Chapter 140: A Shootout Between Traitors and a Doctor's Sudden Death, How Pleasing to the Ear |
The moment the distant figure collapsed, Shi Rang instinctively dove to the side.
Almost simultaneously, a gunshot rang out.
An invisible, heavy punch instantly slammed into his abdomen.
The impact of the bullet forced a muffled groan from Shi Rang's lips. His bulletproof vest protected his body, leaving him fully capable of moving, but he deliberately clutched his side as he scrambled up, limping away as if severely injured.
He made no attempt to search for the shooter in the pitch-black environment, nor did he turn on his flashlight. Doing so would only waste precious time for escape.
He had to put some distance between them as quickly as possible to avoid getting shot in the head!
Running down the mountain was out of the question as well. The descending staircase was far too exposed, and he would only turn himself into a walking target!
"He is hiding in the woods. He is using a handgun, likely equipped with a silencer," the thug reported. "I have a rough idea of his position. Do you need suppressing fire for cover?"
Shi Rang hunched his body, running toward the direction where the thug and Jing Zi were lying in ambush.
He shouted these words both to Huang Xiao and to the thug and Jing Zi.
Hu Lihua was still lying not too far away, emitting painful gasps. However, his voice was growing fainter. With a severe chest wound, he was not going to last much longer.
Huang Xiao actually killed Hu Lihua?!
No, his goal was not simply murder. Since Huang Xiao could invite them out individually, he could have easily killed the two of them separately.
He wanted Hu Lihua and Doctor Wang to meet at a specific location so he could seize the opportunity to frame them!
Hu Lihua was at least fifty meters away from the nearest woods. To land an accurate shot in such pitch-black conditions... Huang Xiao had night vision goggles!
Was he insane? This was a wide-open mountainside. There was a gravekeeper at the foot of the mountain and a town right next to it. The gunshots and shouting would definitely be heard!
Unless—
Another muffled pop echoed as a gunshot rang out. This time, the bullet grazed right past Shi Rang's leg.
Huang Xiao was an excellent marksman. His first shot anticipated Shi Rang's diving motion and struck his torso, but this second shot ultimately missed. Trying to hit the leg of a distant, moving target with a handgun in such lighting conditions was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
An idea flashed in Shi Rang's mind. He let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground, dragging his completely uninjured leg as he crawled a couple of times, deliberately gasping for air loud enough to be heard.
"Stay hidden, wait for my signal," he muttered vaguely between his heavy breaths.
"Understood."
Jing Zi and the thug were deep in the woods, just a little over ten meters ahead. The latter had brought a rifle just in case, but Shi Rang had no desire to attract the main forces of the Anomaly Management Bureau. He needed to figure out first why the usually cautious Huang Xiao was completely unafraid of being discovered.
Aside from anti-anomaly equipment like the Reality Stabilization Anchor, the Anomaly Management Bureau possessed numerous byproducts derived from anomaly research, collectively known as Paranormal Technology. This equipment served as sharp weapons in the hands of the Bureau's senior staff, encompassing everything from combat and support to research. Without a doubt, Huang Xiao definitely had Paranormal Technology on him as well.
Even though Shi Rang had an equipment manifest in his hands, he still needed intel to pinpoint the specific category of the gear.
Before identifying that item, Shi Rang could not let the people from the Ascension Society get involved in this matter. They were strictly a last resort.
First, it was for his own safety. Second, he was worried that his connection to the Ascension Society would be exposed.
This was entirely different from cleaning up after killing a Stitched Walker. Heaven only knew what hidden trump cards Huang Xiao had left to preserve evidence.
Shi Rang pretended to lose all his strength, lying flat on the spot, pressing closely against the very edge of the Reality Stabilization Anchor's area of effect.
He did not know how someone with an actual gunshot wound would react, but he had heard Xing Jianyuan's voice in the recording. He knew exactly what breathing sounded like when a person was in agonizing pain, and he could easily mimic it.
As the echoes of the gunshots faded, the cemetery returned to an eerie silence. Only Hu Lihua's increasingly faint groans and Shi Rang's feigned cries of pain could be heard.
Shi Rang's mind raced, deducing the events that had transpired right before his arrival.
Hu Lihua had no reason to visit the cemetery, but if Huang Xiao had manipulated things from the shadows, that would change everything. They were conspirators bound by mutual interest. It was highly likely that Huang Xiao had passed along a fake message, claiming that Doctor Wang's target of blackmail was Hu Lihua instead of Huang Xiao himself, using this to lure Hu Lihua to the scene. Hu Lihua bore little actual responsibility in the incident and probably intended to resolve the problem by offering bribes or benefits.
However, neither he nor Shi Rang had anticipated that Huang Xiao would burn his bridges and kill his ally once his usefulness was exhausted.
Having already secured a confirmed promotion and successfully removed himself from the scope of the investigation, Huang Xiao decided to go all the way. He plotted to eliminate Hu Lihua, an Informed Person who knew the intricate details, and dispose of Doctor Wang, who threatened to expose him. He invited both of them to the same location to stage a fake conflict between them, aiming to kill two birds with one stone and bury the truth in the darkness forever!
