Chapter 4: The fish of appetite is hooked

It rained several times in Huajiang City in June, and the sunlight was never strong. Everything in front of us was covered with a layer of gray, and the wet cool breeze brought the smell of mud.

Tang Zhilu rubbed his brows and rolled up the car window. For him, this faint smell of mud was simply unbearable. But even with the car window closed, the wet, fishy and sticky smell seemed to linger in his nose.

Tang Zhilu leaned back irritably. The stuffy air on a rainy day was hard not to feel upset.

"Take the back street and drive slowly."

Soon the scenery in front of me changed. The tall buildings suddenly became much farther away, and the greenery on both sides of the road grew lushly and casually, without the neat, mechanical, artificial feel of the central street.

The car slowed down and soon reached the back door of the building.

The back street is close to commercial office buildings, so it naturally has a strong business atmosphere. The shop decoration style is also darker and business-like, the cooler the better. However, recently a brightly colored cream-style dessert shop squeezed in.

There are many flowers on the open-air seats in front of the store. The colors are bright and highly saturated. They are arranged in a staggered manner, which makes people happy. From a distance, they look like a watercolor painting.

It is the only bright color in this gray and dull world.

Tang Zhilu stared at it for a few more seconds as if possessed by something. Just as the car was about to pass in front of the store, he suddenly felt a tingling sensation in his heart for some reason.

As if guided by some mysterious force, he looked up and saw the tightly closed shop door suddenly pushed open and a young man walked out.

The leaves of the flowers on the second floor of the store were drooping, and Tang Zhilu could not see his face clearly. He could only see his hair that was like pink mist. His whole body was hidden behind the thick green grass leaves, but he looked bright white in such dim sunlight.

He had his back to Tang Zhilu, wearing a white T-shirt and washed blue jeans, and the black apron laces showed off his slender waist.

Tang Zhilu tapped the car window with his fingertips, and a cool breeze blew in. Among the complex and sweet floral scents and mellow coffee flavors, he keenly caught the familiar sweet taste.

But it was too faint, and before he could do anything, the young man seemed to have noticed something and subconsciously turned his head to look over. The next moment, he was called back into the store by someone inside.

Tang Zhilu rolled up the car window and watched him turn around, open the door and leave. The young man left no trace behind, as if it was just a dream of his own.

Only the faint ringing of the doorbell could be heard.

"Oh no, no bite."

As soon as Du Yanze walked into the store, he heard Yang Zhao's gloating teasing. He was not angry, but was in a good mood with a smile on his lips.

"He's not that difficult to deal with. He's not far from being solved."

After hearing this, Yang Zhao's smile froze, and she stood up and followed him into the bakery. Although she did not participate in the clearing operation within the SDD, no one would not be unaware of this officer codenamed "Hunter"...

"Well, sir... you remember that our mission is not to kill Tang Zhilu, right?"

When Yang Zhao knew that this person was the one sent, she was secretly sweating for Tang Zhilu.

Hunter is tall and slender, has a pretty face, and is a Cake in a dangerous situation. But he is the chief of the SDD special operations team and the only Cake in the SDD special operations team.

It is also said that this officer hates negotiations and confrontations the most, and is a violent person who believes in beating someone half to death before negotiating.

Yang Zhao recalled that when he had been reporting to the officials of the Ministry of Security of China a few days ago, they had repeatedly reminded him: "There is no evidence that Tang Zhilu may have participated in FA. Be careful with your behavior. This is China, where guns are completely banned. If you have any action, contact the local police, and don't fire a gun without authorization..."

"Oh, I remember now. Thank you for reminding me."

Du Yanze exclaimed in a pretentious manner. He was stirring the custard sauce for kohlrabi with his hands, and there was some flour on his apron. He looked like a sunny and cheerful young man.

"Otherwise I almost killed him." His voice was gentle and warm with a smile hidden in it, but Yang Zhao shuddered.

"Sir... our mission is to get close to Tang Zhilu, investigate the relationship between Tang Zhilu and FA, confirm whether he has confirmed the danger level for Fork, and cooperate with him if necessary... You still remember... right?"

Du Yanze responded nonchalantly, bent down and took out the copper mold for making Keluli. He lowered his head and concentrated on brushing oil on the copper mold. The light from his long eyelashes made Yang Zhao blush.

If Mr. Tang really doesn't take the bait, she will respect him as being... sexually apathetic.

"You're not worried at all? It's been several days, and he hasn't made any movement."

"No fisherman is in a hurry."

Du Yanze felt that everything was going well at the moment, but he also knew what Yang Zhao was anxious about.

Before returning home, they had already confirmed that the new president of FA, "Barnett", had appeared in China and was preparing to take root in China.

FA (Forks appetite) only accepts Fork, and believes that their Fork is the result of human evolution and has transcended the scope of humans.

