Chapter 305: Silencing Witnesses
The heavy rain stopped abruptly, the cold wind remained, and the water on the ground had already flooded past the ankles.
Pulling his thin shirt tighter, Zhang Yang lowered his head and looked at the middle-aged man before him who was clutching a cigarette and gasping heavily. He slowly crouched down and said calmly, "If you're sent to the hospital now, you still have a chance to live."
There was no excess emotion in his tone—no sympathy, no disgust.
"Heh... heh..." Cheng Jisheng laughed, then burst into a violent cough. He raised his hand and ripped off the wet beard stuck to his lips, revealing a face that looked rather refined. He stared at Zhang Yang. "Even if you want me to live, will they let me live?"
He had people behind him—Zhang Yang knew that. He just didn't know who exactly they were. The Cai family, maybe. But wouldn't doing something like this be a little too conspicuous?
Zhang Yang frowned slightly. Judging from his expression, the man was clearly ready to die. Someone who wasn't afraid of death probably wouldn't reveal anything.
"I... originally thought... I could live until tomorrow." Cheng Jisheng suddenly forced his head up to look at Zhang Yang. "Do you know? Tomorrow is my birthday. After tomorrow, I'll be fifty."
The rain began to fall again, drizzling softly.
He tossed away the cigarette butt, raised his head toward Zhang Yang again, and showed a faint, bitter smile. "Had I known today would come, I never would've taken that job. I really lost out on that deal..."
"The Du family?" Zhang Yang glanced at him.
"The Du family is nothing!" Cheng Jisheng planted both hands on the water-covered ground to straighten himself a bit. Then he looked up at Zhang Yang with a pleading expression. "Give me a clean end."
"Who exactly wants me dead?"
"If I were you, I wouldn't ask." Cheng Jisheng shifted his gaze behind Zhang Yang. At the mouth of the alley came the sound of boots splashing through water. Then he shut his mouth and fixed his eyes.
Tang Qiqi walked over from the distance, unhurried.
"Tang Qiqi... I knew it was her." A bitter smile appeared on Cheng Jisheng's face. "In Spade Eight, the only one who can surpass Green Scorpion is her."
"Long time no see, Uncle Cheng!" Tang Qiqi carried the case holding the SSG69 as she finally reached the two men. She set the case down, splashing water everywhere.
"So you already knew?" Cheng Jisheng replied abruptly. Of course, he meant the matter of him ordering Green Scorpion to assassinate Tang Duan.
Tang Qiqi nodded.
"Since you know, why not just end it quickly and shoot me once?"
Tang Qiqi hesitated, took a deep breath, and asked, "Why did you do it?"
"Power is something people can't help liking." Cheng Jisheng stared at Tang Qiqi. "If I were Tang Duan and had this opportunity, he would've done the same."
"Your position back then only put you at fourth place in Spade Eight. Shouldn't others have had even more opportunity than you?"
"They're all dead. Does asking now even matter?" Cheng Jisheng closed his eyes. "Even if I didn't kill your father, someone else would've. Kill me and let everything vanish with me."
Tang Qiqi hesitated and turned her head toward Zhang Yang.
When Cheng Jisheng opened his eyes again, he caught her expression. He coughed violently and stared at Tang Qiqi. "If you... are doing this... for him... then hurry up and kill me."
"Bang!" A crisp gunshot erupted beside them. Zhang Yang saw a burst of blood spray from Cheng Jisheng's neck, splattering both him and Tang Qiqi. Cheng Jisheng weakly raised his hands to cover his throat, but he couldn't stop the bleeding. After a few futile struggles, his eyes widened and his head slumped to the ground.
Zhang Yang and Tang Qiqi froze for a moment. The shooter wasn't either of them.
"You two are still too green. Don't you know the saying 'the mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole waits behind'?" Ao Tian's lazy voice sounded behind them. His gun was still smoking—the shot had been his.
Tang Qiqi frowned, reaching for the throwing dagger hidden behind her.
Zhang Yang quickly held down her hand and whispered, "I was the one who notified him."
Ao Tian let out an awkward laugh and looked at Tang Qiqi. "See? Zhang Yang understands humor, doesn't he?"
Tang Qiqi frowned again and asked sternly, "Why did you kill him?"
"For this brat." Ao Tian glanced at Zhang Yang, then casually brushed past the two of them and crouched beside Cheng Jisheng's corpse, rummaging through his body.
He stood back up a moment later, looking slightly disappointed. Then he glanced at both of them. "You two should go."
"You still haven't answered. Why kill him?" Tang Qiqi stubbornly pressed.
Ao Tian looked at her, hesitated a moment, then replied calmly, "Didn't I just answer? I did it to save Zhang Yang. I don't want you to be left without support later. That's all."
Tang Qiqi's pretty face flushed slightly—fortunately, no one could see it in the dark.
"So I should thank you?" Zhang Yang said lightly as Ao Tian kept busy.
"Exactly!" Ao Tian lifted his head, looking completely at ease. "There are some things you shouldn't know. Knowing less won't hurt you. Forget everything that happened tonight."
"Someone wants to kill me, and I shouldn't know?" Zhang Yang sneered.
Ao Tian froze, stood up straight, and stared at Zhang Yang for a long moment before nodding with a sigh. "Don't overthink it. Maybe... it's just a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?" Tang Qiqi scoffed. "A misunderstanding can justify taking someone's life? And what, saying 'it's for your own good' solves everything?"
Ao Tian slowly swept his gaze over both of them, then lowered his head with a sigh. "I know some things seem unreasonable or unpleasant. But remember what I said—leave quickly and forget everything here."
"And if I don't?" Tang Qiqi sneered.
"Bang!" The moment she finished speaking, another sharp gunshot tore through the silent night. Ao Tian raised his arm and shot himself in the elbow. Blood instantly dyed his left arm red. His body staggered, but he showed no sign of pain.
"Are you insane?" Zhang Yang's heart clenched at the sight of Ao Tian's limp arm. Yes—this sloppy, shameless guy had annoyed him countless times and used him many more. They were mutually exploiting each other... but Zhang Yang had already come to see him as a real friend.
"This is what I owe you." Ao Tian gave a bitter smile. He looked at Zhang Yang, tossed the gun into the water, took out a room card, and handed it to him. "Lijing Hotel. There are two sets of clothes there. Change into them. It's New Year's Eve—you'll look ridiculous going back like this."
Time: New Year's Eve, 10:30 PM.
Lijing Hotel was a three-star hotel near Shangbin Road. Not long after Zhang Yang and Tang Qiqi left, they heard police cars speeding toward Haixin Inn.
But Zhang Yang didn't worry about that anymore. He had only informed Ao Tian right before entering the inn, asking him to handle the aftermath. Zhang Yang never expected Ao Tian to know the deeper truth.
Of course, Zhang Yang believed Ao Tian had only just learned about it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been relentlessly pursuing Spade Eight.
When Zhang Yang saw Ao Tian willing to break his own arm rather than reveal the truth, he understood that with his current strength, he couldn't fight the power behind this event.
Someone capable of making Ao Tian—the man he was—do such a thing must be terrifying.
Whether it was a misunderstanding didn't matter to Zhang Yang. He only wanted one reason: why did they want to kill him? But judging from everything, he might never learn the answer.
Tang Qiqi kept glancing at him from the passenger seat. Neither spoke until they reached Lijing Hotel's entrance. Only then did she whisper, "Thank you."
Zhang Yang looked at her and chuckled. "Change clothes, then we'll go back."
The rain had stopped, but with the weather like this, it was unlikely that Lulu and the others could go count down. After calling to say they'd be late, Zhang Yang and Tang Qiqi entered the hotel.
Inside the room, they indeed found two sets of clothes on the bed—a black suit, a black long dress, and a crimson vest.
The key issue was—there was also a letter on the dressing mirror!
Had Ao Tian predicted everything beforehand?
Zhang Yang looked at Tang Qiqi and pointed at the long black dress on the bed. "You go change first."
"Mm." Tang Qiqi nodded, took the clothes, and went into the bathroom.
Zhang Yang picked up the letter addressed to him. He opened the envelope and unfolded the paper.
"Zhang Yang, by the time you read this, I'm probably wiping your ass. Yes, I installed aGPS tracker in your new car. So I know everywhere you go. Don't be mad—your anger won't reach me anyway. I don't know how you managed to find where Cheng Jisheng was hiding, but I need to thank you. When even the national police couldn't find him, you actually did."
"By the time you read this, Cheng Jisheng must be dead. The matter of Spade Eight ends here. No matter what you know, you must forget all of it. Knowing too much sometimes does you no good. Remember my words. Alright, brother—take care. My mission is complete. Treat Qiqi well."
"Mission complete?" Zhang Yang felt a sudden unease after reading the letter.
"Qiqi, wait for me in the hotel."
"What's wrong?" Tang Qiqi paused, hearing Zhang Yang's shaken voice from the bathroom.
"I'll explain later. Wait for me."
"Hold on—it's cold outside. Take your coat." Tang Qiqi opened the bathroom door.