RLTT CH 26

Chapter 26: Trouble · Officer Yang · Zhongzai · Yoyo

In the following days, Wei Jiaxi did not take the initiative to contact Yun Shaofeng again—he had too many things to deal with.

The elders of Hongsheng immediately demanded an audit of the accounts. During Wei Jiayi’s tenure as the head, Hongsheng’s financial records were mostly managed by Li Anna. That woman was indeed capable, so the accounts weren’t too difficult to sort out. However, Wei Jiaxi had his own agenda. The messier Wei Jiayi’s finances appeared, the better his chances of gaining a good reputation after taking over. Therefore, he couldn’t just hand everything over to those old men right away.

But finding someone to handle the accounts wasn’t easy. It had to be someone not only sharp-minded but also trustworthy. Wei Jiaxi pondered for a long time before ultimately turning to Mo Chao. He had originally intended to go through the records himself, but other pressing matters required his personal attention.

The Anti-Triad Bureau had formally sent people to summon him. If he continued to avoid making an appearance, it would really be hard to explain himself. No matter what, Li Anna had died by his gun. Although A Division wouldn’t dare to act recklessly against him now, they still needed some form of accountability from him.

Wei Jiaxi gathered a large sum of money from Hongsheng, along with Li Anna’s personal assets and real estate holdings. Altogether, it amounted to at least nine figures. A Division had also made another demand, requesting that Wei Jiaxi step in to bail out a few subordinates who had been arrested by O Division, but he refused.

“I’ve handed in my gun now. What qualifications do I have to interfere in these matters?” Wei Jiaxi said with an innocent smile. “Just like how even with a room full of Justices of the Peace, knights, and CEOs who’ve shaken hands with the Queen, their words don’t carry as much weight as before, right?”

While he was busy handling issues at the higher levels, Wei Jiaxi was also constantly worried about matters at the lower levels.

He had taken over Hongsheng in a vacuum—although he had gained official recognition from the top and had the backing of some powerful figures, he knew nothing about the people below him. Other than Mo Chao, who was clearly an opportunist, he didn’t have a single loyal confidant.

Although Wei Jiayi wouldn’t be getting out anytime soon, his former subordinates might still hold different allegiances. Some might have already switched sides, adapting to the changing winds, but Wei Jiayi wasn’t completely clueless. If there were still those loyal to him, lurking in the shadows and waiting for an opportunity to strike back, Wei Jiaxi had to be prepared.

Somewhere deep inside, a voice kept warning him: he needed to deal with this issue as soon as possible. Otherwise, unexpected trouble could arise.

Meanwhile, Yun Shaofeng had reverted to his usual routine of speaking no more than five sentences a day.

Despite living under the same roof as Zhongzai, they rarely spoke to each other and barely interacted. The remaining officers from WPU (Witness Protection Unit) still maintained their professional demeanor, but considering how Yun Shaofeng had managed to sneak off multiple times before—displaying skills that even surprised them—they had become more cautious around him.

Now that Wei Jiaxi was no longer there to lighten the mood with his playful antics, the atmosphere was noticeably more tense. Yun Shaofeng himself was naturally quiet, and without Wei Jiaxi around, he spent most of his days staring at the same comic book, lost in thought.

But he wouldn’t get to enjoy his undisturbed solitude for long.

At the CBD ^[1]Police Headquarters, Yang Zhen and Shi Shi were helping Yun Shaofeng prepare for his final testimony.

“Wei Jiayi’s legal team is extremely cunning. In court, they will use every excuse to undermine your credibility,” Shi Shi, dressed in a formal suit, furrowed her brows in concern, though her expression remained confident. “They will attack your level of education, your English proficiency, your eyesight, even your financial background. You need to be mentally prepared.”

“Because you’re the only eyewitness at the scene, and the Canadian police still haven’t located the murder weapon, nor is the victim’s body within the jurisdiction of the Special Administrative Region, further forensic evidence cannot be collected,” Yang Zhen added, looking at Yun Shaofeng. “Right now, the alibi that Wei Jiayi’s team has presented is very weak. That makes your testimony the strongest—and the only decisive—piece of evidence.”

“Don’t worry, Officer Yang, Prosecutor Shi,” Yun Shaofeng remained calm as he nodded. “I understand. When I take the stand, I’ll tell the truth. I won’t leave any loopholes for them to exploit.”

