Chapter 220: Priest: K, I think it’s time to end this

After leaving the house, Lin Tian didn’t choose to immediately search for Priest’s older sister. Instead, he stood outside the wall of Building No. 1.

He looked up at Room 101, from which faint chanting sounds could still be heard. After thinking for a few seconds, he turned to Lan Jing beside him and asked.

“Dr. Lan.”

“From a psychological perspective, have you noticed anything unusual?”

“I have a sense that something is off, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s as if some unseen hand has already been setting up traps, waiting for us to fall into them.”

It was obvious.

Although Lin Tian hadn’t noticed any particular issues in the brief interaction just now, his rich experience in criminal investigation made him feel uneasy.

He suspected that things were not as simple as they seemed, but strangely, he couldn’t identify any clear abnormalities.

Moreover, considering that Priest’s mother, Yu Ruyi, had been in an abnormal state—her severe dementia made it impossible for her to cooperate effectively.

It wasn’t even certain if she could be brought to the police station for questioning, let alone understand the conversation.

At this moment, in response to Lin Tian’s inquiry, Lan Jing, an expert in criminal psychology, gently adjusted his black-framed glasses and thoughtfully began to speak.

“Chief Lin.”

“First of all, I can confirm that Yu Ruyi is definitely a severe dementia patient, which rules out the possibility of it being a disguise.”

“Because, aside from the incontinence incident we happened to witness, just the fact that Yu Ruyi’s eyes lack focus, are filled with confusion, and exhibit stereotypical behavior…”

“Is enough to further confirm… that Yu Ruyi’s dementia is real. This definitely isn’t something that could be faked to this extent.”

“Furthermore, if Yu Ruyi were deliberately pretending to have dementia to hide some crucial information from her son, Priest…”

“After realizing our police identity earlier, she should have shown some kind of reaction.”

“Even the best actors, when pretending to be a dementia patient for two years, would show some slight facial expressions when they suddenly see the police they’ve been wary of.”

“But I didn’t observe any such detail on her face.”

“In other words, Yu Ruyi has never cared about our identity from the beginning, nor even acknowledged our presence in her sight.”

At this point, Lan Jing paused for two seconds, then looked up toward the location of Room 101, continuing in a slightly uncertain tone.

“If we use the process of elimination, then since Yu Ruyi is not the problem, Chief Lin… the source of your discomfort is probably from the caregiver, Zhang Lifang?”

“But to be honest, if we analyze it from a psychological and behavioral perspective, Zhang Lifang actually doesn’t have any major issues.”

“When I went to the bedroom earlier, her method of changing Yu Ruyi’s pants didn’t seem as clumsy as expected; it even seemed quite skilled.”

“This isn’t something you can learn in a short time. She must have been a caregiver for quite a while.”

“Also, the reason Chief Lin feels something strange might be due to Zhang Lifang’s attitude toward Yu Ruyi. Though she calls her ‘Sister Yu,’ during our earlier interaction, Zhang Lifang was actually in a dominant position.”

“Although Yu Ruyi is the employer, it’s very common for caregivers to be more dominant in the relationship with a dementia patient.”

“After all, dementia patients are more troublesome than children. If the caregiver isn’t firm, taking care of them would be even more difficult.”

“So, based on psychology and behavior analysis, I don’t feel there’s much issue with either Zhang Lifang or Yu Ruyi, but they could still be subjected to in-depth interrogation.”

“Of course, the in-depth interrogation should be for Zhang Lifang, not for Yu Ruyi, who has lost the ability to care for herself.”

“Because dementia is a progressively advancing condition, not a disease that causes someone to instantly lose the ability to care for themselves, is it possible that…”

“During the early stages, when Yu Ruyi’s mind and awareness were still relatively clear, she might have mentioned something about Priest, which Zhang Lifang overheard and remembered?”

At this point, Lin Tian nodded thoughtfully, then as if struck by a sudden realization, glanced around and narrowed his eyes as he continued.

“No, that’s it.”

