Chapter 56: You Certainly Know How to Find Excuses

Xia Yan's cheeks flushed. "Lin... Lin You, don’t stand so close, you’re blocking Spark."

“You’re quite good at coming up with excuses,” Lin You remarked with a smile, glancing at Spark, who was sticking out its tongue in a silly grin.

The moment his hand loosened, Xia Yan suddenly felt a surge of disappointment within her. She couldn’t help but scorn herself for being such a fickle woman—just a moment ago, she was embarrassed, and now she was feeling lost for no reason.

“By the way, what are you planning to do about Fatty Zhao? If you haven’t thought of anything, I’ll go find him directly and get to the bottom of it. Even without evidence, I can still give him a warning. This is a military camp, not the town, and it’s not a place for him to cause trouble.”

Lin You looked at the piglets in the pen, reminded of the issue with the piglets.

Xia Yan snapped back to reality. “To catch a thief, you must catch him with the stolen goods. Unless you have a way to drive him out of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, sooner or later, he’ll take advantage of your absence to kill the piglets.”

“That’s what I was thinking…”

“That’s actually a good plan. Let’s do as you say. But are you sure he’ll fall for it?” Lin You mused for a moment after hearing Xia Yan’s suggestion.

Xia Yan shook her head. “I’m not sure, but he definitely doesn’t know we’ve already discovered him, so chances are high he’ll act again. Let’s try it. If he doesn’t come, then do as you said—go and warn him.”

“All right.”

Two days later, rain drifted down from the mountain again. In the darkness, a figure wrapped in a raincoat slowly made its way toward the pigpen.

“That country girl is so troublesome, insisting on raising pigs. If it weren’t for this being a military camp, I’d have dealt with her already. So annoying! Again and again.”

Just then, a pair of patrolling soldiers passed by. The leader only glanced at the figure before continuing on.

Once the soldiers left, the figure turned and rushed straight to the pigpen.

Upon seeing the piglets huddled together asleep, he couldn’t help but curse, “Stupid woman, let’s see how much money you have left to buy piglets. I’ll make sure you buy them.”

He pulled a metal syringe filled with liquid from his pocket.

Before acting, he glanced around to ensure no one was nearby.

Suddenly, beams of light shone from all directions, dazzling him and forcing him to shield his eyes.

“Fatty Zhao, no need to hide. We all know each other here,” came a voice as a slender figure emerged from the trees, followed by a tall silhouette, and two others appeared from different directions.

“Who are you?!”

“Fatty Zhao, you killed my piglets and still ask who I am? Isn’t that laughable?”

The slender figure pulled back her rain hood, revealing a delicate face—who else but Xia Yan?

“You… didn’t you go back to your hometown? Why are you still here?”

“If I hadn’t said so, would you have come? But you really have patience, waiting two days before making your move.” Xia Yan smiled at him.

The figure in the pigpen also removed his hat, revealing a round, smiling face. “I, Zhao Fu, the smiling tiger, actually fell for a little girl’s trap.”

Xia Yan imitated Lin You’s usual calm, deep tone. “No, Fatty Zhao, it was your greed that got you, or rather, your family’s greed.”

“Heh, you got me. I admit defeat. It’s just a supply depot; I’ll stop this business, that’s all.” Zhao Fu looked unconcerned.

“Zhao Fu, things are not as simple as you think. Your family’s actions in the town have long been under our scrutiny. This time, the military district has teamed up with the city police for a full-scale arrest of your family. In other words, your family is finished.”

At this, another person spoke up—the colleague from the city police’s criminal investigation unit whom Lin You had requested.

Zhao Fu’s smile stiffened, his expression turning fierce. “Little girl, this is all your doing. I’ll ruin you!”

Everyone’s face changed; no one expected Zhao Fu to attack in such a situation.

“Xia Yan, watch out!” Lin You pushed Xia Yan aside and confronted Zhao Fu, flipping him over his shoulder. Xia Yan witnessed, for the first time, a man launching a flying pig—Lin You effortlessly tossed a man weighing over two hundred pounds into the air.

He really was the toughest man—a true hard case!

Ruan Xiaotian and the police officer immediately rushed forward to subdue Zhao Fu.

“Lin You, you’re amazing! He’s so heavy, and you actually…” Xia Yan didn’t finish her sentence before Lin You dropped to one knee, clutching his abdomen.

“What’s wrong? Lin You, don’t scare me…”

The next moment, Xia Yan saw a syringe stabbed into Lin You’s abdomen. As Zhao Fu had been thrown, the syringe in his hand had pierced Lin You.

“Brother Ruan, quick, get him to the hospital!” Xia Yan cried anxiously.

Ruan Xiaotian rushed over, picked Lin You up, and sprinted toward the medical station.

Zhao Fu’s face twisted into a sinister grin. “Ha ha ha ha, you mess with my family, and I’ll make you pay with your life! Ha ha ha ha!”

“Don’t move!”

The police officer held him down firmly.

...

In the medical station dormitory, Zhu Yan was sound asleep, awakened by a furious pounding at the door.

“Who is it?”

“Zhu Yan, open up! It’s me, Xia Yan. Lin You is in trouble—go to the hospital, quick!”

Xia Yan’s anxious voice pounded on the door.

Hearing that Lin You was in trouble, Zhu Yan woke immediately, threw on her clothes, and opened the door to find Xia Yan, eyes red and dressed in a raincoat.

Startled, Zhu Yan asked, “What happened to Brother Lin?”

“He’s been poisoned. Hurry and check on him!”

Without bothering to change shoes, Zhu Yan slipped on her slippers, and the two rushed to the medical station. Along the way, Xia Yan quickly explained what had happened.

“Have you contacted the military hospital? We can only suppress the poison temporarily here; we don’t have the facilities to treat it. It’s not like Dogsheng, who swallowed it.”

Even Zhu Yan was flustered, and both quickened their pace.

“Brother Ruan already called. But the hospital said the rain will slow the ambulance.”

When they burst into the sickroom, they saw Lin You’s lips tinged with purple, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.

Zhu Yan quickly examined Lin You. “Where’s Zhang Jun? He’s supposed to be on duty tonight—where did he go?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see him when I came.” Xia Yan shook her head.

Zhu Yan turned to Ruan Xiaotian. “Brother Ruan, go find Zhang Jun. He’s more familiar with this poison. He diagnosed Liu Xiuying’s family last time.”

“Alright, I’ll go right now.” Ruan Xiaotian nodded and ran out.

“Damn it, why did it have to be in this spot!” Zhu Yan lifted Lin You’s shirt and saw where the syringe had penetrated. If it had been his arm, she could have tied it off to slow the poison’s spread…