On the winding road leading up to the mid-mountain villa, the speeding sedan suddenly screeched to a halt, stopping sharply by the roadside.
“Get out,” Cui Dong Dong said from behind the wheel. “Go wait at the docks first. I’ll come find you after I finish my business.”
Xiao Luo sat motionless in the passenger seat.
“Did you hear me?!” Cui Dong Dong turned, urgency flashing across her face.
Without warning, Xiao Luo lunged forward, grabbing her by the hair and sealing her lips in a fierce kiss. Cui Dong Dong gasped, struggling free as she shoved her away with force. “You madwoman! Is this the time for you to be in heat?! Get the hell out of the car!”
“I’m not getting out.”
Cui Dong Dong had no time for nonsense. She unbuckled her seatbelt and forced herself over, shoving the passenger door open, trying to push Xiao Luo out by sheer strength. Xiao Luo shrieked and struggled wildly, the two grappling in a tangled scuffle—until Xiao Luo suddenly drew a gun and pressed it against Cui Dong Dong’s chest!
Cui Dong Dong glared at her viciously. Xiao Luo glared back, refusing to yield—then abruptly turned the gun toward her own throat!
“I’ll die with you if I have to! Try forcing me away again?!” she shouted.
“Are you insane?! Put the gun down!”
“You’re the insane one! All you think about is sending me away!” Xiao Luo cursed, tears spilling down her face. “It’s always like this! Last time Sammy said you were dead—if you really died, I wouldn’t go on living either… wuu…”
Seeing her crying so earnestly, Cui Dong Dong tried to seize the opportunity to snatch the gun. But Xiao Luo was faster—she pulled back the slide, flicked off the safety, and shoved the barrel straight into her own mouth!
“Hey, hey! You lunatic! Don’t do anything stupid! Keep your hand steady!” Cui Dong Dong’s voice trembled in fright.
Xiao Luo shot her a sharp glare toward the steering wheel.
“Damn it, I’m scared of you, alright?!” Cui Dong Dong snapped in exasperation, turning back to restart the car. Even then she couldn’t help but curse, “Put the gun down! Aren’t I driving now?!”
Cursing all the way, she drove up the mountain and stopped outside the villa of Azure Dragon. When Xiao Luo tried to follow her out, Cui Dong Dong shoved her back into the car, snatched the gun, and barked, “Don’t come down! Keep watch here.”
“Be careful. Come out quickly.”
Cui Dong Dong waved her off, tucked the gun behind her waist, and hurried away. She sprinted to the iron gates, grabbed hold, and with a swift leap scaled the two-meter barrier, landing lightly inside. Her figure soon vanished into the overgrown weeds filling the courtyard.
Xiao Luo stared fixedly in the direction she had gone, then lowered her gaze to the brick-sized mobile phone Cui Dong Dong had left behind in the driver’s seat.
……
“Where the hell did it go?” Cui Dong Dong muttered irritably.
She had already spent nearly half an hour inside the villa. She had turned the entire hall upside down—ripping the sofa apart, dismantling even the spirit altar and memorial tablets of Azure Dragon and Xiao Man, then sweeping upstairs to search every corner and even the old safes hidden within the walls—yet found nothing.
She raised her wrist to check the time, anxiety tightening her chest. She knew this villa inside out and had believed there were no hidden spaces left. Could it be that Xia Liu Yi had constructed some new secret compartment or hidden passage?
Returning to the first floor, she began stepping across the tiles one by one, testing for hollow spots. She had barely taken a few steps when Xiao Luo’s voice came from outside the hall.
“Sister Dong?”
“Why did you come in?!” Cui Dong Dong snapped, turning sharply.
“You’ve been gone too long—and you didn’t take the phone.” Xiao Luo raised the oversized handset.
“Call the Boss! Ask if the account books were moved!”
Xiao Luo fiddled with it for a moment, frowning. “He’s not answering.”
“Call A’Nan!”
“I did.”
“What about A’Mao?”
“He’s not answering either.”
