Chapter 88 The Skeleton [VIP]
Looking at the scene before him, Cheng You suddenly understood. Cecil truly lived up to his reputation as the BOSS of the research institute; he was ruthless.
Cecil had sent letters to so many organizations except the Black Organization, and he knew the Black Organization would definitely get the information and would have a way to contact the FBI and the police. Therefore, he had long anticipated that there might be members of the Black Organization, the FBI, and the police among those present. Adhering to the principle of better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free, he wanted to keep them all here.
That's really something. He doesn't take the police and the FBI seriously at all. A twisted and sinister person like him will bring unpredictable destruction to society if he lives even one more day.
Cheng's fingers dug into his palm; he needed to get the research institute's matter on the agenda quickly, he couldn't wait any longer.
Cecil said, "I've planted bombs all around the club, and there are bombs under your feet too. If you don't want to die like this, tell me who's with you: the Black Organization, the Public Security Bureau, and the FBI."
Should I betray them and tell that person they're all from the Black Organization?
At that moment, Cheng You heard the thoughts of the black-clad organization members he led. He glanced back and locked his gaze on a certain person.
Cecil looked at the group, who were suspicious of each other but remained silent, and sneered, "Ten minutes. If no one speaks up, I'll detonate the bomb. I don't know who it is, but I'll send you all to your deaths."
At this point, the cell phone had lost signal, and the bugging device was most likely no longer effective. Cheng removed the bugging device and turned it off.
He couldn't just sit and wait to die. If no one stepped forward, he would break Cecil's threat. Cheng You quietly pulled out his pistol, thinking of standing up and shooting Cecil. Although he might not kill him, he could create some chaos and give himself time to find the remote control.
Just as he was about to stand up, he heard his subordinates' thoughts behind him: "[Porter wants to kill that man?! If I report him, will I be able to get out alive?]"
Cheng You tried to suppress the anger surging in his heart, turned his head and glared at the man, mouthing, "Stop thinking about your little schemes, or I'll kill you first."
The man was clearly threatened, so he stopped thinking about it.
Cheng seized the opportunity, and when Cecil's attention was diverted, he immediately stood up, raised his pistol, and fired. Cheng knew that Cecil often wore bulletproof vests, so he didn't shoot Cecil in the heart, but instead aimed for his calf.
The bullet struck him, and Cecil's face contorted: "Didn't we put all the weapons away? How come there are still some?" This was the first time he had lost his composure like this; he almost roared as he spoke.
Cecil glared fiercely at the chaotic crowd. In the blink of an eye, the person who had injured him had vanished.
"Who saw him?!" No one answered.
Cecil: "Find him for me, and I will kill him myself. Whoever finds him will be spared."
At this moment, the member of the brewery who had been wanting to expose his companion suddenly stood up: "I know that person. He's from the Black Organization."
Cecil's wounds had already been treated by the organization's doctors. He looked at the man with an indifferent expression and a hint of amusement in his tone: "How did you know?"
The man choked for a moment, then replied, "I...I overheard him—"
"Bang—" Before the man could finish speaking, Cecil's bodyguard shot him in the head.
Cecil: "Heh, sitting next to that man and knowing his identity, he's most likely also from the Black Organization. Better to kill the innocent than the guilty." He looked at the trembling crowd, "Don't be afraid, I won't kill you now. I need you to find the man who just hurt me. Anyway, the area has been sealed off by my men, you can't escape."
Thinking of this, he suddenly chuckled: "You should thank him for buying you more time to live."
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the commotion, Cheng You had already secretly left the club's lobby. This underground club was very large; Cheng You had looked at the map before coming and remembered every road clearly.
Now he must find either the bomb or the remote control, but he doesn't know how many bombs there are, making the search very time-consuming. Finding the remote control requires him to get close to Cecil, which is extremely dangerous.
Now, he could only stall for time. He knew Cecil was arrogant and would never allow anyone to infringe upon his authority, so Cheng You's injury was an absolute offense to him, and he would definitely send someone to find Cheng You. As long as he couldn't find him, Cecil could only postpone detonating the bomb.
He took his phone out of his pocket, but the signal was very weak. Sending a message took a long time and eventually failed.
After circling around a few times, Cheng suddenly received a message, which made him quite happy, as there was still a signal at this location.
The message came from Yuichi: "Brother Cheng You, I have a way to rescue you. Conan and I are small enough to easily infiltrate."
Yuichi and Conan are coming? Cheng instinctively wanted to reply that it was too dangerous here, but then he thought about it again. Indeed, it seemed that only they, being children, could sneak in while Cecil's bodyguards were distracted. And Conan, with his special abilities, should be able to succeed...
