BL Ch120

Luckily, the kick was cushioned by the door, and Lou Baoguo pulled back some force. Ji Lin survived, spared Bai Zhao’s fate of being half-paralyzed when mistaken for a traitor. Lou Baoguo and Zhou Yi, treating him like a revered statue, carried him to a cabin, fetching water and massaging him, hoping to atone.

Ji Lin took a while to recover, predictably pointing at Lou Baoguo’s nose, cursing until his anger boiled over.

Zhou Yi, sensing trouble, deftly changed the subject. “Captain Ji, weren’t you directing from shore? Why sneak aboard, hiding in a closet? Good thing we found you—what if someone else did?”

Ji Lin faltered, knowing he was in the wrong, his bluster fading. “Mu-ge was worried, so I came to protect Yu. I also want to catch the killer myself. Planned to tell you after we sailed, have Yu find me a better hideout, but you caught me so fast.”

Zhou Yi asked, “Does Chief Peng know?”

Ji Lin guiltily rubbed his nose, silent.

The steady ship began to vibrate, engines roaring, cabin windows showing the scenery sliding back, ripples spreading across the sea.

They’d set off on a perilous, uncertain journey.

“What? He’s on board?” Peng Deyu, in his office, roared. “He’s lost it! Call him back!”

Xu Sheng hesitated. “Yu Duqiu just texted—they’ve left shore. It’s fine, Chief. One more of ours on board adds security.”

Too late to recall the yacht, Peng Deyu leaned on his desk, sighing in frustration. “After all this, I thought that kid’s impulsiveness would’ve cooled. Nope. Fine, I’ll deal with him later. How’s Fei Zheng’s bank account? Payments to Hong Yuanhang?”

Xu Sheng nodded. “Money talks—Yu Duqiu bought the bank, and in under four days, the foreigners spilled everything. Fei Zheng sent Hong Yuanhang $300,000 last September, likely for the LSD behind that ‘painting.’ Another $100,000 in June, probably to hire a hit on Yu Duqiu.”

“That’s not pocket change for a secretary. Any trace of Du Shuyan funneling him money? Embezzlement?”

Xu Sheng frowned. “Here’s the weird part—Du Shuyan’s accounts are clean, or we’d have nabbed him already.”

Peng Deyu snorted. “What, this killer risked his life trafficking drugs, paid out of pocket? That charitable, he should be a saint!”

At “saint,” Xu Sheng recalled the intercepted Lamb of Atonement painting and Yu Duqiu’s reference.

“…Jesus, nailed to the cross, atoned for humanity’s sins, thus called the ‘Lamb of Atonement.’”

A mind crafting such bizarre art wasn’t normal—doing something unthinkable wasn’t out of the question.

“The Jiangxue apartment, checked?” Peng Deyu asked.

Xu Sheng snapped back. “Yeah, done. Previous owner’s local, in business, well-off, owns a downtown place. The Jiangxue unit was rented out—bad location, cheap rent, mostly to outsiders. Owner hoped it’d appreciate but sold when someone offered high. The buyer’s agent, Xu Ming, is a Du family employee. Bring him in?”

Peng Deyu pondered. “Yes, and grab Hong Yuanhang too. Evidence is solid—he can’t wiggle out, might rat on Du Shuyan to save himself. With the main suspects at sea, we won’t spook them.”

Xu Sheng nodded, texting. “I’ll contact the team tailing him.”

Peng Deyu blinked. “Tailing? Isn’t he at Palace No. 1?”

“Nope, left this morning after Yu Duqiu did, hit a nearby card room. Guess with grandpa gone, he’s free to indulge.”

“Free and straight to gambling—hopeless case, no wonder he’s crooked.” Peng Deyu sank into his chair. “Keep it quiet. Lure him out, cuff him somewhere private.”

Xu Sheng, already on it, said, “I’ve got guys calling him, saying they scratched his car, to discuss compensation.”