Cui Dong Dong snatched the phone and dialed herself, unease creeping into her heart.
“This is bad. Something’s happened!” She grabbed Xiao Luo and pulled her toward the door. “Let’s go!”
They had barely taken a few steps when Xiao Luo suddenly widened her eyes, letting out a low cry. The roar of engines approached from afar. Following her gaze, Cui Dong Dong looked out—
Several police assault vehicles were racing up the mountain road toward the villa.
Her face went ice-cold. She immediately drew her gun and rushed to the door, locking it tight. Xiao Luo shut the nearest windows and pulled the curtains closed. The two hid behind the window, peering through a narrow gap.
Plainclothes officers led dozens of uniformed police, surrounding the entire villa layer by layer!
Barricades were quickly erected within the perimeter, armed officers taking position. Another police sedan sped in shortly after. Xie Jia Hua stepped out with two subordinates, exchanged a few quiet words with colleagues outside the cordon. One of them then brought out a loudspeaker and, at his signal, began shouting:
“People inside, listen! You are surrounded…!”
……
The loudspeaker blared incessantly outside. Inside, Cui Dong Dong’s face turned deathly pale as she lowered her gaze, thoughts racing—
How did the cops find this place? Were they tracking us? If their goal was to arrest me, why not do it at the headquarters or the finance room? Why didn’t they stop me from burning the finance office earlier? If they followed me here for the account books—then where are the books? Aside from the Boss and me, who else knew their location? Who took that photo of Qin Hao with Xie Jia Hua and left it at my door? Why isn’t the Boss answering? Why did Sammy boy collapse at this exact moment…
Suddenly, He Chu San’s gentle, spring-like smile flashed across her mind.
A chill pierced straight through her body. She looked down to see goosebumps rising along her arm.
“Sister Dong! What do we do now?” Xiao Luo’s anxious voice broke her thoughts.
Cui Dong Dong glanced around. The villa was completely bare—there wasn’t even a scrap of cover. She had seen a large number of officers move to the rear earlier; the back door must already be heavily guarded. There was no escape. They had only one gun—how could they possibly break out?
She let out a long breath and tucked the gun back into her waist. “I’ll go out and surrender. Remember—you’re just my girlfriend. You don’t know anything.”
She turned and walked toward the door.
Xiao Luo followed behind her, her expression complicated. Slowly, she raised her hand—about to strike at Cui Dong Dong’s neck from behind—
But Cui Dong Dong suddenly spun around, slammed her against the wall, and kissed her hard.
Leaning close to her ear, she whispered, “The account books may already be in their hands. If I go in and never come out… take the hidden money and go to Australia.”
Xiao Luo let out an angry breath, raising her fist to strike her—but Cui Dong Dong easily caught her wrist and pinned it firmly against the wall. “Madwoman, don’t make trouble.”
“Don’t go!” Xiao Luo screamed. “You—mmph—!” Cui Dong Dong covered her mouth and shoved her away.
“I’m surrendering—! Don’t shoot—!” Cui Dong Dong shouted toward the outside as she pulled open the door, raising both hands in surrender.
At that very moment, Xiao Luo rushed out from inside, trying to drag her back.
As she pulled, she spoke urgently, “Listen to me, I—”
Bang—!
A spray of blood burst forth, splattering half of Cui Dong Dong’s face crimson!
She froze where she stood as Xiao Luo’s blood-soaked body collapsed into her arms.
Cui Dong Dong trembled violently, rendered speechless. One arm held Xiao Luo; with the other she drew her gun and fired toward the front—dropping a police officer instantly!
A barrage of bullets rained down upon them. Cui Dong Dong was struck in both arm and leg, yet she kept firing while dragging Xiao Luo back toward the doorway. With all her strength, she slammed the door shut—bullets immediately punching a line of holes through it!
Ignoring everything else, she dropped to her knees and threw herself over Xiao Luo, frantically pressing her hand against the bleeding wound in her chest, stroking her face in panic. Blood from Cui Dong Dong’s own arm dripped onto Xiao Luo’s body and face—both of them equally battered and fading.
