Hidden Assassin 257

Volume 3, The Cohabitation Era, Chapter 257: Small Town

2013-02-08

In the snow, the car drove forward. Ya Han and Jia Ming sat in the back, while the two black men in the front talked and laughed, curiously asking about the situation in China.

Despite experiencing so much malice in recent days, almost escaping from a hail of bullets, it had to be admitted that most ordinary Americans were still willing to help strangers. They stopped the car, chatted casually for a few moments, and then let Jia Ming and Ya Han get in. They warmly conversed with them. Of course, it was difficult to estimate how much of this was due to Ya Han’s appearance. At least, in Jia Ming’s opinion, he was clearly just an accessory to Ya Han.

The two black men in the front were probably an uncle and nephew. The middle-aged man driving was called Marcus, while the young black man next to him, named Mike, was enthusiastically telling Ya Han about the area. He had a big smile on his face. His English was incredibly fluent, and Ya Han, who had only received her English education in England, struggled to understand the gist of it. Occasionally, she would gracefully smile and respond a few times, which would cause the two men in front to burst into fits of laughter. After all, she was a big family’s daughter, and her social skills were probably good enough to be a diplomat. She could make people feel comfortable while maintaining a sense of distance. However, in her seat, she always held Jia Ming’s right hand, occasionally glancing at the young man who was looking at the scenery. If her charm wasn’t too strong, the man in front would have easily noticed that her focus was on the ordinary young man beside her all along.

When introducing themselves to the two black men, they claimed to be siblings on a vacation to New York. However, they were tricked by their guide last night and left stranded in the wilderness. They couldn’t find a place to make a phone call… This lie was a bit far-fetched. If you were to delve into the details, you would naturally find some inconsistencies. However, Ya Han’s demeanor was generous and graceful, while Jia Ming seemed like a shy young man. The two in front didn’t suspect much and just kept complaining about the unscrupulous guide.

After chatting for a while, Jia Ming and Ya Han learned that this road, which rarely saw traffic, led to a relatively remote town nearby. The reason for the low traffic flow was that another road had been built in recent years that cut through the town, rendering this road obsolete. In the midst of laughter, not long after, a snow-covered American town gradually appeared on the other end of the road.

The straight, extending road, the neatly organized rectangular areas, and the snow-covered villas lined up. You could see people clearing the snow from the lawns in front of the villas in certain households. The snow that had been falling all night had subsided by morning and wasn’t too intense. It, combined with the town’s atmosphere, the warm lights shining from the windows of every household, gave people a sense of peace. Occasionally, passersby would greet each other. Some children chased each other in the snow, just like in the movies.

“It’s colder here in winter, but it hasn’t snowed this heavily in a long time. I think you’ll like it here. The town is beautiful. We have the best beer in the whole of America.”

When Mike turned around to say this, Jia Ming felt like he was a legendary dwarf – only a dwarf would recommend beer to someone. After receiving Ya Han’s smile, he turned his head back and lowered the window, waving to someone across the street. The car slowed down. A white policeman, about the same age as Mike, came from the other side of the road. He was also smiling and waving.

“Hey, Uncle Marcus, Mike, you guys look good. You… uh, who are these two?”

“Oh, they’re my friends…”

Originally, he was worried that Mike would mention their troubles to the police, which would lead to a bunch of messed-up things. However, Mike just briefly introduced the two by name. Apparently, the policeman was very familiar with Mike. He greeted the two, but didn’t mention anything else. He chatted with Mike for a bit, waved goodbye, and closed the window. Only then did Mike turn around.

“Wylen is a friend I’ve known since I was little. He’s a good guy. Now he’s a policeman, so he has to do everything by the book. If you don’t have passports, a lot of things will become complicated… uh, I mean, if you need it, we can go file a report now. But there are a lot of cases like this in America. Usually, it’s pointless to report it. I think you haven’t slept all night, so maybe a warm room is more suitable for you. In the meantime, you can call your friends in New York. Ah, look, the hotel is right ahead…”

Mike pointed towards a three-story building with an old sign at the corner of the street. It seemed he wasn’t a fool. Every year, a large number of illegal immigrants entered the United States from China. If they were caught by the police, they would be deported. The lie Jia Ming made up was possible, but Mike had clearly prepared for another possibility and offered to help. A moment later, the car stopped on the side of the road, and the uncle and nephew led Jia Ming and Ya Han to the hotel called Macallen.