Peng Deyu nodded, flipping a file page, when Xu Sheng slammed the desk. “Damn! Our team searched—the card room boss says he went to the bathroom half an hour ago and never came back!”

Ji Lin’s stowaway news reached the upper deck. Yu Duqiu, with Bai Zhao, came down, told Lou Baoguo and Zhou Yi to watch upstairs, then circled Ji Lin’s bedside like a zookeeper eyeing a panda, asking out of nowhere, “Pillow hard enough? Comfy?”

Ji Lin, expecting mockery, was thrown by the concern, replying, puzzled, “Pretty hard… Why?”

“Good. Grab it, come to the safe room.” Yu Duqiu beckoned. “It’s for pirate attacks, lockable, hard to find, way better than your closet. Fully stocked—food and water’ll be sent. Heard you avoid peanuts and cilantro? No issue. Stay there a few days… maybe less. They might move fast.”

Ji Lin, unsure who’d told him, was at Yu’s mercy, clutching the pillow like a kid seeking parents after a nightmare, trailing through the corridor to a hidden cabin.

The wall-disguised door shut, lights on, revealed a maritime safe room, equipped for survival, full signal—perfect for commanding operations.

“You’re not even fazed I’m here?” Ji Lin asked, curious.

Yu Duqiu slung an arm around Bai Zhao, smirking. “I’m confident in my charm. Some follow me to the ends of the earth—what’s your stunt? Sorry, though, I’m taken. Book a slot for two lifetimes from now—first in line.”

Bai Zhao glanced over. “So next life’s mine too?”

“Owner’s talking, no interruptions.” Yu Duqiu covered his mouth, liking the feel, kneading it.

Ji Lin, the room’s lone third wheel, muttered, “Your face could make bulletproof vests—guaranteed results.”

Yu Duqiu grinned. “Little prude’s getting witty. I’d chat more, but we’ve gotta go, or they’ll suspect. Stay put, I’ll signal if anything happens. No food delivery… means we’re in trouble.”

Ji Lin nodded, back to business. “This room got SSAS?”

“Yup—captain’s cabin, flybridge, and here. Trigger it, and it alerts maritime rescue with our position.”

“Good. Stick to the continental shelf, not too far from shore, rescue’ll be quick. Xu’s coordinated with the coast guard—they’ll monitor your course. Should be foolproof.”

Before leaving, Yu Duqiu piped up, “Oh, Captain Ji, want a new code word?”

Ji Lin, who’d forgotten that fiasco, flushed with embarrassment, hurling the pillow. “Get lost! I don’t need it!”

Yu Duqiu shut the door, dodging the hit, leading Bai Zhao upstairs. “Now ‘Bishop’s’ here, we’re stacked. If I lose this game, I’m trash.”

The spiral staircase to the upper deck was narrow. Bai Zhao guarded behind, asking, “When’ll they strike?”

“Anytime. I’m more curious how—they’ve been pretty uninspired so far.” Yu Duqiu stepped into the main salon, 360-degree windows framing endless blue sea.

The yacht hadn’t gone far; Changhe’s kilometers-long coastline was still visible.

He pointed to a spot. “That high ground—where they dumped bodies. Zhu Zhenmin, Wu Min, Huang Hanxiang, all bloated beyond recognition. They nearly blew us to bits too. Can’t they leave a shred of dignity?”

“Dead’s dead. What dignity?” Bai Zhao said.

“Oh? Who said if he died ugly, don’t let me ID the body?”

Bai Zhao went quiet. “…You’re different.”

Yu Duqiu’s retort died.

Special treatment was his norm—everywhere, people fawned, flattery piling up, forging his calm, detached poise. Yet those four simple words shattered years of discipline, sending his heart soaring with the sea breeze to the heavens.

“Ahem, I’m renaming this yacht.” Yu Duqiu turned, hiding his obvious delight, taking Bai Zhao’s hand, climbing. “You pick. You know my naming sucks, unlike Grandpa’s.”