“I finally know where that strange feeling was coming from.”

“Did any of you notice that in Yu Ruyi’s old house just now, and in the surrounding area, there was none of the surveillance or bugging equipment we would’ve expected?”

“Isn’t that a bit too strange?”

“Given K’s usual obsession with spying and tracking police activity, would he really forgo monitoring Yu Ruyi’s current condition?”

“Keep in mind, Yu Ruyi is Priest’s mother. Within the entire drug trafficking organization, Priest’s importance goes without saying. Would K really just let her go like that?”

“Or is it because Yu Ruyi is too important that K doesn’t even trust regular surveillance anymore—and needs someone to watch her constantly in person?”

“And that person… is actually Zhang Lifang?”

These words stunned everyone present for a moment, and then they began to seriously consider the idea.

Would K really not monitor Yu Ruyi?

Or, as Lin Tian suggested, is Zhang Lifang actually the planted informant watching her at all times?

Standing nearby, Wang Qi also showed a slightly puzzled expression before speaking slowly.

“Chief Lin.”

“Although I haven’t participated in your previous arrest operations, I’ve heard the general details.”

“Could it be that K really did have surveillance on Yu Ruyi initially, to monitor police movements?”

“But after Yu Ruyi developed dementia, K removed everything—after all, a dementia patient who can’t even focus her gaze anymore… I honestly don’t know…”

“What kind of useful information could she possibly leak? Is it even worth continuing to monitor her?”

“Besides, according to the intelligence we’ve uncovered so far, Priest and K have a special relationship. Priest, having worked as a mercenary, is probably the most formidable fighter in the whole drug trafficking organization.”

“So I think K definitely wouldn’t dare to kill Priest’s mother. More likely, he saw that Yu Ruyi had developed dementia, realized she couldn’t leak any organizational secrets, and decided to pull all surveillance.”

“As for using a real person to monitor her… that seems even more unlikely.”

Wang Qi’s explanation sent everyone back into deep thought.

Lin Tian pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a hard drag. After forcing himself to sort out his thoughts, he looked at Wang Qi and asked.

“Chief Wang.”

“After your thorough background check, did you find any issues with Zhang Lifang’s personal information?”

“Is she the kind of suspicious person who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, or has a few missing years in her record, or maybe clearly altered documentation?”

As his words fell, Wang Qi immediately shook his head and replied with confidence.

“No.”

“Based on the household registry, there’s nothing at all suspicious about the information on Zhang Lifang or Yu Ruyi.”

“That’s why I think it’s possible K removed the surveillance beforehand.”

“Judging solely from household records, it’s really hard to believe Zhang Lifang is a member or subordinate of the drug trafficking organization.”

It was clear that Wang Qi had strong faith in the records shown by the police internal system and didn’t see anything abnormal about the absence of surveillance.

After all, Yu Ruyi already had dementia. She couldn’t possibly reveal anything useful—so would it really be worth wasting resources to monitor her?

After hearing Wang Qi’s explanation.

Lin Tian didn’t respond immediately. He took another deep drag from his cigarette, then looked up at the location of Room 101.

Three seconds later.

He flicked the cigarette to the ground and crushed it underfoot, then spoke decisively.

“No.”

“I still can’t let go of Zhang Lifang. Whether or not she was planted by K, or heard any key information from Yu Ruyi, I can’t overlook her.”

“Here’s what we’ll do.”

“Bring both Zhang Lifang and Yu Ruyi back to Fengze Criminal Investigation Division. Use the excuse that someone needs to take care of Yu Ruyi to have her daughter Jiang Sumei come to the station as well.”

“We absolutely cannot lose the Priest lead just like that!”

…

Meanwhile.

Top floor of the Xingsheng Building in Cangshan District, Luzhou City.

K, sitting on a recliner, silently set down his custom phone.

He swirled the wine in his glass, falling into a moment of quiet contemplation.

Next to him, the phone screen, still on, displayed a short message.

Just two letters: TD.

These two simple letters were familiar to almost everyone—commonly used to cancel mobile plans.