“Sister…Dong…” Xiao Luo struggled to speak.
“Don’t say anything! I don’t want to hear it!” In that instant, tears surged from Cui Dong Dong’s eyes. Boundless terror swallowed her whole; she was utterly at a loss, panic-stricken and despairing. “Don’t you dare spout nonsense! You’re not allowed to die! You crazy woman—did you hear me?!”
Xiao Luo swallowed a mouthful of blood, yet still forced the words out. “I… I know… you like Xiao Man… You’re with me because my singing voice sounds like hers… I’m not as pretty as her, my temper’s bad, and I never listen…”
“Stop talking, stop talking…” Cui Dong Dong sobbed. “You silly girl—I like you. The one I like is you!”
“Just now… I recognized the one who fired the shot… it was… that cop I deceived… this is my retribution…” Xiao Luo gasped weakly. “Don’t blame him… don’t seek revenge on him… and don’t blame Mr. He… it was me… I had selfish thoughts… I wanted to take you far away and fly off together… I willingly helped him… you mustn’t… mustn’t blame him…”
Cui Dong Dong’s face was drenched in tears—she could not make sense of a single word! Xiao Luo struggled to raise her hand, gently caressing her cheek. She murmured a few more faint words… and then her hand fell limp.
Moments later, Cui Dong Dong’s heart-rending howl echoed throughout the entire villa.
……
Outside, Xie Jia Hua waved his arms frantically, running as he roared himself hoarse, ordering a ceasefire. As the gunfire gradually subsided, he rushed to the fallen officer. “Jia Bao! Jia Bao!”
The wounded officer, Xie Jia Bao—his cousin—had only recently been transferred back to the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (O Bureau) from field duty. Under Xie Jia Hua’s urgent calls, he groggily opened his eyes, his face dazed with the disbelief of one who had survived catastrophe.
Xie Jia Hua tore open his jacket—revealing a deep dent in the bulletproof vest over his chest.
He let out a breath of relief—but immediately flared with anger. “Why did you fire just now?!”
“I—I didn’t mean to…” Xie Jia Bao stammered, his voice trembling with tears. “I saw Fang Xiao Luo… my hand shook… the gun went off…”
Xie Jia Hua shot him a furious glare of disappointment, then stood up.
He summoned the deputy commander of the operation and whispered into his ear, “There’s a man named Qin Hao, badge number PC54358, file TX10421. He’s an undercover agent I planted inside Xiao Qi Hall. If anything happens to me, you must help prove his identity and restore it.”
The deputy commander nodded nervously.
Xie Jia Hua immediately pulled down his shoulder radio. “Team B, hold your positions! Team A, with me—we enter from the back door!”
Leading a squad of officers, he circled to the rear of the courtyard. Raising his binoculars, he carefully surveyed the situation. The corridor at the back of the house was empty; faintly, from the living room, came the sound of Cui Dong Dong’s sobbing.
He signaled to his team. They moved forward in a low crawl, closing in on the rear structure—
“BOOM—!!”
A deafening explosion erupted without warning!
In an instant, heaven and earth seemed to shatter!
At the very front, Xie Jia Hua was hurled to the ground by the sudden shockwave! Flames and black smoke engulfed him—and the entire villa—in a heartbeat! High walls and stone bricks collapsed amidst the thunderous roar! The ground trembled as though the mountains themselves were shaking!
“BOOM—! RUMBLE—!!”
……
Lu Guang Ming slammed on the brakes, stopping by the mountain road. The ground still trembled faintly; the thunderous echoes had yet to fade.
He leapt out of the car, scrambling onto the roof to look toward the distant villa—
A towering column of thick smoke spiraled into the sky. The three-story building had already been reduced to rubble!
He jumped back down at once, dove into the driver’s seat, and sped up the mountain at full throttle.
……
Xie Jia Hua awoke from unconsciousness to the stark white ceiling of a hospital room.
His mind was still frozen in the moment before he blacked out.
