Chapter 20: Deadlock
Yin Chuan's face suddenly changed and he quickly stood in front of Lin Lang.
"Haha, you're right. Your subconscious action exposed your weakness. Mr. Detective, think about it yourself. In this Shura field, do you have the ability to protect her life or death?"
Yin Chuan was silent for a long time, then he sighed deeply, "Okay, what do you want me to do?"
"It's simple. Help me buy time." Shen Xi put the gun back. "I heard that General Wan, who came from Marshal Zhang, ordered Situ Xin to investigate the murder of the regiment commander within three days so that he can give an explanation to Shang Feng. For Detective Yin, I believe three days is enough time for you to get to the bottom of this case."
"You're too kind to me. I have no idea at the moment!" Yin Chuan said with a wry smile.
"That's exactly what I want! I naturally don't want you to solve the case quickly, because the longer you delay, the more you will attract Situ Xin's attention and relax his vigilance against us. But if you solve the case within three days, I can't guarantee that your confidante can leave this military camp alive." Shen Xi stared at Lin Lang sinisterly.
Yin Chuan said coldly, "But if I can't solve the case within three days, will Situ Xin let me go?"
"Hahahaha, that's your business. How about it, Mr. Yin, do you understand what I mean?"
Linlang's heart sank. She tugged at Yin Chuan's sleeve and said, "Isn't this a dead end for us?"
Yin Chuan didn't answer her immediately, but patted her hand. Although this gesture was so light that it was almost imperceptible, it immediately gave Linlang a great sense of security. It seemed that Yin Chuan was telling her with a firm attitude: With me here, nothing is a big deal!
"I don't care about Situ Xin. I only want to ask you, Captain Shen, if I don't give a result within three days, you promise not to harm us, right?"
"That's the thing, but you can't be passive and lazy in front of Situ Xin, or appear to be deliberately procrastinating, lest he become suspicious."
Linlang couldn't help but complain, "This won't work, that won't work either. You're so demanding, how can we possibly do it?"
"That's something you should consider carefully. I won't hide it from you. If Detective Yin solves the case within the three days requested by Military Supervisor Wan, I will most likely be dismissed and questioned. But remember, before I lose power, you will have to witness Miss Linlang's brutal death before you."
Yin Chuan clenched his teeth and said nothing.
"Detective Yin, you should have no other choice but to cooperate with us. If you can help us seize power smoothly, the punishment from Situ Xin will naturally not become a reality. Once we fail, not only will you witness the tragic death of your confidante, but your dignity as a famous detective will also plummet. And believe it or not, the Cao Gang will not forgive you even if we don't do anything." Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao said harshly.
For Yin Chuan, he didn't care about the dignity of a famous detective or the pursuit of the Cao Gang. The only thing he couldn't accept was that he was being manipulated by others with Linlang's life at stake.
"Alright, I'll do whatever you tell me to do. But I have a promise: if Situ Xin or Han Chi find the murderer on their own without me, or if the murderer surrenders himself, you can't blame me. You can't go back on your word."
Chen Xi sneered, "Situ Xin? Han Chi? How could they possibly be that capable? Let's be frank. If the situation you described really happens and our operation is exposed and fails, then I'm sorry, but I'll drag you down with me, and we'll all go to hell together! So... you'd better pray that we succeed."
Yin Chuan and Lin Lang knew clearly that if either Shen Xi or Situ Xin ultimately gained the upper hand in this open and covert struggle within the Independent Regiment, it would be difficult for them to escape the barracks unscathed. This place was undoubtedly a ruthless battlefield of life and death!
"I understand. I wish you success." Yin Chuan forced a smile and bowed to Chen Xi.
"Thank you for your good wishes, hahaha! Let's go!" Shen Xi laughed and took Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao out of the barracks, leading a group of soldiers away.
The barracks were silent for a long time before Linlang spoke: "Brother Yin, why don't we escape together along Du Yunzhang's route!"
"Alas, if we had left together when Bai Tao took Du Yunzhang away just now, we might still have a chance. But from what Shen Xi said, they will never let us go so easily. Hey! It's still my fault for letting you stay and take this risk."
