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Zhang Zhaolin sat gloomily in the armchair. The hall was filled with people, all engaged in heated discussions. The Zhang Residence and the police had searched the entire Shanghai Beach but had yet to find any trace of Zhang Xin.
Suddenly, Zhang Zhaolin slammed his hand on the table and shouted at the crowd, "A bunch of useless fools! You all act so powerful and capable, yet it's been three nights and you haven't found a single clue. What good are you?"
One person in the hall spoke up, "Supreme Commander, I have a theory, please don't be angry."
Zhang Zhaolin barked, "Speak quickly!"
The man continued, "Recently, Shanghai has been unsettled. The Thorned Rose incident has caused quite a stir, and people are on edge. Could it be that this is the work of the Thorned Rose?"
Another person chimed in, "Yes, Supreme Commander. I share the same thought. If it is indeed the Thorned Rose's doing, even if we turned Shanghai Beach upside down, it would be difficult to find her."
Zhang Zhaolin looked anxious, "What do you suggest I do?"
The man offered advice to Zhang Zhaolin: "First, you can order the police to swiftly apprehend the Thorned Rose; second, with your seven thousand troops, you can send them to search house by house on Shanghai Beach for her whereabouts. This way, the chances of finding her will greatly increase."
At that moment, Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan arrived at the Zhang Family hall with the taxi driver who had taken Zhang Xin westward.
Tao Ziwen said, "Supreme Commander, I have found out where Zhang Xin is."
Zhang Zhaolin rushed to greet Tao Ziwen at the door, "Quickly, where is my daughter?"
Tao Ziwen turned around and grabbed the taxi driver by his collar, pushing him forward. "He knows. He's been holding out for the reward of 100 silver dollars from your missing person notice."
The taxi driver casually replied in front of Zhang Zhaolin, "Just give me 100 silver dollars and I'll tell you where Zhang Xin is."
Zhang Zhaolin was furious; he pulled out his gun and aimed it at the taxi driver. "Take me to Xing Er right now, or I'll shoot you dead here."
The taxi driver shrugged nonchalantly. "If you kill me, you'll never find your daughter!"
Zhang Zhaolin was infuriated and clicked off the safety on his gun, ready to pull the trigger. Tao Ziwen quickly intervened.
Tao Ziwen: "Supreme Commander, the urgent task is to find Zhang Xin. This Driver is just a rogue; why should you get angry with him?"
Zhang Zhaolin suppressed his anger and said to the Taxi Driver: "Alright, I trust you. I'll give you 150 dollars now, and after you find Xing Er, I'll give you the other half. How does that sound?"
"That works," replied the Taxi Driver, "but I want Silver Dollars, not paper money."
Faced with such a money-driven rogue, Zhang Zhaolin reluctantly agreed: "Fine, I promise."
Dow Pharmaceuticals Building, Tao Gongjin's Laboratory.
Inside the Glass Room, three children who had undergone human trials with pale yellow skin had mostly regained their normal complexion. Among them was the child that Tao Ziwen had sent back. The three children lay quietly on iron beds, blinking their hollow eyes as Sun Puyi and three other assistants examined them.
Outside the Glass Room, Tao Gongjin sat quietly in a rocking chair. Guo Zhuanghuai was here feeling out of place, pacing back and forth anxiously.
Guo Zhuanghuai stopped, sighed and shook his head, then complained to Tao Gongjin: "Chairman, I've been stuck here for five or six days. I can't go home, I can't go to the Cellar, and I can't even play a few hands at the Casino. What's the difference between this and being in prison?"
Tao Gongjin replied: "This mess was caused by you; who else can you blame? Just stay here for a while longer. Once things calm down outside, they will naturally let you go!"
"Stuck here smelling all sorts of medicinal odors is suffocating!"
With that, Guo Zhuanghuai plopped down in a chair.
Sun Puyi and the assistants finished examining the three children and walked out of the Glass Room, removing their gloves and masks as they informed Tao Gongjin: "The drugs have taken effect; however, these children's nervous systems have suffered severe damage. They are completely insensitive to perception, touch, and pain; they've even lost their previous memories—each one has become a living dead."
Tao Gongjin asked Sun Puyi: "Do you think the data provided by Zhou Junsheng is true?"
Sun Puyi replied: "He hasn't lied. I feel we should abandon these three test subjects and find new ones for human trials."
Tao Gongjin nodded and then looked at Guo Zhuanghuai: "Guo Zhuanghuai, you'll have new work starting tomorrow."
Guo Zhuanghuai suddenly became energized: "I know, we should go catch the child, right?"
Sun Puyi looked at Guo Zhuanghuai: "Yes, it's a child around ten years old."
...
The Taxi Driver was driving ahead, while Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan sat in the back seat of the taxi. Behind the taxi was Zhang Zhaolin's car, followed by a group of police officers. This large convoy headed west until it finally stopped in front of a place called Jingxin Monastery.
The Taxi Driver, Tao Ziwen, Wang Zhiyuan, and Zhang Zhaolin all got out of the car.
Zhang Zhaolin saw the sign "Jingxin Monastery" on the gate and angrily grabbed the Taxi Driver by the collar: "How dare you fool me? I'll kill you right now!"
Zhang Zhaolin pulled out his gun again and pressed the barrel against the Taxi Driver's head.
Tao Ziwen intervened once more: "Supreme Commander, let's hear what he has to say."
The Taxi Driver said, "Why would I deceive you when I'm after your money? A few days ago, I drove her in my taxi; she didn't want to go home and asked me to head west. I brought her here! She's inside."
Wang Zhiyuan said, "I'll go knock on the door and ask."
Tao Ziwen nodded.
Wang Zhiyuan walked to the entrance of Jingxin Monastery and lightly knocked on the door. After a short while, a young Nun opened the door.
The Nun greeted him with a Buddhist chant and asked, "Benefactor, may I ask what brings you here?"
Wang Zhiyuan replied, "I would like to ask if a girl named Zhang Xin has come here recently."
The Nun responded, "Please wait a moment; I need to go inside and check."
The gate of Jingxin Monastery was closed by the Nun.
The crowd waited at the entrance of Jingxin Monastery for about half an hour before the gate was reopened by the Nun.
After greeting everyone, the Nun said calmly, "Benefactors, I have asked everyone inside, and there is no one named Zhang Xin."
Zhang Zhaolin looked at the Taxi Driver, who panicked and shouted at the Nun, "You're lying! Just a few days ago, I personally brought her here. She must be inside!"
The Nun replied, "You must be mistaken, Benefactor. No girl claiming to be Zhang Xin has ever come to this Jingxin Monastery."
Zhang Zhaolin glared fiercely, "Then tell me, has anyone else come to your Jingxin Monastery? If you don't speak the truth, I will bring people to flatten your temple!"
Under Zhang Zhaolin's harsh reprimand, the Nun clearly became nervous. "I will ask again. Please wait a moment."
The Nun closed the monastery door for the second time.
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