At the time, he had received intelligence: Cui Dong Dong, Deputy Hall Master of Xiao Qi Hall, had fled to Hao Cheng Qing’s former villa. He led his men to surround the place and discovered that, aside from Cui Dong Dong, her same-sex lover Fang Xiao Luo was also inside.
Another officer present—his cousin Xie Jia Bao—had once refused a bribe and was framed by Cui Dong Dong and Xia Liu Yi. Deceived by Fang Xiao Luo in matters of the heart and exposed through scandalous photographs, he had been demoted and reassigned, enduring years of ridicule before finally being transferred back. Upon seeing Fang Xiao Luo, he lost control—his firearm discharged accidentally, wounding her. Cui Dong Dong retaliated immediately, and both sides fell into a gunfight.
Later, when the gunfire inside ceased, Xie Jia Hua led his team forward cautiously. Yet just as they entered the rear courtyard, the villa exploded. As the leader, he bore the brunt of the blast and was thrown to the ground by the shockwave…
The person sitting beside the bed leaned forward quickly upon seeing him awake. “Hey—hey? Can you hear me?”
Xie Jia Hua’s ears still rang; he could not hear clearly, his mind clouded. He vaguely sensed commotion around him—someone seemed to have called for a doctor. Soon, white coats filled his vision, glaring lights stabbing at his eyes.
After the doctors left, clarity gradually returned. Turning his head, he saw three people standing by his bed—
His cousin Xie Jia Bao, Qin Hao… and Lu Guang Ming.
Instinctively, his gaze snapped first toward Lu Guang Ming.
Noticing something off, Xie Jia Bao hurriedly explained in unease, “Brother Hua, you—you don’t recognize him? He’s from the ICAC, says he’s your friend—he’s been watching over you all afternoon. And him—Sir Gu told us he’s your undercover agent, Qin Hao. Do you remember him? Do you still recognize me?”
Xie Jia Hua closed his eyes in pain, resting for a moment before hoarsely speaking:
“A’Hao.”
“I’m here, Brother Hua.”
“Get those two out.”
“Yes.”
Qin Hao turned to them in a businesslike manner. Xie Jia Bao pouted but obediently went outside to stand in the corridor. Lu Guang Ming, smiling amiably, raised his hands in mock surrender and followed him out. Before long, his cheerful voice could be heard outside, trying to pry information from Xie Jia Bao.
Xie Jia Hua signaled for Qin Hao to lock the door and sit closer. “Sir Gu cleared your identity? What’s the current situation with the case?”
Qin Hao lowered his head, unable to speak.
Hearing faint voices through the wall, Xie Jia Hua suddenly bellowed, “Xie Jia Bao, shut your mouth! You idiot! Tell him to get lost!”
……
Outside, Lu Guang Ming said with a smile, “Hear that? Your cousin told you to get lost.”
“Wasn’t he talking about you?” Xie Jia Bao replied uncertainly.
“I heard the first shot was yours. Was it because you fired first that the suspect retaliated?” Lu Guang Ming continued probing. “Your cousin’s angry, so he told you to get lost, right?”
“It’s my fault! I was stupid! I acted on impulse! I harmed everyone!” Already wracked with guilt, Xie Jia Bao nearly burst into tears under the questioning, berating himself repeatedly.
“Lu Guang Ming!” another furious shout came through the wall.
Lu Guang Ming shrugged, then made a zipper gesture across his lips toward the anxious, guilt-ridden Xie Jia Bao.
……
At last, silence returned outside.
Xie Jia Hua turned back to Qin Hao. Qin Hao still kept his head lowered, silent.
Xie Jia Hua lifted his chin to examine his face—his eyes were clouded, heavy with guilt.
“Where am I injured?”
Qin Hao replied softly, “Some external wounds… and a mild concussion. The doctor says you need to stay for observation for two days.”
“What about the others?”
“They’re all fine. After routine checks, they’ve been discharged. Jia Bao’s bullet hit his vest—just soft tissue injury to the ribs.”
Xie Jia Hua sighed. “That fool… this time he’s caused a great disaster.”
