Chapter 14: Revenge for Me
When the morning sun shone through the gaps in the curtains, Yu Hao remembered that he had just lain down for less than an hour. His eyelids felt heavy as if filled with lead, and his temples were throbbing. Early in the morning, when he came out of the hospital, he wanted to let Xiaoxue go home and rest for a day, but the child stubbornly pursed her lips, her eyes red, but she insisted on going to school. "I can't fall behind in my final exams." Xiaoxue's voice was still weak, but her fingers were tightly gripping the straps of her schoolbag. Luo Xin stood aside, wanting to say something but stopping herself, and finally just sighed softly. Yu Hao looked at her tired profile, and remembered the figure curled up beside his daughter's bed in the ward last night, and his heart tightened. "I'll take you there." He took Xiaoxue's schoolbag. After sending Luo Xue back to school, Yu Hao insisted on sending Luo Xin back home. Yu Hao, who hadn't slept for two days and two nights, finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell on the sofa in the living room, closing his eyes without even taking off his coat. In a daze, he heard Luo Xin moving softly, carefully removing his shoes and covering him with a thin blanket. With his eyes closed, he could hear Luo Xin preparing breakfast in the kitchen. The clinking of the spatula was deliberately muted. This subtle humming brought him a strange sense of peace. When his phone vibrated, he almost instinctively reached for it. "Captain Yu!" Lu Chao's voice was thick with undisguised excitement. "Ma Tao contacted us and said he has something important to report in person!" Yu Hao sat up abruptly. He glanced at the wall clock. It was 7:20 AM. "Where is he now?" "He said he's waiting for us at home." "I'll be there in twenty minutes, and we'll meet him together." Yu Hao had already risen and was putting on his coat, his fingers fumbling with the buttons, sleep-deprived. Turning around, he found Luo Xin standing at the kitchen door, scrambling with fried eggs, a worried look on her face. "Leaving?" she asked softly, her voice also thick with undisguised fatigue. Yu Hao nodded. "Eat something. It's not a good idea to neglect your health like this." Luo Xin brought the plate to him. Yu Hao reached out to take it. The fried eggs were golden brown and crispy around the edges, and he quickly devoured them one by one. Luo Xin handed him a hot towel, and he wiped his face roughly. "You should rest." Luo Xin took the towel, frowning slightly. "Don't wear yourself out." Her voice softened unconsciously. "Xiaoxue's matter is already worrying enough. If you continue..." Yu Hao could see through her eyes that she was genuinely concerned, but why did she usually act distant? "It's okay." Yu Hao picked up the car keys. "Tonight...
When the early morning sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, Yu Hao remembered that he had just lain down for less than an hour.
His eyelids felt heavy as if filled with lead, and his temples were twitching.
Early in the morning, when we came out of the hospital, I wanted to let Xiaoxue go home and rest for a day, but the child pursed her lips stubbornly, with red eyes, but insisted on going to school.
"I can't fall behind in the final exam." Xiaoxue's voice was still weak, but her fingers were tightly gripping the straps of her schoolbag.
Luo Xin stood aside, wanting to say something but stopping himself, and finally just sighed softly.
Yu Hao looked at her tired profile and thought of the figure curled up beside his daughter's bed in the ward last night, and his heart tightened.
"Let me take you there." He took Xiaoxue's schoolbag.
After sending Luo Xue back to school, Yu Hao insisted on sending Luo Xin back home.
Yu Hao, who hadn't slept for two days and two nights, finally couldn't hold on any longer. He fell on the sofa in the living room and closed his eyes without even taking off his coat.
In a daze, he heard Luo Xin walking around quietly, carefully helping him take off his shoes, and covering him with a thin blanket.
With his eyes closed, he could hear Luo Xin preparing breakfast in the kitchen. The clatter of the spatula was deliberately muted. This subtle sound gave him a strange sense of peace.
When his phone vibrated, he almost instinctively reached out to pick it up.
"Captain Yu!" Lu Chao's voice was filled with unconcealed excitement. "Ma Tao contacted us and said he had important information to report in person!"
Yu Hao sat up suddenly. He glanced at the wall clock. It was 7:20 in the morning.
"Where is he now?"
"He said he would wait for us at home."
"I'll be there in twenty minutes and we'll meet him together." Yu Hao had already stood up and started putting on his coat, his fingers a little clumsy as he buttoned it due to lack of sleep.
When he turned around, he found Luo Xin standing at the kitchen door with fried eggs in his hand and a worried look on his face.
"Are you leaving?" she asked softly, her voice also filled with undisguised fatigue.
Yu Hao nodded.
