Insights Chapter 134: The Key

Chapter 134: The Key

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

In Penang East, within a luxurious villa. In the past, this place was the gathering spot for the Hetu Trading Association, where the powerful and wealthy mingled. But now, it was eerily quiet. Seated on a long sofa were only Zhen Jiaxu and Huo Lei. Huo Lei was massaging Zhen Jiaxu’s shoulders.

Zhen Jiaxu closed his eyes and said, “Your technique is truly more professional than those masseurs who charge thousands.”

Huo Lei smiled but said nothing.

After the massage, facing the empty room, Zhen Jiaxu sighed deeply.

In the past, the wealthy took pride in joining the Hetu Trading Association. But with the foundation under investigation, Mansion 13 seized, and employees of the cleaning company being arrested one after another, people started to protect themselves. Many feared being exposed by the police and avoided any association. Many also voluntarily withdrew from the Hetu Trading Association.

Although the two had anticipated all of this, there was still a desolate feeling of everything falling apart.

Huo Lei sensed his thoughts. “The supervisory team has been around lately. It’s normal for fewer people to come to the association.”

Zhen Jiaxu said to Huo Lei, “They’ve gone too far, and I can’t do anything about it. It’s a good opportunity to cut ties with those people. From now on, only legitimate businesses will remain in the association, and we won’t fear police scrutiny. Whatever remains in the future, it’s all yours.”

A few years ago, Zhen Jiaxu felt that there were problems with the association’s development. When the association grew larger, he appeared to be uninvolved in business matters, busy with charity work, networking, and occasionally chastising the younger generation with words. In fact, since then, he had begun to clean up his own actions thoroughly.

Huo Lei said, “Yes, godfather.”

She appeared respectful on the surface, but her mind was elsewhere.

Taking advantage of the police crackdown, Zhen Jiaxu was actually purging dissent. With Sheng Qiancheng and Han Qingyi gone, the old fox before her eyes swallowed all his money with tears, harvesting assets overseas, making a fortune beyond belief. She might be laughing out loud in her dreams.

She worked so hard, thinking that if Zhen Jiaxu fell, she could take the remaining money and run. Both had their own plans.

Zhen Jiaxu continued, “However, we can’t appear too weak after losing some ground. Contact Mu Yuwei and make a plan for future needs. If those people go too far and the supervisory team really investigates, we have to fight back fiercely.”

Huo Lei agreed with this foresight. She asked, “So, which side should we target?”

Zhen Jiaxu said, “The entire City Bureau, as well as those in the supervisory team. The bigger the trouble, the better. If it comes to that, we’ll go down together.”

Huo Lei nodded. “I’ll have Mu Yuwei prepare, but some of their planners, the ‘cleaners,’ have also been arrested.”

“Isn’t Qing Shui still there? I’m quite satisfied with that boy’s plans. There’s no need to hide now. Tell Mu Yuwei that we rise and fall together. If I’m in trouble, he’ll be the first to suffer.”

At this point, Zhen Jiaxu looked at Huo Lei and reached out to hold her hand. “You’re truly clever. I’ve cherished you all these years for a reason.”

He was eighteen years older than Huo Lei. Now, with wrinkles forming at the corners of Huo Lei’s eyes, he had become an old man himself. Huo Lei left the villa, and she returned home, taking off her high heels. She turned to the maid and said, “I’m going to take a bath.”

The maid started to fill the bathtub with water and scattered some flower petals into it. Huo Lei quickly entered the bathroom. She meticulously washed the areas Zhen Jiaxu had touched several times with hand soap. Then she undressed and stepped into the bathtub.

Huo Lei submerged her entire body in the hot water. She was forty-seven years old this year, somewhat aged, but far younger-looking than people of the same age. After a while, Huo Lei submerged her head in the water. She struggled until she felt suffocated before emerging from the water, panting heavily by the edge of the bathtub.

It was then that she realized she was still alive. Huo Lei was born into an educated family, the second daughter in her family. Thirty-one years ago, when she had just turned sixteen, she went to the night market with her classmates to see the lanterns. The lights that night were particularly beautiful, and she was mesmerized by them, inadvertently getting separated from her friends. That night, she was kidnapped and taken to the island.

Those were the two years lost in her life. There, she had another name, Number 15. Huo Lei was a stubborn and intelligent woman. After arriving on the island, she secretly began learning the language of the people there, hoping to escape one day.

