Chapter 43

The sanatorium, nestled in the far suburbs, was a tranquil, almost silent place. Its pristine white buildings, meticulously manicured gardens, and every sharp corner covered in soft materials. It was a place dedicated to treating patients from prominent families who were "unspeakable," maintaining strict confidentiality and at a staggeringly high cost.

In the largest suite, the lighting was muted. Qin Yu sat in an armchair by the window, dressed in an expensive silk hospital gown, his hair neatly combed. He looked clean, quiet, even handsome. However, his eyes, once so piercing and obsessive, filled with endless madness and possessiveness, now stared blankly at the swaying shadows of the trees outside the window, without a single focus.

A professional nurse had just carefully fed him his medicine, cleared the dishes, and quietly left.

He was the only one left in the room.

The sun is shining brightly outside the window, and a few birds are jumping and chirping on the branches.

Everything seemed so peaceful, so "normal".

Suddenly, the fingers on his knees twitched ever so slightly.

Then, slowly, extremely slowly, he lowered his head and looked at his empty palms.

He looked so intently and seriously, as if he was holding some unparalleled treasure.

After a while, he clasped his fingers together very carefully, as if afraid of breaking something, and then gently and tenderly placed the loose hand against his cheek.

He tilted his head, nestled in his empty palm, and a smile that was extremely gentle, yet creepily twisted, slowly appeared on his face.

"...A Jing..." He uttered two breaths, hoarse and broken, yet filled with a kind of morbid satisfaction and sweetness, "Are you cold? Don't be afraid... I'm here... I'll always be here..."

He maintained this posture, whispering into his empty palm, sometimes offering gentle comfort, sometimes chuckling softly, as if he was having an intimate conversation with an invisible person that no one could understand.

The scene was strangely beautiful and so warm that it sent chills down one's spine.

The real Gu Jing is already dead, turning into a handful of elusive ashes under the setting sun at sea, scattered in the wind.

The murderer who forced him to death, however, was in this absolutely safe cage, holding on to an illusory illusion, and completely mad in the eternal dream he had woven with paranoia and sin.

He could never find his Ajing again.

So, he had to create one himself.

A perfect "A Jing" who will never leave, never resist, and always belong to him alone.

Outside the door, a psychologist in a white coat observed the scene inside through the one-way glass, lowering his head and calmly writing on the clipboard:

The patient's delusional symptoms have intensified, leading to the construction of a complete imaginary partner. The object of emotional projection is the deceased Gu Jing. This is accompanied by significant emotional and behavioral dissociation... The prognosis is poor.

The tip of the pen slid across the paper, making a rustling sound, calmly pronouncing an ending more cruel than death.

The sunlight shines through the window, illuminating the tiny dust particles flying in the air, and also illuminating the happy but empty smile on Qin Yu's face.

He was finally together with his "A Jing" forever.

In a way that no one could separate them anymore.

Far across the ocean, the real Gu Jing was standing on the deck, facing the sea breeze and looking at the new and unknown horizon.

He may never know that the man who dragged him into hell and burned him together eventually drowned in the sweet and desperate madness he created.

The sea breeze is cold, carrying the fishy smell of freedom.

He finally left forever.

The freighter cut through the deep blue waters, its course still a mystery. Gu Jing stood at the edge of the deck, the salty sea breeze whipping his hair and collar, but it couldn't dispel the coldness and scrutiny frozen between his brows.

The brief respite Qin Xiao had brought was over. The Interpol interlude, Redmayne's undercurrent, the two ambiguous notes... all the clues were like tangled kite strings, impossible to untangle, yet vaguely pointing to something deeper and darker.

He was no longer the Gu Jing who needed to be tucked away under Qin Yu's wing, or used as a bargaining chip or bait by Qin Xiao. The fire that consumed everything also seared and tempered his past. What survived was a poisoned, sharpened weapon, silent, cold, and serving only a purpose.

739 approached silently, handed him a pair of military binoculars, and whispered, "That gray trawler at three o'clock on the starboard side has been following closely since yesterday evening."

Gu Jing raised his binoculars. The fishing boat in the lens was unremarkable, with a tangled mess of nets piled on the deck and several dark-skinned "fishermen" working away. Everything seemed flawless. But Gu Jing's gaze was fixed on the waterline—the depth was definitely not what a fully loaded fishing boat should be at.

"It's not an ordinary fishing boat." Gu Jing put down the telescope, his voice calm, "It's equipped with an oversized engine, and there's something hidden under the deck."