“The court hearing schedule hasn’t been finalized yet, but it should be early next month,” Shi Shi said as she gathered the documents scattered on the table. “Before the trial, we’ll do one more rehearsal.”

“Alright, thank you both.” Yun Shaofeng smiled politely and walked out with them. However, he hesitated for a moment before asking, “Officer Yang, I wanted to ask… have you seen Officer Wei recently?”

Yang Zhen was momentarily stunned before answering, “I saw him once. Why? Hasn’t he contacted you lately?”

“He told me the police wouldn’t allow us to stay in touch, so lately, we haven’t…” Yun Shaofeng lowered his gaze slightly. “I just wanted to know how he’s been…”

Yang Zhen couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him, but he still reassured him, “He’s doing alright. Given the situation, keeping a low profile and not meeting up for now is probably for the best. But once the case is over, there shouldn’t be any issues. Don’t worry. On the contrary, you look a little out of sorts today. Have you been feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine. If you see him next time, could you…” Yun Shaofeng trailed off. What should he say? That he missed him terribly? That he would always support and stand by him? That he hoped they could face everything together? But Wei Jiaxi probably already knew all of that.

“…Never mind, there’s nothing to say.”

Yang Zhen simply patted his shoulder in encouragement.

Since Yang Zhen and Shi Shi still had work to do, they went back to their duties. Yun Shaofeng, accompanied by Zhongzai, left the police headquarters but didn’t get into the car.

“I want to buy some books. It’s not far. Let’s walk there,” Yun Shaofeng said. Zhongzai nodded, and the two of them walked one after the other.

After walking about two blocks, four or five people suddenly jumped out from an alley and surrounded them. Leading them was a girl with bright green hair.

Zhongzai reacted swiftly, immediately placing his hand on his holstered gun, about to call for backup. But Yun Shaofeng stared at the girl in a daze, momentarily mistaking her for Prosecutor Shi.

“Young Master Xi wants to see you,” she said bluntly.

Both Yun Shaofeng and Zhongzai were caught off guard. If it was Wei Jiaxi who wanted to see Yun Shaofeng… should they really stop him? Zhongzai hesitated, holding off on calling for reinforcements.

The girl, however, was getting impatient. She rolled her eyes, and in the next second, a wooden club struck Zhongzai hard on the back. He barely had time to draw his gun before collapsing to the ground, unconscious, the weapon still clutched in his hand.

Yun Shaofeng stood there, stunned, as the girl bent down, picked up the gun, and stuffed it into her pocket. She then glanced around. This place was still too exposed.

“Come with us,” she said viciously, staring at Yun Shaofeng.

Inside the Hongsheng Bar, Mo Chao finally woke up. He had stayed up late balancing accounts the night before and was now yawning as he stepped out of the private room.

Glancing toward the bar counter, he saw only a young man standing there. He had some impression of him—he was one of Yoyo’s little followers, though he couldn’t remember if his name was Peter or Ben.

Mo Chao took out his sunglasses and put them on as he walked over. “Make me a cup of coffee.”

“Brother Chao,” the young man greeted respectfully before turning around to prepare the coffee.

“Where’s Yoyo?” Mo Chao asked.

“I… I don’t know…” The young man’s voice lacked confidence.

“You don’t know?” Mo Chao checked his phone for the time. “At this hour, she rarely misses being here.”

“Brother Chao, I… I really don’t know…” The young man placed the coffee on the counter, his hands trembling so badly that the cup clinked against the saucer.

Mo Chao eyed him suspiciously and dialed Yoyo’s number, but as expected, there was no answer. He didn’t give up and, while keeping his gaze locked on the young man, pulled out another phone and made another call—still no response.

A sense of alarm immediately flared up in Mo Chao’s mind. Without hesitation, he shoved the cup of coffee off the counter, sending it crashing onto the floor. The porcelain shattered, and dark liquid spilled across the tiles.

“Where did she go?” Mo Chao demanded harshly.

The boy trembled all over in fear but still remained silent.

Mo Chao pulled a gun from his pocket, yanked the boy closer by his collar with one hand, and pressed the gun against his temple with the other. “Are you going to talk or not?”

Terrified, the boy squeezed his eyes shut and shouted loudly, “S-She said she was going to avenge Young Master Yi!”

Mo Chao cursed inwardly before casually shoving the boy aside. He then turned around and quickly made another call. “Young Master Xi, your boy’s in trouble.”

