Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Benevolent Elder Chen

"Xiao Jin, I'm giving you one more chance. I’ll explain everything to my superiors about your wife and son, but from now on, you can never again be privy to core secrets." Elder Chen looked at Lao Jin, who sat weeping on the sofa, and made a relatively merciful decision.

If Elder Chen wished, he could have sent Lao Jin to court, where the latter would at least face life imprisonment, given the sheer volume of confidential information he possessed.

"Tell me, did you ever divulge our core secrets to anyone from the Scorching Sun organization? And what means did you use to contact them?" Chu Feng’s greatest fear was that, in a moment of desperation, Lao Jin might have revealed critical secrets to the Scorching Sun.

"No, I didn't. They kept insisting I first kill Elder Chen, and only after his death would they have me flee with the core secrets. Every Friday night, they would call me, sometimes allowing me to speak with my wife and child for a few moments." A wave of relief swept over Lao Jin. He was grateful he hadn't lost his head and betrayed the core secrets to the Scorching Sun; otherwise, even his death wouldn't have remedied the catastrophic losses.

"Was it you who informed them of this place, so they could send someone to assassinate me?" Chu Feng wanted to confirm what the Wild Dog had told him was true.

"No, I never told anyone from Scorching Sun that you were here. Someone else must have orchestrated that," Lao Jin replied. Since Chu Feng’s arrival, Elder Chen’s health had steadily improved, and Lao Jin had never once mentioned Chu Feng’s presence to Scorching Sun.

"Then there must be another informant among us. Otherwise, how could Scorching Sun know I’d be able to cure Elder Chen, or send an assassin after me?" Chu Feng believed Lao Jin was not lying. That meant there was only one explanation: someone else close to Elder Chen was a traitor. As to who, that remained a mystery.

"For these next few days, don’t leave the hospital. Pretend nothing has happened. When the phone rings again, you must come find me. I’ll have someone trace the call and see where the Scorching Sun contact is calling from." Chu Feng didn’t immediately have Ma Han take Lao Jin away for isolation. If the enemy’s spies saw Lao Jin being removed now, his wife and child would certainly be in mortal danger.

"Chu Feng, thank you. If there’s a next life, I’ll repay you a thousand-fold," Lao Jin suddenly rose from the sofa and knelt before him.

Chu Feng hurried to pull him up and have him sit, knowing they couldn’t let anyone outside, especially those from Scorching Sun, suspect that Lao Jin had confessed.

"You all leave for now. Chu Feng, stay. I want to have a word with you," Elder Chen said wearily, waving his hand. Lao Jin, Old Wang, and Ma Han all withdrew.

"Ah, Chu Feng, call Gao Zhongjiang for me. Tell him I have urgent business with him and he should come to the hospital at once." Elder Chen sat on the sofa for a moment, then sighed heavily, instructing Chu Feng to call Gao Zhongjiang.

Chu Feng pulled out his phone and did as told. Gao Zhongjiang didn’t hesitate—he hung up and immediately drove to the hospital.

"Chu Feng, do you think I was too merciful? If it were you, would you have sent Lao Jin to face the law?" Elder Chen’s tone betrayed a trace of self-reproach. Since the last incident, he had repeatedly warned Lao Jin and Old Wang to be cautious, yet still, this had happened.

"If a brother of mine betrayed me, I’d settle it myself. I’d take care of his family—unless I was dead," Chu Feng answered after a pause.

But Elder Chen’s situation was different. Lao Jin had only acted under duress—his wife and child had been taken hostage. Moreover, he had made significant contributions to advanced weapons research.

"Don’t dwell on it, Elder Chen. Let me give you a massage, help you ease your mind," Chu Feng said, moving behind Elder Chen to gently knead his shoulders.

Soon, Elder Chen fell asleep. Chu Feng laid him comfortably on the sofa and covered him with a small blanket.

Afterward, Chu Feng left the room. Old Wang and Ma Han were waiting outside.

"Chu Feng, how is Elder Chen? We can’t let anything else happen to him now," Old Wang asked anxiously when he saw Chu Feng emerge.

"He’s sleeping. I’ll use psychological therapy over the next couple of days to steady his mind and try to keep him from brooding over this incident," Chu Feng said, sighing inwardly. When he’d heard the Wolf’s words, he had doubted someone like Lao Jin would betray Elder Chen. But now, even Lao Jin had admitted it—there was no choice but to believe.

"Where have you taken Lao Jin? I’d like to see him. I have more questions." At his request, Ma Han led Chu Feng to a small room.

That room had always been used by Lao Jin and Old Wang, and it was close to Elder Chen’s ward.

Chu Feng pushed the door open and found Lao Jin had tried to commit suicide by slitting his wrists. Chu Feng rushed to him, checked his carotid pulse, and found he was still alive.

He quickly placed his special watch against Lao Jin’s waist. The watch’s hands spun furiously for nearly twenty rotations before finally coming to a stop.

"Am I in the underworld? Chu Feng, why are you here too?" Lao Jin, upon waking, thought he’d arrived in the afterlife.

"This isn’t the underworld; you’re in your own room. I told you not to do anything foolish, and yet you did. How will you ever answer to Elder Chen? Don’t forget, it was his mercy that spared you. How can you repay him like this?" Chu Feng placed Lao Jin on the bed and scolded him harshly. Lao Jin hung his head, not daring to meet Chu Feng’s gaze.

"I need to ask you some things. Tell me everything you know—don’t hide anything," Chu Feng said, his tone softer now as he sat at the bedside.

"Who put that poison tooth in your mouth? You couldn’t have done it yourself; you don’t have the skill."

"You're still too naive. Even if you complete the mission, you and your family won’t survive. In their eyes, there’s no order or morality—only money."