SES Chapter 189 Part 2

Luo Ren released him and added, “Leopard is cunning. I can’t guarantee she’ll show herself. We won’t be able to communicate—everything depends on improvisation and… luck.”

He seemed to have more to say, but stopped, smiled faintly, and went downstairs.

Zheng Mingshan watched his back. “Hey—aren’t you going to say goodbye to next door?”

Luo Ren didn’t stop.

Zheng Mingshan called again, “Hey, Luo Ren—if you and my junior sister both come back alive, I’ll consider marrying her off to you.”

Luo Ren stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up.

Zheng Mingshan leaned over the railing, light spilling behind him. “A man who doesn’t leave or abandon, who steps forward even knowing the danger—that’s enough for me. My standards aren’t high.”

Luo Ren burst out laughing.

When he started the car, he unusually turned on the roof-mounted hunting lights. The powerful beams cut through the darkness, illuminating a dazzling path ahead.

Cao Yanhua was yawning, with Cao Jiefang squatting by his feet.

Normally, Cao Jiefang slept in its own “luxury residence” under the stairs, but earlier that day, it had taken a slingshot hit from the Taoist and ended up dazed and sluggish. Cao Yanhua didn’t feel at ease leaving it alone, so when he went to bed, he put it next to the bed instead. When Zheng Mingshan knocked on the door, Cao Yanhua stumbled out half-awake, throwing on his clothes, and when he looked down, he saw Cao Jiefang wobbling along behind him like he was sleepwalking.

Everyone gathered in the main hall, where people came and went as fate allowed. Besides Cao Yanhua, those dragged out of bed included Yi Wansan, Yan Hongsand, and the Taoist. Every one of them looked bleary-eyed, nodding off worse than Cao Jiefang, who already looked like a chicken pecking at grain.

What was this about? A meeting in the middle of the night?

Zheng Mingshan smiled and turned his laptop around for them to see. The image on the screen was grainy, like a street view from a surveillance camera. At an intersection, a Hummer was parked.

Cao Yanhua recognized it immediately. “Isn’t that Brother Luo’s car?”

Zheng Mingshan nodded and began explaining from the beginning.

As Zheng spoke, Cao Yanhua’s drowsiness vanished completely, replaced by a creeping sense of dread.

Zheng Mingshan finished with a single sentence: “So—Luo Ren doesn’t want any of you to go.”

Cao Yanhua’s head buzzed, his blood practically boiling. “I’m going! She’s his girlfriend, but she’s also my junior master! A master for a day, a father for life. He and my master haven’t even registered their marriage—if we’re talking closeness, I outrank him!”

Yan Hongsand thought for a moment, her eyes reddening. “Senior brother, we understand Luo Ren’s feelings. The danger is real—situations like this are your specialty. But we can’t just sit here and do nothing. To be honest, you guys won’t always be shooting guns. If it comes down to hand-to-hand fighting, I can help—even with dirty tricks.”

The Taoist was unexpectedly excited. “Exactly! I can hide nearby and throw concealed weapons!”

Zheng Mingshan laughed. “That’s what I’m talking about. I’m not trying to send you into danger, but I’m different from Luo Ren. Over the years, if I hadn’t had my brothers backing me up, I’d have died who knows where. I like help—the more, the better. No nail is useless, no person is worthless. One more person means one more bit of strength. At critical moments, even running errands, calling the police, or shouting for help matters.”

Cao Yanhua nodded vigorously. “Right, right. Take Hongsand. Mr. Taoist and Yi Wansan can stay behind as support.”

Yi Wansan protested. “Why do I have to stay?”

“You can’t fight, and if things get rough, you can’t even run. What good are you?”

Then Cao Yanhua looked at the Taoist. “No offense, Mr. Taoist, but with your aim, Leopard might not even make a move before you take us out. Besides… some things need someone here to manage them.”

There was meaning beneath his words—someone had to stay behind to handle the secret of the murder slip.

Yi Wansan was furious, but then something occurred to him. He held his tongue, saving his trump card for later.

