Chapter 46
The old lighthouse stood atop a desolate headland on the edge of Redmayne Harbor, long abandoned. Its mottled white tower was scuffed with the marks of wind and rain, and the rusted lookout atop it stood like a silent skull, gazing out at the dark sea. The only path leading to the lighthouse was overgrown with weeds, flanked by steep cliffs. Below, the waves crashed against the rocks, creating a dull rumble.
Qin Xiao made a gesture, and the four of them dispersed like ghosts, using rocks and weeds as cover to approach silently.
The stone annex at the base of the tower was low and dilapidated, with a heavy iron door with an early electronic lock as the only entrance. The surroundings were eerily silent, with only the sounds of wind and waves.
"It's too quiet." 739 lowered his voice and looked around cautiously. The expected tight security was not there.
Qin Xiao narrowed his eyes, staring at the door, a sneer curling up at the corner of his mouth: "Are you bluffing, or are you just trying to fall into a trap?" He glanced at Gu Jing, "Do you remember the password and iris that Viper mentioned?"
Gu Jing nodded. The information was etched into his mind like a brand.
"Take a gamble." Qin Xiao pulled out a palm-sized device from his tactical waist bag and connected it to the key pad of the door lock. The screen lit up, and numbers scrolled rapidly. "Give me thirty seconds to disrupt its alarm system. Then, Gu Jing, you go."
His fingers moved swiftly on the instrument while the other two men quickly placed several miniature vibration sensors and alarms around the area to prevent being surrounded from behind.
Time seemed to be stretched in the silence.
Suddenly, Qin Xiao's screen flashed green. "Alright! The alarm circuit is temporarily down. Now, enter the password and put your eyes back on that dead man!" he said rapidly.
Without hesitation, Gu Jing stepped forward and quickly entered the long string of characters he had extorted from Viper into the cipher pad. A green light flickered on. He then pulled out a carefully preserved eyeball from Viper's corpse (Qin Xiao hadn't forgotten to take this crucial "key" with him during the chaotic evacuation) and pointed it at the nearby iris scanner.
A faint red light swept across.
There was a brief silence, as if the air had frozen.
“Click.”
With a slight sound, the lock tongue inside the iron door popped open.
Qin Xiao immediately stepped forward and cautiously pushed the door open a crack. It was pitch black inside, and a mixture of stale dust and mold wafted out. He listened for a moment and gestured "safe" to the back.
Four people slipped in one after another, and the last one gently closed the door.
Inside the door was a narrow spiral stone staircase leading down, and the stale smell in the air became even stronger. A low-power emergency light, located far away on the wall, provided almost negligible illumination and cast even more distorted shadows.
Qin Xiao made a gesture, and two of his men stood in tacit understanding, one in front and one behind, guarding the upper and lower directions of the stairs. He, Gu Jing, and 739 continued to move forward cautiously.
At the end of the stairs is a heavy, old-looking metal explosion-proof door, which also has a complex electronic lock.
"Damn it, it's never going to end." Qin Xiao cursed under his breath and took out his decoder again.
Just then—
“Beep—beep—beep—”
Without warning, a sharp, rapid alarm rang out throughout the underground space! Red warning lights spun and flashed wildly overhead!
"Fuck! We've fallen for it! It's a trap!" Qin Xiao's face changed drastically. "There's a hidden independent alarm system!"
Almost at the same moment the alarm sounded!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Fierce gunfire erupted simultaneously from above and below the stairs they had just passed! Bullets slammed into the ancient stone walls, sending debris flying everywhere!
The two Qin Xiao men guarding above and below didn't even have time to fire back before they were instantly engulfed in the crossfire! Their screams were drowned out by the fierce exchange of gunfire!
"I'm being trapped!" Qin Xiao roared, slamming the decoder against the explosion-proof door. At the same time, he pulled off the last smoke grenade ring from his waist and threw it towards the top of the stairs! "Take cover!"
Thick smoke spread out instantly, temporarily blocking the shooting view from above.
But the bullets below still bit upwards like poisonous snakes!
Gu Jing and 739 reacted extremely quickly. They squatted down against the wall almost at the moment the gunshot sounded, and the weapons in their hands spewed flames towards the bottom of the stairs!
"Bang! Bang!"
Two precise bursts of fire were fired, followed by a muffled groan and the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground from below, and the firepower in one place was temporarily weakened.
But more bullets poured down from below, pinning them down in the small area around the staircase! The smoke above was also dissipating quickly, and the enemies above could rush down at any time!
Desperate situation!
Qin Xiao leaned against the cold stone wall, changing his magazine while grinning grimly, "That old bastard Zhou Liguang! He's so fucking cruel!"
Gu Jing's gaze was fixed on the immovable blast-proof door, so close at hand. Viper's intelligence only covered the entrance code and iris scans. What lay behind this door? A true backup point? Or another death trap?
The alarm was deafening, bullets whistled and collided in the narrow space, and the flying gravel hit my face painfully.
There is no way out.
Perhaps the only way to survive is to move forward and break into that unknown door!
