Chapter 742: Old Fan Closes the Net

Six a. m., a villa in the western suburbs of Jingcheng.

Lin Dongfan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of black coffee, watching the sky outside gradually lighten. Morning light streamed through the glass, casting a faint shadow on his face.

Footsteps sounded behind him.

Lao Ba walked in, drenched in dew, his voice hoarse: 'The coroner's preliminary check shows the two shots to Lao San's chest were close-range, fired by Su Jin. But the time of death… is at least ten minutes earlier than the shooting.'

Lin Dongfan turned around: 'What do you mean?'

'Lao San was already dead before he was shot.' Lao Ba opened the body bag, revealing Lao San's pale face: 'The coroner found a lethal concentration of potassium chloride in his blood; the bullets were fired after death.'

Lin Dongfan stared at Lao San's face, silent for a few seconds.

'So Su Jin killed a man who was already dead.' Lin Dongfan asked slowly, 'Who was the performance for?'

'To fool the third party.'

Lao Ba analyzed: 'When the third party's people burst in, Su Jin was in the process of silencing him. That way, the third party would think Xu Jijun and they shared the same goal—both wanting Liu Shu dead. But actually…'

'Actually, Xu Jijun wants to capture Liu Shu alive.' Lin Dongfan interjected: 'What he wants isn't Liu Shu's life, but what Liu Shu holds—the evidence, and Liu Shu himself.'

Lao Ba nodded: 'But now the third party has intervened, throwing the plan into chaos. Liu Shu was rescued by us, Su Jin retreated, and Xu Jijun's goal wasn't achieved.'

'No.' Lin Dongfan shook his head: 'His goal may already have been achieved.'

Saying this, Lin Dongfan walked to the coffee table and picked up the USB drive he had received from Li Zhenyang.

'Li Zhenyang said this USB contains the complete list of Wu Zhou's interests network.' Lin Dongfan plugged the USB into his laptop: 'But what if it's fake? What if Li Zhenyang and Xu Jijun are actually in cahoots, and that little scene at the teahouse last night was just to divert my attention?'

The computer screen lit up.

The USB drive contained only one file, and it was encrypted.

Lin Dongfan entered the password Li Zhenyang gave him—his son's birthday,

The password was incorrect.

Trying again, it was still wrong.

'As expected.' Lin Dongfan laughed: 'Li Zhenyang is playing me. This list simply won't open, or rather, it requires the real password. And that password might only be known to Xu Jijun.'

Lao Ba's face changed: 'Then why did Li Zhenyang give you a fake USB?'

'To buy time, to make me focus on cracking the USB instead of looking for him.' Lin Dongfan shut the computer: 'Where is Li Zhenyang now?'

Lao Ba glanced at his phone: 'Just got the message—Li Zhenyang left Wu Zhou at 4 a. m., taking a private jet to Gang Dao, ostensibly to attend a cooperation summit.'

'The meeting is a pretense; the escape is real.'

Lin Dongfan sipped his coffee: 'But he can't get away. Li Mingtang is already in Wu Zhou; the inspection team will take over everything. Li Zhenyang's overseas accounts were frozen last night.'

'And what about Xu Jijun?' Lao Ba asked.

Lin Dongfan glanced at the electronic clock on the wall: 'He should already know Liu Shu was rescued. Given his temperament, he won't sit and wait for death. Lao Ba, what do you think his next move will be?'

Lao Ba pondered: 'Either he'll keep hunting Liu Shu, or… he'll come straight to you.'

No sooner had he spoken than Lin Dongfan's phone rang.

An unknown number.

Lin Dongfan pressed the speaker button.

'Show-off Fan, good morning.' Xu Jijun's voice came through, light and amused: 'Heard last night was lively? My men almost nabbed Liu Shu, but your people messed it up.'

'Old Xu, you put on a good show.' Lin Dongfan also smiled: 'You can make a dead man put on a performance.'

On the other end of the line, silence fell for two seconds.

'You know?' Xu Jijun's voice turned cold.

'You know you poisoned Lao San, then had Su Jin fire the shots to stage a show?' Lin Dongfan walked to the window: 'Old Xu, it's been four years, and you've grown more inventive. Still, I'm curious—why did you kill Lao San? He betrayed me, which should suit you just fine.'

'Because he was too greedy.' Xu Jijun frankly admitted: 'I gave him two million US dollars, yet he still wanted a raise. People like him can't be allowed to live, and furthermore…'

He paused, then added: 'I needed a plausible "silencing" scene to make the third party believe I was on their side. Too bad the third party is too stupid—your people scared them off.'

'The third party is Li Zhenyang's people, right?' Lin Dongfan asked.

'Yes.' Xu Jijun admitted candidly: 'Li Zhenyang thinks we're cooperating; in fact, I'm just using him. The list he holds is genuine, but the password is with me. Without the password, that list is just gibberish.'

'So what do you want to trade the password for?' Lin Dongfan asked bluntly.

'Liu Shu.' Xu Jijun didn't beat around the bush: 'Hand Liu Shu over to me, and I'll give you the password. With that list, you can uproot Wu Zhou's twenty-year interests network. This deal won't cost you.'

Lin Dongfan laughed: 'Old Xu, do you think I'm stupid? Hand Liu Shu to you, and you'll have both human and material evidence to blackmail those on the list. Then who really controls Wu Zhou is still up in the air.'

'Then what do you want?' Xu Jijun asked.

'I want the password, and I want Liu Shu.' Lin Dongfan stood firm: 'And I also want all the information you have about the Teacher.'

From the other end came Xu Jijun's boisterous laugh, bordering on manic.

'Lin Dongfan, you're still as greedy.' After laughing enough, his voice turned much colder: 'But I tell you, it's impossible! The less you know about the Teacher, the better. That person… you can't afford to provoke.'

'Whether I can afford to provoke him is my concern.' Lin Dongfan said calmly: 'You just need to hand over the password for a dignified exit; if I have to go get it myself, things won't look so pretty.'

'Are you threatening me?' Xu Jijun asked.

'It's a warning.' Lin Dongfan said: 'Old Xu, four years ago I let you go because of old sentiment. But old sentiment can be spent only once. Now you owe me, and it's time to pay up.'

Along silence.

Only a faint hum of static could be heard on the line.

After a lengthy pause, Xu Jijun spoke: 'All right, I'll give you the password. But I can't say anything about the Teacher. If I did, I'd die, and you'd die too.'

'The password!'

Lin Dongfan didn't waste words.

'The USB password is Li Zhenyang's son's birthday.' Xu Jijun added: 'Just write the numbers in reverse.'

Lin Dongfan noted it down and gestured for Lao Ba to try.

Lao Ba reopened the computer, entered the password, and sure enough, it was correct.

The file was unlocked.

A dense list of names and accounts appeared on the screen.

"The list is genuine." Lao Ba nodded at Lin Dongfan.

Lin Dongfan said into his phone: "Thanks, Lao Xu. As repayment, I'll give you twenty-four hours to leave the country. After twenty-four hours, I'll hand this list over to the Inspection Group."