Just then, Yan Hongsand let out a tense gasp and pointed at the screen. “Look!”

In the video, a car approached from the opposite direction and stopped beside Luo Ren’s vehicle. Luo Ren got out. Two people holding devices that looked like security scanners swept them over his body, then yanked something off his clothing.

Zheng Mingshan cursed under his breath.

Luo Ren’s concerns had been right—communication devices, electronics—there was no way any of that would get through.

Then Luo Ren was taken into the other car, which drove away.

Zheng Mingshan’s expression tightened. He looked at Cao Yanhua and Yan Hongsand. “That settles it. I’ll go get a vehicle now. You two pack immediately. Bring whatever you handle best and fastest. Remember—we might be in for a hard fight.”

He left quickly.

Cao Yanhua and Yan Hongsand felt an inexplicable sense of unease. They hurried back to their rooms as quietly as possible. As soon as Cao Yanhua moved, Cao Jiefang followed. Unfortunately, Cao Yanhua was fast and Cao Jiefang slow—by the time the chicken was halfway there, Cao Yanhua had already turned back. Cao Jiefang sluggishly turned around again and followed him back.

Cao Yanhua was sweating as he grabbed his lock-picking kit. Yi Wansan snorted. “Ha. Ha.”

Meaning: that thing would be useless.

Yan Hongsand came down too, carrying a coil of specially made rope. She wasn’t sure what counted as “most useful and efficient,” but ever since childhood, Old Yan had trained her to go down wells. She knew rope well—this one had top-tier toughness and abrasion resistance. Who knew what situation they’d run into? Better bring it.

A car engine sounded outside. Somehow, Zheng Mingshan had procured a white Jinbei van. Cao Yanhua and Yan Hongsand scrambled inside. Before the door even closed, Yi Wansan drawled, “You sure you won’t need my blood on this trip?”

Zheng Mingshan didn’t understand, but Cao Yanhua and Yan Hongsand did.

Leopard carried the murder slip. What if, at the final confrontation, they needed the blood of five people again?

There was no time to look for syringes. Cao Yanhua reopened the door. “Get in, get in!”

And so, only the Taoist and Cao Jiefang were left at the entrance—one man, one chicken.

The Taoist looked down at Cao Jiefang. Cao Jiefang looked back at him. In that wordless exchange, the car started.

The sudden engine noise startled Cao Jiefang awake. As a creature jolted from a deep dream, its feathers puffed up all at once. It threw back its neck and let out a loud—

“Coo—doo—roo!”

Then it flapped wildly, shooting forward like an arrow—or a fired cannonball—and by sheer coincidence smashed straight through the open car window, like an angry bird ricocheting wildly inside the cramped cabin.

Feathers drifted down slowly.

In a bedroom, half-asleep Uncle Zhang rolled over irritably, yanked the blanket over his head, and muttered, “Damn chicken… making noise again… one of these days I’ll stew it…”

Yi Wansan calmly plucked a chicken feather off his forehead. “Fine. Bring it.”

They’d overlooked one thing—Cao Jiefang would rather die than be left alone with the Taoist, the chicken-killing, KFC-loving terminator.

As the vehicle sped off, Yi Wansan hugged his laptop, nervously watching the shifting surveillance feeds. Before he could steady himself, the van screeched to a halt, and he slammed headfirst into the seat in front of him.

“Ow! What now?” he yelled.

Zheng Mingshan stood on the brakes, staring through the windshield at Aoki lying on the ground not far ahead.

Most of the water had been spilled, so the dosage was much lower than planned. Aoki woke up far earlier than expected, his mind foggy, knowing only that he had something he needed to do. He struggled to his feet, gulped down a bellyful of cold water, dumped more over his head and body, then staggered outside.

Yan Hongsand whispered, “It’s that Japanese guy.”

Zheng Mingshan nodded. “Bring him?”

Everyone stared at Aoki as he struggled to get up.

In the silence, Cao Yanhua said, “Bring him. My grandmaster used to say—Who you meet, at what time and place, is all part of fate.”