Gu Jing suddenly looked at Qin Xiao with a determined look in his eyes: "Take a gamble! Open it!"
Qin Xiao instantly understood what he meant, his face showing a mixture of madness and fierceness: "Damn it! I'll go crazy with you!"
He no longer tried to interfere with the alarm system, but instead took out a small, chewing gum-like plastic explosive from his tactical bag, quickly stuck it to the lock core of the explosion-proof door, and inserted it!
"Get out of the way!" he yelled and pressed the □□!
"boom!!"
There was a dull explosion! A flash of fire, and a massive shockwave reverberated through the narrow space! The heavy blast-proof door was twisted and shattered inward, revealing a dark space behind.
Almost at the same time, hurried footsteps were heard from the top of the stairs. The smoke was about to clear, and the enemy was about to rush down! The remaining firepower below was even more fierce!
"Come in!" Gu Jing shouted and was the first to rush towards the door that was blown open!
739 followed without hesitation!
Qin Xiao cursed and fired wildly upwards and downwards to suppress the enemy, while backing away to catch up!
The three of them, like trapped beasts, suddenly rushed into the darkness behind the door!
"Bang!" Qin Xiao pushed the twisted door back hard, holding it tightly with his body! Bullets immediately rained down on the door, making a deafening crash, but they were unable to penetrate!
Safe for now...?
The three of them leaned against the door, breathing heavily, their adrenaline surging.
Gu Jing quickly looked around. This seemed to be a small, circular basement, probably the actual foundation of the lighthouse. The air was cold, thick with dust and the faint ozone smell unique to electronic equipment.
In the center, a sophisticated server cabinet stood, still in operation, its lights flashing in a variety of colors! Next to the cabinet was a console, its screen dimly lit, streaming encrypted data!
Viper wasn't completely lying! This really is a backup point!
But the next second, Gu Jing's heart sank suddenly.
Because there was a person sitting on the swivel chair right in front of the console.
The man had his back to them, seemingly concentrating on looking at the data on the screen, as if he was oblivious to their rude intrusion and the fierce gunfire outside the door.
He was wearing a well-tailored dark suit and his hair was meticulously combed.
As if hearing the noise of them coming in, the man's swivel chair slowly turned around.
He revealed a gentle face with gold-rimmed glasses, but now with a cold and weird smile.
Zhou Liguang.
He is here indeed.
But the look in his eyes when he looked at them did not show any surprise or panic. Instead, he looked like a hunter who had been waiting for a long time and finally saw his prey fall into the carefully laid net.
He gently pushed his glasses, and his gaze behind the lenses passed Qin Xiao and fell directly on Gu Jing. The smile at the corner of his mouth deepened, with a chilling mockery.
"Xiao Jing, you're finally here." His voice was gentle, but like a venomous snake spitting out its tongue, "Uncle has been waiting for you... for a long time."
Inside the explosion-proof door, the cold electronic equipment hummed, forming a strange and oppressive symphony with the violent banging of doors and sporadic gunshots outside.
Zhou Liguang's hypocritical smiling face looked particularly gloomy under the unpredictable light of the indicator light on the server cabinet.
Qin Xiao held on to the vibrating door panel and cursed loudly: "Zhou Liguang! My damn ancestors! If you have the guts, open the door and fight me with real weapons!" 739 raised his gun and aimed at Zhou Liguang, his finger on the trigger, trembling slightly, not because of fear, but because of the restraint under extreme tension.
Gu Jing stood there, motionless.
His gaze passed over Zhou Liguang, and even passed over the servers that might have stored evidence of Qin Zhengfeng's crimes and could drag the Gu family into an irretrievable situation, and fell on an extremely inconspicuous small object next to the console.
It was a metal cigarette case, carelessly thrown on the edge of the console. It was old, with frayed edges and a faint, deliberately erased emblem on it.
He recognized that cigarette box.
It's Qin Yu's.
It was one of Qin Yu's old belongings that he rarely parted with, and it was said to be the only relic left by his biological mother. He would occasionally take it out and caress it, and only when he was in a very bad or very good mood would he take out a specially made cigarette from it.
How did it end up here? In Zhou Liguang's hands? Discarded so casually?
In an instant, the deafening banging on the door, the alarm, Qin Xiao's curses... everything seemed to recede into the distance. Gu Jing's heart felt like it was being gripped by that invisible hand again. This time, it wasn't pure pain, but an extremely complex, overwhelming throbbing sensation.
Deep in the cold and silent despair, that absurd ember of another possibility seemed to be suddenly brightened by this sudden discovery, burning his soul so hard that it trembled.
Qin Yu...is he really gone completely?
If it had completely vanished, why would this old thing, which he cherished like his life, appear here? At this time, in this place?
Zhou Liguang noticed the sudden change in Gu Jing's expression, which he could barely conceal. The smile on his face became even more playful and malicious. He slowly reached out his hand and picked up the cigarette box with two fingers, as if picking up a bug.
"Oh? Are you interested in this?" He shook his cigarette case and said frivolously, "It's just garbage left by a dead man. It seems that my good nephew never let you figure out some things until he died."
