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Situ Xiang chuckled and shook his head: "I admire your courage, but do you really think you can rescue her?"

"That's hard to say." Yin Li pulled out a dark green pill the size of a lychee from somewhere and waved it in front of him. Looking at this unidentified object that emitted a herbal fragrance, Situ Xiang suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

"By the way, what are you doing here?" Yin Li asked. "Are you here as an undercover agent?"

Situ Xiang quickly covered her mouth: "Don't speak so loudly, are you afraid others won't hear you?"

Yin Li nodded hurriedly, and Situ Xiang let go of her hand, saying, "Our police have been keeping an eye on this prostitution ring for a long time, but we have never been able to catch the final boss. This time we finally got a clue that this Manka Hotel is their hideout."

"Your colleague should be here soon, right?" Yin Li asked anxiously. Situ Xiang took out a diamond-encrusted pocket watch from his clothes. "We still have half an hour. We still have time."

"What time?"

Situ Xiang's lips curled into a mischievous smile as he leaned closer to her: "What do you think?"

Yin Li was furious: "Can't you be a little more serious?"

"Okay, okay, I wasn't kidding," Situ Xiang laughed. "How do I look in a suit?"

"It's alright, at least it's not annoying." Yin Li rolled her eyes. "You should really be an actress, being a police officer is a waste of your talents."

Half an hour later, Situ Xiang led Yin Li down from the second floor. Boss Yu looked at them with great pleasure: "Mr. William, are you satisfied?"

"Check your account; the money has already been transferred," Situ Xiang said expressionlessly. "I'm taking her back. I hope you've forgotten you saw me today."

"I'm afraid it's hard to forget." Boss Yu still had a smile on his face, but there was a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes. He said to Situ Xiang, who had already walked to the door, "After all, I haven't seen many undercover police officers."

Situ Xiang and Yin Li shuddered, their expressions changing drastically. Turning around, they saw Xiang Ge and the others holding AK47s, the dark muzzles of which were accurately aimed at them.

"Are you surprised?" Boss Yu laughed coldly, his laughter unusually grating. "You found the bug in the vase, but there are no fewer than ten bugs in every room here. I heard everything you two said."

Situ Xiang said coldly, enunciating each word clearly, "You're really not just a little bit of a pervert."

“I agree.” Yin Li nodded. “I never expected you to be a voyeur.”

Boss Yu's expression changed, his eyes filled with a ferocious cruelty. He stood up: "It seems you are not afraid at all. Did you think my guns were fake?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Pu pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the door behind Situ Xiang, leaving an ugly bullet hole.

Yin Li's heart began to pound rapidly, and Situ Xiang's forehead began to be covered in cold sweat. His hand, which was holding hers, trembled slightly. He pulled her behind him and whispered, "Xiao Li, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Su Pu smiled smugly, loading the AK47 as he said, "Next time I'm going to blow your head off."

"Situ, how much longer until your colleague arrives?" Yin Li asked, tugging at his sleeve.

“They should have arrived by now,” Situ Xiang said through gritted teeth. “Maybe they were delayed on the way…”

"Delayed..." Yin Li rolled her eyes. Their lives were going to be delayed here.

Situ Xiang's gaze swept over the men with guns. With his abilities, killing them wouldn't be difficult, but there were so many girls in the house. If he accidentally injured one, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Don’t you have a green pill?” Situ Xiang said. “It’s time to use it.”

"Are you sure?" Yin Li's lips twitched twice. Boss Yu laughed loudly, "Alright, bring on all your tricks. I want to see how you're going to escape today."

"You'll regret this." Yin Li took out the dark green unidentified object, smiled at Boss Yu, and said, "Do you like maggots?"

Before Boss Yu could react, she had already thrown it out. Su Pu raised her gun and shot the pill. Suddenly, a faint fragrance filled the air, and wisps of light smoke meandered in the air. Humans were like giant magnets, attracting them to come closer. Once they touched the body, they could hardly escape.

Looking at the smoke spreading out, Boss Yu laughed heartily: "What's this? A smoke bomb? Perhaps there's not enough smoke?"

Before she could finish speaking, Su Pu suddenly screamed, threw down the gun in her hand, and began scratching her skin violently, as if trying to dig out something disgusting.

Situ Xiang's lips twitched twice as he watched the people in the room go crazy one after another, the girls' screams rising and falling, some even fainting. He was about to turn around and ask Yin Li what had happened when he suddenly felt a tingling sensation in his arm. He quickly rolled up his sleeve, his pupils immediately dilating.

Beneath his wheat-colored skin on his arm, numerous tiny insects swarmed, some of which had already pierced through his skin and emerged as large, fat maggots.

He couldn't help but shout, "Xiao Li, what is this?"

"Don't worry, it's just an illusion," Yin Li whispered in his ear. "This drug is in the form of smoke. When it enters the body, it makes you feel like there are countless maggots crawling inside. Although it's just an illusion, you'll still feel the pain of being bitten by thousands of insects. That's why this drug is called 'Maggots that Attach to Bones'."

