Chapter 147: Returning to the Beginning

How powerful is a sniper rifle?

Having lived two lives, Xiao Yu had never handled such a gun. He understood its power through his ‘Firearms Expert’ ability. Xiao Yu discovered that once a sniper rifle bullet was fired, it was incredibly terrifying. Terrifying to the point that if a human head was hit, it was like a sledgehammer smashing into a watermelon. It exploded!

What of the scenes in movies where a sniper bullet left just a small hole in the forehead? They really took the audience for fools.

So, what happened if such a sniper rifle bullet hit a person’s arm? It would be like what happened to Dong Qi’s arm. Not only would it break, but it would also be shredded. The terrifying force would propel the broken arm into the air. 

This was the power of a military sniper rifle.

“I can’t handle this alone.” 

Xiao Yu, his heart pounding wildly, felt a chill inside. He suddenly had a realization. As a transmigrator with a powerful system, in the face of the state machinery, he was nothing more than a grasshopper in front of a giant dragon. 

A mere puff of breath would turn him to dust, wouldn’t it?

“Ah~”

“Ah~”

A scream and a shriek rang out simultaneously. The shriek came from the woman, while the scream was from Dong Qi.

Bang!

The door was violently kicked open, and two soldiers rushed in. Two more soldiers flew in through the balcony’s French windows. Special forces!

Through interrogation, they realized the case was far too big.

In over twenty years, under Dong Qi’s leadership, this criminal gang had taken more than a dozen lives. The number of people they trafficked was even more staggering, exceeding two hundred. The number of injured and disabled? Impossible to count—there were too many. It was a shocking case, hence the deployment of special forces.

The last time Xiao Yu had seen special forces was during the body-smuggling case. He didn’t expect to see them again so soon.

A military boot kicked the woman, knocking her unconscious. A rifle butt struck Dong Qi on the head, rendering him unconscious on the spot.

“Tsk…,” Xiao Yu winced. “A bit rough, don’t you think?”

“Hey, buddy, we meet again,” said the lead special forces soldier, grinning as he looked at Xiao Yu.

“Yeah,” Xiao Yu stood up and shook his hand. 

The last time, during the body-smuggling case, they had exchanged a few words after capturing the main culprit at a highway service area.

“The orders from above are to assist you,” the soldier said with a smile. “How should we handle these people?”

“…” Xiao Yu glanced at the unconscious couple, unsure how to respond. “Take them back for now.”

***

“Thanks!” Qian Long said excitedly, expressing his gratitude to Xiao Yu. Dong Qi had been captured, so justice for his subordinates was assured.

“You’re welcome,” Xiao Yu shook his head and squinted, “The case isn’t over yet. We still don’t know who that big boss is.”

Through their investigation, they found out that Dong Qi had been led down the path of human trafficking by that mysterious ‘big boss’.

Although Dong Qi was the leader, he was merely an underling for the mysterious ‘big boss.’ Even though the entire criminal gang had been captured, no one knew who this ‘big boss’ was. The only clue could be found with Dong Qi. However, since Dong Qi had been shot, he was now in the hospital, and they couldn’t get a statement from him just yet.

That was why Xiao Yu said the special forces were a bit rough—they acted too violently. So, with no leads, how could they find this ‘big boss’?

Xiao Yu wasn’t a miracle worker. It was impossible to deduce the boss’s identity in this situation. The urgency stemmed from the fact that there were only two days left until the system’s task deadline. Was the system task going to fail with no solution in sight?

No, there was still one way.

“Hey sis, I miss you,” Xiao Yu said with a smile as he picked up his phone.

“Is that so?” Mu Qingwu’s pleasant and authoritative voice came through the phone with a playful lilt. “My naughty little brother hasn’t called me in days. I thought you left me on your list, planning to assassinate me.”

“Uh, well…” Xiao Yu chuckled awkwardly. “It’s just that I’ve been busy with a case.”

“No need to explain, I understand,” Mu Qingwu’s voice was gentle, tinged with a faint longing. “So, what do you need?”

Her high intelligence and deep understanding of Xiao Yu meant she could guess that her brother had something to ask her.

“Hey sis, I have a question,” Xiao Yu said after thinking for a moment. “You’re a boss yourself, so you should know if it’s possible to control a subordinate without direct contact, and still have them remain loyal and dedicated to working for you without any betrayal?”

This was what puzzled him. 

From the beginning of the case, starting with the first suspect, Kong Xiangui, Xiao Yu learned that Dong Qi’s gang had a ‘big boss’ above them. As the case progressed, they solved the beggar crime ring, and from the second suspect, Liu Xingang, he heard about the ‘big boss’ again. Then, they cracked the human trafficking ring and captured the third suspect, Wu Jifang. In her confession, the ‘big boss’ was mentioned once more.

The strange thing was that no one had ever seen this big boss. Yet, the boss was real. 

Years ago, when Kong Xiangui was following Dong Qi, he once saw Dong Qi transferring money to the big boss. So, this big boss wasn’t just a figment of Dong Qi’s imagination. Without capturing him, the case couldn’t be closed.

“Silly brother, are you telling me a fairy tale?” Mu Qingwu said confidently. “It’s impossible. Anyone in business, except for regular employees, will have ambitions. As long as there are enough benefits, they’ll switch jobs, betray, and backstab. There’s no way someone would stay completely loyal and unchanging.”

“Yeah, I’m baffled too,” Xiao Yu said, frowning. “But, there’s this one person who, despite having made it big, still answers to a boss above him. Isn’t that strange?”

Normally, as his sister said, anyone who achieves significant success would have ambitions. How could such a person remain completely loyal?

A human trafficker, loyal and steadfast? Ridiculous, right?

Yet, that was exactly what happened. Dong Qi had followed this big boss for over twenty years…

“It’s not impossible,” Mu Qingwu pondered for a moment. “There are two possibilities. One is a life-saving debt. But even that wouldn’t last long. In business, such debts eventually fade.”

“Mm,” Xiao Yu nodded. “And the second possibility?”