Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze did not expect that Gu Nianzhi to be in such dire straits once more!
They were dumbfounded for a minute before they spoke up in unison, “Why is there still someone eyeing Nianzhi?!”
Gu Xiangwen and his wife’s bodies had been buried in the National Martyrs’ Cemetery, and their stories had been widely reported in the newspapers. It was clear that Gu Xiangwen’s technology and inheritance had been inherited by Huaxia. Was their daughter really that important to those people?
Huo Shaoheng had always been a calm and composed person, but this unexpected event still shocked him greatly.
He could only use silence to resist losing his composure.
Yin Shixiong was the first to react. He hurriedly picked up his phone and called Zhou Qiyuan.
“Zhou Qiyuan, what’s going on?! We’ve made so many arrangements. Were they all just decorations?!” Yin Shixiong kicked the back of the seat in front of him. “Where’s Xiao Ye? How’s she doing? Nianzhi has a GPS. Can you find out where she is now?”
The special operations forces had been fighting for so many years, and they had not always been victorious. However, this was the first time they had been able to let someone seriously injure their own people and take away the person they were supposed to protect under such strict security conditions.
Not only had they lost badly, but their pride and reputation had also taken a hit.
On the other end, Zhou Qiyuan was still able to keep his cool. He was currently in front of the operating room of the special operations forces hospital. He looked at the red light on the door that wrote ‘Surgery ongoing’. He said in a low voice, “We can’t locate Nianzhi right now.”
“As for Xiao Ye, Chen Lie is currently performing surgery on her. He checked her wrist, arm, and leg when she was sent in earlier. She was shot a total of ten times. Her wrist was fractured, and her calf was broken. However, the other party was quite restrained. Their marksmanship was very accurate, and their technique was also very peculiar. Other than the one shot that shattered her wrist, the other nine shots did not hurt her bones, nor did they hit her major arteries.”
“But her veins were injured. Chen Lie is operating on her to remove the bullet and suture her veins and wounds at the same time.”
Chen Lie was originally sent by Zhou Qiyuan to Rihe city military base to check on Huo Shaoheng’s injuries. After Huo Shaoheng was deemed to be fine, he returned to the capital.
Fortunately, he had returned early. Hence, he could treat Xiao Ye in a timely manner.
Zhou Qiyuan paused and remained silent. He thought that he should wait for Huo Shaoheng to return before he confirmed it himself…
Yin Shixiong was stunned for a long time before he said angrily, “F*ck! Do I have to thank them for keeping our subordinate alive?! These bastards! If I catch them…”
“Don’t talk big. Come back quickly. It’s more troublesome this time.”
Zhou Qiyuan thought about the scene in Gu Nianzhi’s apartment and his heart sank.
He had originally protected the scene and simply carried Xiao Ye away. He was waiting for Huo Shaoheng to come back and make a decision.
After all, Gu Nianzhi was no ordinary person. She was Huo Shaoheng’s wife.
On the day Huo Shaoheng and Gu Nianzhi signed their marriage contract, Zhou Qiyuan was one of the people present. However, he did not tell anyone.
Therefore, he knew how important Gu Nianzhi was to Huo Shaoheng.
He hoped that his chief would be able to get through this.
Yin Shixiong hung up the phone with a gloomy expression. He said to Huo Shaoheng, “Chen Lie is already performing surgery on Xiao Ye. Zhou Qiyuan said that the other party was very restrained and very accurate. Although they shot her ten times in her arms and legs, nine of them avoided her bones and arteries…”
Zhao Liangze was deep in thought as he leaned forward. “What does this mean? They have chosen to use such a method as a show of their mercy? Could it be that they won’t be too…?”
“Come on, they dared to kidnap Nianzhi. That’s already a heinous crime! Not to mention hurting Xiao Ye Like that! They’re too damn vicious!”
Yin Shixiong was filled with righteous indignation. The members of the special operations forces who had rushed into Gu Nianzhi’s apartment were not kind men or women either. They had used all kinds of similar methods on their subjects as well.
However, they were grounded by one ideology: Their methods were only to be used on their enemies, not their own kind.
Moreover, everyone had their own selfish motives. They could use all sorts of methods on others, but when they saw someone using such methods on their own people, they couldn’t take it anymore. They truly believed that the other party was too vicious.
When Huo Shaoheng heard the name ‘Nianzhi’, his face couldn’t help but twitch twice.
The news of Gu Nianzhi’s abduction had shocked him even more than he had expected.
He could only force himself to calm down at this point.
He could only think normally when he was calm.
He held his phone tightly with one hand and sat upright on the seat of the plane. He stared at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, his heart burning with anxiety. Time trickled by in a painfully slow manner.
…
The military plane whizzed by. It only took an hour and a half to reach the imperial capital airport. It was twice as fast as usual.
Huo Shaoheng alighted from the plane. Soldier Fan Jian was already waiting at the airport in his car.
He picked up Huo Shaoheng, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze and drove straight to the apartment in the third ring road.
Two hours had passed since the incident.
Xiao Ye’s blood was still stained on the carpet of Gu Nianzhi’s apartment.
It took another half an hour to get from the airport to the underground parking lot of the Third Ring apartment.
Gu Nianzhi’s apartment was surrounded by people from the special operations forces. Hence, the local police had not been alerted.
Huo Shaoheng’s face was as dark as ever when he walked out of the elevator.
He looked up and noticed that Gu Nianzhi’s door lock had been pierced through. He could see light coming out from inside.
He looked up and realized that the surveillance camera in the corridor had also been damaged.
Huo Shaoheng remained silent. He turned to look at Zhou Qiyuan, who was waiting at the door. “What about the surveillance footage?”
