SES Chapter 189 Part 1

Chapter 189

Aoki came back very late.

He didn’t want to wake Luo Ren, so he moved quietly as he returned to the room. He pushed the door open and turned on the light.

The instant the light came on, a figure appeared in his line of sight. Aoki’s heart jolted. His hand instinctively went to the small of his back—but halfway through the motion, he forcibly stopped himself.

It was Luo Ren, sitting inside the room.

Aoki frowned slightly. “Luo, you’re not asleep yet.”

He didn’t ask why Luo Ren was there. Calm as ever, he walked inside, casually picked up a disposable cup from the table, and went to the water dispenser.

Amid the soft sound of flowing water, Luo Ren asked, “Where did you go?”

Aoki straightened up, drinking as he walked past Luo Ren. “Personal business.”

“What kind of personal business?”

“I already said—it’s personal—”

Before Aoki could finish, Luo Ren suddenly lunged forward, reaching for his lower back. Aoki reacted without hesitation, flinging the water and cup straight at Luo Ren’s face. Luo Ren twisted aside to dodge, swept Aoki’s legs out from under him, and charged in at the same time. He yanked up the back of Aoki’s shirt and pulled a gun from his waistband.

Before he could even identify the model, Aoki had already rolled over and kicked him hard, sending Luo Ren flying. The gun slipped from Luo Ren’s hand and skidded far across the floor.

Luo Ren lay on the ground, unable to get up. He lifted his shirt to check—sure enough, the movement had pulled at his wound, and blood was seeping through several spots in the bandages.

Aoki was both worried and furious. He spat at him viciously. “Serves you right for being in pain!”

Luo Ren laughed loudly, falling back onto the floor. “Your Chinese is pretty good.”

After the sudden fight, Aoki was breathing hard as well. Too lazy to retrieve the gun, he plopped down beside Luo Ren. The overturned cup lay near his feet, and a little water still pooled at the bottom. Aoki picked it up, tilted his head back to drink, then crushed the cup in his hand.

Luo Ren gestured toward the gun. “That’s your ‘personal business’? Where’d you get it?”

Aoki ignored the question. “She plays games. I don’t. I hate her. I want her dead.”

“I hate her too.”

“I’m Japanese. I don’t care. If I kill her, it has nothing to do with you. If the Chinese police or Interpol want to arrest someone, let them arrest me.”

“And Yukiko?” Luo Ren asked.

Aoki fell silent for a moment. Then his eyes suddenly turned bloodshot. “Nine lives, Luo. Nine lives!”

Luo Ren sat up, his expression nearly feral. “I know. That’s why I won’t let her take even one more!”

He pointed at himself. “If someone has to pay, I’ll pay. I want all of you to get out alive. Aoki, those nine brothers followed me. If there’s penance to be paid, it’s not your turn!”

Aoki stared at him, chest heaving.

Luo Ren suddenly smiled. “Aoki, we agreed. This time, you’re not allowed to throw your life away.”

“There’s nothing I can make up for anymore. The dead don’t come back. And of the brothers I had back then, only you’re left.” His voice softened. “Go back. Propose to Yukiko. Live a good life. Have lots of kids. Live until all your teeth fall out. That way—whether I’m alive or dead—I’ll feel more at peace.”

He clenched his fist and held it out. “Come on. If you agree, fist bump.”

Aoki refused. He lowered his head, jaw clenched tight.

“No?” Luo Ren said calmly. “I’ve got plenty of patience.”

Aoki looked up. Luo Ren was smiling—but the smile grew blurry. A wave of dizziness surged up into his head. He tried to say something, his mouth opening slightly, but before any words came out, he collapsed to the ground.

Luo Ren didn’t go to help him. Still smiling, he slowly lowered his fist. “I knew it. Alcohol alone was never enough to knock you guys out.”

He’d watched Aoki drink that water, then deliberately provoked a fight. Moderate to intense physical activity sped up the drug’s effects. Everything had been timed just right.

—Luo, count me in.
—Me too.

Back then, he never should have taken anyone with him.

Luo Ren patted Aoki’s shoulder and reminded him one last time, “Go propose to Yukiko. Live well. Have lots of kids. Grow old into a cranky man who can still fight even with no teeth left.”

Exhausted, he pushed himself up, picked up the gun, turned off the light, and slowly walked out into the darkness.

An hour earlier, Luo Ren had received a call from Leopard.

—“Luo, it’s time we met.”
—“Come alone. Drive your own car to the intersection by the south gate of the old city. Wait for my call.”

Back in the room, he turned on the light.

Standing in the middle of the room was Zheng Mingshan.

Luo Ren smiled at him. “You’re here. Pretty fast.”

He reversed the gun and handed it over.

Zheng Mingshan took it, disassembled the barrel and magazine. “Ultra-compact submachine gun. Suppressed to under eighty decibels. Heckler & Koch original, modified—similar to a Desert Killer Uzi.”

Luo Ren began removing his bandages. “Senior brother knows his weapons.”

Zheng Mingshan watched coldly as Luo Ren sealed the wound with military-grade adhesive. “You hid your own brother and chose to work with me instead?”

“Out of all the brothers who fought alongside me in the Philippines, only one is left,” Luo Ren replied calmly. “Let me keep one. That way, the brothers underground can rest easy.”

Zheng Mingshan said nothing. He understood. Long ago, before dangerous missions, he’d tell his own men the same thing—everyone couldn’t die. One had to survive, to visit the graves, burn paper money, leave cigarettes, and live well for the rest.

Luo Ren exhaled, tightened his abdomen, and rewrapped the wound.

“My junior sister cannot die,” Zheng Mingshan said.

“I know.”

“For my master, Leopard must pay in blood.”

“She’s my target too,” Luo Ren said with a smile. “If necessary, I’ll die with her. If she lives, no one around me will ever be safe.”

He tested his breathing, then poured capsules into his palm.

Zheng Mingshan frowned. “Don’t abuse stimulants that mess with nerves and muscles. Kill ten thousand, damage eight thousand of yourself.”

“Just this once.”

After getting dressed, Luo Ren went to the sink and splashed cold water on his face. Zheng Mingshan leaned against the doorframe. “I contacted some friends.”

“Interpol has no warrant or manhunt for Leopard. Over a year ago, internal intel declared her incapacitated—no longer a threat.”

He understood. She’d suffered a fatal injury, but the murder slip had allowed her to rise again.

“So they won’t help?” Luo Ren asked.

“Can’t rely on them. Even private support would be too slow.” He handed over a tiny GPS tracker. “Another friend can provide remote assistance. Take this—he’ll help confirm locations.”

Luo Ren shook his head slowly. “Not enough. Leopard’s cautious. I doubt I can get any electronics in. We may need the dumbest method—have your friend hack every connected city camera along the route.”

Zheng Mingshan nodded. Then paused. “She has subordinates. More people would help.”

“No,” Luo Ren said flatly.

“That’s not your call—”

Luo Ren grabbed him by the collar. “No.”

“Easy—let go—”

“I’m working with you because you’re Mu Dai’s senior brother. I don’t have the right to bypass you. But Hongsha, Yi Wansan, Cao Pangpang—they’re different. They’ve never even seen a gun. You have no right to drag them into that kind of danger!”

Zheng Mingshan thought for a moment. “Fine.”

He pushed Luo Ren’s hand away. “Let go—you’re going to choke me.”