Chapter 58: Threat from Jinbaolai

Lin Xiao did not know the specific situation of Camp 37, but he had witnessed children wailing everywhere through Yue Chongguang’s memories.

No wonder they had no use for mature awakened individuals.

Those who had already undergone the painful ritual possessed drastically reduced research value.

Only a blank slate could be subjected to targeted records and preparations prior to the ritual.

They could even be forced to swear pre-determined oaths according to demand.

Yue Chongguang continued, "They say you can tell what a person will be like at three by the time they are seven, but my son was raised by my own hands. I refuse to believe he was that kind of person..."

He paused slightly before adding, "Even committing evil must have a reason. I cannot comprehend such an inexplicable, unyielding defiance unto death."

Lin Xiao nodded. Evil was always committed for specific goals; meaningless and stubborn resistance unto death felt utterly absurd.

This was something that had confused him when he previously experienced Yue Chongguang's memories: "With such madness, what on earth was he aiming for?"

Yue Chongguang went on, "I spent three years investigating the missing persons cases, and I found that all clues pointed to one person—Jin Baolai!

I suspect that through human trafficking, adoption, and even abduction, he controlled a large number of children to use as experimental subjects.

Moreover, he sold the research results to powerful elites, acquiring massive wealth in the process."

Hearing Yue Chongguang's explanation, Lin Xiao suddenly recalled what the triangular-eyed man had said.

That fat man, who was still running a street stall seven or eight years ago, had risen abruptly to become immensely wealthy within just a few short years.

Xu Tao had once said that he had no idea through what channels Jin Baolai had struck it rich.

It only proved that the tobacco company displayed on the surface was merely a front.

What truly propelled Jin Baolai's rapid ascent was this dark and filthy business.

At this moment, Lin Xiao became even more certain that an irreconcilable feud had formed between him and Jin Baolai.

As a memory-type awakened individual capable of unearthing secrets directly from human brains, Jin Baolai could never allow him to continue existing.

Therefore, Lin Xiao said, "I will definitely help you get to the bottom of this."

Yue Chongguang said with a solemn expression, "Since you have already decided to step into this game, I need you to understand just how dangerous this adversary is, or else you might end up dead without even knowing why.

The most foundational level of Jin Baolai's power lies in his assets exceeding twenty billion. Relying on this colossal wealth, he has co-opted countless people, and his tentacles now cover the entire East Sea region.

Every move you make is likely under his watchful eye."

Lin Xiao nodded in agreement.

Yue Chongguang had just excised the memories from his own mind, and Jin Baolai had found out almost immediately.

Furthermore, capturing Zhang Kui tonight and bringing him to his own home rather than the precinct proved that the precinct was far from a safe haven.

Yue Chongguang continued, "The second tier of threat from Jin Baolai stems from the countless big figures backing him from the shadows, whose identities remain unknown."

With that, Yue Chongguang pointed to his epaulets and said, "I used to be a Level 3 Inspector. Ever since I started investigating Jin Baolai, all sorts of suppression have rained down upon me. Within a mere four years, I've been penalized three times and demoted all the way down to my current rank."

The rank system of the Security Bureau, identical to the tax system, consisted of fourteen levels in total.

A Level 3 Inspector was the seventh rank out of the fourteen. In Lin Xiao's understanding, this was roughly equivalent to a deputy department head in his previous life, sitting just one rank below Chen Xin.

For someone in his fifties with exceptional operational capabilities and a track record of repeated merits, such a rank was the only logical fit.

Yet over the past four years, he had been constantly suppressed, sliding all the way down to his current fifth rank.

Lin Xiao believed that if not for Yue Chongguang's upright conduct and airtight personal record—leaving Jin Baolai without any real dirt to exploit—he would have been completely crushed long ago.

He recalled Jin Baolai's words from Zhang Kui's memories:

"He won't be hopping around much longer. Very soon, he won't be able to control anything at all."

This could not help but make Lin Xiao worry about Yue Chongguang's safety.

Yue Chongguang went on, "The final layer of threat from Jin Baolai comes from the formidable martial might wielded by his subordinates."

"How strong are they?"

Threats on the physical and violent front were the most direct, so Lin Xiao asked immediately.

"What do you think of Zhang Kui?" Yue Chongguang asked.

"To be honest, he's very strong! I don't have the confidence to defeat him securely," Lin Xiao answered truthfully.

At the thought of Zhang Kui's immensely formidable physique and his second and third abilities which he hadn't even had the chance to display, Lin Xiao felt a prickle of scalp-numbing dread.

He had not forgotten that Zhang Kui was a Level 4 awakened individual, meaning he had mastered at least three supernatural abilities.

Lin Xiao knew very well that he had easily handled Zhang Kui tonight only because he had struck preemptively, turning the tables and fully exploiting his own advantages.

From beginning to end, his true body never came into contact with Zhang Kui; instead, he used his illusion clone to manipulate the terrain of the narrow tunnels and trap Zhang Kui in a premeditated scheme.

If they had truly fought in an open environment where his real body faced Zhang Kui directly, Lin Xiao did not possess absolute certainty of victory.

Not to mention, what if Zhang Kui disregarded martial honor and launched a sneak attack against him?

Seeing that Lin Xiao had not grown arrogant simply because he had defeated Zhang Kui, Yue Chongguang breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

"Jin Baolai has twelve subordinates like Zhang Kui. Zhang Kui's strength ranks tenth among them."

Lin Xiao: "..."

What is this? The Zodiac Saints?

Just what kind of monsters were the nine standing above Zhang Kui?

Lin Xiao instantly felt the crushing weight of the pressure. No wonder Yue Chongguang's pursuit of justice over all these years had progressed at such a snail's pace.

Whether it was money, powerful backers, or the immense brute force at his disposal, each element stood like a towering mountain, making the whole situation extraordinarily thorny and difficult to handle.

Yue Chongguang asked with a smile, "Well? Do you regret it now? Then again, as you said yourself, it's already too late to back out."

Lin Xiao shook his head with a smile, choosing not to answer the question verbally, but rather with concrete action.

He pulled out two memory amber stones: one belonging to the triangular-eyed man and the other to Zhang Kui.

"I think these two sets of memories can provide you with some useful intelligence."

Yue Chongguang did not waste words, cooperatively closing his eyes.

Lin Xiao immediately activated the memory amber, sharing the two sets of memories he had previously viewed with Yue Chongguang.

When Yue Chongguang finished "reading" the memories and opened his eyes once more, his very first thought was a deep sense of gratitude that he had chosen to let Lin Xiao join the investigation.

Having a memory-type awakened individual to help was simply... too heaven-defying!

"Lin Xiao, thank you. These two memories are immensely useful to me!" Yue Chongguang expressed his sincere appreciation.

At this moment, he had entirely come to regard Lin Xiao as a respected comrade-in-arms.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Lin Xiao asked with a smile.

"I am being watched too closely. You won't be able to accomplish anything if you stay with me now. Tomorrow, I will have Xiaozhao contact you; she will discuss the next steps with you," Yue Chongguang replied.

Xiaozhao? Huang Lingzhao!

Thinking of that yellow-clothed girl, Lin Xiao could now vaguely guess why she was willing to bear such a heavy and painful ritual just to claim justice.

Lin Xiao nodded in agreement, then stood up to take his leave.

Just as he was about to step out the door, Yue Chongguang's voice came from behind him:

"There's one thing I forgot to mention just now."

"Go ahead."

"Don't just focus on guarding against Jin Baolai's subordinates. That fat man himself is equally dangerous—he is also a memory-type awakened individual."

Lin Xiao: "!!!"