“Let me introduce you to the only hotel in town. It can also be considered a pub, a coffee shop, a gathering place… hehe, who cares? Don’t judge it by its non-star-rating. I can guarantee it will make you feel at home. There’s an abandoned factory outside of town, and an old castle left over from the Civil War, with a beautiful lake. Because the environment here is so nice, a lot of New Yorkers come here to vacation, mostly students and young people. To accommodate them occasionally, it’s nicely decorated, although now most of it is empty. You can use the best room at your leisure.”

Mike described it vividly, and the four of them entered the hotel. The first floor was decorated in the style of a hotel and a coffee shop, with neatly arranged chairs, long tables, a large TV playing a basketball game, and even a small supermarket selling basic daily necessities and snacks. A few people, who looked like local residents, were sitting around chatting in the store. They were mostly white-haired old men. When they heard the wind chimes at the door ring, they turned their heads and greeted Marcus. After nodding to Mike, they focused their attention on the two outsiders. Mike casually introduced their identities, went to the counter, and helped them register for a room.

Probably due to Mike’s relationship, they didn’t need to check their passports or anything. They signed their names casually, and a kind-looking, chubby woman led them up the stairs from the side, bragging about her hotel to them.

“The best hotel rooms in North America, guaranteed to be cozy and close to nature, just like home. Better than the Waldorf-Astoria, the Mayflower… The best room is available right now, you’re so lucky. Hi, Ms. Zhang, is that you? Hahaha…”

Despite her rambling speech and occasional bursts of laughter, this chubby hotel owner named Monica wasn’t annoying. To be fair, the interior of the hotel was indeed nicely decorated, with warm lighting, various touches of goose yellow and pink, and random knick-knacks and picture frames on the walls, giving people a sense of home. Mike seemed a little embarrassed by her guess. After a while, they reached two doors at the end of the hallway. The chubby woman opened the door and handed Ya Han two keys.

“Two rooms around the corner, definitely the best ones. The balconies are beautiful, enjoy them.”

The chubby woman finished with a smile and turned to leave. Mike laughed, “Feel free to choose any room. There are phones in them. I think you should take a shower and rest first. I’ll ask Monica to bring you some food. Trust me, her beef stew and steak are really good. Rest well, I’ll come see you this afternoon.”

With that, he waved and went downstairs from the entrance of the stairs. Only Ya Han and Jia Ming were left in the hallway. They looked at each other and smiled, each choosing a room casually. Although not very large, the interior of the rooms indeed gave people a warm feeling. The balconies faced the street and the woods on the other side, very beautiful. After closing the door, Ya Han followed Jia Ming into a room and sat down on the soft bed. She looked at Jia Ming and said, “I want to know about my mom’s situation.”

“Okay, I’ll call right away.” Jia Ming went into the bathroom to inspect it before coming out. “There are thick bathrobes in there, you can take a shower first, you won’t be cold.”

“No, I want to know if my mom and them are safe first.”

Taking off her coat and kicking off her shoes, Ya Han rolled around on the bed and lay there staring at Jia Ming. Jia Ming shrugged, picked up the phone on the bedside table, then took out a small package of tools from his pocket, smiling, “It’s not that I won’t let you listen, it’s just that the first call isn’t exactly to a good person. The phone needs to be modified, it’ll take a few minutes.”

“Oh, I’ll take a shower then. If you get in touch with my mom, let me talk to her.”

“Definitely.”

Seeing Jia Ming dismantling the phone directly, Ya Han got off the bed and went into the bathroom. The sound of her undressing rustled through the door. Two or three minutes later, the bathroom door opened again. Ya Han poked her head out at the door, her bare wrist white and slender. She knocked on the wooden door, “Hey, Jia Ming, can you bring me a pair of slippers?”

