Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 237: Key Name

Chapter 237: Chapter 237: Key Name

Today was a rest day, but Gao Lu had driven over a hundred kilometers early in the morning to a river in the suburbs. He looked at Su Hui, who was pretending to fish leisurely on the other side.

Gao Lu was furious, and started with a question: "Last time I lied for you, I told those people that you had found Old Xing’s fingerprints. I helped you deceive them. You promised you wouldn’t come to me anymore."

"Don’t be angry. Have some water." Su Hui acted as if nothing was bothering her, which annoyed Gao Lu even more. He said: "No matter what, I’m not helping you guys this time. I’m sorry to say that I’m not a good person and I don’t have a sense of justice. But what I want is to stay alive."

Su Hui shrugged her shoulders: "Don’t be naive, Gao Lu. After you helped us that time, do you think you still have a way out? Those people know you’re helping us. Do you think they will let you go?"

"That’s why I shouldn’t have helped you." Gao Lu snorted coldly, clearly upset, and seemed ready to leave.

However, Su Hui stopped him: "Why did you help us, brother? Was it because you want us to leave you alone, or was it because you feel guilty about Old Xing and you want to do something, or because your sense of justice hasn’t disappeared completely, and you want to bring those people to justice? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come this far to see me."

Upon hearing this, an about-to-leave Gao Lu paused and stood looking stupefied at Su Hui. He didn’t know what to say; he was at a loss for words.

Su Hui, looking interested, watched Gao Lu, and then said, "Okay, Gao Lu you can ask me. What is it this time?"

"You..." Gao Lu hesitated for a while, then shook his head with a wry smile.

Su Hui continued: "We want to know how you joined this mysterious organization, and who else you know has joined."

Gao Lu remained silent for a long time, apparently considering whether or not to reveal it, still full of fear for this mysterious force.

Seeing Gao Lu like this, Su Hui knew she couldn’t force him to speak, she needed to guide him to do so. So she said: "Then let me guess. If I guess right, you just have to nod, okay?"

Gao Lu nodded, he was curious about what Su Hui could guess.

Su Hui gave a slight smile: "Did you join a certain club, and got to know that group of people through the club?"

"How did you know..." Gao Lu was astonished, looking at Su Hui with disbelief. Su Hui just smiled smugly: "There’s an investigation going on above. They can find out, of course. So, Gao Lu you shouldn’t hide anything from us. You could miss out on your chance for redemption."

Gao Lu gave it some thought, he was well aware of why he would run a long way to meet Su Hui this early in the morning. First, due to his guilt over Old Xing, he wanted to do something. Just as Zhuo Hang said before, Gao Lu’s duty was to protect the residents. But not only did he fail to do so, he even caused harm to the ones he was supposed to protect. Secondly, Gao Lu still had a bit of a sense of justice. He wanted that covert organization exposed so he could live a bit more easily. Lastly, Gao Lu knew that since the higher-ups were on to it, solving the case was just a matter of time. When the time came, if Gao Lu didn’t want to be implicated by the covert organization, he had to stand out and expose it. He hoped good behavior could offset some of his guilt, or at the very least, show leniency.

"Well, you’re right. I joined a club called the ’Elite Club’. I met many people in this club: doctors, school principals, and many others. I helped them, and they helped me. It was mutually beneficial. My network gradually expanded. I never thought I, a grassroots worker, could have such relationships. It made me feel powerful for a while."

Su Hui frowned: "Something must have happened then, that forced you to work for this mysterious force."

Gao Lu nodded: "Initially, the help I provided for the people in the ’Elite Club’ was all legal and reasonable. Gradually, as the number of tasks increased and I wanted more networking resources, I did some things against the rules. Eventually, it went too far."

Su Hui interjected: "I see. You got a taste of the power of strong connections, and you slipped deeper and deeper into it."

"Exactly. That’s how it was. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late. I worked in the Identification Bureau, I knew the importance of evidence. I directed others on how to destroy evidence, or how to act without leaving any traces. One day, my son’s principal at the key high school was arrested. This made me very worried, fearing they would find out about me since I had provided some advice to the principal."

"But you weren’t exposed, so someone helped you smooth things over." Su Hui quickly got a nod from Gao Lu: "That’s right, the people from the ’Elite Club’ quickly found out about my situation. They said they could find someone to handle it. But in return I had to work for them. I had no other option, so I agreed. Only later did I find out that behind the ’Elite Club’ was the mysterious force pulling the strings. I had no choice but to secretly help them."

