Chapter 205 - 205: Don’t Be Afraid, I’ll Protect You
Before Lu Chi could utter a word, Gu Qingcheng interrupted him, saying, “If you’re going to talk about my son, then please, just be quiet! I’ve insisted on seeing my son, whether alive or not, with my own eyes. Until I lay eyes on my son, nothing else matters.”
Lu Chi furrowed his brow.
“When did you start deceiving yourself?”
Gu Qingcheng grew agitated and raised her voice, retorting, “I’m not deceiving myself; I’m just seeking the truth firsthand! I’ve witnessed it myself and verified it personally. This is the reality, not your verdict sentencing my son to death!”
Lu Chi sighed.
“I advised you to stay calm because I’ve found traces of the killer. Moreover, your husband, Huo Sicheng, hasn’t been looking for your son. He returned to Wanmei Villa after leaving the Huo Corporation.”
“What?” Gu Qingcheng stared at Lu Chi in disbelief. “My husband didn’t search for our son?”
Lu Chi clarified, “I’m not making this up. It’s true. My sources just informed me, which is why I asked you to stay calm. Does your husband, Huo Sicheng, not know about your son? Otherwise, why would he disregard his own child?”
Gu Qingcheng shook her head vigorously, refusing to accept Lu Chi’s claim. “That can’t be. Your information must be wrong.”
When her son, Huo Xuan, was kidnapped, she had called Huo Sicheng, but he never answered her calls. Ultimately, she had to rely on Uncle Zhao to inform him about their son. No matter how much tension existed between her and Uncle Zhao, he wouldn’t betray Huo Xuan. He would definitely relay the message to Huo Sicheng. Lu Chi’s information had to be incorrect.
Lu Chi found himself at a loss for words. He didn’t believe he had received incorrect information, but he could sense that Gu Qingcheng was in a highly emotional state. “Yes, there might be a mistake in my information,” he admitted reluctantly.
Afterwards, he noticed a helicopter flying overhead. “A helicopter passing by in the middle of the night,” he remarked casually, receiving no response from Gu Qingcheng.
Realizing her phone was still in the crashed car, she attempted to reach for it subconsciously.
“My phone and all my belongings are in the car.”
“I told you that someone would handle things,” Lu Chi reassured her. “You won’t lose anything.”
Gu Qingcheng massaged her temples to alleviate her pounding headache.
“Drive faster!”
“It’s already as fast as it can go.”
Shortly thereafter, Lu Chi parked the car near a run-down, deserted village house. His keen instincts immediately detected the scent of blood in the air.
Drawing a gun from his pocket, he adopted a defensive stance and surveyed the area. When he noticed a lifeless body on the ground, his expression darkened, and his gaze turned as sharp as an eagle’s.
“Don’t exit the car yet.”
Gu Qingcheng was about to step out of the vehicle when she heard Lu Chi’s warning and understood that things were more complicated than they appeared.
However, she wasn’t one to back down easily. Upon leaving the car, she navigated her aching body and remained vigilant while scanning her surroundings.
The air was thick with the stench of decay and blood, but she couldn’t determine whether the blood scent was her own or someone else’s.
Upon exiting the car, she casually grabbed two wet wipes and wiped her face. The blood on her eyelashes was impairing her vision, and after the quick cleanup, she discarded the used wipes into the car.
“I told you not to disembark,” Lu Chi admonished as he approached Gu
Qingcheng. “Four of my men have died. It can’t have been just the killer alone. There seem to be others here. Return to the car for now.’
“No,” Gu Qingcheng resisted, refusing to re-enter the car. “I’m looking for my son.”
Lu Chi understood Gu Qingcheng’s resolute character. When she set her mind on something, no one could deter her.
“Follow me; I’ll protect you.”
“No need,” Gu Qingcheng declined Lu Chi’s offer. “I’ve just been in a car accident; I’m not dead. Anyone who tries to harm me will face retaliation.”
“You truly are a tough cookie,” Lu Chi quipped. “I doubt any man would be fond of you. Can’t you be more gentle?”
“Who said no one likes me?” Gu Qingcheng responded, her gaze scanning her surroundings. “My husband, Huo Sicheng, loves me.”
Lu Chi sneered but chose not to engage further.
He followed the blood trails to a house, where a glow stick on the ground emitted a faint light.
Gu Qingcheng scoured the room meticulously, but she found no trace of her son.
Lu Chi crouched down and examined a lifeless body on the floor. “This is the kidnapper who took your son.”
Gu Qingcheng cast a calm gaze at the dead kidnapper. She struggled to regain her composure.
“The kidnapper is dead, but where is my son?” She inquired. “You mentioned that your men discovered leads on the kidnapper. He’s here, dead, but my son’s body isn’t. Where is my son?”
“Don’t be hasty,” Lu Chi advised, pulling out his phone to make a call. “They’re all deceased. Any suspicious individuals at the intersection?”
Gu Qingcheng couldn’t stay idle and await Lu Chi’s calls. She took the glow stick and meticulously scoured the area, finding only five corpses.
Her nerves had been on edge the entire time. After searching, she didn’t uncover her son’s body. A glimmer of hope began to flicker within her.
Lu Chi had claimed that her son was dead, yet there was no sign of his body. Only the kidnapper’s corpse lay before them. Could it mean her son was still alive?
However, if her son, Huo Xuan, was alive, where had he gone?
“I hired someone to kill, and the kidnapper died… I was told my son was dead,” Gu Qingcheng muttered, locking eyes with Lu Chi. “The kidnapper is deceased, but my son isn’t. Could it be that the person who ordered my son’s death had a change of heart and took him away?”
“That’s uncertain,” Lu Chi replied, wearing a complicated expression. “I just inquired. There aren’t any suspicious vehicles nearby. There are only the kidnappers, my men, and us. No one else is here.”
He paused momentarily before continuing, “Perhaps you’re right. The person who ordered your son’s death had a last-minute change of heart and decided to take your son away. The individuals who took your son are quite formidable. The individuals I dispatched were highly skilled and armed, yet they were swiftly eliminated.”
Gu Qingcheng was perplexed by Lu Chi’s revelation. She ransacked her memory, attempting to identify her enemies. Besides Gu Tianhao and Qin Jun, who had harmed her, she couldn’t conceive of anyone else capable of outwitting the individuals sent by Lu Chi.
“I have foes—Gu Tianhao and the others. But where could they find such powerful individuals? And how could they elude your men?”
Lu Chi wasn’t taken aback by the animosity between Gu Qingcheng and Gu Tianhao. He contemplated for a moment before saying, “Think it over once more. I’ll dispatch someone to investigate Gu Tianhao and the Qin family to determine if they’ve made any recent purchases on the black market.”
Gu Qingcheng clenched her teeth and ransacked her memory to identify the enemy Lu Chi spoke of.
Lu Chi resumed making calls.
“I genuinely cannot…” Gu Qingcheng asserted with certainty, “think of anyone else capable of this besides the Qin family and the Gu family. Furthermore, I’m eager to comprehend how my son’s existence was unveiled.”
“Send someone to handle the aftermath,” Lu Chi instructed before concluding his call. He regarded Gu Qingcheng and added, “Regardless of whether your son was exposed or not, the crucial point is that I’ve discovered an issue.” Frowning, Gu Qingcheng inquired softly, “What’s the problem?”