Controlled Experiment Chapter 67

Two Missing One – 17

---

In the distance, police cars accompanied by piercing sirens were approaching in twos and threes. Du Yusheng turned his head to look at Li Yao, opened his mouth, and suddenly realised that his throat was actually choked up and he couldn't utter a single word.

It was a feeling that was difficult to describe.

That day, Li Yao was wearing a thick cotton jacket, and underneath it seemed to be a white jumper. He appeared approachable and calm, with a serene expression on his face, showing no hint of emotion. Du Yusheng was suddenly reminded of the first time he had met him, in the hospital office, he had looked exactly the same then.

Before losing consciousness, Du Yusheng had a fleeting thought, If I had a gun in my hand, which part of Li Yao's body would be best to shoot through to make sure he never came back to life?

Qi Lei glanced at Du Yusheng, who had slumped sideways on the chair, then looked at the drug-soaked handkerchief in his own hand.

He looked at Li Yao and smiled wryly, snickering, "This one's a cop, you had me knock out a cop, now I'm going to jail."

Compared to Qi Lei, Li Yao didn't have the slightest hint of a smile on his face. In fact, he looked even paler than usual.

It was rare for Qi Lei to see him like this.

As if saying goodbye, Li Yao said, "Take good care of him for me." He instructed, "Until I'm back, he's not to go anywhere."

Before leaving, Li Yao looked at Du Yusheng's face once more.

Qi Lei angrily pursed his lips and stepped into Li Yao's line of sight. Glancing at Du Yusheng's unconscious face, then at the police cars rapidly approaching behind Li Yao, he said, "Don't worry. I've got him. I'll have a word with him."

With that, Qi Lei said no more. He dragged the unconscious Du Yusheng back into the house, opened the innermost basement, and stuffed him inside.

Qi Lei looked back at Li Yao, he really wanted to say to him, "Safe travels."

But Li Yao disappeared too quickly and didn't give him the chance.

=========

Li Yao got into the police car. He turned his head slightly to look at Xiao Bai in the front passenger seat, who was also watching him through the rearview mirror.

Xiao Bai shifted his gaze and coughed lightly. "Director Er said you've only got twelve hours. Those things sent to the station aren't just physical evidence, even the video footage alone is enough to ensure that even Director Er can't protect you."

Li Yao looked out the window. "They're not mine."

Xiao Bai glanced at him, then hesitated before continuing, "Only by finding him can you prove they're not yours. That's exactly what Director Er said. I don't really understand what he meant, to be honest." Xiao Bai scratched his chin and asked, "Do you?"

Li Yao didn't answer the question.

He opened his phone and glanced at it, then pulled out another phone.

There was only one terminal number in its contact list. When Li Yao first got hold of Du Yusheng's phone, he had done one thing, he had swapped out Du Yusheng's SIM card.

It was a risky move.

Hopefully, Du Yusheng wouldn't realise too soon.

Li Yao looked at the watch on his wrist, the one Du Yusheng had given him. His thumb hovered briefly over the phone screen before sending a line of text.

"Want to see him, come and find me."

Then he slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Li Yao lifted his head to look at Xiao Bai in the front seat.

He asked, "What's the situation with Wang Zhe?"

Xiao Bai shook his head and said, "I checked the truck from the crime scene and the blood inside does belong to Wang Zhe, but it's all diluted. You could interpret it as Wang Zhe not having lost too much blood, and the possibility of him being alive is high."

"What about Du Yusheng?"

Xiao Bai sighed. "We found a watch at the scene that belongs to Brother Yu, so now, besides looking for Wang Zhe, we're also searching for him. I honestly don't get it, if it really was Brother Yu, what on earth is he trying to do?"

After speaking, Xiao Bai hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Mr Li, do you know where the two of them are right now?"

Li Yao neither confirmed nor denied it, his fingers kept rubbing against the face of the watch.

It was the answer Xiao Bai had expected.

Xiao Bai sighed and said, "There's something I've been meaning to ask. That package sent to the police station, inside was almost the entire chain of evidence for the murders of the first six people in those photos, and all of it pointed to you. Some even had you on video. I don't understand why... why you'd be at those crime scenes. There are too many things that don't make sense, including what Director Er said... I don't even know who I should be asking any more."

As he spoke, Xiao Bai lowered his head and didn't continue. Li Yao looked at him, it seemed that there were some things Director Er had never disclosed to Xiao Bai.

Li Yao rubbed his fingertips, then raised his head and looked calmly at Xiao Bai. "The person in those videos isn't me, and those things aren't mine."

Xiao Bai stared at Li Yao in shock. Those videos weren't fabricated, nor were they post-production composites. Their colleagues in the team had verified them, they were genuine. Xiao Bai clearly hadn't expected Li Yao to give such an answer and, for a moment, didn't know what to say.

Li Yao took out a pair of glasses from his pocket, ones he had prepared long in advance, and put them on the bridge of his nose.

"If I can't find him within twelve hours, then the person who appears in those videos can only be me."

And the one who committed the murders, can only be me.

Jing Mo ah, Jing Mo, when we meet again as brothers, what will your first words to me be?

=========

When Du Yusheng woke up, his mind was still a blur.

His final memory had frozen on Li Yao's excessively composed face, composed to the point that Du Yusheng had wanted to do something wicked to it.

What came into view first wasn't an object, it was a living being. A greatly enlarged version of Qi Lei's face.

Du Yusheng's eyes flew open as he jolted upright from the bed.

Qi Lei was right in front of him, leaning against the edge of the table, tilting his head and smiling at him.

"Well, would you look at that, he's awake."

Du Yusheng touched the corner of his lips. He quickly processed the situation and lifted his gaze to meet Qi Lei's eyes.

"Does this count as assaulting a police officer?"

Qi Lei shook his head and laughed, "Sort of, but not really."

Du Yusheng couldn't be bothered to argue with him. He stood up a little dizzily and asked, "Where's Li Yao?"

Qi Lei glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Two hours ago, after you passed out, he got into a police car. Where he went, I have no idea."

Du Yusheng froze. "He was taken away by the police? Or executed?"

"What kind of question is that?" Qi Lei said. "Aren't you a police officer too?"

Having said that, Qi Lei moved further away, leaned against the corner of the wall, and lit a cigarette. "He just went to the station to answer some questions, he'll be back shortly. Just wait here for a bit, he'll be back within ten hours. No need to be anxious"

There was something strange about the way Qi Lei spoke, and it made Du Yusheng suspicious. He instinctively glanced at his phone, it was still utterly silent, Jing Mo hadn't sent a single message.

Du Yusheng hesitated for a moment, then slipped the phone into his pocket.

Qi Lei remained in the same posture, smoking.

Du Yusheng walked over and asked, "How long have you known him?"

Qi Lei scratched at his eyelid.

He held up his fingers, gesturing vaguely. "Can't quite remember, it's double digits anyway."

"Impressive," Du Yusheng said. "How much do you know about him?"

"About him?" Qi Lei teased. "Depends on what you want to know."

"I want to know everything," Du Yusheng said, running his tongue along his back molars.

Qi Lei took a drag on his cigarette, and a stream of smoke slowly flowed from his nostrils. As if in provocation, the smoke drifted through the air and blew straight into Du Yusheng's face.

Du Yusheng raised an eyebrow and, seemingly unintentionally, glanced at the gun at Qi Lei's waist.

"I met him abroad," Qi Lei said, gesturing a height with his hand. "We were about this tall when we met."

Du Yusheng pulled out a simple chair and sat down opposite Qi Lei.

"Back then, he was following a major drug lord, he was his adopted son." Qi Lei touched his knee and smiled, "Why raise a son? For drug running. Kids are less likely to get noticed, and if they're caught, it's easier to brush it off. In the nearby areas, some of the smaller runs were all handled by those kids."

Du Yusheng's brows furrowed slightly.

Qi Lei inhaled deeply on his cigarette and continued, "So I'm guessing you've figured it out too, that drug lord had a lot of 'sons'. Li Yao wasn't the only one, he wasn't even the most special, but he was the only one who survived. It's not easy staying alive in a place like that."

Noticing the change in Du Yusheng's expression, Qi Lei smiled. "Forget it, we can take our time with those stories if you're ever interested. I'd bet you're more concerned about Li Yao right now, curious about what exactly it is he's trying to do?"

Du Yusheng raised an eyebrow again, waiting for Qi Lei to go on.

But the other man shook his head and laughed. "But I don't want to say it."

Du Yusheng had already anticipated this. Without giving him a chance, he reached for the gun at Qi Lei's waist and, in one swift, seamless movement, pressed it firmly against Qi Lei's temple. The action was fluid, premeditated, and so quick that Qi Lei barely had time to react.

The basement lighting was dim, but Du Yusheng's eyes were strikingly bright.