She was tall, beautiful, and well-developed, and having arrived on the island early, she was familiar with the environment. Many women on the island regarded her as their leader. Huo Lei worked hard to build good relationships with the other women in the hospital, hoping they could pass on messages to her and assist her in escaping.

On that island, she tried hard to delay being chosen, but that day eventually came. One day, a distinguished guest arrived on the island. Huo Lei was chosen as one of the two women. Three months later, she became pregnant.

More and more women arrived on the island, and eventually, they numbered over eighty. Among them was Number 82, with whom Huo Lei gradually became acquainted. Number 82 came from a good family background and was a few years older than Huo Lei. She was prudent in her actions and conduct. After Huo Lei helped Number 82 out twice, they became friends.

After months of pregnancy, Huo Lei gave birth to a baby boy. She used to think she was selfish. But when she saw that tiny life, she felt her heart melting. He was so small, and she wanted to give him the best of everything. She held him every day, fed him, comforted him to sleep, and listened to his cries.

But such days did not last long.

Number 82 brought her a piece of news. Huo Lei understood the words. The children they had given birth to were going to be killed soon. That night, Huo Lei held her child and cried for a long time. She could wait, but her child couldn’t.

After giving birth, Huo Lei’s health was poor, constantly weak, and often feverish. She knew she might not be able to leave this island. So she asked Number 82, “Do you want to escape?”

Huo Lei rallied several women to prepare an escape plan. It was the only chance they had, and it had to succeed, no room for failure. In the end, for the sake of her newborn baby, Huo Lei sacrificed herself for others and chose to stay behind, facing those men.

That night, some women successfully escaped with their children. Huo Lei led the way, killing two guards. Zhen Jiaxu and his men went to capture several women and then interrogated them. The women who didn’t escape were beaten, whipped, and those still pregnant were locked back in bed, never to have their freedom again.

Someone wanted to kill Huo Lei out of rage, and she knew her death was imminent. She stood there, cursing them loudly. “Who dares to kill me? Even if I become a ghost, I won’t let you go! You despicable men only see women as tools for reproduction. Aren’t you all born to parents? Women could have contributed so much more! How many women have you destroyed… Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment?”

Zhen Jiaxu stood there listening to Huo Lei’s curses. Then he grabbed her long hair and pushed her against the wall. Huo Lei struggled desperately, biting and clawing, only to receive more beatings in return.

“Are you Number 15? Did you come up with the plan to help those women escape?” Zhen Jiaxu interrogated Huo Lei.

Huo Lei stared into his eyes, “Yes! I know what you’re up to. For the sake of my child’s survival, I’m not afraid to kill or do anything!”

Zhen Jiaxu tightened his grip on Huo Lei’s throat. “Several women have escaped, taking away several children! I can’t deliver what was promised, what do you have to compensate me?”

Huo Lei was choked, her eyes bulging with desperation. Just when she thought she was about to die, Zhen Jiaxu released his grip. Huo Lei slumped against the wall, coughing violently, feeling the impending sense of death.

Zhen Jiaxu crouched down, looking at the young woman before him, lifting her face. Huo Lei had given birth not long ago, her face pale and weak, devoid of makeup, yet exuding a unique beauty. She had just killed someone, with bloodstains on her hands and clothes. This femme fatale made Zhen Jiaxu feel an inexplicable attraction.

There were many ways he could have killed Huo Lei, but he lacked a ruthless and daring female subordinate. Most importantly, he found that this woman shared some of his traits.

Zhen Jiaxu’s tone softened, “I’ve changed my mind. The losses have already been incurred. Even if I kill you, I can’t make up for those events.” Zhen Jiaxu wiped his hands. “You’re very beautiful. Guards, doctors, couldn’t even keep those pregnant women, which shows you’re very smart. You dare to kill, indicating you have great courage. Those women running away caused me great losses. I initially wanted to kill you, but now I feel it’s a bit wasteful.”

Huo Lei looked up, somewhat wary of the man before her.

Zhen Jiaxu said, “I can spare your life, but you’ll no longer be a container. Instead, you’ll need to make money for me. Until you earn more money than what I lost today, you won’t regain your freedom. Are you willing to make this deal with me?”

The man before her was terrifying, but this was Huo Lei’s only way out. Huo Lei remained silent for a moment, then in a hoarse voice, she said, “I agree.”

Zhen Jiaxu asked, “What’s your name?”

Huo Lei replied, “My name is Huo Lei.”

From that day on, Zhen Jiaxu brought Huo Lei back to Penang. He truly kept his promise and didn’t kill her. He made Huo Lei his mistress, publicly claiming she was his goddaughter. Huo Lei became Zhen Jiaxu’s tool, and she helped him with many things, gradually gaining his trust.

Zhen Jiaxu single-handedly established the Hetu Trading Association, and Huo Lei constantly inserted suitable women around wealthy individuals. She always saw through the hearts of those women.

As time passed, Huo Lei gradually shed her container identity. But everything from the past was imprinted in her heart. She inquired about her family’s situation. Her father died of depression shortly after her disappearance. Her mother passed away a few years later, and her sister died in childbirth in a distant place. 

Huo Lei finished her bath and stepped out of the bathtub, drying herself with a towel. There was a scar on her lower abdomen. It was from the surgery she had at the age of thirty-five. Due to the lack of proper postpartum care and excessive use of ovulation-inducing drugs in her youth, her ovaries aged prematurely, and there were growths in her uterus. Her reproductive organs were all removed.

She lost her womb. 

She meticulously applied makeup, did her nails, bought nice clothes, underwent expensive cosmetic procedures, maintaining her outer beauty. Yet, she often felt dirty, and at times, she didn’t even feel like a woman anymore. As she aged, she became more and more unpredictable, with occasional bursts of temper and breakdowns into tears.

She had witnessed much evil, done many bad things herself, and she knew those people behind her back called her a madwoman. But she used to be an innocent little girl, gazing up at the lanterns with a smile on her face. She used to be a young, beautiful, smart, and daring woman who would go to great lengths for her friends. She used to be a mother willing to do anything to keep her child alive.

But those people completely destroyed her. Like a rose plucked from its stem, thrown into the mud. Fallen to the depths, she could only sink deeper into the mire.

So even today, she didn’t deceive those girls. When she saw them, she saw herself in the past. For so many years, she restrained herself from seeking out the baby that had been taken away, but she had always thought of that child. What kind of person would her child have become? Would he be tall and handsome? Would he excel in his studies? Would he think she was a terrible mother for abandoning him from birth? Would he be able to live well in this world?

Huo Lei put on her clothes, picked up her spare phone, and called Mu Yuwei. “Hey, this time, Godfather wants to play big.”

Mu Yuwei said something on the other end.

Huo Lei’s voice was icy, devoid of any emotion. “I don’t care what methods you use. Godfather specified that he wants the Qing Shui plan. You make the plan first and show it to Godfather later. He said we rise and fall together. If we fall, you won’t have it easy either.”

At Penang City Bureau, during lunchtime, Gu Yanchen came to find Shen Junci to have lunch together. They went to the cafeteria and ordered some simple work meals. Sitting in a corner, they resumed their discussion about the modified files.

Gu Yanchen said, “I don’t know how many files have been implicated and for how long. I haven’t informed Director Ding and the supervisory team about this yet.”

Shen Junci said, “I’m inclined to think that the modifications were made after the files were entered. Although the network security at the City Bureau is higher than that of ordinary civilian enterprises, it’s not impervious.”

Given his skills, modifying some information wasn’t difficult at all.

Gu Yanchen said, “The archives room at the City Bureau still keeps paper records. It’s just that the missing files in the electronic system will cause a lot of trouble for our work. We may have to reorganize everything later on.”

Shen Junci lowered his head, eating his food. “Do you remember what the cleaners did at Mansion 13?”

Gu Yanchen replied, “I remember.”

The traces left by the cleaners on the female corpses confirmed the cause of death for them, and the luminol left in the room confirmed the location of the crime.

Shen Junci explained, “They left obvious traces, which actually allowed us to quickly identify the problematic areas. The same principle applies to electronic information.”

Those people had modified some of the files, but they couldn’t have changed all of them.

Gu Yanchen understood his meaning. “So…”

Shen Junci’s eyes sparkled. “So, we can compare the electronic and paper archives to see which files have been tampered with. Those are likely the cases the other side feels insecure about.”

Gu Yanchen nodded, praising him. “Smart.”

Ill-gotten gains will bring its own destruction, and the flaws of the other side were already apparent to them. This way, they could easily break through the obstacles.

After finishing lunch, Gu Yanchen stood up and said to Shen Junci, “Let’s go, let’s go to the archives room together, but let’s not let others notice that we think the files are suspicious.”

