The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 75

Final Part – 16

---

An hour ago, Xu Jia's vehicle tracker showed his car parked near a newly developed villa district by the cargo docks, but shortly afterwards, the tracker lost its signal.

That area was one of the few villa districts in Xia County, with picturesque scenery. Though the occupancy rate was still low, those who could afford to live there were influential figures from various industries in Xia County.

Chang Le's suspicions were not unfounded. Xu Jia had reached the end of his rope and had no choice but to take such a desperate risk, so it was highly likely that he had gone straight to the drug cartel's hideout. However, no one had expected that they would set up their base in such a secluded and elegant luxury villa district.

"Captain Gu, how could they run a drug factory in this villa district?" Xiao Wang, one of Jiang Ziyu's officers, asked in confusion. "After all, it generates chemical waste. This is a quiet place where the rich live, wouldn't they just complain to the property management company!"

"It's most likely underground! This villa district is situated near the Yan River, chemical waste could be discharged directly into the sea through underground drainage pipes," Gu Yanta looked toward the villa district ahead. Rows of charming, countryside-style villas were nestled among lush green trees, creating an atmosphere that felt far removed from the noise and chaos of the city. The peaceful, almost ethereal ambience was captivating.

Yet beneath this façade of tranquillity, a shocking secret might be hidden! Gu Yanta narrowed his eyes.

At that moment, Chang Le brought even more alarming news. Scanners had detected that explosives might be buried beneath the villa district, further solidifying Gu Yanta's belief that the drug factory was indeed built under the villa area.

"Old Jiang, the situation is very urgent. The enemy is in the dark while we're exposed, we have no choice but to split up. Take your team and locate Xu Jia's vehicle as soon as possible. Also, request immediate backup from the SWAT unit and have them send in a few bomb disposal experts!" Gu Yanta's brows knitted together. "Chang Le and I will go underground to investigate. First, to prevent them from destroying evidence, and second, to pinpoint the exact location of the explosives."

"Old Gu, you..." Jiang Ziyu was a bit hesitant, after all, this was no ordinary mission. For a drug factory of this scale, its defences would definitely not be a piece of cake. With just the two of them...

"Cut the crap! Chang Le was a special forces soldier, and I'm not useless either. If we run into danger, we'll handle it ourselves!" Gu Yanta's tone left no room for argument. "Also, once you locate their hideout, don't act recklessly, proceed with caution at all times!"

"Understood." Jiang Ziyu nodded firmly. "You two be careful!"

"Don't worry!" Gu Yanta shot a meaningful glance at Chang Le, and Chang Le nodded with determined eyes.

Just a few minutes after Gu Yanta and Chang Le disappeared from sight, the SWAT team arrived. However, when Jiang Ziyu saw who jumped out of the lead vehicle, he was completely taken aback, it was Lu Zheng!

"Consultant Lu, why are you here?" Jiang Ziyu remembered that Lu Zheng had clearly promised Gu Yanta he would remain at the command post, yet he was the first to rush over.

"I heard this place is likely their drug factory and that there are explosives buried here?" Lu Zheng didn't bother answering Jiang Ziyu's question and instead bombarded him with his own.

Jiang Ziyu silently nodded.

Lu Zheng's gaze swept over the crowd, but he didn't spot Gu Yanta, and his expression suddenly darkened.

"Where's Captain Gu?" Lu Zheng snapped.

"He went with Chang Le to locate the underground factory," Jiang Ziyu replied, pointing in the direction Gu Yanta had gone.

At that moment, Jiang Ziyu didn't dare meet Lu Zheng's eyes. Lu Zheng had always given off an impression of being calm and detached, no matter what happened, it was as if nothing could ever stir his emotions. Yet now, Lu Zheng looked like a caged beast, fists clenched, his eyes blazing as he stared fixedly in the direction Jiang Ziyu had pointed.

Before long, Lu Zheng's expression dimmed. He understood that this was Gu Yanta's job, the responsibility he shouldered. Since he had chosen this path, he wouldn't back down, no matter how treacherous it was. Lu Zheng knew he had to trust him, to believe that he had the ability to come back alive.

