Insights Chapter 58: Blood Light

Chapter 58: Blood Light

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

He was roughly dragged through the corridor of the karaoke bar, arriving at a room. It was a slightly smaller private room, brightly lit with loud music playing. The entire room was covered with transparent plastic sheets, and the air conditioning was set to a low temperature. He understood in his heart that this was a torture chamber prepared for him.

The walls of the karaoke bar were all soundproof walls. No matter how loud one shouted, it wouldn’t be heard outside. The entire room became an isolated island from the outside world. The person who picked up his phone appeared to be around forty years old, wearing glasses and looking gentle. He sat casually on the sofa in the private room, while the others treated him with great respect.

The man lit a cigarette, signaling the others to begin questioning. The lead subordinate was younger, wearing a black mask and appeared to be in his early thirties judging by his eyes. He repeatedly asked, “Where did you hide those things?”

He pretended not to understand their words. “What things?”

The man in black directly pointed out, “The things you took from the funeral home!”

Those people indeed knew what he had done, but he gritted his teeth and said, “What did I take out? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

While they were questioning him, he was also probing them, trying to figure out where the leak might have occurred. Just as the man in black was about to respond, the middle-aged man sitting aside spoke up, “Stop asking, he’s trying to reverse trap you.” He spoke slowly, “Lin Luo, pretending to be confused won’t help. If you’re unwilling to talk, I don’t mind making you suffer a bit.”

The man in black asked, “What do we do now?”

The middle-aged man lit a cigarette, “Let him have a taste of appetizers first.”

Given the order, the man in black began his actions. It was a brutal interrogation, lasting for about ten minutes. Every inch of his body felt pain as if it were being crushed. He kept repeating, “I don’t know what you want…”

“Let me ask you again, where are those things?” The middle-aged man smiled at him, “If you don’t speak, there are ways to make you wish you were dead.”

“I don’t know…”

The tone of the middle-aged man was regretful as he advised him, “Speak up, it’ll lessen your suffering.”

And thus, a new round of interrogation began. His neck was tightly gripped, deprived of oxygen, and golden spots appeared before his eyes in a state of suffocation. The veins on his forehead pulsated, accompanied by ringing in his ears. He struggled desperately, but couldn’t break free from the restraints.

The hand clamped on his throat released, allowing air to rush into his body. He gasped for breath, not even having a moment to recover before a foot stomped fiercely on his abdomen. He felt a rush of metallic taste rising in his throat, as if his organs had shifted position from the impact, causing excruciating pain with every breath. 

Gritting his teeth, he observed these people, attempting to discern their identities. The man in black beside him was clearly a thug, referred to by others as “Hound.” He was nothing but a dog raised to do dirty work. The middle-aged man continued his interrogation, referred to by the others as Boss Mu. He looked up coldly at the person before him, his heart pounding. He didn’t know which side these people belonged to, or why they were here. But he could tell they were seasoned professionals, accustomed to such tasks.

They must have some connection to the people who killed Lin Xianglan. Or perhaps, they were involved themselves. He understood the principle of hiding in the depths. At the funeral home, he had collected numerous samples, only one of which had been sent for testing. He had carefully preserved the rest, ensuring they were hidden where they couldn’t be found.

Facing torture now, he realized these people had no intention of letting him live. If it were just a matter of kidnapping and threats, they wouldn’t go to such lengths. Not only were they afraid he had evidence of their involvement in Lin Xianglan’s murder, but they were also afraid he would incessantly pursue his death. Keeping him alive was a liability.

So he had to hold out, absolutely refusing to utter a word, as it would only hasten his death.

After several rounds of torture and torment, amidst the ringing in his ears, he heard Boss Mu saying to the others, “Hurry up, the phone was connected for just a second. We need to watch out for any interference.”

This sentence brought him a glimmer of hope. If Gu Yanchen was so vigilant, maybe he would come and rescue him.

“Don’t count on anyone coming to save you.” Boss Mu lowered his head, as if seeing through his thoughts. He leaned in close, “Don’t think we’re joking around… If you don’t cooperate, we’ll get serious.”

“If there’s time, I really want to have some fun with you.” Boss Mu’s gaze fell on his hands, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his smile sly, “Everyone has their own way of punishment, their own vulnerabilities. Even the toughest person can be broken and obedient.”

Exhaling a puff of smoke, he said, “Your fingers are quite nice. Do you know what ‘playing the zither with rat gut strings’ means?”

Lin Luo had heard of it. It was a torture method where elastic strings were used to repeatedly pluck at the fingers until they bled profusely, almost breaking in the middle, yet the nerves remained intact, causing excruciating pain.