Qin Hao’s eyes grew hot; his fists clenched at his sides with a faint cracking sound.
“Brother Hua… I’m sorry. The one who caused the disaster is me,” he said hoarsely. “This operation completely failed. All those materials were fabricated—none of them can convict Xiao Qi Hall. I was used.”
Xie Jia Hua stared at him in shock, then grasped his bleeding hand, preventing his nails from digging deeper into his palm. “Tell me slowly. What exactly happened?”
Qin Hao lowered his gaze and began recounting:
“Yesterday, Cui Dong Dong returned from Thailand, bringing two Thai men. She said there would be a deal today. I suspected something was off—thought she was setting a ‘trap’ to test my identity, so I didn’t notify you immediately.
This morning, while waiting for her message, a strange man called me. He said Xia Liu Yi and Cui Dong Dong had already discovered I was an undercover agent and told me to run. I didn’t believe him. He told me to check my mailbox—I found this there.”
He took out a photograph from his coat pocket—it was a candid shot of him and Xie Jia Hua drinking and talking in a nightclub.
“I still thought it was Cui Dong Dong testing me. But the man said this photo was ironclad proof of my undercover identity. If Xia Liu Yi and Cui Dong Dong saw it, they’d ‘clean me up’ immediately—there’d be no need for any test. He said he was also undercover, an Interpol agent, and urged me to move quickly and wrap things up. He even gave me the exact address of the ‘finance room.’
That address was indeed one Cui Dong Dong had visited recently—one of my suspects. When I went there, I found a large amount of financial records and several computers. Some of the entries matched what I had investigated before—evidence of Xiao Qi Hall’s years of illicit income and money laundering.
I believed him… and immediately informed you to proceed with the operation…”
Xie Jia Hua listened grimly. Upon receiving Qin Hao’s report, he had applied for search and arrest warrants. But midway through the operation, Qin Hao called again—
“That man called me again, saying Cui Dong Dong had fled to Azure Dragon’s villa. I informed you immediately and rushed there to meet you—but by the time I arrived, the explosion had already happened…”
“While you were unconscious, I worked with the Commercial Crime Bureau to verify the ‘finance room’ records. We found that only the categories were real—every single figure beneath them was fabricated. Even that ‘finance room’ was rented just a week ago under a fake identity—it was a trap made specifically for me!
We traced the phone number that called me—there were no useful leads at all! We couldn’t find a single piece of evidence to convict any member of Xiao Qi Hall!”
As Qin Hao spoke, he raised his head, remorse written all over his face. “Everything that happened today… was one massive blunder! It was all orchestrated by that man who called me! If I hadn’t been so impulsive… so eager for success… if I had taken the time to carefully verify those fake materials…”
He had ruined the undercover mission he had staked his life on.
He had ruined Xie Jia Hua’s year-long covert support and painstaking efforts.
He had ruined everything.
Today’s grand, high-profile raid ended in nothing. The siege of Cui Dong Dong yielded only a pile of ruins and two charred corpses. Everyone’s efforts had gone to waste—this operation had become a laughingstock within the police force. They didn’t even know how to explain it to the press—or to the citizens frightened by the explosion.
Xie Jia Hua gripped his trembling hand. “This isn’t your fault. Your identity was exposed—no one can remain perfectly rational in such danger. That man took advantage of that. But I don’t understand—who is he? Why go to such lengths? What does he gain from all this…?”
Suddenly, something struck him.
“Where is Cui Dong Dong?”
“After the explosion… we found two bodies in the ruins. We suspect they’re hers and Fang Xiao Luo’s.”
“What about Xia Liu Yi?”
“He’s missing. His whereabouts are unknown.”
“Then who is in charge of Xiao Qi Hall now?”
Qin Hao’s face turned pale. During the long wait for Xie Jia Hua to awaken, he had already understood—
The true mastermind behind it all.
The sole beneficiary of this grand farce that toyed with both the police and Xia Liu Yi—
“…It’s He Chu San.”
Futile Devices Scans 
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