Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 474 Shit Luck

In the evening, after submitting his report, Lu Chongming left the processing bureau, took several detours to avoid all the roadside surveillance cameras, and got into an unremarkable minivan parked on the street.

Inside the car, Xiao Zhao and his group had been waiting for a long time. After picking up Lu Chongming, they started the car and drove off.

Zheng Fan put on Cheng Fei's clothes and sat down to the side.

"Good afternoon," Lu Chongming greeted everyone.

Others responded.

"Lu Chongming, take out your USB drive and let me see it." Zheng Fan looked ahead with a calm expression, but suddenly asked.

Lu Chongming was taken aback, then quickly reached into his inner pocket and his expression changed drastically.

"Gone!"

He immediately checked himself over, but couldn't find the USB drive anywhere!

"How is that possible? Where did it fall that I wouldn't have any reaction?" He looked at Zheng Fan: "Did he make his move when I wasn't paying attention!?"

Zheng Fan smiled and said, "Isn't this a good thing?"

Lu Chongming was taken aback, but quickly calmed down.

Yes, that's a good thing. The USB drive itself is no longer important; Lu Chongming and Xiao Zhao have multiple backups, so they're not worried about the trail going cold.

Furthermore, they used a USB drive to point out the direction of their investigation to the other side, and if the other side really had something they didn't want them to discover, they would have to use enough power to hinder them.

They also tried to find a way to get ahead of Lu Chongming and his group and destroy any possible clues.

“The other party is a sensitive and arrogant person. He uses luck but does not rely on it. On that night, even with many safeguards, he still chose to take action himself. So, when it comes to such an important matter as identity, he would probably take similar actions.” Zheng Fan explained, his hands resting on his crossed thighs.

“This is an opportunity…” Lu Chongming also realized this.

Zheng Fan then instructed the driver, "Speed ​​up."

At this point, it's all about speed.

The sanatorium, our destination, was reached quickly.

The group got out of the car and dispersed. Xiao Zhao instructed some of his men to keep watch around the sanatorium, while the others went forward to begin searching.

The sanatorium was deserted and showed signs of abandonment, but it was still quite large.

“There are quite a few homeless people and roving criminals here, so the situation inside seems rather chaotic,” Zheng Fan said, glancing around. Looking at the main building of the sanatorium, he could feel the spying emanating from within.

They didn't try to hide anything and simply opened the door and walked in.

However, before they even reached the building entrance, a small door next to the main entrance of the sanatorium opened, and a fat man walked out.

"Hey, there are people here. Are you here to cause trouble? Get out of here! Or you'll regret it!"

Xiao Zhao and Lu Chongming both looked at Zheng Fan, who kept his eyes straight ahead: "Open the door, I already said we're in a hurry."

Lu Chongming stepped forward to push the door open.

Seeing that he was being ignored, the obese man clenched his teeth, his mouth watering, and his temper flared up. He lunged at Zheng Fan, shouting, "You bunch of pigs!"

Zheng Fan casually swung a punch to the side, and the obese man was instantly reduced to a large chunk of flesh with a muffled thud, flying into the grass and bushes nearby. The bright red dots on the somewhat withered bushes created a vibrant, spring-like effect.

“Poisonous insects are disgusting. What are you standing there for? Open the door, quick!” Zheng Fan said to the stunned Lu Chongming, his arms crossed.

Lu Chongming nodded quickly and pushed open the door.

Having grown accustomed to joking and laughing with Zheng Fan, Lu Chongming had almost forgotten that this was a super hallucination that defied all reason. During his time at the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, Lu Chongming's understanding of hallucinations had deepened considerably, and only now, considering Zheng Fan's behavior so far, did he realize its extraordinary significance.

Footsteps were heard from inside, followed by a hail of bullets.

Just as Xiao Zhao and Lu Chongming were about to make their move, Zheng Fan stepped forward and reached out to grab them. They didn't see any exaggerated visual effects, but all the bullets in flight disappeared.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding...

Zheng loosened his grip, and the still-warm bullet slipped through his fingers.

The group of people in front of them, who could hardly be called a gang, but were simply a drug smuggling ring, were dumbfounded as the red thread had already grazed their necks.

Swish!

A flash of red light, and all that remained was a pile of corpses.

One person was left behind.

Zheng Fan walked up to him: "You have a lot of goods on you, so you must be a leader of some importance. Get up and lead the way. I don't need much, just tell me everything you know about this sanatorium. You've been hiding in this place for a while now, don't try to fob me off."

"Ahhh..." The other person was so frightened that their legs went weak and they couldn't stand up at all.

"Oh, is that so? Your legs are too weak to stand up." Zheng Fan said gently.

Stab it!

“Then you don’t need to walk anymore. You carry him and we’ll continue.” After cutting off the other man’s two legs, Zheng Fan casually walked past him.

Xiao Zhao quickly directed his underlings to step forward, temporarily treat the other man's leg, and then led them to catch up with Zheng Fan.

Looking at Zheng Fan's decisive and efficient back, Lu Chongming couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Following the information provided by the gang leader, they checked the paper archives and, after confirming there were no problems, proceeded to the system center.

Just then, a loud police siren sounded outside the window.

Xiao Zhao also received a message from his underlings who were keeping watch outside: "The police and the bureau have arrived!"

"There are also helicopters and drones. I don't know what kind of excuse they came up with for deploying such a large force... Anyway, it seems they've caught up." Zheng Fan heard more voices.

Lu Chongming couldn't confirm what kind of operation the bureau was conducting. He hadn't brought his work device with him when he arrived, because work devices were issued by the bureau, and he no longer carried them during investigations to avoid revealing his whereabouts.

“Lu Chongming, you should separate from us, otherwise it will be difficult to avoid suspicion later,” Zheng Fan said. “We’ll help you buy some time.”

“Okay.” Zheng Fan was still concerned about Lu Chongming’s current status even at a time like this, but talking about this kind of gratitude too much would be annoying. Lu Chongming just nodded vigorously and ran in the direction the small leader had pointed out.

Meanwhile, Zhongwen also infiltrated the sanatorium.

Unlike Zheng Fan and his group, who needed someone to guide them in, he entered the sanatorium with ease. He frowned as he looked at the situation inside, but he didn't have the mind to pay much attention to it and continued to explore on his own.

At that moment, loud police sirens sounded outside.

"What?!" Zhong Wen turned around abruptly and looked out the window, only to find that not only the police, but also the police station's team had arrived.

"Tsk, were you watching me the whole time?" Zhong Wen clicked his tongue. He thought his movements were discreet and swift enough, but where exactly did he give himself away?

There was no point in thinking about it now; he rushed quickly into the depths of the sanatorium.

System Center.

He arrived first, turned on his flashlight, took out his tools, and began connecting to the dusty computer system.

"Although a lot of things were stolen and damaged, fortunately the most crucial parts were hidden quite well, so those thugs couldn't find them," Zhong Wen breathed a sigh of relief. He then quickly browsed the internal information system on his computer.

……

Before the earthquake, Zhongwen was an ordinary young man, born in Jiangwen Street. He was an orphan, but luckily, the orphanage he attended was small but well-run. Although he inevitably picked up some of the bad habits of the world due to his playfulness and environment, he was still a masculine and upright young man.

Seeing Zhongwen's ambition, the director of the welfare home recommended that he work at a sanatorium after he came of age.

That's right here.

The work is tough, with many rules and regulations, and the location is remote and far from the city center, so boredom is the norm here.

But Zhongwen enjoys his life, taking care of the patients and elderly who come here for recuperation, which allows him, who has always been lonely since birth, to find the feeling of being needed by others.

This was his home, or so he thought.

Then one day, the director of the sanatorium suddenly changed, strange people began to come and go from the sanatorium, many patients disappeared without a word, and countless unfamiliar and indifferent "patients" appeared.

The sanatorium had become cold and terrifying.

Zhongwen realized something was wrong and secretly reported the place to the authorities, but unexpectedly he was betrayed and was pursued.

Then, halfway through his escape, the earthquake struck.

The earthquake, which caused countless sufferings, saved his life in a sense, and he survived the earthquake, luckily getting through that period.

He had no prejudice against the Disposal Bureau because there was a lot of news about its internal restructuring. After the disaster, he had nowhere to go, and when he heard that the Disposal Bureau was recruiting, he tried again to join it.

Thinking that if he could rise to a high position there and save enough money, he might be able to rebuild the nursing home on his own.

but……

The chaos within the Bureau was indeed not something that could be properly resolved overnight; there was also a great evil lurking within the Bureau.

