One month later. A rainy night. Thunder rumbled, and flashes of lightning illuminated the villa in the suburbs. The lawn outside was littered with people, their limbs twisted at unnatural angles. Some lay motionless, while others, despite their unbearable pain, kept their eyes squeezed shut. Their lips were pressed together, jaw muscles bulging, bodies trembling slightly. Hot tears leaked from their eyes, instantly washed away by the rain.
Crossing the lawn, I saw the villa's front door standing wide open, a deep footprint imprinted on the solid wood. The scene inside was much the same as outside. People lay on the ground, stretching from the entrance to the living room and the stairs.
Suddenly, a thumping sound echoed through the house. A figure tumbled down from the second floor, landing on top of someone. The person underneath, who had been motionless, raised their hands to push the other person aside. I took a closer look and saw the person who had rolled down was already unconscious.
Startled, the person quickly closed their eyes again. Silence returned upstairs. Thunder roared, the rain intensified, and raindrops pattered against the windows.
The bedroom. With a snap, the lights turned on, dispelling the darkness. In the room, a man was curled up barefoot by the bedside, wrapped in a bathrobe, his wet hair still covered in soap suds. He looked to be in his thirties, with fair skin and a high bridge of his nose.
Hong Fei stood at the doorway, wearing a simple black outfit without any logos or decorations, and a brightly colored Monkey King mask on his face, which looked surprisingly cute at first glance. He stood as straight as a spear, his knuckles stained with faint traces of blood, and wisps of rolling red light flickering within his dark brown pupils behind the mask.
As soon as Hong Fei took a step, the man huddled by the bed immediately widened his eyes, his pupils contracting. He scrambled backward on his hands and feet, shouting, "Don't kill me! I can give you whatever you want."
"I have money, cash, gold, and my goods are all in the warehouse. I can hand everything over to you!" With a thud, the back of his head hit the wall, and he immediately showed a look of pain. However, he couldn't even bring himself to scream, his mouth still begging for mercy incessantly. "I really have money! I have hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars at home, and over a dozen pounds of gold!"
Seeing that Hong Fei remained unmoved, he stood up even more urgently, turned around to throw the pillows and bedding on the bed aside, and then nimbly lifted the mattress.
Instantly, a patch of shimmering gold and green U.S. dollars came into view.
He pointed at the valuables with both hands. "Look, I didn't lie to you! I'll give all of this to you! If it's not enough, I have more. I can go get it. Whatever amount you want, I'll give it to you!"
Hong Fei stopped in his tracks, his gaze involuntarily falling upon the gold. Although the value of it all combined wasn't as much as the Afghanistan operation, the rows of gold spread out, shimmering under the lights, were indeed very eye-catching.
At that moment, the man in the bathrobe suddenly thrust his right hand into a lush green plant by the bed. In the blink of an eye, a pistol was in his hand. A ferocious yet gleeful smile appeared on his face as he aimed the dark muzzle of the gun at Hong Fei, his index finger resting on the trigger.
Hong Fei immediately snapped back and turned his head. Facing the muzzle, a rich red glow suddenly surged from the depths of his dark brown pupils. The instant his eyes turned deep red, the sound of the thunderstorm in his ears vanished instantly.
In his black-and-white vision, the speed at which the opponent pulled the trigger appeared extremely slow. He even had the leisure to glance at the opponent's smug smile, to watch his scheme succeed. A spark burst from the dark gun barrel, and the golden bullet flew out, spinning. The air in front of it was instantly torn apart, with a tiny ripple of air following in its wake.
Hong Fei pivoted his feet and tilted his body to one side. He watched as the bullet grazed his cheek, its intense kinetic energy tearing a tiny crack in his mask.
Taking advantage of the gap before the opponent could pull the trigger again, Hong Fei kicked off the ground repeatedly, his speed suddenly surging. Afterimages swept across the room, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of his opponent. He pressed his five fingers together to form a palm blade, striking the opponent's throat amidst the sharp whistling of the wind. The palm blade crushed the Adam's apple, trachea, and esophagus as it thrust forward. From the side, the advancing palm blade seemed almost about to touch the opponent's cervical spine.
Suddenly, the opponent's eyes bulged, his mouth opened wide, and after a streak of scarlet blood spurted out, his long tongue dangled loosely by his lips. Hong Fei withdrew his hand, letting the body slide down the wall like a pile of mud.
Boom! A violent flash of lightning illuminated the world as if it were daytime, and the thunder that followed rumbled and exploded in the clouds. Before long, Hong Fei walked down the stairs carrying a heavy cloth bag. The pattern on the outside of the bag looked surprisingly similar to the bed sheet in the bedroom just moments ago.
He strode away without avoiding or yielding, and the people lying on the ground, occasionally having their fingers or other parts stepped on, instinctively wanted to scream but immediately stifled it, their faces quickly turning red.
Even after the dark figure disappeared into the forest in the distance, these people still dared not move.
The estate. A black motorcycle sped through the rainy night, its speed undiminished on the winding mountain road. Hearing the sound of the engine, No. 1 hurried to open the gate. A few seconds later, the motorcycle whizzed past.
It sped down the straight road and finally stopped at the entrance of the main house with a stylish drift. The rushing water was kicked high into the air by the rear wheel, splashing directly onto Frank.
Frank couldn't dodge in time and raised his hand to block his eyes, but the spray found its way through, hitting his face.
"Are you crazy? Riding so fast, be careful you don't crash and die!"
The motorcycle engine cut out, and Hong Fei dragged the heavy cloth bag toward the house.
Once inside, leaving a trail of wet water stains on the bright floor, he threw the bag into an empty space.
Hong Fei took off his helmet with both hands, then pointed at the bag and smiled, "Open it and take a look, a pleasant surprise."
Frank refused to step forward, only saying, "You didn't kidnap another person and bring them back, did you?"
"Haha, how could that be? Just look at the shape, it's not. Don't worry, go take a look."
Only then did Frank move. After untying the bag, the loose, damp banknotes on top immediately made him raise an eyebrow.
While unbuttoning his damp jacket, Hong Fei said, "Dig through it, there's more of a surprise underneath."
Frank did as he was told and soon caught sight of the gold in the middle. Compared to the banknotes, this shimmering gold was clearly more beloved.
Before long, the cash and gold were separated into two piles.
Frank stood up and said, "I thought you were just going to kill someone."
Hong Fei agreed, "Of course, that was the primary objective. I already said it was a pleasant surprise."
"Is he dead?"
"That's a redundant question."
Hong Fei stepped forward, picked up a gold bar, and weighed it in his hand. "Sleeping with so much gold spread under the bed, doesn't he find it uncomfortable?"
Frank shook his head, "I guess he has more funds in his bank account. I really thought you would bring him back."
"Hmph, just a second-generation mobster, not worth bringing back. I've already left some clues related to The Hand, the rest is up to you."
He had killed the son of a certain Russian Mafia boss, who was also the successor appointed by the other party. The purpose was to actively incite a conflict between The Hand and the Mafia.
Frank: "He just arrived this evening, and you killed him now. Aren't you afraid of disrupting the plan?"
"Plans are rigid. Frank shook his head, "I guess he has more funds in his bank account.
According to the information, he isn't as brutal as most of the Mafia, but he has always been very smart. Whether it's schooling, politics, or running gang operations, he has been able to thrive. For such a smart mobster, you have to nip him in the bud early.
"As for whether his old man believes The Hand did it, that's not under our control. As for plans, you do your best and leave the rest to fate."
"You believe in fate?"
"No, I only believe that man can conquer nature!"
Standing up, Hong Fei asked again, "By the way, how is Bullseye?"
Mentioning Bullseye, Frank immediately looked strange and said uncertainly, "I'm not sure, feels like he's going crazy. How much longer are you going to keep him locked up?"
Hong Fei dropped the gold bar, stood up, and thought for a moment, "One month, that's about enough. I'll send him away tomorrow."