In the afternoon, at the City Bureau, Gu Yanchen and Shen Junci walked to the archives room behind the City Bureau. As they entered the room, they saw Old Li and his apprentice guarding inside. All the case files at the City Bureau had long been digitized, but the original paper documents were still kept here.

Old Li was the old policeman in charge of the archives here, diligently guarding these files for decades. He had been a university student in his early years but came to this archives room due to a leg injury during an operation. Back then, it was considered a good job, and everyone had to come to Old Li to borrow files. The archives room was equipped with a password lock, and if Old Li didn’t open the door, no one could get in.

Old Li had a peculiar temper and many rules.

Without leadership approval, no one could casually view the files. When borrowing files, they must be returned within the specified time and would be checked upon return. No documents could be lost or altered, and borrowed files were absolutely not allowed to be damaged in any way. Otherwise, Old Li would scold them and even go to the leadership to complain.

Back then, people joked that Old Li was like a fierce dragon guarding treasure, often keeping them out. And he was absolutely stern and impartial, not swayed by emotions.

But gradually, as the years passed, young people started to rely more on electronic archives, and fewer and fewer people came to this archives room. Except for pushing the recent files over for storage every few months, they hardly spoke to Old Li.

The archives room went from being bustling with people every day to not seeing a single soul for ten days or half a month. Old Li felt too lonely, so he repeatedly organized those files on his own. Later, he went to the leadership to request additional manpower to properly organize the old files.

At that time, his immediate superior didn’t want to give him extra help. “The City Bureau is short on manpower now. Managing the archives is just a matter of scanning and inputting into the system. One person is enough.”

Some even said, “Why do you need an apprentice? To keep you company in the archives and chat with you?”

Director Lin said, “Although electronic office systems are now in place, the storage and management of original archives are still important. This necessary manpower still needs to be increased.”

He approved of Old Li to have an apprentice, who happened to be a talented student from the Police University.

Since then, there has been life in the archives room. Later, Director Lin also approved a renovation plan for the archives room, allocating additional rooms, adding surveillance and anti-theft systems, and ensuring moisture, insect, temperature, and humidity control to better protect those files and documents.

In the archives department, Gu Yanchen greeted Old Li, “Uncle Li, my colleague and I want to borrow a few files.”

Gu Yanchen and Shen Junci began their investigation work. Although Mr. Li’s job seems simple, in reality, organizing such a vast amount of files requires years of effort. Their silent dedication exposes the darkness within the city, ensuring that every case is properly handled. Such work is equally crucial. There are two chairs and a small table for their temporary use.

Gu Yanchen instructed Xiaoqi to find the original documents of Yu Yue’s family’s police report and Mo Xueqing’s missing person case. Xiaoqi quickly located the documents, and then he retrieved Lin Luo’s case files, which matched the testimony records and his own memory.

Shen Junci carefully reviewed the documents while Gu Yanchen cross-referenced them with the electronic records they had. They were looking for any discrepancies or signs of tampering.

After spending several hours meticulously comparing and analyzing the documents, they finally found several instances where the electronic records didn’t match the original paper files. It was clear that someone had tampered with the records to conceal certain information.

Gu Yanchen and Shen Junci exchanged a knowing glance. This discovery confirmed their suspicions and provided them with valuable evidence to pursue further in their investigation. With this crucial information in hand, they were one step closer to uncovering the truth behind the manipulated records and the hidden agenda behind them.

In the end, he had Xiao Qi bring the file about the 722 disappearance case of Yu Shen’s parents. These files were all intact, with no missing or extra pages, the handwriting was clear, and the content was very detailed.

At the end of the file on the disappearance case of Yu Shen’s parents, Shen Junci found a paper library borrowing card, with the signatures of those who had borrowed this file before. The second one listed was Lu Ying, followed by two unfamiliar police officers.

In the last box, a name was written: Lin Xianglan.

The borrowing date was more than a month before Lin Xianglan was murdered.

Although Shen Junci didn’t know why Lin Xianglan had borrowed this file at the time, it might have been the last case he was investigating before his death. Shen Junci showed the borrowing card to Gu Yanchen. They exchanged a meaningful look. The files that Lin Xianglan had borrowed had been deliberately erased from the records.

At that moment, Shen Junci seemed to see the ghost of Lin Xianglan, crossing time and space to place that file in his hands. They were working together at the two ends of time and space. Shen Junci solemnly opened the file, perhaps this was the key to unlocking everything.