Chapter 754

At nine o'clock in the evening, Lin Dongfan's flight arrived smoothly at Wuzhou Airport.

The runway lights stretched out in the night as two cold bands of light, and the fine autumn rain tapped against the porthole. Lin Dongfan gazed at the city through the glass streaked with water, and a feeling of desolation settled over him.

Lin Dongfan rushed to the hospital with a heavy heart.

The corridor of the intensive care unit was filled with the smell of disinfectant, and the light was harshly white. The operating room lights were still on, and several leaders from the Jianglan Province Public Security Bureau stood at the door, each with a grave expression.

"Director Lin, Deputy Director Yang is still in a coma. The doctor said there's a blood clot in his skull pressing on the nerves, so the surgery carries great risk," Qi Ting explained in a low voice.

"Have you found out who did it?" Lin Dongfan's voice was cold as ice.

"We're still investigating. The scene was burned too thoroughly, making evidence collection difficult. However, we found a few suspicious footprints outside the villa, and..." Qi Chang hesitated for a moment: "Near the body of Deputy Director Yang's wife, we found this..."

He took an evidence bag from his briefcase.

Inside was a metal badge, deformed by fire but still discernible—a skull motif with crossed daggers beneath it.

"The Skull Society," Lin Dongfan's pupils contracted.

Qi Ting looked astonished: "You know this organization?"

"Nonsense, this is a prop from a drug lord movie." Lin Dongfan took a deep breath: "It's a mercenary group in Southeast Asia that specializes in dirty jobs. They charge high fees and always wipe out entire families."

The hallway fell silent, unsure whether this thing was real or fake.

At that moment, the operating room door suddenly opened, and a doctor in surgical scrubs came out: "The patient's life is saved, everyone can rest assured; if nothing unexpected happens, there should be no unexpected..."

Hearing this, everyone present let out a sigh of relief.

Shortly after.

The nurse transferred Yang Qing from the operating room to a private ward.

On the hospital bed, Yang Qing's head was wrapped in thick bandages; the half of his face exposed was as pale as paper. His eyes were half-open, pupils unfocused, and he muttered hoarsely: "Save my wife..."

"Old Yang."

Lin Dongfan walked to the bedside and took his hand.

Yang Qing's fingers twitched slightly.

Lin Dongfan leaned in, bringing his ear close to Yang Qing's: "Old Yang, it's me. Can you hear me?"

Yang Qing's eyeballs slowly turned, looking toward Lin Dongfan. For a few seconds, his gaze suddenly cleared, even flashing a hint of...

slyness?

Lin Dongfan blinked.

Immediately, Yang Qing moved his lips again, seemingly mouthing silently: "Show-off, how's my acting?"

"?!!!"

Lin Dongfan froze on the spot, completely dumbfounded.

Yang Qing weakly blinked, the corner of his mouth twitching upward ever so slightly before returning to its unfocused state, continuing to murmur: "Wife... sorry..."

Lin Dongfan stared at him for a good dozen seconds.

Finally, Lin Dongfan let out a deep sigh, turned to Qi Ting and the others at the door, and said: "He needs rest. You all go out; I'll stay with him for a while."

Qi Ting and the medical staff exchanged glances, then eventually withdrew.

The door closed.

Only two people remained in the ward.

Lin Dongfan pulled over a chair and sat down, expressionless as he looked at Yang Qing: "Give me an explanation."

Yang Qing didn't move.

Still that half-dead appearance.

Lin Dongfan wasn't in a hurry either; he just waited like that.

About five minutes passed.

Yang Qing suddenly opened his eyes; this time his gaze was completely clear.

He even raised a hand to touch the bandage on his head, grinning: "Everyone outside's gone, huh? Damn, this thing's wrapped really tight."

"Damn!"

At this moment Lin Dongfan was certain he had really been played.

