Hidden Assassin 243

“Jia Ming, you coward…”

The words were unspoken, a bitter curse trapped behind clenched teeth. Her stepmother and the others trailed behind. If Jia Ming had come to New York, he must have had his reasons. But right now, she desperately wanted to see him, even just for a moment, without saying a word. At least she could confirm he was really here…

The crowd surged forward, fueled by rumors of a gun battle, a gang shootout. The chaos spread, escalating with each passing moment. People scrambled down the escalators, their cries echoing, while security guards tried in vain to control the pandemonium. Her stepmother’s voice called out from behind, but she couldn’t stop. If Jia Ming wanted to disappear, he wouldn’t show up where familiar faces might find him.

Amidst the din, Ya Han clung to the railing, struggling to avoid being trampled. Floor after floor whizzed by, her eyes frantically searching for a familiar face. The throng was a sea of heads, only distinguishable by hair color and ethnicity. Finally, she reached the ground floor. The giant indoor fountain shimmered with changing colors, its rhythmic music a jarring contrast to the chaos. The crowd swirled around her, but she couldn’t find the figure she was searching for. She looked back up at the escalators, crammed with people flowing downwards. Seeing her turn, her stepmother frantically waved her shopping bag, scanning the first, second, and third floors. But all she saw were unfamiliar faces…

“Gu Jia Ming, just don’t let me find you…”

She wasn’t even sure he was here. The thought had crept into her mind yesterday, after seeing someone who resembled Jian Suyan. Jia Ming was incredibly capable. But that didn’t mean this person was him. She knew that. But when the man in hiding fired his gun, the feeling was so intense. The flickering figure, the elegant woman who looked so much like Jian Suyan… It drove her to run.

Her stepmother and the others were descending the final stairs. Ya Han turned, her gaze lost in the crowd. Not far away, a tall, thin man squeezed out of the throng, looking back over his shoulder. He walked on, slightly dazed…

**************************************************

“Hey, Zhuang…”

“You’re so disorganized, were you spotted?”

“No, two Black Hand families are clashing. The whole mall’s gone nuts. I’m following Zhang Yahán now. She’s alone, separated from her bodyguards and that ‘Yan Huang Jue Xing’ fatso…”

“Watch out for Jian Suyan, Al. You’re the best tracker. I don’t want to lose you…”

“No one suspicious nearby. The situation’s too chaotic to get the whole picture, Zhuang. I’ve got fifteen seconds of safe time…”

“You want to…”

“That’s right.”

“You sure?”

“I’m good.”

“Ok, good luck…”

The conversation was brief. He strode forward, appearing natural. The bodyguards were halfway down the escalator. Zhang Yahán was a few steps ahead, walking aimlessly, her eyes darting around. He slipped his right hand into his jacket. Six meters, five meters, four meters, three meters… He was closing in…

Only two meters separated them. It seemed like he could reach out and touch her back with a single step. He took that step, coming to a stop behind a cylindrical pillar, hidden from the bodyguards’ view. He was about to draw his weapon when his body froze.

A hand pressed against the back of his head. Another hand appeared at the edge of his vision, gently circling his neck, then pulling back. It was like zipping up a zipper. It all happened in an instant. The hand on the back of his head deftly removed the tiny earpiece he was wearing. A chilling cold seeped into his body from the knife blade against his neck. He clutched at the wound, blood welling up from the thin cut. He couldn’t stop it.

All his strength seemed to vanish in an instant. He was just a meter from the woman ahead of him, as if standing directly behind her. But he couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. She turned her head, confused, and ran in a certain direction. He stumbled back, leaning against the pillar, collapsing to the ground. Blood oozed from between his fingers…

A figure moved in the opposite direction, putting on headphones, flipping the switch on the communication channel.

“Hey, Zhuang?”

“Who are you… what about Al?”

“Him? You’re listening…” Silence for a moment, then a woman’s hysterical scream erupted from the chaotic crowd, “Oh, something must have happened to make a lady of class scream like that. I’d guess she saw a lot of blood, and we have to rule out a horror movie, right?”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“The person you want to take down, I want to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“Like declaring war between us, or maybe negotiating…”

Of course, the person on the other end didn’t know that Jia Ming had already casually broken open the tiny earpiece and opened the lid of his watch, pulling out a thin copper wire. On the watch screen, countless codes representing addresses scrolled by.