His whole body ached and itched, and Situ Xiang frowned as he scratched his skin incessantly: "Give me the antidote quickly."

Yin Li smiled awkwardly: "I forgot to bring the antidote."

"What?" Situ Xiang finally collapsed to the ground. Even though he knew it was just an illusion, seeing countless maggots wriggling on his body was definitely not a pleasant thing.

"Don't worry, it's a very small amount; it'll only last for half an hour at most," Yin Li reassured him. "Your colleagues should arrive by then, right?"

Situ Xiang smiled wryly, hoping he could hold on until then.

When the police brought the Manka Hotel under control, Situ Xiang was finally freed from the nightmare of being haunted by maggots, and lay on the sofa, panting heavily.

Boss Yu and Brother Xiang sat in a corner, handcuffed, looking listless, their faces and bodies covered in scratches. The girls, on the other hand, lay quietly on the ground, motionless and safe.

“Situ, explain this to me.” An elderly man, about fifty years old and dressed in a police uniform, looked around, then glanced at Yin Li, who was sitting on the sofa drinking red wine. “Also, who is this Persian beauty?”

"I just had a nightmare. Let me rest a bit more. I'll give you a detailed report later, boss," Situ Xiang replied weakly. Yin Li asked curiously, "Boss?"

“The city’s police chief, Leda. We all like to call him Boss.” Situ Xiang sighed. “You should have given me some of the drugs you used on those girls, otherwise I might be a bloody mess by now.”

"Okay, I'll give it to you next time," Yin Li smiled.

Situ Xiang raised his hand to cover his forehead: "I hope there will never be a next time."

“Director Leda, they should still be hiding some girls,” Yin Li said to the kind-looking old man. “You’d better ask them.”

Leda nodded, about to speak, when Boss Yu sneered, "Everything I bought is here, believe it or not, it's up to you..."

"Nonsense!" Yin Li interrupted him. "I remember you just said that these girls were specially selected for Situ. Besides them, there must be others! Otherwise, where would you have chosen them from?"

Boss Yu fell silent, refusing to utter a single word no matter how much Leida tried to persuade him. Just as the old man was about to explode in anger, Yin Li's voice suddenly pierced the air: "Watch out!"

Everyone was startled and turned to look at Boss Yu's shoulder. He felt a chill run down his spine and turned around in fear, seeing a red spider, about three centimeters long, perched on his shoulder. His expression changed, and he was about to swat the spider off when he heard Yin Li shout, "Don't move! That's a Moorish spider that lives in this area. It's highly venomous. If someone is bitten, the wound will swell, rot, and be accompanied by symptoms such as fever, dizziness, and vomiting. If not treated promptly, it can be life-threatening. You absolutely mustn't move! If you move, it will burrow into your body and bite you!"

"Quick! Help me get this beast down!" Boss Yu shouted in a hoarse voice. He had just been entangled by maggots, and now a mole spider had appeared. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He was afraid that for the next ten years, he would be so frightened by any insect that he would lose control of his bladder and bowels.

“Sure.” Yin Li smiled slyly. “Tell us where the other girls are, and who your accomplices are, and I’ll help you take it down.”

Boss Yu looked distressed and hesitated for a moment. The Moore Spider crawled into his collar. Yin Li pretended to be alarmed: "Oh no, if a Moore Spider bites your neck, you'll die instantly."

Finally, Boss Yu couldn't hold back any longer and shouted in fright, "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

Yin Li smiled smugly and gave Situ Xiang an OK sign. Situ Xiang suddenly felt a sharp pain in his temple. They were sure to be complained about by that fatso.

The police opened the basement door, and a nauseating smell hit them. The ragged girls huddled together, trembling with fear.

Yin Li's heart was ice-cold.

Xiaowen isn't in there!

She gritted her teeth, turned around, and grabbed Boss Yu's collar: "Where are the others? Where are the other girls?"

"No, really no!" Boss Yu shook his head hurriedly. Yin Li was unable to think for a moment. So, Xiao Wen was not taken away by an international prostitution organization?

So... where did she go?

Stepping out of the Manka Hotel, Yin Li felt the sunlight was unusually dazzling. The past two days had felt like an eternity. She suddenly felt like laughing. She had risked so much, painstakingly infiltrated this scoundrel organization, all to rescue Xiao Wen, but in the end, Xiao Wen wasn't even here.

After going around in circles, she finally returned to where she started.

"Xiao Li." Duna ran over and grabbed her hand. "Is your name Xiao Li? That's what Mr. Situ called you."

"Yes, Duna." Yin Li forced a smile.

"Thank you so much this time, Xiao Li." Duna took something out of her clothes and handed it to her. "This is something passed down from my grandfather. I'm giving it to you as a thank you gift."

Yin Li quickly declined, saying, "This is your family heirloom, how can I accept it?"

"Just accept it." Dona placed it in her hand. "It's not anything valuable, just a map. Grandpa said it was a treasure map, but we didn't believe him. I don't have anything else to repay you with, so please consider it a small token of my appreciation."

