Chapter 2589

The black market, due to the Griffin Gang's successive defeats, is even more chaotic than before.

Filled with a doomsday revelry-like restlessness and bloody scent, brawls, looting, betrayal…… here are as common as daily meals.

Life is so cheap it's not worth mentioning.

But everyone knows that only when the Griffin Gang, this colossus, collapses completely will this lawless land form an order that maintains a delicate balance with the outside world.

Jin Chen, familiar with the route, passed through several alleys reeking of poor-quality tobacco and alcohol, arriving at the important warehouse stronghold originally belonging to the Griffin Gang that A'er ruike had led a team to seize.

This place is now controlled by A'er ruike's people.

He avoided several areas where sporadic cleanup battles were still underway and went straight into the warehouse interior.

Here are stockpiled not a few supplies and documents gathered from various sweeps against the Griffin Gang.

Jin Chen again carefully examined the ledger recording recent black-market transactions of special items; soon his gaze fixed on a page, he carefully tore out the record, folded it neatly, and slipped it into his pocket.

Afterward, Jin Chen left the warehouse and headed toward A'er ruike's territory in the black market, that three-story stone building with tight security.

Outside the building, obviously many more sharp‑trained new faces had appeared, reinforcements sent by Prince Peige.

The Duke of Weilika in Lundun's main city suffered a political blow, was forced to cut his losses and survive, and abandoned the Griffin Gang as a pawn.

A'er ruike is only one step away from final victory.

The big‑bearded Luoke, who had dealt with Jin Chen a few times before, came out personally to greet him.

Now Luoke already knows Jin Chen and A'er ruike's relationship, and his attitude is much more respectful.

He led Jin Chen through the noisy hall; many men who had just finished a bitter fight, still bearing wounds and bloodstains, were excitedly drinking, boasting about their recent exploits, and celebrating this hard‑won victory.

A'er ruike was surrounded by a crowd, having just dealt with the last stubborn holdout; his eyes still showed lingering ferocity, and he held a cup of amber‑colored strong liquor.

Seeing Jin Chen enter, his nearby subordinates immediately let out teasing cheers and whistles, egging him on to push A'er ruike toward Jin Chen.

A'er ruike's green eyes lit up; he gladly walked toward Jin Chen, put his arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, and in front of everyone gave Jin Chen a kiss reeking of strong liquor and victory joy, a loud kiss.

"Dear," the kiss ended, A'er ruike's breath somewhat scorching, he pressed his lips to Jin Chen's, his voice low and pleased, "This place is too noisy; shall we go upstairs to the room?"

His fingertip lightly traced a suggestive line across Jin Chen's lower back.

Jin Chen responded to his kiss, nodding: "Good."

Amid the crowd's louder cheers, A'er ruike put his arm around Jin Chen and hurried up the stairs to the second floor.

——

Arriving at A'er ruike's usual resting room, weapons and maps hung on the walls.

Upon entering, A'er ruike backhanded the bolt shut, turned and pressed Jin Chen against the door; his green eyes brimmed with love and surging desire, gazing intently at Jin Chen.

"The bite marks on your neck have disappeared."

He muttered lowly, tipped his head back and swallowed a mouthful of the remaining strong liquor in the cup, then eagerly pressed his lips to Jin Chen's again, passing the fiery liquid over.

Jin Chen's tongue tip obediently slipped in, easily pried open his teeth, and licked, sharing the intense, scorching liquid.

The liquor's spiciness and unique richness quickly spread between their tightly intertwined lips and teeth; the liquor they couldn't swallow in time overflowed from the corners of their pressed, rubbing lips, winding downward.

Jin Chen gripped the back of A Er Rui Ke's head, deepening the kiss.

The liquor, repeatedly shared, became ever longer and sweeter.

The room also filled with a sweet, sensual atmosphere.

A Er Rui Ke, somewhat aroused by the kiss, breathed quickly, and impatiently unfastened the top few buttons of his shirt, revealing powerful shoulder and back lines that blended an aggressive and ambiguous allure, both dangerous and captivating.

