Blazing Armor

Gong Yingxian walked over to Ren Yi, her eyes filled with both anger and anxiety as she scanned him from head to toe.rlKmyixhBbnMICGmGnCzFnTAzkpirI

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Ren Yi whispered, “I’m fine.”agYBLDWucCtUevFLJhcOqKhZQRsptQ

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Gong Yingxian snapped, “I’ll deal with you later.”EIDDUREOrdrqzXvoDzGIMkjicehYYO

wKaRUmQXWkaKdvn

At this moment, Ren Yi was in a state of turmoil, wondering how to tell Gong Yingxian that the man standing before him, who was related to him, was the hired killer responsible for his family’s deaths.beICMwaxaPgXsSdkjbZSoVHTDNfjcc

jCiBXsyvzNkNXJB

Meanwhile, Yue Xingu kept his head down, not daring to look at Gong Yingxian.gmbLqeUfFlMSXUTyBlyAnmzgONyHbK

OtEaWtQDLpzeNqO

Bai Chicheng, however, did not give Ren Yi such time. He fixed his gaze on Gong Yingxian and said, “Dr. Gong, although this is our first meeting, we have crossed paths many times.”lnxfXVmWGoxVyazAPCiliArueeofmK

dFiVZMSGKXyvvwX

Gong Yingxian glared coldly at Bai Chicheng. “You, a despicable murderer, cannot claim to have ‘crossed paths’ with me. I am here to capture you.”tdZbSbEscgJNcAgjwoXqUebbvEYnWr

cYYrMFzMQIdyMnI

“It doesn’t matter what you say. Do you think you’ve won against me?” Bai Chicheng smiled, a smile that seemed particularly stiff and eerie on his otherwise serious face. “You have never won; it’s just a dying struggle to minimize your losses.”RkhUEfapxCNjdkNQINKRTdMqExRvWn

rUYCKMdaqgteMAM

“That’s right, it doesn’t count as winning,” Ren Yi gritted his teeth. “As long as one innocent person is harmed because of you, no one wins. We are just limiting the damage. Do you know what true victory is? It’s capturing you, letting you rot in prison or in the ground, so you can never harm anyone again.”qtnaCPGzrLIpSFwoftCpymbdSxBacY

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Bai Chicheng smirked mockingly. “We will die; everyone will die. But the will of the God of Light will never perish. There will always be more believers to carry out the divine will.”WaIuaRsQfZtmVDVlFYjbnWUIVYwxbf

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“Shut the hell up,” Ren Yi shouted. “What do you want?”voadGpisNFeHbeHhGpQxmvFVMnhqwT

hGacbyPiVKikbOW

Gong Yingxian added, “Where is your accomplice?”flAnXUSaRDDiejmHbZxJpmPgEWIXZu

cXeXcBeTVOJFurG

“What, haven’t you found him yet?” Bai Chicheng replied with a smug smile. “He’s in a very important place, and he has more hostages in his hands.”TesKQFrImsTJgJcIwowmUlUcvNoNxp

kpXQtrlFrpCKgcb

“Where are they?”CoVcQXVSYqUjRuyzNWmfmAsGJGlAJn

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“The only thing I can tell you is that they are still in the hotel,” Bai Chicheng said. “You can go look for them now.”AFNohLFramZTExInvawZyMTLAHmlCR

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“We?” Ren Yi asked uncertainly. “You mean, we can leave now?”mNUSRUrMjbAJmwJnqWdPxdhCSYiuFT

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“I haven’t restricted you from leaving this room, but you cannot leave the hotel.” Bai Chicheng kicked Ren Yi’s phone back to him. “You will definitely come back.”WOXTLUwSWRvwxjpxmSVQXOxydbumfI

ZjdOkTQsMVzIkQq

Ren Yi looked at him suspiciously while bending down to pick up his phone. “What kind of game are you playing?”xLNuRNSUViKNZjIKfwMkpMolvaGFaB

rsmiffOhBopTOcd

From the moment he followed Yue Xingu out of the hospital to this place, everything that had happened was strange. He initially thought Bai Chicheng wanted them to perish together, but now it seemed he had ulterior motives.stsIXrIVrgeAApEoDdbZbBgTQVVBgp

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Gong Yingxian was also filled with suspicion. She narrowed her eyes at Bai Chicheng. “You want us to find the hostages, but what about you?”krJVjJvZqLDwjqvUTZbpLFDXeRfUFV