After hearing all this, Su Hui frowned tightly and fell silent for a moment before saying, "I get it! These people are really cunning. Creating this so-called Elite Club, enticing those at the grassroots level who crave societal resources and connections, and after you taste the benefits of reciprocal aid and networking, you sink deeper and deeper, step by step, doing things beyond your authority, until they firmly have you in their grasp."

"Exactly, it was too late by the time I realized." Gao Lu still used a bitter smile, his face filled with indescribable fatigue.

Su Hui asked again, "Who else do you know joined the Elite Club and then worked for this mysterious force just like you?"

Gao Lu shook his head, "I know there are many people in various sectors who are like me, but I only know a few of them. These mysterious forces operate with great rigor, not allowing us to know much about each other. The Elite Club is divided into grassroots, middle, and upper levels. Naturally, I was placed at the grassroots level to interact with others at the same level, but I sometimes encountered middle-level individuals. As for the upper level, that was beyond reach."

"So how did you report to those people the last time you found Old Xing’s fingerprints?" Su Hui wanted to know more, her gaze becoming serious.

Gao Lu sighed, "I have a number here. Whenever they want us to pay attention to something, they will send messages to us. If we discover something, we send the information to this number. Last time when I received the message to report anything related to Old Xing right away, I immediately sent a message when you brought the mineral water bottle with Old Xing’s fingerprints."

Su Hui caught onto a clue and pressed further, "So do you know Old Xing’s real identity?"

Gao Lu directly answered, "All I know is that his name is Xing Weijun. I only know his name. You’ll have to look up the rest of his information yourself."

"Alright, I will." As soon as Su Hui finished speaking, Gao Lu advised her, "Unless absolutely necessary, I suggest you better not dig into Old Xing’s background. These people seem really determined to keep Old Xing’s identity a secret. I fear you might put yourself at great risk."

"Don’t worry, I can handle it. I would not use the office’s computer for the investigation." Su Hui also had experience and knew what to do and what not to do.

At this point, Gao Lu cautiously asked, "I’ve told you everything I know and will cooperate with you in the future. Is it possible to redeem myself from my mistakes? Did your superiors give any instructions?"

"Rest assured, before I came here, I confirmed with my superiors that as long as what you’ve done isn’t too serious, it should be fine. Serious offenses would include things like murder, arson, or possession of a huge amount of untraceable assets." Su Hui had barely finished speaking when she noticed Gao Lu heaving a sigh of relief.

Then, Su Hui gave a faint smile, "Don’t get too excited just yet. After all, you did overstep your boundaries. Once we root out this mysterious force, your punishment will be determined based on your actions, and your merits and faults cannot offset each other."

"It’s okay, I understand I was wrong and am willing to accept any punishment." Gao Lu seemed pleased to be given this hope.

Su Hui nodded, "That’s settled then, you can go now. Remember, we have never met each other today. If anything changes on their side, you must find a way to let me know."

"Of course, I will definitely do it." Without a second thought, Gao Lu responded, showing the determination to stand on the side of justice.

After repeatedly admonishing Gao Lu to be careful, Su Hui watched him leave with a lifted spirit and suddenly realized something. Yes, maybe many grassroots persons might be working for this mysterious force, but it’s likely due to their momentary confusion, and they might be full of regret. If they want to confront this mysterious force, they need to win these people back, not necessarily punish them severely, which would leave them with no chance for redemption and only push them to firmly stand with the mysterious force.

Having said that, Su Hui couldn’t help but admire the mysterious force that created the Elite Club and exploited this human resource to the fullest.

Now, the primary task is to find out Old Xing’s identity, why the opposition was so adamant about getting rid of Old Xing, and what Old Xing knew. Perhaps everything would fall into place once Old Xing’s identity is clear.

The only problem is that there are many people named Xing Weijun. How to find him? After some thought, Su Hui decided she could narrow down the search based on year and month of birth, then check among the missing persons for Old Xing. The most challenging part would be ensuring the investigation remains secret and find ways to prevent detection by the mysterious force’s spies.

(Originally, I planned to release two Chapters a day starting August 1. But I decided to start early, so this is the first Chapter, and there will be one more later. I hope you guys could give me some votes.)