Bear virus

The Revelation

### Chapter Title: The Revelation

As I surveyed my surroundings, I heard a sharp clap. The giant chandelier overhead flicked on, flooding the room with light, illuminating everything.

"This way, please," the man said politely.

I squinted and took a few steps forward. There, on the sofa, sat four people. To my shock, one of them was Cheng Zhuo! The other two looked like the men who had escaped from Phoenix Mall last night.

"Cheng Zhuo?" I exclaimed in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

Cheng Zhuo glanced at me and approached. "Yes, it's me."

"How are you involved in this?" I demanded, glaring at him. "So, you're the traitor?"

Cheng Zhuo didn't seem to think this question mattered. "Let me introduce you to everyone," he said. "You remember these two, don't you?"

I glanced at the other two men. "They’re the rats who escaped from Phoenix Mall last night?"

"Correct." Cheng Zhuo smiled slightly and pointed to the men. "This is Lao Zhu, and this is Lao Xie."

I couldn't fathom what Cheng Zhuo was up to. Coldly, I asked, "What's going on? Did you kidnap my girlfriend?"

The man called Lao Zhu stood up and admitted, "Yes, we took her." He was about fifty, tall, with a face full of wrinkles and graying temples. His most striking feature was his severely deformed left eye, likely blind.

"You bastard!" My anger flared, and I pointed my gun at Lao Zhu. "Where is she? Tell me now!"

Lao Zhu remained calm. "We apologize. We had to bring you here by any means necessary because what we have to discuss is very important. Please, hear us out."

"Hear you out? Where is my girlfriend?" I shouted.

"Please, rest assured. We didn't intend to harm her," said Lao Xie, who walked over and pulled back a large curtain on the right. "See, she's here."

I glanced quickly and saw Yang Xiaomeng lying on a gurney, covered with a thin blanket, still asleep and seemingly unharmed. Clearly, these men had a complex motive; I couldn't figure out their endgame.

After confirming Yang Xiaomeng was safe, I turned to the four men on the sofa. "Last night's commotion at Phoenix Mall was your ploy to lure me away, wasn’t it?"

Lao Zhu nodded. "Yes."

"So, you came well-prepared," I said sarcastically, looking at Cheng Zhuo. "You told them my address, didn't you?"

Cheng Zhuo nodded and asked, "Remember what I asked you last night at the station?"

I thought for a moment. "You asked if I found everything strange."

"Exactly," Cheng Zhuo said, his expression serious. "That's what we're here to explain."