Information regarding police gun number 47881 was briefly explained by Qiao Huali when he reached an agreement with Hu Jia.
Qiao Huali stated that Bai Runjia had indeed been seconded to the Municipal Police Bureau to assist with a case. When the incident occurred, they were both in pursuit of a suspect.
"Firearms were a rarity back then. Although we were equipped with guns, we rarely used them," Qiao Huali said. During the struggle with the perpetrator, they instinctively opted for close-quarters combat, but unexpectedly, the other party was not simple either.
Qiao Huali recalled being held down and beaten by several people. Perhaps out of desperation, Bai Runjia then remembered to draw his service pistol.
Unfortunately, he wasn't very skilled with guns. In his nervousness, he even forgot to disengage the safety.
Because of this mistake, the firearm was snatched away by the assailant. As the assailant aimed the gun at Qiao Huali, Bai Runjia shielded him and took the bullet.
Seeing the immense power of the gun, the assailant was also startled and for a moment, didn't know what to do. Qiao Huali, witnessing Bai Runjia collapse in a pool of blood, was heartbroken. "It was at this moment that the Dao Ren appeared."
The group of bandits misunderstood the nature of the Dao Ren, thinking they were police reinforcements, and turned to flee. "So my life was essentially saved by the Dao Ren, and it was at that time I joined them. As for the whereabouts of the gun, I wasn't entirely truthful then."
Hu Jia finally understood. The Dao Ren not only saved Qiao Huali but also took the police gun.
Hu Jia wasn't sure whether to believe Qiao Huali's story. When he recounted it to everyone, they were all half-believing.
"So, according to Qiao Huali, he has no direct involvement in several cases. He's been with the Dao Ren for over ten years; persuading him to turn back would be difficult," Lü Qingqing sighed. "What are your plans now?"
Hu Jia sat down. "I just hope he wasn't involved in any major or significant cases."
Ouyang Wen shared the same sentiment as Hu Jia. As long as Qiao Huali wasn't implicated in those murder cases and didn't know the truth about Hu Shilong's death beforehand, there was still room for maneuver.
At most, he would be dismissed from his post, which was better than losing his life.
...
"What do you think we should do with that kid?"
"Without orders from above, we can only stare."
"Damn it, the cut on my lip hasn't healed yet. I really want to slap him a couple of times."
"Don't even mention it. If it weren't for people from above showing up, a few of us would have been taken down by him."
The speakers were the Dao Ren who had guarded Xie family mother and son at Yongchuan Courtyard. Looking at Luo Wenwu in the corner, they wished they could kick him.
"That cop's guts are too big, barging in alone. And he claimed he'd capture us all. Hah! As if he's capable. He wanted to fight us all by himself?" the man with the bruised lip cursed.
"Alright, you've said enough. Doesn't your lip hurt? You're so proud now. I told you to train more, but you refused. What kind of bird is he? I think he's an eagle. Weren't you almost caught by him?" another person teased.
The few words made the man with the broken lip feel embarrassed. "I was just careless. Just you wait, if the higher-ups order him dead, I'll be the first to give him a couple of stabs."
Luo Wenwu, lying in the corner, was very weak. Although he was captured by the Dao Ren before, this time his treatment was far different.
Last time, he ate well and lived well. This time, he was beaten within an inch of his life.
Boss, I probably won't survive this time. Luo Wenwu had prepared himself for death. He only regretted not obtaining more evidence of the Dao Ren's crimes.
As Luo Wenwu drifted in and out of consciousness, the door opened.
A man walked in, wearing cloth shoes. He slowly approached Luo Wenwu. "Tell me, why do you guys always go against me? I've been merciful. I've had countless opportunities to kill you, but I held back. You don't appreciate it, always running headfirst into danger."
Luo Wenwu was a bit disoriented. This person's voice was strange, not like a normal person's. It was hoarse, as if injured, yet the pitch was sharp.
Luo Wenwu forced himself to open his eyes. He had a premonition that this person's identity was not simple.
However, his neck hurt too much. The man was standing so close to him. He strained to lift his head to get a look at him, but it was so difficult.
Just as Luo Wenwu was getting angry at his own powerlessness, the man unexpectedly crouched down. He gripped Luo Wenwu's chin. "You want to see me."
Luo Wenwu finally got a glimpse of the man's face. No, he saw the mask he was wearing.
Ugly!
"You're brave! Take off your mask," Luo Wenwu's voice was intermittent.
"Hahaha!" The man laughed, not sure if he was laughing at Luo Wenwu's naivete or his persistence. "Hu Jia wants to save you."
Luo Wenwu remained silent. He knew the other party wasn't lying to him.
As expected of the Boss, he would definitely save him.
"Don't you want to know the condition for him saving you?" Hearing the provocative tone, Luo Wenwu had a bad feeling. Would the Boss make a choice that crossed a line to save him?
If that were the case, he would rather die here.
Seeing Luo Wenwu's silence, the man seemed to guess his thoughts. "Don't worry, he won't abandon his revenge for you."
With that, the man tightened his grip. "He's just using the contents of the box as an exchange."
Huh?
Luo Wenwu was stunned.
The box? What box?
Could it be that the Boss had already deciphered those four sentences, and the secret hidden behind them was a box?
Qiao Huali looked at Luo Wenwu. "You know how important that box is, right? Hu Jia really paid a heavy price."
"Kill me then!" Luo Wenwu understood too well what that box represented. It was the truth they had spent ten years searching for. How could he let his own actions destroy everyone's efforts?
"Kill you? If I kill you, what will I use to exchange for the box? When you opened the box, you should have realized it was a death warrant. Whoever got it would die."
"Bah!" Luo Wenwu finally guessed. "You're Sixth Master, aren't you? Trying to threaten the Boss using me? Dream on."
"Don't get agitated. I've thought it all through. Whoever opened the box, I'll chop off their hand. After all, that thing is a sacred relic, not to be defiled by your dirty hands?"
"Dirty what? I opened the box, so chop me?"
"You opened it? I don't believe you. Then tell me what's inside the box. If you're wrong, I'll have to go find Lü Qingqing." After speaking, Sixth Master seemed to ponder to himself. "No, Lü Qingqing is quite skilled herself, and Hu Jia is with her every day, so it might be difficult to act against her. How about this, Yu Yue is also good. Such a beautiful person would surely be sad without her hands. But it's not a big deal, her boyfriend is Li Yang, right? He'll definitely like a broken-armed beauty."
"Get lost!" Luo Wenwu roared, even wriggling with agitation, seemingly trying to break free from Sixth Master's grasp. Chopping off Yu Yue's hands would harm not only Yu Yue but also Li Yang.
It was truly killing two birds with one stone!
However, how could he describe the contents of the box when Sixth Master was asking him? He didn't even know about the existence of a box!