Immortality of the dead

Chapter 34

We entered the tunnel, and the cars on both sides sped up, leaving much more space for the motorcycle. He Xi leaned forward, the engine roared, and the speedometer needle climbed straight up, quickly surpassing 100. My eyes were completely squinted; the wind pushed the skin on my face back, piercing through every corner of my clothes like needles, and the exposed skin was frozen stiff. All I could hear was the whistling sound.

We left the cars behind us, one by one, as the tunnel exit was already in sight.

Ahead was a large bus, and He Xi overtook it from the inside. At the same time, a BMW overtook from the outside, causing the bus to swerve inwards. I saw its tall body looming over us like a wall. He Xi quickly swerved to get closer, but the motorcycle was right next to the tunnel wall. The right rearview mirror of the motorcycle scraped against the wall, leaving a trail of sparks, before suddenly breaking off and flying backwards. The next second, the motorcycle overtook the bus from the inside and got stuck in front of the BMW. Only then did I feel my heart clench violently, and then begin to pound wildly.

Suddenly the view opened up, and the five-mile-long, snake-like river-crossing tunnel was already behind us.

The speedometer read 140 kilometers per hour. I strained to turn my head and saw that the expert's car was right behind me.

Today, these two motorcycles speeding through the city will surely become a classic story told by many drivers.

When the motorcycle stopped in front of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the two doormen stared in disbelief.

He Xi took off her helmet and hung it on the bike, and I slowly stepped off.

She was much more agile than me. She looked at me and asked, "You won't throw up, will you?"

I shook my head: "No."

She patted my shoulder: "Then let's go in quickly."

I wouldn't vomit, but my legs are still weak.

The minute hand has just pointed to fifty.

Ten minutes left—if Virus Knight is this punctual.

If he had acted sooner, we would all have lost our lives. Even if we could kill him, the government would definitely have sealed off this place to protect the entire city, even if it meant turning the entire Jin Mao Tower into a dead zone.

Da Ren and Guo Dong also arrived.

"In the second floor?" He Xi asked.

"Second floor. Relax, don't run, don't attract Zhao Ziqiang's attention." Guo Dong quickly moved his fingers and wrists; he was also freezing, and without warming up, he couldn't even grip the gun handle properly.

I took two deep breaths and was about to step inside when I saw Guo and Zhen's police uniforms and quickly pointed to them.

The two men understood each other, took off their police uniforms, threw them onto the motorcycle, and wore only their sweaters underneath.

I took off the holster from my waist, took out the gun, and stuffed it into my trouser pocket. Guo Dong's trouser pocket was too small for the gun, so I immediately took off my coat and gave it to him to wear.

"Keep an eye on our car." Guo Dong patted the doorman on the shoulder as they passed by.

We deliberately slowed our pace, split into two groups, and entered the Grand Hyatt Hotel one after the other.

The expert even lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth to show his leisure.

A young man in a suit stood at the top of the stairs between the two floors. Seeing Guo Dong, he nodded and said, "Director Guo, you've arrived. We just received an urgent notification from the Municipal Bureau..."

Guo Dong waved his hand at the city government staff member: "Time is of the essence, there's no time to waste. We'll just take a quick look around outside first, and then we might have to go inside. Please keep an eye on things."

“Okay, but the foreign guests are already seated, and several leaders will be arriving soon, so it’s best not to disturb them.” He said, walking to the entrance of the grand banquet hall. He whispered a few words to a staff member there and pointed at us, presumably saying that we shouldn’t be stopped if we wanted to go in.

From the moment we entered until we went upstairs, our eyes never stopped, constantly observing everyone coming and going in the hotel. He Xi was undoubtedly familiar with the situation, and Guo Dong and Zhen Daren had certainly seen Zhao Ziqiang's photos as well; their eyesight was exceptionally good, but so far they hadn't found anything.

"Na Duo, I'll go this way with you. Da Ren, you and Miss He over there. Remember, shoot the target immediately upon spotting it," Guo Dong said in a low voice.

The expert nodded emphatically.

Guo Dong tucked his right hand into his coat and we circled the left side of the banquet hall's main entrance once. When we returned to the main entrance, Da Ren and He Xi also came back at the same time. They looked at each other and shook their heads slightly.

"Let's go in," Guo Dong said.

The staff at the entrance stepped aside when they saw us approaching.

Guo Dong didn't rush inside, but asked, "Who were those people who went in earlier?" "They were all city government officials and foreign guests."

"Didn't any unrelated people go in?"

"No," he said firmly.

"So, besides this door, where else can we get into the banquet hall?"

"Today, to control the number of people entering, several side doors have been sealed off." The man thought for a moment and then said, "But there is a door at the back specifically for the servers who serve food."

"What? Please take me there immediately."

"Well... okay, just a moment." He called over another person to temporarily take over his work, and then led us toward the back door.

We went through a small door, turned a few corners in the corridor, and ended up at the back of the banquet hall.

The kitchen was not far away, and many waiters were walking around in front of us carrying cold drinks or beverages.

It looks like a Chinese-style dinner.

In the main hall, the brilliant light from the ceiling chandelier refracted through the glass tassels, creating a dazzling spectacle. Below, a dozen or so round tables were scattered about. Everyone was dressed in dark suits; most were already seated, while others stood in small groups chatting. The only language heard was Japanese.

