Chapter 71

Ye Feng and his friends, including Zhu Zi and Du Lijun, continued their dinner until around ten o'clock at night. Apart from Zhu Zi, Du Lijun and the other workers were quite drunk, and even Qin Yan had a couple of glasses of white wine, her face flushed.

During the meal, the workers kept teasing about the relationship between Ye Feng and Qin Yan, which made Ye Feng very embarrassed. However, he also noticed that no matter how much the workers teased, Qin Yan never gave any indication, neither confirming nor denying it, which made Ye Feng feel a bit excited and thrilled despite his embarrassment.

The rain continued to pour, showing no signs of letting up. After settling the bill, Ye Feng asked the restaurant owner to call a few taxis.

Restaurant owners usually have some familiar taxi drivers to help customers who have had too much to drink.

It was raining heavily, and the taxis were very busy, so Ye Feng and his friends had to wait a bit longer.

Back in the private room, while waiting for the taxis to arrive, Qin Yan suddenly received a phone call. After the call, her expression was shocked, and the effects of the alcohol seemed to wear off instantly.

She looked seriously at Ye Feng, who was chatting with Zhu Zi, and interrupted them, saying, "Ye Feng, something big has happened."

Ye Feng's heart tightened, and he asked, "What happened?"

Zhu Zi's expression also turned serious. He knew Qin Yan was a lawyer and would not speak so seriously without a reason. If she said something had happened, it must be true.

"Just now, my assistant Wang Dong called me. He said that two night shift workers and the security guards at the Changjiang District Court were all murdered. They were brutally killed, with their hearts removed and heads cut off. Additionally, he received a call from a police friend who works at the city bureau. The friend told him that the families of several criminal investigators reported that thugs broke into their homes and brutally murdered the investigators in front of their families before fleeing."

Hearing this, Ye Feng's sense of unease grew even more, but Qin Yan had not finished speaking.

"Wang Dong also told me an even more unbelievable piece of news. He said that Liu Yong was abducted from the detention center, and many of the night shift police officers there were killed. Ye Feng, I think this is a huge event that will shock the high-level officials in Mingzhu City. Who could do such a cruel thing, abducting prisoners and killing police officers? These people are incredibly bold."

Ye Feng's heart sank, and his mind was in chaos. How could Liu Yong be abducted? Who could have the audacity to abduct Liu Yong and kill so many police officers? Could it be Liu Yong's father, who is the vice mayor?

Ye Feng quickly dismissed this thought. As a government official, there are too many things to consider. Even if Liu Tianlong doted on his son, he would not dare to do such a reckless thing.

Then who? Who has the ability to successfully abduct Liu Yong from the detention center?

Qin Yan was already making phone calls, and Zhu Zi looked stunned.

At this moment, the restaurant owner entered the private room and informed Ye Feng that the taxis he had called had arrived, but only two taxis were available, so Zhu Zi and the others had to leave first.

Ye Feng and Zhu Zi helped the foreman and the other workers into the taxis, paid the fare, and instructed Zhu Zi to take care of the workers when he got home.

Before parting, Zhu Zi grabbed Ye Feng's hand and handed him a large envelope, saying solemnly, "Yezi, I'll be quitting my job and going home in a while. I won't tell you when I leave to avoid making you sad. Our hometowns are not far apart. When you go back for the New Year, make sure to visit my home, okay? The things in this envelope are a gift from me. Take it, use it well, and save it. Also, Qin Yan is a good girl. You should have the courage to pursue her. Who says a villager can't find a beautiful city girl? Cheer up, I'm leaving."

After saying this, Zhu Zi got into the taxi without waiting for Ye Feng's response and instructed the driver to leave.

Ye Feng returned to the eaves of the restaurant and saw Qin Yan still on the phone, looking serious. He opened the envelope Zhu Zi had given him.

Inside was a thick stack of money.

Ye Feng's eyes welled up. If he was right, this money was part of the payment Gu Nian had given him as a thank you.

Du Lijun must have given Zhu Zi the largest share, but Zhu Zi had returned it to him in full.

This gesture of friendship was far more precious than the money.

A few minutes later, Qin Yan finally hung up the phone. Throughout the call, she had listened more than she had spoken. After hanging up, she looked at Ye Feng with a tense and frightened expression.

Ye Feng sensed something was wrong and asked, "Yan, what's the matter?"

But Qin Yan didn't respond, still in a daze.

At this moment, another taxi arrived, probably called by the restaurant owner.

The rain was heavy, and the wind was strong, making the temperature quite cool. Ye Feng wasn't afraid of the weather, but Qin Yan was shivering.

Ye Feng didn't have time to ask more questions. He pulled Qin Yan's hand and got into the taxi, instructing the driver to take them directly to Qin Yan's home.

Qin Yan remained silent the entire time, her brows furrowed, clearly deep in thought.

