Courriels mortels

Chapitre 21

It was Li Xiaojun who broke the silence. Tong Jianguo, still holding his gun, said, "Aren't you surprised? Your flawless plan has finally been breached by me. This evening, I saw your face on TV. You gave us a crazy speech, but I recognized you immediately—Li Xiaojun."

"Thank you, my good brother."

"I discovered that the city is filled with electromagnetic fields, yet there are no cell phone or ordinary radio signals. I tracked the electromagnetic fields to the stadium and then found this underground enclosed space. You actually built such a huge broadcasting center; you must have gone to great lengths to weave such a massive trap to plunge us into an abyss of no return. Just now, I discovered a passage with a metal security door at the end. I quietly pushed it open and found Yu Ling—and my good brother from back then."

"Alright, what are you going to do now?" Li Xiaojun suddenly stood up from the sofa. "You can do whatever you want, but Yu Ling must stay by my side."

"No, you are no longer the Li Xiaojun of yesteryear, nor the Li Xiaojun that Lan Na liked. You have become a different person, or you are no longer human."

After Tong Jianguo finished speaking, he pressed the muzzle of the gun against Li Xiaojun's forehead and kept pressing him against the wall.

Yu Ling trembled all over behind her and whispered, "No!"

There was another minute of silence.

Li Xiaojun had also fought in battles and was not afraid of guns at all, even with one pressed firmly against his head: "Why don't you shoot?"

Before Tong Jianguo could answer, he felt footsteps behind him, followed by a deep voice: "Don't move!"

He knew who was behind him without even turning around, and he also knew that there was a gun pointed at his temple.

Yu Ling was so frightened that she hid in a corner. She saw a man dressed in all black pointing a pistol at Tong Jianguo, while Tong Jianguo pointed his pistol at Li Xiaojun.

Man in black — ×

Three men, two guns.

As long as Tong Jianguo pulls the trigger, Li Xiaojun's head will explode; but as soon as Tong Jianguo pulls the trigger, the man in black will also immediately pull the trigger, and then Tong Jianguo's head will also explode.

When Li Xiaojun saw the black-clad man's cold and ruthless face, he smiled slightly and said to Tong Jianguo's gun, "If you want Yuling to become an orphan, then please shoot."

On a rainy night, deep beneath the stadium, death is locked in a standoff with death...

The camera pans back to the base camp.

Outside the window, the heavy rain wasn't as frightening as before; the raindrops hitting the glass had gradually thinned out, like the chains around a condemned prisoner's neck finally loosening.

But the people in the room remained tense, all eyes fixed on Xiaozhi. Even Sun Zichu, who was lying in bed, seemed much better than before. With Lin Junru's help, he sat up straight, leaned against the bed frame, and opened his eyes wide.

“Okay, I’ll tell you everything.” Xiaozhi stroked the white cat in her arms, as if she had returned to a year ago, this was originally her home. “A whole year ago, the ‘Great Ghost City Night’ in Nanming City was a disaster that cannot be described in words. My parents and family all died, leaving me all alone as I fled the ghost city. Through secret arrangements, I flew to New Zealand via Yangon and obtained permanent residency. I withdrew the savings my parents left behind, enough to support me for three years. I was admitted to a university in Auckland, and everything was normal, except that I often missed my deceased parents, and ‘God’ and ‘Little White’ left in Nanming City.”

Dingding shook her head and said, "This is the third version I've heard."

"Let her continue."

Ye Xiao intervened for a moment, resting his chin on his hand and analyzing her words in his mind.

“A month ago, a mysterious man in black came to New Zealand and found my house. He said a big shot wanted to see me. At first, I was very surprised, but he provided me with round-trip tickets to the United States and booked the best hotel in New York for me. So, I followed him to the United States. As soon as I arrived at the airport in New York, a helicopter came to pick us up. I was taken to a remote island in the Atlantic Ocean, and in a palatial villa, I met a Chinese man in his fifties—the same man who spoke on the television that evening.”

"The mysterious man in black you mentioned, is he the one who shot and killed the driver this afternoon, fell into my hands, and was then released on your orders?"

Ye Xiao gritted his teeth as he said this, because it was his humiliation.

"Yes, it's him—but that's all I know. I don't even know his name."

“But you are undoubtedly accomplices in this conspiracy, and that’s why you want me to let him go.” He sighed, looking up. “Go on.”

Xiaozhi paused for a moment, then lowered her head and said, "On a small island in the Atlantic Ocean, in that palatial villa, the man in black called the man in his fifties 'boss.' That man was very kind to me and talked to me for a long time, especially about my past in Nanming City—he said that he used to be in Nanming City too, but he had already left before I was born."

Why did he seek you out?

"Because my name is Ouyang Xiaozhi. He said he really enjoys reading suspense novels, and several of the female protagonists in those books are also named Ouyang Xiaozhi. Of course, this is purely coincidental; there are too many people in the world with the same name. But in the vast city of Nanming, there is only one Ouyang Xiaozhi. Moreover, after he met me and talked to me, he felt that my whole image and temperament were so similar to the Xiaozhi described in the books. I am simply a real-life replica of Xiaozhi—the Xiaozhi of Nanming City."

Now it was Sun Zichu's turn to speak: "That's right, I felt it from the very beginning."

"If you say less, you'll be considered to have come back from the dead, right?" Ye Xiao scolded him, then stared into Xiao Zhi's eyes, "Go on."

“That guy gave me a mission—to return to Nanming City and participate in the greatest reality TV show in history, ‘The Secret’. If I succeeded, he would give me a million dollars and send me to Harvard University. I thought about it for three days on the island and finally agreed to his mission. Actually, I wasn’t after the million dollars; I just wanted to go back to Nanming City—New Zealand isn’t my hometown. Nanming City, nestled in the remote mountains, is! No, you wouldn’t understand what it feels like to leave home forever.”

“But for the KMT veterans who built Nanming City, their homeland will always be China,” Lin Junru retorted coldly. She understood the sorrow her father, from the Golden Triangle, had felt back then. “You only consider this foreign land your home!”

These words seemed to hit a nerve with Xiaozhi, but she retorted without backing down, "It's my right. I don't want to stay in New Zealand anymore. I don't like anything there. I want to go back to the peaceful Nanming City and see this house again. I also hope that 'God' and 'Little White' are still here!"

As she spoke, she bent down and stroked the white cat's back, her emotions becoming somewhat agitated.

"You've become part of the conspiracy?"

"No, I had no idea about their plan. I just promised not to reveal my identity, to gain your trust, especially Ye Xiao's, and eventually to lead you to my home. I received more than ten days of training in the United States, mainly on how to face the camera, how to deal with various emergencies, and even how to act convincingly without being exposed. Another important training was to read all the books related to Xiaozhi—that's how I met you: Ye Xiao."

Please don't mention me again.

"Ten days ago, I arrived in Nanming City by helicopter and found this house that I hadn't seen for over a year. I was also surprised to find 'Heavenly God' and 'Little White' alive and well here, and they've become my pets again. I heard that the place has been filled with cameras, but I haven't found a single one. I stayed in the secret base for three days, surrounded by staff from 'Dragon TV,' until they informed me—'You've approached the base.' So I went alone to that alley and waited for you to find me..."

“I know what happened next. You led us into the stadium, and then that wolfhound appeared.”

Xiaozhi raised her head in shame: "Yes, everything was arranged. That night, they informed me that you had approached the courtyard full of roses. I quietly sneaked into the small room, lit a candle, and waited for you to discover me. Sure enough, you followed the light and caught me. From then on, I was in your tour group."

"You really acted like you were trying to run away, but you actually just walked right into my trap."

"Later, they were also responsible for the fire in that apartment building, of course, on the premise of ensuring the safety of the people inside. This gave me the opportunity to drive you to my home, because this was 'Dragon TV's' pre-arranged battlefield, and that's how my 'Little White' made its appearance." As she spoke, she kissed the white cat in her arms again, her eyes gradually becoming sorrowful. "However, it was beyond my expectations from the very beginning. No one told me that someone would die—when I saw Butcher die, my heart was terrified, and I just desperately tried to stay calm."