"Have all the residents been evacuated?" Lu Zheng shifted his focus entirely to what might happen next.

"They've already been evacuated. There weren't many families here to begin with, and since it's daytime, most people weren't home anyway," Jiang Ziyu reported truthfully. "But Xu Jia's car still hasn't been found, so we can't confirm the enemy's exact location yet."

"Xu Jia may already be dead, his car definitely won't be found," Lu Zheng stated. "Right now, I suspect that this person wants to divert all our attention to the explosives underground and use the chaos to escape!"

"Then... could Old Gu be in danger?" Jiang Ziyu was momentarily stunned. No wonder Gu Yanta had been gone for so long without any updates. With his and Chang Le's experience, if there really was a structure down there, they should have found the entrance by now. He had most likely already realised this was a trap. If he let everyone go underground, wouldn't that mean they'd all be buried together?

"We have to trust him!" Lu Zheng had a fleeting lapse of concentration. How could Lu Zheng not have figured out something that even Jiang Ziyu had grasped? Right now, Lu Zheng could only remain calm, strive to minimise the risks, and believe that Gu Yanta would definitely turn the danger into safety! Gu Yanta often joked that he had good luck, that if a giant pie fell from the sky, it would land right in his mouth. Thinking of those casual remarks, Lu Zheng's eyes reddened slightly.

Lu Zheng scanned the terrain before carefully studying the digital map again.

"If their plan is to escape in the chaos, they must go through here!" Lu Zheng pointed to the largest villa on the outskirts of the estate. Beside the villa was the Yan River, if they took the water route, they could quickly reach the cargo docks.

Sure enough, Gu Yanta and Chang Le's location signals were flashing continuously at the exact spot Lu Zheng had indicated. As expected, the underground factory's entrance was likely in that area as well.

"Don't alert them!" Lu Zheng turned to the officers behind him. "If the traffickers realise they can't escape, they might choose to go down with the ship, we have to stay calm!"

Meanwhile, Gu Yanta and Chang Le, relying on years of investigative experience, had successfully located the entrance to the underground drug factory. One after the other, they crawled into the ventilation duct and made their way inside.

Even though the two had mentally prepared themselves, the sight before them was still chilling. The vast underground factory was brightly lit and equipped with state-of-the-art machinery. Large quantities of drugs were categorised by type and stacked in an orderly manner, the amount shocking.

What was even more perplexing was that the factory was completely unguarded. The massive underground facility, spanning hundreds of square metres, was completely empty, with only the hum of machines filling the silence.

"Captain Gu, this... could this be a trap?" Chang Le was equally puzzled when he saw the scene.

Gu Yanta's heart tightened. By now, he had already figured out what the traffickers were thinking. They were likely planning to detonate the explosives to destroy all evidence before making their escape in the chaos, and if escape proved impossible, at least the evidence would be gone, and they could take the police down with them.

"Fucking maniacs!" Gu Yanta clenched his teeth so hard they creaked. There was no easy way out of this. If the SWAT team and bomb disposal experts moved in now, they would inevitably alert the traffickers. The criminals would strike first, and not only could they escape, but the officers' lives would be at risk for nothing.

"Chang Le," Gu Yanta commanded firmly, "send a message to Captain Jiang right now, tell them to stay put! Under no circumstances should they alert the traffickers or send anyone near our location, they must wait for our signal. If anything happens to us, they are to act immediately!"

"Captain Gu, this..."

"Listen to me!" Gu Yanta's expression was solemn, more serious than Chang Le had ever seen before. It was the look of a soldier ready to sacrifice himself on the battlefield. Chang Le's heart clenched as he realised the weight of the mission now resting on his shoulders.

"From now on, it's up to the two of us to locate the explosives and prevent the detonation! No one else is to be involved in this operation!"

"Yes!" Chang Le replied, "Captain Gu, don't worry, I have experience in bomb disposal from my time as a special forces soldier. Although I'm not an expert, I'm not too bad either!"

"That's good! Let's go!"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: February 27, 2025 by Angel

Edited: March 4, 2025 by Angel