Yun Shaofeng was surrounded by the group as they walked into a dead-end alley. He had been keeping an eye on the green-haired girl leading them. She was visibly furious, glaring at him with hostility from time to time.

Yun Shaofeng found it strange—he had no recollection of her at all, nor did he know when he might have offended her. But upon hearing her mention Wei Jiaxi’s name, he knew he couldn’t act recklessly, especially since they were armed.

The group stopped deep in the alley. The girl signaled two of her lackeys with a glance, sending them to guard the entrance. Then, she pulled a gun from her pocket and handed it to the last boy standing beside her.

The boy’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at her, frozen for a long moment before stammering, “M-Me? You want me to do it?”

“Are you an idiot?!” Yoyo snapped. “If not you, then who? You think I should do it myself? Take it already!”

The boy hesitated, stomping his feet anxiously, but still didn’t dare to take the gun. “Yoyo-jie, you’re the one who said we’d avenge Young Master Yi… not me… So why do I have to be the one to do it?”

Yoyo grew even angrier at his words. She almost raised the gun at him as she yelled, “What the hell are you saying? Don’t you want to Young Master Yi? Weren’t you the one who swore up and down that Young Master Yi’s matters were yours too?”

But no matter how much she pushed, the boy refused to take the gun.

Listening to their conversation, Yun Shaofeng grew increasingly uneasy. A terrible premonition crept up his spine, the very air around him screaming danger. He began inching backward, hoping to slip away while they were distracted.

He had barely taken three or four steps when Yoyo noticed. She immediately raised her gun and aimed it directly at him, the situation teetering on the edge of chaos.

Her finger slowly pulled the trigger. The moment felt like slow motion, and Yun Shaofeng could almost see the tiny spark as the gunpowder ignited inside the barrel.

The cold gleam of metal flashed before his eyes. In a split second, he twisted his body and flung himself sideways against the wall, simultaneously pushing Yoyo’s arm aside.

“Bang—!”

The gunshot rang out.

The two lackeys guarding the alley entrance spun around just in time to see Yun Shaofeng seize Yoyo’s wrist, slamming her against the wall. He wrenched her arm down forcefully, and with a sharp cry, she dropped the gun.

The boy who had been standing beside Yoyo rushed forward, grabbing Yun Shaofeng around the waist and dragging him away from her. Freed from his grip, Yoyo retaliated immediately, landing a punch on Yun Shaofeng’s face.

Not one to back down, Yun Shaofeng fought back. He wrestled with the boy restraining him, forcing him against the opposite wall with his back. Using the momentum, he leaped into the air and kicked Yoyo away just as she lunged at him again.

By then, the two lackeys at the alley entrance had finally come to their senses and charged in. Yun Shaofeng was in the middle of flipping his last attacker over his shoulder when the newcomers joined the fray. He was immediately overwhelmed, knocked to the ground and bombarded with kicks and punches.

Gritting his teeth, he blindly grabbed one of them and pulled him down as well, then flipped over and landed a punch straight to his face, leaving him bloodied. But in the next moment, several brutal kicks landed on Yun Shaofeng’s back. The boy he had knocked down scrambled back up and delivered a vicious punch straight to his ribs.

These people weren’t holding back. They were aiming to cripple him.

Yun Shaofeng could endure physical pain, but the punch to his abdomen sent a strange, unfamiliar agony rippling through his body. It was a dull, dragging pain—almost like something inside him had been shattered.

His mind blanked out for a moment, then a chilling realization struck him.

This pain…

This deep, pulling ache…

It was terrifyingly familiar.

Yun Shaofeng let out a sharp scream, and memories buried in the darkest depths of his mind surged violently to the surface, warning him—no, screaming at him—this had to stop!

Instinctively, he curled into himself, arms wrapped protectively around his stomach, exposing his back and limbs to the relentless assault. He didn’t dare move.

Meanwhile, Yoyo, who had been kicked to the ground earlier, finally pushed herself up. Her furious gaze locked onto Yun Shaofeng as he lay beaten on the ground.

Slowly, she crawled toward the fallen gun, stretching her hand out.

Her fingertips were mere inches from the barrel.

Yun Shaofeng…

She had to kill him today.

“Stop!”

A gunshot rang out.

A bullet struck the narrow space between Yoyo’s fingers and the gun, sending sparks flying as it collided with the concrete. The scorching embers scattered onto her arm.

To be continued…