Old Zhu quietly got up around 4 or 5 a.m., when everyone from Zhu Mengmeng to the nurses was most likely to doze off, and went to the outer corridor, where he jumped from the building.
The ward was on the third floor, not a high floor, but even an elderly person jumping from that height would usually die instantly, let alone a patient already injured and resting in bed.
Fortunately, the height didn't break through Qiu Wuji's pre-set defenses. Old Zhu only suffered some impact injuries and was currently raging in his hospital bed: "I didn't jump by myself! Some bastard tried to kill me!"
No one could believe him. Who could control themselves to go to the outer corridor and jump over the railing?
"Your father has a mental illness. It's possible he had some kind of hallucination during his sleep, which is an explainable phenomenon," the doctor could only tell Zhu Mengmeng. "We'll have extra nurses watching over him tonight..." Honestly, even Zhu Mengmeng and Cai Zhijian had thought so; it might be a sequela of his mental injury. Although Zhu Mengmeng still trusted her father more and thought it impossible for him to jump, the doctor's explanation was the most logical.
She couldn't be angry with the hospital now, because she knew the hospital genuinely didn't understand the situation. In fact, the main purpose of people using supernatural abilities to do all sorts of things was to deceive the hospital and the police, creating the impression of suicide by jumping. Many unsolved cases are created this way. What's the point of blaming the hospital for not understanding supernatural abilities…?
She could only say weakly, "I'm not sleeping tonight."
Zhong Yi and Chu Ge, the couple, arrived around the same time and unexpectedly met outside the ward.
Zhong Yi's expression was extremely grim: "I fought with Du Lianfeng last night and threw him downstairs. Of course, he didn't die."
Chu Ge exclaimed suddenly: "So this is Du Lianfeng's revenge again? You threw him downstairs, and he threw Old Zhu downstairs too?"
Zhong Yi said: "It looks like it... and I felt my body was out of control, like I was being dragged, almost falling downstairs on my own. Old Zhu must have experienced the same control; he's injured and weak, so the range of movements that could be controlled is even greater..."
Qiu Wuji coldly said: "They don't know I put up protective measures; they want Old Zhu dead!"
Chu Ge's face was also very grim. Indeed, the other party wouldn't know that Old Zhu had been protected; this wasn't just a little revenge, but blatant murder!
"Whose ability is this?" Chu Ge had the "List of Ability Users" on hand. Zhong Yi thought Chu Ge had guessed that his ability was related to lifespan, but actually, he had seen the answers and was giving an open-book test.
However, the "List of Supernatural Abilities" doesn't include anyone who can remotely control another person's body to jump off a building without physical contact. Such an ability is truly deadly; it might not be particularly powerful, but it's too concealed. Even if similar cases have occurred, you wouldn't know who the killer is, so it can't be included.
Chu Ge thought Zhong Yi, with his extensive knowledge, would know, but Zhong Yi shook his head: "I've never heard of such an ability. There are many extraordinary people in the world, and those with such high concealment can hide it from everyone if they want to… I wonder how many special individuals Du Lianfeng and his group have recruited over the years."
Chu Ge said, "So, going after Du Lianfeng is the right thing to do, right?"
Zhong Yi said seriously, "Du Lianfeng and his group are an organization, now openly a large conglomerate spanning multiple industries. Du Lianfeng is just one of the higher-ups. Actually, dealing with him alone wouldn't be enough."
Chu Ge said angrily "Are we just going to watch him kill? He's not just targeting Old Zhu; he's conducting a massive search of Nanjiang. Sooner or later, more people will be victimized, including myself!"
Zhong Yi chuckled. "What can you do? Call the police? They're big investors… The police have no evidence. Are they going to arrest someone just because they fainted after playing chess? Or because you imagine he controlled people to jump off buildings? It's impossible. At most, they'll interrogate them for a few days, and then they'll be back, full of energy, 'inspecting industries.' What can you do? Keep waiting, until the next victim appears, and see if there's any new evidence?"
Chu Ge choked.
Zhong Yi continued, "Or you could secretly kill him? Do you dare to kill him? Or are you just going to secretly beat him up, and then let it go on until he recovers?"
Chu Ge remained silent. Qiu Wuji crossed her arms and sneered, "I will kill."
Zhong Yi glanced at her.
"It's too easy to kill someone without knowing why," Qiu Wuji said calmly, "if I think it's necessary."
Chu Ge waved her hand and shook her head slightly.
Qiu Wuji obediently shut her mouth.
In front of outsiders, one must give him, the "head of the household," face.
"What if we make them back down?" Chu Ge said slowly, "Would it make them realize that Nanjiang isn't a place to run wild? Would that be meaningful?"
"Of course," Zhong Yi said. "Last night, when I approached Du Lianfeng, it wasn't just about revenge. It was also about conveying this message: if they cause trouble again, I'll kill them, and they should stop. But unfortunately, achieving that effect seems difficult; it's only provoked their ferocity… How do you plan to achieve this?"
Chu Ge was pondering when Cai Zhijian came out of the ward with his phone, his face ashen. "Du Lianfeng wants to meet with Mengmeng to discuss business. They've gone too far! This is blatant threat!"
Chu Ge pulled out the Calabash Brothers mask. "No matter what, we must protect Sister Mengmeng this time."
Zhu Mengmeng was stunned. "Really going?"
"If we don't go, won't they come knocking?" The Calabash Brothers mask still had that tilted-head smile. "Let's go and see just how powerful they really are."
… Cai Zhijian stayed behind to take care of Old Zhu, while Zhu Mengmeng took Zhong Yi and Chu Ge to the appointment.
Du Lianfeng and his group were after the mine, not killing to vent their anger.
Having done what they needed to do, the next step was naturally to force the clueless Zhu Mengmeng to obediently sell the mine.
Or, to let Old Zhu, lying in his sickbed, know that his daughter was also in danger, so he would voluntarily sell the mine.
The method was simple and brutal, yet often very effective.
"The superpower world has even developed a similar gambling culture, using a decisive battle to determine the ownership of certain things," Zhong Yi explained to the group on the way to the appointment. "In a sense, it's like saying, 'Since you can't beat me with your superpowers, you'd better play it safe. If the weaker party knows what's good for them, then everyone's fine.'"
"Is this some kind of martial arts/fantasy movie?" Chu Ge quipped.
Qiu Wuji smiled slightly. Wasn't her gambling match with Yan Qianlie just like that? It was indeed a common trope in martial arts/fantasy stories; once an individual possessed extraordinary power, this kind of culture naturally emerged.
She was used to it with her, but perhaps very unaccustomed to it with Chu Ge. Even if Chu Ge wrote it this way, it was different.
But Qiu Wuji felt that Chu Ge would eventually get used to it; it was almost inevitable. She even knew what Chu Ge was thinking right now.
The meeting place was a five-star hotel in the city center, the entire top floor where Du Lianfeng and his group were staying.
Stepping out of the elevator, they saw a row of men in black suits standing neatly and solemnly in the corridor, looking at Zhong Yi… and the pair of Calabash Brothers masks that Zhu Mengmeng had brought.
Faced with the bizarre Calabash Brothers masks, the men in black suits remained expressionless, displaying their well-trained manners… perhaps they had seen many more strange people during their "negotiations."
"Miss Zhu, who are these gentlemen?" one of the men in the lead black suits stopped Zhu Mengmeng and asked politely.
Zhu Mengmeng spat, "My bodyguard, can't I bring him?" The man in the black suit politely replied, "We need to ensure there are no murder weapons, please understand."
With a "bang," Zhong Yi kicked the man in the black suit who was about to search him, sending him flying several meters. "Stop trying to intimidate me! If I really wanted to kill someone, Du Lianfeng was already a pulp yesterday. Still searching for weapons? Get the hell out of here!" Chu Ge glanced sideways.
Zhong Yi was usually calm and refined; this was the first time he'd seen him so agitated. It seemed the man's attempt to kill Old Zhu had truly enraged him.
Du Lianfeng's calm voice came from inside the room: "Since the guy surnamed Zhong is here, this show of force is pointless. Leave and let him in." Zhu Mengmeng kicked the door angrily: "So you think you can search me just because I came in? Go to hell!" The door was kicked open, and in the spacious presidential suite, Du Lianfeng sat on a recliner, his arms and legs in casts, his face covered in bandages; he looked like he'd really had a bad fall last night.
He stared coldly at Zhong Yi, his eyes filled with icy killing intent.
Zhong Yi ignored him, his gaze fixed on another person in the room.
It was an elderly man with white hair and beard, playing chess against himself at the coffee table.
Silence fell between them; only the sound of chess pieces hitting the board echoed like the tolling of a death knell.
Zhu Mengmeng didn't care about anything else and started mocking Du Lianfeng's cast-bound hands and feet: "You want to touch me, huh? Come on, touch me. Oh, I forgot your hands and feet are inconvenient, so you can use your tongue then. If you serve this lady well, I'll reward you with a mineral, how about that?"