At this point, Elena joined the interrogation: "Don't you know how they died?"

“No, I had no idea! Dragon TV originally told me that it was just a reality TV show, that there would be no danger, and that no one would die! I thought it was just an accident, or that some people deserved to die. But then Cheng Li and Huang Wanran’s deaths filled me with immense fear. Seeing Qiu Qiu’s grief after losing her parents reminded me of how I lost both my parents at nineteen, which made me even more restless, yet I was forced to perform in front of you!”

"By concealing the truth, you are tantamount to becoming an accomplice to murder!"

"I'm sorry!" Xiaozhi lowered her head in repentance, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably. "Yes, it was my mistake, I am a guilty person. I know from the very beginning, I had already stepped into a trap. I shouldn't have lied to you, and I shouldn't have led you astray. In fact, I couldn't stay among you for even a minute longer, especially after Tong Jianguo suspected me and wanted to interrogate me. I wanted to escape from you several times, but I just didn't have the courage, and I didn't know where I could escape to."

"Hmph!" Lin Junru sneered, "Ye Xiao has already helped you escape."

"Alright, let's stop talking about this." Ye Xiao also felt very embarrassed. He changed his mind and said, "Why did you make up those two stories—Ouyang Xiaozhi from the ancient deserted village and Empress Alute Xiaozhi from the Qing Eastern Tombs?"

“Those are all from the novels about you, and I think they will definitely resonate with you or even frighten you. They chose me to come here because of my name—Xiaozhi.”

He looked up at the sky and gave a bitter laugh, then suddenly looked directly into her eyes: "There's one more important thing you haven't told us—how did you escape Nanming City during the 'Night of the Great Empty City'?"

"This matter—is a secret."

"This matter—is a secret."

"you!"

Xiaozhi lowered her head sadly and said, "I'm sorry, because this doesn't just concern me alone, it involves thousands of people, and it's not something I can decide alone."

"Okay, then I have one more question, which is also my last question—the secret base in Nanming City you mentioned earlier, I'm guessing it's the production crew for the 'Heavenly Secret' reality show, right? Where exactly is it?"

She blinked a few times with her melancholy eyes and slowly uttered five words—

"Nanming Stadium".

Nanming Stadium.

Deep inside the stadium stands, in the vast underground space, at the end of a secret passage, in a narrow, enclosed room, four people are facing off in despair.

Li Xiaojun had Tong Jianguo's gun pressed against his forehead, while Tong Jianguo had the black-clad man's gun pressed against his temple, and Yu Ling stood by, at a loss.

"So you're still alive."

Tong Jianguo's left hand was in a sling, but his right hand remained firmly aimed at Li Xiaojun's gun muzzle. At the same time, he glanced at X out of the corner of his eye and greeted him with a smile.

"Thank you, I appreciate your guidance!"

An hour ago, X fell from the stands, but luckily there were some inflatable mats on the ground, probably used for the high jump competition. He landed on the mats and miraculously survived, only suffering some bruises on his arm. He immediately retrieved his gun and searched the stadium for Tong Jianguo, only to find that he had vanished like raindrops. X returned to his secret underground base, meticulously searching every corner and questioning every staff member, but after a long time, he still had no results.

Ultimately, he decided to report the matter to his boss, because his boss had said not to harm Tong Jianguo. When he entered the secret room—because his boss didn't want to be disturbed, he always entered silently, which also prevented Tong Jianguo from noticing. Thus, the current standoff ensued.

The man in black also glanced at Yu Ling out of the corner of his eye. That afternoon, he received orders from his boss to kidnap Yu Ling from the headquarters. He drove the Hyundai sports car that Tong Jianguo had used, and with a handkerchief sprayed with anesthetic gas, he quietly covered Yu Ling's mouth at the iron gate, carried the unconscious woman into the car, and took her back to the secret base deep inside the stadium.

"You're just as stubborn as you were when you were young."

Li Xiaojun finally spoke, staring directly at the muzzle of Tong Jianguo's gun with a smile that suggested he was an old friend.

Tell me, why did you trick me into coming here?

