Chapter 71 He Zhao was never one to be pretentious. Since Wang Yu said she wanted to go with her, she...
He Zhao was never one to be pretentious. Since Wang Yu had said she would go with him, she wouldn't say, "No need, I can manage on my own. Don't come along to your death." Instead, she calmly nodded and simply replied with a "Okay."
The two left the temporary command post and got into He Zhao's electric tricycle.
Wang Yu sat down next to He Zhao and had just said, "Boss, your electric tricycle isn't as fast as my little electric scooter. If you really can't go any faster, take my little electric scooter." Before she finished speaking, He Zhao's electric tricycle shot off, and its speed instantly reached 90 km/h.
Wang Yu was stunned. The winter wind howled, making it hard for her to open her mouth. She could only hold onto the stainless steel frame that had been illegally installed on the food cart and shout, "Boss, is this cart illegally modified? How can you drive so fast! Slow down! This cart will definitely slide off if it even slightly slips!"
"Impossible, these are anti-slip wheels!"
He spoke with such conviction, but still slammed on the brakes ten minutes later. There were obstacles blocking his way, and not just one. He Zhao had no choice but to step on the brakes; the anti-skid wheels left long tire tracks on the somewhat icy ground, accompanied by a screeching sound.
Wang Yu gripped the food cart tightly, while her other hand was already in her pocket, ready to launch a counterattack at any moment.
But it was at this moment that He Zhao recognized the ghosts in front of him. They weren't just any ghosts; they were the same group of customers who frequented He Zhao's nighttime ghost-hunting stall. Standing at the front were the stitched-up water ghost, the mud ghost, the tall guy, and the old woman, with the other customers following behind them.
How did you find us?
In response to He Zhao's question, it was the Mud Demon who answered. It raised its trident, straightened its chest, and looked rather proud: "Isn't it normal for diners to be able to find their regular stalls?"
The sutured water ghost also said, "Are we going to rescue the other helper now? Isn't this exactly the time when we're needed?"
He Zhao was actually a little touched, but she still tried to dissuade her: "But this time is different. You're facing some fierce and ruthless people. You might be wiped out."
The Mud Demon was displeased: "What are you saying? Are you suggesting we just watch you go? If you're gone, where will we eat? Will we starve? No way, we can't just watch you go into the lion's den alone."
After the Mud Demon finished speaking, it slithered over, stretched out its tentacle-like claws, and firmly gripped the food cart frame, climbing up. While the Mud Demon was doing this, the other demons were not idle either, all trying their best to climb onto He Zhao's stall. The tall one, because of its large size, sat directly on the very top of the food cart.
Since they were already like this, He Zhao didn't hesitate and drove off again.
Her guests weren't visible in the rearview mirror, but Wang Yu wasn't idle. She took out her phone, leaned out slightly, and snapped a picture of the food cart behind her. After taking the picture, she sat back down, exchanged a glance with He Zhao, and then smiled slightly.
"That's more like it! Nighttime smuggling operation, charge!"
They were on their way to rescue Qiao Yanyu, but Qiao Yanyu was in very poor condition. Exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, the coins she had been clutching shattering in front of her. And in front of her, investigators from the special investigation team were locked in a fierce battle.
But judging from their appearance, they were all at their last gasp and could be defeated at any moment.
Qiao Yanyu wanted to give it one last try, but she simply didn't have the strength. Before the investigators from the special investigation team arrived, she was dealing with these people and the ghosts they kept all by herself. It has to be said, the ghosts they had carefully raised for so long were indeed quite capable.
It simply floated there silently, without moving, its hair growing wildly behind it, tangling with the investigators. Combined with the achievements of other cult members, this was enough to overwhelm the investigators.
The ghost wasn't fully involved in the battle; it floated in mid-air, its body hunched over, its hands covering its face, and it just kept crying. Its crying was very pitiful and loud, which unconsciously reminded Qiao Yanyu of the information He Zhao had given her.
The Mud Demon said it could always hear ghosts crying, which gave it a headache; it probably meant this guy.
The thought of He Zhao softened Qiao Yanyu's heart. Even at a moment like this, she couldn't help but wonder: Is He Zhao alright now? The city must be in chaos. Has He Zhao gone home yet?
Will she be waiting for me at home? If she doesn't come, will I feel terrible?
If she had known it would turn out this way, she wouldn't have formed such a deep connection with He Zhao. Qiao Yanyu admitted that she didn't want to see He Zhao cry, not at all. She especially didn't want to see He Zhao crying uncontrollably because of her.
However, however... Qiao Yanyu couldn't deceive herself. In fact, Qiao Yanyu didn't regret meeting He Zhao.
Life is like a mayfly, short and fleeting. I'm afraid of interacting with people, afraid of forming deep connections, and I don't want to see those around me leave, like a mother leaving my side. I'm even more afraid that my departure will cause immense pain to the person left behind.
But after meeting He Zhao, she realized that forming connections with people wasn't such a frightening thing after all. Although they hadn't known each other for long, their connection had deepened little by little, to the point that Qiao Yanyu was now terrified of dying.
She wasn't always like this. Qiao Yanyu was never afraid of death. In fact, when she embarked on the path of an investigator, she knew that one day she would die, just like her predecessors in the Countermeasures Bureau. But now she's changed. She doesn't want to die.
She and He Zhao had known each other for far too short a time; not even a winter had passed. She wanted to go flower viewing with He Zhao in the spring. She thought they could see flowers at the park entrance on spring nights, and the pink flowers under the streetlights would surely be beautiful. In the summer, she could bring He Zhao a popsicle or two; He Zhao loved popsicles so much, she would be very happy. The autumn temperature would be just right, no need to turn on the heater, and it wouldn't be too cold even at night, so she shouldn't catch a cold while setting up her stall.
She hadn't experienced any of these things with He Zhao, and she was somewhat unwilling to die like this.
And thinking about it carefully, she didn't even say goodbye to He Zhao properly.
She didn't even have time to say goodbye to He Zhao in person; she just sent her a text message saying that she had something to do today and could only ask Wang Yu to stay with her...
I haven't been able to properly see He Zhao these past few days either.
Qiao Yanyu had to admit that He Zhao held a significant place in her heart, and she had never wanted to see him as much as she did now. She was also worried: if these guys couldn't be successfully taken down and really wreaked havoc in the city, would He Zhao be in danger?
She worried that even if these guys were dealt with and He Zhao returned to his old life of running a stall, would the new investigator assigned by the bureau chief be able to protect him properly? He Zhao's stall always attracted all sorts of strange ghosts, and none of them were weak. A level-two investigator like Wang Yu simply couldn't protect him properly.
If it were another investigator, could they really protect her?
Even if it were another Level 1 investigator, Qiao Yanyu would still be very worried. The bureau chief knew that all the Level 1 investigators in the bureau were rather strange, so how could Qiao Yanyu not know?
She felt dizzy and disoriented; she had just bumped her head on the ground and injured it. Even in this pain and discomfort, she was still thinking of He Zhao. In her heart, He Zhao had long been the most important person.
Qiao Yanyu didn't even think about what to do about the bureau chief; she was so capable, she naturally had her own way of surviving. She was only worried about He Zhao, from the bottom of her heart.
Qiao Yanyu had a sudden realization: in her eyes, He Zhao was a completely different person. When did it all begin? Qiao Yanyu didn't know. Perhaps it started from the first time they ate together, perhaps from the moment she peacefully slept on He Zhao's desk, or perhaps... it started a while ago when they secretly sneaked into the police station together.
Qiao Yanyu coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. She knew she couldn't continue like this; if she kept thinking about it, these guys might actually escape, which would be the greatest danger for He Zhao.
The voice of an investigator from the special investigation team could still be heard in my ears: "Qiao Yanyu, can you still move?! Stand up!"
Can she move? Qiao Yanyu didn't know. She felt pain all over her body, as if every bone was about to shatter. But she still answered, "I can." She braced herself on the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and slowly stood up.
Qiao Yanyu knew that it was time to fight tooth and nail.
She raised her hand, thumb, index, and middle fingers together, the other two bent. The broken coin fragments on the ground began to tremble, as if responding to her. Her vision blurred, and Qiao Yanyu gritted her teeth, trying to regain her senses.
—If I could, I would like to see He Zhao again.
Qiao Yanyu was about to make her move when, at that very moment, she truly heard He Zhao's voice and saw his figure. In the dimly lit basement, the door was pushed open once more, and rushed in He Zhao, Wang Yu, and a dozen or so ghosts.
The investigators on the special investigation team were all furious. They saw the ghosts and assumed that these guys' helpers had arrived. They gritted their teeth and prepared to use their trump card.
But He Zhao called out, "Sister Qiao!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Yu said, "Seniors! We've finally found you! I'm here to help you!"
The investigation team and Qiao Yanyu were stunned when they came to their senses. The investigators hadn't expected someone to bring a ghost to help them, while Qiao Yanyu almost coughed up blood again. She didn't even have time to speak to He Zhao; instead, she looked at Wang Yu and launched into a tirade.
"Why did you bring He Zhao here?! She's just an ordinary person, are you bringing her here to die? Wang Yu! Do you have no brains?!"
Qiao Yanyu has always been a very calm person. Even when she was about to die, she remained calm and did not have much emotional fluctuation. But at this moment, she really couldn't help herself and just wanted to open Wang Yu's head to see what she was thinking.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com