Qi Lei stared at the dark barrel aimed at his temple and let out a long breath. "How about we change the subject? I'll tell you about your father instead."

Du Yusheng was stunned, but the muzzle of the gun in his hand didn't move an inch.

"Where this bullet ends up, depends on what you say."

Qi Lei shook his head. "I know a lot more about your father still being alive than you do. Has Li Yao ever told you?"

Du Yusheng was taken aback.

"Ever wondered why so many recovery teams went down but still couldn't find your father's body?" Qi Lei spoke slowly. "Because he never died."

"You've always been curious why your father was murdered even though he wasn't in the photo. Actually, you should have realised by now, it's because there weren't seven people in that photo back then." Qi Lei extended his finger and gestured, "Including the one who took the picture, there were eight. Your father was the one holding the camera."

Qi Lei went on, "Your father was not involved in those matters. We all know that. But anyone connected to that photo, Jing Mo won't let a single one go. Your father wasn't the first, and he won't be the last."

"In the beginning, I was the first to meet Jing Mo. I was very curious why Li Yao, who was clearly still abroad, appeared in the country. The second person to mention this to Li Yao was Zhuang Hao. As you know, Jing Mo uses the game to kill people, and it was Zhuang Hao who found the participants for him. Which type of person is easy to deal with, which type of person likes excitement, Zhuang Hao knows it all."

"But Zhuang Hao didn't expect to get involved himself until he found out that he had drawn the death card for that round. That round's death card was to kill your father, either Zhuang Hao or your father had to die. Zhuang Hao was a smart man, he didn't choose either. He had someone deliver a message to Li Yao, who was about to return to the country."

"I saw your brother."

Du Yusheng laughed coldly. This basement was quite different from other basements, although it was dim, it was not damp. The ceiling was very high, and their voices seemed to echo slightly. On the walls, there were also several high-quality replicas of famous calligraphy and paintings. As Du Yusheng looked at them, he suddenly remembered the photo of him and the old man he had seen on the wall of Luo Daheng's study.

"So Zhuang Hao, my dad, and Li Yao," Du Yusheng said, "the three of them put on a show for me."

"Your father didn't know anything about it. The old man doesn't know what's going on right now either." Qi Lei carefully tilted his head to avoid Du Yusheng's gun and said, "Li Yao didn't know what Jing Mo was really up to at that time either, but he kept an eye on things. He let Jing Mo think your dad was dead, just to see what exactly he'd do."

"Later... he saw you at the police station, and you were there crying with your face covered in front of that old man Er, all because of your dad." Qi Lei smiled and said, "At that time, you begged that old man to transfer you from the grassroots level because you wanted to find out why your dad was missing and why there was no trace of him, dead or alive."

"You and Li Yao have the same goal," Qi Lei went on. "Jing Mo is a person who doesn't officially exist, and there's almost no quick way to prove he's real. He was supposed to have died a long time ago, so without anyone knowing otherwise, everything Jing Mo has done would automatically be attributed to Li Yao. And at that time, the only known victim was your father, there was no real connection to anything else, so all Li Yao could do was wait. And then, when Luo Daheng died, he saw that photo."

Du Yusheng stared blankly at Qi Lei.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Then suddenly, he laughed.

He thought about the memorial photo he'd set up at home for the old man, incense and all, and felt like a total idiot.

Then his eyes turned slightly red.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Du Yusheng took a few steps back and covered his face.

"Li Yao is a fucking idiot."

Du Yusheng cursed into his hands, "Stupid bastard."

Qi Lei shook his head and glanced at the gun that had been placed back on the table.

He asked, "Du Yusheng, did you actually kill Wang Zhe?"

"Am I insane?" Du Yusheng said, "To lure Jing Mo to find me, there's no need to actually kill someone, I just want to make Jing Mo curious about whether the person is dead or not, so he'll come to me to confirm this matter. Doesn't he want to know? Then he should come find me! He will definitely come!"

"You're that sure he'll come for you," Qi Lei said. "Then why hasn't he contacted you yet?"

Qi Lei pointed at Du Yusheng's phone.

Du Yusheng froze.

He snatched Qi Lei's phone and dialled his own number, however, the phone in his hand didn't ring.

Suddenly realising what had happened, Du Yusheng's eyes widened. "Li Yao swapped out my SIM card."

‿︵‿︵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: June 25, 2025 by Angel

Edited: August 7, 2025 by Angel