Hidden Assassin 242

“So, Mr. Robert, you run a shipping business. You must have been to many places, right?”

“Of course, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and even India, Myanmar, and Pakistan in Asia…”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“My next stop is the beautiful and vast China…”

“Really?”

At the coffee table, Ya Han and Robert seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. At another table nearby, Xia Ma, Mantou, and the others were whispering among themselves.

“Hey, he’s saying it like it’s true. Do you think this guy named “Carrot Head” really went to all those places?”

“I think he’s telling the truth. Their shipping business is actually smuggling, drugs, human trafficking…”

“Damn Carrot Head…” Muttering through gritted teeth, Xia Ma turned to Mantou, “You think Ya Han is interested in him?”

“I don’t think so. Miss Zhang seems to have other plans…”

The group whispered in Chinese, while the Black Hand members occasionally glanced over in confusion. The four bodyguards flanking them looked equally formidable, each armed with a gun. It was clear they wouldn’t mess with tourists, so they felt confident. The two groups exchanged tentative smiles, a façade of friendliness. In terms of overall quality, the American gangsters of the Black Hand were actually inferior to the four bodyguards who had been mercenaries. At least on the surface, the latter had the upper hand in terms of aura.

Meanwhile, Ya Han pretended to chat with Robert while her eyes darted around, before turning back with a smile. Soon, a group of men and women dressed similarly to Robert and his men appeared, led by a woman with a red mane of hair, wearing a black leather jacket. She walked towards Robert.

“Hi, Robert.”

The woman waved, her voice seductive. Her eyes, however, subconsciously landed on Ya Han.

“Hi, Jane. I thought we had some time before our meeting.”

“I’m not the type to be late.” She sat down directly on the other side of the square table. Her black windbreaker was hung on the back of a chair, revealing a curvy figure encased in a leather jacket. She rested her hands on the table, her fingers tapping rhythmically. She looked around, “So… your new girlfriend? An Oriental beauty.”

Robert remained silent. Ya Han stood up, smiling, “I think we should be going. Goodbye, thanks for the coffee.”

“Goodbye.” Robert nodded. Sensing the tension, Xia Ma and the others stood up, preparing to leave. However, they were stopped by the men Jane had brought. Robert’s face contorted, “Let them go, we’re talking.”

“I think you haven’t answered my question.” Jane took a deep breath and smiled, “Girlfriend? No introduction?”

“Please step aside.” This time, it was Ya Han who spoke, her voice cool. Both Robert and Jane turned to her. Jane stood up, smiling as she tapped the table, “Excuse me, can you say that again? I’m a bit allergic to Chinese people lately. Are you trying to drive me crazy? Miss, can you also do kung fu? Can you fight ten to one?” Her temper was clearly not good. By the end, she was practically shouting. Xia Ma quickly pulled Ya Han back. Chen, the bodyguard, took a step forward, standing in front of them. Robert slammed his fist on the table.

“Jane, I called you here to give both sides a chance! Do you want to fight here? Do you think I’m afraid of you!?”

“Chance? Hmph…” Jane sneered, pointing at Robert’s chest, “You were shot, right? I’ll tell you now, it was our people who shot you. So what? You talk about a chance… Don’t think we don’t know, what happened at the Kells waste disposal plant this morning, two hundred kilos of white powder. You think we don’t know who did it? The first thing the FBI did was check your Salieri family’s records. You dare say this has nothing to do with your Salieris?”

“Two hundred kilos of white powder?” Robert’s face showed disbelief.

“Pretend, keep pretending. Let me tell you, the Gambinos and the Salieris are not finished! If you want to talk, then first confess to this, and at least have your brother Joseph come speak with me! Not you, a little nobody, yapping away in front of me!”

“Nobody? You mean like I’m telling you you’re not a whore who sells her meat to Smith? If I’m a nobody, what are you? In my opinion, a blow-up doll from an adult toy store is more dignified than you…” Robert chuckled, “But if you really lost two hundred kilos of white powder, heh, I express my deepest regret, hahahaha…”

The two of them argued, and Ya Han and the others finally got a grasp of what was happening. Gunfire, two hundred kilos of heroin, the Gambinos and the Salieris… it was basically two Black Hand factions negotiating and brawling. Xia Ma felt apprehensive, but Ya Han was the first to step out, “Let me out.”

Jane turned, but before she could speak, she was blocked by someone. In that instant, Ya Han smiled back, “Are you interested in Chinese kung fu?”

Suddenly, the man in front of her was punched. The punch wasn’t strong, and he hadn’t even had time to react before Ya Han grabbed him and delivered a kick. The man clutched his crotch, rolling on the ground in pain. The ultimate art of self-defense, the groin kick, had once again proven its effectiveness.

However, despite her past training, Ya Han was still recovering from her illness. Seeing another man lunge towards her, she pushed him back, but she was struggling. As she prepared for the next attack, a figure rushed forward, “No fighting, no fighting, everyone calm down…” With that shout, two men who were charging at Ya Han were pushed back and fell to the ground.

In an instant, the four bodyguards ripped off their jackets, the leather-clad fiery woman reached for her waist, and everyone drew their guns. Then, a series of “pop, pop, pop, pop” filled the air. The fiery woman’s arm trembled. In a flash, the guns in the hands of her three companions flew through the air, one hitting someone on the head and dropping to the ground, another hitting the wall, while the others flew further.

Standing there, the redhead trembled, her face filled with disbelief.

One gun flew six meters away. At a nearby table, a fat man was eating a large bowl of noodles. Suddenly, there was a bang, and something crashed into his bowl. The soup splattered, and he froze for a moment. Picking up the gun from his overturned bowl, he turned towards the standoff, burped, then got up and ran, knocking over a table and falling. He got up and continued to flee. Seeing the commotion, the surrounding people glanced over, then, after a brief exchange of whispers, they fled, leaving the area empty.

Another noise, and the hat of a burly man standing beside Jane flew off. It was about to fall when the faint sound rang out again. Everyone turned their heads in shock, watching the hat rise continuously in mid-air, six times in a row. Six new bullet holes remained on the ceiling.

The fleeing crowd was still in chaos, while this side was silent. No one from the Gambinos dared to move. That kind of accuracy meant the opponent could have easily taken out half their heads, and perhaps they only didn’t because they didn’t have enough bullets. As the hat fell to the ground, everyone looked towards the direction of the shots. There was a pot of lush ornamental plants in the corner, but all they could see were the leaves swaying slightly. They couldn’t tell what was on the other side.

As the surrounding people gradually left, one figure suddenly appeared. He stood by a nearby counter, drinking coffee from a paper cup. Joseph stood there, watching with a smile, before slowly walking over.

“Hmph.” Calming down slightly, Jane, dressed in her black leather jacket, stared at the approaching Joseph, her sharp teeth lightly biting her thumb, and gave Robert a seductive smile, “Now who’s the nobody, who’s the whore? Aren’t you the one talking to me? Or do you need your brother to come?” Realizing that Joseph was behind it all, the embarrassment of having her gun knocked out of her hand faded. Joseph was Smith’s opponent, and being defeated by him was nothing to be ashamed of. But for Robert, seeing his brother appear was a clear insult. He couldn’t handle this himself.

“Hey, what’s going on, so many people, having a dance party?”

As Joseph walked towards them, Ya Han pushed past the people in front of her and ran towards the direction of the potted plants. Xia Ma shouted, “Ya Han!” and chased after her with Mantou and the four bodyguards. In an instant, they disappeared from the sight of the two Black Hand factions.

Turning the corner, Ya Han scanned the crowd ahead, looking for something. The flying guns had affected a number of people, and there was some chaos around the elevators. The crowd was crowded, and several security guards were jogging towards them. Suddenly, a familiar image seemed to flash before her eyes. But when she tried to look again, she couldn’t find it. She rushed towards the elevator, pushing her way through the crowd.

On the elevator, Ya Han squeezed through the crowd, desperately trying to push forward. Her eyes scanned, her heart filled with anxiety, a constant feeling of unease that made her want to cry. Not far behind her, Xia Ma, Mantou, and the four bodyguards were also struggling to squeeze through. But because they were more numerous and bigger, their progress was slow. The flashy, richly dressed woman could only wave her shopping bag and shout loudly from behind:

“Ya Han! Ya Han! Wait for me! Wait for me!”

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter