Chapter 475: Chapter 475: I’m Afraid They’re Hard to Find

Li Fenghuo said, "Go on. What happened in the mountains back then?"

Li Fenghuo had a gut feeling that what Gu Xinsheng was about to say was related to Jin Zhiwei’s case. Since the case involved unnatural forces, the city bureau had reported it up through the chain of command. Especially because it involved Su Qing and the Li family, both Li Fenghuo and Gu Xinsheng knew the specific details of the case.

Neither Li Fenghuo nor Gu Xinsheng had expected an ordinary case to involve Su Qing and the Li family, let alone someone using unnatural means against them. The "Master Zhang" mentioned by Jin Zhicheng hadn’t been caught, so the hidden danger remained. Li Fenghuo had already taken precautions at the compound and had also called Su Qing, telling her to hurry back. Afraid of causing a panic, he didn’t mention the specifics over the phone, planning instead to explain the gravity of the situation in person that evening so everyone could be on their guard.

"Brother," Gu Xinsheng said. "During the arrest, there was a sniper we failed to screen for, and he exploited that opening."

Li Fenghuo nodded. "I know about that. The sniper fired at you twice. Luckily, his aim wasn’t very good. In the end, wasn’t it Su Hao who caught him?"

"Yes, Su Hao caught him," Gu Xinsheng said. "But there’s something I didn’t mention back then. Of the sniper’s two shots, one of them hit me."

The fact that the second sniper round had been blocked by vines was too incredible for Gu Xinsheng and Qiao Wensong. They figured no one would believe them, so they kept it to themselves. Everyone just assumed both shots had missed.

"What!" Li Fenghuo exclaimed in surprise. "You were injured?"

"No." Gu Xinsheng shook his head. "The bullet didn’t wound me."

"How is that possible?" Li Fenghuo knew the power of a sniper round all too well. ’How could someone be hit by one and not get hurt?!’

"It’s the truth," Gu Xinsheng said gravely. "Brother, I was completely wrapped in vines at the time. So even though the bullet hit my back, it didn’t actually wound me. It got stuck in the vines."

Gu Xinsheng’s words shocked Li Fenghuo so much that he shot to his feet. "Xinsheng, is everything you’re saying true?"

"That’s right," Gu Xinsheng said. "Brother, the whole thing was so unbelievable that I was afraid no one would believe me. That’s why I just said I wasn’t hit. But in this Jin Zhicheng case, the officer on duty said he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him when he saw vine branches rapidly retreating. That’s why I came to you today. I don’t think that officer’s eyes were playing tricks on him. I think those vine branches were real."

"Who else knows about this?" Li Fenghuo asked hurriedly.

"Qiao Wensong. He was the only one with me, and he also saw that the sniper round didn’t hurt me," Gu Xinsheng said. "Brother, I have a gut feeling that someone else has these unnatural abilities, the power to control vines. And this person is a friend, not a foe, or they wouldn’t have helped us. The only thing is, I don’t know who it is. It seems now they’re obviously in Beijing. It would be best if we could find them. Maybe we can try to communicate with them, ask them to protect Qingqing for a while. After all, that so-called Master Zhang still hasn’t been caught. Right now, the enemy is in the shadows while we are in the open. If they try to go after Qingqing again, it’ll be impossible to guard against."

In this case, Master Zhang’s ultimate target was clearly Su Qing. Gu Xinsheng was extremely worried about her safety.

Li Fenghuo was also very worried. This situation was different. Increased security was always effective against ordinary criminals, but against such incredible methods, he felt completely out of his depth. He was even considering making Su Qing stay at home and not go anywhere at all.

"But I’m afraid this person will be hard to find," Li Fenghuo sighed. "I’ll have my people try and look, see if they can find them."

"I’m grateful, Brother," Gu Xinsheng said. "I’ll also try looking on my end. Maybe I can find them."

"Let’s hope so." Li Fenghuo wasn’t confident. "The most important thing right now is to have Qingqing stay home as much as possible."

"For now, it’s all we can do." Gu Xinsheng didn’t have any better ideas, either. "It’s just that so-called Master Zhang... we don’t even know where he is now. He sure ran off fast."

Li Fenghuo nodded, thought for a moment, and said to Gu Xinsheng, "For now, don’t tell anyone else about what happened in the mountains last year. By the way, is Qiao Wensong reliable?"

"Don’t worry, Qiao Wensong is tight-lipped. He won’t say a thing," Gu Xinsheng replied.

"That’s good," Li Fenghuo said. "The city bureau has already put together a description of Master Zhang’s appearance based on what Jin Zhicheng said. Hopefully, they can track him down soon."

Just as he was speaking, the phone on Li Fenghuo’s desk rang. Li Fenghuo picked it up. After listening to the person on the other end, he nodded and said, "Okay, thank you. I appreciate your hard work."

After hanging up, Li Fenghuo said to Gu Xinsheng, "We have news on Master Zhang’s whereabouts. Someone saw him leave Beijing on a midnight train."

Gu Xinsheng asked in surprise, "He ran away?"

"It looks that way," Li Fenghuo said. "The city bureau had even increased security for Jin Zhicheng. This outcome is quite unexpected."

Back at the city bureau, Zou Ming had deliberately kept Jin Zhicheng in an interrogation room with someone watching him twenty-four-seven. He was worried that Master Zhang might come to the bureau to silence him, since Jin Zhicheng was now the only witness in the case.

But even with the news that Master Zhang had fled, Li Fenghuo and Gu Xinsheng still felt uneasy. They worried it was just a diversion and that he might double back for a surprise attack.

At the same time, they both felt an even greater urgency to find the person who could control vines. If Master Zhang had really fled, it could only mean that the vine-controller was more powerful than him. If they could find this person, it would add a layer of protection for the safety of Su Qing and the Li family members.

And so, that evening, Su Qing was greeted by the sight of a grim-faced Li Fenghuo and Gu Xinsheng.

Originally, after failing to find Master Zhang the previous night, Su Qing had planned to go check on Du Xiangbao’s residence. However, she wasn’t going to notify the police about Du Xiangbao’s movements just yet. She still wanted to probe Tian Qiu for some information and had no intention of tipping anyone off.

But as it turned out, not long after she got off the phone with Li Fenghuo, she received a call from Tian Qiu.

Tian Qiu’s voice on the phone was refined and courteous, "Comrade Su Qing, I was wondering if I might have the honor of inviting you to lunch today?"

Su Qing, looking through the eyes of a plant, glanced at Tian Qiu leaning back leisurely in his chair and smiled faintly. "Sure, no problem."

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