The second update,

...

Jiangxinzhou is an excellent rural tourist spot in Ninghai, known mainly for its agritourism. It even hosts an annual grape festival, which is fairly well-known in Ninghai.

However, all this had nothing to do with Qin Fang and his squad. The landing spot they chose on Jiangxinzhou was a small piece of land at the tail end of the islet, some distance away from densely populated areas. Other than a few fishing enthusiasts who might come near here to fish, it was basically deserted.

Also, precisely because Jiangxinzhou is located in the middle of the Yangtze River, the flood control embankments here had been well-built, with very smooth roads on top that even cars could drive on.

Looking from Qin Fang's perspective, he did notice several cars parked on the embankment, although there were no people visible around them; they were likely at the river's edge fishing.

The team took a short break, and, seeing Qin Fang's complexion gradually returning to normal, Tang Cheng immediately gave an order. They once again dove into the Yangtze and swam toward their real target on the opposite shore.

Qin Fang, naturally, was no exception. He immediately jumped in and swam ahead.

After getting into the water from Jiangxinzhou, everyone's stamina had largely recovered. They swam faster than before the landing, quickly leaving the land behind, with all eyes fixed on the destination ahead. Few took the time to look back.

Yet, Qin Fang suddenly felt a chill on his back, almost instinctively looking behind him. He had some experience with this icy sensation, which most often was a warning of some sort.

When Qin Fang looked back, he was surprised to see a number of people standing near the river's edge on the Jiangxinzhou embankment. That, in itself, was not unusual, a rather common sight.

However, when Qin Fang looked their way, he happened to see them throw something into the Yangtze, among them one person emitting a burst of red light.

"Huh? How could that be?"

Qin Fang was extremely surprised. He had encountered many evil-doers before, such as the fugitives he and Ning Yumo had captured, and underworld figures like Brother Hu and Brother Dong. But unless someone held hostility toward him, even if they were a murderer, Qin Fang would not see any red glow on them.

Yet, Qin Fang actually saw such a red glow on someone by the river, indicating they harbored intense hostility towards him. Despite being hundreds of meters away, the glow was visible to Qin Fang, suggesting how stark this hostility was.

And the object those people had thrown? It somewhat resembled a sack... Could this be the legendary act of sinking corpses in the Yangtze River?

Although Qin Fang had heard of such things many times and even knew of corpses being recovered, he had never actually witnessed one being sunk into the Yangtze... And to think the people doing this also held animosity toward him—could the next corpse to be sunk in the Yangtze be his own?

"Brother Tang, Brother Tang..."

After a moment's hesitation, Qin Fang felt that if he didn't clarify this matter, he would be inviting endless trouble. Looking at the people beside him, all elite soldiers from the military district, a trace of determination flashed in Qin Fang's eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Tang Cheng, hearing Qin Fang's voice from behind, thought something had happened to him and immediately frowned as he asked.

"Look at those people over there..."

When Tang Cheng swam over, Qin Fang pointed to the people by the river who had finished their task and were preparing to leave.

"I think I saw them throw a person in a sack into the river..."

Qin Fang wasn't sure if what they had thrown into the Yangtze was really a sack or if there was actually a person inside. Given the distance, it was not surprising he couldn't see clearly.

"Hmm?"

The expression on Tang Cheng's face changed slightly, showing his surprise. He quickly pulled out a pair of binoculars to take a look, and his expression shifted almost immediately, "All units, head back to shore!"

Tang Cheng's command came very suddenly; even Qin Fang was considering finding a more plausible reason to persuade Tang Cheng to lead his men back. However, after just one glance, Tang Cheng issued the order, which could only mean he recognized those people and perhaps even surmised things Qin Fang wasn't clear on at all.

Soldiers live by the principle of obeying orders, especially a special forces squad from the military district. Almost as soon as Tang Cheng gave the command, despite the surprise and confusion on their faces, they all turned around and, guided by Tang Cheng, swam rapidly back to shore.

Those who had already reached the embankment by then saw the squad swimming rapidly toward them. The leader's expression turned gravely, and he called out quickly, signaling everyone to get into their vehicles and then sped away as fast as possible.

