Chapter 85 Refined Performance
As I watched Xiao Liu gradually disappear down the distant street, frustration boiled within me. I quickly sent a message to Zhang Huanan: "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Stop actively contacting me."
To my surprise, there was no response from Zhang Huanan even though he had read my text.
Resigned, I pulled out a cigarette I had stashed away earlier and lit it.
Time ticked by, and my anxiety grew. Waiting for someone who clearly had no intention of showing up felt like an utter waste of my time.
Just as I was nearing the end of my smoke, I suddenly heard the car door open. I initially thought it was Xiao Liu returning, but the figure had slipped into the back seat.
"Officer Li, I trust you’ve been well."
The voice, unmistakable and chilling, echoed from behind me, sending a cold shiver down my spine—it was Zhang Huanan.
"Have you fucking lost your mind? Don’t you know whose car this is?"
Seeing his nonchalant expression in the rearview mirror only fueled my anger further. "And you’re not the least bit concerned that I could drive you straight to the station right now?"
Zhang Huanan scoffed, leaning back with an insufferable smirk. "Oh, Li, don’t pretend we’re not cut from the same cloth. Seven years ago, when you slapped the cuffs on me, I gave you a hundred thousand yuan for Xuanxuan's treatment. You should be the one who understands the concept of paying back favors."
"I’ve repaid that debt a long time ago," I growled, my frustration barely contained as an internal war raged within me. I should never have gotten entangled with this vermin. "I warned you to lie low, but you keep stirring up trouble... I should’ve dragged you to the station myself."
Zhang Huanan flicked the cigarette out of the window with a casual smirk. "Is that how you speak to your daughter's benefactor? Xuanxuan's in elementary school now, right? If I’m not mistaken... fourth grade, class six?"
"You—" His audacity to mention Xuanxuan sent a surge of fury through me, making my hands tremble. "If you so much as think of harming her, I'll make sure you regret the day you were born."
"Relax, Li. We're partners, remember?" Zhang Huanan chuckled. "You help me stay out of jail, and Xuanxuan stays safe."
The gravity of the situation weighed down on me like a boulder. In that moment, the chilling truth hit me—once you board a ship of criminals, there’s no turning back.
Seven years ago, when I apprehended Zhang Huanan, he had offered me a hundred thousand yuan for his freedom.
Although I have always held a deep aversion to evil, my daughter Xuanxuan suffered from a rare illness known as Crigler-Najjar Syndrome (CNS). The doctor explained how uncommon it was and detailed various ways to manage it, but I understood none of it. The only thing I grasped was that my little girl needed a liver transplant—and I needed an impossible sum of money.
Zhang Huanan’s bribe didn’t just buy his freedom—it bought Xuanxuan’s second chance at life. From that moment on, my path was forever entwined with his. Every time he got too close to being caught, it wasn’t his so-called {exceptional skill in counter-reconnaissance} that saved him. It was me.
The shadow of that hundred thousand yuan loomed over my every move. If I didn’t help him dodge the police, he threatened to drag my name through the mud, exposing the damning truth that linked me to his crimes. And so, the shackles of guilt and obligation kept tightening, dragging me deeper into this mess of my own making.
I couldn’t let anything happen to my Xuanxuan. She wasn’t just any child. She was the daughter of my fallen comrade-in-arms, and for a decade, she had called me "Dad." In every way that mattered, she was my daughter.
I met Zhang Huanan's gaze through the rearview mirror, forcing calm into my voice. "Zhang Huanan, I have my limits," I said firmly. "If you want to avoid capture, you’d best keep your head down from now on. Push any further, and I swear, I’ll make sure you regret it."
His face darkened, and a dangerous gleam flickered in his eyes. "You motherfucker!" His voice turned venomous as he leaned forward, glaring at me with cold fury. "Li Shangwu, you dare to bargain with me? If I get caught, my brothers will make sure Xuanxuan pays the price."