"Are you coming for us?" 739's expression turned stern.

"Go after the antibodies, or go after me, it makes no difference." Gu Jing said calmly, "Go tell Qin Xiao that his 'peaceful days' are over."

He turned, no longer looking at the ghostly pursuer, and walked towards the cabin. His steps were steady, and his back seemed extremely lonely against the vast sea and sky, yet with a kind of heart-pounding certainty.

He knew the wait was over.

The time to hunt, or be hunted, has arrived.

He no longer needed to wait for Qin Xiao's permission or arrangements. He needed to take the initiative to touch the core of the storm and pry the truth out of the mouth of the captured "venomous snake".

The door of the medical cabin was pushed open, and the strong smell of disinfectant was in the air. Hai Dongqing was lying on the bed. His injuries had healed a lot. Seeing Gu Jing come in, he struggled to sit up.

"Lie down." Gu Jing held him down, but his eyes were cast on another figure tied to a special medical chair in the corner of the room - Viper.

His face was pale, and his body bore the marks of interrogation, but his eyes were still like a rat in the gutter, flashing with malice and cunning. Seeing Gu Jing, he let out a low, hoarse laugh.

"Master Gu...is not dead yet? He's really lucky."

Gu Jing ignored his taunts, pulled over a chair, and sat across from him. The distance between them was extremely close, and Gu Jing's cold, emotionless gaze was like a substance, nailed to Viper's face.

"Who sent the ship?" Gu Jing went straight to the point.

The viper grinned. "You want to know? Beg me?"

Gu Jing didn't move at all, even his eyes didn't change, he just looked at him quietly.

After a few seconds, the smile on Viper's face froze. He felt an inexplicable chill that penetrated deep into his bones. The Gu Jing before him was completely different from the young master of the Gu family who could still be angry and desperate. This was not a human look at all, but a void, a darkness that could swallow everything.

"It's... it's the master's people..." Viper's Adam's apple rolled as he answered subconsciously, then he immediately became tough again, "Humph, you can't escape! The master is serious!"

"Who sent the second anonymous letter?" Gu Jing continued to ask, his voice as steady as a machine.

"I don't know! That's not your style at all!" Viper became excited. "He must be trying to stir up trouble! Maybe Qin Xiao is the one crying thief!"

"Where is Qin Zhengfeng's backup point in Redmayne?" Gu Jing asked questions one after another, leaving no time to breathe.

Viper's eyes flickered: "...I don't know what you're talking about."

Gu Jing leaned forward slightly, his voice lowered, yet it carried a weight of pressure: "Viper, you're a smart man. Qin Zhengfeng's defeat is evident, and Qin Xiao's ruthlessness is unpredictable. The 'sir' you were counting on is now in danger. Can you take his secrets to your grave?"

He paused, then said word by word, "Or, I'll use these secrets to buy your life."

The viper's pupils contracted violently. Gu Jing's words were like poisonous needles, piercing precisely where he feared most. Loyalty was vulnerable in the face of death and greater terror.

"I...I said...can you protect me from death?" His voice was dry.

"If you don't tell me, you'll die now." Gu Jing's voice was flat. "If you tell me, you'll have a chance to die later."

This is not a choice, this is a notice.

Viper struggled, sweat dripping from his forehead. Ultimately, fear of Qin Zhengfeng's methods overwhelmed everything else. He licked his cracked lips and said hoarsely, "...The backup point...is in the basement of the 'Old Lighthouse'...it requires a password and iris verification...It's, it's Zhou Liguang's..."

Gu Jing's eyes suddenly sharpened. Zhou Liguang, the current official leader of the Gu family, his "good uncle."

It is true.

Just when Viper was about to say something, the ship suddenly shook violently!

The shrill alarm sounded throughout the ship in an instant!

"Enemy attack! High-speed collision on the starboard side!" The sailor's hoarse roar came from the loudspeaker.

Almost at the same time, fierce gunfire rang out from the deck like popping beans!

739 rushed in suddenly: "Mr. Gu! That fishing boat is coming! Someone is forcing their way onto the boat!"

Gu Jing suddenly stood up and walked out without even looking at the pale-faced Viper.

"Hold this place." He ordered 739 and Haidongqing, his tone as cold as a knife. "Anyone who tries to touch him will be killed without mercy."

The deck was in chaos. The gray fishing boat was wedged firmly to the freighter's starboard side, the gangplank already deployed. A dozen men in black combat uniforms, armed with automatic weapons, were fearlessly forcing their way aboard! Qin Xiao's sailors and bodyguards, hunkered down in cover, fought back fiercely, bullets flying and sparks flying.

Qin Xiao himself was nowhere to be seen.

Without any hesitation, Gu Jing bent down to pick up the rifle beside a fallen sailor, checked the ammunition smoothly, loaded the rifle, and then blended into the shadows at the edge of the battlefield like a ghost.

He did not join the frontal battle, but moved quickly along the side of the ship, scanning the attackers who came aboard with sharp eyes. Their tactical movements were professional and cold, with a clear goal, heading straight for the cabin entrance - obviously heading for someone or something.

They were assassins sent by Qin Zhengfeng to silence the witnesses and steal the antibodies!

An attacker broke through the fire network and was about to rush into the hatch.

Gu Jing raised his hand and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

With a precise burst of gunfire, the attacker fell to the ground with a bloody hole on his forehead.

The gunshots startled the others, and immediately several tongues of fire swept towards the direction where he was hiding. Gu Jing had already nimbly rolled to avoid the bullets, which sent a string of sparks flying at his previous position.

He was like a cold shadow, moving across the chaotic battlefield. Every appearance was accompanied by a deadly gunshot, precisely whittling down the attackers. His ruthless shooting skills didn't resemble those of a pampered young master, but more like a ghost crawling out of a sea of ​​blood and corpses.

The battle descended into a stalemate. Although outnumbered, the attackers were extremely brave, even possessed of a frenzy determined to perish together.

At this moment, a figure appeared on the platform outside the cockpit high up in the freighter.

It’s Qin Xiao.

He had no weapon in his hand, but instead held the silver antibody box and waved it lazily at the battlefield below where fierce fighting was taking place.

"Hey! Do you want this?" he shouted loudly, his voice a little distorted by the sea breeze and gunshots.

Everyone's movements subconsciously paused.

Qin Xiao had that signature, infuriating, mocking smile on his face. "Tell Qin Zhengfeng, if he wants it, just come get it! Sending these scumbags here to die is so boring!"

After saying that, under the gazes of countless people, he did a move that made everyone dumbfounded - he suddenly raised his arm and threw the priceless antibody box that involved countless lives directly into the rough sea!

The silver box drew an arc in the air and was instantly swallowed by the dark blue sea!

"No!!!" One of the attackers roared in despair.

Even Gu Jing's pupils shrank slightly.

Qin Xiao...he actually...

Just when everyone was stunned by this crazy act——

"boom!!!"

The gray fishing boat stuck to the starboard side suddenly exploded violently! A fireball shot up into the sky, and the massive shock wave tilted the freighter violently, sending countless fragments flying!

The light of the explosion illuminated Qin Xiao's cold and smiling face, as well as Gu Jing's eyes that suddenly showed enlightenment.

The antibody kit is fake! It's just a decoy!

Qin Xiao had anticipated a strong attack. He took advantage of everyone's psychological state and turned the situation around in an instant with a crazy performance and a prepared bomb!

The remaining attackers were either swallowed up by the explosion, knocked into the sea, or quickly eliminated by the freighter sailors who took the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

The battle, in a way that was beyond everyone's expectations, suddenly came to an end.

Burning debris and corpses floated on the sea.

The freighter was filled with smoke and the smell of blood.

Qin Xiao walked down from the height, stepped over the mess on the deck, and came to Gu Jing with a playful smile on his face: "How is it? This scene is not bad, right?"

Gu Jing put down the gun, looked at him, and said coldly: "The antibodies are still in your hands."

"Of course." Qin Xiao patted his real pocket. "Real treasures, of course, must be hidden close to my body." He looked around the chaotic deck and smacked his lips. "It seems the old man is really angry. We can't stay here anymore."

He looked at Gu Jing, his eyes becoming more serious: "Did Viper spit out something?"

Gu Jing nodded: "Redmayne, Old Lighthouse, Basement. Zhou Liguang's authority."

Qin Xiao whistled. "Wow, I caught a big fish. This is going to be interesting." He stroked his chin, a calculating glint in his eyes. "Well, Master Gu, are you interested in coming with me to take down your uncle's lair?"

Gu Jing's gaze passed over him and looked towards the distant sea horizon, where the cold glow of the Gu Group Building and Zhou Liguang's hypocritical face seemed to emerge.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled up into an icy arc.

"Just what I want."

A new storm has begun, and this time, he will take the initiative to sail towards the eye of the storm.

Target - Gu family.