He was caught up in it all; if he didn't do this, even more people would be persecuted. Zhongwen used this to numb himself.

But it wasn't until this matter involved Lu Chongming that things changed.

Just now, instead of handing the USB drive to the unknown assailant, he chose to check it himself, and then he realized why the sanatorium where he used to live had been suddenly taken over.

There might be some clue in that sanatorium that could break the current situation!

Zhong Wen came for this very reason.

His gaze swept quickly across the information flashing before his eyes, and suddenly he saw a list.

Among the sponsors of this nursing home, one name at the top of the list was very familiar to Zhongwen. This name was a household name within the bureau!
Why would this name appear in this remote sanatorium?

This nursing home is indeed quite large, and it must have ample funds and support from others. But what does this have to do with this person from the bureau? Does he, like me, have some kind of past, or is he simply acting out of kindness?

Yes, this person does indeed have an extremely high reputation. In his spare time, he has done countless good deeds and is admired by countless people.

It's nothing serious, just a coincidence...

but!

What is the information in the following record?

【I have a sanatorium I can offer you. There are many relatives of powerful figures in Jiangwen Street living there. You can use them to make connections and expand your influence. Apart from the relatively remote location, there are no downsides; in fact, this could be considered an advantage.】

no doubt!

This content, which was intentionally recorded by the Longevity Society, is irrefutable evidence!
Zhongwen's anger was hard to contain.

He quickly got up, checked the recorded content, disconnected the connection, and was about to leave immediately.

at this time.

He noticed a figure standing right behind him.

“Just as I expected… Zhongwen, you will help me find my past oversights and bring them to me.” A deep, hoarse voice came from behind.

Rustling——

A strange sound came from behind him. Zhong Wen turned around abruptly, his imagination running wild, ready to strike, but he stopped in time in front of a patch of thorns.

“Stop, Zhongwen. I usually turn a blind eye to my subordinates’ petty schemes, but I admire you. You have a firm belief that you can climb to a high position, which is rare among most of my subordinates. I can spare you, as long as you hand over your computer to me now. After I become the director, you will be the chief candidate. In time, when Zhang Xue is no longer up to the task, you will be the next chief. We should not have any irreconcilable conflicts.”

"Shut up!" That was the angry roar he received from Zhong Wen.

"You've toyed with my life twice, shattering my dreams of a home time and time again, and now you're telling me there's no conflict?! Go to hell!"

The water flowed from the fingertips, carried by the wind, spreading in all directions, and in an instant, it turned into a meat grinder, covering the entire room.

After a fierce rampage, Zhongwen cautiously surveyed his surroundings...

puff!

Thorns pierced his body without warning.

"I don't understand, twice? I don't remember having any other interaction with you, but it doesn't matter... you fool." The voice still appeared behind Zhong Wen.

Zhong Wen was unable to move his body, thorns were growing inside him, and a large amount of blood was spilling from his mouth.

"It's nothing more than some childish emotion in your heart, a burst of passion that led you to challenge me. A rat in the gutter like you can never understand the efforts I've made for wealth and a smooth life... In that case, you can die here. Your job is done."

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck, severing his thorns. Zhongwen seized the opportunity, riding the wind and drifting towards the door.

"Zhongwen!?" Lu Chongming saw Zhongwen covered in blood. He had only arrived here and immediately intervened when he saw someone being pierced by thorns. He never expected it to be Zhongwen.

He quickly helped Zhongwen up.

Zhongwen whispered in his ear, "Run!"

A black figure flashed past Lu Chongming, and blood-red thorns pierced through him rapidly.

Lu Chongming immediately turned around and slammed the heavy door shut with his other hand to buy time.

boom!
The door was torn apart by thorns, and when the black figure peeked out to look down the corridor, he only saw Lu Chongming's back as he quickly left.

"It's Lu Chongming again?! Damn it, how could he possibly arrive at this exact moment?! Luck should be on my side!"

After a brief moment of vulnerability, the figure regained composure.

"Calm down, it's just a mere rat. I'll kill it right here with my own hands. It's just that his luck was just a bit too good for him; there won't be another chance!"

Rustling——

He slipped into the shadows and swiftly approached Lu Chongming's figure.

At the same time, the silhouette of a black bird with gray and white eyes flashed past the window.

(End of this chapter)