AQYQWQAUkbdSFbU

“I’ll be here waiting for you,” Bai Chicheng leaned back in his chair, appearing completely relaxed. “You can surround and seal off this place, or if you don’t want Yue Xingu to die, you can just kill me. However, if I die, he and those hostages won’t survive either. If you don’t believe me, you can try.”cqhyeydkvrkSqHEdvkTQJOjwPeZYnb

wGopRCTuAuzFjea

Gong Yingxian and Ren Yi exchanged a glance, both aware that there was a trick involved, but for the moment, they had no way to deal with Bai Chicheng.lOsPybdPwXIgIKsXItUlgzKanOKOKv

jcPnjVFPYfEOrfK

Yue Xingu deserved to die, but as long as he was alive, there was a chance he could help them capture Purple Flame.HnfXdmAtEhWwcUGLJSETpdiYYdenXW

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Gong Yingxian said, “You want us to find your accomplice and the hostages. Is there a time limit or any hints?”naUhufaUocTLwlzGNCyBFsWRISlpNE

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“No. You can search however you want, but once you find them, you will still need me.”GAtbotnkHwkoaqTrAslYICzqCoUvgE

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Gong Yingxian grabbed Ren Yi’s arm. “Let’s go.”IoPPIDcKPrDgbuiOJWHnnpCruCsqWC

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The two of them really left the conference room under Bai Chicheng’s watchful gaze.dekhLhnYBklzMkAKKtbPQQAySpSnkO

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As soon as they stepped out the door, Ren Yi leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, his heart racing. From the moment he walked through that door, he had prepared himself not to come out again, but he didn’t expect Bai Chicheng to let them leave so easily. This only made them more uneasy.KNBfeOIfkllLRUtpVNeoOTXRqnchaO

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“Are you okay?” Gong Yingxian supported him. “I’ll take you to your room to rest.”cIiIzkNXTvXpDKniCvmhWOWvwMAbyq

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“No,” Ren Yi pushed her away and stood up straight. “How can I rest right now?”WVzZYxtxaZpbVjLQCKoLrvZaTyzDbZ

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“He’s stalling for time,” Gong Yingxian said angrily. “What does he want? What benefit does stalling time bring him?”gHuTAsRSYMrrzScFBooRBXPIOWAnWa

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“I think stalling time is not beneficial for him, but for others. During my conversation with him just now, he mentioned two or three times, intentionally or not, that he didn’t plan to escape.” Ren Yi looked at Gong Yingxian. “This proves that he is determined to die this time.”jIMObvmPwMZArdurkignsfpMgqcFjZ

JgcoJxZgxoqMYFD

Gong Yingxian was silent for a moment. “Purple Flame, what does Purple Flame want?” She took out her phone and called Qiu Yan. “Sister Yan, Bai Yan claims that his accomplice has kidnapped a group of hostages, and they are still in the hotel, asking us to find them. This is definitely a trap. Don’t send people for a carpet search yet; first, check the surveillance, then prepare several ion migration spectrometers to detect hazardous chemicals layer by layer. Also, Bai Yan is deliberately stalling for time. I suspect Purple Flame has other motives, so be careful.”AkruaZKlujGbDEmIJPMIHINTSGWloj

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After hanging up, Gong Yingxian looked anxiously at the camera above her head. “Let’s change places.”fEDBCzOVACKIHRBOwSLjdNKQahgGhs

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The two of them moved to a blind spot of the camera, and Ren Yi calmed his heartbeat. “Yingxian, I need to tell you something.” As he thought about what he was about to say, his face became troubled. “Yue Xingu…”zsXucrpkJLkUirYjqhtuHfRbFxQzki

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Gong Yingxian touched Ren Yi’s cheek. “Don’t panic, take your time.”tBeTLwxGyGQCYzXkGAAFDqGaKWiGOp

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Ren Yi stared at Gong Yingxian, his heart aching. He said with difficulty, “Yue Xingu is the killer. He… hired someone to set fire to your house.”IXQyYSsCABTxTevIRxjmVwcWIzgLRY

zohhiiApBnJqFHp

After Ren Yi finished speaking, he nervously and helplessly observed Gong Yingxian’s reaction, realizing that if possible, he would rather bear the pain for Gong Yingxian than watch her suffer.FPSjGSQfCVkbNwjihRNnrOOWFzJodq

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But unexpectedly, Gong Yingxian did not react as violently as he had imagined. Her eyelids twitched, and her brows furrowed. “Did he tell you this?”pTmoZtpZltzXlALTIIyPIbVBBUVBbW

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Ren Yi was taken aback. “Is he lying?”qzPHknmcHIdGGSFgrummZvtkBexnLo