But for K, this custom phone had no such subscriptions.

And these letters meant far more than just an unsubscribe. Within the organization, they carried a different, very specific meaning… the dogs are here.

It likely meant a member was in a dire situation, unable to switch to the designated secure phone, and had sent this message from a personal device.

To avoid even the chance of being unable to delete the message, they used the brief code “TD” to convey emergency status.

Upon receiving the message.

K immediately recognized it as coming from Demon Witch’s personal phone—a warning.

The dogs are here.

They’d reached Jinling. They were even onto her.

But clearly—

If Demon Witch’s identity had been exposed, she wouldn’t have had the chance to send a message at all.

As for Butcher, he’d never had contact with Priest. Even if captured now, there was little valuable intelligence to be extracted.

Which left only one possibility…

Those damn dogs had followed the scent based on Bomber’s sister’s intelligence and had come to Jinling, targeting Priest.

Their first move was to go after Priest’s mother, hoping to extract some kind of lead or intel.

But they’d come up empty-handed. With Demon Witch’s regular reports, K knew well how severe Yu Ruyi’s dementia was—far worse than they might imagine.

Still—

Given how cautious the police were, and the priority they placed on this case, there was a real risk of Demon Witch’s exposure.

At that moment.

K finally set down his wine glass, then looked toward Priest, who sat nearby with a cigar in his mouth, cleaning his firearm. K spoke in a low voice.

“Priest.”

“Demon Witch’s location has been discovered.”

Upon hearing this.

Priest’s hands paused noticeably, but he didn’t speak right away, choosing instead to listen carefully to K’s next words.

“The only silver lining is that Demon Witch herself hasn’t been exposed—just your original identity. The police are digging deeper.”

“But knowing how they work, Demon Witch will probably be brought to the criminal division as well for further questioning.”

At that moment.

Priest slowly set down the gun, carefully propping it against the wall. He looked toward K with a deep, grave voice.

“K.”

“What do you need me to do? If Demon Witch says too much…”

Before Priest could finish.

K waved a hand to cut him off and said with a stern seriousness,

“It hasn’t come to that yet, Priest.”

“The most adept at lying and manipulation, Demon Witch, I believe that even if she’s summoned to the police station, she should be able to extricate herself with ease.

However, for the sake of the organization’s safety, Priest, you’ll need to find another nanny.

Once Demon Witch is released from the criminal investigation unit and reports her safety to me, I’ll immediately have her leave Jinling City. Staying there any longer would be tantamount to courting death.

By the way, I still remember…

Back then, it was you who selected Demon Witch from among many nannies, grooming her to become a member of our organization.

But now, time is too tight. There’s probably no way to train another member to pose as a nanny.

Also… Priest, do you think that if, by any chance, Demon Witch is captured by those dogs, it would bring us significant trouble?

Especially since I believe… Demon Witch might know quite a bit about you. I have a feeling this isn’t good news.

Priest remained silent, exhaling thick smoke that completely obscured his face.

K glanced at Priest opposite him, took a sip of red wine, and continued meaningfully:

“But it shouldn’t be that bad.

As long as Demon Witch successfully evades this interrogation, I’ll immediately arrange the best route for her to leave Jin…”

Before K could finish, Priest unexpectedly interrupted him for the first time, speaking in a hoarse, deep voice.

“K.”

“I have a question that’s been on my mind for a long time. Is her Alzheimer’s related to you?”

Upon hearing this, K was momentarily stunned, then uncharacteristically agitated, quickly standing up and saying:

“Priest, I would never do such a thing.

You’re someone he entrusted to me, and you’re my most important assistant. I would never do something so inhumane just to cover up a loophole.”

This answer didn’t elicit much emotional response from Priest.

But he slowly picked up the heavy sniper rifle leaning against the wall, expressing everything through his actions, and said in a low voice:

“K, don’t hesitate any longer.

If even Demon Witch is captured, perhaps it’s time to aim the barrel at that person’s forehead…”