Chapter 51: Loyalty, Betrayal, and the Recording

Ma Bin!

The name on the caller ID flashed.

Li Xiang's expression shifted. He took a sharp, deep breath, realizing that the key to breaking this deadlock might lie with Ma Bin. Through their recent interactions, this second-in-command had proven to be one of the rare intelligent figures within the gang.

Being intelligent meant he was less prone to madness, capable of assessing the situation objectively, and potentially open to being swayed or controlled.

The only issue was his trace, just a tiny trace, of blind loyalty to Boss Zheng.

Regardless,

the current situation was critical, and he had to find a way—whether through coercion or enticement—to make Ma Bin turn against the Azure Wolf Gang and serve his purposes.

Only then could the chaotic situation be quickly quelled, and his wife and son rescued.

"I cannot panic. I must absolutely not panic right now. I need to calm down and think carefully about what to say."

Li Xiang's mind raced furiously, recalling all his experience and techniques from interrogating suspects.

Five seconds later, Li Xiang answered the call. Before the person on the other end could speak, he launched into a fierce, preemptive verbal assault: "The Azure Wolf Gang is truly out of its mind. Ma Bin, go back and tell Boss Zheng that he has miscalculated."

"Li Xiang earned his position as the deputy chief of the police precinct by being completely ruthless and never yielding to anyone's threats."

"If my wife dies, it just means I can bring a mistress home; if my son is gone, I can always have another. Trying to use my wife and son to threaten me—the Azure Wolf Gang is barking up the wrong tree."

You cannot threaten me, but I guarantee that every single member of the Azure Wolf Gang will go down with Boss Zheng..."

Ma Bin interrupted Li Xiang's threats at the opportune moment, his hoarse voice laden with fatigue: "Captain Li, you misunderstand. I didn't come to threaten you on behalf of Boss Zheng."

Li Xiang's heart skipped a beat, his breathing turning slightly rough: "Hhm?"

He had lied just moments ago. If his wife were gone, he could indeed remarry, but if his son was gone, he would truly have no one. He had suffered a gunshot wound in the past and lost the ability to reproduce.

Ma Bin said in a deep voice, "Boss Zheng has completely lost his mind. As sorry as I am to Boss Zheng, I cannot stand by and watch the brothers in the gang blindly march to their deaths as burial companions for him. I am the second-in-command of the Azure Wolf Gang; I must save them, and I must save myself."

The five fingers gripping Li Xiang's phone turned faintly white. He gave a cough to mask the slight tremor in his voice: "Just you? You're merely a second-in-command. You can't save the Azure Wolf Gang."

Ma Bin replied solemnly, "What if I become the top boss, with Captain Li's help?"

Before Li Xiang could speak, Ma Bin added, "Besides, on my way here just now, I led some men to rescue Captain Li's wife and son."

Li Xiang froze, completely losing his composure: "What did you say?"

Ma Bin: "A wife and son can be replaced with new ones, but if they don't have to be replaced, wouldn't that be even better, Captain Li?"

Amidst his words, the weeping voice of a woman came through the phone: "Darling, a group of people broke into the house earlier and tried to kidnap me and our son. This man rushed in and saved us. He's a good person, please help him if you can~"

Li Xiang was silent for three seconds before grinding out through clenched teeth: "Understood. Give the phone back to him."

Ma Bin: "Captain Li?"

Li Xiang: "Where are the people who tried to kidnap my wife and son?"

Ma Bin: "They're all dead."

---

Li Xiang: "What are your exact plans?"

Ma Bin: "It's inconvenient to discuss this over the phone. I need to meet with Captain Li in person."

Li Xiang frowned deeply, his brow knitting into a knot as he lowered his voice: "How do I know you aren't lying, and that this isn't a trap to lure me in?"

Ma Bin was fully prepared, radiating a do-or-die sincerity: "I can have someone send Captain Li's wife and son to the police precinct first. Once Captain Li confirms they are safe, you can decide whether to meet me."

Half of Li Xiang's doubts were dispelled. Cautiously, he said, "I will set the time and place."

Ma Bin readily agreed: "Alright, though I'm afraid time is running short for me."

A feeling of a dead end suddenly opening up washed over Li Xiang. Perhaps there was still room to salvage the situation with the Azure Wolf Gang—provided Ma Bin could be trusted.

Li Xiang: "Send them over as soon as possible. I'll get back to you, and when the time comes, you must come alone."

[...]

One hour later.

In the back room of an unassuming small restaurant directly across the street from the police precinct.

After glancing around, Ma Bin lowered the brim of his hat and pushed the door open alone.

Inside the restaurant, several plainclothes officers watched him enter, confirmed that no one was following him behind, and whispered their reports into their headset microphones.

In the back room, Li Xiang sat at the dining table dressed in full tactical gear. The table was completely bare except for a glass of water. A pistol was concealed underneath the table, its muzzle pointed directly at the opposite seat.

Ma Bin walked in and took the seat across from him.

There was no polite banter, nor was there any room left for it.

Li Xiang's anger toward the Azure Wolf Gang had reached its absolute peak, but given that Ma Bin had just rescued his wife and son, he refrained from hurling abuses. Instead, he asked coldly, "Is there someone named Xiao Wu in the Azure Wolf Gang?"

Ma Bin paused for a moment before answering, "Yes, he's considered Boss Zheng's closest confidant. Did he do something?"

Li Xiang sneered: "Before he died, he asked me to give Boss Zheng a message: the life he owed Boss Zheng has been paid in full. What do you think he did?"

Ma Bin fell silent, lowered his head to pull out his phone, and flipped through his photo album. A flicker of sorrow crossed his eyes as he thought: "So this was the last message Xiao Wu wanted to relay to me? Exactly as I anticipated. He really had not a single shred of originality even in death~"

"Is this him?" Ma Bin tapped on a photo and handed the phone across the table.

Li Xiang took the phone and glanced at the screen. The photo was angled toward a private dining room with the door half-open, revealing a half-naked Zheng Si inside, with the corpse of a woman lying on the floor.

Two men were guarding the doorway: one was Xiao Wu, and the other, whom Li Xiang didn't recognize, was called Ma Wei.

Pointing at the photo, Ma Bin explained, "I didn't know Boss Zheng had assigned a task to Xiao Wu. Boss Zheng thought my methods were too clumsy and bypassed me entirely for today's operation."

Li Xiang stared intently at Ma Bin, weighing how much of what he said could be trusted.

In truth, he already believed him ninety percent, because Ma Bin's confession aligned perfectly with the facts he had witnessed today. Yet, out of professional instinct, a final shred of doubt remained buried in his heart.

Wasn't this man fiercely loyal to Boss Zheng?

Why had he turned on him now? Was it purely for self-preservation, or was there some deeper provocation or motive?

---

As if sensing Li Xiang's doubts, Ma Bin removed his hat, revealing his shaved head. His scalp was covered in scabs, looking utterly gruesome as the scars extended all the way up to his forehead.

Ma Bin offered a bitter, wretched smile to Li Xiang: "The lesson Captain Li taught me that day remains fresh in my memory—gangs are muddy swamps, and the loyal ones always sink to the bottom first."

Li Xiang frowned.

Ma Bin pointed a finger at the female corpse in the photo: "Xiao You was someone I brought into the gang myself. Even though Boss Zheng knew how close she was to me, he still tortured her to death for his amusement."

He then pointed to the scabs covering his head: "Boss Zheng has completely lost his mind. This was the result of me trying to advise him, but since I couldn't persuade him..."

Weariness washed over Ma Bin's face as he pulled a digital voice recorder from his pocket and said softly, "Explaining is too troublesome. Captain Li can just listen for himself."

Li Xiang took the recorder and pressed play.

[Zheng Si: Three days. Tie everyone up and bring them before me. Xiao Hang is dead; I must avenge my son.]

[Ma Bin: There are nearly fifty people on that list. If we tie them all up, the police precinct will raise hell, and Li Xiang will also...]

[Zheng Si: Do you think I'm afraid of the police precinct? Afraid of some mere deputy chief of police?]

[Ma Bin: Boss, Captain Li has warned me several times. This time is different from before; once things escalate, they won't be controllable.]

[Zheng Si: All these years, I overrode all objections to let you sit comfortably as the gang's second-in-command because you have a sharp brain. But you have never been ruthless enough.]

[Ma Bin falls silent, the sound of heavy breathing.]

[Zheng Si: You disappoint me deeply.] (Note: The word used here carries a heavy, vicious tone rather than a simple typo.)

[The sound of Ma Bin's head being grabbed by a large hand, followed by the teeth-grrinding sound of glass shards rubbing against his scalp.]

[Ma Bin gasps, a voice of terror: Does Big Brother mean...?]

[Zheng Si: You aren't ruthless enough, so I'll teach you. If Li Xiang dares to interfere, eliminate Li Xiang. If you can't eliminate Li Xiang, eliminate the people around him.]

[Ma Bin blurts out in shock: But he's the deputy chief of the police precinct! He's not just some ordinary citizen.]

[Zheng Si laughs grimly: You don't understand. To be ruthless, you must grip your blade firmly. What am I afraid of? It's him I should be afraid of.]

[Zheng Si lowers his voice, delirious and tyrannical: Li Xiang has a son, right? A wife or a mistress, too? Kidnap his entire family and force him to shut his mouth and obey. If he doesn't obey, I'll tear them to pieces right in front of him.]

[Zheng Si throws his hand away, the heavy thud of Ma Bin crashing to the ground, accompanied by the crisp shattering of glass.]

[Zheng Si stomps over the broken glass, his frantic voice chilling to the bone: Second-in-command, you don't need to use your brain this time. Just watch how I handle things, how I deal with people. Give me just three days, and I will get justice for Xiao Hang...]

[The subsequent audio becomes indistinct, and the recording ends here.]

(Note: The original content of this edited and synthesized recording is in Chapter 47. Interested readers may refer to it for comparison.)