Chapter 223: Attack from the Human Trafficking Gang
This face left a deep impression on Ron. She could be considered his awakening to beauty in his previous life. For example, she had starred in classic films with Chris Hemsworth, and romantic comedies with Ryan Reynolds, and...
"Don't call the police for me, really, please don't!" Before Ron could finish his thought, the woman interrupted him: "Could you please let me stay? Just for one night." The woman pleaded, but Ron remained unmoved.
"Isn't that kind of risky? I don't even know your name or who you are. What if you have bad intentions toward me? As they say in Texas, I'm just a simple country boy. If you try anything, my reputation will be ruined."
Ron said shamelessly.
Damn cowboy, you have no shame at all—how can you say such things?
"You can call me Lily. You even speak Mandarin! That's incredible!" The woman calling herself Lily beamed with excitement. "Can you help me? You look pretty capable!"
"Sorry, my mama always taught me not to meddle in other folks' business," Ron said as he walked toward his car. When that doppelganger had fled, he'd sideswiped Ron's Camaro, sending his muscle car sliding toward the guardrail. Getting it back on the road was going to be a pain.
Ron glared at Lily irritably, making her flinch.
Resigned, Ron pulled out his phone and called Toretto, asking him to send a tow truck over.
Across Los Angeles, not far from downtown, the Port of Long Beach was one of the largest container ports in the United States. Through the Union Pacific Railway and the nation's extensive interstate highway system, cargo from the port was distributed nationwide.
Not far from this massive port, in the CEO's office of a shipping company, an Asian man who bore some resemblance to Lily was engaged in a heated argument with his tall, blonde subordinate. Or perhaps a more accurate description would be a verbal beatdown.
"Walsh! Tell me! Tell me why?" The middle-aged man said furiously: "Why can't you even keep track of one woman! My instructions to you weren't complicated—I just wanted you to help me keep tabs on my daughter! But you can't even handle such a simple task!"
"How dare you let her slip away! I just asked you to watch her and make sure she didn't interfere with our operation. I didn't expect you to lose her completely! Dear God, can anyone tell me where my daughter is right now?!"
Walsh stood at attention with his head down, saying nothing. Based on his experience with his boss, it was best to remain silent when he was this angry, otherwise the tirade would only get worse.
Sure enough, everything went exactly as Walsh had predicted. After a lengthy rant, the middle-aged man finally exhausted himself and reached for his coffee mug. Walsh finally seized the opportunity to deliver his report:
"Boss, your daughter isn't actually missing. She just ran into some complications during transport. Our driver said she was rescued by an unknown individual, but fortunately, he managed to get the rescuer's license plate number.
I've arranged for our people to check traffic camera footage along the route, and I believe we'll soon identify the person who interfered with our operation. Then..."
"Then, whatever it takes, you must bring my daughter back!" the middle-aged man interrupted Walsh fiercely. "And whoever grabbed Lily off that road, regardless of who they are, must be eliminated. No loose ends. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Boss." Walsh shuddered as he accepted the order.
As the sky grew darker, Ron, despite Lily's persistent pleading, finally had no choice but to bring her back to his place.
Of course, how much of this reluctance was genuine was debatable. Fortunately, Lily was talkative, and Ron had already pieced together the general situation during the drive.
In short, a vicious human trafficking ring was holding Lily's father and 400 other illegal immigrants captive. By chance, Lily had escaped from the traffickers who controlled her. She hadn't gotten far when she was recaptured by the smuggling operation and was about to be relocated.
That's when Ron appeared and, like a white knight, rescued her. This was Lily's version of events.
Ron only half-believed her story, as it was full of holes—so many that he didn't even know where to start picking it apart.
"So, am I in serious trouble now?"
"Yes, very serious trouble," Lily nodded. "Unless you help me find the container number, we can't rescue the captive immigrants. Only Walsh knows the container number, so we have to..."
Lily seized the opportunity to launch into a detailed explanation of her plan. Ron, feeling overwhelmed, went to the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of spring water, and drank it down.
This was on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the site of Ron's tactical team's former headquarters. After relocating to a new facility with a proper training compound, this had become Ron's safe house. He'd planned to use it for storage, but unexpectedly, Lily had gained the upper hand.
"So I don't understand—why can't you just call the FBI? They'll handle everything," Ron pointed out the obvious flaw in Lily's logic.
"Uh... because you're better? You took down that kidnapper who was transporting me in just a few moves. Yes, that's right!" Lily clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.
This action reminded Ron of a scene from a movie he'd seen in his previous life. Combined with Lily's plunging neckline, Ron nearly lost his composure and quickly regained his focus.
"Thank you for the flattery, ma'am." Ron paused, struggling to keep his eyes from wandering to the smooth skin visible above her collar. He said bluntly, "But as I mentioned, you've only described my impressive abilities, without explaining why I should help you.
You know, I already rescued you from those kidnappers and gave you shelter. As a good-hearted Texan, I've done my Christian duty. Your bedroom is down the hall on the left. I'm going to shower and hit the hay. Sweet dreams, good night."
The combination of mystery cargo, a kidnapper who looked like his doppelganger, and a victim who looked like a movie star—Ron vaguely remembered what film this reminded him of.
But he was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to take place in France. How did it end up in Los Angeles?
Ron pondered this question as he showered, but the sound of running water couldn't mask the sound of the bathroom door opening. Ron immediately reached for the Glock beside the soap dispenser.
But halfway through the motion, he froze.
Because through the steam in the mirror, Ron could make out Lily entering at some point, wrapped only in a towel.
"Ron?"
"What are you doing?" Ron felt a sense of alarm.
"Making up for the trouble I've caused you." Lily hooked the door shut with her foot and moved closer to Ron.
"Wait, you don't need to make up for anything..."
"Don't ask questions."
Lily kissed him directly. Ron could only helplessly raise his hands to show his innocence. "Hold on, I don't want to complicate things. I was just passing by and helped you out..."
Ron's protest was cut off as his mouth was covered again. This time, his resistance was much weaker than before. "You want to keep it simple? Then let's keep it simple. Don't overthink it..."
Ron finally remembered that there had been a similar scene in the movie, but it involved a different character.
So, because he'd replaced that character's role, the benefits that should have gone to them had fallen to him instead...
(Scene transition)
He slept soundly through the night.
Following his internal clock, Ron cleaned up briefly before heading to the living room. He spotted Lily arranging red roses in a vase. "Good morning, Ron. I just picked these from the garden outside. I hope you don't mind."
Those flowers had all been planted by Arthur, so Ron certainly didn't mind. He twitched his lips noncommittally. Before coming to the living room, he'd already checked the study, where things had clearly been searched through. He wanted to see what else she might try.
"I wasn't sure if you preferred coffee or tea, so I prepared both. Which would you like?" Lily asked attentively.
Ron opened the refrigerator and showed the contents to Lily. "I usually drink milk in the morning."
Trying to play the perfect housewife with me? I won't make it that easy. What's your next move?
"Haha, really?" Just as the oven timer went off, a warm smile spread across Lily's lips. "Then I'm betting you'd enjoy bacon and egg croissants with your milk for breakfast."
Lily pulled the food from the oven and presented it to Ron. "I hope this will help lower your defenses against me."
Well, even Ron, who had been suspicious of Lily, couldn't help but feel somewhat moved.
It had to be said that this act of domestic perfection was incredibly effective on men, especially someone like Ron, who in his previous life had grown up appreciating traditional feminine virtues, and who, after his rebirth, had been raised by a loving mother like Mary—the impact was doubly powerful.
Leonard's mother had once observed that when men look for partners, they unconsciously compare them to their mothers, and that the women who truly captivate men often possess qualities similar to their mothers'.
In that moment, Ron saw in Lily shadows of both his previous life's mother and Mary simultaneously.
He could only manage this by playing it cool.
"Careful, it's hot!" Seeing Ron bring the bacon croissant to his mouth with a fork, Lily warned him quickly, but Ron had already taken a bite: "Is it good?"
"Well, I think we need to get to know each other better."
Hearing Ron's invitation, Lily immediately sat in the chair next to him, half her body almost leaning against Ron: "Didn't we get to know each other well enough last night? Or do you want to know each other even better?"
"Pfft!"
Ron nearly sprayed a mouthful of milk on her face. Lily quickly found a napkin to clean him up: "Why are you so clumsy?"
To be honest, Ron was a bit overwhelmed. He really couldn't be hard-hearted with a woman who had attracted his interest from the beginning. Seeing that Lily was making more of a mess the more she wiped, Ron simply took the napkin himself:
"You know I happen to speak Mandarin, and I'm guessing you saw my diploma in the study. Yes, I graduated from Harvard with a degree in East Asian Studies. Do you know what that means?"
"What?" Lily answered guiltily, pressing closer to Ron.
"It means I know that 'Lily' is definitely an American name, not Chinese. You should have a Chinese surname too. Now, can you tell me your real name, dear Ms. Lily?"
Lily smiled slyly. "Does a name really matter? You..."
Ron was mid-sentence when he suddenly, alertly, covered her mouth. He thought he'd heard something alarming.
"Shit! That's an RPG!" It was a sound Ron knew all too well; it was one of his most frequently encountered tools in the field.
But there was no time to dwell on it. Ron quickly pulled Lily under the table.
The rocket passed through the window and exploded against the opposite wall. Ron quickly flipped the table over, shielding both of them from the blast.
"BOOM!"
Thanks to the previous incident, Ron had already upgraded the safe house's furniture. All the seemingly wooden tables and chairs now had bulletproof steel plate inserts. Aside from some dust on his face, Ron was barely affected.
"You okay?" Ron helped Lily to her feet.
"Cough cough, this is really bad." Lily coughed from the smoke of the explosion.
"Okay, I'm glad you're alright. Just stay behind this table and don't come out, you hear me?" Ron pushed Lily back behind the table and placed another chair over her for extra protection.
"Wait! What are you doing?! They're all out there, they'll kill you!"
"Kill me?" Ron strapped on his tactical holster and gear, sneering, "A bunch of human trafficking scumbags think they're worthy? The person who can kill me hasn't been born yet."
"Wait for me, I'll be right back."
Ron aimed his rifle toward the window and, with a single shot, killed the gangster carrying the RPG launcher who was preparing to fire another round at Ron's safe house. The fired rocket, as its operator fell, went off course and struck his partner standing nearby.
"BOOM!" The unlucky bastard was blown to pieces.
Having scored a direct hit, Ron shouted arrogantly outside, "Ha, with your pathetic skills, you dare to mess with me? You're leagues behind Deckard Shaw!"
However, his taunting immediately earned him a barrage of return fire.
"Rat-a-tat-tat..." Automatic rifle bullets peppered the wall behind Ron, adding fresh bullet holes to the surface. Along with the wall, a painting that Ron had won at auction was also destroyed, which genuinely pissed him off.
"FUCK! That painting cost me fifty grand!"
"It's a firefight and you're worried about artwork? What do we do now?" Lily screamed and complained loudly.
"What do we do? Kill them all, obviously!" Ron pulled the pin on a grenade and threw it based on memory of their positions. As the grenade exploded, he drew his Smith & Wesson .500 Magnum and vaulted through the window.
The moment Ron jumped through the window, he'd already acquired his targets: "High noon, motherfuckers!"
(End of Chapter)
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