When that lingering liquor was finally finished, Jin Chen gently pressed down on A Er Rui Ke's hand as he tried to pick up the bottle.

Jin Chen slightly withdrew, and placed a soft kiss on the glistening, lustrous corner of A Er Rui Ke's lips.

"Dear, I've found the killer."

A Er Rui Ke raised an eyebrow; a fleeting, hard‑to‑catch emotion flashed in his green eyes, but was quickly overtaken by stronger interest and amused amusement, his tone sounding relaxed and casual.

"Oh? How do you plan to deal with this killer?"

Jin Chen lowered his gaze, deeply staring into A Er Rui Ke's green eyes that held a complex smile.

He pinched A Er Rui Ke's chin, saying, "I want to ask this killer first why he's been playing me for so long."

"A Er Rui Ke·Ke Luo Fu Te Mr."

A Er Rui Ke's careless smile on his face remained unchanged, the curve of his upturned lips deepening further.

He raised his hand, fingertips slowly gliding over Jin Chen's cheek, the motion full of tenderness.

"My dear Xi Li Er, accusing a gentleman of being the killer requires solid evidence."

"Don't you remember I taught you that?"

Jin Chen twitched the corner of his mouth, not surprised by his reaction.

His fingertip lightly pressed against A Er Rui Ke's glossy, lustrous lips, saying, "It's me who from the very beginning never truly doubted you."

"To the point of overlooking it……Even on the first day of the case, when we first entered the Wen Sen Te Study, you had practically told me the truth."

At the Ao Er Jia Zhuang Yuan, when Yue Han asked that question about pursuing the true culprit, Jin Chen suddenly recalled why he wanted to find the true culprit.

It was to break the original plot's fate and protect A Er Rui Ke.

One of Jin Chen's earlier suspicions about Qiao Shu Ya's motive was that if the protagonist wasn't the killer, how could the detective A Er Rui Ke become the villain.

But later the clues were too messy and chaotic, and Jin Chen unknowingly overlooked this; now that Qiao Shu Ya has been proven not the killer, the only reason that could make A Er Rui Ke the villain is……

He killed Wen Sen Te, the other protagonist.

Leaving the original plot aside, based solely on the existing clues and reasoning, he pieced together all the fragments and only then realized that A Er Rui Ke had never deliberately concealed anything from him.

His almost frank, even guiding attitude, instead became the best cover.

In Wen Sen Te's Study, A Er Rui Ke sighed, "I've been here before."

Afterward, in every interrogation and investigation of each suspect, A Er Rui Ke expressed appreciation and encouragement for his reasoning and discoveries.

That's because the suspicions and directional evidence of Qiao Shu Ya, Zhu Li An, E Li Nuo, and others were likely part of a trap A Er Rui Ke had set in advance, meant to guide the "newly arrived" detective step by step toward the predetermined conclusion.

And what truly allowed Jin Chen to finally confirm it was his recollection of that night.

After secretly aiding Alerik in the black market alley, he hid in the darkness and once vaguely heard that cold judgment Alerik uttered when disposing of traitors.

——"Betray me, and your end will be miserable, whether you were once my close friend or a capable subordinate—it's all the same."

Once-close friend……Wensente·Aorge.

Thinking of this, Jin Chen immediately returned to the Griffon Gang's warehouse and re-examined the transaction records.

At this moment, he took out from his pocket the half-page he had just torn off, the ledger page recording the Scarlet Gentleman's purchase of a special poison in March, and calmly handed it to Alerik.

"In March, just under a month before the incident, you had already purchased that special black orchid poison under the identity of the Scarlet Gentleman." Jin Chen's voice revealed little emotion.

Alerik didn't even lower his head to look at that sheet of paper.

The corner of his mouth curled in a half-smile, his eyes deep with a complex, indiscernible emotion, his gaze locked firmly on Jin Chen's face.

The evidence on that paper paled in comparison to the reaction of the person before him.

"Congratulations, my dear Detective Xilier,"

Alerik finally spoke up, admitting it straightforwardly, even with a sense of relief.

"You guessed right."