“Okay.” He picked up a pair of slippers from the shoe rack next to the door and handed them to her. Ya Han reached out to take them, and he could see her snow-white shoulders and neck. She leaned against the door and looked at him, asking seriously as if she had thought long and hard, “Jia Ming, how long do you think this thing we have to do in America will take?”

“I’m not sure.” Jia Ming shook his head, “If it’s something like murder… I could go directly to New York tonight. But that would only make things more chaotic later. Besides, there are certainly solutions, but there are also problems… heh, I’ll explain it to you later.”

“Oh.” Ya Han smiled and closed the bathroom door. Soon, she could vaguely hear a sound outside, Jia Ming was talking to someone on the other end of the phone in Jian Suyan’s female voice, “Hello… Mr. James…” Warm water splashed onto her bare, white body, she relaxed and closed her eyes. Being able to feel that person’s presence within such a close distance, a long-lost feeling…

After finishing her shower and wrapping herself tightly in a bathrobe, she came out of the bathroom and heard Jia Ming talking on the second phone call, using his own male voice and Chinese.

“Hello, I’m looking for Cui Guohua… yes, Gu Jia Ming… Suyan-jie is still keeping an eye on Pei Luo Jia’s actions. Ya Han-jie and I are together… I can’t tell you the exact location, Suyan-jie told me…”

From the transparent glass window near the balcony, you could see the heavy snow falling outside. Ya Han, wearing a bathrobe, climbed onto the bed in the warm room, revealing her white and slender legs beneath the bathrobe.

“Brag… ing… no… drafts… oh…”

She silently mouthed those words to Jia Ming, then was pushed aside by him casually, swaying slightly on the bed as she laughed and listened to Jia Ming talking on the phone.

“Pei Luo Jia in America has been subdued this time, mainly because of the Wonders of Creation… why did the Wonders of Creation get involved? Uh, I don’t know. I thought Suyan-jie had made arrangements with you. I don’t know how she talked to the Wonders of Creation… Based on her personality, I think she at most gave some hints… how could the Wonders of Creation miss such an opportunity… Yes, I want to know about Ya Han-jie’s mom’s situation, that Zhang Auntie… it’s good that she’s okay. Ya Han-jie wants to talk to her on the phone… please connect the call quickly, thank you…”

After saying this, Jia Ming smiled and handed the phone to Ya Han. She reached out and took it. She sat up on the bed again, pointing at Jia Ming’s nose and silently mouthing, “You big liar!” A moment later, the voice of her mom came from the other end of the phone.

“Where the hell have you been?… You scared me to death. I thought you were kidnapped… Who are these Yan Huang Jue Xing people, they’re like opera singers. At first, I thought they were making a movie… Anyway, I don’t like America. Where are you now? When will you be back? Let’s hurry back…”

“Don’t worry, Mom, I’m fine.” Ya Han finally managed to snatch the opportunity to speak after being bombarded by her mom’s nagging. “I was rescued by very powerful people… They’re really powerful, I think they’re like Black Knight, don’t worry… Yes, it’s the person I told you about… Didn’t I tell you? You know anyway…”

As she said these words, Ya Han blushed and looked at Jia Ming who was pretending to be busy next to her. It was really embarrassing to say that in front of him… But whatever, everyone already knew what was going on. It was embarrassing, so be it…

“I can’t tell you where… Yes, I can’t tell you… Mom, don’t be so bored. Let those Yan Huang Jue Xing people arrange for you to go back first. I’ll be fine… He’s so powerful, how could anything happen to me? Why don’t you go to Hollywood and have a bunch of super professional bodyguards follow you. Go find Marlon Brando for an autograph. If he won’t sign, you kill his horse and send it to his bed… I don’t care, anyway, I can’t go back now, maybe… How would I know? Depends on the situation, depends on the situation. I guess it will be after Christmas…”

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter