Controlled Experiment Chapter 49

Game of Death – 24

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After hanging up on Xiao Bai, Du Yusheng rubbed his flushed red face.

Faced with He Shen’s questioning gaze, he didn’t say a single word. He simply raised his hand, lit a cigarette, and took a slow drag.

Du Yusheng wasn’t someone who liked putting on a façade of depth, but from the moment he ended the call to now, five whole minutes passed and he hadn’t spoken a word, he just kept smoking. He didn’t usually crave cigarettes, which made He Shen feel a bit uneasy seeing him like this.

"... Are you alright?" He Shen tapped Du Yusheng’s wrist with his empty wine glass.

Du Yusheng shook his head and exhaled smoke through his nose.

"It’s just that another person who isn’t in that photo turned up dead."

Another one dead?

What did he mean by "another"?

He Shen didn’t quite understand. He rubbed his nose and chuckled. "Honestly, I don’t think it’s that big a deal. Since someone who wasn’t in the photo has appeared, I reckon this might actually be an opportunity for you. You’ve been saying you didn’t know where to start, why not start with the person not in the photo? Since, on the surface, he seems unrelated to what’s in it, it should be easier..."

He Shen had hit the nail on the head with that.

Du Yusheng, realising it a little late, tightened his grip on the cigarette between his fingers.

"If an extra person’s been killed, then either the photo is incomplete," Du Yusheng said, "or the person who isn’t in the photo has some separate grudge with the real killer."

Du Yusheng didn’t think the killer this time was a borrowed knife. Compared with the previous cases of using others as pawns, he leaned towards this being the work of the mastermind acting personally, because, as described by Xiao Bai, this case had been executed far too cleanly. Unlike the ones involving Luo Yang and Zhao Liang, this one left barely a trace, it was far too clean.

As he was about to leave, He Shen stopped him.

Faced with his friend, He Shen couldn’t help but give a few final words of advice.

"Same thing I’ve always said, if you really plan to go there, don’t go alone." He Shen pointed at the coordinates on the screen. "At least bring a few people to watch your back, it’s not worth taking the risk."

Du Yusheng turned and waved a hand at him, smiling.

It was indeed a risk, but Du Yusheng still intended to give it a go. His own father had died because of this, and if he didn’t figure it out now, when he joined him decades later, he was afraid that with Old Master Du’s temper, he probably wouldn’t be forgiven.

He Shen likely hadn’t realised that, for all his chattering and advice to Du Yusheng now, he would end up being dragged down by this very person.

But that was a story for another time.

=========

Stepping out of the bar, Du Yusheng’s head began to burn up.

He figured his temperature must have spiked again, and everything in sight was starting to double. Most people would have been asleep by this hour, but this part of town was still buzzing. Du Yusheng’s head was ringing, and with the crowd coming and going, his thoughts followed them in a dizzying whirl.

Fortunately, Li Yao was standing not far away.

Whether man or woman, people tended to be more vulnerable when ill.

According to statistics, sometimes men made more of a fuss over minor illnesses than women, catching a cold could have them howling as if one foot were already in the grave.

Du Yusheng didn’t think he was quite that bad, but his chest felt like it was on fire, and it was unbearable.

Staring at Li Yao’s back, Du Yusheng reached out and gave that silhouette two sharp slaps, and with the satisfaction that followed, the flames in his chest seemed to die down a little. It felt a bit better.

Li Yao turned around, slightly surprised, and looked at Du Yusheng’s flushed red face.

"Why’s your face so red?" Li Yao asked in concern. "Have you been drinking?"

Du Yusheng shook his head. "It was hot inside."

Without another word, Li Yao stepped forward and brushed aside the hair on Du Yusheng’s forehead, placing his palm gently against it.

The burning heat that met his hand made Li Yao instinctively lower his gaze to take a proper look at Du Yusheng’s face. Under the glow of the streetlamp, even the man’s eyes were tinged with red. He had clearly been perfectly fine when they’d left the house, how had things gotten so much worse the moment he stepped into that bar? Li Yao couldn’t help but turn back to look at it.

He had originally planned to go in and speak with Boss Lu, an old acquaintance. Although Boss Lu didn’t know him personally, there were a few things Li Yao had wanted to verify. But now, looking down at the state Du Yusheng was in, Li Yao no longer had such thoughts.

Better to sort this man out first.

With that thought in mind, Li Yao opened the car door and stuffed him inside.

After making this decision, Li Yao looked down in astonishment at his own hands, then glanced at Du Yusheng curled up on the back seat.

