Chapter 129 The Devil Among Us
Every school has a common legend—the history of the school being built on a grave.
The metallurgical college, with its 70-year history, not only has this legend, but the legend continues.
The abandoned metallurgical college on the outskirts of the city had somehow become a major burial ground. The police officers on lookout duty from the water tower could see hundreds of people partying and making merry on the playground where tombstones were erected. Some of them were even headbanging wildly to foreign rock music, the ground beneath their feet soft and muddy.
As Shen Zhenzhu lay in the glass coffin, the bumpy road made her wonder if the vultures had done it on purpose.
Zhang Jie, who was next to her, had it even worse. As a "casual corpse," she lay at the bottom of the carriage, grimacing in pain.
They had entered the sphere of influence of the carnival. As night fell, people occasionally wandered aimlessly on the streets. They were likely all security personnel under the mixed-race group.
"Open the door." The Iveco drove up to the entrance of the Metallurgical University. The vulture-hat was pulled low, and he said to the armed guards, "Delivery vehicle 2520."
The gatekeeper glanced through the window and asked, "'Michael of the East'?"
The brown bear wanted to scold him for being so long-winded, but if he opened his mouth now, his leaky teeth would be exposed.
"Who else could it be but her? Has your boss prepared the million dollars?"
"You're really lucky, but you'll have to ask the boss about the money. He won't let us know where such a large sum of money went."
The goalkeeper slung his old-fashioned rifle over his back, ran to the front of the Iveco, and together with the others, opened the iron gate.
"Hey, why is there another car behind us? Do you recognize it?" the gatekeeper asked Vulture.
Vulture saw two taxis in the rearview mirror and said to him, "Old Crocodile is in that car. The collector is coming. Don't ruin the boss's business."
He had originally intended to take the opportunity to ask for a tip, but the gatekeeper immediately fell silent. The taxi was completely enclosed, but through the gaps, he could see half of the "purchasing agent" Old Crocodile's face.
"You two, like the other cars, park in the north one. Don't park in the open space in the middle; that's the performance area, and it's about to start." The gatekeeper believed Vulture's words and let the two taxis behind him in as well.
"Close the window," Chen Zhenzhu said.
The vulture hesitated for a moment.
The small silver knife in Shen Zhenzhu's hand was pressed against the center of his spine: "Want to be dismantled?"
The vulture immediately rolled up the window.
The expressionless brown bear leaned against the window, watching Chen Zhenzhu return to the glass coffin, and let out a heavy sigh.
If he hadn't come, he'd probably be deep in the forest right now, drinking vodka and roasting bear meat. In Siberia, the restrictions aren't nearly as strict as here; if someone dies unexpectedly, everyone will consider it perfectly normal.
But the police here value the lives of ordinary people more than their own.
Brown Bear's rusty brain couldn't think too much. He thought about how he had been beaten half to death by Chen Zhenzhu. Even if his body wasn't broken, it was at least cracked. But the police insisted that he bring them in before taking them to the hospital.
Both the brown bear and the vulture desperately needed to get to the hospital, but the police told them that Scarface had been abducted from the hospital and asked if they would be the next to disappear.
They refused; they would rather be shot than become the next Scarface.
This made them realize that their only way out was to cooperate with the police. Otherwise, according to the rule of eliminating all mixed-race individuals, they would likely meet a terrible end.
The Iveco van slowly drove towards the parking lot. Zhang Jie, who was lying on the ground, sat up and looked out the window: "Look."
Shen Zhenzhu also sat up and looked over, and was truly astonished.
Hundreds of people were partying and having fun on the playground, which was full of tombstones, and dancing on other people's graves.
Within sight, there is a messy and crowded market, with colorful lights, floral fabrics, and the sound of Hong Kong and Taiwan pop music, making the market look no different from an ordinary market.
But if you focus on the products being sold, you might think differently. Because you can distinguish which body parts those products are made from.
The party was heating up when New Crow walked onto the center stage with a microphone. His appearance made the atmosphere even more heated.
Armed men were constantly patrolling the area.
Where are the victims being hidden?
Will it be dismembered beforehand?
Shen Zhenzhu felt her hand being gently held, her icy fingertips being warmed.
Seeing Zhang Jie's determined expression, she calmed herself down, squeezed Zhang Jie's hand, and said in a mature tone, "You must protect your own safety and not get hurt."
"Okay, Section Chief Shen, I'll keep that in mind at all times." Zhang Jie smiled.
After the Iveco van stopped, Chen Zhenzhu and Zhang Jie lay down together, and everything proceeded according to plan.
