Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Su Hua hurriedly grabbed her coat and threw it on, jumping out of bed to flip the light switch.

The harsh glare of the lights flooded the room, leaving everyone exposed with nowhere to hide.

Breathing heavily, Su Hua finally got a clear look at the man who had just assaulted her. He was a rough-looking fellow with dark skin, a stocky build, and ugly features. Judging by his clothes, he was a local.

The man pressing a gun to the back of the intruder’s head had a deeper complexion and a buzz cut. His features were handsome yet cold and somber. He wore a stylish black jacket, and his long legs looked straight and powerful.

It was Gu Jinyao.

Su Hua quickly pulled her coat tight, buttoning it up and smoothing back her messy hair. Once she felt presentable, she spoke up. “Mr. Gu, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to meet a client.”

Su Hua was surprised. “You came all the way here to meet a client?”

“Yes, to acquire some antiques,” Gu Jinyao replied, his tone softening as he spoke to her. Then, he shifted the gun to the man’s temple and barked, “What’s your name?”

The man’s raised hands trembled slightly. His rough lips quivered as he spoke in a thick local dialect. “Niu… Niu Mang.”

“Who sent you?” Gu Jinyao pressed the barrel harder against the man’s temple, leaving a deep indentation.

Niu Mang stammered, “N-no one. It was just me.”

“Tell the truth, or I’ll blow your brains out!”

Niu Mang looked like he was about to cry. “Really, no one sent me. I saw how pretty she was when I was digging in the tomb during the day, so I snuck over after dark.”

With a sharp click, Gu Jinyao cocked the hammer. “You really want to die, don’t you? Fine, I’ll help you along.”

Niu Mang’s legs turned to jelly. He couldn’t even stand.

With a heavy thud, he fell to his knees. He pressed his hands together, pleading for mercy. “No, no! Truly, no one put me up to this. I just saw how beautiful she was, and since she was living alone, I… I was craving it. I couldn’t control myself. I snuck in when the bodyguard at the door left. I didn’t mean to do much, I just wanted to touch her. I hadn’t even gotten her clothes off before you showed up!”

Gu Jinyao’s expression grew increasingly grim. Suddenly, he lashed out with a kick, sending the man sprawling to the floor. Then, he stomped down violently between the man’s legs.

The blow landed squarely on the target.

Niu Mang’s face contorted in agony. He clutched his crotch, screaming and wailing as he rolled around on the floor.

Thud, thud, thud.

Urgent footsteps echoed from the hallway.

A bodyguard ran in, clutching a pack of cigarettes and panting for breath. He was stunned by the scene inside the room.

He rushed over and looked Su Hua up and down, asking cautiously, “Young Mistress, are you alright?”

Su Hua shook her head.

The bodyguard began apologizing profusely. “I was feeling drowsy, so I went downstairs to buy a pack of cigarettes. Who knew this bastard would take advantage of the opening in the blink of an eye? It’s a miracle you’re okay. If anything had happened, President Gu would have killed me…”

Before he could finish, a loud smack rang out.

Gu Jinyao had delivered a heavy backhand to the bodyguard’s face. No one even saw him move; one moment his hand was still, and the next, a shadow flashed, and half the bodyguard’s face was swollen.

Standing tall with cold, piercing eyes, Gu Jinyao snapped, “Don’t make excuses for your negligence! Do you have any idea how serious the consequences would have been if I hadn’t happened to be here? If anything happened to her, ten of your lives wouldn’t be enough to pay for it!”

The bodyguard clutched his face, not daring to make a sound.

Su Hua stared blankly at the man’s sharp, handsome face. She felt a surge of inexplicable gratitude. They had only met a few times, yet he cared about her so much.

She remembered what he had told her before: that she was smarter than he imagined, that she would become famous in the future, and things like that. She figured he probably just appreciated her talent. Like the veteran experts at the museum, he was likely looking out for her because he valued her skills.

Or perhaps he was simply a man with a strong sense of justice.

She didn’t want to be so vain as to assume he actually liked her.

The other bodyguard, who had been sleeping during his shift rotation, heard the commotion and rushed over while pulling on his clothes. When he saw the situation, his face turned pale with fear. Without waiting for Gu Jinyao to act, he began slapping himself across the face, left and right.
Gu Jinyao had been ruthless; that single slap had left his colleague’s face red and swollen.