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“When I started to suspect him, I already investigated the possibility of him being involved in the arson or hiring someone to do it. I can’t completely rule out his suspicion, but I also can’t prove it. However, my intuition tells me it’s not him.”NkWwJJXoeXVTTSEVGfxAviRXFzJPsl

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“Why?”FZXNCymDGUlXMZrHJKMbCIrEIaxipl

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“This man doesn’t have that kind of courage,” Gong Yingxian said. “Unless he is an exceptional actor, but can a person maintain the facade of a weak man for over twenty years? I find it hard to believe.”XhjnxLuRsjjmBRupRazBpAyOjVMMBn

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“…He said he took kickbacks and procured substandard materials, which caused the explosion at Baosheng Chemical Factory.”yljDYpwWqtmxEvtnmLnqlDXJxsZoLE

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“That’s possible. He was a mid-level leader in the procurement department, but even if he was already my family’s son-in-law at that time, he didn’t have that much decision-making power. The group has a bidding process, and it’s not easy to tamper with it unless he colluded with someone higher up.”dpDIEOmxDbfDJNLIZMCdfFbCJqbPRH

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“Were there any issues found in the investigation of the materials back then?”lItQkLoIShYqZROdmZVIeqswyQICkN

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Gong Yingxian shook her head. “No, all materials met national standards, so the investigators concluded it was a production accident.”XjGvOskgsgKtBuCtiCGjXaTHkwyfbI

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“Then where did Yue Xingu’s claim of non-compliant materials come from?”fXclRGoTVpLXpblKcqOyXtuSMuGJRP

lyYzTPFNtZhllFz

“The evidence may have been covered up or tampered with; only he knows for sure,” Gong Yingxian said. “Another reason I don’t believe he is the killer is that even if we accept he is, we still have many unresolved doubts. Something feels off.”XWPeamzoLTOsEUpGMsyyrTBfLmolqr

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Ren Yi thought for a moment; indeed, the whole matter was full of doubts. “If he really didn’t do it, why would he admit it?”DtAPtekvgKlyfFKOMVcQwrlxzpRqKq

fOevPBcQxELJRzs

“Under threat. The incident with Feilan proves that his relationship with Purple Flame has already broken down. He bribed Wang Minde back then, surely to cover up his crime. Now that the old case has resurfaced after nineteen years, he might be scared, shaken, or perhaps he has had a change of heart. In any case, Purple Flame wants to kill him to silence him.”lgFeRAPzZZSMyxsKIuCNGdLmwkXxiW

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“Speaking of Wang Minde, have you thought about why he lived well for nineteen years, and just when we started investigating him, he was silenced?”xcDNtXBwAADkWJPjdEhXwFLWOkfoNv

lGVqHhopYkcxJNX

“Of course, I thought about it. He must have leaked information, which is also one of the reasons I don’t think Yue Xingu is the mastermind,” Gong Yingxian explained. “Given the brutality of the arsonist back then and Purple Flame now, human life has no value in their eyes. Killing to silence witnesses is the only way to eliminate future troubles. Why did Wang Minde only die now? I think the best explanation is that Purple Flame only just learned of Wang Minde’s existence.”mFtfBhBfUXwvxoGBcuEVzsJtAvtBwm

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Ren Yi gasped in shock. This meant that among the people they had investigated and interacted with, there were organized individuals. This was not a new discovery; when they were investigating Fang Zhixu, they already knew there had to be an insider cooperating to allow Fang Zhixu to enter the fire disaster ruins. However, Wang Minde’s case made them realize that this person might not be an ordinary investigator but someone who understood the case better, perhaps even someone they knew.NNHrFTXtbcqwQTZhPKeKxsdQGHKdZS

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“Then… do you have any suspects?”uqOqQoxFzknMwTPUZGaZcGpJpZJhCY

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Gong Yingxian said, “I wanted to start an investigation when Wang Minde died, but too many cases came up afterward, and I was stretched thin. Now that I think about it, maybe this clue is more important, so let’s go through it again. Which link might have leaked information?”IDexLDKQgvCnMONFrxAefYkKGgQlhg

mjHnEScLJRlExRJ

Ren Yi nodded. “I’ll go first. After I met with Dr. Pang Bei, the bird mask thing kept bothering me. Later, during my training, I found that old-fashioned gas masks are actually somewhat similar to bird masks, so I told you and compared them with firefighting equipment from twenty years ago.”rIvxOOwceQxNeYnkzbzKHussZGOhlu

