“A.J Bar.”
On the exotic streets, passengers getting into the car wore hats that covered most of their faces. From head to toe, there was no color except black. The voice was hoarse, and each word was like a terrifying and strange stone. A prominently shaped dangerous weapon protruded from the waist, making the heart skip a beat.
The driver nervously acknowledged.
“The target is Zong Yuan, male, 26 years old, known for his adventurous and romantic nature. He will appear at A.J. Bar around nine tonight.”
“This mission is to make him disappear abroad, Ah Chi. I really hope you can be as efficient as always.”
“He really likes beautiful women, Ah Chi. You can try the beauty trap as well.”
A.J Bar.
Ambiguous and dim pink lights filled the entire space. The scent of alcohol, sweat, and perfume intertwined. The dark yellow light at the bar flickered, and the passionately embracing men and women poured out their charm and allure.
Zong Yuan had a severe headache. He was awakened by the intense music, and 0046 urgently urged, “Hurry—”
He refused the bartender’s attempt to refill his drink, hastening with an unsteady gait and the lingering scent of alcohol.
…
The driver, with a trembling gaze, glanced at the back seat using his peripheral vision. “Sir, we’ve arrived.”
The man with an indistinct face pulled out a banknote from his pocket. In his movement, a cold and ruthless black corner of a weapon strapped to his waist revealed itself. The driver suddenly lowered his head, accepting the customer’s banknote, enduring the urge to escape, and waiting for the passenger to get off.
The all-black-clad man silently walked towards the bar. He brushed past a drunkard, and the driver’s heart, which had just slowed down, constricted sharply when the car door opened again. Thankfully, it wasn’t the dangerous customer returning; instead, it was a drunkard with his head lowered, reeking of alcohol.
The driver patted his heart and asked, “Sir, where are you going?”
The drunkard paused, seemingly contemplating the destination’s name. He said, “Waldorf Hotel, McAdie Avenue.”
The driver started the car. “About twenty minutes.”
Half an hour later, Zong Yuan, wrapped in a bathrobe, sat on the sofa. Water was being poured into the bathtub in the bathroom. On the table beside him was the hangover soup sent by the hotel.
Zong Yuan’s headache eased slightly. He pushed aside the clothes at his feet, saturated with the smell of alcohol, and sighed, “What a hardship.”
As the bathtub filled up, Zong Yuan took off his bathrobe and comfortably soaked in the water.
0046 asked every few minutes, “Zong Yuan, are you feeling better now?”
Zong Yuan’s head throbbed from the alcohol, and 0046 dared not stuff him with information. It anxiously asked repeatedly. Its demeanor was peculiar, and Zong Yuan rarely saw it this unsettled. “0046, what’s wrong with you?”
0046 recited the mission to him, “Life-saving mission, successfully returned—”
The phone on the bathtub’s ledge vibrated briefly.
Zong Yuan picked up the phone, entered an unfamiliar password, and saw a text message from an unmarked unfamiliar number. The content read, “I let you escape this time; the second time, I’ll kill you.”
“What the hell is this?”
Zong Yuan furrowed his brow as he emerged from the bathroom, quickly tidying up. A knock on the door echoed from outside, “Guest in 3012, we are here to clean the room for you.”
Zong Yuan buttoned up the last button of his shirt, draped his coat over his arm, and put away his phone and wallet. “0046?”
0046 replied, “Two individuals.”
No one came to open the door. The person standing behind the staff commanded, “Open the door.”
The staff member, trembling, used the universal room card to swipe open the door. The lights inside the room were on, clothes were scattered, clearly showing signs of someone’s return. The window was wide open, and a man dressed in black stood by the window, looking down. The height from the third floor wasn’t low, and there was a platform on the second floor, providing an escape route.
The staff member hastily ran away.
The man stood for a few seconds, and suddenly, a sound came from the bathroom. He quickly ran towards the bathroom, warm water vapor hitting his face. There was still residual heat in the bathtub. Glancing at the shampoo that had slipped off the sink and fallen to the ground, he bent down to pick it up. In that instant, the room door made a “click” sound, indicating it was locked.
Hmm.
He had been played.
The man took out his phone, as expected, there was an unread message. The reply from his prey—the daring target he had been pursuing all day: “Black is too conspicuous, little brother, until next time.”
Zong Yuan quietly followed the panicking staff member. In the elevator, he calmly edited a message, and after putting on his suit jacket, he transformed into a gentlemanly figure.
After completing all of this, he finally asked, “Successfully returned where?”
A loud noise of glass violently breaking, and sharp glass shards scattered all over the floor, cutting many people entering and leaving the hotel. Accompanied by a dark figure jumping from the second-floor platform, 0046 finished the last few words, “Successfully returned to the country to find the mastermind behind it.”
The person who jumped from the second floor immediately caused a commotion. Landing on the shattered glass, the already broken pieces emitted a piercing friction sound beneath his feet. He slowly observed the surrounding crowd, his weapon clearly visible at his waist, ready to fend off potential attackers.
