As they were talking, the two groups had already reached the name-calling stage. The surrounding people were clearly used to it, some even egged them on, hoping they'd fight.
"Come to think of it, every time I come here to drink, it's never peaceful." Aiden picked his ear with his pinky and said casually to the bar owner.
"You should say, every time you come here, my place isn't peaceful. Every time I've seen you, my bar got trashed. Who knows if tonight will repeat again?" the bar owner said angrily.
Aiden shook his head, "I'm not taking the blame for this one."
The bar owner really wanted to say, you all should share the blame, but before he could speak, the two groups had reached phase three, they had drawn their guns.
Seeing this, Shenhua sighed and signaled to the nearby Triad members with a glance.
Immediately, several Triad members stood up, walked between the two groups, and said, "Don't you know whose turf this is? This is Triad and Hotel Moscow territory. I suggest you put down your guns and settle things outside. Otherwise, get ready to face the wrath of the Triad and Hotel Moscow."
Seeing the Triad step up, the local gang clearly got scared. But seeing the group they were confronting unmoved, they had no choice but to keep holding their guns stiffly.
The Triad members also noticed this and turned to the group of burly men, "Which gang are you guys from? Name yourselves. Also, in this business, unless necessary, it's best to make money peacefully. Let's just drop this, how about it?"
This was already very much giving a step down the stage. Although among that group of outsiders there were also a few who were very disdainful, the person leading them, after thinking for a while, nodded, then put down his gun.
Seeing them put it down, that group of local gang members also put down their guns.
At this time, that group of outsiders threw down a wad of cash and walked out of the bar. When they reached the last person, that person turned his head and said to that group of local gang members, "We are the Blue Legion. Next time you see us, you'd better get lost in advance. Otherwise... no one will be able to save you."
After throwing down a harsh line, that last outsider also left the bar. Inside the bar, after a few seconds of silence, it returned to its original state again. Everyone went back to doing what they were doing, not affected in the slightest.
This was Roanapur, nothing that happens here is strange, everyone is long since used to it.
"Blue Legion, seems like I've heard that organization's name somewhere before." As soon as that person left, Aiden started pondering, but after turning over a dozen games in his head, he still couldn't remember.
Then he asked the three women, "Roberta, Fabiola, Shenhua, have you heard of them?"
"No." The three women simultaneously shook their heads.
Shenhua then said, "But if you really want to know, I can send someone to check."
"Forget it, no need. I'll ask Dutch when he's back. He's a know-it-all." Aiden waved his hand, not wanting to trouble Shenhua.
Shenhua frowned slightly, feeling a bit displeased, thinking Aiden didn't consider her one of his own. She lightly bit her lip, then let out a coquettish laugh, picked up her wine glass again, and once again leaned her body against Aiden.
"Then let's continue." She had made up her mind to get Aiden drunk.
"No more drinking." Aiden shook his head. "We've already drunk enough tonight."
"But I haven't drunk enough yet." Shenhua's tone became hurried.
Roberta at the side had a flickering gaze, and coldly said, "You can drink alone, or find some other man to drink with."
"Other men don't deserve it. I only want Aiden to accompany me." Shenhua's attitude was very firm.
"Next time then. When Revy and Balalaika come back, we'll have a proper drink." Aiden said.
That's exactly what I'm worried about… Shenhua thought. At that time, with so many people, even if I get him drunk, there won't be any opportunity, seriously.
But at this time, Aiden had already gotten up and left, so she could only put down her glass and follow behind them.
"Miss Shenhua." Those few Triad members saw Shenhua was about to leave and followed over.
"No need to follow. You all go back first." Shenhua waved at them.
Those few Triad members looked at each other and could only leave.
When Aiden and the others returned to the hotel, Shenhua followed them in as well.
"The Triad wouldn't not have arranged a place for you to stay, right?" Looking at Shenhua who was checking in, Aiden looked helpless.
But Shenhua said, "It's no big deal to occasionally stay outside for one night."
Then, she picked up the room card and waved it in front of Aiden, "I'm right next door to you guys!"
Saying this, she stepped forward, and in a voice only two people could hear, said, "Tonight… I'll be awaiting your visit at any time."
After saying that, she turned and left.
"Aiden, what did she just say to you?" Roberta walked to his side and asked.
Aiden said directly to her, "She invited me to sleep in her room."
"Then did you agree?" Roberta asked urgently.
"No."
"Good." Hearing this, Roberta breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she heard Aiden slightly raise his head and say somewhat hesitantly, "But… I'm still considering…"
Roberta, "…"
———
In the end, Aiden didn't go to Shenhua's room. Not long after entering his own, he fell asleep.
So the next morning, as soon as he stepped out, he saw Shenhua with dark circles under her eyes and an angry face standing in front of him.
"Didn't sleep well last night?" Aiden felt uncomfortable all over from Shenhua's gaze.