Ye Feng didn't press her for answers, leaning back in the seat, his mind troubled by the thought of Liu Yong's abduction.

Could they just let this scoundrel, who had framed him, go free?

After a while, Qin Yan suddenly slapped her thigh and let out a loud exclamation, startling Ye Feng and the driver.

"Stop the car, stop the car immediately!" Qin Yan shouted, looking very urgent.

Fortunately, the taxi was not on a main street, and the driver, being steady, did not panic. He slowly slowed down and parked by the roadside.

"What's wrong, Yan? What's the matter?"

"Ye Feng, don't ask what's going on. Call Zhu Zi and the others right now and tell them not to return to the construction site. If possible, have them go to the nearest police station or bureau and stay in touch. We need to go back and find them."

"What's going on, Yan? Why do we need to go back?"

But Qin Yan didn't have time to explain. She instructed the driver, "Sir, I'm very sorry, but we need to go back the way we came. I'm sorry for the trouble."

The driver didn't say much, though he found it odd, but it was none of his business.

Ye Feng made a call, but Zhu Zi's phone was off. He tried Du Lijun's phone, but it was also off.

This made Ye Feng even more uneasy.

After sitting down, Qin Yan explained to Ye Feng, "Ye Feng, you're not a lawyer, so you might lack in logical reasoning. Have you noticed how coincidental and strange the events of tonight are?"

Ye Feng nodded, "Yes, it is very strange and eerie. I have a sense of unease, but as you said, I can't analyze it like you can. I just have a gut feeling of unease."

Qin Yan lowered her voice and continued, "Analyzing the timeline, Liu Yong was abducted first, and the police were killed afterward. More importantly, Wang Dong told me another shocking piece of news. The judges, jurors, and clerks responsible for Liu Yong's case were all killed recently. Some died at home, others outside, all in brutal ways. I also called a judge friend, who confirmed this news. Ye Feng, can you connect the dots?"

"Yan, are all these things related to Liu Yong?"

"Exactly. Analyzing the nature of the events, all the people killed, including the police and judges, were related to Liu Yong. The police arrested him, and the judges tried him. All the people related to him were brutally killed within a short two hours, not a single one was spared. So many people died in one night, and they were all from law enforcement. Ye Feng, this is a huge event. It will not only shock the high-level officials in Mingzhu City but also those in Beijing."

At this point, Ye Feng seemed to understand something. He asked urgently, "Yan, if all this is related to Liu Yong, what is he trying to do? Is he seeking revenge?"

"I can't be sure, but if someone really abducted Liu Yong from the detention center and then so many brutal murders followed, and all the victims were related to Liu Yong, then logically, I can only conclude that Liu Yong is seeking revenge. He wants to kill everyone who sent him to the death row, including the judges and police, you and me, and even your fellow workers. The person he hates the most is you. If he can't find you, he will target those who know your situation and whereabouts. Since you have no family or friends in Mingzhu City other than your workers, if he can't find you, his next target will likely be Zhu Zi and the others."

Hearing this, Ye Feng was shocked and understood why Qin Yan had been so urgent in stopping the taxi and asking him to call Zhu Zi.

Unfortunately, they couldn't reach Zhu Zi and the others, and his sense of unease grew. Analyzing Qin Yan's words, he felt this possibility was very likely. He immediately activated his divine sense, expanding it towards the direction of the villa, but encountered a very cold and sinister aura that blocked his divine sense. After colliding with this aura, his divine sense could not advance any further. A strong sense of danger rose in Ye Feng's heart. He remembered a warning from the Law: there are evil cultivators in Mingzhu City besides him. Connecting this with Qin Yan's analysis, he suddenly realized that the abduction of Liu Yong, the murders of the police and judges, and even the four dead-aura-filled men who tried to capture Gu Nian and fought with him, might all be related to this evil cultivator.

But why would this evil cultivator appear now, and why would he be involved with Liu Yong? Ye Feng couldn't figure it out.

The more he thought, the more anxious he became. He instructed Qin Yan, "Yan, as you said, go to the police station or bureau. If Liu Yong's targets include you, they will try to find you. It's good that you came out to dinner with me tonight. I'll go ahead, and you must not follow. Take care of yourself."

After instructing Qin Yan, Ye Feng shouted to the driver, "Sir, stop the car."

Qin Yan grabbed his hand, saying urgently, "Ye Feng, you don't need to be so hasty. My analysis might be wrong. I think we should call the police and have them accompany us to find Zhu Zi and the others."

The driver had already stopped the car by the roadside. Ye Feng pulled away from Qin Yan's hand and said, "Yan, I can't wait. Listen to me, don't follow me. I'll call you later."

Without another word, he opened the car door and rushed out. After turning a corner, he leaped up and sped towards the direction of the villa and the workers' dormitory.

By the time Qin Yan pushed open the car door to chase after Ye Feng, he had already disappeared into the dark, stormy night.