Kong Hui's workshop looked more like an operating room than a workspace. In the center stood a surgical table, complete with overhead lights. A large medical-grade refrigerator stood nearby, filled with surgical drugs. And floating in jars of preservative solution were ears, noses, patches of skin—and even a whole human face.
Huang Xiaotao snapped pictures with her phone. Later, facial recognition confirmed that the face belonged to a victim in a missing persons case.
Beside the fridge was a large steel tank labeled in English—it appeared to contain some kind of inhaled anesthetic used in cosmetic procedures. A nearby table was cluttered with various tools and chemicals. On the wall hung surgical gowns, and at the far end sat a sterilization cabinet filled with scalpels, clamps, and other surgical instruments.
Wang Yuanchao cuffed the Faceless Slave to a heating pipe and began rummaging through the drawers. I checked the surgical table. There were bloodstains near its edge—I swabbed a sample and sealed it in an evidence bag. If it turned out to be Xu Xiaohui's blood, it would serve as damning proof.
Just then, Wang Yuanchao called out, "Look what I found!"
He held up a notebook. Huang Xiaotao and I leaned in. Her eyes widened."It's full of news clippings… all about major unsolved crimes across the country!"
Wang Yuanchao flipped a few pages, and I suddenly shouted, "Hold on!"
I stared at one page in disbelief. The case it described matched the notorious killings carried out by the Phantom Blade of Jiangbei.
I turned to the Faceless Slave. "What's your organization's connection to the Phantom Blade?"
His pupils contracted at the name, but he stubbornly replied, "There's no connection."
Rage exploded in my chest. I slammed a kick into his injured leg and roared, "TALK!"
Huang Xiaotao grabbed my arm. "Song Yang, calm down!"
Calm down? I'd been chasing this ghost for years!
The man cowered. "I-I can't say… If I talk, I'm dead!"
I grabbed a scalpel, my voice low and dangerous. "If you don't talk, you're dead anyway. And I promise, I'll make you wish you were."
Something in my eyes must've terrified him, because he started to beg. "Please, brother, have mercy… I'm just a pawn—I don't know anything important!"
Before we could push him further, the door to the workshop slammed shut.
Huang Xiaotao rushed over. "We're locked in!"
I sniffed the air and froze. A strange scent—sharp, medicinal—was spreading fast. I scanned the room and spotted a leaking hose connected to the anesthesia tank.
"Shit!" I shouted. "We're being gassed! Get the door open, now!"
Wang Yuanchao charged at the door, kicking with all his strength. But the door opened inward—no matter how hard he kicked, it wouldn't budge. After a few tries, his legs gave out. Huang Xiaotao and I weren't faring much better—our limbs went numb, and the world started spinning.
Through the haze, I saw the Faceless Slave biting down hard on his own thumb.
Panicked, I grabbed a gauze pad and staggered toward the bathroom to soak it in water. But I only made it a few steps before collapsing to the floor.
Huang Xiaotao fell beside me. We were still conscious, but completely paralyzed.
Then came the mocking voice.
"Haha… didn't I warn you?"
The Faceless Slave crouched before me, gripping my hair. He now wore a gas mask. Blood trickled from the stump of his thumb—he'd bitten it off to slip free from the cuffs.
He slapped my face lightly. "Weren't you acting all high and mighty, Song Yang? Look at you now."
I could only glare at him with all the hatred I could muster.
He picked up Wang Yuanchao's handgun and spun it playfully."I'll shoot you and the girl with his gun. Then I'll use her service weapon to kill him. Toss your bodies on the road. Let's see how the cops untangle that mess—haha!"
He flicked off the safety and aimed the gun at my head.
But before he could fire, Wang Yuanchao suddenly lunged up and tackled him. The gun discharged—where the bullet went, none of us could tell. It clattered under a cabinet, out of reach.
Using the last of his strength, Wang Yuanchao pinned the Faceless Slave. But the man roared in fury, kicked him off, then drove a scalpel into his thigh, twisting it viciously."Can't feel pain? Lucky you. But I'll make sure you watch while I gut you alive!"
Just then, the door creaked open.
The Faceless Slave flinched.
"Don't kill them!" came a voice from the doorway.
For a moment, I felt hope. Was this a rescue?
But then the man continued, "I want them alive. I'll turn them into pigs. Make them wish they were dead."
Kong Hui.
The doctor stepped inside with a cold grin. The Faceless Slave laughed."Now that's a plan! I didn't get to see your last masterpiece. This time I'll enjoy the show up close."
Kong Hui smirked. "That woman was a failure. These three will be my next experiment. With enough practice, I'll be able to serve the organization with my art. Help me move them inside."
Together, they lifted Huang Xiaotao. As she was dragged away, she tried desperately to grab my hand, but our fingers merely brushed. We were too weak to hold on.
From the next room, I could hear their conversation.
"This police chick's got a fine body," the Faceless Slave leered. "Mind if I have a little fun before you cut her up?"
"Shut up, you pig," Kong Hui snapped. "She's not a woman—she's high-grade material. Don't you dare ruin her."
They came back for me. I was dumped into the room like a rag doll. There was a bed, a couch, and a TV. I didn't see where Huang Xiaotao had been placed—until I was brought close to the sofa.
The cushions had been lifted. The hollow beneath was just big enough to fit two bodies.
They shoved us in side by side and replaced the cushions. Total darkness.
My body was still paralyzed, but I could hear Huang Xiaotao's shallow, panicked breathing.
"Damn, this guy's heavy," came the Faceless Slave's voice from outside.
"Bring me the saw," Kong Hui replied. "I'll cut off his legs first."
Despair hit me like a brick. I couldn't move. Couldn't fight. Couldn't protect her.
Suddenly, a sliver of light broke through as one corner of the cushion lifted.
A pale, slender hand reached in—delicate, like a woman's. But the voice that followed was clearly male.
A pill was slipped into Huang Xiaotao's mouth.
"Hold it under your tongue. Don't swallow."
Then the hand turned over and pressed another pill to my lips. I tasted it—a sharp, cooling sensation surged through my skull.
It was the Bì Huì Pill—an ancient antidote, known to cleanse poisons and clear the mind. Feeling returned to my tongue almost instantly.
I whispered, "Who are you?"
"The one who warned you," he said flatly.
"Are you from the Song family?" I pressed.
He didn't answer directly. "Young Master… I beg you—if you make it out, forget this case ever happened."
Huang Xiaotao growled, "I'm a cop!"
He scoffed. "And? Do you know how many cops they've already killed? That organization… is above your laws."
She fell silent, stunned.
Then he added, "Young Master, I failed to protect your grandfather. Don't make me watch you die too. You're the last of the Song line. If you die, how can I face our ancestors?"
He kept calling me Young Master. Mentioned my family's ancestors. There was no doubt—this man was one of us.
Huang Xiaotao's fingers brushed mine. She had regained mobility. She whispered, "Let's see who this guy really is."
I nodded. Together, we shoved at the cushion and burst out.
But the room was empty.
He had vanished without a trace—like a ghost. Only a faint sliver of moonlight drifted through the open window.