But Shenhua didn't answer that question. She looked into the room, where Roberta was tidying clothes, then glared at him and said, "Coward."
Aiden was rendered speechless. Just as he was about to say he wasn't a coward, he heard Shenhua say, "Just received word, Boss Chang and the others are already on their way back. They'll return to Roanapur before noon."
"Then where will they go first?" Aiden asked.
Shenhua thought about it and said, "Should be the Moscow Hotel. It's a bit safer there."
"Alright then, we'll go to the Moscow Hotel later." Aiden nodded.
Shenhua looked at him somewhat resentfully and said, "We'll go together later. Now let's go eat breakfast first. As one of the local hosts, I should still fulfill my duty."
"Then thank you." Aiden said with a smile.
———
After breakfast, the group drove to the Moscow Hotel.
The car was delivered by Shenhua's underlings in the morning. She even gave the keys directly to Aiden, saying it was a gift for him to use as a ride.
Aiden accepted it happily and as a matter of course. The Triad had a vast business and didn't care about such a small expense. Besides, this was a smuggled car, strictly speaking, it wasn't worth much anyway.
When they arrived at the Moscow Hotel, Balalaika's deputy, who had stayed behind to look after the place, warmly welcomed them and served many Russian-style tea snacks.
They ate the pastries, drank tea, and chatted. Just like that, they waited until noon.
Seeing the clock's hand pointing to 12 o'clock, Aiden thought Balalaika and the others might be delayed. But then, outside the Moscow Hotel, the roar of car engines suddenly sounded.
Shenhua walked to the window and looked outside, then turned to Aiden and said, "They're back."
Hearing they were back, Aiden couldn't sit still. He stood up excitedly, wanting to go out and greet them.
However, just then, hurried footsteps sounded from the corridor outside the room. The door was suddenly pushed open with force, and a slightly panting woman rushed in. After scanning the room, she directly threw herself onto Aiden… and that woman was Revy.
Catching Revy who had pounced over, before Aiden could speak, Revy started wildly gnawing at his mouth. The way she looked made Aiden think she was infected with the T-virus and had turned into a zombie.
"Cough cough…"
Before Aiden could pull Revy off himself, a light cough came from outside the door. Turning his head, he saw Balalaika and the rest of the Black Lagoon crew at the door.
"Though it's a reunion, we didn't disturb you, did we?" Balalaika asked with her arms crossed and a grin.
Behind her, Dutch and Rock also wore smiling faces, especially Rock, who gave Aiden a thumbs up, clearly full of admiration.
"No, you came just in time. I was about to be eaten alive by Revy." Aiden said helplessly as he wiped the saliva off his face.
Then he greeted everyone, "Long time no see, Balalaika, Dutch, Rock… oh, and our boy Benny… huh? Where's Boss Chang? Didn't Shenhua say he went too?"
"Boss Chang will be here shortly, along with the target we were protecting this time." Dutch replied with a smile.
"I see…" Aiden nodded, then continued trying to pull Revy off.
Like a piece of gum, Revy finally got off, though not because Aiden pulled her down, but because Boss Chang entered, bringing a stranger.
She was a tall, short-haired young woman. She carried a small portable case and wore rimless glasses with no prescription.
On her upper body was a white lab coat commonly used in labs, probably due to her time spent in the jungle, the originally white coat was covered in mud spots, making it look like camouflage.
Her lower half wore a pair of gray cargo pants, also full of mud, seemingly too loose and with many tears, probably scratched by branches while traversing the jungle.
The seemingly researcher-type young woman walked in, casually found a place to sit, put down her case, and elegantly crossed her legs. If it weren't for the dirty clothes, she'd definitely be a very intellectual beauty.
Watching the self-absorbed young woman pour herself a cup of tea, Aiden asked Revy, "Is she the one Koko asked you guys to protect this time? What's her name? Looks like she's into research? Don't tell me she studies bio-viruses too?"
"You asked so many things, which one do you want me to answer first?" Revy frowned. She had a quick temper and bad attitude, and since Dutch handled most of the brains at the agency, she didn't think much. Aiden's string of questions left her unsure where to start.
"Then just answer what her name is first." Aiden thought for a second and coughed lightly.
"Soi."
Before Revy could reply, the short-haired woman directly answered her name.
"Don't know her, but sounds a bit familiar. Still, I'm sure I've never seen you before." Aiden looked her over and said firmly.
"That's a pity. I thought I was famous." The woman named Soi shrugged, then gracefully took a sip of tea and commented, "Too little sugar, too bland."
"If it weren't for Roberta liking sugary tea, I wouldn't have even added that little bit." Aiden liked drinking cola because it was sweet, and liked tea because it was fragrant, but absolutely disliked sweetened tea. The taste was too weird, probably only those used to European or American tea customs would like it.
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