Deadly Trap

Chapter 92. The Reverse Scale
So warm.

The journey was long and uncertain. Like holding a lost treasure back, Gu Mufeng held her tightly in the same position, afraid that the bumpy ride would hurt her or worsen her injuries.

He was trembling all over.

As if waking from a deep dream, Su Li struggled to open her eyes, feeling dazed and confused, as if in a dream.

Her vision was blurred, the light was blurred too. Faintly, the scent of disinfectant lingered, yet it wouldn't dissipate; then, the comforting aroma of cologne and fresh cherry rose to the surface. Her clothes rustled, right beside her.

"Mu Fei." Her voice was so soft. It didn't sound like her at all.

He's not in now.

Separated from the chaotic darkness, only a sliver of cold white light seeped in through the bottom of the door. Outside, in a hazy, indistinct way, it sounded as if someone was speaking calmly:
"...Close monitoring is essential. A rib fracture is a serious matter. We've already put the patient on a pain pump and are letting him sleep longer. In short, this requires a long period of rest, and any strenuous activity should be avoided."

"From what I heard on the phone, it was a car accident? It's incredibly lucky that no internal organs were damaged."

"Yes." The reply was heavy, as if deep in thought. It was Gu Mufeng.

His mother died in a man-made car accident. He investigated the possible consequences for many years; how could he not feel the lingering fear deeply and empathize with her?
But when that voice came out, apart from a slight tremor, it remained calm, decisive, and utterly devoid of any personal emotion.

"Will a fracture in the elbow have a poor prognosis? For example, will it affect drawing?"

"Drawing?"

Another voice, clearly taken aback, said, "It depends on tomorrow's surgery. We suspect there's nerve damage. However, if the surgery goes smoothly, the problem shouldn't be serious; the pain might only occur when lifting heavy objects. The injury is in the left hand. What are your thoughts, Mr. Gu?"

"Understood. Thank you for your trouble. I am extremely grateful and will definitely repay you."

As the conversation shifts, the voice is magnetic and captivating, the tone varied, yet it remains sincere and approachable.

He rarely spoke of repaying kindness lightly. In Minzhou, few could enjoy such an honor. It was more precious than a thousand pieces of gold.

"Ah, how could I dare to accept such an honor?" Clearly, the person on the other end was also quite alarmed. "Mr. Gu is Dean Yi's distinguished guest; we are merely fulfilling our duties as doctors."

"As long as you follow the doctor's orders, please ring the bell immediately if the patient has difficulty breathing, no matter how mild. We will do our best to help. Well then, Mr. Gu, I won't bother you any longer."

Separated by a door, the sounds gradually faded, and the doctor's footsteps became increasingly faint. Gu Mufeng, however, did not enter. Soon, the sounds shifted from barely audible to steady and firm, and it seemed that more footsteps were rapidly approaching.

"Mu Fei." The voice was deep and steady, tinged with the hoarseness of smoke and alcohol. This must be Dai Ze.

“Speak,” Gu Mufeng replied succinctly.

"I just got back from the city police station. I spoke with them. The government is also putting pressure on them. They're under a lot of pressure."

The Sheng family strongly insists that he was not involved. He is still waiting for you in the foreign affairs office.

"Also, as you expected, the hospital is now surrounded, and the media is swarming in, all asking if something happened to you."

The words left his mouth too quickly, and Dai Ze paused, his breath catching in his throat. Seeing that Gu Mufeng was completely indifferent to this, Dai Ze went on to report further:
"The intelligence team has completely blocked the news. The media has decided to report it like this for now: the traffic accident was caused by weather, and the casualties are unknown. Is that acceptable?"

The Tianxing Gang, the Sheng family, and Fri-Night—the situation has reached a stalemate: a three-way struggle for power, with the outcome frozen in a stalemate. Tang Quan's move at this juncture is simply a shortcut through the underworld, aiming for a permanent solution.

Gu Mufeng remained silent.

Leaning against the cold, hard door, his body still trembling slightly, he clenched his fists, then loosened them, then clenched them again. He didn't want to admit it.

Tonight, because of him, Su Lijiu's life hangs in the balance.

This near-death experience was once his excuse for deliberately being cold towards her, treating her like a mistress, not daring to force his love for her, or feeling that he deserved her love; it was what he feared most. But at the same time, Su Li broke through the icy stalemate, violently creating a breach, giving him a legitimate reason to act.

