Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 490: I Can’t Leave

Codename M— this was what everyone referred the notorious drug lord of Myanmar to, instead of his real name.

It was not like Marius had not been included in the Interpol’s wanted list. He had– for years. But there were tens if not hundreds of names in that list, composed of the most vicious and dangerous criminals across the world. They were all referred to as nicknames or aliases, because their real identity had not been exposed yet.

Yet today, the cryptic codename ’M’ was abruptly replaced by the unequivocal name ’Marius Morningstar’, rocketing to the top position of the most-wanted list. This sudden change indicated that his real identity had been laid bare.

Marius was clearly not foolish enough to expose his weakness, so that left only one possibility: someone had tipped him off to the Interpol.

With the warning he had just received from Ku Jin earlier, did He Juan even need to think about who the mastermind was? From the start, it was only Luo Xuan; only he could be this callous and ruthless. He must have known that He Juan had been working with Marius to uncover the secret experiment, and because of that, he began to target Marius as well.

This sinister maneuver was tantamount to killing two birds with one stone. Not only could Luo Xuan eliminate a powerful enemy, but he could also tighten the noose around He Juan’s neck, striking him where it hurt the most in order to teach him a hard lesson— for he ought to know how much Marius meant to him.

A lesson...

"Ha..." He Juan let out a cold laugh, prompting Huang Zhiyan on the other side to react.

"Boss, is there something wrong? What should we do about this?"

"Nothing," He Juan’s voice remained steady as he deftly switched lanes to evade a road inspection. He looked around for a while before recalling that he seemed to own a property nearby, and thus he started to drive there. "He will be able to hold his fort for now. I will try to contact him soon. How is the situation on your end?"

"As per your instructions, since we can’t suppress the news, we are trying to mix in falsehoods. Have you seen the news, Boss? Right now, the public opinion is divided, half is defending you while the other half is supporting the police. We’re hyping the theory that the mutants are only the scenario the police have concocted."

"That’s right, the less people know about them, the better," He Juan acknowledged. Revealing the truth would only spread unnecessary panic and chaos among the public, which was the last thing he wanted to see. Not only that, it could also create negative prejudice towards every mutated person in the world as people would start to see them as cold-blooded killers or whatnot. It would be better if their existence was buried until the right time came, but...

He Juan tightened his grip around the wheel. What about He Xie? What kind of account could he give to his grieving brother?

"How about you, Boss?" Huang Zhiyan’s question snapped him out of his reverie. "Are you okay? I noticed that the police are gearing up to turn the entire city outside down. Would you like to leave Yuyang, or perhaps even China, to lay low for a while?"

No matter how sensational the news was, people would lose interest along with the passage of time, especially when there were no significant developments. With the city currently embroiled in turmoil and countless eyes awaiting He Juan’s downfall, Huang Zhiyan reckoned that it would be best for him to disappear for a while.

But He Juan’s refusal came swiftly not even one second later, catching him off guard. "No, I can’t leave. I must not leave."

Unlike Chen Youzhi, Huang Zhiyan dared not rebute He Juan’s order, and thus he could only respond with, "Okay, we will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to call me, Boss."

"I know. Thank you, Old Huang."

He Juan pulled into a high-rise condominium complex fifteen minutes later, a place known for its top-notch security.

He ordered room service to fill his cramped and aching stomach before he went up to the room he had barely stayed in a handful of times. When he opened the door, he was met with an atmosphere tainted with staleness and dust particles suspended in the air. Too lazy to clean up, he merely opened the window to let fresh air in and then collapsed onto the couch.

He Juan stared blankly at the ceiling. His entire body screamed of exhaustion, yet his mind remained alert, not allowing him to sink into the realm of unconsciousness. The silence was too loud, and the room too desolate. It made him recall the warm and clean house he would always return to – the house he was sharing with Mu Yuze. Regardless of the hour or the weather outside, as long as He Juan stepped in, he would feel warmth and comfort enveloping him from head to toe.