Zhou Qiyuan spoke solemnly, “There was a 10-minute gap in the surveillance footage. Our people found out that there was a problem with the surveillance footage, so they called Xiao Ye and Miss Gu. Unfortunately, they were a step too late.”
Huo Shaoheng did not go in immediately. Instead, he paced back and forth in the corridor outside Gu Nianzhi’s apartment. He looked around and said, “Where are the other people?”
Xiao Ye was not the only person he had assigned to Gu Nianzhi’s side.
Zhou Qiyuan sighed. “Those people rushed here immediately. It took them less than 10 minutes to arrive at the scene, but…”
Huo Shaoheng interrupted him. “Are you saying that the other party blocked the surveillance cameras within ten minutes, severely injured Xiao Ye, and then took Nianzhi away?”
He tried his best to hold it in, but the veins on his forehead were already throbbing, indicating that he was on the verge of rage.
“From the timing of the surveillance cameras, this is what we speculate.” Zhou Qiyuan stepped aside. “Do you want to go in and take a look?”
He added, “Nothing was moved inside. We only took Xiao Ye away.”
Huo Shaoheng was silent for a long time. He suppressed his anger and walked in.
He was no longer familiar with the apartment he used to know.
The snow-white carpet had been dyed blood-red. There was a human figure drawn in chalk in the middle of the carpet. It should be where Xiao Ye had fallen.
Huo Shaoheng stood beside the human figure of Xiao Ye for a while, then walked around the room. Just as he was about to reach the door, his eyes flashed and he saw something flash.
Although he had been mentally prepared ever since he had heard Zhou Qiyuan say that Gu Nianzhi’s location had nothing to do with her, his heart still sank when he saw her diamond earring on the ground.
Not many people knew that the diamond earring was a GPS device.
Only Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong, Zhou Qiyuan knew. And, of course, himself and Gu Nianzhi.
Could it be that Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong, and Zhou Qiyuan had tipped them off?
But how was that possible?
If these people had really tipped them off, Gu Nianzhi would have been kidnapped 800 years ago and they wouldn’t have waited until now.
Her earring hadn’t been exposed the last time she had been in an accident.
Huo Shaoheng thought to himself. But even though he didn’t suspect Zhao Liangze, Yin Shixiong, and Zhou Qiyuan, he still needed concrete evidence to prove that these people had nothing to do with Gu Nianzhi’s disappearance.
He bent down to pick up the diamond earring from the ground and held it in his hand. Huo Shaoheng’s gaze swept past Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, and Zhou Qiyuan.
Zhou Qiyuan had seen the diamond earring a long time ago. He knew that if Huo Shaoheng discovered the diamond earring, he would definitely have suspicions against them. However, this was all part of the normal procedure. If he were Huo Shaoheng, he would also investigate them.
Therefore, he said frankly, “Huo Shao, I can tell you everything about my whereabouts over the past few months. Please organize an investigation into me.”
Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze glanced at each other. They could see the shock in each other’s eyes.
They could guarantee that they hadn’t done anything to Gu Nianzhi. They could even guarantee that Zhou Qiyuan hadn’t done anything either. However, if the three of them hadn’t told anyone, then how did the other party know that Gu Nianzhi’s diamond earring had a tracking function?!
This was too shocking!
Huo Shaoheng tightened his grip and said calmly, “I believe you. If it wasn’t for you, Nianzhi wouldn’t be in this world anymore. However, you should still check into each other.”
“Yes, sir.”
Yin Shixiong, Zhao Liangze, and Zhou Qiyuan stood at attention and saluted.
Huo Shaoheng remained calm and composed. He said unhurriedly, “Big Xiong, Little Ze, Qiyuan, and Xiao Ye. The four of you are the people I trust the most. I hope you don’t have any psychological burdens. I definitely don’t doubt you, but we’re all in this line of work. Check into each other and maybe we’ll find new clues.”
Zhou Qiyuan, Yin Shixiong, and Zhao Liangze nodded simultaneously. “Huo, we understand. Don’t think too much about it.”
Yin Shixiong was enlightened and suddenly said, “Huo, this matter isn’t that simple.”
Zhao liangze rolled his eyes. “Of course it’s not that simple. Do you still need to mention it?”
“What I mean is, think about it. Nianzhi is missing, but Xiao Ye is also seriously injured. At the same time, Xiao Ze, Qiyuan, and I are all suspects. Don’t you think that the mastermind is also targeting Huo?”
Yin Shixiong pointed at the crack on the balcony’s glass with his hand. “Judging from the bullet marks, this should be Xiao Ye’s bullet. You all know Xiao Ye’s capabilities. If she wasn’t so powerful, she wouldn’t have been able to escape unscathed after so many years in the field.”
Zhao Liangze came back to his senses and said, “That’s right. The four of us are the people Huo Shao trusts the most.”
He had always suspected that Xiao Ye was Huo Shaoheng’s fourth personal secretary, but Huo Shaoheng had never revealed any of his intentions.
After Zhou Qiyuan, the personal secretary, surfaced, Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong had been curious about who was the fourth.
Could it really be Xiao Ye?
That would be such a pity.
Zhao Liangze shook his head and sighed. “Xiao Ye is so skilled. With such a serious injury, it’s impossible for her to recover her previous skills.”
Even if she didn’t hurt her bones or tendons, it would be enough to cripple her. She wouldn’t be able to continue being Huo Shaoheng’s personal secretary.
Zhou Qiyuan hesitated for a long time. After realizing that Huo Shaoheng had taken the initiative to speak openly with them, he slowly said, “Huo Shao, I have a suggestion. Can you tell us what you would do if you were to kidnap Nianzhi from us?”