After saying that, she walked into the group of girls, got into the police car, and Yin Li watched her back and sighed.

Dona's gift was a piece of parchment, which seemed very old, with some tears at the edges, and a faint smell of sheep. She slowly unfolded the paper and found that it was covered with densely packed Indian stupas, the one in the middle being larger and dark red, as if painted with blood. Behind the stupa, a pair of huge wings extended, beautiful yet eerie.

“A pagoda?” Yin Li was taken aback. Suddenly, she remembered what happened three years ago. A male classmate named Zheng Hao died on the basketball court. Qin Wen told her that she saw him fall with her own eyes, and the pattern of his blood was this winged pagoda.

It seems that Zheng Hao had been to Karamay before his death. Now Xiao Wen has disappeared in Karamay, and the Winged Pagoda has reappeared. Could it be... just a coincidence?

Yin Li frowned; it seemed she needed to have a serious talk with Du Na.

IV. Buddhist Pagoda Cemetery

Qin Wen opened her eyes and found herself lying in a large RV. The bed, with its soft, comfortable sky-blue mattress, was throbbing slightly. She propped herself up on her arms and looked around, murmuring, "Where am I?"

"My RV." A familiar voice called out. Qin Wen looked up and saw a man in Adidas sportswear sitting at a narrow desk, spreading tomato sauce on bread. She suddenly remembered everything that had happened before she fainted, and her heart skipped a beat. She wanted to jump up, but found that her right hand was handcuffed to the steel bed frame.

"Who exactly are you?" Qin Wen demanded angrily. "What do you want?"

“I’ve already said that.” The vampire-like handsome man handed her the bread. “I hope you can come with me to the Sacred Pagoda Cemetery to search for treasure.”

"Tomb raiding?" Qin Wen's mind flashed back to the nightmare she had experienced not long ago, which still terrified her. She didn't take the tomato bread and said angrily, "I remember I already refused."

“You have no choice but to agree.” The man shrugged and put the bread in his mouth. “Do I need to introduce myself? My name is Antonio Caesar.”

Qin Wen's lips twitched twice, and a wave of disgust welled up in her heart. She had never had any good feelings towards those who were clearly Chinese but chose foreign names to prove that they were different.

"Have you been in the sun too much?"

Caesar was taken aback, not understanding why she asked that. She sneered, "Otherwise, why is your skin so yellow? And your blonde hair must be dyed black, right?"

Caesar finally understood that she was being sarcastic, but he wasn't angry. He just smiled and said, "I grew up abroad. My adoptive father was British, and he named me. Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm half British and a British citizen."

Is British citizenship something to be proud of? Qin Wen glared at him: "I have no interest in discussing whether you're purebred or mixed-race. Just tell me why you came to me?"

Upon hearing the word "bastard," a flash of anger and malice crossed Caesar's eyes, but it vanished in an instant. He laughed and said, "You're finally starting to get smarter."

Qin Wen's expression changed; this person's mouth was truly foul.

“Because you are the key to opening the Bloodwing Pagoda tomb—” Caesar laughed coldly, walked over and lifted her chin, “You are Garuda.”

Garuda? Qin Wen was shocked. In Buddhist legend, Garuda is one of the eight classes of celestial beings, also known as the Golden-Winged Bird, a divine beast that protects the Buddha. He said she was Garuda? Are you kidding me! How does she look like a bird?

"You're crazy! I don't have time to play these pointless games with you!" Qin Wen rolled her eyes at him. "Take off the handcuffs right now. I'm going back. Xiao Li must be worried sick."

Caesar took out a palm-sized box from his pocket, opened it, and Qin Wen's eyes widened immediately. Inside was a jade pendant, with a very simple and ancient design, yet crystal clear. She knew quite a bit about antiques, and this thing was at least from the Shang Dynasty. Jade pendants from the Shang Dynasty were even more precious than bronze artifacts.

"If you help me get that thing, this is yours," Caesar said smugly, pleased with her expression. Qin Wen's face suddenly turned ugly. The jade pendant from the Shang Dynasty was priceless, a national treasure, and this person had just given it away so casually. It seemed he had dug up many people's ancestral graves.

"You... are you a professional tomb raider?" she asked tentatively.

“Calling me ‘thief’ is too vulgar.” Caesar gave her a mock European courtly bow. “I am an explorer, or as we say in China, a tomb raider.”

Qin Wen's facial muscles began to twitch. She hated tomb raiders, and she hated even more those self-righteous tomb raiders who were clearly despicable but thought they were charming.

"Then take your time. I'm just an ordinary woman with no great ambitions and short-sighted vision. I'll leave this noble and glorious task to you. Goodbye!" With that, she threw the handcuffs at his face, kicked the car door open at lightning speed, and jumped out.

The car stopped in a small market town. It seemed to be market day, and there were many people. She disappeared into the crowd in a short while. Caesar was not in a hurry at all. He leisurely looked at the handcuffs that she had pried open with a wire, and a smile was on his lips: "You've got some skills. It seems I didn't pick the wrong person."