"First and second teams, search along the river for a sack; make sure to find it… Third and fourth teams, follow me up…"

Seeing those people escape so swiftly, Tang Cheng's expression also turned gloomy as he immediately assigned tasks to his men. Although Qin Fang himself wasn't very certain that the object thrown into the Yangtze River was indeed a sack.

But Qin Fang was sure of one thing: if that escaping figure held such animosity towards him, the odds were that it was related to Li Feng, or it could actually be Li Feng himself.

What surprised Qin Fang, however, was that Li Feng was suspected of a murder case and should have been apprehended by Ning Yumo. It seemed unlikely that he could swagger to Jiangxinzhou, and the way he fled just now looked very much like killing to silence someone.

Despite the military's quick response, by the time Qin Fang and his team rushed up the embankment, the suspect had already vanished without a trace. With the considerable size of Jiangxinzhou, it was impossible for them to catch up on foot. Even if helicopters were dispatched from the military district, it would be too late and such a grand mobilization would be unjustifiable without concrete cause.

"Company commander, we've found it…"

As Qin Fang felt a tinge of disappointment and Tang Cheng's face darkened more, the searching team below had already found their target—they had indeed fished a soaking wet sack from the bottom of the river.

Inside the sack lay a person, battered and bruised with numerous injuries, long dead. The blood on their body had been diluted by the river water and had faded considerably.

"Damn it…"

Compared to Qin Fang's disappointment, Tang Cheng took off his cap and threw it fiercely to the ground, swearing profusely. This was the first time Qin Fang had seen Tang Cheng lose his composure like this since he had known him.

"His name was Liu Ming; he was once our comrade…"

While Qin Fang was still puzzled, Scarface walked over with a grave expression and whispered this in his ear.

Qin Fang was momentarily taken aback. He had just suspected that the person hostile towards him might be Li Feng, or somehow connected to Li Feng. It hadn't occurred to him that the body dumped in the Yangtze River could be someone involved in Li Feng's case, but instead turned out to be one of Tang Cheng's former subordinates… This must be the proverbial 'fluke hit'!

Soldiers are often very sentimental people, especially those who have experienced life and death together. Look at these warriors, all sadly taking off their caps. Clearly, many of them knew Liu Ming, the person sunk to the riverbed. Sadly, he had already been dead for quite some time.

Influenced by everyone's grief, Qin Fang too removed his cap and observed a moment of silence for the deceased. Meanwhile, Iron-blooded Tang Cheng crouched beside a tree, silently shedding tears.

Seeing Tang Cheng like this, Qin Fang wanted to step forward to say a few words of comfort, but Scarface held his shoulder and shook his head gently, obviously knowing what Tang Cheng needed at that moment.

"Let him cry for a while, that might make him feel a bit better! Liu Ming… once took a bullet for the boss!"

Scarface spoke softly, and now Qin Fang noticed there indeed was a bullet wound on Liu Ming's shoulder, which might not have been the one he received defending Tang Cheng, but it still made Qin Fang respect such a man who had suffered a violent death.

"The Fifth, go find a vehicle, and call the continuous troops…"

After a long while, Tang Cheng wiped away his tears and returned to his iron-blooded military manner. He immediately issued commands to his men. As for continuing the training, it was no longer feasible. Each soldier had lost the heart to continue; this was their former comrade, and they could not possibly leave his body discarded here.

Scarface and the others immediately carried out Tang Cheng's orders, while Tang Cheng himself sat by the riverside, his expression terrifyingly cold.

"Thank you, Qin Fang!"

Although this was an unfortunate event, if not for Qin Fang's accidental discovery, they might have never found Liu Ming's body. Tang Cheng's gratitude was heartfelt.

"Brother Tang, who were those people?"

Qin Fang had no merits to boast of, and he also had his own hidden motives. Hesitating, he still asked. In fact, Qin Fang had somewhat guessed the identity of those people, but it was still necessary to confirm it at that moment.

"Li Rui… Li Feng's elder brother! He had a deep grudge with me, but I never expected… that he would strike at my people!"

Tang Cheng hesitated slightly before confiding in Qin Fang.

"Li Feng's elder brother…"

Upon learning the identity of the assailant, Qin Fang began to understand why there was a red glow on Li Rui's body. (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters are available, and your support for the author and legitimate reading is appreciated!)

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