Vulture and Brown Bear became one of the inside agents, pushing carts to take Shen Zhenzhu and Zhang Jie to the warehouse.
"'Oriental Michael' is to be taken to the back of the exhibition hall and awaits arrival." An armed man approached, gesturing with his gun and saying, "Come with me. Is that the 'fresh stock'?"
The vulture pointed to the "one thousand Vietnamese dong" and said, "It's fresh, I picked it up on the way. Along with 'Michael of the East'?"
Shen Zhenzhu listened attentively to their conversation, carefully analyzing the useful information.
The armed man beckoned to another person: "Take them to the new warehouse. There are two 'fresh goods' over there who want to commit suicide. Take this one over for backup. Wait for number 13, 'Judas,' to go up in order before assigning her a number."
"OK."
Under his arrangement, Shen Zhenzhu and Zhang Jie were sent to different places.
After they left, Gu Yanzheng, adorned with gold and silver, got out of the taxi. He had a short stubble and a large red birthmark on one side of his face, giving him an air of eccentricity. He wore a long, custom-made Burberry trench coat and red-soled leather shoes, exuding a flamboyant style, and was followed by two menacing-looking bodyguards.
Armed patrolmen walked past them, glanced at them, and then left.
Not to mention him, even the boss probably wouldn't dare to mess with someone like that.
Gu Yanzheng was constantly twirling two health-preserving balls in his large palm. Passersby noticed that they were two exquisitely crafted balls. The layers of balls were carved with intricate patterns, and the inner and outer balls rotated in different directions as he moved his palm, a truly masterful feat.
No wonder he's a collector.
"Is this carved from human bone or ivory?" a puzzle enthusiast asked curiously.
Gu Yanzheng glanced at him disdainfully: "Stop talking nonsense."
The puzzle player was intimidated by the aura of the great collector and said awkwardly, "That's true, how could you possibly play with ivory?"
Under the angry glares of bodyguards Lu Ye and Chen Junsheng, the puzzle player, who wanted to take another look, quickly moved to the side.
Lu Ye glanced back at the distance, where a faint light flickered twice in the school staff dormitory.
"Everyone, get to your positions," Lu Ye said.
Gu Yanzheng grunted in agreement, as if he were truly there to join a carnival party, and strolled around the market.
Finding a "goods" they liked, they happily exchanged gold for cash, and news of the "collector's" presence at the market spread almost instantly. Before long, Gu Yanzheng had acquired several items from domestic market vendors. These would become evidence in their conviction.
Shen Zhenzhu lay sprawled in the exhibition hall, and someone came over to offer to put a mask on her. The brown bear glanced at Shen Zhenzhu, who was pretending to be unconscious, and felt a throbbing pain in his ribs.
He gritted his teeth and said, "No need to put a mask on her. It's already a miracle that she survived after I attacked her. Do you think she can escape?"
"Hmm... alright then." The other party really didn't dare to deal with a brown bear; you never know when its fist might fall.
"Don't worry, I'll stay here." The brown bear said, trying to keep his lips pursed. "Where's the hybrid? I need to collect my money."
The other person said, "I'll go get him right away."
With a brown bear acting as guarantor, the other party left quickly.
Behind the exhibition hall was a huge glass panel facing the central stage. After the opening act by the new Raven, the voice of the mixed-race performer could be heard from the stage. However, the mixed-race performer did not appear. Faced with the urging of the enthusiastic fans, he finally brought "Judas No. 13" onto the stage.
"Freshly split, a delicious appetizer for our dear friends." The new crow's voice clearly echoed in every corner of the venue, including Shen Zhenzhu and the brown bear.
A new split? The one that just died?
Shen Zhenzhu squinted, trying hard to peek.
The brown bear beside her was shocked and covered his mouth with his hand to prevent the patrolling people outside from seeing him speak: "It's Scar! 'Judas Number 13' is actually Scar! The hybrid dismembered Scar!"
What? !
Through her slits, Chen Zhenzhu saw Scarface's body hanging in pieces on the stage, like a butcher selling large pieces of meat and bones.
The jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts in the audience, attracted by the low price and upon learning that he was the "Butcher" who had spilled blood on many people, eagerly bid for the pieces, with his sturdy and strong bones being particularly popular.
The scene was absurd and terrifying, as if it were not in the human world, but in hell. And the demons bidding were no longer human, but devils in human skin.
"Judas, the traitor..." Shen Zhenzhu thought of Scar revealing the details of the carnival party. How did the half-blood find out?!
Could it be that one of the police officers present at the time was his mole?
impossible.
Shen Zhenzhu's mind raced. She thought of Gu Yanzheng and many trustworthy comrades who were next to Scarface that day, and she couldn't believe that they had betrayed everyone.
Moreover, if there were an undercover police officer, the mixed-race person would definitely move the party venue again and would never proceed according to the original plan.
If they are not medical staff, then they are patients.
Shen Zhenzhu had a sudden realization, remembering the woman who had been taken to the hospital for treatment with her. She had been forced and humiliated by Scarface, and it was she who had pushed Scarface down. Could she be the one who betrayed Scarface?
The brown bear warned, "Close your eyes, someone's coming."
Shen Zhenzhu quickly pretended to be unconscious.
The people loitering outside the glass were a few who had heard of the famous "Michael of the East." They wandered around the window for a moment, but because the brown bear was present, they only glanced at it briefly before leaving.
Shen Zhenzhu was still wearing her olive green police uniform, with bloodstains on her body that had turned brownish-red, and she looked like she was on the verge of death.
Two more people came over and started fiddling with the equipment.
The brown bear, not daring to let them lay a hand on Shen Zhenzhu, stood aside and roared, "If the mixed-race doesn't give me money, none of you are going to touch her! Money, give me the money!"
"Hey, keep your voice down." After the two people left, Chen Zhenzhu lowered her voice and said, "You'd better ask where the other victims are. Once the mixed-blood comes and catches him, you need to control the situation as quickly as possible."
"That's your police's business, what does it have to do with me?" Brown Bear said with a lisp, "Anyway, you said that bringing you in would be considered as redemption."
......
Scarface's head stared in disbelief as his body parts and leg bones disappeared from sight, going into the hands of different puzzle pieces.
Some jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts couldn't wait to sit down and work on their puzzles, hoping to resell them at the party and make a quick buck.
Scar's head was taken off by the young butcher he had personally trained, who unceremoniously threw it into a bucket for a pre-skinning wash.
Unfortunately, a scarred face like that wouldn't fetch a good price. The skull, however, is large and sturdy, and combined with the "Judas" identity, it does offer some appeal.
Shen Zhenzhu lay there waiting for a long time until the brown bear's pager beeped. Shen Zhenzhu knew she couldn't wait any longer and had to take action.
"Lot number 12, the cursed white swan Odette!"
"Lot number 13, the Demon King's daughter, the Black Swan Odile—!!"
The revelry on stage gradually intensified. The enormous sound system and the inflammatory hosting by the new raptor plunged everyone into a chaotic and frenzied auction, as if they didn't care whether the world would end tomorrow.
Under the cover of the brown bear, Shen Zhenzhu climbed out of the glass coffin. She tiptoed against the wall, gazing at the distant lights and signals.
One flash, two flashes, three flashes and a sway!
Shen Zhenzhu said with a smug look, "Zhang Jie has found a victim!!"
Several gunshots rang out, but they did not wake the people who were dancing on the grave.
Only four or five collectors hiding in the distance sensed something was wrong and wanted to leave under the cover of bodyguards. Unexpectedly, the unruly collector sitting next door fired a shot at the ceiling, wiping out all the collectors in the "VIP room".
"Everyone else, go out and provide fire support immediately!" Gu Yanzheng, as the commander-in-chief of "Operation Sharp Sword," decisively issued the order.
Under his command, hundreds of public security officers and armed police surrounded the entire metallurgical university and broke through all the passages with armed force!
Shen Zhenzhu followed the brown bear into the mixed-race office, only to find that no one was there.
"Where is the hybrid?" The brown bear grabbed the man by the neck as he tried to escape, lifting him up and demanding, "Where is he?!"
There were no mixed-race people in the office, and there wasn't even the promised $1 million.
The brown bear finally realized that the hybrids might be using the three of them, and might auction them all off together once they got here!
This will save him $1 million and allow the mixed-race individual to use the title of "Oriental Michael" to open the door to the "Eternal Association"!
"Damn it, I'm going to kill him!" The brown bear's eyes were bloodshot as he overturned the mixed-race's desk and frantically pounded on the wall.
Shen Zhenzhu observed from the side, just in case he accidentally dug out the secret passage or the hidden room.
Unfortunately, there was no "what if." Gu Yanzheng's voice came through Shen Zhenzhu's walkie-talkie: "I didn't find any mixed-race people here."
"I didn't notice either; the mixed-race girl ran away," Shen Zhenzhu said regretfully.
The brown bear roared, "He's crippled, where can he run to!"
The man he had tossed aside said with difficulty, "He wasn't even here to begin with. What was played on stage just now was his recording!"
"He threw a wild party and he's not here?" Shen Zhenzhu asked suspiciously. "Tell me the truth, where did he go?"
There seemed to be a gunfight on Gu Yanzheng's end of the walkie-talkie. He spoke after half a minute: "The suspect I arrested didn't mention the recording. He said he had just left here."
Shen Zhenzhu understood; the mixed-race people were just spreading misinformation everywhere.
"Maybe it's still here."
"It should still be there."
Shen Zhenzhu and Gu Yanzheng spoke in quick succession, paused for two seconds, and then both chuckled. Their tacit understanding during the investigation was beyond question.
Brown Bear was still asking a million questions when Chen Zhenzhu pulled out handcuffs from her waist, handcuffed him, pointed the gun at Brown Bear, and made him run towards the police van that was taking people away: "Be good, or I'll beat you up during the party."
Brown bear: "...Damn it."
It was so shameful that it couldn't be more shameful.
The brown bear... ran away after all.
He and Vulture got into the same van one after the other, pretending not to know each other.
Every day, I'm utterly humiliated.
Shen Zhenzhu quickly met up with Gu Yanzheng. At this moment, the puzzle players, who were trapped on the playground, were handcuffed together. The frenzied look on their faces had not yet faded, but was now covered by panic and tension.
“They still have the nerve to be afraid? Look at the rubbish they’re selling.” Lu Ye, wearing gloves, was checking the goods at the market. He handed a leg bone scepter to Chen Zhenzhu and Gu Yanzheng, with a small skull on top: “It’s probably a child. These beasts.”
Gunshots could be heard intermittently in the distance as people attempted to capture the suspects. A few of the armed men who had fled alone put up a stubborn resistance, but the gunshots soon ceased.
Operation "Sword" swiftly dismantled this hellish carnival, and within just three hours, almost everyone involved was captured.
The scene was chaotic, filled with screams, running, gunfire, and the effects of drugs. Amidst the chaos, Gu Yanzheng skillfully directed his officers to make the arrest.
Those who buy and sell human bodies have been arrested one after another, and a large number of human body products have been seized.
Shen Zhenzhu went to the police car and took a sip of water. In front of her was the new crow she had captured. She was still searching for a hybrid.
"I...I really don't know where the boss went."
Shen Zhenzhu bluntly exposed his lie: "You've been lying from the moment we met until now. Your expression tells me that you know where he is."
New Crow, clutching his gunshot wound, looked around at the endless stream of party participants being loaded onto the trucks. A wave of sorrow washed over him: "What can I do even if I know? I can't say anything! Scarface was killed by the boss to show us. I don't want to be the next Scarface! Do you know how loudly he cried? Do you know how he begged for mercy?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "The police will protect your personal safety."
Xin Jiaoya was a young man in his early twenties who, if he took off his black robe, would look no different from a college student walking down the street. But because he participated in the "carnival party" and helped organize it, he had no future.
“No, you don’t know his methods. I’d rather be shot than fall into his hands.” Xin Jiaoya covered his face in despair and burst into tears: “I just wanted to earn some tuition fees. I never thought they would make me do this.”
"Stop putting on airs. If you weren't after your own kind and selling your own kind here to make a fortune, you would have called the police long ago." Lu Ye nodded to Chen Zhenzhu as he escorted the escaped criminals he had caught.
"If he won't talk, fine. I'll search again." Chen Zhenzhu checked the magazine and replenished the bullets. After snapping the magazine shut, she first escorted Xin Jiaoya into the police car, and then called two armed police officers to come with her.
Xiao Bai was still busy registering victim information with Zhang Jie when someone went crazy and tried to bite her wrist. Xiao Bai almost had her nose bitten.
Just when we finally got them under control, another girl came along, acting crazy and banging her head on people everywhere.
“I’ve counted them. Apart from Scarface, all 12 victims are here.” Xiaobai sighed as she looked at the two ballet dancers who had been drugged. She no longer had the strength to curse the mixed-race group.
Zhang Jie patted her on the shoulder: "You've worked hard."
......
Shen Zhenzhu searched the metallurgical university and, although she didn't find any mixed-race individuals, she did manage to pull back a bunch of chilling items from the abandoned sports warehouse—a set of tools for making human skin and bones.
"They even printed instruction manuals, practically teaching people how to make human body products step by step." Chen Zhenzhu said angrily, looking at the brand-new packaged tool sets. "They filled the entire warehouse, at least tens of thousands of sets. These colorful paper-wrapped items must be participatory gifts from the 'carnival party.' I can't imagine how many bloodshed incidents they would cause if they were to circulate among the public!"
Gu Yanzheng picked up one of them, opened it, glanced at it, and then threw it back onto the flatbed cart with disgust: "Have someone go over and count them carefully. Not a single one is allowed to be lost."
"Yes." The operative beside him immediately called over his other comrades and ran towards the warehouse.
This "Operation Sword" was not particularly successful, with one of the two behind-the-scenes bosses dying and the other escaping.
Chen Zhenzhu was able to rest for a moment, then frowned and pondered, "Where could he have gone?"
He was in a wheelchair, had blond hair and blue eyes, was of mixed race, and was around forty years old.
These should be easy features to find.
Behind Shen Zhenzhu, police cars roared away one after another, carrying criminals away. Medical staff were also examining the victims' bodies, prioritizing those who were emotionally stable and taking them back to the hospital for both physical and psychological examinations.
Left with no other option, the four disoriented victims were bound with restraints and forcibly put into an ambulance.
"Where is Scarface's body?" Shen Zhenzhu wanted to try again. If what Xin Jiaoya said was true, then Scarface had seen the hybrid before he died, and the hybrid had killed him himself.
"Sister Pearl, over here." Zhao Qiqi waved: "They're all packed in that box."
"good."
......
The black-haired man had a pair of dark, deep eyes. He endured the excruciating pain, and, supporting his malfunctioning prosthetic leg, reached out to the people in the ambulance: "I...I'm injured, I need to go to the hospital."
The emergency doctor immediately thought of the severed body, glanced at his stiff legs, and said with pity, "Does it need treatment?"
"The doctor over there has already treated me, but I still need to go to the hospital. I've lost a lot of blood; they cut me." He raised his hand, and there were indeed many bloodstains on his palm.
"Get in here right away." Without saying a word, the paramedics pulled him into the ambulance.
But the victim, who had finally quieted down inside the vehicle, started screaming like a madman again: "Ahhh—I want to get off the vehicle—! This is the vehicle to the underworld, I don't want to ride it, everyone who rides this vehicle will die!!"
He shouted louder and louder, and the emergency doctor had no choice but to tell his colleague, "The patient's blood pressure has spiked, quickly administer a sedative."
The black-haired man silently sat to one side, staring at the crazed victim with a slight smile on his lips.
“No, it’s still out of control,” another doctor said. “Move him to the back vehicle.”
"good."
The doctor who had pulled the dark-haired man up turned to him and said, "We're short-staffed. Are you sure you can manage by yourself?"
“No problem, I couldn’t be happier,” the black-haired man said with a smile.
The doctor who got off the bus glanced back at him, saw his eerie smile, and muttered, "How come they've all been scared out of their wits?"
The black-haired man, who was of mixed race, maintained his victimhood, pressing down on his painful prosthetic limb while keeping a perfect smile on his lips.
Pain brought him clarity; pain brought him pleasure.
Through the car window, he could see the police officers running around busily, and the "Oriental Michael" with his back to him, looking puzzled.
Dear Michael, are you still worried about not being able to find me?
As the ambulance started moving, his smile widened. He would be the first person to escape from "Michael of the East"!
He was incredibly excited about his glorious escape, constantly tapping his wooden knees with his fingers. Occasionally, police cars would hurriedly drive away from the roadside, and he whistled, gleefully savoring the police's defeat.
"How could a bunch of idiots possibly catch me?" The mixed-race man leaned back, closed his eyes, and kept thinking about his next move.
“Southern Russia is definitely out of the question, but Old Crocodile’s identity can be used. It’s said that there’s no jurisdiction over the Golden Triangle.” The mixed-race man muttered to himself, “There, you can buy your life and do whatever you want. Scarface, that idiot, going to the high seas is nothing compared to going to the Golden Triangle. Once we get there, we can buy a piece of land, organize an armed patrol team, and rob whoever we want, hahahaha.”
He became more and more excited as he thought about it, gripping his broken leg tightly with his right hand, ignoring the scenery outside the car and heading elsewhere.
"We've arrived." The ambulance stopped in a small parking lot, and the driver got out and unlocked the door: "Get out."
The mixed-race man wore a terrified, victim-like expression. He gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, and stood up, walking to the car door to look over excitedly—
"How...how could this be?!" He realized that this wasn't a hospital, but the parking lot of the Liancheng Criminal Investigation Brigade!
More than a dozen armed police officers instantly surrounded the ambulance. Chen Zhenzhu slowly walked over, tilted her head, chewed gum, and said in a nonchalant manner, "Hey, where did you buy the wig? It looks pretty real."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Pearl: I came by car myself, what could I do? [Sunglasses]
See you tomorrow, there's a red envelope coming! [Let me see]
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