Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 525: How?
In a building a few meters away, where the windows of the second floor offered a clear view of the warehouse’s back door, Chen Youzhi crouched low in wait. He was to assist He Juan if – God forbid – something went haywire in the middle of the operation.
This building was the perfect place for him to scout the situation because it was close to the warehouse – too close to set up an ambush though, so he did not have to fear the police coming here – and its low structure made it a less ideal location for the police to spy the situation inside, not when there were many taller buildings around, thus leaving this lone building all to himself.
Or so Chen Youzhi had thought.
After confirming with He Juan that he was ready in position, Chen Youzhi fixed his gaze on the warehouse, ready for any signal that beckoned at him. However, at that moment, his acute hearing detected the unmistakable sound of footsteps.
Footsteps. Coming from somewhere behind him. In a building where no one should have been.
In a rapid burst of reflexes, Chen Youzhi sprang to his feet and spun toward the source of the sound, his rifle ready at hand. A click sounded as he released the trigger, his finger ready to release a shot. However, upon seeing the person standing before him, his eyes flew wide in a bewildering mixture of shock and astonishment.
"Y–You... what are you doing here?!"
***
White mist billowed out of He Juan’s mouth as he reached the front door of the warehouse.
It stood ajar, indicating that someone had arrived ahead of him. He drew in another deep breath to steel himself, his lungs stinging from the frigid air. With determination, he extended a hand and pushed the door open.
The door emitted a mournful creak as it swung wide, allowing a beam of light to pour in, though the space quickly plunged back into darkness once he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. His footsteps echoed loud and clear as he made his way through the rows of cargo containers, toward where Luo Xuan had been waiting for him.
As he ventured deeper, the space opened up, revealing another figure standing several meters away with his back turned towards He Juan. The man’s silhouette was shrouded in shadows, but He Juan’s eyesight, which had quickly adjusted to the darkness, enabled him to see that the man was clad in his usual sleek suit, his long hair tied in a high ponytail, with a katana held in his hand.
Click.
He Juan deftly reloaded the magazine of his gun and halted on his tracks, calling out, "Luo Xuan."
However, as soon as that name left He Juan’s lips, he instinctively sensed that something was amiss. The back of the man before him was too tense, his breathing too harsh, and it was not even exaggerating to say that He Juan could hear the rapid thudding of his heart from where he stood.
An inexplicable sensation crawled up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his bead, leaving his scalp tingling.
Something was wrong – dreadfully, terribly wrong – and he finally got his answer when the other person turned around.
"G–Ge...?"
He Juan felt his blood running cold when he came face-to-face with a familiar visage, belonging to the young man who had just been on the phone with him a moment ago. His little brother, He Xie. H–How... how did he...
He Xie’s complexion was ghastly pale, his pupils trembling violently as he stammered, "Ge... why... why are you here?"
At that moment, He Xie recalled the words of the mysterious person who had brought him here, forced him to dress in this expensive suit, adorned him with a wig and handed him a katana – one he never thought he would hold in real life.
Go on, the moment of truth you’ve been waiting for is here. Whoever you see there is the person you’re looking for, XIU.
And now...
Intense disbelief was etched on He Xie’s trembling figure as he beheld the man who was his role model, his father figure, his one and only family member, as well as the brother he loved the most. A droplet of crystalline tear slid down his cheek as he whispered, anguish in his voice. "Ge, you’re XIU...?"
BOOM!
Thunder crashed without warning as the sky split open, hammering the earth with the loud pitter patter of its tears. Almost at the same time, He Juan’s gun slipped from his hand and landed on the ground with a resounding thud that snapped him back to reality.
"A-Xie..." He Juan’s teeth chattered violently, though he couldn’t tell if it was because of the plummeting temperature or the frigid dread coursing through his veins. The air thinned around him, stripping him of the ability to breathe, and a noisy ringing echoed in his ears. The guillotine blade that had loomed over his neck for months finally chose its time to descend.
He Juan’s mind was terrifyingly blank save for one question of how, how, how? How could He Xie be here? How could he show up in this place when he was supposed to be miles away in another city? How could he...
The answer was sickeningly clear; he did not even need to think to know.
It was Luo Xuan.
It was him who had brought He Xie here. He had found He Xie, had deceived the young man into coming here and disguising as himself, had known... he had known all along that He Juan was setting a trap for him. And again, it was He Juan who lost, who had to bear the consequences of his actions.
"H–How..." He Xie laughed as more and more tears fell from his eyes. His fragile frame was swaying as if his entire world had crumbled before his eyes. Even then, he still made a last-ditch attempt to confirm the truth, for deep inside he was holding onto the hope that maybe... maybe there was a misunderstanding somewhere. There was no way his beloved Ge could be XIU.
XIU – a drug dealer, a mafia, a cold-blooded murderer. Cruel and callous. Fearsome and wicked. Blight of the nation. Scourge of society. There was no way, no fucking way that his gentle and kind brother was someone like that!
"Tell me, Ge. Tell me, you’re not XIU, right? En?" His voice cracked into a whimper in the end, sounding like a tiny injured animal.
And He Juan, oh He Juan was at an utter loss of what to do. All of the meticulous plans he had prepared, the backups and emergency strategies mapped out neatly in his mind, none of them could ever prepare for the sight of his precious little brother falling apart before him. Just then, his ears picked up the faint horde of footsteps coming their way, and he recalled with a gasp the current predicament they were in, who were rushing straight toward them.
It was the police. The police who were waiting to ambush them, to apprehend Luo Xuan with him as bait.
But there was no Luo Xuan here, instead...
Panicked, He Juan spoke in desperation, his tone imploring, "A–Xie, Ge will explain everything to you later! Let’s get out of here first and—" he reached out to grab He Xie’s arm, but the young man flinched away from his touch, causing He Juan to freeze in place.
"So it’s true?" He Xie laughed, a hollow and broken sound that echoed his despair. "You really are XIU? All this time... why? Why did you lie to me?! WHY—?!"
