Gu Yuxiao's most loyal guard now had an expression of obvious fatigue and solemnity on his face, but his eyes were still as steady as a rock.
He changed out of his bloodstained clothes and put on dark casual clothes, with his arm also wrapped in a bandage.
"The doctor said that the boss's will to live... is very strong." Acheng's gaze also fell on Gu Yuxiao through the glass. His voice was not loud, but it carried a strange soothing power.
"He was caught in the center of the explosion, yet he was able to protect his vitals and hold on until we found him... That's a miracle in itself. He won't collapse like this. Mr. Li, you need to stay calm."
Li Zhou took a deep breath, the cool air piercing his lungs, bringing a brief moment of clarity. He nodded, forcing himself to suppress his turbulent emotions.
Now was not the time to collapse. Gu Yuxiao was risking his life for a clue, and he couldn't let him down.
"What else was found at the scene?" Li Zhou asked, his voice returning to its hoarse calmness.
Ah Cheng's eyes instantly became as sharp as an eagle: "Officer Shen took the fragments of the detonator. Our people found something when they were clearing the perimeter."
He took out a transparent evidence bag that was smaller than the previous one. It contained several extremely tiny, almost imperceptible pieces of pale yellow plastic with burn marks on the edges. One of the pieces seemed to have half a faint imprint of letters on it.
"It was found behind a trash can about thirty meters from the center of the explosion, embedded in a pile of broken glass. It's likely a fragment of the remote control receiver.
"The technical team's initial review revealed that it appears to be the encapsulation of some custom-made micro-receiver module. It's made of a special material that's heat-resistant and shock-resistant. It's not a standard item."
Ah Cheng handed the evidence bag to Li Zhou. "The branding is very blurry, and the technical team is still trying to restore it. Also..."
He paused, his voice lowering. "We found a discarded cigarette butt in a blind spot in an alleyway outside the outer blockade. It's a unique brand, 'Black Stone,' a specialty cigarette from a small Eastern European country. It's strong and pungent, and almost no one smokes it in Jiangcheng."
"Black Stone?" Li Zhou frowned, searching his brain quickly. The name was unfamiliar.
"Is there a clue on the cigarette butt?"
"The technical team has extracted saliva residue and is currently conducting a DNA comparison. This takes time, and... the person may have used an alias, so there may not be a match in the database."
A cold glint flashed in Ah Cheng's eyes. "However, this smoke itself is a clue. Being able to obtain it, and appearing near the explosion site at this time... This person is no ordinary person."
Cigarette butts... remote control fragments... Li Zhou looked at the inconspicuous pieces of yellow plastic in the evidence bag, feeling that a cold and slippery clue was quietly emerging from the ruins of the explosion and the chaotic smoke and dust.
The Night Owl's minions finally left a little "flavor" of their own.
At that moment, the encrypted phone in Li Zhou's pocket vibrated. It wasn't a call, but an encrypted message. Sender: Unknown number.
Li Zhou's heart skipped a beat. He pulled out his phone and unlocked it. On the screen, a single line of simple characters appeared, like cold code:
`SK - LK-7 - [Coordinates: 23.1245N, 113.2678E]`
Li Zhou's pupils suddenly contracted!
SK! The abbreviation of Chen Yanbai's name!
LK-7! On that Night Owl emblem, in a very hidden corner beneath the owl pattern, was engraved a barely detectable combination of letters and numbers!
Li Zhou repeatedly examined the evidence photos and used image magnification software to barely make out the code! He only told Gu Yuxiao and Ah Cheng about it!
Coordinates! 23.1245N, 113.2678E—this clearly points to the western suburbs of Jiangcheng, near the river mouth, on the edge of an old, abandoned industrial area!
This message precisely hits the core, most secret clue they currently possess! Who is the sender? Is it an enemy? A friend? Or... another deadly trap?
It appeared at this moment, like a red dot on a scope lighting up silently in the darkness!
Li Zhou suddenly looked up at Ah Cheng and turned the phone screen towards him. His voice trembled slightly with extreme shock and vigilance: "Just received... from an unknown source!"
Ah Cheng's gaze instantly became like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, staring intently at the line of characters, and the aura around him suddenly became dangerous and solemn.
He immediately took out his communicator and began operating it quickly, obviously using the Gu family's unfathomable underground network to conduct an urgent investigation.
In the ward, the green waveform on the monitor was still rising and falling weakly and stubbornly, making a regular "beep...beep..." sound.
The night outside the window grew darker, shrouding the entire city in an unknown fog.
The cold Night Owl badge, the mysterious code, and the suddenly appearing coordinates, like pieces of a puzzle, carrying a bloody breath and deadly temptation, are slowly piecing together a larger and darker outline.
The eye of the storm is quietly forming under the forgotten ruins in the western suburbs of Jiangcheng.
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