Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 824: Chapter 809: Retrial of Yao Ruyi (Part 1)

"What do you think?" As soon as Luo Baocun was seen out of the audiovisual screening room, Old Xu immediately turned around to solicit opinions from Lin and Tang inside the room.

"Hmm..." Lin Junfu thought for a moment and said, "In my opinion, Luo Baocun’s character seems to be fine. As for the mentioned refuge, I personally think that regardless of whether he is trustworthy or not, we should send someone to investigate it."

Old Xu nodded and turned to Tang Xiaoquan: "What about you, Xiao Tang? Any thoughts?"

"I agree with Old Lin. Although we cannot confirm the existence of the refuge from Xiao Luo’s words, it’s still very necessary to check it out. Anyway, it’s not too far from us. It would only take a day at most to get there. If it really exists, we can make further plans."

"Alright, then we’ll settle it like this. Once we pass the current hurdle, we’ll begin organizing the matter."

With the topic concluded, the unoccupied Tang Xiaoquan got up, ready to go upstairs for a hot shower to wash away his fatigue. But before he could take a step, Old Xu, who was also planning to leave, grabbed his arm.

"Look at my brain, how could I forget this matter?"

Seeing Old Xu patting his head, Tang and Lin both showed puzzled expressions, thinking something major had happened, and asked anxiously, "What happened, Old Xu? What’s up?"

"Ah, it’s like this..." Old Xu, sensing the tension he had inadvertently caused, hurriedly explained under Tang and Lin’s anxious gazes, "Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. But Xiao Tang, I remember you telling me last time about that Juli Sports Arena refuge. Yao Ruyi lied to you, hid the truth, didn’t he?"

Upon hearing Juli Sports Arena, Tang Xiaoquan’s expression immediately darkened: "Yes, there were many loopholes in what he said at the time, so I’m sure he wasn’t telling the truth."

Tang Xiaoquan’s change in demeanor tugged at Lin’s heart, making him silently resent Old Xu’s approach. Everyone knew how much this matter, being the last clue to his parents, impacted Xiao Tang. But soon he understood Old Xu’s deeper intention: "Right, why didn’t I think of that!"

An enlightened Lin, seemingly infected by Old Xu’s excitement, also began patting his head repeatedly: "Last time, at their place, Yao Ruyi lied, and we couldn’t say much. But this time it’s different, Xiao Tang. We’ve got him in our hands now. We can question him until we get to the bottom of it!"

"Yes, Xiao Tang. You’ve worked hard lately, so take a rest first. We don’t have to worry about Yao Ruyi escaping. Rest up, and later we can confront him and see what he says. We must get the truth out of him this time."

A teardrop moistened the old, yellowed photograph—Tang Xiaoquan’s only memento of his parents. Sitting by the window gripping the photo, he hadn’t moved a muscle for about ten minutes, his eyes unknowingly welling up.

Gently putting down the photo, he wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes, his blurry vision gradually clearing. Tang Xiaoquan looked into the distance with sharp eyes, unconsciously clenching his fists: "Yao Ruyi, you won’t get away with playing tricks this time."

He meticulously recalled the conversation with Yao Ruyi. Despite the time that had passed, Tang Xiaoquan still clearly remembered several inconsistencies in his account.

With the ballpoint pen rapidly moving across the paper, all the questionable points in Tang Xiaoquan’s mind were recorded. He believed that when he confronted Yao Ruyi again, the content on this piece of paper alone would leave him speechless.

Glancing at the clock on the desk, an hour had already passed. Taking advantage of his sharp mind, Tang Xiaoquan went over the details of the trade visit to the factory in his head.

And indeed, this detailed review of the entire incident from start to finish helped him uncover a question that had always puzzled him.

"Niu Lizhan!" In that moment of recollection, Tang Xiaoquan suddenly reached a conclusion about the familiar yet unfamiliar face he glimpsed when he left the factory as he passed another off-road vehicle at the gate.

No doubt, that person was Niu Lizhan. Tang Xiaoquan confirmed with certainty that the man who aroused his suspicion at the time was indeed Niu Lizhan, whom he had encountered while searching for his parents in his hometown.

But why would Niu Lizhan show up at the factory? As his thoughts deepened, Tang Xiaoquan’s doubts grew larger.

He remembered that it was Niu Lizhan who first informed him about the JZ refuge.

Could it be that the entire sequence of events was some elaborate setup by the factory?

But this didn’t make much sense.

Liu Fugui, being so generous, wouldn’t go to such lengths and set such an elaborate trap just for a few barrels of gasoline, would he? That would be making too much fuss over nothing.

Tang Xiaoquan quickly dismissed this hypothesis, convinced that there had to be another reason.

Scribbling chaotically as thoughts flowed, he soon filled several sheets of paper. To an outsider, it might seem like a mere time-passing game, but in fact, these seemingly disorganized pages recorded all the subtle clues in Tang Xiaoquan’s mind. He was piecing together the bigger picture through these clues.

As the saying goes, perseverance prevails. After 15 minutes of detailed recollection, Tang Xiaoquan identified a second crucial figure—the young man whom Huang Yong’s men had brought back to the office building.

Unbeknownst to Tang Xiaoquan, the man he saw that day was Qiao Shan, who had returned to the factory to find Lei Jun. However, this didn’t affect his ability to recognize and confirm the person, as the stressful surveillance work from the previous day had deeply imprinted the figure who issued orders in the warehouse in his memory.

Combining the various events, Tang Xiaoquan couldn’t help but take in a sharp breath. The current evidence forced him to make a bold hypothesis: these people were mere pawns in Liu Fugui’s scheme.

Niu Lizhan’s appearance must have been orchestrated to seem like a coincidence after he mentioned his intention to visit his parents’ hometown. Similarly, Yao Ruyi was used to further corroborate the information Niu Lizhan previously revealed.

But why was he doing this? Was it to lure him away from the villa, thereby weakening its defense and providing Spring Xiu and the others with an opportunity?

The complexity of the situation left Tang Xiaoquan astonished; he hadn’t expected such an enigmatic development from his reflections today.

If his judgment was accurate, then the people at the villa were in considerable danger. No one could predict Liu Fugui’s intentions or what he aimed to do.

Tang Xiaoquan rubbed his temples vigorously. The prolonged contemplation had drained his energy and mental resources, and combined with yesterday’s stress, his mind now felt like mush, refusing to function regardless of his efforts. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote with recommendation or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)