing a blue work uniform?" Lin Dongfan asked urgently.

The clerk shook his head blankly: "No… no, I'm the only one here tonight…"

Lin Dongfan scanned the store interior—the shelves were neat, no signs of a fight. He walked up to the counter, locking eyes with the clerk: "Are you sure? Did you hear any strange sounds?"

The store clerk was frightened by his aura.

He stammered: "I... I just thought I heard some movement near the back door, but I didn't dare go look... Our store's back door leads to the residential area's cleaning passage; it's usually locked."

Back door!

Lin Dongfan turned and rushed toward the back of the convenience store.

The so-called "back door" is actually an iron door connecting to the residential area's cleaning passage; right now, the lock has been pried open and the door is ajar.

Outside the door is a narrow passage, with high walls on both sides.

At the end of the passage, the residential area's green belt can be vaguely seen.

Lin Dongfan drew his gun and entered the passage.

The passage is about thirty meters long, the ground is concrete, and the walls on both sides have mottled bloody handprints. Li Hengbo is here supporting his walk; his injury is obviously at its limit.

But what made Lin Dongfan's heart sink was: there was no sign of any disturbance inside the residential area at the end of the passage.

Li Hengbo had actually slipped in unnoticed.

How did he manage that?

Lin Dongfan quickly walked to the end of the passage. This place connects to the residential area's centralized garbage disposal point; at the moment it is empty. But beside the ground, a bloodstained gauze and a used syringe are thrown.

The syringe's label bears foreign text; Lin Dongfan picks it up and examines it closely—it turns out to be an adrenaline injection pen.

Li Hengbo injected himself with adrenaline!

No wonder he could flee all the way here despite his serious injury.

Adrenaline can temporarily suppress pain and boost physical strength, but the cost is increased cardiac burden; for someone with a severe chest wound, this is practically suicidal.

"This crippled bastard!"

"To place oneself in a deadly situation and then survive—he really is daring!"

Lin Dongfan raised his head to look inside the residential area.

Splendid Jiangnan is divided into three zones, A, B, and C, each with six high-rise buildings; the greening rate is extremely high, and the night-time landscape lights are dim yet elegant.

It is now past midnight; most residents have turned off their lights, with only a few windows still lit.

Where will Li Hengbo go?

With such a body, he cannot go far; he needs to immediately find a place where he can hide and treat his wound.

Moreover...

He deliberately chose this residential area; there must be a special purpose.

Lin Dongfan's mind raced.

The list of residents of Splendid Jiangnan flashed through Lin Dongfan's mind; many figures from Wu Zhou's political and business circles live here, and Li Zhenyang's daughter, Li Shuting, seems to reside here as well.

"Is he going to look for Li Shuting?"

Lin Dongfan's pupils contracted sharply; he felt he should not have guessed wrong.

The person Li Hengbo hates most now, besides Lin Dongfan himself, is Li Zhenyang, who betrayed him. And holding Li Zhenyang's daughter hostage is undoubtedly the most vicious revenge, as well as the most effective bargaining chip!

"Old Peng!"

Lin Dongfan growled into his earpiece: "Immediately have someone check Li Shuting's exact address! Li Hengbo is very likely to have sneaked into Li Shuting's home!"

"Received."

On the other end of the phone, Peng Tianhua fully cooperated with all of Lin Dongfan's orders.