"Oh God..." a groan escaped He Juan’s lips as he pressed a hand to his forehead. "I miss him so damn much." Was it even possible for a person to miss someone else this much? Because He Juan ached. He ached with the force of his yearning, it was as if every cell in his body was clamoring and protesting to him to return home. Back to where Mu Yuze had been waiting for him.

But he quickly shook his head to dispel the idea. No, he could not. He must not return there yet. Not until he could make sure that everything was okay, that his mere presence would not put Mu Yuze in harm’s way— only then should He Juan contemplate a return.

Recalling the news about Marius, he forced himself to move and fumbled in his pocket for his phone.

After more than twenty hours, the typhoon in Myanmar finally waned and the network was connected again. Noticing that, He Juan quickly made a call. When it was picked up, he greeted lightly, "Hey."

"Hey," Marius replied, then he chuckled helplessly. "I didn’t expect such a huge surprise to be waiting for me as soon as I got my signal back."

He Juan felt a stab of guilt at the thought of dragging Marius into the mess which was supposed to be his. He couldn’t help but say, "I’m sorry. It’s all because of me that you’re in this kind of situation." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Oh?" Marius was clearly intrigued. "Care to elaborate?"

So He Juan recounted all about his speculation and the brief exchange he had with Ku Jin. "His real target is me. And you’re likely caught in the crossfire because we have been hanging out so... I’m very sorry, M. I shouldn’t—" his words abruptly faltered.

What was he even supposed to say, that he shouldn’t have agreed to Marius joining this mission? That he shouldn’t have gone to Marius for help three years ago? But all those words were perfunctory, no? They were useless, for nothing could change the reality that lay before them. He Juan massaged his aching temple and chuckled mirthlessly, "I don’t even know what to say at a time like this aside from ’sorry’. How is everything on your end? Are you safe? If you need any help, just give me a call, okay?"

"I’m fine," Marius replied with an amused tone. "You know how the Interpol works. If they can’t apprehend me within a couple of months, they will lose interest and move on to something else. I only need to lie low for the time being and stay here obediently. If worse comes to worst, I still have the Morningstar Clan behind me."

He Juan felt even more horrible when he heard that, knowing that Marius was still trying to comfort him at a time like this. Indeed, the Morningstar clan might be able to shield him, but until when? From now on, the danger looming around Marius would be magnified several times over and an unexpected accident could occur at any moment, forcing him to keep his guard up all the time. Marius was the kind of person who cherished his solitary and peaceful life. Now that such a thing had happened, how could it be okay?

"I guess the only downside is I can’t go to China anytime soon..." Marius let out a regretful sigh. "I saw the news. You guys are all okay, right?"

The corner of He Juan’s lips twitched into a smile when he realized who Marius must be worrying about now. "Don’t worry, Little Miss Ye and the other children are safe and sound."

Marius cursed softly under his breath, laughter in his tone. "How about you?"

"Of course," He Juan let out a snort. "Just like you, I only need to keep a low profile for the time being. You should worry about yourself first, M." The doorbell rang, and He Juan told him hurriedly, "My room service is here. I will hang up first. You..."

"Yes, yes, I will take care of myself just fine. Don’t worry," Marius’ soft laughter echoed through the line before they ended the call.

He Juan rose from the couch to get room service, and he finally had a much needed warm meal that soothed his aching stomach.

After that, he stepped into the shower to wash away the lingering scent of blood on his body, and as soon as he crashed to the bed, exhaustion dragged on his eyelids and he quickly fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

Until the piercing ring of the phone echoed in the room, jolting him awake from his tranquil sleep.

Startled, He Juan snapped his eyes open to find the room entirely dark. Acting on reflex, he reached for the phone on the nightstand and squinted his eyes to see the screen. He did not even have the chance to check the time, for his whole attention was captured by the name displayed on the screen.

He Xie is calling...