Light Fortress
Chapter 111 - 99: Mire

Chapter 111: Chapter 99: Mire

When Zhao Qi woke up in the hospital, it was already noon the next day.

Three of his teeth had been knocked out, and one side of his cheek was so swollen that he couldn’t speak. After waking up and thinking back to the previous night, what made him angriest was not the young man who had thrown the punches, for being too ruthless... but that at the most critical moment last night, the thugs he had paid a high price to hire didn’t dare stand in front of him.

"Mr. Zhao... what happened last night?"

Liu Yi was keeping vigil by the bedside, sighed, and said, "How did you think to go to the old city area? It’s so chaotic there, and there are no surveillance cameras. Now that something has happened... it’s very hard to investigate."

Zhao Qi tried to open his mouth, and immediately felt a tearing pain on his cheek.

His expression was gloomy, and he clenched his teeth, "I ran into two drunks."

Liu Yi was silent, her expression complex as she looked at Zhao Qi... thinking that must be the most absurd lie of the year. Two drunks managed to beat the future heir of the Zhao Family to this state?

She had seen the scene from last night for herself, all the Transcendents accompanying Zhao Qi were laid out, and that was not something any drunk could accomplish.

This incident was likely premeditated.

"Is it possible that it was done by the Sincere Heart Association?" After thinking for a long time, Liu Yi asked, "We had just had a dispute... could Chen San have put this on your account?"

"Impossible..."

Zhao Qi shook his head, his voice was very weak and muffled, but each word carried a heart-stabbing murderous intent, "Did you check the scene from last night? That drunk was retching in the corner for a good while..."

"There was nothing in the corner." Liu Yi sighed and said, "I used profiling, and the scene from last night was treated with special methods... The retrospective image is also very blurry, no useful information."

How could that be?

Zhao Qi’s eyes widened, he then said, "I was punched, is there any residual skin tissue on my face?"

"Nothing... sir, your face is all blood, your own blood."

Liu Yi still shook her head, "However, do you still remember what the perpetrator looked like? As long as you remember the face, we can find a clue."

"One person was wearing a motorcycle helmet..."

Zhao Qi murmured, "The other... the one who hit me... he was a..."

At this point, he suddenly froze.

He clearly remembered when the punch landed on his face, he had seen that guy’s face... but now his mind was completely empty, a blank space, the memory of being punched had become incredibly fuzzy.

Rage surged within Zhao Qi’s chest as he struggled to sit up against the anger, his whole body shaking.

His memory had been erased.

"It seems... it was a Spiritual Extraordinary..."

Seeing Mr. Zhao’s reaction, Liu Yi was very certain that this case was highly likely meticulously staged.

With the current clues, there was no way to investigate, and the case could only end with no closure.

"In a month, it will be the year-end dance. With your current physical condition, you might need to rest for a good while; can you still attend the dance?" Liu Yi hesitated for a moment before asking, "Also, about this incident... do we need to tell Mrs. Lu?"

"The dance is not a problem, I will be able to attend."

Zhao Qi covered his chin, his voice strained and hoarse, "If Lu Nanzhi asks... just say I fell ill. Don’t mention last night’s incident to anyone."

...

...

Crow woke up at noon as well.

He found himself lying in an unfamiliar bed.

"Awake?"

Gu Shen was holding a cat, blowing in the wind on the balcony, and glanced at Crow, "Don’t remember what happened last night?"

"What happened... last night?"

Song Ci was terrified as he lifted the covers, checking his body... thankfully, he felt no discomfort, and his clothes were intact.

He let out a grunt, frowned, and his mind was blank.

No matter how much he tried to remember, his memory was just a void.

The spiritual element contained in Lion Awakening Wine could make one feel dreamy and forget their troubles; it was indeed an incredible brewing technique. Even for a Transcendent without their guard up, it could take effect.

Gu Shen said, "You dragged me into drinking, and after having too much, we ran into an unlucky guy. He had several Transcendent followers with him, looking like an important figure from Dadu District."

"What happened after that?" Song Ci scratched his head.

"He called us dogs." Gu Shen said seriously, "I was ready to leave, but you were very angry."

"Damn... I suspect you’re making this up." Song Ci tugged at the covers to prevent exposure, and said earnestly, "But if you’re making this up, I have to say you know me well, I’ve always been intolerant of those who call me a dog."

"Then, did I hit him?" Song Ci racked his brains and could only think of this possibility.

"No."

Gu Shen grinned, "I hit him. You hit them."

As Crow listened, he carefully and slowly shifted his body within the bedcovers until he was facing Gu Shen, then clapped his hands with a click of his tongue, "If the story ended there, it would have been so good... Just hitting a short-sighted rich boy."

"I wish that were the case, but the story... obviously isn’t that simple," Gu Shen paused, then said, "We didn’t hit just any rich boy."

Crow froze for a moment.

"Did you drink too much last night and not see the guy’s face clearly?" Gu Shen sounded somewhat helpless as he spoke softly, "I just used Deep Sea to search for that victim’s appearance... It’s a pity you didn’t hit him hard last night."

"Wait a second, are you saying..." Song Ci already had an ominous premonition.

"Last night, we hit Zhao Qi," Gu Shen said casually, "You gave that punch to me."

"???"

First shock, then anger, and finally, Song Ci was filled with regret.

"Should this be called... fate playing tricks on us? Or maybe for him, it’s a blessing in disguise," Gu Shen sighed softly, "Considering the strength of your punch, if it had been you last night, the Zhao Family would have been wiped out."

"That would have been better!" Song Ci lamented, clutching his wrist, "Drinking causes trouble, oh the troubles of drinking..."

All of a sudden, he thought of something, furrowed his brows, and said earnestly, "Gu Shen, you can’t stay in Da Du anymore, I will contact Mrs. Lu for you... Pack up, and leave today."

Having a drink and hitting Zhao Qi felt carefree and exhilarating.

But in reality, no one understood more clearly than Crow the standing of the Zhao Family in Da Du... and their methods.

If they caught him, he himself would be fine, with Mrs. Lu’s protection, this kind of trouble could be handled; he might lose some skin but nothing more. However, it would be different for Gu Shen. Zhao Qi was notoriously ruthless. If he caught the person who had attacked him, he would surely torture them to death.

Thinking of this, Crow started flipping through his cell phone.

"The beating... as long as you and I don’t speak of it, there won’t be any follow-up," Gu Shen said softly, "I erased Zhao Qi’s related memories, the biological traces at the scene, and the traces that could be investigated through Transcendent means... Last night’s route in the old city district had no surveillance, so he can’t find out anything."

Crow was stunned.

He thought it over and indeed found it to be true.

What exactly had this kid experienced to be so cautious in his actions?

"Are you sure?" Song Ci asked doubtfully, "Could there have been something overlooked?"

"If I wasn’t confident in these measures, would I have dared to take action last night?" Gu Shen smiled helplessly, "Considering the efficiency with which the Zhao Family acts, if there had been any clues left at the scene, do you think you could have slept in peace until noon?"

Crow scratched his head again, "You’re really something, you know that?"

"That’s not the point..."

Gu Shen said softly, "Have you ever thought about why Zhao Qi would appear there?"

Song Ci looked somewhat bewildered.

"The old city district is a place that Da Du has abandoned and forgotten, a wasteland of backward technology and poverty. For someone like Zhao Qi, who has always lived in luxury, why would he have anything to resolve in the old city district, especially at night?" Gu Shen stroked the orange cat, "He even brought a group of Transcendents with him... The most likely explanation is that he was taking advantage of the backward conditions in the old city district."

"The old city district is Deep Sea’s only blind spot in Da Du. If you want to talk about some shady deals or business, it’s best done here."

Gu Shen calmly said, "The Zhao Family is large and has many business dealings; there’s nothing to hide, Zhao Qi himself could easily discuss them openly. Choosing the old city district specifically to meet is only explained by wanting to avoid other people’s eyes... I guess his meeting was with someone who must stay out of the spotlight, a person whose involvement the Zhao Family would not want to be made public, leading to a lot of trouble."

"So... even though he was beaten up, he can’t afford to mobilize too many resources, at least he can’t use the resources of the Zhao Family. With Cui Zhongcheng in the past and Mrs. Lu in the present, every move is being watched. If last night’s incident in the old city district caught the attention of these two, then he would really be in big trouble."

"In conclusion, after this rough beating... he can only hold it in and swallow his anger."

With that, his speech ended.

Song Ci’s expression went from stunned to completely convinced.

He clapped earnestly, saying, "Now I understand, what Old Lu used to say was right... Not fearing a hooligan is one thing, but fearing a hooligan with culture is another. Brother Gu thinks before he acts even when beating someone up, truly a role model for our peers."

"I’m not really the hooligan here, Brother Gu, you are," Crow’s face seemed to say.

"If..."

Gu Shen, however, took a turn in his conversation, speaking softly, "What if you put yourself in Zhao Qi’s shoes and think about it? A good-for-nothing young master who only mingles in the city area, yet last night, went to the old city district to meet someone who can’t be seen in daylight... What was he really doing there?"

Song Ci instantly became alert.

He fell into deep thought, pondering two things.

The first was that he had hit Chen Jingtan, causing Zhao Qi’s deal to fall through halfway, and Zhao Qi was the type to bear grudges, a real petty person. Even if Mrs. Lu suppressed the issue, it was just a temporary facade; he would definitely cause problems for him later.

The second thing... was the Spiritual Imprint secretly planted on Mrs. Lu by someone close to her. After thinking it over, Zhao Qi was the most likely culprit.

"Young Master Zhao’s life is very simple. That mud that can’t support the wall, he doesn’t have much privacy," Gu Shen also pondered, his gaze confused as he softly asked himself, "But if the mud wants to stick to the wall, someone must be helping him. Who could that person be?"