Hidden Assassin 199

“Achoo!”

“Got a cold?” Lingjing’s cool little hand pressed against his.

“No, maybe someone’s talking about me again. I’ve been doing this for the past few days…”

“Missing you?”

“Usually it’s someone hating me…”

“Who?” Lingjing’s eyes widened, and then Jia Ming helplessly spread his hands.

“Who knows, too many suspects…”

In the bustling crowd of the vegetable market, the two stood in front of a fruit and vegetable stall, talking as they watched a kindly old woman, wearing a scarf and a stern expression, weigh the out-of-season cucumbers they had chosen, then pay and wait for their change. There were no marketing concepts in the small market where rural people gathered, so there was no need to demand a smile from the old woman. It wasn’t aimed at them anyway. Rubbing his nose, Jia Ming felt a little uncomfortable lately. The weather was weird…

Actually, winter was Jia Ming’s favorite season. Unlike the scorching summer, they could all huddle together under a blanket in winter after showering, watch TV, read, chat, or play cards. When the weather got colder and the wind howled outside, the feeling of being close together was unbeatable. Just like this early winter evening, with the street lights just starting to come on, in the bustling street market, buying groceries and strolling together, shining bright, two people, one world amidst the throngs of people.

“Why buy cucumbers…”

“Cucumbers are good for the liver, and they prevent tumors, and, um, they can be sliced and used as a face mask.”

“I haven’t seen you or Sha Sha use it.”

“Heh, it’s a hassle, I don’t like the sticky feeling either.”

“I think your skin is already good enough.”

“Really?”

“Hmm.”

“Why are you smiling like that.”

“Happy…”

He took the change. The two turned and left with their plastic bags, walking a few steps when they heard the owner of another fruit and vegetable stall ask the old woman, “Hey, are the new cucumbers selling well? They say they’re out of season, if they’re selling well I’ll get some tomorrow.”

“Cucumbers? They’re not selling well now.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nowadays, young girls all know about early love…”

Sensitive to the term “early love,” Lingjing turned back, then turned back again after a moment, sticking out her tongue, “Jia Ming, what does early love have to do with cucumbers not selling well?”

Jia Ming remained expressionless, “Don’t mind her, competitor asking a question. Of course they’d say it’s not selling well. Look at her, you know she’s an old hag who’s not getting enough… ”

…

…

As they walked, Lingjing pondered the cucumber problem, her thinking process was so serious that she ended up getting confused. Jia Ming chuckled and explained a couple of things, then was chased by Lingjing through the vegetable market for over twenty meters, laughing and joking as they left the market and walked onto a street with many small shops. Up ahead was a large triangular square, a big screen outside the department store was playing commercials. Cars came and went.

Walking towards the bus stop, Lingjing suddenly jumped up, pointing to a small car parked on the side of the road, “Jia Ming, look, is that Ya Hanjie’s car?” Following Jia Ming’s gaze to the other side, Ya Han, wrapped in a gray coat with flowing hair, stood outside the window of a shop. The next moment, she noticed them too.

“Ya Hanjie.” Lingjing called out, running over first. Jia Ming followed slowly. It was a pet shop. Looking inside from where Ya Han was standing, a pair of small turtles were displayed in the counter, crawling in a transparent tank filled with beautiful pebbles, “They’re so cute, Ya Hanjie, do you want to buy turtles?”

“Heh, I’m just looking, you two came out together to buy groceries?” This was actually a statement rather than a question. Lingjing nodded, still staring at the turtles. Jia Ming smiled and shook the bag in his hand. Ya Han glanced at him, then looked in the direction Lingjing was looking.

“Speaking of pets, I think of Achou. That white cat we used to have at Sha Sha’s house. Ya Hanjie, do you remember? We raised it for a year and a half, last year when I went to high school, I left it with Uncle Liu. Then it ran away. I kind of miss it…” Lingjing said, pointing to the two turtles in the glass window, “Ya Hanjie, I think these two are really pretty.”

“You think so… Achoo! Then buy these two.” She rubbed her nose, and smiled a little sadly, “We have similar taste, I liked these two earlier too…”

“Heh, Ya Hanjie, you have a cold?”

“No.” Her nose was slightly red, “Probably someone’s cursing me.”

“Who would curse you, Ya Hanjie.” Lingjing laughed dismissively.

“Unbelievable.” Ya Han shrugged and smiled playfully, “Because there are too many suspects. Come on, let’s go buy turtles.”

Ya Han was too serious in handling things at school, she probably had a few people who felt resentful and were secretly complaining about her. Following behind her, Lingjing turned her head, wrinkling her nose, and whispered with a smile, “Just like you said.”

“Because we colluded earlier.”

“Cut it out…”

…

…

They bought the two turtles, asked about their feeding habits, and naturally bought a tank filled with pebbles as well. They put it in the back seat of the car. They were worried that she wouldn’t be able to carry all of these things, and suggested that Jia Ming go with her to help, but naturally Ya Han refused. This was only two stops away from the apartment, and not far from Ya Han’s villa. It seemed as if they were all at the top of a semicircle. Jia Ming and Lingjing walked towards the bus stop, Ya Han got into her car, closed the windows tightly, and watched the two figures walking side by side.

Before long, they waved goodbye and got on the bus, disappearing from sight.

The two little turtles crawled leisurely in their tank in the back seat of the car. Actually, Ya Han didn’t like the turtles much. She wasn’t used to keeping pets, it’s just that… that big villa. It was too quiet now.

People don’t hate disappointment at the beginning, it’s just that they’ve had hope. People aren’t born to fear loneliness, they fear it because they’ve had a time when they weren’t lonely.

Living alone in such a spacious villa, especially now that winter had arrived, even though there was air conditioning, sometimes when she entered, when she stood there at night, she could even hear her own echo. Except for herself, there was no one else. She couldn’t help but feel a bone-chilling coldness.

She knew what she needed wasn’t a pet, or anyone else. It was someone she had been trying to forget but had never succeeded. Today, she had walked in front of this pet store, but she couldn’t help but stop. She stared blankly at the pets, all in pairs, dressed up beautifully. Just as Lingjing came over, the two turtles were bought without a second thought. It’s okay, maybe if I put them in the room, it would actually liven things up a little… Will the big empty house scare them at night…

Sniffling, she laughed, resting her forehead lightly on the steering wheel, then pulled out a tissue from her bag and wiped away any possible liquid that might have leaked out. She felt tired, cold, and uncomfortable. She had a cold…

She took her temperature. Fortunately, it wasn’t serious. She’d take some medicine tonight, then add another blanket and sweat it out. That should be fine.

Thinking that, the car slowly started up, heading in the opposite direction of the bus stop, and moments later, disappeared into the bustling street.

…

…

Late at night, South China Sea.

The wind wasn’t strong, but the waves on the sea were still formidable. In the pitch-black, two dilapidated-looking ships rocked back and forth on the waves, one after the other. There weren’t many lights on the ships, as if they were two ghosts on the sea.

Inside the cabin, the sight was extremely modern, thick metal partitions, various advanced instruments, and radars were working under the operation of the driver. In one cabin, several people were sitting around a table. On the table was a nautical chart, and another was a plan of a certain place. The leader was Zhushén Wú Niàn, the other three were Tànkè, Bái Nánná, and Dúshe Nàkǎ, who had been to Jiang Hai City.

“The plan has been discussed, I think it’s pretty comprehensive, is there anything else you want to add?” Zhushén Wú Niàn smiled and spoke. Tànkè resolutely shook his head. Nàkǎ stretched out his finger and made a virtual stroke on the map, still simulating the plan, but the result was ultimately not much different, “There’s not much chance of winning, we’re still gambling.”

“Of course we’re gambling.” Zhushén Wú Niàn smiled, emphasizing, “The opponent’s strongest person can’t be determined at all. And since she’s defeated Yuán Lài Chāo Chuāng, no matter what plan we have, we’re gambling. And… this operation, whether we succeed or fail, by violating the orders from above, we will become enemies of the organization. I think that’s the meaning of this operation… Two hours ago, we entered the Chinese waters. Nàkǎ, I’ve heard about your caution, but I hope this caution doesn’t become your reason for wanting to back out.”

Facing Zhushén Wú Niàn’s threatening words, Nàkǎ raised his head and looked at him without any sign of weakness, “I hope you understand that even in gambling, I want to increase the odds of winning as much as possible. Don’t talk to me in that tone! Or I’ll kill you right now.”

“Oh, I apologize.” Zhushén Wú Niàn smiled and shrugged, “After this incident, I think I’ll like your caution.”

On the side, Bái Nánná calmly lowered her head and wiped the gun in her hand, saying softly, “That boy named Gu Jia Ming is mine.”

“Of course, as long as you like, what’s not possible?” Zhushén Wú Niàn was obviously very generous, laughing brilliantly, “But, although we can now confirm that Yuè Chí Xūn and that boy Gu Jia Ming are disciples of Miss Jiǎn Sù Yán, at that time, it should have been a test for the two of them. But the one who ultimately pushed you both to that point must have been Miss Jiǎn Sù Yán herself.”

“I should be no match for her. She’s your problem.” Putting the gun on the table, Bái Nánná’s eyes turned cold, “I only want the boy…”

“Ok, of course, if you need…” Zhushén Wú Niàn laughed, “I can even prepare a warm room for you.”

In an instant, Bái Nánná laughed along, with a coldness mixed with a hint of enchanting charm, “Why not?”

Amidst their laughter, the alarm suddenly sounded in the cabin. Walking out of the cabin, a man was coming from the other side. Seeing these people, he waved his hand, “Chinese coast guard. I thought we could slip through, but it seems we’ve been discovered.” As he spoke, he patted the surrounding cabins, and then, mercenaries carrying rocket launchers or holding various guns came out.

Nàkǎ shook his head, “A bad start…”

Zhushén Wú Niàn laughed, however, “I like this kind of excitement, let’s go out and take a look.”

Coming up to the deck from the stairs, bright spotlights were already shining towards them, accompanied by loud broadcasts.

“This is the Chinese police, listen up, unidentified vessel ahead, you have entered Chinese waters, please immediately stop and submit to inspection, please immediately stop and submit to inspection… This is the Chinese police…”

The broadcast was repeated twice, and the people on the deck looked at each other. Zhushén Wú Niàn looked at the coast guard ship ahead and laughed, “I love this feeling…” He went to the stairs and reached out to a mercenary holding a rocket launcher, “Hey, brother, how’s that one?”

“American M72E4 66mm rocket launcher, equipped with high-performance anti-tank warheads, with a speed of 200 meters per second, it can easily penetrate 30 centimeters of steel plate, sweeping away any trash that displeases you. I’ve always loved it. Want to try it?”

“Really want to!”

The next moment, the man wearing a floral shirt, a little crazy, raised the rocket launcher in the light, and with a shout of “Yahoo!,” a red beam of light pierced the calm of the sea, the next moment, burning the most expensive fireworks….

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