Linlang smiled. "Don't say that. We've been through so many ups and downs, how can we not overcome this little hurdle? And your actions just now tell me that you will definitely have a way to resolve this crisis. I believe in you!"
Yin Chuan scratched his head a little embarrassedly. "Honestly, I haven't figured out how to deal with it yet. Even though I almost figured out how the murderer killed Shen Hui in front of everyone, this sudden move caught me off guard."
"Indeed, who could have imagined that this series of events would cause the already turbulent military camp to boil over so suddenly? We've been innocently affected, and we really have no place to complain!" Linlang sighed. "What do you think we should do next, caught between these two attacks?"
"One word: wait!"
"Wait? You mean wait for news from Du Yunzhang?"
"Although it seems that we are the most passive and disadvantaged party in this whole situation, we are very fortunate that Du Yunzhang escaped before Shen Xi came here to show his hand. He is the biggest variable. Perhaps our only chance to escape from this deadlock lies with him."
"But are we just going to wait like this?"
"Of course not. 'Waiting' is just our mentality. We still have a lot to do. For example... with the logistics platoon. I must verify the feasibility of that method from there."
Linlang nodded slightly, but then frowned and shook her head. "But we escaped from Situ Xin's house arrest. If we brazenly walk out to the logistics platoon, aren't we afraid of being caught?"
Yin Chuan laughed and said, "You're wrong. We can go out to the logistics platoon with open arms right now."
"Why?"
"Look at how aggressive Chen Xi and Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao were just now. How could they be afraid of Situ Xin? Think about it, Chen Xi is the commander of the Second Battalion, and the commander of the Third Battalion, Wu Ziqing, is imprisoned. Now it's Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao who has the final say. It seems that they control two-thirds of the independent regiment's military strength. Chen Xi just made it clear that as long as we help him hold Situ Xin back, there will be no restrictions on what we can do in the barracks. So, who else outside would want to make trouble for us at this moment?"
"That's what I said, but..."
Linlang was still hesitant. Yin Chuan took Linlang's hand and walked out without saying anything. Linlang was caught off guard and stumbled out of the barracks with him.
"I know what you're worried about," Yin Chuan said. "Are you afraid of running into Situ Xin or Han Chi? Don't worry, they're busy dealing with that military supervisor Wan. They're worried that we, outsiders, investigating Chen Hui's case, will be discovered by him. Although they'll be keeping an eye on the progress of the investigation, they won't be able to find us for at least the next hour or two. So during this break, we can walk around the barracks freely without any worries, just be careful not to be too conspicuous."
The two of them were talking in low voices as they walked. Soldiers passed by the barracks from time to time. Just as Yin Chuan said, no one noticed them. However, Linlang found that the soldiers had nervous expressions on their faces, as if they had not yet recovered from the sudden attack the day before.
"Do you know where the logistics department is?" She asked in confusion when she saw Yin Chuan walking forward without any hesitation.
"Isn't this easy to find? The bandits' main focus yesterday was on where the logistics supplies were stored, so the logistics platoon must be there." Yin Chuan looked northwest. Sure enough, there were still traces of fighting there: burned-out barracks, lingering smoke, collapsed fences...all of which indicated that this was where the most intense attack had taken place last night.
At this point, the two of them seemed to be several hundred meters away from their destination, and Yin Chuan kept walking in that direction, pulling Lin Lang along. However, Lin Lang was more alert and suddenly grabbed Yin Chuan, who was walking forward recklessly. Yin Chuan was stunned.
"Why don't you leave?"
"In front! It's Situ Xin and Han Chi!"
Yin Chuan finally drew his attention back to the present. Not far from them, Situ Xin and Han Chi approached side by side, trailed by several armed soldiers. He quickly lowered his head, fearing they would spot him. Linlang felt a surge of nervousness. She understood that the reason they hadn't encountered them head-on before was because of the presence of the military supervisor Wan, who had drawn most of their attention. She also had a hypnotized guide soldier on her side, who could be used as cover if necessary. But now, the situation was different. If they encountered them head-on again, they would likely be recognized.
Seeing Situ Xin and Han Chi getting closer and closer, Yin Chuan and Lin Lang didn't even dare to breathe. All they could do was hold each other's hands tightly.
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