Chapter Nine: Pursuit

"This Zhou Haoran is almost certainly Smoke’s supervisor, Manager Zhou!" Lin Lei licked his lips, feeling a peculiar sense of irony. Zhou Haoran had hired people to break his legs, intending to keep him bedridden for months. The purpose was obviously to prevent him from driving Qi Fangyan around these days—removing any obstacles in his way…

“I wasn’t wrong about him. Zhou Haoran is truly a piece of work…”

Still, Lin Lei found it odd.

Zhou Haoran’s reaction was far too extreme.

He shook his head.

Even after learning all this, Lin Lei’s anger was tempered by a faint sense of relief. If Zhou Haoran had been an upstanding man, Lin Lei would have hesitated to resort to underhanded means. But the man was involved with the Zilong gang and was willing to have his legs broken simply because he was in the way—such a moral flaw was simply too great to ignore.

Lin Lei pondered for a moment, then gave a cold smile as he pulled out his phone.

“Hello, Chen Ning? Come over for a moment, I’m at…”

…

Not ten minutes later, a stately off-road vehicle pulled up in front of Lin Lei.

Chen Ning’s SUV was a Trail Boss, the base model alone costing at least five or six hundred thousand. Though his salary and benefits as a reserve officer were far less than an investigator’s, it was still much better than the average civil servant’s.

“Investigator Lin.” Chen Ning stepped out, polite as ever. “What can I do for you?”

Lin Lei pointed at the three men before him. “These three tried to scam and extort me, then got violent. I thought they were sent by the ‘Blood Sakura Society’ for revenge, so I may have overreacted… Take them back to the Investigation Bureau and look into them thoroughly. Even if nothing turns up, keep them in for a few more days.”

“No problem.” Chen Ning nodded without hesitation.

Then Lin Lei glanced at the SUV behind Chen Ning, cleared his throat, and said, “Let me borrow your car for a couple of days. You can drive mine to the bureau, and I’ll return yours later…”

The hood of Lin Lei’s car was badly dented and bloodstained—not suitable for picking up Smoke.

Chen Ning was briefly surprised, then cheerfully agreed, “No problem.”

As the saying goes, you never lend your car—but that depends on who’s asking. Chen Ning wouldn’t dream of refusing Lin Lei.

…

In front of the office building.

Qi Fangyan waited downstairs, but Lin Lei, usually early, was nowhere in sight.

Just as she hesitated about calling him, a familiar voice spoke up behind her.

“Fangyan, why haven’t you left yet?”

With an air of practiced charm, Zhou Haoran walked out of the building, smiling as he greeted her.

Qi Fangyan nodded slightly and replied, “My brother still hasn’t arrived…”

Zhou Haoran furrowed his brow with concern. “You’d better call him, just in case something’s happened. The boy only just got his license—he might not be that steady behind the wheel.”

Qi Fangyan nodded and dialed Lin Lei’s number, but the call didn’t go through.

Zhou Haoran’s eyes flashed coldly.

Just then, a deep horn blared. A towering, fierce Trail Boss roared up and stopped right in front of the building.

With a thud, Lin Lei opened the door and hopped down from the high driver’s seat, waving his phone with a bright grin. “Here I am, Smoke—no need to call me anymore.”

Qi Fangyan stared in surprise at Lin Lei’s new ride. “What’s this?”

He smiled. “My car had a little accident… I borrowed this one from an elder.”

Qi Fangyan frowned. “That’s a nice car to borrow. Don’t break it.”

Lin Lei’s own SUV was just a budget model, barely a hundred thousand, but the Trail Boss was considered a luxury vehicle, starting at half a million.

He only smiled, then glanced past her at Zhou Haoran. “Well, if it isn’t Manager Zhou! Isn’t it funny how I always run into you when I come to pick up my sister?”

He strode over and extended his hand.

Zhou Haoran narrowed his eyes, still wearing a broad smile as he shook hands with Lin Lei. “Quite a coincidence…”

Their hands parted, and Lin Lei’s smile turned subtly enigmatic. “Until next time, then.”

Zhou Haoran nodded with a forced smile. “Fangyan, I’ll be off.”

He turned away, gritting his teeth as he left.

Lin Lei helped Qi Fangyan into the passenger seat, watching Zhou Haoran’s retreating figure with a cold, mocking smile.

…

Night.

Draped in a black jacket, Lin Lei slipped quietly out of his home.

With the Night Walker’s boon, he could move through the city almost unseen.

Half an hour later.

Standing in the shadows, Lin Lei watched a nearby love hotel, its garish neon lights flickering relentlessly. He’d come here to find Zhou Haoran.

During their handshake earlier, Lin Lei had left a Blood Mark on Zhou Haoran.

This mark, though made with his own blood, was in fact a supernatural effect, invisible and intangible—no amount of hand-washing could remove it.

“Out so late, not going home—Zhou Haoran must be up to no good,” Lin Lei sneered.

He raised his hand to his face, and in the blink of an eye, his body twisted and changed shape, transforming into a taller, thinner man.

His jacket, already a bit large, now fit perfectly.

After a quick adjustment to his voice, he strode toward the hotel.

Passing straight through the lobby toward the elevators, he drew no suspicion from the staff, who assumed he was a guest.

Inside the elevator, a young woman—likely a hotel attendant—stood beside him. She wasn’t especially pretty, but her smile was sweet.

“Which floor, sir?”

Lin Lei hesitated. “Fifteen… Sixteen? I can’t remember. Let’s check fifteen first.”

He could sense the Blood Mark’s location, estimating it was between those two floors.

The attendant promptly pressed the buttons for both the fifteenth and sixteenth floors.

The elevator rose swiftly. At the fifteenth floor, Lin Lei peeked out and shook his head. “Not this one.”

The young woman remarked, “Actually, every floor here is decorated exactly the same. You’d better check the rooms themselves…”

“No need, I’ll go to sixteen,” Lin Lei replied.

She nodded and said no more.

Stepping out on the sixteenth floor, Lin Lei walked briskly down the left corridor, not hesitating for an instant.

The hotel’s soundproofing was decent, but with his enhanced hearing, Lin Lei could still catch faint noises from the rooms on either side.

He soon stopped before a certain door—Zhou Haoran’s room.

From inside, all was quiet.

He knocked.

Knock, knock, knock.

After a long moment, an impatient voice sounded from within. “Who is it?”

Lin Lei deliberately altered his tone. “Mr. Zhou? This is the front desk. We have a question for you…”