"Eat something. It's not a good idea to ignore your health." Luo Xin brought the plate to him.
Yu Hao reached for the plate. The fried eggs were golden brown and crispy around the edges, and he devoured them quickly. Luo Xin handed him a hot towel, and he wiped his face roughly.
"You should rest." Luo Xin took the towel, frowning slightly. "Don't overwork yourself." Her voice softened unconsciously. "Xiaoxue's matter is already worrying enough. If you..."
Yu Hao could tell from her eyes that she genuinely cared about him, but why did she usually act vaguely distant?
"It's okay." Yu Hao picked up the car keys, "I'll pick Xiaoxue up and take her home tonight."
Luo Xin opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded slightly.
*
The doorbell of Ma Tao's house rang three times before the sound of footsteps was heard from inside.
Yu Hao and Lu Chao exchanged a look—this cautious reaction showed that Ma Tao's fear was real.
The door opened a crack, and Ma Tao's pale face peeked out from the darkness. After just one day's absence, the once slick-faced office director had completely changed.
His eyes were bloodshot, his forehead was bandaged, and the bruises at the corners of his mouth had turned purple. His right hand was hanging across his chest, and his left hand was holding onto the door frame. He looked like he would collapse at any moment.
"Come in." He glanced at the corridor vigilantly, and only opened the door wider after making sure that no one was seeing him.
Yu Hao and Lu Chao followed him into the house. The curtains in the living room were drawn, medicine bottles and blood-stained gauze were scattered on the coffee table, and the air was filled with the smell of iodine and fear.
Ma Tao's wife huddled in the corner of the sofa, holding a little girl of five or six years old in her arms.
The woman's face was sallow, her eyes red and swollen, and she instinctively hugged her child tighter when she saw a stranger. The little girl buried her face in her mother's arms, revealing only a pair of frightened eyes.
"Go to the inner room, it's okay." Ma Tao whispered to his wife, his voice filled with tenderness for his family.
The woman immediately picked up the child and left quickly. Before leaving, she looked at her husband worriedly. That look reminded Yu Hao of Luo Xin standing at the door.
After they closed the door, Ma Tao slumped down on the sofa, his fingers tapping nervously on the armrest. His eyes kept drifting to the window, as if someone would break in at any moment.
"Who did it?" Yu Hao asked directly, and at the same time signaled Lu Chao to take notes.
Ma Tao twitched his lips and gasped in pain: "Who else could it be? That mad dog Wang Kun."
He picked up the water cup on the coffee table with trembling hands. "He asked me to go back to the company last night, saying it was urgent. As soon as I walked in, he asked me if I had told the police about the 50,000 yuan."
Ma Tao's hands suddenly trembled violently, and water spilled on his pants, but he was completely unaware: "I said no, he..."
His voice choked, his fingers unconsciously stroking the bandages on his face. "He had his men pin me to the ground with a golf club... and said I was a traitor..."
Lu Chao's fists clenched until they made a creaking sound. "This beast."
"I'm going to kill him." Ma Tao suddenly looked up, his eyes burning with hatred, the look only someone forced into a desperate situation would have. "I can tell you everything I know, but you must ensure the safety of my family." His voice was extremely low. "My wife and children know nothing."
Yu Hao looked him straight in the eye and nodded slowly and firmly: "We will arrange for 24-hour protection."
Ma Tao took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind: "The 50,000 yuan in cash does exist, but it's not a bonus at all. It's the errand fee that Wang Kun gave to Wang Shun."
"What errands are you running?" Lu Chao asked, the tip of his pen hovering over the paper.
Ma Tao looked around and lowered his voice. "Wang Kun's business extends far beyond the construction company." He sighed. "That's just a front. His real money comes from underground casinos, protection rackets, prostitution, and even a ring of thieves. He has many, many businesses that haven't surfaced."
Yu Hao's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and his fingers tapped his knees unconsciously.
"How much involvement did Wang Shun have?"
"That kid is quite cunning," Ma Tao sneered, grimacing in pain as the wound at the corner of his mouth tugged. "At first, he was just running errands and delivering money for Wang Kun, but later, I don't know how he got into the casino. It's said that he once helped Wang Kun rig a gambling game and made a fortune. That fifty thousand is a reward for him."
"Where is the casino?" Yu Hao's voice was as cold as ice.
Ma Tao's Adam's apple rolled, his eyes wandering. "It's in the Golden Coast KTV, on the second basement floor. It's a warehouse on the surface, but actually..."
He suddenly lowered his voice to the point of almost whispering, "Every Friday night, that's the largest underground casino in all of Qindao, but only a very few people know about it. You have to be escorted in and out by someone you know; strangers can't get in at all."
Yu Hao's pupils constricted slightly—Gold Coast, the Gold Coast again. His stomach suddenly twisted in knots, and he didn't know if it was from lack of sleep or something else.
"Is there any evidence?" Lu Chao asked anxiously, leaning forward unconsciously.
Ma Tao shook his head, the wound beneath the bandage beginning to bleed again. "Wang Kun is more cunning than a fox. No one entering is allowed to bring mobile phones or cameras. There are also special patrols in the lobby. If anything unusual is discovered, everyone will be evacuated immediately. It will be difficult to find evidence."
Yu Hao's expression was serious. "Is it possible that Wang Shun was silenced because he knew too much?" he suddenly asked.
Ma Tao's face turned even paler. "I'm not sure... but based on my understanding of Wang Kun, it shouldn't be." He swallowed hard. "Although he's ruthless, he has a bottom line, and that is that he absolutely cannot cause any deaths. After all these years, if someone's killed, it's hard not to fail."
"Really?" Yu Hao unconsciously lifted his chin. The investigation had already gone beyond the original purpose of investigating a murder case. If a criminal group was behind this murder, the complexity was probably far greater than they had imagined.
The room suddenly became quiet, with only the ticking of the wall clock making it particularly clear. Ma Tao's eyes kept drifting towards the door of the inner room, where he could hear the faint sobbing of a child.
Yu Hao asked some more detailed questions, but from Ma Tao's answers, it was obvious that this office director was not Wang Kun's confidant and knew very little about the core business.
But at least it can be confirmed that Wang Shun did have 50,000 yuan, and it was in cash - this is consistent with Li Rong's testimony.
Just as they were about to leave, Ma Tao limped to his feet again and motioned for Yu Hao to come closer. His breath smelled of blood and the sour smell of fear.
"What's wrong?" Yu Hao leaned forward slightly.
Ma Tao looked around and said in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, "Let me tell you something I've observed." He looked at Yu Hao, then at Lu Chao, and slowly said, "I think there's someone with Wang Kun's ties in your police station."
"What?" Yu Hao and Lu Chao looked at each other, and saw shock in each other's eyes.
"On what basis?"
"There's no solid evidence, just a feeling." Ma Tao's forehead was covered in sweat. "Your bureau's security team has raided casinos before, but they always came back empty-handed. Those people who collected protection money are still safe and sound. Just think about it and you'll understand."
Yu Hao was shocked. Ma Tao had a point—without the insider tipping off, Wang Kun's criminal network wouldn't have been able to operate so smoothly.
"Why are you telling us this?" Lu Chao looked at him seriously.
"I don't want you to get yourself into trouble without helping me get revenge." Ma Tao shook his head disapprovingly, his eyes suddenly becoming old and tired. "Don't underestimate Wang Kun. He's been operating in Qindao for more than ten years, and his network of relationships is intricate. You..." He paused, "It's best to be careful."
Before leaving, Yu Hao once again assured him that he would immediately arrange for someone to protect their family.
Ma Tao collapsed on the sofa, feeling relieved. The wound under the bandage began to bleed again, but he seemed to no longer feel the pain.
*
Back in the car, Yu Hao immediately called his mentor, Qin Guoan. His mentor was the person he trusted the most, but he was still in the provincial capital for a meeting and hadn't returned yet.
After the call was connected, Yu Hao reported the situation concisely, including Ma Tao's injuries, the clues he provided, and the disturbing speculation.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment before Qin Guoan spoke, "How credible is this Ma Tao?"
"Eighty percent. He was severely beaten, and his family was threatened. Now he just wants to drag Wang Kun down with him."
Qin Guoan pondered and said, "Let's keep this matter under wraps for now. Don't rush to inform the Public Security Brigade."
Yu Hao frowned, his fingers tightening unconsciously: "Master, you mean..."
Qin Guoan lowered his voice, almost whispering, "Whether there are any of his people in the security brigade, no one can say for sure. There are some things that need to wait until I get back."
Yu Hao's back tensed slightly, "I understand." He said in a deep voice.
"Concentrate on solving the murder case." Qin Guoan's tone left no doubt, "The provincial department is also keeping an eye on this case, so put other things aside for now." The sound of shuffling papers came from the other end of the phone.
"OK."
Before hanging up, Qin Guoan added, "Be careful. People like Wang Kun are capable of anything."
After hanging up the phone, Yu Hao breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
"Captain Yu, where are we going now?" Lu Chao's voice brought him back to reality.
"Go back to the bureau." Yu Hao started the car. "Convene the task force and re-examine the clues. I have a new idea."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
