Chapter 137: This Is the End—The Cat-and-Mouse Game, K’s Confidence

“Hm?”

“That drug trafficking leader… is really spying on us in all sorts of ways, just like Deputy Team leader Su said?”

“He even knows about our investigation into Poison’s original identity?”

Although Su Ming had previously brought this up, Liu Yang still couldn’t shake off his confusion and surprise.

Because—

A criminal so deranged as to spy on police operations was simply beyond comprehension.

Especially…

When An Quan mentioned that even the original identity they’d just uncovered for Poison was under surveillance by the drug lord—it made Liu Yang even more astonished.

An Quan pulled up a list of all IP addresses that had accessed the police’s household registry system. Adjusting his glasses, he said:

“Director Liu, take a look at this recent access log from the Gusu City household registry system.”

“There’s a foreign IP in there. That one is one of the drug lord’s eyes.”

“However…”

“After getting taught a lesson twice by Xiao Ming, he’s gotten smarter this time.”

“The moment he noticed I was also accessing the registry system and pulling up Poison’s original identity, he immediately cut off his IP connection—to avoid having to use a last resort and smash another computer.”

“But that also proves how right Xiao Ming’s decision was earlier—choosing not to waste time here, but instead going all-in on breaking through the Rose.”

Looking at the foreign IP address An Quan had flagged on the laptop screen, Bai Yu adjusted the gentleman’s hat in his hand, his tone becoming calm and serious.

“Being watched was already within expectations.”

“Brother Ming also said earlier that the moment we visited Jinwei Software Company, we were likely already in the drug lord’s sights.”

“That’s why, in our operational plan, we’re acting in the open—trying to dig out the truth and directly drag Poison into the light.”

“So our current question should be…”

“Now that Poison’s original identity has been erased and this lead is eighty percent cut off, how do we find a new thread to keep going deeper?”

At this point—

Bai Yu paused for a moment, narrowed his eyes, placed the gentleman’s hat on his head, and said pointedly:

“What do you think…”

“If it were Brother Ming, would he start by investigating the luxury cars and high-end goods we dug up earlier? Or would he pursue the erased identity of Poison? Or maybe go straight to tracing the source of the potassium cyanide?”

…

Top floor of the Xingsheng Tower, Cangshan District, Luzhou City.

The golden glow of the setting sun scattered across the pool, sparkling with shimmering light.

And beside the pool—

K lounged comfortably in a chair, dressed in a tailored, high-end shirt, idly tapping at his keyboard with one hand.

After confirming that Poison’s past identity had been accessed multiple times by an IP from Xiangcheng District, Gusu City—

He shook his head, picked up a specialized phone from the table, and dialed a number.

As always, a fifteen-second wait.

Then the call connected, and Poison’s slightly hoarse voice came through first.

“Boss K, is there something new?”

“I’ve already done exactly what you told me—completely wiped clean any trace that might expose my identity.”

“Those people… they shouldn’t be able to find me now, right?”

Though Poison’s voice was only slightly hoarse—

K could hear the deep fear and nervousness buried in his words.

But K didn’t respond to that fear in any particular way. He simply spoke in a calm, measured tone.

“Poison, they’ve already dug up your past identity.”

“That one I had you get rid of—it’s no longer usable. They won’t be able to keep going down that path.”

“No need to worry. As long as they don’t find a new lead, you’re completely safe. There’s no way they’ll pull you out from a pool of millions.”

But instead of being relieved, Poison became more anxious.

“Th-then Boss K… do you think they’ll find a new lead? They… they shouldn’t be able to, right?”

“I’ve cleaned everything up so well—no traces at all. There’s no way they can still find me, right?”

“Sculptor got exposed because he brought it on himself. He couldn’t even quietly deal with a doctor who failed an evaluation—he had to go provoke the police like a fool.”

“He got caught, that’s no surprise. But me—I didn’t do any—”

Before he could finish, K’s cold and unquestionable voice cut him off.

“No more talk about Sculptor.”

“Just follow my instructions, and I’ll make sure you get through this safely.”

“Remember… just do as I say. That’s it. Now go into hiding and stay put. And forget about your sports cars—don’t leave time bombs lying around.”

With that—

K hung up.

He picked up the wine glass beside him, gently swirled the red wine, then looked up at the twilight sky and pondered for a couple of seconds.

After a small sip, he pulled out his phone and dialed another number.

Again, a familiar fifteen-second wait.

Once the call connected, K issued a quiet but firm order:

“Butcher, I need you to head to Gusu City and keep an eye on Poison for me.”

“Just as I suspected, Poison has become their next target, and his past identity has already been uncovered.”

“Even though the trail’s gone cold for now, there’s still a real risk of exposure. So if it becomes absolutely necessary, I’ll give you advance notice to eliminate Poison.”

“Butcher, I believe you have both the means and the resolve to carry out Poison’s execution.”

“That’s all.”

With that—

K hung up without waiting for a response.

Because K knew very well—

To keep this massive drug organization running, everyone within it had to uphold a mutual understanding:

If someone was discovered by the police, no matter how important they were or how many friends they had, they had to be eliminated. Only the dead keep secrets well enough.

And as long as someone was marked for hunting, the Butcher would strike without hesitation, without rest—even if the target was a fellow comrade.

Tossing the phone back onto the table—

K laced his fingers behind his head, crossed one leg over the other, and gazed at the setting sun with a relaxed expression. He muttered meaningfully:

“So what if they do manage to dig up Poison in the end?”

“A corpse that can’t talk… consider it a reward for all the effort you wasted.”

“Right now, everything is under my control. Everything is within my sight.”

“Looks like this cat-and-mouse game… should come to an end now.”