That wasn’t just a slap; it was more like an Iron Palm strike.

Gu Jinyao grabbed Niu Mang by his clothes and shoved him out the door. “Move. You’re coming with me to the police station!”

He wanted to take him in for questioning to see if anyone had put him up to this, and if so, who.

Going to the station meant filing a formal case.

As the victim, Su Hua had to go along. Since the ancient silk painting in the room was quite valuable, she called someone from the archaeological team to come over and watch the house.

The group drove through the night, arriving at the town’s police station.

Gu Jinyao pushed Niu Mang into the lobby and said coldly to the officer on duty, “Check this kid’s record.”

Niu Mang was a local.

In a small village where everyone within ten miles was related in some way, the sight of the police actually made him less afraid.

He decided to strike first with a false accusation, pointing at Gu Jinyao. “Officer, this man has a gun. Carrying a firearm is illegal!”

The officer turned his head toward Gu Jinyao and said in a commanding tone, “Hand over the weapon.”

Gu Jinyao gave him an indifferent glance, pulled a small identification card from his pocket, and flashed it before their eyes. “I have a carry permit.”

“Where did you get a carry permit?” The officer was skeptical. He took the card and looked closely, seeing that it was written entirely in English.

Using his limited English skills, he translated it: it was a carry permit issued by a foreign Special Abilities Team.

He turned it over in his hands repeatedly, asking suspiciously, “Is this ID real?”

Gu Jinyao said calmly, “There’s a serial number on it you can verify.”

The officer left his colleague to watch them while he took the permit to the records room next door. After checking, he returned and handed it back to Gu Jinyao without another word.

He wasn’t sure what kind of status the Special Abilities Team held abroad. He only knew that domestically, the Special Abilities Team carried even more prestige than the criminal investigators, let alone grassroots officers like himself.

Not daring to be negligent, the officer focused all his energy on interrogating Niu Mang, taking statements, and investigating his criminal record.

Niu Mang indeed had a record; he was a repeat offender. A few years ago, he had been arrested for rape and sentenced to three years. He had only been released the year before last, and tonight he had tried to use the same old tricks.

Gu Jinyao only wanted to know if someone had instigated him.

But Niu Mang was as stubborn as a dead duck, insisting that he had simply acted on a sudden impulse after seeing a beautiful woman.

Gu Jinyao fell silent for a moment, then turned to Su Hua. “You sit here for a bit. I’ll go interrogate him. If there’s someone behind this, it definitely won’t be safe for you to stay here.”

Su Hua nodded and said gratefully, “Thank you for the trouble. It’s the middle of the night; I’ve ruined your rest.”

Gu Jinyao silently watched her small face, which was pale from the shock. A slight curve touched his lips, and his hardened voice softened as he said quietly, “It’s no trouble.”

When he turned back around, his expression returned to its usual grit. He grabbed Niu Mang by his clothes and dragged him toward the interrogation room.

Niu Mang, a rough and burly man, was hauled away like a little chick.

Inside the interrogation room, Gu Jinyao said to the officer, “Begin.”

The officer handcuffed Niu Mang to a chair, sat down across from him, and began a routine interrogation.

Gu Jinyao lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth, standing to the side and smoking nonchalantly while listening to the officer’s methodical questioning.

Five minutes later, he decided the questioning was too tedious.

He pulled the officer aside and commanded, “Have someone turn off the surveillance.”

The officer felt his authority was being challenged and grew a bit irritated. But remembering that the man was a veteran of a foreign Special Abilities Team, he suppressed his temper and said, “The regulations state we cannot use torture to extract confessions.”

Gu Jinyao ground his teeth and said, “Turn it off.”

The aura radiating from him was terrifying.

The officer hesitated for a moment before making a call to have the cameras shut down.

As soon as the surveillance was off, Gu Jinyao grabbed Niu Mang by the head and slammed it violently against the wall.

There was a loud thud.

Niu Mang’s head hit the hard wall, and his brow bone fractured instantly. Blood flowed freely as he grimaced in agonizing pain.