“Because you are my good brother, I have never forgotten you all these years. A few months ago, when I decided to launch the ‘Heavenly Secret’ reality show, I spent a lot of money to find your whereabouts. I didn’t expect you to actually return to Shanghai. The tour group needed someone like you, so our working group in Shanghai tried every means to invite you to the tour group, and you were completely kept in the dark.”

Ignoring the gun barrel pressed against his temple, Tong Jianguo pushed Li Xiaojun's forehead with the gun again and asked through gritted teeth, "So, everyone in the tour group was carefully selected?"

"Of course, you were all secretly investigated beforehand and selected through layers of screening. You were completely unaware of this process. Ye Xiao was chosen because he had already appeared in the novel, and his personality and profession were perfect for the male protagonist. Sun Zichu was chosen because he is Ye Xiao's friend, and only he could persuade Ye Xiao to join the tour group. Moreover, he is talkative and humorous, able to lighten the mood, and knowledgeable about many ancient things, making him perfect for the adventure in the Rakshasa Kingdom. There's also the establishment of the family of three and Qian Mozheng. These people all consumed a lot of our preliminary work, and we couldn't let them find out at all."

"Enough!" Tong Jianguo interrupted him angrily. "You're despicable!"

“But the only exception is Yu Ling—” Li Xiaojun stubbornly turned to look at his daughter, “Although you also went through the secret screening by our Thai program team, we didn’t know your true background until you joined the ‘Tianji’ travel group.”

Yu Ling boldly walked to his side, no longer afraid of Tong Jianguo's gun: "So you're saying this is just a coincidence?"

"Yes, what an incredible coincidence!"

"Shut up!"

Although Tong Jianguo interrupted him, Li Xiaojun still laughed wildly and said, "Although I thought I was a god and that I could manipulate your fate, I never expected that my own fate would be manipulated as well! But I want to thank this manipulated fate for letting me get my daughter back."

"Tell your men to put down their guns, or I'll shoot right now—I'll kill you with one shot, and your men will kill me with one shot. You decide if it's worth it. I have nothing left, nothing to hold me back in this world, but what about you?"

Li Xiaojun remained silent for a long time, then turned to look at X. The man in black still showed no expression, but he would pull the trigger immediately if his boss gave him a signal. However, no one could guarantee that while one bullet pierced Tong Jianguo's temple, another bullet wouldn't also pierce Li Xiaojun's brain.

“X, please put the gun down.”

Finally, after weighing his options for a minute, Li Xiaojun softened his stance in front of his former best friend.

The man in black meticulously carried out his boss's orders. When Tong Jianguo glanced at the gun and put it on the ground, he slowly backed away from Li Xiaojun.

But Tong Jianguo's gun was still pointed at Li Xiaojun. He retreated to the doorway and said to Yuling, "Do you want to come with me, or go with him?"

Before Yu Ling could react, Li Xiaojun shouted, "Daughter! You have to stay!"

Let her make her own choice!

Tong Jianguo coldly retorted, while remaining wary of the man in black, wondering if he might secretly pick up the gun or have a second gun hidden on his person.

Li Xiaojun had a noticeable red mark on his fair forehead—a mark from being pressed against a gun barrel. Ignoring Tong Jianguo's warning, he stood up, stared at Yu Ling, and shouted in Thai, "You are my daughter. Don't go with outsiders. Daddy is going to take you to America. You will own the whole world! You will rule a great empire."

Having lived in the Golden Triangle for decades, Tong Jianguo could understand his Thai. He calmly told Yu Ling, "If you stay, I won't blame you at all. You can choose your own future. But I will definitely find a way to escape."

To be or not to be?

This serious problem was placed before Yu Ling, and it was the most important choice in her young life, but the time left for her to think about it was far too short.

Caught in a dilemma.

She gazed into Li Xiaojun's eyes. She knew this man was her father, and she knew he loved her deeply. But a strange feeling welled up from the depths of her heart and spread throughout her body, making every nerve feel as if it were being electrified.

Suddenly, she seemed to see another pair of eyes.

The eyes of a young and handsome Thai monk.

She loved those eyes.