This form of negotiation had no chance of leading anywhere. After a while, Jia Ming tossed the tiny device to the ground and crushed it with his foot. He looked back at the crowd, even more chaotic now, and memorized the address on his watch.

“It’s like Detective Conan, isn’t it…” He muttered to himself, then blended into the chaotic throng, heading out the door.

******************************************************

Just before the scream, “Ah,” rang out, the stepmother and several bodyguards had reached Yahán’s side, “Why are you running? Who did you see? Tell me…”

“I, I’m afraid… I might have been wrong. I don’t know… I can’t say…” She shook her head, bewildered. Then the terrifying scream cut through the air, silencing everyone around. They turned to see a man slumped against a pillar in the lobby. His left hand pressed tightly against his neck, blood staining his clothes. His eyes stared straight ahead, but he was clearly dead, or at least beyond saving.

“Ya Han, let’s not… let’s not go over there…” The stepmother grabbed Yahán, who was about to approach the body. Her words were a jumbled mess. Some people hurried to avoid the scene, while others gathered, drawn by morbid curiosity. The bodyguard, Mantou, was the first to approach, kneeling beside the man.

“What happened to you? What happened?”

His question went unanswered, obviously. He gently moved the man’s hand from his neck, sending a fresh torrent of blood spurting out. Noticing that the man’s right hand was still inside his jacket, he reached out and pulled it out. The hand still gripped a gun. Mantou jumped back, “Wow…”

Seeing the gun, he seemed to lose interest in the matter. He used a tissue to wipe off the blood on his hands and went back to the two women. “Uh, it seems… someone cut his throat. He had a gun, and… I think I remember this guy trying to get close to Miss Zhang on the escalator. You were by the pillar, Mr. Chen, do you remember?”

“Yes, I remember. He got close to Miss Zhang.” Professionally trained, everyone had their own memory methods, able to recall events big and small within a certain timeframe. Mr. Chen thought back and nodded. The stepmother’s mind was racing, “What… what does that mean?”

“It means he was trying to harm Miss Zhang, and someone intervened, saving her… Whoever did it is very good…”

“How… how could anyone want to kill Yahán?” The stepmother cried out in alarm.

“It might not be about killing, it could be a kidnapping…”

Mr. Chen was explaining all this when Yahán suddenly broke free from her stepmother’s grasp and rushed toward the fallen man, staring at the blood that poured from his wound without a hint of fear or disgust. Next, she turned, scanning the crowd.

“Yahán, you…”

“Don’t come any closer, Mom!” Seeing her stepmother about to follow, Yahán ran toward the exit, waving her hand and shouting. This time, the stepmother wouldn’t budge, her voice firm, “I don’t care who it is! Don’t run! You’re in danger!”

“I’m not in danger! Don’t follow me! He’ll protect me!”

She cried out, her voice trembling, her face contorted with anxiety. After a moment, she sobbed, “Please, don’t follow me. I’ll be back. I beg you. Just this once… He’ll protect me, I’ll be fine. I want to see him. If you come with me, he won’t come out to see me. I miss him so much, please…”

Her voice broke, tears streaming down her face. Her stepmother turned her head, wiping her nose and mouth. She stared at Yahán, her words rapid, “You know, I’m not your real mother… but I treat you like my own sister, you can call me your real mom if you want… so if you do anything stupid…” She roared, “…I’ll die for you!”

“Thank you, Mom.” Yahán smiled, wiping away her tears, and ran toward the exit.

Watching her go, the stepmother stood there, lost and speechless, “How did this happen? We haven’t offended anyone since we came to America… What in the world is going on!”

“Don’t worry, Miss Zhang will be fine.”

“Yeah, don’t worry.”

Mantou and Mr. Chen quickly reassured her.

The crowd ahead was thick.

Pushing open the door, she ran into the blizzard.

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter