Chapter 125: The Greater the Hope, the Greater the Disappointment

Seventh Brother told me everything he knew about the Golden Cicada Society. He only hoped that I would spare his life.

“I’ve told you everything I know. You… you’ll let me go, won’t you?”

Looking into Seventh Brother’s desperate eyes, I chuckled. “I have one last question. As long as you answer it, I promise I’ll let you go.”

I smiled faintly, ignoring whether he agreed or not, and asked directly, “Where is Lin Feng?”

Seventh Brother’s expression changed, and he began shaking his head repeatedly. “I don’t know… I really don’t know.”

I pressed on. “Then where is the Corpse Pool? Could Lin Feng be there?”

He shook his head again and told me that his position in the Golden Cicada Society was very low. Although he knew of the Corpse Pool, he had never been there, let alone knew its exact location.

But he was certain that if one found the Corpse Pool, they would surely find Lin Feng.

Looking at Seventh Brother, it seemed there was no more useful information to be gained from him.

I grabbed the pepper spray baton and approached him from behind, then without hesitation, I stunned him. After tying up everyone on the boat with ropes, I went to the cockpit and told the helmsman to dock the boat.

As soon as the boat reached the shore, a squad of fully armed SWAT officers stormed aboard and arrested Seventh Brother and the others.

Wang Zihao saw me and gave a thumbs-up. “Didn’t expect you to take them down all by yourself.”

I shrugged, sweat pouring down my face as the killing curse’s effect wore off.

My entire body felt weak. Supported by Song Zhong, I sat in the car to rest.

“Brother Hao, Seventh Brother is just a minor leader in the Golden Cicada Society. You should question him thoroughly. Besides what he told me about the Corpse Pool, there should be other clues.”

I patted Wang Zihao’s shoulder. “I’m leaving the investigation to you. Call me if you need anything.”

Grateful, Wang Zihao nodded. “Definitely. Once my special task force is ready, I’ll contact you.”

Before Song Zhong drove off, I grabbed Wang Zihao’s arm. “If there’s any news about Lin Feng, tell me immediately.”

-----

By now, I was obsessed with Lin Feng. If I didn’t eliminate her, she would haunt my mind forever.

I returned to the shop after six in the evening.

Song Zhong hadn’t spoken a single word the entire way—unlike his usual style.

“Coach, why are you so silent?”

He looked at me and sighed deeply. After a moment, he slowly asked, “Jiang Huai, am I really unsuited for this path?”

Confused, I thought this was unlike Song Zhong.

After inquiring, I realized that after being affected by Seventh Brother’s curse today, Song Zhong was plunged into deep self-doubt.

It was understandable. Although Seventh Brother wasn’t a high-ranking member of the Golden Cicada Society, he had been involved in this line of work much longer than Song Zhong.

More importantly, Seventh Brother could attract sinister energy into his body—something Song Zhong couldn’t accomplish.

Furthermore, Song Zhong’s inability to react in time was understandable under those circumstances.

I reached out and patted Song Zhong’s shoulder. “No one is more suitable for this profession than you.”

“Your courage and determination are unmatched.”

We were just businessmen, after all, working for money. But when faced with such situations, Song Zhong’s willingness to rush in without hesitation already defeated many others.

“As long as you’re earnest, you’ll become even stronger than me someday.”

Song Zhong shrugged without responding, then changed the subject. “How are you going to tell Qin Nian?”

“Jiang Huai, Yu Hong is Qin Nian’s reason for living. If you tell him Yu Hong is dead, I’m afraid he’ll have a breakdown,” Song Zhong said wisely.

I asked him back, “Who told you Yu Hong is dead?”

Before he could answer, I continued, “Yu Hong isn’t dead. She’s alive and well.”

Hearing this, Song Zhong’s eyes flickered, as if he suddenly understood. “Right! She’s not dead! She’s waiting for the police to rescue her!”

I looked at Song Zhong, puzzled. Did he really grasp the meaning behind my words?

-----

I genuinely believed Yu Hong wasn’t dead. If she had died, her spirit couldn’t have found Qin Nian, and none of this would have happened.

Seventh Brother was just a low-level operative; he couldn’t possibly know the truth about Yu Hong’s fate.

So when I said Yu Hong was alive, I wasn’t just saying it to comfort Qin Nian or out of whimsy.

After resting briefly in the shop, Song Zhong and I went to Qin Nian’s house.

Upon entering, before I could speak, Song Zhong was beaming with joy like he had good news to share.

He clasped Qin Nian’s hand excitedly and told him we had found a lead: Yu Hong was not dead but kidnapped, likely hidden somewhere.

He also said we were cooperating with the police and had already gathered clues, so rescuing Yu Hong was only a matter of time.

“Jiang Huai, am I right?”

I nodded sincerely. “More or less. But we still need your help.”

“Exactly!” Song Zhong took over. “Mr. Qin, what you need to do now is take good care of yourself and tidy up your home. Your wife might be coming back soon.”

I knew Song Zhong meant well, but he completely missed my point. “Mr. Qin, I need some personal belongings your wife used to carry frequently—the longer she had them, the better.”

Qin Nian looked at me, his eyes flicking, then immediately stood up. “I have them! I’ll go get them right away!”

Watching Qin Nian’s excitement, Song Zhong sighed. “Jiang Huai, is this really necessary? The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, isn’t it?”

I looked at Song Zhong, puzzled. “Don’t you think he already has hope? Besides, I really have a way.”

I lowered my head, thinking. “Alright, I’ll give you a chance to practice. I’ll teach you how to find someone by their belongings.”

“Because so much time has passed, we might not get exact details, but roughly locating them won’t be a problem.”