Chapter 86: The Black Prison

Based on Liu Molan’s photograph, the makeup artist quickly transformed Yuwen Fei, making sweeping changes from her attire to her hairstyle. Standing before the mirror, Yuwen Fei gazed at her own face, now much improved, and then at Qin Yang, who sat nearby lost in thought, a sense of melancholy stirring in her heart.

Leaving the makeup room, Yuwen Fei asked, “Is that woman your girlfriend?”

“No,” Qin Yang shook his head. “She’s a close friend of mine.”

“Why did you ask me to look like her?”

“She’s being hunted and gravely injured. I need you to lure out everyone trying to kill her, so I can eliminate them all at once,” Qin Yang replied coldly. The thought of Liu Molan lying unconscious and wounded filled him with an agitated fury that he barely managed to suppress with a deep breath.

Yuwen Fei nodded quietly. “Don’t worry, I’ll do as you say and strive to impersonate Liu Molan as convincingly as possible.”

“As I’ve said before, as long as I’m alive, you’re absolutely safe,” Qin Yang smiled.

Then, Qin Yang began taking her around the city, intentionally spreading news of Liu Molan’s whereabouts to maximize the bait. Meanwhile, in Jianghai City, Zhao Ru, under duress, reluctantly announced an increased bounty for Liu Molan—twenty million. Killing her would earn a reward of ten million, and capturing her alive would bring in twenty million in cash.

This news caused a storm across the southeastern underworld.

A bounty of twenty million was a rare sum even among the nation’s criminal circles.

Sun Qi, posing as Liu Molan in the hospital, endured seven or eight attacks in just two days, a few of which were nearly fatal. If not for Ling Suyun’s swift intervention, Sun Qi would have met a gruesome end. Similarly, in Haitan City, several Liu Molans appeared, but when underworld thugs followed the rumors, they encountered deadly resistance—sometimes from the police, sometimes from a mysterious force.

“Damn it, who on earth is responsible?” Sun Qi, furious, flung the report from her subordinate onto the desk, gritting her teeth. “If I ever find out who put out this bounty, I’ll tear them to pieces!”

“Liu Molan is absolutely safe. What we need to focus on is unmasking the mastermind behind this,” Ling Suyun said seriously. “The situation is urgent; the year’s end is near. If people find out the underworld still runs rampant in Jianghai City, we’ll be the laughingstock.”

“But what can we do? Every lead pointing to Zhao Ru has vanished,” Sun Qi said angrily. “Now we’re not even sure Zhao Ru is behind this. Our investigation shows he hasn’t moved any large sums of money recently. Clearly, he didn’t raise the bounty.”

As they struggled with this dilemma, Sun Qi’s subordinate, Xiao Zhao, rushed in, gasping for breath. “Captain Ling, Captain Sun, something’s happened!”

“What is it?” Sun Qi asked anxiously.

Xiao Zhao swallowed hard. “Our people recently discovered a batch of outside underworld figures starting to move, seemingly breaking free from our surveillance. But according to our informants, they’re all headed for Fengyang County. Further investigation confirmed Liu Molan and her bodyguard, Qin Yang, were spotted there. Someone in Fengyang County tracked Liu Molan’s movements and took a photo, but Qin Yang caught him and gave him a lesson. The guy was clever, though—the photo was sent to his email almost instantly. We intercepted the photo, and it’s definitely Liu Molan.”

He handed the photo over.

The two took a look and were instantly startled.

It was Liu Molan, unmistakably, despite the slight blur. Their eyes met, both filled with confusion.

After dismissing Xiao Zhao, Sun Qi said, “How can this be? Molan is in the military hospital receiving treatment, still unconscious. How could she appear in Fengyang County?”

“Qin Yang must have found a very convincing double,” Ling Suyun said gravely. “Is he really trying to draw everyone to Fengyang County?”

“Perfect, then. We’ll catch them all in one sweep.”

Suddenly, a somewhat arrogant voice sounded at the door. As the two wondered, a group entered, led by a young man around twenty-four or twenty-five, standing about six feet tall. His brows were sharp, eyes bright, his face lean and chiseled, exuding vitality and heroic spirit, his gaze carrying a hint of disdain for the world.

“Jiangnan Yan,” Ling Suyun’s eyes narrowed.

“Instructor!” With a crisp salute, twelve soldiers in camouflage followed behind Jiangnan Yan, radiating a chilling aura, each with sharp, focused eyes filled with absolute respect for Ling Suyun.

“The southeastern underworld case will now be under my full authority,” Jiangnan Yan said softly. “Instructor Ling, I’ll need your full cooperation from now on.”

“Who are you?” Sun Qi demanded, displeased.

Ling Suyun motioned her to stop. “He’s from the National Security Bureau and has the right to take over the case.” After a pause, he asked, “Jiangnan Yan, what do you mean by ‘catch them all in one sweep’?”

“It’s simple. We’re to pursue everyone, including Qin Yang,” Jiangnan Yan replied coolly. “Orders have been issued: Qin Yang must be captured alive.”

“The troublemakers are those underworld thugs!” Sun Qi protested. “Qin Yang is working with us to catch them. You have no right to arrest him!”

“If I say he can be arrested, he can be arrested.” Jiangnan Yan glanced at her. “His cell in Black Prison is already prepared. I’m here to take command of all armed police forces, including the two of you. If you refuse, I have the authority to terminate your operations. I hope you’ll cooperate.”

With that, Jiangnan Yan and his twelve soldiers left.

Ling Suyun sat down helplessly, rubbing his forehead. “Qin Yang’s in serious trouble now.”

“Who is he, really?” Sun Qi was furious at Jiangnan Yan’s arrogance.

Ling Suyun sighed. “His grandfather is the soldier you admire most. The twelve men behind him are the military’s elite special forces. Each is strong enough to kill Qin Yang. This underworld affair will likely end in blood.”

“What about us, then?” Sun Qi trembled, hearing mention of her most revered soldier. “Are we just going to watch?”

“For now, we have no choice. If you try to warn Qin Yang, you’ll face endless political scrutiny and assessments, maybe even lose your career. Sun Qi, I hope you don’t act rashly. Jiangnan Yan always uproots the problem—right now, Qin Yang can hardly match him.”

“And Black Prison? What is it?” Sun Qi, suppressing her strong dissatisfaction, asked.

Ling Suyun’s eyes suddenly grew numb, as if lost in memory. He whispered, “Black Prison, as the name suggests, is the prison of darkness. It’s one of the darkest places in all of China. Since the nation’s founding, only four hundred twenty-one prisoners have been held there. Each of them is powerful enough to change the outcome of a regional war. I never imagined Qin Yang would be considered so dangerous in Jiangnan Yan’s eyes, enough to warrant using the old general’s influence to grant him direct access to Black Prison.”

“Why? Qin Yang’s crimes can’t possibly be that severe,” Sun Qi protested.

Ling Suyun glanced at her. “The combined crimes of all Black Prison inmates might not outweigh those of a single death row convict.”