Chapter 31: Matters Require Patience
Outside the abandoned factory.
Miss Qiu Yu leaned against the car, her expression somewhat grim.
She had already turned the entire factory upside down with the help of the three prisoners, but not only had she found no relevant clues, she hadn’t even seen a trace of any recent activity.
Seeing Miss Qiu Yu’s expression, the three prisoners cowered in the corner of the car, trembling in fear, worried that any movement might provoke her into giving them another brutal interrogation.
In fact, just moments ago, Miss Qiu Yu had already given them a fierce beating over the question of the identity of the person who had tried to use heroes from the Hero Association as bargaining chips to secure their release.
Miss Qiu Yu took out her phone and glanced at the time.
It was already almost four thirty.
She sighed, got back into the driver’s seat, and called out to the three huddled prisoners, “Get in, I’ll take you back.”
At her command, the three burly prisoners let out a collective sigh of relief and scrambled toward the back door, falling over each other in their eagerness to get in. They would rather squeeze together in the backseat than risk sitting in the front next to Miss Qiu Yu.
Soon, Miss Qiu Yu delivered the three prisoners back to prison and then drove back to the Hero Association.
Coincidentally, Lu Zheng had just finished up and come out of the training room, holding the documents he intended to deliver to Yi Ning.
Seeing Miss Qiu Yu’s expression, Lu Zheng could guess the general situation.
“Didn’t catch him?”
“Not only didn’t catch him—I didn’t even see a shadow of that guy.”
Miss Qiu Yu’s face grew even darker in response to Lu Zheng’s question.
“Nothing at all?”
Lu Zheng was a bit puzzled.
Could it be that removing the bomb from Ye Qin had tipped the enemy off?
Seeing the confusion on Lu Zheng’s face, Miss Qiu Yu more or less guessed what he was thinking.
She shook her head. “Not just the guy’s shadow—there weren’t even any traces suggesting someone had been there. If he really fled in a hurry after discovering the bomb was removed, he should’ve left at least some trace behind.”
“No, it’s exactly because he fled in a hurry that he would definitely have left some trace.”
Miss Qiu Yu’s voice turned firm.
She suspected that those three prisoners hadn’t been the enemy’s true target at all.
“You mean the guy just wanted to lure you to that location?”
Following her reasoning, Lu Zheng voiced her conclusion.
But soon, he raised another possibility.
“Is it possible that wasn’t his hideout at all? Maybe he just picked a secluded spot for the exchange, and once he realized his bargaining chip was gone, he decided not to show up for safety?”
That explanation made some sense—if the enemy had been careful during reconnaissance, it would explain why Miss Qiu Yu found no traces at the site.
“I can’t say for sure.”
Miss Qiu Yu lowered her head, resting her chin lightly on her right hand, deep in thought.
“I’ve only been the director for two years. If the enemy underestimated me and didn’t bother setting up anything there, it’s not too far-fetched that I found nothing.”
“But I did interrogate the three prisoners. They all said they didn’t have close enough ties within the Freedom Alliance to warrant someone risking entry into Hero Association territory to rescue them, and they claimed to know nothing of value. But I can’t be sure they were telling the truth.”
“Sigh…”
She sighed and scratched her head in frustration.
“Still too few clues.”
“Alright.”
Lu Zheng comfortingly patted her on the shoulder.
“No need to get so worked up. If the enemy’s goal was to lure you away from the Hero Association, then let’s just reinforce the defenses here.”
“I’ve already ordered an inspection. D-City isn’t that big. As long as we investigate the transient population carefully, we’re bound to find something.”
After all, they held the advantage in both terrain and public support. With methodical investigation narrowing down the suspects, that guy was bound to slip up and expose himself.
All they needed to do was maintain defense and wait patiently.
“You’re right.”
Miss Qiu Yu nodded. She patted her cheeks, reenergizing herself and returning to her usual demeanor.
“But don’t just investigate. They need to increase vigilance too. The Freedom Alliance folks aren’t exactly peaceful citizens—we must prevent any civilian casualties.”
Glancing at the time, Miss Qiu Yu saw that it was nearly five.
Only then did she remember that Lu Zheng was supposed to deliver those documents to Yi Ning’s house.
Yi Ning’s house, huh...
Recalling that kiss Yi Ning had planted on Lu Zheng at the restaurant a few days ago, even something as non-intimate as this made Miss Qiu Yu’s lips feel sour.
But she knew full well that now was no time for petty emotions.
Based on her brief interaction with Yi Ning and the information in her file, Yi Ning was clearly someone they could potentially collaborate with. There was no need to ruin a relationship that was still good.
The bigger picture came first.
With that in mind, Miss Qiu Yu took a deep breath, swallowed the sour feeling rising in her gut, and waved Lu Zheng off, indicating he could go.
“Go on. I’ll handle the rest of the arrangements. I’ll be staying at the Association for a while just in case. You and Ye Qin both need to keep your phones on 24/7—if anything happens, you must rush here immediately!”
With that, Miss Qiu Yu tossed the car keys to Lu Zheng, then turned and returned to her seat, beginning to arrange a series of defensive measures.
The more work she had, the less she had to dwell on what she didn’t want to think about.
“Want me to stay and help?”
Lu Zheng caught the keys and asked.
He didn’t have anything pressing after work and could easily come back to help after delivering the documents.
This offer hit Miss Qiu Yu right in the heart.
Her heart screamed yes, but unfortunately, her brain vetoed it.
First, she was worried her mouth might say something inappropriate again. Second, there would be a long stretch of busy days ahead, and she didn’t want Lu Zheng pulling extra hours now.
From her seat, Miss Qiu Yu didn’t even raise her head. She just waved him off.
“Forget it. I’m staying to monitor the Hero Association’s defensive spells. You being here wouldn’t help at all—you’d just be excess baggage. Better to rest up so you can be at your best if we need you.”
“Alright. But if anything comes up, call me.”
Lu Zheng nodded, turned, walked out the door, got in the car, and headed home.