"Stay calm, don't get angry..." Yang Qing touched his head wound, which tugged at the equipment on his body, setting off a burst of alarm beeps.

He quickly kept still, lowering his voice: "This matter involves Along story..."

"Then make it short." Lin Dongfan kept a cold face.

"I set up a death trap by playing along." Yang Qing smiled faintly, then added proudly: "Simply put, my family's Teacher Xu and the two kids are fine—I sent them back to our hometown in Nanzhou early. But the fire was real; someone wanted to kill my whole family. I just went with the flow and staged this act."

Lin Dongfan stared at him: "Why?"

"Two reasons." Yang Qing held up two fingers: "First, I'm investigating a case that runs deep. The other side has already threatened me twice, and I feared they'd go after Xu Yue and the children. Second..."

He paused, his eyes turning sharp: "I wanted to draw the snake out of its hole. If the news that 'Yang Qing's family was destroyed and he himself lies critically injured and unconscious' spreads, those behind the scenes will surely relax their guard."

Lin Dongfan fell silent.

After Along while, he asked: "So... the three bodies at the fire scene were..."

"They were unidentified corpses from the funeral home that I arranged in advance." Yang Qing said lightly: "But my injury is real—a chandelier fell on my head."

"The chandelier hitting your head—was that also part of your setup?" Lin Dongfan questioned.

Yang Qing didn't hesitate, nodding: "Yeah, you have to go all out with the act. In terms of performance, you needn't doubt my professionalism."

"Damn, you're crazy." Lin Dongfan finally couldn't help but complain: "What if you cracked your skull open and actually killed yourself?"

"Won't happen, I'm tough."

Yang Qing grinned smugly, leaving Lin Dongfan speechless.

Anger? Yes.

Fear? Also yes.

But mostly it was a feeling of helplessness—Yang Qing, this guy, is still the same Yang Sānsuì from before! Not changed at all; when he gets reckless, he doesn't consider consequences, he doesn't play by common sense.

Do you know what I felt when I saw the news?

Lin Dongfan stared at the smiling, silent Yang Qing.

I really wanted to punch him.

But thinking it over, I let it go—he's already an old dog of several decades, thick-skinned and tough; no matter how hard I hit him, I can't awaken his remorseful heart.

Lin Dongfan said: "I thought you'd truly lost your family and been ruined, I thought you were about to die. All along I've been thinking about how to help you get revenge, and I've already planned out your aftermath."

Yang Qing's smug smile grew even more intense.

This only goes to show that my elaborate scheme was laid out very realistically and skillfully." Yang Qing said, "But I can't tell you this beforehand; your acting isn't as good as mine, so you'd easily give yourself away.

My acting isn't as good as yours? Go die!

Unable to hold back, in the end I still couldn't hold back—Fan Ye slammed a fist into Yang Qing's chest.

Yang Qing let out a muffled grunt, his face slightly stiff; after being hit, he coughed twice before catching his breath: "Damn, I'm really hurt—didn't you hear that just now? You fucking actually went for real."

When have I ever played games with you?

Lin Dongfan laughed angrily.

Yang Qing caught his breath, then arrogantly looked down on Lin Dongfan: "Look at your idiotic reaction—if I'd told you beforehand, could you still act this naturally?"

I'm really angry!

Exactly, only real anger feels genuine." Yang Qing said solemnly: "I just want everyone to believe that Yang Qing is finished, collapsed! That way, those people will let down their guard.

Hearing that, Lin Dongfan rubbed his faintly aching temples: "So... what are you planning to do now?"

Keep pretending." Yang Qing said: "Pretend to be unconscious, pretend to be seriously injured. I've already arranged things with the doctor—medical records half true, half false. I'll pretend to have amnesia, pretend to have a mental breakdown. In short, I'll make it as miserable as possible.

How long do you have to pretend?

It depends on the situation." Yang Qing's gaze grew solemn: "The case I've been looking into involves a huge interest group; I can't go into the other details.