“Too bad we don’t have that much time. Otherwise, I’d love to try it.” Boss Mu’s tone was regretful as if considering how to proceed. He reached out and touched Lin Luo’s eyelashes, his rough fingertips tracing his brow bone. “We’ll have to go with something quicker. Your eyes are really beautiful. Should I pluck them out first?”

Lin Luo had often spent time at the City Bureau with Lin Xianglan. He had seen many criminals there, some with terrifying faces, some cold and ruthless, some bloodthirsty and greedy, but none seemed as chilling as this Boss Mu before him. When Boss Mu spoke those words with a smile, it was convincing. He wasn’t just making threats; he genuinely intended to do it and derived pleasure from it.

Earlier, no matter how much the man called Hound beat him, he didn’t feel fear. But now, facing this seemingly amiable Boss, he felt terror. That fear permeated every nerve in his body, beyond his control. His teeth chattered involuntarily. Boss Mu seemed somewhat satisfied with his reaction.

At that moment, Boss Mu’s phone rang. He stepped out for a moment, and when he returned, his demeanor changed, his face filled with disappointment and regret. “The Trading Association says there’s no need to ask anymore. Speed things up.”

Lin Luo breathed a sigh of relief, but then he heard Boss Mu continue, “Just kill him directly, do it quickly. Leave two people to arrange the scene, make sure it’s clean. The rest of you can leave.”

Boss Mu’s tone was light, as if he were discussing a trivial matter, deciding a person’s life or death.

Hound inquired, “How do we kill him?”

Boss Mu wiped his hands with a handkerchief, then passed the ashtray to them to clean. His eyes glinted with amusement as he said, “Treat him like a fish, but don’t let him die too easily.”

Then, the others left. Hound stood up and grabbed something—a knife that had been prepared long ago. He wore gloves and gripped the knife tightly. “Enjoy the process of death.”

Seizing the moment, Lin Luo broke free from his restraints. He erupted suddenly, charging at Hound like a madman, grappling with him like a wild beast. Hound wasn’t prepared and was knocked down. He knew this was his last chance. His fists rained down on Hound’s face one after another. Then he lowered his head and bit Hound’s hand, trying to leave behind some blood stains or something. But Hound was tightly covered, and his teeth couldn’t pierce through the gloves.

His desperate struggle was in vain. Soon, he was roughly pulled away from Hound. After enduring torture for so long, he had no strength left.

“Damn it, asking for death!” Hound didn’t expect him to fight back at this point. He pulled down his mask, spitting out a mouthful of blood. In that instant, he finally saw the man’s face clearly; there was a red birthmark on his chin.

The final resistance was also crushed. He was thrown onto the huge marble table in the karaoke bar, his hands firmly held down and raised above his head. The blade entered his body from below his chest, and blood quickly spurted out.

At that moment, he finally understood what it meant to be treated like a fish—like a live fish on a cutting board. The pain exploded, causing his body to tremble violently in agony. The entire wound, like a dissecting blade, not only sliced through the flesh but also penetrated deep into the organs. The intense pain forced out a “grunt” from him. He wondered if all of this was karma for what he had done to Lin Xianglan’s corpse.

His accomplice reminded him, “Remember to make it look like a crime of passion.”

“I know,” Hound replied, then casually stabbed him twice in the abdomen.

The pain surged like a tide, sending waves of agony through his nerves. He sweated profusely, and blood stained his clothes, flowing down his body, pooling beneath him. At that moment, even death became a luxury.

Hound wasn’t willing to let him go. He was still vexed about not getting answers earlier. Even though the mission had changed, he still wanted to extract some information to salvage his pride. Hound held the knife against his neck, “Tell me, where are the remaining things? I’ll give you a quick death.”

He no longer denied hiding something. Swallowing a mouthful of blood, he chuckled, “Even in death, I won’t tell you.”

“You madman!” the man cursed at him.

Lying on the marble tabletop, his smile widened, “Someday, you’ll die too. I’ll be waiting for you in hell.”

In excruciating pain, tears seemed to well up at the corners of his eyes. He felt cold and achy but clenched his teeth, refusing to let out even a muffled groan. He must not surrender to these thugs. At one point, he seemed to have lost a lot of blood. His consciousness became hazy, feeling like he could die at any moment. The men began to set up the scene, hastily removing the plastic sheets and arranging something else. Finally, they opened his phone and stuffed it back into his pocket.

Then someone seemed to call out, “Someone’s coming!”

“Check again, is he dead?”

“Let’s go, it’s done. If he’s not dead, there’s someone else we need to deal with.”

He closed his eyes, his consciousness fading, unable to comprehend what they meant by someone else they needed to deal with. Then he heard footsteps.

Someone anxiously called his name, “Lin Luo, Lin Luo, wake up…”

His limbs felt numb, his body devoid of strength. He weakly opened his eyes, unable to see the person in front of him clearly, but he knew it must be Gu Yanchen.