At Villa Number One, as soon as Chen Fan entered, someone rushed forward, placed slippers before him, and bowed, saying, "Big Brother!"
Chen Fan recognized him as Wang Dongdong. It had been some time since he last saw the man, not since the incident where Jiang Shaolong had poisoned him. Chen Fan had even thought he had disappeared. However, he didn't care much about it, merely nodding as a signal and changing into the slippers before entering the living room.
"Big Brother, how have you been lately?" Wang Dongdong asked with a fawning expression.
"Fine," Chen Fan replied. "If you have something to say, just say it."
"Well..." Wang Dongdong scratched his head, his face still fawning. "It's nothing major, really. It's just that I've got a girlfriend recently, right?"
Chen Fan showed no reaction.
"I've made plans to watch a movie and have dinner with my girlfriend this afternoon, so I was hoping... to borrow your car for a bit." Wang Dongdong's voice grew softer as he spoke.
"Take a taxi yourself." Chen Fan responded expressionlessly.
Wang Dongdong dared not show any dissatisfaction, or rather, he had anticipated this. He forced a smile and said, "Okay, okay!"
Chen Fan was a little surprised that Wang Dongdong wasn't being difficult.
"Xiao Fan, Xiao Dong, dinner's ready!" Li Xiuying called from the kitchen.
"Coming, coming!" Wang Dongdong immediately got up and busied himself serving rice in the kitchen. Chen Fan didn't mind Wang Dongdong freeloading a meal and sat down to eat.
"Oh my, Xiao Dong has found a girlfriend. He says she lives nearby," Li Xiuying commented after glancing at Wang Dongdong.
Chen Fan smiled and replied, "It's good as long as she's reliable." He was subtly referring to materialistic women like Su Yuxin. Li Xiuying knew this and said, "This time she's reliable. Xiao Dong says the woman is a nurse at a local hospital, has a proper job, and is kind and gentle."
"That's good," Chen Fan said casually.
Wang Dongdong, however, looked somewhat sheepish. Observing his expression, Chen Fan knew he must have bragged a lot to the woman. Old habits die hard, after all. Furthermore, Wang Dongdong looked presentable today; if he remembered correctly, he was wearing the designer suit he had worn before the Su family. That suit was worth tens of thousands and was bought by Su Yuxin to complete her charade. Chen Fan was too lazy to bother with these trivial matters. After eating, he picked up a book and began to read, passing the time. Wang Dongdong, restless, helped Li Xiuying with a few things and then took his leave.
"Xiao Fan, I think Wang Dongdong has changed quite a bit," Li Xiuying said, sitting down beside him.
"Aunty, you can only tell after some time," Chen Fan replied. Li Xiuying nodded and said no more.
As the afternoon wore on, Chen Fan personally went to pick up Nannan from kindergarten.
"Wang!" Meiji handed Nannan over to Chen Fan. "The Prophet said those people are probably getting impatient and might make a move in the next couple of days. He predicts tonight is a strong possibility."
"And he suspects they might have already formed an alliance!"
"How so?" Chen Fan asked.
"They all disappeared simultaneously for a period last night!" Meiji replied. "Starting today, there's only one person tailing you at a time, and they appear in shifts."
Chen Fan nodded. "Get ready. I don't want any of them to slip through!" He said no more, got into the car with little Nannan, and then picked up Su Yingxue. Upon returning to Villa Number One, everything seemed as usual. By eleven o'clock, everyone except Wang Tingting had gone to rest. The sound of a lock clicking echoed, and the door opened. It was Meiji.
"Wang, it's basically confirmed. They're going to act. The Prophet sent me to await your orders!" Meiji said. "As I came in, Shadow, disguised as a security guard, covered for me. Those people should not have arrived yet!"
"You've come at the right time!" Chen Fan was not surprised. "Take everyone inside the villa to the basement and keep watch there!"
Meiji's face fell. "I wanted to fight alongside you, Wang!"
Chen Fan looked at her without speaking. On such matters, Meiji dared not disobey Chen Fan's will and began her task. Including Su Yingxue, no one had locked their doors, saving some effort. They were made to inhale the prepared sleeping gas and fell into a deep, unshakeable slumber. The only exception was Wang Tingting. She slept late, so Chen Fan found an excuse to knock on her door, and Meiji then knocked her out with ether. This was done to ensure their safety. The villa's basement was a wine cellar with good ventilation, rendering them safe even if the intruders used powerful weapons like grenades. After finishing these preparations, Chen Fan turned off the lights and sat in the darkness.
Outside, the night was deep. While not entirely silent, the villa district had grown quiet. A car, returning late, drove past, its headlights momentarily illuminating a patch of woods within the compound. Two figures stood silently in the woods, gazing at Villa Number One.
"How much longer?" Sand Knight asked.
"Twenty minutes!" Snow Knight replied, holding a combat knife.
"Snow, are you sure about letting others go in to scout first?" Sand Knight inquired.
"Yes," Snow Knight said. "I still have a bad feeling."
"Perhaps you're being too sensitive!" Sand Knight whispered. "The environment and culture are different. In this mysterious, ancient Eastern country, we are outsiders!"
"Perhaps," Snow Knight said reluctantly. "Anyway, I'd rather fail the mission than get myself killed here."
"I told you, you're sensitive. Perhaps it's a woman's nature to be more emotional." Snow Knight shook her head and said no more.
...
Behind a thicket of bushes, seven or eight people were huddled together. The man in charge, looking at his watch, said in a low voice, "Check your gear!" The clattering sound of bolts being cocked echoed. Someone asked, "Boss, weren't we supposed to wait until midnight?"
A man in camouflage and body armor, fully armed, squatting nearby, sneered, "Who the hell is going to stick to the agreement with them?" "We'll make our move first. When they enter the villa, we'll take them out too!" "These rats hiding in the dark, they make me sick. If it weren't for the fact that this is Greater China, I would have dealt with them long ago!" "This mission is worth a hundred million US dollars. We must complete it. That item can only belong to our Satan Mercenary Group!" With that, he suddenly stood up and whispered, "Prepare!"
Everyone tensed. The man made a signal, and the eight people split into two groups,繞过灌木丛 (bypassing the bushes), lowered their bodies, and quickly approached Villa Number One. One team headed straight for the main entrance, while the other circled around to the rear of the villa.
On the second floor of Jiang Shaolong's garden villa, a sniper rifle lay silently. Behind the rifle, Xiao's expression grew serious. "It's finally starting. This time, I will be the victor!" "When a killer ranked in the top hundred globally gets serious, it will be your nightmare!"