Chapter 435 The King and the Witch

"What, what is this?" The sheriff was dumbfounded.

“I didn’t reveal my identity at first because I wasn’t sure who the mastermind behind this case was. Now that we have this video, we can confirm that the perpetrator is the key suspect wanted by the military, and I am one of the main people in charge of this investigation!” Wen Ni spoke clearly and firmly. “This gentleman next to me is the young master from the Lu family in Beijing, assisting with the investigation. Now we need you to report to your superiors and help us prepare support!”

"Huh, huh?"

The sheriff's reaction time was a bit slow; before he could fully process what was happening, Wen Ni and Lu Jinye had already gotten into the car and headed towards Zhiyuan Commercial Concrete in the west of the city.

Xi Yun also opened a car door. "I'll follow at a distance from behind. I'll signal you immediately if anything happens!"

"good."

The cars drove away one by one.

The sheriff blinked and turned to look at Hua Zhuo. "They're from the Lu family. What about you? You look kind of familiar."

“Me?” Hua Zhuo raised an eyebrow. “The Hua family in the Beijing area.”

"The Hua...Hua family?"

The surname Hua is not common, but the fact that it is associated with the Beijing area means that the Hua family has connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles!

But this also made them feel uneasy.

This is truly eye-opening. The Hua family has always been known for acting first and reporting later, and for their private feuds with powerful figures. When did they actually get involved with the Lu family of the military? Their relationship is so close, and when trouble arises, they even... they've learned to call the police?

There are so many things they can't understand.

This Lunar New Year's Eve is destined to be anything but peaceful!

In the desolate western suburbs, there is Zhiyuan Commercial Concrete.

This place used to be run by Louis and his gang. After they were all arrested, everything in the concrete mixer was confiscated, the staff were dismissed, and the area gradually fell into disrepair!

The ground around the factory was overgrown with weeds, so Lu Jinye drove the car directly in.

The night was pitch black, and the dilapidated factory buildings and tall buildings, with their dark windows, all looked like eyes without pupils staring at them!

Only at the highest point on the rooftop was a faint beam of white light, presumably where the Godfather was located.

Wen Ni and Lu Jinye, one after the other, cautiously guarded against the darkness around them as they climbed the stairs step by step, and the light became more and more obvious!

A low, humming melody entered their ears.

A witch wandered into the castle by chance—she was more dangerous than a dagger.

"But she was extremely beautiful—the king, upon seeing her, couldn't take his eyes off her!"

"She was loved by the king~ She was loved by the king~"

Wen Ni had heard this song before.

This is an Italian nursery rhyme.

Iplis belonged to Italy, and that godfather was born in Italy; he was the illegitimate son of the previous godfather…

With a heavy heart, I stepped onto the top step.

The humming of the nursery rhyme suddenly disappeared!

Pushing open the rooftop door, what greeted Wen Ni's eyes was a man wearing a red bathrobe, holding a glass of blood-red wine. He had his back to them, gazing at the fireworks that had just risen into the sky in the distance.

To his left is a black leather sofa, the very one that appeared in the video!

To his right, a gear about half a person's height was fixed in place. A hemp rope was wrapped around the gear, and a person was hanging from the other end of the rope.

"Lu Jinbai!"

"Jin Bai!"

Lu Jinbai's hands were taut and bound by the hemp rope. His face was bruised and swollen, and he forced his eyes open, looking somewhat disoriented. His entire body was suspended in mid-air above the outer wall, and he would fall if he wasn't careful!

This abandoned factory building is ten stories high; if someone were to fall from it, they would surely be smashed to pieces.

"Oh~ my distinguished guests have arrived~" A familiar voice, gloomy and hoarse, "You've arrived faster than I expected! I had already planned how to kill this brat! First, I'd slice his entire body with a blade, then chop off his fingers and toes one by one, and finally cut this rope, letting him free fall, like a free bird..."

It really was him, Godfather Ipswich!

"You specifically called us here, not just to listen to your nonsense, right?" Wen Ni sneered, arms crossed, unusually calm, yet with a hint of sarcasm.

Hearing her speak, the godfather slowly turned around.

The red wine in the glass swirls.

As expected, he was still wearing a mask.

Those blue eyes stared at her, radiating coldness!

"Didn't you want my life?" Lu Jinye stepped forward, blocking Wen Ni's view and the man's piercing gaze. "Release Lu Jinbai."

"You're wrong. What I want is the lives of your entire family!" The Godfather's laughter was clearly manic and unrestrained. "Your grandfather and father destroyed my family with their own hands. Anyone connected to them must die! I won't spare a single person around you. I want you to suffer the same miserable end as me, watching your family perish and your soul die! Leaving only yourself, neither human nor ghost!"

As he spoke, he raised his wine glass to the bright moon in the sky.

"New Year's Eve, a night for family reunion, what a beautiful phrase. It's a pity that if your Lu family wants to reunite again, they can only go underground, otherwise they won't be able to gather everyone together..."

His arrogance made Lu Jinye so angry that his fingertips trembled.

Wen Ni reached out and grabbed his arm, stepping forward to face Godfather Iplis in his place, her voice icy: "The one who should go down and reunite is you!"

"You really are Lu Jinye's good lover." The Godfather's gaze locked onto her again. "You've helped him avoid danger countless times, repeatedly ruined my plans, and now you're risking everything to travel with him. A woman as smart and brave as you is rare in this world! The thought of you dying because of him fills me with regret! Why don't you consider coming with me?"

"Who do you think you are?" Wen Ni laughed instead of getting angry. "I'm willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with him because he deserves it. Even if one day I really die at your hands, I will never die for anyone else. I will only die for my beliefs, for those who sacrificed their lives!"

"Heroic spirits..." The Godfather sneered and shook his head. "Sending my entire family to the guillotine, forcing me to wander the streets at a young age, and subjecting me to so much inhuman torture... Is this what you call heroic spirits did?! A bunch of hypocritical and laughable bastards!"

Lu Jinye raised his head, his eyes dark. "Your father, the former godfather of a gang, committed countless evil deeds, including arson, murder, robbery, drug trafficking, and human smuggling. One by one, the number of innocent people he killed is incalculable! Your brother, sister, and even the entire family were all heinous criminals who deserved to die! As for what you experienced, we could not control or predict it."

“You were just an innocent child back then. You weren’t involved in the incident. It was a blessing from heaven that your bloodline was spared by your entire family. Yet you chose to follow the old path of your ancestors, committing all sorts of evil deeds, blinded by hatred! Foolish, utterly foolish!”

"Shut up!" Godfather Iplis's eyes were bloodshot as he pointed a finger at Lu Jinye. "No one can criticize me. Everything I've done is right! You ruined my life, and I'll ruin yours too!"

They exchanged heated words, going back and forth.

In reality, Lu Jinye was buying Wen Ni time, allowing her to step back and seize the opportunity to observe the situation at this moment!

The gear that controls the rope is not close to her; even if she ran over, it would be six or seven steps away.

The Godfather is alone now, but he definitely has other subordinates lurking in the shadows! If she makes any rash moves, she might harm Lu Jinbai, and it might even affect Lu Jinye!

“Now, I want you to watch with your own eyes how your brother dies a miserable death, and you will be powerless to do anything about it!” Father Iplis suddenly raised the scissors in his hand, aimed them at the rope, and grinned wickedly. “When the clock strikes midnight, my darlings, Happy New Year!”

"don't want!!"