His words pierced through me like a dagger, sharp and unforgiving.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I’m saying you’d better behave like the obedient dog you are and don’t entertain any crooked ideas," he said, kicking the front seat. "If you step out of line, I’ll do more than just drag your name through the dirt—I’ll make sure your entire family suffers."
I glanced at him through the rearview mirror, and in that brief moment, a dangerous thought flickered in my mind. If Zhang Huanan were ever caught, the situation would unravel beyond control. My reputation, tarnished as it would be, no longer held any meaning. I had long since accepted that I should bear the burden of my own mistakes. But Xuanxuan? What would happen to her?
The answer was painfully clear. Zhang Huanan couldn’t be allowed to live.
I was tired—tired of living in the shadow of this swindler, of constantly compromising my integrity and burying myself under layers of guilt and fear.
Now that Xuanxuan’s illness was treated, it was time to settle my debts.
Leaving Zhang Huanan alive meant countless others would fall victim to his schemes. I regretted not sending him to prison years ago, sparing myself from this long nightmare. But what if I had made that choice back then? Would Xuanxuan have forgiven me for abandoning her in her time of need?
I looked back at Zhang Huanan, who sat comfortably as if nothing could touch him. But I could see the wear from constant evasion on him too.
"Zhang Huanan, have you eaten?" I asked, keeping my tone casual.
"Eaten?" His brow furrowed in confusion, thrown by the unexpected change in subject.
"You’ve been on the run for a while now. I figure I owe you at least a decent meal. Forget what I said earlier—don’t take it personally."
"Now that sounds more like it." Zhang Huanan reclined in the back seat, stretching lazily. "Three days of this shit. You guys have been watching me, and all I’ve been eating is instant noodles."
I nodded and shifted the car into gear, suppressing the tension building in my chest. My mind was racing, calculating. I needed to find a spot—someplace remote, where his body wouldn’t be discovered until days later. I knew I would eventually be caught, but I wanted to ensure Xuanxuan was taken care of first.
The rumble of the engine masked the faint click as I disengaged the safety on my handgun, my hand steady. Zhang Huanan seemed oblivious, lounging comfortably, eyes half-lidded, lost in his own thoughts. I turned into a narrow side alley, slowing the car.
But before I could stop, something snapped.
Zhang Huanan, quicker than I anticipated, lunged forward, looping a hard wire around my neck with chilling precision.
A surge of cold dread shot through me—this bastard had planned to kill me all along.
"Zhang Huanan… you’re asking for it…" I gritted my teeth, tugging desperately at the wire around my neck, trying to turn around, but my legs were pinned by the steering wheel.
"You’re quite the strategist, Officer Li…" Zhang Huanan remarked, exerting pressure as he spoke. "Stakeouts usually involve two people, no? And yet, here you are, taking me out for a meal… doesn’t that seem odd? If the other person notices you’re missing, won’t they contact the rest of the team?"
In just ten seconds, my vision began to fade. Zhang Huanan was truly prepared to kill me, and I knew that if I died, Xuanxuan would be in grave danger.
With that thought, I quickly drew my handgun and fired three shots blindly behind me, unsure if I hit anything. Inside the confined car, the deafening gunfire made my ears ring.
"I’m giving you money to spend… and you still want to fucking kill me?!" Zhang Huanan roared, tightening his grip.
The pressure around my neck was unbearable, tightening like a vice. I could feel my pulse hammering beneath the wire, and it seemed as though my arteries were on the verge of bursting.
In that split-second of desperation, my hand fumbled for the seat’s control button. If I could just recline fast enough, maybe I’d create enough space to break free.
But I had overlooked one crucial detail—this was no ordinary car. A luxury model, designed with meticulous care for comfort and safety, the seat reclined with an excruciatingly slow, almost delicate pace. Its gentle descent was meant to cradle the tired body, not save a life.
As the seat tilted backward with maddening slowness, the world around me began to fade. Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, a suffocating fog swallowing me whole.
In those final moments, one bitter thought crossed my mind: you truly do get what you pay for.
Luxury has its reasons.
At least, in this descent into oblivion, my back didn’t hurt at all.