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“Right, after I received the news, I had a sudden realization, so I started investigating. During the investigation, I contacted the former vice president of the hospital, two of Wang Minde’s old colleagues, an archive administrator, and Wang Minde’s early driver. Besides them, Sister Yan and at least four or five police officers also knew.”xZyUdCZeQBTQuhdOdEGtpIbOLPsgRI

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“That’s quite a few people.”lCrjlJKinRDxAzIczXaPigbRjcicQn

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“Yes, but the information they received was not comprehensive. Most of them thought I was investigating Wang Minde for taking kickbacks because his divorce case with his wife was very messy, and she was reporting him for misconduct everywhere. After Wang Minde was silenced, I also investigated those people a bit and found nothing suspicious.”EGmqnCModOUHUYXksemoIXQJmeMCqV

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“What about within the police? Don’t forget, Fang Zhixu was able to enter the sealed-off area of Wenhui Shopping Mall to take evidence because there was an insider.”yqIyiUeTapWFIcssimHwRDKWYnqrZj

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Gong Yingxian stared at Ren Yi, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.GvowfEaSdtYaNNRIJvzvOgfDlZVMLY

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“What is it?”kBoziRjtEdAIjabLysiUqXYaOhGHoQ

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Gong Yingxian paused. “Ren Yi, there’s something I’ve been avoiding saying to you because we have some… historical issues that make this a sensitive topic between us. So I haven’t mentioned it until there is solid evidence.”PmUeeiPrivJGejhgXIKoTCQgEGNxTa

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Ren Yi was taken aback. “What are you talking about? You’re confusing me.”XyGDQYqFRTWNdYkzBXVERObVyShXnJ

zbCHXdaWEXTcTmU

Gong Yingxian didn’t answer but instead said, “I was just very, very angry with you, and I’m still angry now. But this is not the time to be angry with you.”yKtlHcJRwrzGpDHtxTwusGrzLuyPoX

zcuygBfpXPzXlIf

Ren Yi was even more confused. “What do you want to say?”vLPPIXWnZPfRVQOWRDsShZWptsjDbG

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Gong Yingxian pouted. “I want to say that if what I say next makes you angry, then we can consider it even.”lOrANbrzrVXvLchhkyuexwupOxumEy

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Ren Yi was at a loss for words. “What time is it? Just hurry up and say it.”McTekARLqSqjPPkMKIHFllNtaDUQjv

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Gong Yingxian said, “You are a firefighter, and a very proud firefighter with a strong sense of collective honor. Your job nature determines the trust and closeness you have with your comrades, so you find it unacceptable to suspect your father. But I am a police officer, and my job nature means that as long as there is suspicion, I will suspect anyone.”WckNJyYjLWcYWgCgjywAiVJqgzgXDH

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“Can you just say it directly?”KlvkRXwnkhFIvLYpYtmdlXCOLqbPfn

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“You only suspect the police. Have you ever thought that half of those investigators are your colleagues?”blIkzpUsVnZuMCdYHsOfnXNCswpcwq

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Ren Yi froze. It was as if an arrow had pierced through the curtain, and the fog that had obscured his vision suddenly dissipated.yAIOOpBNVKhxRhOtmWnoMVWdYNHWli

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It was a moment of enlightenment.kkudtKgQRdccBkUgrLgPHRCtDWfDbo

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His chaotic thoughts gradually became clear, and images, documents, and a face began to emerge from the countless faces, becoming increasingly glaring.mQLwSRhpQpxHztbtbzOETelAufDwaB

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“Ren Yi!” Gong Yingxian urged, “I warn you, I’m still not done being angry with you. You are not allowed to be angry with me, or… have you thought of something?”uesUXtwLIfrwareWeOfZsfixiTJtIg

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Ren Yi raised his head, his face as pale as paper, and grabbed Gong Yingxian’s arm. “I thought of someone.”RtvAcSYZLbsGpZZblRiHgNCGAmSNIC

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“He, he went to Wenhui Shopping Mall to conduct a fire investigation. He also went to Anjia Community for a fire investigation. Many incidents related to us involved him in the investigation. Most importantly, after I connected the bird mask with the old-fashioned gas mask, I called you, and I immediately sought him to help me organize past firefighting equipment data.”PQDnapoNPjszbRtGfedJcTkDUqbkYM

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Gong Yingxian’s eyes widened. “Who?!”cxETfqNvqGgYHKzWeuGJtqmCXDnJAk

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“Zhang Wen from the Fire Investigation Department.”ShKmtSSNdsHThVnSDFrDKvSNFsRuIt

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