Chen Yanbai took a deep puff of the cigarette, and the spicy smoke filled his lungs, bringing a brief numbness.
"Quiet?" He scoffed, his voice a little broken by the wind. "Before the explosion in the northern suburbs, it was also very quiet! This is the fucking style of Night Owl! Using silence as a shroud!"
He suddenly extinguished the cigarette butt on the guardrail, sparks flying, just like his suppressed rage.
"Where's Chen Yanxiu?" he asked, his voice low and filled with complex emotions that even he himself could hardly distinguish.
"We're following the procedure," Ah Cheng replied succinctly. "He mentioned 'Nightingale,' Officer Li Zhengyang's car accident, and... your shooting."
Ah Cheng's voice was flat, he just stated the facts.
Chen Yanbai's body stiffened imperceptibly. The wind on the rooftop seemed even colder, blowing through his thin clothes and penetrating deep into his bones.
That shot… He closed his eyes, his eyes flashing with the glaring crimson of his brother's abdomen, and the fleeting, indescribable, complex light in his eyes as he fell. Was it relief? A mockery? Or… a tinge of pain he dared not delve into?
"He said you shot him to kill him so that he could go deeper to lurk and fish for night owls," Ah Cheng added.
Chen Yanbai suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes were bloodshot, like an enraged trapped beast.
He gripped the cold guardrail, his knuckles turning white with force. His voice was hoarse and strangled, filled with the fury of having a hidden wound exposed: "Bullshit! I missed that fucking shot! It missed! Do you understand?! I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to actually kill him!"
He almost roared, his voice echoing in the empty rooftop, carrying with it a deep pain and despair that came with being unable to defend himself.
He could neither admit nor deny the cruel logic in Shen Yanxiu's words - that shot, regardless of the original intention, objectively pushed Shen Yanxiu into deeper darkness, turning him into a "dead" undercover, a more perfect bait.
"He is pushing himself to death!" Chen Yanbai's voice trembled slightly, and it was unclear whether it was out of anger or fear.
"Who does he think Night Owl is? Is he such an easy fish to catch? He's like meat on the chopping block! Night Owl's people could come and kill him at any time! Or... use him to lead all of us into the next slaughterhouse!"
Ah Cheng was silent, like a rock, enduring Chen Yanbai's uncontrolled anger and pain.
He waited until the other party's breathing calmed down a bit before speaking again, his voice still steady: "Mr. Li believes that the coordinate point in the western suburbs must be explored at all costs. The clue that Mr. Gu sacrificed his life for must not be lost."
"He suggested that we, Dark River, lead the infiltration investigation, with the police providing peripheral support. Our goal: to determine if there's any value and obtain any possible evidence or leads. We must not act rashly."
Chen Yanbai took a deep breath, and the cold air cleared his confused mind a little.
He forced himself to calm down. Li Zhou was right. Anger and self-blame wouldn't solve the problem. Gu Yuxiao was still lying in the ICU, and his blood couldn't be shed in vain. Ye Xiao had to be found.
"Okay." He uttered a word, his voice returning to its hoarse, cold tone. The madness in his eyes was forcibly suppressed, transforming into a tempered, desperate determination.
"Tell Li Zhou that we will decide on the action plan. The police..."
The corners of his mouth curled up into a cold arc. "Just watch the show from the outside, don't get in the way. Also, send more people to Chen Yanxiu's side! Keep a close eye on him! Don't let even a fly get in! If he dies..."
Chen Yanbai's voice suddenly turned cold, filled with chilling murderous intent, "I'll bury the entire criminal police community with me!"
Ah Cheng nodded slightly, without any doubt: "I understand."
Just as Shen Yanbai turned around to leave the rooftop, the encrypted phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. It wasn't a regular call, but a specific frequency for internal emergency contact.
He paused and quickly pulled out his phone. A brief message flashed across the screen, from a backup emergency communication channel belonging to Nightingale that he had thought was long dead:
"Owl is moving. Target: captive bird. The bait is ready."
The information disappeared in a flash, and then the passage was completely burned, leaving no trace.
Chen Yanbai's blood seemed to freeze at this moment. He stared at the phone screen which had returned to black. The blood color on his face faded instantly, leaving only a horrifying paleness and a huge, cold fear.
Nightingale's backup channel... Who sent this message? Was it a trap set by the long-dead Nightingale? Or... Chen Yanxiu?!
He knew it! He had long known that Night Owl would attack him, the only "core member of the Shen family" who was captured alive! He regarded himself as the "bait" that exuded the smell of blood!
"Prison Bird"...the target is him!
"Owl move"... The Night Owl's people are already on the way!
"The bait is tempting"... Chen Yanxiu is actively seeking death?!
"No——!" Chen Yanbai let out an extremely suppressed roar from his throat, like a dying beast. He turned around abruptly and rushed towards the rooftop exit regardless of everything. The cold wind blew into his mouth and nose, carrying with it the smell of rusty blood.
There was only one thought in his mind: Chen Yanxiu must not die! He must not die before him!
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