Cheng You didn't let his guard down, but relying solely on Youyi and Conan wasn't enough to protect everyone. If they could find a secret passage that even Cecil didn't know about...
This clubhouse was converted from an underground palace built during the Edo period. Underground palaces are usually multi-pathed, but Cheng has seen a map and it is not quite the same as the underground palaces of the Edo period. It is probably because the underground palace was not fully developed by the clubhouse.
There was a signal here, which means this place isn't completely enclosed. Cheng started searching the area, making sure not to miss a single brick.
"Thud—"
Sure enough, one of the bricks was loose, but nothing around it changed. Wasn't this the key to open the secret passage?
Cheng keenly sensed faint footsteps approaching from the end of the road; someone was coming.
He stared at the loose brick in front of him, tapping and shaking it, but there was still no reaction. He had to hide now, and just as he was about to hide, his palm pressed against some brick, and then with a "bang," the wall that Cheng You was supporting suddenly disappeared. He didn't react in time and leaned in the direction the wall had disappeared.
He steadied himself immediately and glanced at the spot where the wall had disappeared. It was pitch black; it must be a secret passage.
The footsteps in the distance grew closer and closer, and Cheng You didn't care where the secret passage led, he walked straight in.
As Cheng approached, the wall behind him closed again.
He turned on his phone's flashlight, and as soon as it illuminated the area in front of him, he saw a white skull staring at Cheng Youkan with green light in its eyes.
He was startled and took a few steps back, tripping over something. After regaining his balance, he looked down.
"!" is a skeleton.
Cheng looked around. The place was full of skeletons, and the green glow was from a few fireflies. He bent down and touched the skeletons. They were covered in dust, and he couldn't tell the age of the bones, but guessed that they were built by workers from the Edo period.
He continued walking, and every few steps he would see several skeletons. Suddenly, he stopped.
The road was originally three meters wide, but now it leads to a very large area with many instruments. Cheng observed the surroundings and discovered that there were countless small secret passages leading to this area.
There were still many skeletons on the site, but some of their clothes had not completely weathered away. Since it only takes a year for bones to turn to white, it is difficult to calculate their date of death.
Cheng walked toward the instruments, which were covered in a thick layer of dust. Most of the instruments here were developed and launched more than a decade ago.
So—he looked in horror at the skeletons scattered across the vast area; they had most likely died here in the last ten years or so.
He tried his best to calm himself down and continued searching for useful information until he saw a dusty folder with the papers inside already weathered.
Looking at the layout of the space, Cheng felt it resembled a laboratory, complete with various testing equipment and even protective enclosures. However, he had a vague sense of familiarity…
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a bullet being chambered behind him, followed by Cecil's cold voice: "So you're here."
Cheng You's pupils constricted sharply. When did Cecil appear? He remained calm and slowly asked, "Are you familiar with this place?"
Cecil sneered: "This place used to be my laboratory, but the Black Organization later dominated this place, so I had to take my team and leave Tokyo."
"Starting experiments so early?"
“You know, some people are born with talent, like me. I’ve loved dissecting living people since I was a child, and I especially love modifying humans.” Cecil was helped over by his bodyguard, and he looked at Cheng You with a smile. “I’ve been waiting for you here for a long time. This secret passage isn’t hard to find.”
Cheng suddenly realized something: "You own this club?" So he clearly knew about the existence of the secret passage.
“Yes, always.” Cecil stared at Cheng You’s face without saying a word.
"So now, you intend to kill me?" Cheng You stared into Cecil's eyes. There was only Cecil and five bodyguards here. Cecil's injured leg was an opening, and he still had a chance to win and escape, but he didn't know how to get out of this secret passage.
While Cheng was deep in thought, Cecil suddenly spoke up: "No, I know you. You're from the Black Organization. That time, I saw you steal the chip from the Japanese lab."
"so?"
"Just do me a favor."
Help? Cecil's request was far from simple. He coldly replied, "I won't do murder or arson for you."
Cecil smiled politely and pulled three photos from his pocket: "Help me find the three people in these photos."
Cheng You took the photos and looked at them. The first one was of a gloomy-looking four or five-year-old boy lying in a sealed glass container, staring fiercely at the photographer with wide eyes. His eyes seemed somewhat familiar. The second one was of a black-haired five or six-year-old boy lying quietly in a glass container, seemingly asleep. Cheng You felt that he had seen this child's face somewhere before.
The third picture shows a boy who is about four or five years old. Cheng You's pupils suddenly contracted. He knew who this child was!
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