In this gun-permissive country, he was too arrogant and domineering.
What’s even more unbelievable is that only Zong Yuan knew it was the glass from the third floor.
He stood quietly behind the crowd and distanced himself, “0046, what time is the flight back to the country recently?”
“Tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock,” 0046 replied. “Hmm? Your account seems to be inaccessible.”
Zong Yuan retreated to another corner of the intersection, making a quick decision, “Check for the fastest way back to the country tonight, and choose the one that allows cash payment.”
He took out his wallet, bulging with cash and various high-end cards. Zong Yuan frowned, “Shit!”
He rudely stuffed the wallet back into his pocket, “0046, check the maritime routes and schedules for returning to the country, I want the one with layovers in the middle.”
0046 hesitated for a moment and asked hastily, “What’s going on? Isn’t the plane faster?”
Zong Yuan walked through the bustling street, “No ID and passport, nothing useful.”
“I’m so broke that all I have left is money.”
And a bunch of cards that had been rendered useless by someone else.
Zong Yuan tugged at his suit and glanced at the casual attire of the people around him, “Maybe I should change into something a bit more low-key.”
He entered a mall and, with the guidance of a saleswoman, changed into a casual outfit that exuded a local youth vibe. He bought a black baseball cap, opting for the expensive ones generously. The saleswoman even gave him the skateboard displayed in the store as a decoration.
A mature gentleman walked out again, transformed into a handsome and youthful young man.
Zong Yuan was curious; he had never tried this style of clothing. In his youth, he often wore high-end outfits that matched his beloved motorcycle. In these worlds, it was mostly formal or sportswear. “0046, take a few pictures for me. I’ll show them to my beloved once I find him.”
0046 was speechless with Zong Yuan’s actions, sounding resigned, “Alright…”
Passing by a park, Zong Yuan placed the skateboard on the ground. Having experienced many activities, skateboarding fell into the category of safer ones. His naturally developed sports instincts made him fearless in the face of any challenge. He played with ease. His phone vibrated again, accompanied by a photo of various identification documents neatly arranged together, along with the message, “Let me guess, you want to take the sea route?”
Zong Yuan closed his phone, handed the skateboard to a few enthusiastic children acting as spectators, and only spoke when he walked out of the park, “I plan to have Santa Claus drive his reindeer to pick me up. Care to join?”
The place was still a considerable distance from the seaport, and Zong Yuan had to pay double the fare to convince someone to take him to Haikou in the middle of the night.
The driver and Zong Yuan chatted intermittently, “Brother, why go to Haikou so late at night?”
Zong Yuan focused on the surroundings, “Turn right ahead—I’m being chased—so, my friend, usually, you can take detours, but now I hope you can get me to my destination as quickly as possible.”
The driver wiped his sweat, “Sorry.”
He completely missed the key part of that sentence, frightened by the gentleman’s keenness and presence, and continued driving obediently.
0046 said, “Zong Yuan, the earliest ship will set sail at six thirty tomorrow morning.”
Zong Yuan nodded, “We can have a good night’s sleep. By all accounts, I should meet my sweetheart in a day or two.”
“You really worry me,” 0046 remarked, “Falling in love really lowers one’s IQ. Isn’t the top priority now avoiding the pursuit?”
“0046, relax,” Zong Yuan could already smell the sea, closing his eyes with a contented mood. Just like the day he first saw the mermaid, the scent of the sea was in the air. He smiled mysteriously and said, “On the sea, it’s my territory.”
His pursuer could jump from the third floor all at once. What a pity. He wasn’t bad either.
The original owner’s family in this world was a rising star in the country, ambitious newcomers who soared with business innovation. Every version of the original owner had some traits of Zong Yuan. In this world, as in any other, there were social hierarchies, with the old rich looking down on the new rich, and the super wealthy looking down on the moderately wealthy.
The Zong family had no history or background, yet they were treated with respect by many renowned families.
Especially when there was an outstanding heir in this new rich family who was exceptional to the point of being unrestrained, it inevitably attracted the attention of many.
These were just minor skirmishes, but not long ago, Zong Yuan got hold of a project destined to be explosive, and then he took a stand with that project.
He stood with the next heir of the Hou family, a good friend of his.
With Zong Yuan taking this stance, all his connections, long-time partners, and those interested in the projects he held, knew what to do.
The power balance between the elder and younger sons of the Hou family was completely disrupted by Zong Yuan, who emerged only a few years ago.
It’s easy to imagine that there were quite a few people who resented Zong Yuan.
Zong Yuan handed the money to the driver, giving him a generous tip, and found a nearby inn. The innkeeper looked at his identification skeptically and then at him, “Isn’t this you?”
The person on the ID looked at least forty or fifty years old!
Zong Yuan put several large bills in front of him, showing the innkeeper a conspiratorial smile, “I’ve had plastic surgery.”
“Okay, sir,” the innkeeper adjusted his glasses, pretending, “Third room on the right after turning left on the second floor.”
