117: Chapter 117 Evidence Under the Cherry Blossoms

The faint sound coming from upstairs caused Chen Xi's movements to freeze suddenly.

But he didn't look up immediately.

His gaze remained fixed on the heap of hellish scenes hanging from the wires, still dripping with water.

His hands did not tremble in the slightest.

Calm.

Precise.

Efficient.

Like a librarian organizing archives, he carefully took down the photographs, one by one, each carrying evidence of monstrous crimes.

Then there was the wooden box next to them.

Dozens of rolls of developed negatives.

And even more rolls of film that had yet to be developed.

(I want them all.)

This thought was not out of desire, but a cold, unquestionable responsibility.

He stored all the photographs, negatives, and film rolls into his system space.

His movements were as gentle as if he were touching rare and precious treasures.

Only after finishing all this did he slowly raise his head and look toward the ceiling.

(Professor Wen Yuanbo.)

(Is it you?)

He pulled up the hood of the Chameleon Cloak, and his figure once again dissolved into the eerie red light and darkness of the darkroom.

In the mansion's main hall, the few Japanese Soldiers who were noisily gambling knew nothing of the ghost quietly drifting past them.

Chen Xi stepped onto the red-carpeted curved staircase.

He didn't make a single sound.

Second floor, clear.

Third floor.

The source of the sound was the storage room on the top floor.

Chen Xi pressed against the wall and slowly approached.

The storage room door was slightly ajar, with a faint sliver of moonlight filtering through.

He peered inside through the crack in the door.

The room was messy, filled with various clutter.

The window was open, and the night breeze stirred the tattered curtains.

No one was there.

However, there were several drag marks on the floor and a few drops of dark red blood that hadn't completely dried yet.

(Am I too late?)

Chen Xi's brow furrowed tightly.

He didn't enter.

Instead, he turned around and began a carpet search of the entire mansion from top to bottom.

He trusted his intuition.

Wen Yuanbo was still in this building.

In the Great Wall Command Center, the atmosphere was solemn to the extreme.

"The target may have met with an accident."

"No, according to thermal imaging feedback, besides those Japanese Soldiers, there is another life signal in the building. It's very weak, but stable."

"Where is it?"

"The basement... he's hiding in the wine cellar!"

Almost at the same time.

Chen Xi also stood before the heavy wooden door leading to the basement.

He didn't use thermal imaging.

But he smelled it.

In the air, besides the mellow aroma of wine and the musty smell of earth, there was a scent of human fear that was being desperately suppressed.

The door was locked from the inside.

Chen Xi didn't choose to break the door down by force.

He reached out and tapped the door three times gently with his knuckles.

Not too light, not too heavy.

It was a conventional, rhythmic inquiry.

Inside, it was terrifyingly quiet.

Chen Xi waited for a few seconds.

Then, in an extremely low voice that could only be heard by pressing against the door panel, he said calmly:

"Yangtze River, Yangtze River."

This was one of the old secret codes provided by the Great Wall project team that the core rescue targets might know.

Another long silence followed.

It lasted so long that Chen Xi began to think he had misjudged the situation.

From behind the door came a faint metallic scraping sound as the lock bolt was slowly withdrawn.

The door opened a crack.

Through the gap appeared a pair of aged eyes, somewhat vacant from fear and long periods in the dark, yet still carrying a trace of vigilance and scrutiny.

Wen Yuanbo.

A titan of modern Dragon Country historiography.

In his hand, he tightly gripped a large, incredibly heavy-looking wine bottle.

It was his final weapon.

Chen Xi didn't speak.

He just silently took a photograph out of his system space.

It was the one showing two Japanese Soldiers grinning as they held up an infant on a bayonet.

He handed the photo over.

Wen Yuanbo's pupils instantly constricted to the size of pinheads.

He looked at the photo, then at Chen Xi, and those aged eyes were instantly flooded with immense grief, indignation, and pain.

The last trace of vigilance collapsed along with it.

Because he knew that any Chinese person with a conscience, upon seeing this photo, would become a compatriot to whom one could entrust their life.

He pulled the door open.

The underground wine cellar was in a state of disarray.

There was a freshly scabbed wound on Wen Yuanbo's forehead, clearly the result of a struggle.

"Child... you..."

His voice was incredibly hoarse from long-term dehydration and tension.

"Professor, I've come to take you home."

Chen Xi's voice remained calm, but it gained a hint of warmth.

He handed some water and food to Wen Yuanbo, and then he saw it.

In the furthest corner of the wine cellar, there was a hole smashed into the wall.

Tucked inside the hole was a small red sandalwood box, looking very expensive and carved with cherry blossom patterns.

"What's in there?" Chen Xi asked.

"It's evidence!"

At the mention of this, Wen Yuanbo's emotions instantly became agitated.

He rushed over, stumbling as he pulled the wooden box out.

"I took advantage of that beastly officer being drunk, knocked him out, and snatched the key from him."

"I originally thought there were gold bars inside, but I didn't expect... I didn't expect..."

Trembling, he opened the box.

Inside, there were no gold or silver jewels.

There were only more rolls and rolls of negatives.

And a leather diary, its cover also branded with a cherry blossom pattern.

Chen Xi picked up the diary.

He flipped it open.

Inside, a Japanese Army Colonel named Sato Kenji had recorded a series of bloody carnivals in an almost boastful tone.

"Today, I entered the city with the army. Nanjing is like a beauty stripped of her clothes, left for us to enjoy..."

"...Engaged in a contest with colleagues Mukai and Noda to see who could behead a hundred people first. What a joy! Such achievements should be recorded in the Imperial annals for future generations to praise..."

"...Yesterday, I obtained a female student, quite attractive, and presented her to His Excellency the Division Commander. His Excellency was very satisfied and rewarded me with ten rolls of film to record the Empire's 'Holy War' achievements..."

Every word and sentence carried a bone-chilling coldness, making his temples throb violently.

Chen Xi's gaze turned cold, inch by inch.

"Professor."

He closed the diary and looked at Wen Yuanbo.

"You are right."

"These things are ten thousand times more important than our lives."

Wen Yuanbo looked at the bottomless calm in the young man's eyes, and the towering rage hidden beneath that calm, which seemed capable of burning the entire world to ashes.

He knew he had found the right person.

"Child, I beg you."

He grabbed Chen Xi's arm, his aged hands trembling violently with emotion.

"You must take them out."

"You must let the whole world know what happened on this land!"

Chen Xi didn't speak.

He simply nodded solemnly.

Then, he took the cherry blossom wooden box, which carried the heaviest calamities of a nation, into his arms.

From this moment on, he had one more mission.