Kaleidoscope of Death

CHAPTER 16: THE TEAM

The car pulled out of the neighborhood and drove onwards.

Lin Qiushi and Cheng Qianli were sitting in the back seat. The two didn't speak much, and the atmosphere inside the car was very solemn. Once the car merged onto the highway, Lin Qiushi finally couldn't help but wonder out loud, "Where are you taking me?"

"And here I thought you wouldn't ask that," said Cheng Qianli.

Lin Qiushi: "Well, now that I've asked, will you tell me?"

Cheng Qianli: "Nope, I won't."

Lin Qiushi: "..." You're really something.

Half an hour later, the car parked outside a remote villa in the suburbs.

Lin Qiushi hopped down from the vehicle and examined the building before his eyes. The villa was completely isolated; the surrounding area was vacant, and there wasn't a single sign of human habitation. This building stood all alone in the midst of this vast, desolate wilderness.

The villa was encompassed by lush vegetation. Standing outside the door, one could hear the noisy chirping of insects.

Ruan Nanzhu turned the car off, then the three followed the path to the villa. Lin Qiushi took out his mobile phone and glanced at the time; he saw that it was very early morning. This place was too far to get good reception, so his cell phone signal was poor, only one bar.

Ruan Nanzhu walked up front and soon reached the door to the villa. He raised his hand, pushed against the door, and stepped inside. Lin Qiushi followed behind him and entered through the doorway, only to be blinded by radiant lights in the villa. Three people were sitting in the living room on the first floor; they seemed to be in the middle of a discussion. The group of three was composed of two men and one woman. The moment Lin Qiushi came in, the group stopped talking and all eyes were riveted on him.

"Big brother Ruan." One of the men called out to Ruan Nanzhu; he was extremely polite and respectful towards the other. "You're back."

Ruan Nanzhu gave a brisk nod, casually found a spot on the sofa to sit down, then raised his hand to beckon Lin Qiushi over, motioning for the other to sit down next to him. Lin Qiushi hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he obediently did as Ruan Nanzhu said.

Ruan Nanzhu began, "You just came out of the door." He stretched out his hand. "Where's the note?"

Lin Qiushi was slightly taken aback. He didn't expect Ruan Nanzhu to get straight to the point like this; the other didn't even lay everything out or ease into the topic, before he just cut to the chase and directly asked him for the slip of paper.

"Don't you think you should explain the situation to me first?" Lin Qiushi countered. "Suddenly breaking into my house, bringing me here, then immediately asking me for something?"

Ruan Nanzhu ordered, "Cheng Qianli, explain."

With a face revealing grievance and helplessness, Cheng Qianli shrugged his shoulders, got up and picked up the notebook computer in front of him. After opening it, he tapped on the keys for a while, then passed it over to Lin Qiushi.

Lin Qiushi was rather perplexed, but he still took the laptop from the other's hands. He saw that a webpage was opened up. "What's this?"

Cheng Qianli: "Take a look at it."

Lin Qiushi used the touchpad to scroll, and he roughly browsed the entire site. He discovered that everything on this page was news from yesterday, and most of them were talking about accidental deaths. Among those being discussed was one Lin Qiushi was well aware of; it was a report of a car accident in X City. According to the details, the driver was speeding, when he suddenly crashed into an obstacle and died on spot. Looking at the surnames, abbreviations, and the photos in the news article, Lin Qiushi finally realized what this was about.