Could this, then, be the very hideout of that organ-trafficking ring? Surely it could not be such a coincidence?

Remembering what Qiu Lingshan had told him earlier—that the gang specialized in preying on beggars, vagrants and the disabled—it struck Wei Zhao all at once: wasn't Xiaofen disabled herself? And nobody in the shantytown district had any money to speak of; it was entirely possible they had been marked by an organ-trafficking ring.

Wei Zhao kicked the basement door open, but Kang Xiaobo charged in ahead of him. Wei Zhao shook his head. Kang Xiaobo was simply too eager, rushing in without knowing whether any of the other side's men were still down below; still, the jade pendant on Wei Zhao's person had raised no alarm, which presumably meant nothing inside was dangerous any more, so he did not stop him.

Xiaofen had never expected Kang Xiaobo to turn up here, and gave a violent start. "You—how did you get here?"

Xiaofen's first thought was that Kang Xiaobo had been captured too. But when she thought it over, the basement door had just been kicked open—could it be that Kang Xiaobo had come to rescue her?

But there were four brawny brutes guarding this place. How on earth had Kang Xiaobo got in?

While Xiaofen was still wondering, she looked up and saw Wei Zhao's figure in the doorway of the basement. It dawned on her at once: Kang Xiaobo must have got here with Wei Zhao's help!

Still, Xiaofen's heart was flooded with feeling. Wei Zhao had helped, yes—but the fact that Kang Xiaobo had rushed here to save her without a thought for his own safety was more than enough to fill her with gladness. To have a man who loved her and cared for her so much—Xiaofen felt she would never have a single regret in this life.

"Heh heh. I saw them drive you off earlier, so I took a taxi after you, and then called the boss—" Kang Xiaobo scratched his scalp, a shade embarrassed. "If the boss hadn't shown up in time, I'd probably have been locked up in here too!"

Wei Zhao waved it off carelessly. As for Kang Xiaobo, this kid of his, Wei Zhao had long since taken him in—so whatever help he gave him, Wei Zhao would never utter a word of complaint.

At that moment, however, Wei Zhao was thinking of other things. Xiaofen was not the only one in the basement; two others sat in a corner with their eyes averted. They did not know who Kang Xiaobo and Wei Zhao were, and dared not ask.

One of them was a boy of sixteen or seventeen who, to judge by his dress, was plainly a beggar. The other, a man of about thirty, was also disabled; he dressed very simply and had lost both arms.

Had Xiaofen been the only one here, Wei Zhao might have concluded that this was a plot aimed at Xiaofen, or at Kang Xiaobo, or even at himself. But seeing these others, together with what Kang Xiaobo had said earlier about "cutting out organs," Wei Zhao was reasonably certain that this was indeed one of the organ-trafficking ring's strongholds.

Half afraid and half exhilarated, Feng Xiaoxiao followed carefully in Wei Zhao's wake. In her eyes, Wei Zhao was nothing less than a great hero, smashing a criminal gang all by himself!

True, Feng Xiaoxiao made a habit of bending the law—fighting, street racing and the like—but in her heart she still worshipped heroes. She simply could not become one herself, which was why she went looking for her thrills elsewhere.

Now, seeing that Wei Zhao had wiped out an entire criminal gang single-handedly, she was beside herself with excitement. "Wei Zhao, is this a criminal syndicate?"

"Probably." Wei Zhao meant to call Qiu Lingshan and let her take it from here. Wei Zhao was no knight-errant; the one and only reason he had come was to rescue Xiaofen. The only reason he had left one man alive earlier was to learn why these people had abducted her. As for anything else, Wei Zhao could not have cared less—whether they might follow the trail up to the interest groups pulling the strings behind it all was none of his business.

Only now did Kang Xiaobo notice Feng Xiaoxiao trailing behind Wei Zhao, and he could not help giving Wei Zhao a thumbs-up. It had been only a few days, and he had already won Feng Xiaoxiao over too?

Wei Zhao saw through Kang Xiaobo's filthy train of thought and shot him an exasperated glare. "My own car was too slow, so I drove Feng Xiaoxiao's."

"Oh..." Kang Xiaobo was a little disappointed; he had rather assumed Wei Zhao and Feng Xiaoxiao were already together.

"Stay where you are. I need to make a call." Wei Zhao instructed Kang Xiaobo and Xiaofen, then turned and went out of the basement. He then dialled Qiu Lingshan's number.

Seeing that it was Wei Zhao calling, Qiu Lingshan very nearly hung up on the spot. She had troubles enough already, and here he was pestering her over some trifling matter!

"Hello! What is it now? I already gave the traffic police a heads-up—haven't the patrol cars pulled out?" Qiu Lingshan bellowed, beside herself with fury. She did not want to take this call, but neither could she afford to offend Wei Zhao too badly; still, venting a little ought to be permissible, so she went on roaring: "Do you have any idea how busy I am? I haven't had a proper night's sleep for days on end because of this case!"

"Oh. I've found what looks like an organ-trafficking hideout. Never mind, then, since you're busy—I'm off." With that, Wei Zhao hung up.

"Gah?" Qiu Lingshan froze. A suspected organ-trafficking hideout? Wei Zhao had actually found one? She was on her feet before she knew it. "Wait—"

But Wei Zhao had already hung up on her. Qiu Lingshan was so angry her teeth itched, yet her heart was pounding with excitement. If what Wei Zhao said was true—then wouldn't she finally have every clue that had been tormenting her?

The officers on the detail all stared in bewilderment at Qiu Lingshan, who had suddenly sprung to her feet in such an excited state, their eyes full of questions. But Qiu Lingshan offered no explanation, saying only, "I'm going back to my office."

With that, Qiu Lingshan hurried back to her own office, shut the door behind her, and at once rang Wei Zhao back.

"Heh. I thought you weren't interested." Wei Zhao answered the phone with a laugh.

"Oh, don't be cross—I was just worked up for a moment, that's all, my temper got the better of me! Please, good kind man, tell your poor little brain-dead girl where the hideout is—" Even Qiu Lingshan was creeped out by the babyish sweetness of her own voice, but there was nothing she could do about it. Wei Zhao was a man who yielded to softness and not to hardness; if she wanted his help, she had no choice but to swallow her pride.

"Heh. No. 7-A, Dunmeng Street. You'd better come yourself—and bring a large vehicle." Wei Zhao gave her the address.

"Fine. Wait for me—I'll be right there!" Qiu Lingshan hung up, raced downstairs to her car and tore off for Dunmeng Street. Since Wei Zhao would not let her bring anyone along, she had no choice but to go alone.

(To be continued.)

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