People change, Li Yao comforted himself.

Li Yao drove steadily, the air conditioning set to a comfortable temperature. Du Yusheng sat in the back, quite at ease, even tucking his head into his collar. Everywhere his skin made contact with the fabric, it felt cold, and that made him realise just how high his fever truly was.

Halfway through the drive, a thought suddenly occurred to Du Yusheng.

He lifted his eyelids and watched the streets slide past the window in reverse, then dialled his mother’s number.

Madam Du was still on holiday abroad. With a twelve-hour time difference, it was daytime where she was.

It took a second call for Madam Du to answer.

The real reason Du Yusheng had called was to subtly confirm whether or not his father had anything to do with the people in the photo, whether he had known them, been involved with them, whether he had ever come into contact with those disgraceful scams and cheating schemes, whether he had built his fortune off the back of those tricks and swindles.

Unexpectedly, before he could finish speaking, Madam Du exploded down the line in a barrage of furious curses.

"Du Yusheng, what on earth is going on in that head of yours? You’re doing alright, aren’t you, at least you didn’t accuse your father of robbing a bank to make his fortune." Madam Du seemed to take a sip of water to clear her throat before continuing, "How did your father build up his wealth? Through sheer hard work, do you understand? He was just lucky enough to catch the golden age of the property market, but everything he did was above board and proper. Have you been drinking today, is that where this load of garbage came from? If I saw you right now I’d give you a good beating. Du Yusheng, I’m warning you, if you ask that kind of question a second time, I’ll break your legs, do you hear me?"

When it came to the fact that the old man had already passed away, neither mother nor son brought it up. It hung between them like a paper-thin windowpane, visible, but unspoken.

Du Yusheng couldn’t press her further, and had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure the scolding.

In the end, Madam Du hurled one last rebuke through the phone: "Say what you like, but your father never broke the law. Just remember that, Du Yusheng."

With those words from his mother, Du Yusheng felt at ease.

At the very least, the old man hadn’t been one of those bastards.

His heart felt a little more settled.

Li Yao glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

"Your mother’s got quite a temper."

"Yeah." Du Yusheng tucked his head back into his collar and muttered, "It’s a miracle I’ve lived this long."

Li Yao continued driving steadily, his eyes flicking back to the rearview mirror to look at Du Yusheng from time to time.

"Is it to do with your father?"

Du Yusheng nodded. "Mm."

"There were a few things I needed to confirm with my mom."

Li Yao gave a small smile. "Feel better now?"

"Yeah."

"... Actually, Old Master Du's situation might not be as bad as you think," Li Yao said, taking a deep breath. "A person's life is all about moving forward and looking ahead. Who knows, as you keep going, you might just see him again."

Opening his eyes and looking at the man in the driver’s seat, Du Yusheng asked, "Do you know something about my father?"

Li Yao shook his head with a smile. "I just know he had a good son."

Blinking, the few words Li Yao had said slowly sank into his ears. Du Yusheng’s face flushed red and he ducked his head back into his collar, letting out a muffled grunt without saying another word. Lately, Li Yao really did seem different, more down-to-earth, more lively, more considerate, even capable of saying things that were flirtatious. Both of Du Yusheng’s ears turned red as he sat there humming along absently to the music playing in the car.

If only there were a switch in our brains, so when we want peace and quiet, we could just press it, and our minds would rest and stop wandering.

When they got home, Du Yusheng flopped down onto the sofa with a heavy thud.

Li Yao silently took two white pills and stuffed them into Du Yusheng's hand.

Lifting his eyelids to glance at them, Du Yusheng joked, "This time it’s hot enough, right?"

Li Yao didn’t say anything, just gestured for him to take the medicine.

The everyday conversation made Du Yusheng feel a bit moved.

=========

Originally, he thought the fever would last a few days, but Du Yusheng hadn’t expected his constitution to be so strong. By the next morning, he was already feeling much better.

Perhaps he’d slept too much, as Du Yusheng woke up very early that morning.

Before heading to the bureau, Du Yusheng opened his laptop and pulled up a map of the central district of Huan Island. According to the decrypted solution He Shen had provided, the coordinates landed right next to a shopping mall in the city. Du Yusheng had been there before, and though the mall’s business was rather bleak, the nearby roads were all main streets which were notorious for getting heavily congested during peak hours.

The time mentioned in the message, however, conveniently avoided rush hour.

