The mercenary team that had kidnapped Mi Xiaoxiao back then had been completely wiped out by the four special operations teams sent by the officials.
That seemingly plain and unremarkable mercenary captain, who actually had some background, was being held in solitary confinement by a particular special department.
Ever since he had seen the mecha spider with his own eyes, he knew that until the mechanical armor project was officially announced by Hua Country, he was going to be stuck in that place.
Still, in the way of Hua Country people, he resigned himself to his fate for now, though that didn’t mean he was about to cooperate with the officials. When facing interrogation, he answered whatever was asked, but half a month passed and the officials noticed his face had grown noticeably rounder, yet he still hadn’t confessed who their employer was.
But just because the captain could hold out for half a month didn’t mean his subordinates could do the same.
The vice-captain of the mercenary squad was a science-fiction enthusiast. When he was being escorted out of the warehouse, he caught a distant glimpse of the pitch-black mecha spider, and that alone kept him so restless that he couldn’t eat or sleep.
Even when he saw his equally unfortunate, one-armed teammates, he didn’t waver from his fascination.
After some thought, he decided to “give in” to his dreams.
The vice-captain quickly struck a deal with the officials. All he wanted was to see the mecha spider one more time, and in exchange, he would spill everything he knew. He got what he wanted, and the official assigned to interrogate him got what they were after as well: the mastermind behind Mi Xiaoxiao’s kidnapping was Elizabeth and Mr. Zhang.
Elizabeth had already left Hua Country, but Mr. Zhang had always lived in the Capital City.
It should be said that before Mr. Zhang even got his custom prosthetic, someone was assigned to keep eyes on him. If Chief Engineer Mi hadn’t said from the very start that this custom prosthetic was being “leaked” on purpose as bait, the officials would have already tried to get that prosthetic “back.”
Now, with conclusive evidence, the officials wasted no time bringing Mr. Zhang in.
Catching him was straightforward, but interrogating him—well, it wasn’t that Mr. Zhang was uncooperative, but as a mentally ill person in the midst of an episode, no one could guarantee the credibility of his testimony. Just as Chief Engineer Mi had predicted, the custom prosthetic had vanished without a trace.
After half a month of no progress, the experts and leaders on the task force held an imperial meeting. They decided “only the one who tied the knot can untie it,” and reached out to Chief Engineer Mi.
Chief Engineer Mi’s assistant got back to them in under half an hour, explaining that Chief Engineer Mi was busy building a new mecha spider engine, and asked them to send over a list of questions.
The task force acted fast and did as they were told.
To be honest, what the task force was most curious about was why Chief Engineer Mi had chosen Mr. Zhang as bait. According to their investigations, Mr. Zhang’s motives had always been “simple”: to “get a good price,” and he never cared about the buyer’s identity.
Just looking at the outcome, it seemed as though Chief Engineer Mi had deliberately sent the prosthetic overseas through Mr. Zhang—though that was something the task force members only dared to think, not say aloud.
During lunch, a response arrived from Chief Engineer Mi’s assistant.
After reading the reply, the entire task force went into an uproar.
Because this was what Chief Engineer Mi had said: The first time Mr. Zhang came to see me, the way he looked at my daughter was off. I was curious: what made him so bold as to covet my daughter? So Xiao Xin and I checked up on him, and found out he was a major player in the arms business. Mr. Zhang owns a weapons manufacturing plant and has smuggling channels to boot.
No one believed Chief Engineer Mi would lie about this.
To the task force, this meant they had the conclusion and just needed to deduce how things led up to it. This was vastly better than stumbling around in the dark.
With a clear goal and help from their colleagues, the task force soon found several leads. Following the clues, they directly identified one of Mr. Zhang’s key confidants in the smuggling operation.
With ironclad evidence, the Zhang family, who had been tirelessly working to get their child released, fell completely silent.
Incidentally, for purposes of strict secrecy, no one in the Zhang family actually knew whom Mr. Zhang had hired mercenaries to kidnap. They just assumed Mr. Zhang was having another episode, wanting to snatch away some girl who resembled Elizabeth to keep around for entertainment.
Yes, Mr. Zhang was a “repeat offender” when it came to finding doubles. The difference was, if the previous girls played by the rules, once he tired of them, they could leave with money in hand.
With the Zhang family no longer in the way, the case progressed more rapidly than anyone had expected.
The one remaining issue was Mr. Zhang himself. He’d always been known for wild, fantastical remarks, never making any sense. Now that he realized his crimes had been exposed and could not be explained away, he clammed up completely.
But what use was his silence? He would still face a fair trial.
Once the task force reported their progress and got the green light, they sent a copy of the update to Chief Engineer Mi. Soon, the assistant responded that Chief Engineer Mi wanted to meet with Mr. Zhang face to face.
The leadership agreed without hesitation. Staff then tidied up Mr. Zhang, escorting him to the lab building at the corner of Jiaotong University in the Capital City where Chief Engineer Mi worked.
Mr. Zhang was firmly strapped in an alloy wheelchair, completely helpless as he was wheeled into the underground laboratory… As the heavy fire doors slid open, the mechanical creation in the center of the vast open space came into view. He squeezed his eyes shut in defeat.
After a month of meticulous cooperation, Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing had completed the modifications, perfectly installing the pilot cabin in the mecha spider’s abdomen, while the top technical team from the officials had flawlessly recreated the design.
What Mr. Zhang witnessed was the pilot and engineer inside the cockpit trying to retract all the mecha spider’s mechanical limbs and activate the engine. The irregularly shaped, egg-like mecha spider floated in midair.
Although it hovered only half a meter above the ground, it was still a complete success.
When the mecha spider’s eight legs swiftly extended and landed solidly, the resulting thud was almost indistinguishable from a heavy stomp. The team burst into applause and cheers.
Qin Jingzhou and Ling Jing basked in the praise for a moment before walking hand in hand to Mr. Zhang. “I really thought you’d be more of a big deal.”
Mr. Zhang still refused to open his eyes. In truth, he couldn’t tell whether it was his body or mind talking to him, trying to say something, but all he heard was endless wailing.
Suddenly, Gu Zhiwei rushed forward and began punching and kicking Mr. Zhang.
Everyone present deliberately looked the other way.
Back when he was kidnapped, Gu Zhiwei had taken quite a beating—not anything serious, just some bruises, but clearly the guy still held a grudge. And he wanted to get revenge on the real culprit, not waste time on those mercenaries.
Of course, that was just the official reason.
Gu Zhiwei’s real motive for roughing up Mr. Zhang was: Mr. Zhang actually had designs on his childhood sweetheart, and even tried to act on them.
If he could, Gu Zhiwei truly wanted to tear Mr. Zhang limb from limb, and he even had a very detailed plan mapped out in his head.
But there are laws in every country. After thinking it over, he chose to seize this chance to vent as thoroughly as possible for all the abuse and resentment he’d bottled up.
As the beating went on, members of the task force noticed something off about Mr. Zhang’s condition and quickly pulled Gu Zhiwei away.
With the evidence and testimony now available, even if Mr. Zhang was mentally ill, there was no way he was getting out—so why ruin your own future over such a wretch… Not to mention, what would Chief Engineer Mi’s family think?
That was how the task force leader persuaded Gu Zhiwei.
Gu Zhiwei didn’t let him down; he calmed down right away.
The leader saw Mi Xiaoxiao coming over, apparently a little anxious, so he patted Gu Zhiwei on the shoulder and left briskly, giving the couple some space.
Mi Xiaoxiao came closer and first asked Gu Zhiwei, “Are you hurt?”
Gu Zhiwei shook his head. “I was the only one dishing it out. How could I be hurt?”
Mi Xiaoxiao sat down next to her childhood friend and quietly asked, “You don’t look very excited.” There really wasn’t any sense of catharsis about getting revenge.
Gu Zhiwei answered without thinking, “The only time I get excited is when you hit me.”
Mi Xiaoxiao: … Then she reached out and pinched Gu Zhiwei lightly, muttering, “Keep your voice down.”
Gu Zhiwei looked up, immediately spotting Uncle Mi and Auntie Mi watching with amused expressions. His face turned cherry red. He hung his head, wishing he could hide behind Mi Xiaoxiao.
Mi Xiaoxiao, annoyed, pinched Gu Zhiwei again, then shifted her body to shield her forthright childhood friend from view. What could she do? Even if he was a little silly, she just liked him.
Ling Jing couldn’t help but laugh. With a glance at the clearly shattered Mr. Zhang, she said, “That’s two for two on breaking hearts. Gu Sheng used to be so cocky, like a little peacock waiting to take your place, but after you showed him he was the only ordinary one in the family, all his bluster was gone and he turned into a soaked little chick. Mr. Zhang saw the mecha with his own eyes and realized what he’d missed out on. He’s losing it for real now.”
Qin Jingzhou chuckled. “I made sure to leave him a little bit of reason. I know mentally ill people suffer a lot. If Mr. Zhang didn’t have some ability, his family would’ve gotten rid of him already. But just because you’re sick and miserable doesn’t mean you can break the law.”
Ling Jing nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Once you lose your mind completely, you end up in a different realm where you don’t even feel your pain anymore.”
Qin Jingzhou glanced over at Mi Xiaoxiao and Gu Zhiwei, now chatting and laughing, then remembered his own “cheap son” hiding out at the sanatorium, dodging the fallout. “When there’s time, arrange for Gu Sheng to visit Mr. Zhang, compare their experiences. Once that's done, I think Gu Sheng will know what to do.”
Back in his cell, Mr. Zhang was no longer quietly reading by the window as before. Instead, he wheeled himself over to the plants at the window, speaking to them non-stop, going on for an entire day.
If left alone, Mr. Zhang could go on muttering to the plants for days without eating or sleeping.
The task force brought in mental health experts for a consultation, who confirmed that Mr. Zhang’s condition had truly deteriorated. In short, he wasn’t faking or pretending.
So when Mr. Nian returned from abroad, this was the situation waiting for him.
The Zhang family visited, found Mr. Zhang completely unresponsive, talked with the task force leader, and, finally understanding what Mr. Zhang had actually done, promptly gave up on him.
When Mr. Nian reached out to the Zhangs, they only told him that Mr. Zhang was very ill and said nothing else.
Mr. Nian wasn’t convinced. He knew that requesting a visit would raise suspicions, but weighed the risks and decided that he couldn’t rest easy without seeing for himself.
His application was quickly approved, and right on time he arrived at the heavily guarded sanatorium, where he ran into his slightly late cousin, Doctor Nian.
First thing his cousin said was, “Didn’t expect you to be so sentimental.”
That tone wasn’t quite right.
Mr. Nian frowned a little, but answered honestly, “We were friends once. Wasn’t he doing pretty well before?”
His cousin looked at him, half smiling. “If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?”
Fortunately, his cousin, though looking pretty disgusted, didn’t press.
The two, one behind the other, followed the staff into a visiting room, where Mr. Nian saw an unexpected guest: Gu Sheng.
Mr. Nian smiled inwardly: Just in time.