And he will never show mercy:

"Summon all the heads of major media outlets and have them listen carefully: This time, I personally give the order, the Gu family conglomerate is backing it, and the Minzhou media are joining forces. You are not allowed to give a single perfunctory word!"
"How they incite public opinion is their business, but they must be scathing in their words! They must clearly state the crime of persecuting innocent people and clearly state Tang Quan's name."

"More than five million yuan was burned in the city center. Was it all for nothing? The municipal government must hold them accountable."

"Where's Li Enzuo? Is he still there?"

"Yes."

As if stunned, or as if completely overwhelmed by Gu Mufeng's anger, Dai hesitated to respond, his heart trembling with astonishment: the tycoons, public opinion, and politics were all mobilized, a three-way attack, this was truly no small matter.

From the moment Su Li barely returned, only a little over an hour had passed. Gu Mufeng was furious and, with his efforts on both sides, he had managed to devise a deadly trap, weaving a net of inescapable schemes.

"Li Enzuo isn't an expert on cars," Dai reported cautiously, careful not to offend anyone.

"But he also went to search for evidence. Unfortunately, the vehicle's surveillance camera and dashcam were completely destroyed. Now the whole team is in high spirits, and everyone wants to do their part."

Suddenly remembering a glimmer of hope, Dai quickly replied, "By the way, Mu Fei, the most important thing, that thing you entrusted to me—"

Seeing that Dai Ze didn't answer immediately, Gu Mufei gave him a subtle look to interrupt. He first called Quenxus to watch over the ward for him.

From Su Li's ward, the corridor was wide and bright. Gu Mufeng and Dai Ze walked in silence all the way to the end of the corridor and onto the private hospital terrace.

The night was a deep blue, with pure white snow drifting by. Looking down silently over a corner of Pear Island, the terrace stood lonely and desolate, the snow melted without a trace. Two figures were cast wet shadows on the stone floor.

Cautiously, Dai locked the door. Gu Mufeng put on black leather gloves. With swift movements, he drew a pistol from Dai's hand.

The gun was deep black, its steel surface hard and unforgiving. With practiced ease, Gu Mufeng held the gun in his right hand, his thumb sweeping downwards as the magazine slid effortlessly into his left palm.

With just a glance, he tossed the magazine to Dai Ze, pressed his hand on the back of the gun, gently pulled it back, and released it, causing the slide to spring out:
"Ding".

Inside the gun barrel, a line of brass light arced, rose, fell, bounced, and fell again. On the wet ground beneath their feet, warm light followed the flowing light as the bullet spun halfway around.

Calmly crouching down, Dai picked up the bullet. He laid each bullet flat in his palm and counted them carefully. No more, no less, four were missing: three bullets mercilessly shattered three faces and lives in a series of murders; the other had pierced the steel panel of the Panamera door, now charred black tonight.

Gu Mufeng took it by special care and personally delivered it to Chief Cheng Shining of the Xizi Branch.

After carefully checking and confirming that everything was in order, Gu Mufeng turned the pistol over, reloaded the full magazine, and gently pulled the spool of ammunition with his left hand. The slide fired smoothly with a soft "click." The sound was barely audible.

The pistol was loaded.

Wrapped in a pure black suit, Gu Mufeng's arm moved steadily and smoothly against the wind. His phoenix eyes were fixed on the layered nightscape of Minhang, and his finger was on the trigger. The calluses on his thumb and forefinger fit perfectly against the gun.

This feel... it's been so long since I've had it.

"Mu Fei, of course you recognize this as G17."

Comrades-in-arms for many years, sharing their experiences without reservation, Dai spoke slowly. Braving the cold wind on the terrace, he calmly lit a cigarette. The lighter's flame illuminated his face, then obediently faded away.

Being outdoors, he knew that Gu Mufeng wouldn't mind at this moment: "However, this time, it's not smuggling."

Dai then slowly recounted the details of his more than two months of tracking and investigation:
"As you guessed, this is quite special. The Minzhou Public Security Bureau issued an approval last quarter for the import of this batch for police use, and the quantity and allocation are all recorded. I have already backed up the documents."

