Chapter 34: Banggeng Lies in Ambush at Midnight, and Chen Mo Turns the Tables

“Deputy Director Li, your plan sounds promising.” Chen Mo lowered his voice, his face betraying just the right mix of greed and hesitation.

“But a mere accident won’t be enough to bring down Director Yang, will it? His foundations are solid; at worst, he’ll just face some disciplinary actions.”

Hearing this, Deputy Director Li suddenly perked up. He believed Chen Mo had taken the bait—that his plan was being dismissed as not ruthless enough.

“So, Doctor Chen, what’s your brilliant idea?” he coaxed.

Chen Mo paused thoughtfully, as if wrestling with a difficult decision. Then, with a determined bite of his teeth, he leaned close to Li’s ear.

“If we’re going to play, let’s play big. What’s the most critical aspect of a safety inspection? It’s lives! As long as… someone dies, no matter if Director Yang is the devil himself, he won’t be able to save his skin.”

Li’s pupils constricted sharply.

A death?

He had considered it before but had never dared to act on it.

The risk was enormous. If exposed, he’d be finished too.

Yet Chen Mo spoke as if it were the most trivial matter in the world. The cold ruthlessness and decisiveness in his tone sent a chill down Li’s spine.

Looking at this young man before him, Li felt for the first time that he might have underestimated him.

This guy was no ordinary tough player.

“Doctor Chen, this… this isn’t a joke,” Li’s voice was dry, strained.

“Of course, I know it’s not a joke,” Chen Mo stood upright, restoring his usual calm demeanor.

“I’m merely offering a line of thought. Whether you take it or not depends entirely on your resolve, Deputy Director Li.”

He paused, then added, “And if it really comes to a death, as a doctor, I will be the first on the scene. Then, whether it’s ‘unsuccessful resuscitation’ or ‘beyond saving,’ I can handle the nuances.”

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Deputy Director Li immediately understood Chen Mo’s meaning.

Chen Mo was assuring him that he could help “manage” the scene, making everything appear as an irreversible accident.

With this “miracle doctor” vouching for it, who would dare doubt?

“Good! Good! Good!” Li exclaimed excitedly, patting Chen Mo’s shoulder heartily.

“Doctor Chen, you truly are a man destined for great deeds! I didn’t misjudge you! Once this is done, I will not treat you unfairly!”

He thought he had found a perfect ally, unaware that he was stepping deeper into the web Chen Mo had meticulously woven.

Chen Mo watched Li’s face flush with excitement, feeling nothing but cold indifference.

He turned and left, leaving behind Li’s jubilant laughter.

—

[Alert! Detected punitive target ‘Deputy Director Li’ harboring malicious intent for serious wrongdoing! Heinous acts imminent!]

[Special mission triggered: Turn the tables, crush the conspiracy, and inflict major losses on the punitive target.]

[Mission rewards: Punishment Points +1000! Advanced surgical skill package (including nerve suturing, organ transplantation, etc.)!]

A faint, barely noticeable smile tugged at the corner of Chen Mo’s lips.

One thousand punishment points, plus advanced surgical skills.

Deputy Director Li, you truly are a gift.

…

Night was as black as ink.

Bang Geng crouched alone in the grass alongside a secluded path leading from the steel rolling mill to Director Yang’s residential area.

The autumn night was chill and biting.

He wore only a thin shirt, shivering uncontrollably, but his eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness, filled with the patient, excited focus of a hunter.

In one hand, he gripped a sharpened awl.

Next to him lay a wooden club as thick as an arm.

He waited.

Waiting for his prey to walk into the trap he had laid.

Seconds ticked by.

In the distance, the clatter of a bicycle chain finally rang out.

Here he came!

Bang Geng’s heart leapt to his throat.

He held his breath, pressing himself low so only his eyes were visible, fixated on the approaching figure.

Under the moonlight, Chen Mo rode his gleaming Permanent-brand bicycle leisurely toward him.

He seemed completely unaware that a pair of murderous eyes watched from the dark grass.

Fifty meters.

Thirty meters.

Ten meters.

Now!

A frenzy of light ignited in Bang Geng’s eyes. He grabbed the wooden club and, mustering all his strength, sprang out of the grass, stabbing fiercely at the front wheel of Chen Mo’s bicycle!

He expected Chen Mo to crash heavily to the ground with both man and bike.

Then he could rush forward and deliver the killing blow.

But reality slapped him hard.

Just as the club neared the wheel, Chen Mo seemed to have eyes in his back. His wrist flicked sharply, the handlebars twisted, and with a forceful push of his feet on the ground,

the bicycle glided past the wooden club’s edge at an impossible angle.

Bang Geng’s strike missed. The powerful momentum nearly knocked him off balance.

Before he could react, he felt his wrist seized by a tremendous force.

The awl flew from his hand instantly.

The next moment, his body was lifted into the air and slammed heavily to the ground.

“Bang!”

Bang Geng felt as if his insides had been shattered. He lay gasping for breath, struggling to recover.

He looked up in horror at Chen Mo standing before him.

Chen Mo’s expression remained calm. He bent down, picked up the awl from the ground, and waved it in front of Bang Geng.

“Well, well, little thief, we meet again.”

Chen Mo’s voice was soft, but to Bang Geng, it was more terrifying than thunder.

“Y-you… how did you…”

“How did I find you?”

Chen Mo smiled.

“Did you really think your petty tricks could fool me?”

He crouched to meet Bang Geng’s gaze.

“Tell me, who sent you? Qin Huairu? Or Jia Zhangshi?”

“N-no one sent me! I came to kill you myself!” Bang Geng shouted, stiff-necked but trembling inside.

“Kill me?” Chen Mo’s smile deepened. “You? With this pathetic little awl?”

He lightly dragged the awl’s tip across Bang Geng’s face.

The cold touch made Bang Geng tremble violently.

“You want to kill, huh? Here, let me teach you.”

Chen Mo grabbed Bang Geng’s hand, pressed the awl back into it, then held his hand, guiding the tip toward his own heart.

“Here, stab here. This is the heart. One cut, even the gods can’t save me.”

“Put some strength into it. Don’t be afraid.”

Chen Mo’s voice carried a strange, hypnotic power, echoing in Bang Geng’s ears.

Bang Geng stared at the awl’s tip mere inches away, staring into Chen Mo’s fathomless eyes.

His mind went blank; his body shook like a leaf.

He wanted to strike, but his hand felt weighed down with lead, utterly immobile.

Fear was an invisible hand, choking his throat mercilessly.