Bai Zhao’s fingers laced through his. “But your names mean something. Black Cat and Sheriff, partners through your darkest times; Themis, your quest for justice; Xiao Bai… your love.”

“Ha, slapping gold on your face again.”

“Am I wrong?”

Yu Duqiu smirked, dodging. “Naming’s for later, think on it. We’ve got bigger fish—time to end this.”

Meanwhile, at Xingjin Sub-Bureau.

The interrogation room’s harsh light cast heavy shadows, stretching Xu Sheng’s eye bags.

The man opposite, Xu Ming, glanced nervously, treading lightly. “Officer Xu, I swear I don’t know anything. Secretary Fei, new in town, couldn’t buy property yet, asked for my help. I’m just a helpful guy—friends in need, I step up. That’s not a crime, right?”

Xu Sheng, stewing over Hong Yuanhang’s escape, wasn’t in the mood. The card room’s tiny bathroom window let the scrawny Hong slip out; half the bureau was scouring CCTV, and now he faced this evasive guy, his face sour. “Xu Ming, think I’m an idiot? Helping a new coworker buy a house? Even brothers aren’t that ‘helpful.’ You a living Buddha?”

Xu Ming, utterly average—mid-tier job, years as a general manager’s assistant—would’ve flown under radar if Fei Zheng’s property deed didn’t bear his name.

Xu Sheng’s sharp gaze scanned him. “That watch, hundred grand, huh? You, a 7,000-a-month clerk, afford that? Your family’s not that rich, right?”

Xu Ming paled, visibly squirming.

Weak psyche.

Xu Sheng pounced, voice sharp. “Come clean. Know what Fei Zheng’s done? Kidnapping, drug trafficking, murder! That Jiangxue apartment you bought him—one of his lairs. Those designer clothes—bought with his dirty money? Still denying you’re an accomplice?”

Xu Ming’s eyes darted, lips trembling. “N-No! I-I admit, he gave me perks to help… He said the apartment had special meaning.”

“What meaning?”

“Not sure… Something about a past tenant, someone important to him…”

Xu Sheng messaged colleagues outside: [Ask 15th Building, Unit 302’s former owner who rented it.]

Xu Ming craned his neck. “Officer Xu… I confessed. Can I go?”

“No. You stay until we nab Fei Zheng, clear your involvement.”

Cowed by Xu Sheng’s earlier ferocity, Xu Ming didn’t argue, muttering, “Fine… Helping backfired. Who’d guess…”

Who’d guess.

A flicker of unease hit Xu Sheng. He squinted at the “innocent” man. “Xu Ming, I said your colleague’s into kidnapping, trafficking, murder—you weren’t shocked. When I called you in… did you already suspect he was trouble?”

Xu Ming froze.

The 20-square-meter safe room was a maritime luxury suite. Ji Lin, propped on the firm pillow, opened his laptop, reviewing lingering doubts for new leads.

When his head ached, he gazed out the porthole at the sea.

The departure dock had vanished, the ship an island adrift on boundless waves.

Sunny, calm seas—a perfect day for a family vacation.

Without these cases, Yu Duqiu would be yachting to Monaco, the Côte d’Azur, living a lavish life Ji Lin could never touch.

Two people from different worlds, now on the same boat—some kind of fate.

Maybe when it’s over, they could sit, share a drink. Was that Baccarat wine still around? But the code-word fiasco flashed back, and Ji Lin banished the thought.

Yu doesn’t deserve it!

His phone buzzed. Xu Sheng. Probably Peng Deyu’s orders to chew him out.

Bracing himself, Ji Lin answered. “Hello—”

“Fei Zheng and Du Shuyan killed Du Weiming together! We’ve got a witness!” Xu Sheng’s shout nearly deafened him, a bombshell. “Don’t wait! Close the net! These repeat offenders are too dangerous—I’m worried!”

At the same moment, in the captain’s cabin, a blinking dot appeared on the radar, like a pinpoint missile, barreling toward the yacht.