Gu Jing's fingertips instantly turned cold, but his breath became hot. He forced himself to look away and refocus on Zhou Liguang's face. His voice was hoarse and cold: "What do you want to say?"
"What I want to say," Zhou Liguang leisurely tossed the cigarette box back onto the console with a soft click, "do you think Qin Yu kept you by his side just because of his perverted possessiveness? Or because he was madly in love with you?"
He sneered, full of sarcasm: "How naive and cute."
Gu Jing's heart suddenly sank.
"Of course, he has some ridiculous motives in protecting you." Zhou Liguang's voice slowly poured into Gu Jing's ears like venom, "But more importantly, you are the most crucial link in his plan, and also... the most perfect shield and bait."
"He knew the old man would eventually give up on him, and he also knew he had made too many enemies. He needed a card, one that was important enough to make him appear to be in a 'weak spot', to draw all the attacks, to make everyone underestimate his true back-up plan and... his ambitions."
"And you, my dear Xiaojing, you are the card he carefully selected." Zhou Liguang spread his hands, as if displaying a cruel work of art. "Your identity, your value, your twisted 'importance' to him... everything is just right."
"The madness and possessiveness he displayed was half real, and the other half... was just a show for everyone to see. Including you."
"He might have even anticipated that final explosion... He needed a grand, complete destruction to escape, or... to achieve some other goal. And you just happen to be the best witness and... catalyst for that destruction."
Every word Zhou Liguang spoke was like the sharpest ice pick, striking hard at the wound deep in Gu Jing's heart that had never truly healed and had never even been carefully examined.
Those doubts that were forcibly suppressed, the doubts that dared not be pondered... Those cold calculations that Qin Yu occasionally revealed, the complete opposite of crazy paranoia... The explosion that ultimately swallowed everything came too "just right"... And, this cigarette box that appeared here...
Once the seeds of doubt fall, they will grow wildly in the flesh and blood, bringing tearing pain.
Could it be… that everything was fake? That ultimate possession, that near-death struggle, those arms that subconsciously protected him in the nick of time… were all carefully choreographed performances?
Was he just... a pawn? A tool to confuse his enemies, and even himself?
The overwhelming sense of absurdity and the chill of being completely fooled instantly overwhelmed Gu Jing. His face turned frighteningly pale, and his body swayed imperceptibly. He had to reach out and hold onto the cold server cabinet to steady himself.
"Mr. Gu!" 739 whispered worriedly.
Qin Xiao also noticed that Gu Jing was not in a good state. He pushed against the door and yelled, "Zhou Liguang, fuck your mother! Stop the bullshit! Are you trying to sow discord?!"
Zhou Liguang simply watched Gu Jing's reaction with satisfaction, like an artist admiring his own masterpiece. "Whether this is an attempt to sow discord or not, you know it clearly, Gu Jing. Think carefully, can he really be so completely devoted to 'love'?"
He paused and added meaningfully, "Moreover, if he was really dead, how could this cigarette box... have come into my hands from the most secret private safe of my 'deceased' brother-in-law?"
The last sentence was like the final blow!
It smashed all of Gu Jing's defenses into pieces!
Qin Zhengfeng's personal safe?! Zhou Liguang's access to its contents meant he might have gained control over some of the power of the severely injured or... dying Qin Zhengfeng? Or was this all Qin Zhengfeng's doing? And what did the presence of Qin Yu's cigarette case mean? Could there be something deeper, something unknown, between Qin Yu and Qin Zhengfeng?
Countless clues, suspicions, and fragmented memories collided wildly in his mind, almost tearing his sanity apart!
Trust has long since collapsed, hatred was once vague, and now, even the complex and twisted connection that supported it seems to have become a huge joke and a scam.
"Ugh..." Gu Jing let out an uncontrollable, painful groan from his throat, suddenly bent down, and began to retch violently, his vision going black.
Not out of fear, but out of a deep, nauseating feeling of being completely hollowed out and betrayed.
Just then—
"Bang!!!"
The battered explosion-proof door was finally completely knocked open by someone outside using a heavy-duty battering ram!
The huge door panel collapsed inwards, and in the smoke and dust, several armed men in black rushed in with guns!
"Don't move!"
"Drop your weapons!"
Countless red dot laser sights instantly fell on Gu Jing, Qin Xiao and 739!
Zhou Liguang stood up with a smile, opening his arms as if welcoming a victorious host: "See, I told you, I'm waiting for you."
A desperate situation within a desperate situation.
However, a second before his consciousness was completely swallowed by darkness and chaos, Gu Jing's distracted gaze was fixed on the cold metal cigarette box left on the console.
Qin Yu...
Are you...dead?
If you weren't dead... what would you be to me?
If you die... what does it matter?!
The overwhelming hatred, doubt, and an intense resentment and agony that even he himself could not define, like the most violent tsunami, finally broke through all his cold disguises and rational defenses.
He lost the last bit of his strength and fell forward.
Before he fell into complete darkness, he seemed to smell the familiar, cold breath with the smell of blood and nicotine, which belonged only to that man.
Like a maggot in the tarsal bone.
Like a shadow.
Never let go.
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