He tilted his head back, and Dai, with a meaningful look in his eyes, exhaled a long trail of smoke.

"The police only said the gun was lost and severely punished several people. But this time, the real buyer is Dilonghui."

Unable to resist, Gu Mufeng's lips curled into a satisfied smile, and he chuckled softly. With a flick of his wrist, he engaged the safety and holstered his gun. Snowflakes clung to his shoulders as he removed his suit jacket.

He held the injured Su Li tightly in his arms the whole way, his pure black shirt stained with her blood. Fortunately, the black color didn't show it.

In a swift and decisive motion, Gu Mufeng put on his holster, concealed the pistol to his left side, and then put his suit jacket back on to cover it up.

Clearly, he was somewhat aware of Dai Ze's report:
"The municipal government's support for the Dilong Society has fueled infighting within the gang. Tang Quan used the cooperation to swallow up the Sheng family, and then used the Sheng family's capital to join forces with the Dilong Society. No wonder. The moment I made a move against Sheng Chunqiu, Tang Quan wanted nothing more than to kill me off immediately."

Gu Mufei gave a cold, mocking laugh.

"Tang Quan is a shrewd old fox. Even if Sheng Chunqiu discovers this strategy, he'll be caught in a bind. With so many heroes vying for power, who will ultimately take control of Minzhou?"

With a disdainful tone, Gu Mufeng scoffed.

"That's enough." His tone was one of utter disgust. "The conditions are all set; we just need to march our troops to the city..."

Just then, inside the hallway, Welsh gently knocked on the narrow window. Immediately, Dai opened the terrace door.

"Boss, it was sent by the Tianxing Gang. I've checked it." In his hand was a small envelope.

With a calm expression, Gu Mufeng took the envelope and moved it to the window under the light.

The light was warm and yellow. On the pristine white paper, only a single line of Song typeface was visible: "To Mr. Gu".

The characters were so faint, it seemed there wasn't even enough ink. I lifted the envelope with my fingertips; inside was just a thin sheet of paper.

With sharp eyes, Gu Mufeng quickly scanned the paper. He usually read books and reports at a glance. This time, however, he stared at the letter for a long time.

"What?" Finally, Dai asked, tossing aside his cigarette butt.

"The Tianxing Gang agrees to the peace talks."

Without looking up, Gu Mufei spoke crisply:
"Or rather, Tang Quan just announced that, as the newly reunited president of the Xinglong Association of Minzhou, he has agreed to make peace."

"Including the Sheng family, a three-way meeting will be held. The request is for the individual to attend alone. The location will be agreed upon on March 1st after the New Year."

Welsh exclaimed in surprise: "Xinglong Society?"

Dai's expression was even more serious:

"Could it be that there's finally a chance to settle things? But Mu Fei is going to the meeting alone—"

Gu Mufeng remained silent.

March 1st: That was the day Su Li had already booked her plane ticket, and he finally made up his mind tonight to completely withdraw and run away with Su Li.

>>>>>
Next chapter: Dream Fulfilled
　[The author says]

　　First of all, the author is truly grateful to every reader who has taken the time to read this far. Writing a novel is a lonely endeavor, and the companionship of each reader, and the joy I bring to them every day, is the meaning behind my efforts. I am deeply thankful.

　　This book is indeed nearing its end, and the young author doesn't want to write about passionate and romantic love in a melodramatic and tedious way.

　　Before finishing the story, the author genuinely hopes to climb the charts and remain in the readers' hearts for as long as possible. If readers are willing to support the author, please recommend it, add it to your favorites, and vote with your recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Even a small gesture will help the author go further.

　　May our love never fade, and may we meet again in a happy ending!

　　>>>>>
　　Chapter Ninety-Two

　　Tang Quan probably shouldn't have acted on a whim and targeted Su Li without thinking.

　　By leveraging the power of the Yi and Gu families, and disrupting public opinion and municipal affairs, Gu Mufeng finally unleashed his full force, even including a hidden gun—

　　That's right. The calluses on Gu Mufeng's hands are from gunshot wounds. From the very beginning, Su Li encountered him as a sword driven by relentless revenge. For this purpose, he would forge himself into a blade, a bullet, or any useful tool he could.

　　But this time, his purpose was different.

　　The next chapter will reveal Su Li's inner thoughts.

　　(End of this chapter)