He slowly stood up, the bloodshot in his eyes still there, but the uncontrolled restlessness was forcibly suppressed, replaced by a kind of tempered, cold concentration.
"Okay." He uttered a single word, his voice a little hoarse, but remarkably firm. Finally, the things his father had left behind had found a use.
At the edge of Jiangcheng, in the abandoned "Red Port" dock area, the air was thick with the pungent smell of rust, rotting seaweed, and low-quality diesel.
The huge gantry crane is like a silent steel behemoth skeleton, rusted and casting a distorted shadow under the gray sky.
The waves tirelessly beat against the barnacle-covered concrete shore, making a hollow and heavy echo.
An unremarkable black commercial vehicle was parked deep in the long-abandoned warehouse district, its wheels rolling over broken glass and rubble.
Gu Yuxiao pushed open the car door, still wearing the same meticulous dark suit, which was out of place with the shabby and dirty surroundings.
Ah Cheng followed closely behind, his sharp eyes scanning every corner around him where danger might be hidden.
The warehouse's iron door had long since rusted and warped, and stood ajar, revealing a deep gap. From within came suppressed gasps and crude curses.
Gu Yuxiao walked straight in without stopping.
In the dim light, three men in a state of distress, tied tightly with thick hemp ropes and with rags stuffed in their mouths, lay struggling on the ground. With wounds on their faces, they looked in horror at Gu Yuxiao and Ah Cheng as they entered.
In the corner, there stood a few young men wearing black training uniforms and looking powerful. They were the most reliable and secretive force under Gu Yuxiao - the people from "Dark River".
The leading young man nodded slightly to Gu Yuxiao: "Boss, everyone is here. These guys are the 'snakehead's' men who are in charge of this 'warehouse rental' business. They are very stubborn."
The warehouse was filled with dust, mildew, and a faint smell of blood. Gu Yuxiao walked to the only broken wooden table that was barely standing and took a thin folder from Ah Cheng.
He didn't look at the person on the ground, but slowly flipped through the documents. His slender fingers slid across the paper, making a rustling sound that was particularly clear in this silent warehouse, like some kind of countdown.
"Zhang Biao," Gu Yuxiao's gaze fell on the photo on the first page of the document. His voice was low, but it pierced the entire space. "He's a local, 42 years old. His wife is a nurse at the Central Hospital, and his son is a freshman at Jiangcheng No. 3 Middle School. He has good grades and his goal is to get into Jiangda Medical School."
He paused, raised his eyes, and pierced the ground like an icicle at a burly man with a scar on his face. "He's a good kid."
Zhang Biao, whose name was called, trembled violently, extreme fear instantly burst out in his eyes, and a "ho ho" whimper came from his throat, and he struggled even harder.
Gu Yuxiao's gaze shifted to the second, thin man. "Li Qiang, 38 years old. My hometown is in the Yunling Mountains. I have a paralyzed mother who relies entirely on the money you send back every month. The old lady has had severe rheumatism recently. Did you ask someone to send a message to her?"
Li Qiang's body froze instantly and his face turned pale as paper.
"Wang Hai," Gu Yuxiao said, looking at the last man with a face full of flesh but a twinkle in his eyes. "You're quite simple, a bachelor. But that gambling debt you owed to 'Jin Ya Bing' in Macau two years ago, with interest compounding, is about to break the camel's back, right? He recently sent someone to look for you, it seems very urgent?"
The fear in Wang Hai's eyes was instantly replaced by despair, and his whole body collapsed.
Gu Yuxiao closed the folder and handed it to Ah Cheng. He then slowly walked over to the three of them, his shiny black leather shoes stepping on the dusty and stained cement floor, and every step felt like stepping on a person's heart.
He stopped in front of Zhang Biao and leaned forward slightly. His eyes behind the lenses were calm, yet carried a chill that could freeze the soul.
"You're just small fry." His voice was low and clear. "I want to know, in the past three years, especially in the past six months, has anyone, through you or other means you know, rented or 'borrowed' a warehouse in this abandoned dock area?
"The scale will not be small. The transport vehicles will be specially treated for odors, and most of the entry and exit times will be late at night. This is the purpose."
He paused, his eyes scanning the three people's frightened faces, "It's about 'medicine'. Think carefully before answering."
He stood up and gestured to Ah Cheng.
Ah Cheng stepped forward, and with precise and cold movements, he ripped the rag from Zhang Biao's mouth. Fresh air rushed in, and Zhang Biao began to cough violently, tears streaming down his face.
"I...I don't know...really..." Zhang Biao shouted hoarsely, his voice distorted by fear.
Gu Yuxiao didn't say anything, but just raised his hand and gently pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.
The lens reflected the bleak sunlight coming through the broken window high up in the warehouse, a cold white light.
A member of the "Dark River" standing behind Zhang Biao raised his foot expressionlessly, and the heavy sole of his military boots crushed Zhang Biao's fingers that were supporting the ground.
“Ah——!!!” A scream so shrill that it didn’t sound like a human voice suddenly exploded in the empty warehouse, accompanied by a teeth-grinding sound of bones breaking, as it rammed and echoed wildly between the cold steel walls.
Li Qiang and Wang Hai were so scared that they started shaking all over. Their crotches were instantly soaked and a foul smell filled the air.
Gu Yuxiao seemed not to have heard the scream. He turned his gaze to Li Qiang and said in a steady voice, "It's your turn."
The rag in Li Qiang's mouth was torn off, and he practically howled, "I'm telling you! I'm telling you! There was... there was a group of people! It started about... about eight or nine months ago! They used... they used shells from 'Hongyuan Fisheries'!"
"They rented the largest old cold storage at the far west end! They say... they say they're storing and processing seafood additives! But... but that smell is wrong! It's not... it's not fishy at all! It's... it's the smell of chemicals! Very... very weird!"
"And...and their cars...the chassis are specially raised and reinforced! The tires...they're all puncture-resistant! They always come...late at night! They're all black vans! The license plates...they're fake! I can tell!"
He spoke incoherently, but the key information poured out like crackling beads.
Hongyuan Fisheries, the old cold storage at the west end. The strange smell of chemicals, the reinforced cargo box with puncture-proof tires, late at night.
A flash of light flashed across Gu Yuxiao's eyes, like a cold meteor across the dark night, and then instantly disappeared into the calmness of a deep pool.
Ah Cheng immediately stepped forward, his voice as cold as steel: "Specific location? In and out pattern? Guard situation?"
Li Qiang seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and dared not hide anything anymore. He poured out all the fragmentary information he knew, saw, and even heard, just hoping to buy a glimmer of hope.
Gu Yuxiao didn't listen any further. He turned and walked towards the warehouse door. Behind him, Zhang Biao's suppressed groans of pain, Li Qiang's trembling narration, and Wang Hai's desperate sobs all became a blur of background noise.
The information he needed was already at hand.
Under the gray sky of Jiangcheng, the vague outline code-named "Pharmaceutical Factory" is transforming into a cold and dangerous entity.
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