The main doors of the banquet hall across the street, which had been half-closed, suddenly opened completely. Two people came in, looked around, and then went out again. I knew that the motorcade of the city's main leaders had arrived and was about to officially enter.

There are three minutes left until five o'clock.

“Let’s go in and take a look around. If we don’t find anything, we’ll come back here.” As Guo Dong was making arrangements, He Xi nudged me with her elbow.

Guo Dong caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye and immediately fell silent. We all looked at her.

He Xi, however, was looking ahead. Her gaze was fixed on the back of a waiter to her left.

This man wasn't thin or weak, nor did he walk with a hunchback, but when people focused their attention on him, they always felt he had a timid, petty air about him. He seemed to possess an innate, sleazy quality, emanating from his very bones, which no amount of standing tall and proud could conceal.

He was holding a tray in his hands, his head slightly bowed. On the tray was a bottle of Wuliangye liquor, which he seemed to be preparing for someone at a certain table.

"Zhao Ziqiang!" He Xi called out.

The man turned his head, saw He Xi, and was slightly taken aback.

“Zhao Ziqiang!” He Xi stared at him fiercely. The previously slightly noisy hall fell silent.

"Are you a supervisor?" A man who looked like a manager realized that he did not recognize the waiter named Zhao Ziqiang.

Zhao Ziqiang had already put down the tray, but he still held the bottle neck of Wuliangye firmly in his hand.

He turned around and saw a table of Japanese guests in front of him.

With its arm bent, the glass bottle traced a small arc.

Bang! Smoke rose from the muzzle of Guo Dong's gun.

Bang! Another bang.

Zhao Ziqiang fell forward at an angle, blood spurting from the back of his head and back. Only then did screams erupt in the hall.

His profile still held a strange smile as he tossed the bottle of wine forward.

"Police! Back off! We can't let this bottle of wine spill!" Guo Dong shouted hoarsely, his voice distorted with tension.

Zhao Ziqiang was killed before he could exert his full strength. His wrist was not strong enough, and the bottle flew a short distance in the air before crashing to the ground.

Guo Dong's cries were filled with despair.

The expert opened his mouth, and only a small piece of cigarette butt slowly slid out.

I snatched the cigarette from his mouth and, with all my might, threw it toward the spot where the bottle had spilled.

In that instant, countless gods and Buddhas, both heavenly and earthly, flashed through my mind. I prayed to them.

Tens of millions...

The bottle hit the ground and shattered.

Almost simultaneously, the still-burning cigarette butt shot into the splashed liquor.

The 68-proof liquor burst into flames with a loud bang.

Like a fiery red lotus capable of burning away all the sins of the world.

No known life can survive in environments exceeding 120 degrees Celsius, not even viruses.

The person who reacted the fastest then stood up and staggered backward.

Some people strained their legs but couldn't stand up, and their chairs tipped backward.

In the blink of an eye, it was all over.

Guo Dong walked to Zhao Ziqiang's body, turned him over, and noticed an abnormal bulge in his lower abdomen.

Pulling open his clothes, a disgusting, milky-yellow thing with a surface crisscrossed with grooves, like a tumor, grew on his stomach.

I closed my eyes, let out a long breath, and relaxed my whole body. Only then did the sweat rush out from every pore.

December 11, 8 PM, Yanghe Hospital, Hong Kong.

He Xi and I were released from quarantine early this morning and regained our freedom. None of the people who were quarantined developed symptoms of hyperactivity, and all tested negative for the virus.

The fire created a miracle. The broken bottle of Wuliangye was burned black and cracked, and only a tiny amount of virus was found on the back of the metal cap, where it hadn't been directly burned. It was a very small amount, but still an extremely virulent virus.

Another fortunate thing was that the city's main leaders had not yet entered the banquet hall at the time of the incident.

Otherwise, the city's top leaders would also have to be quarantined for three days, which would have very serious consequences.

They intended to urge He Xi to have surgery immediately after her quarantine ended, but Heller International, through Interpol which was investigating them, relayed a message to the Chinese task force. Since He Xi didn't have direct contact information, this was the only way they could get the message to her as quickly as possible.

Fan Zhe is critically ill.

After multiple failed attempts at treatment by Heller International, Fan Zhe was finally transferred by special plane to Heller International's critical patient life extension research and nursing laboratory at Yanghe Hospital in Hong Kong. His life, which had been trembling and weak, was now reduced to a wisp of smoke and would soon return to silence.

Although there are still many mysteries surrounding Fan Zhe's plans over the years, He Xi is determined to rush to Hong Kong to see him one last time.

Rembrandt and Zhao Ziqiang are dead, Van Heller is missing, and it remains to be seen how much they actually know about Tai Sui. These mysteries will never be solved.

When I last went to Hong Kong to apply for a tourist visa, I applied for two opportunities to travel to Hong Kong. I still have one left, which allows me to fly to Hong Kong with He Xi.

Staying by Fan Zhe's bedside together was a very important moment for both He Xi and me.

The nursing laboratory is not mixed with the regular special care wards. Behind the white doors on both sides of the corridor, there are mostly various medical laboratories.

He Xi was in front, and I was behind, our footsteps echoing in the quiet corridor.

He Xi stopped in front of a door.

I stood silently beside her.

She touched the doorknob and turned it.

It was locked!

How could that be? He Xi had already contacted the lab staff before coming, and they knew she was arriving tonight.

He Xi turned the doorknob again with force, but it didn't budge.