Du Yusheng glanced at the calendar, there was still one day left before the agreed time. Before leaving the house, Du Yusheng printed the coordinates, circled them, and pinned them up at his bedside. He figured he should find some time today to scout it out. If something happened to him, at least it would serve as a clue.

The game of death, what kind of game is it, really? Du Yusheng was genuinely curious.

He hadn’t been to the bureau in a few days, and now everyone in the team was out searching for Zhao Liang.

Just as Xiao Bai had said, they were practically turning the whole city upside down.

The result was rather disheartening. Not only was there no person, there wasn’t even a shadow of one.

Du Yusheng called Xiao Bai into his office.

There was a fine layer of dust on the desk, likely from forgetting to shut the window last time.

Du Yusheng gave Xiao Bai a look, and the latter immediately took the hint and grabbed a cloth to wipe it down.

As he wiped, Xiao Bai couldn’t help glancing up at Du Yusheng’s expression and said ingratiatingly, "Brother Yu, I really did search everywhere. As of now, Zhao Liang looks to have genuinely disappeared. Just give me a bit more time, I’ve already started checking every hotel and inn, even if he’s not using any transport, he still has to sleep somewhere, right?"

Du Yusheng kicked Xiao Bai, interrupting his self-criticism.

"I didn't call you in today to ask you this." Du Yusheng rubbed his neck. "Last time, you mentioned that homeowner who supposedly died in a fire due to mishandling something, did you check his background information? I didn’t say anything at the time, but you ought to have picked up on that, right?"

Xiao Bai snapped his fingers.

He went outside and returned with a thick stack of papers.

"This person was originally named Wang, and later changed his name to Wang Xing. I guess it was just a random name chosen by his parents." Xiao Bai commented, then continued, "I found something, this Wang Xing used to be Jing Wen’s thug, his best one. From what I’ve heard, he handled all sorts of dirty business for Jing Wen, blood and all. I think it’s just too much of a coincidence, all the dead people seem to be connected to this arms dealer. Brother Yu, don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence?"

Xiao Bai had clearly picked up on it too.

"... Could it really be a revenge killing?" Du Yusheng raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Bai shook his head. "Right now it’s confirmed that the fire was caused by his own negligence, so we can’t call it murder."

"What was his relationship to those children?"

"Children?" Xiao Bai asked. "What children?"

"The twins," said Du Yusheng.

"Oh, you mean them." Xiao Bai opened the file and pointed to a section for Du Yusheng. "It says here that this Wang Xing took care of one of the children for a while, but that kid later died on a deserted island. His death didn’t have much to do with Wang Xing."

Twins, dead.

It sounded more and more like a classic tale of one surviving to avenge the one that died.

A bit too coincidental.

Du Yusheng scratched the bridge of his nose and gestured for Xiao Bai to sit down.

"Let's put this matter aside for now, there’s something else I need to ask you." Du Yusheng paused for a moment, then said, "Yesterday, Li Yao told me he was raised by a drug lord, did you know about this already?"

Xiao Bai’s face suddenly turned pale.

He slowly stood up and turned his back to Du Yusheng.

"Yes," Xiao Bai said quietly. Since Li Yao had already said it, there was no point in hiding it any longer.

"Is that how you two know each other?"

Xiao Bai hesitated for a moment, then nodded and sighed. "I came into contact with him when I was abroad on assignment. Back then, his identity was the drug lord’s son."

"And afterwards?"

"... All I know is that the drug lord died. As for Li Yao now, I know absolutely nothing," Xiao Bai said with a bitter smile. "I was surprised to see him too, and I was even more surprised that he was Luo Daheng’s family doctor. And just like you said, I looked into Li Yao’s background, but I couldn’t find a single trace linking him to the drug lord. It’s as if someone deliberately erased that part of him."

"Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?"

Xiao Bai shrugged.

"He had nothing to do with the case, and I wouldn't irresponsibly say anything about the information I couldn't find."

Du Yusheng stood up.

Walking up to Xiao Bai, he lifted his chin and forced him to meet his eyes.

"Mu Bai, you’d better be telling the truth today. If not, either I’ll put a bullet in you one day, or you’ll disappear from my sight and never show yourself as a living man again." Du Yusheng narrowed his eyes, the smile in them completely gone. "I keep my promises. You’ve still got time to change your story."

Xiao Bai looked into Du Yusheng’s eyes. This time, he could swear to the light, he had told no lies.

Except... that he hadn't said one thing.

When he was transferred, his superiors had only assigned Xiao Bai one task.

Protect Du Yusheng.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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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: June 16, 2025 by Angel

Edited: July 15, 2025 by Angel