'Come on, Huang Xiao. If your goal is to frame these two, it's about time you showed yourself, right?'
'If both Hu Lihua and Doctor Wang simply die from gunshot wounds, your entire scheme falls apart.'
At that moment, a vibration came from Shi Rang's pocket.
The phone he used for communication was ringing.
It was a call from Huang Xiao.
After answering it, no one spoke on the other end. Shi Rang panted until his throat ached, taking the initiative to ask in a suppressed, raspy voice, "What... what exactly do you want to do...
"
"Hu Lihua hasn't breathed his last yet. Crawl over to him. He brought a knife; take that knife and kill him."
Shi Rang rapidly analyzed the situation. 'He didn't notice any issue with my voice. That means he can still see my position and is still under the effects of Phantom Transformation.'
"...And then you will kill me?"
"I will let you go," Huang Xiao said, his tone carrying the faint smile of someone in complete control. "You either trust me, or I give you another bullet."
Hu Lihua had collapsed within the interference range of the Reality Stabilization Anchor, and it was absolutely impossible for Shi Rang to crawl in there. The Reality Stabilization Anchor was not an omnipotent anti-anomaly tool, but it would suppress his Phantom Transformation ability. It could also, to a certain extent, suppress Paranormal Technology derived from anomalies.
Shi Rang was worried that Huang Xiao had brought Paranormal Technology that would leave behind unwanted evidence, while Huang Xiao was equally worried that "Doctor Wang" might do the exact same thing and ruin his perfect setup.
Shi Rang forced a choked, sobbing voice. "I won't report you. I won't say a word when I go back—"
Another shot rang out from the previous location. The bullet struck the stone pavement near Shi Rang, sending a spray of gravel flying into the air.
Huang Xiao coldly stated, "I am not negotiating with you."
Shi Rang glanced toward the direction of the gunshot. It was a dense cluster of woods, teeming with thick cover.
In the blink of an eye, he came up with a perfectly reasonable excuse.
"I can't crawl anymore...
"
On the other end of the phone, Huang Xiao fell silent.
It made sense. Doctor Wang was just a medical professional who sat in an office all day. Crawling several dozen meters using only his hands was no easy feat, not to mention the fact that the man had just taken two bullets. If the exertion tore a wound and ruptured a blood vessel, causing him to bleed out and die too early, that would completely ruin the plan.
He hadn't wanted to choose such a risky method, but the golden opportunity to eliminate both Hu Lihua and Doctor Wang in one fell swoop was right in front of him. What reason did he have to hold back?
They could never have guessed that Huang Xiao was planning a double murder. Their status as employees of the Anomaly Management Bureau provided them with a false sense of security, and the ongoing internal investigation meant they hadn't even considered the possibility that Huang Xiao would take such a desperate risk.
But a moment's thought revealed the truth: Xing Jianyuan, the last person who harbored this false sense of security, had already been tortured to the brink of insanity. How could these two, who posed a direct threat to him, possibly remain safe and sound?
Hu Lihua, on the contrary, was actually the easier one to deal with.
The moment Huang Xiao dropped the hint that Doctor Wang wanted to uncover their secrets and force his way into their alliance, Hu Lihua understood immediately. Believing he could take the initiative and control the situation, he naturally suggested that Huang Xiao accompany him to serve as a witness, just in case Doctor Wang tried to turn on them later. Huang Xiao, of course, was more than happy to oblige.
Highly confident in his marksmanship, his only two concerns were that Hu Lihua might be wearing a heavy bulletproof vest, and that Doctor Wang might not come alone.
Therefore, he had to arrive early to meet with Hu Lihua and then secretly monitor Doctor Wang's ascent up the mountain.
Once he confirmed everything was under his control, he used a specially crafted crossbow bolt to strike Hu Lihua, piercing right through the skin-tight bulletproof vest—which could stop bullets, but not sharp, stabbing weapons. Immediately after, he quickly drew his handgun and shot Doctor Wang.
He decided to pin the label of 'traitor' firmly onto Hu Lihua's head. Doctor Wang, meanwhile, would be painted as the greedy scum who harbored selfish desires and tried to blackmail the great traitor. The two sides failed to reach an agreement in the cemetery, resulting in a fierce struggle. Doctor Wang fought desperately, wounding the traitor before perishing in the graveyard. As for Hu Lihua, he would naturally "defect" and vanish without a trace with the help of his accomplices, exactly like Director Bjorn.
It was a pity that Huang Xiao was operating entirely alone, so he couldn't fabricate the traces of a genuine shootout.
Otherwise, "a shootout between traitors and a doctor's sudden death" would sound so incredibly pleasing to the ear.
Huang Xiao ordered, "Stay right where you are, Doctor Wang. You cannot die just yet."
He pulled a dice-sized device from his pocket and tossed it in Doctor Wang's direction.