It is believed that the man-eating Forks are at the top of the food chain, as evidenced by their increasing sense of smell and diminishing sense of taste.

Among ordinary people, there is a certain group of people who are called Cakes. For them, Cake is the most delicious food. A large number of FA psychopaths also think that eating a good quality Cake can restore their sense of taste.

They are quite rampant abroad, involving a wide range of people. They have a group of lackeys who are responsible for searching for cakes, or attacking the prey designated by the black gold members, and regularly organize so-called "appreciation meetings".

The SDD (Special defense department) they belong to is an official international joint organization that was established when the first Fork was discovered. It has close cooperation with security departments and police of various countries.

Currently, the most important and difficult task for SDD is to curb the spread of FA and obtain more information about FA as soon as possible.

The information they have shared with the police is that in just one month, there have been four confirmed missing persons cases related to FA in Huajiang City alone.

Three of the victims had close ties with Tang’s family, and Yang Zhao even knew one of them. She was really worried.

"Don't worry, the police and I have been investigating the progress simultaneously." Du Yanze put the copper mold in his hand into the oven, stood up and looked at Yang Zhao, his long eyelashes slightly raised, his eyes cold and stern.

"As long as they are still alive, I will bring them back. If they are killed, I will make those beasts regret being born."

Yang Zhao took a deep breath and nodded slowly, knowing that he had to stay calm at this moment.

Tang Zhilu's identity and position were unknown, so they couldn't alert him. If possible, they even needed to cooperate with him, and they couldn't offend him.

However, just when Yang Zhao had prepared himself to spend another week on the job, when he got off work that night, he was surprised to see Tang Zhilu carrying an umbrella and taking the elevator out the back door.

This direction... can only be towards the old street...

The fish finally took the bait.

*

It was cloudy all day and it finally rained in the evening. However, the rain was not heavy but continuous. The sound of it hitting the umbrella was not loud.

Tang Zhilu walked alone from the back door to the back street holding a black umbrella. He was still wearing a suit. The weather was a bit cold, so he wore his suit jacket neatly this time, which outlined his outstanding muscle lines.

But he was wearing gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, and he looked gentle and ascetic, and his every move revealed the oppressive feeling that only belongs to a superior.

In the steamy evening, the street lights were dim and ambiguous, but the dessert shop with lush flowers and leaves in front of the door looked especially fresh and quiet after being washed by the rain.

jingle……

The moment Tang Zhilu pushed open the door, the slow and soft English chanting like velvet reached his ears, but he was unable to listen carefully as his senses were immediately captured by other things.

The sweet aroma of caramel, the mellow fragrance of cream, the heavy aroma of bitter chocolate, and even the faint mint aroma on the windowsill, are lingering like a gentle net of senses.

"Sorry... We are not accepting guests yet..."

A gentle voice, along with that familiar sweet smell, approached Tang Zhilu.

Tang Zhilu turned around and saw his face.

Pink hair, still wearing a clean white T-shirt and washed blue jeans. But he has such a delicate and beautiful face, not androgynous, but it is indeed a level that both men and women would be stunned.

He was standing in the soft warm yellow light, and as he walked closer step by step, the secret sweet smell became stronger and stronger.

"Ah, it's raining... Then I've changed my mind. I can treat you tonight."

The young man stopped at a polite social distance, only leaning his head to look outside while speaking.

Tang Zhilu's heart suddenly tightened as he got closer. The inexplicable excitement made his fingertips tremble and his Adam's apple move uncontrollably.

But Tang Zhilu always knew how to control his emotions. He just nodded slightly and sat in the seat near the window without saying a word. However, this gentleman with a mysophobia forgot to put away the dripping umbrella next to him, which soaked his cuffs.

He slowly closed his palms, his muscles and bones bulged, revealing the flaws beneath his cold skin.

It was really that sweet fragrance that Tang Zhilu could hardly describe. The attraction was almost instinctive, as if something with a magical charm controlled his body first.

"It's cold outside, isn't it? Have some hot water first."

Du Yanze came over with a cup of hot water and greeted him with a smile, seemingly not caring about this cold and taciturn guest.

The faint female voice beside his ear sang a little faster, the words were sweet and the voice was still deep. Tang Zhilu did not stand up to take it, but just turned his head to glance at his cheek and said thank you in a light voice.

Du Yanze lowered his eyes slightly to hide the interest that flashed across his eyes. Then he walked to the table and put down the hot water. His soft fingertips accidentally rubbed Tang Zhilu's fingers.

Tang Zhilu immediately stepped back, his phoenix eyes swept across, and the hidden hostility almost penetrated his gold-rimmed glasses. Then he finally seemed to be unable to bear it anymore, took out a handkerchief to cover his nose, and his breathing seemed to become lighter.

Du Yanze blinked, a look of hurt surprise showing on his face.

No one had the heart to see a beautiful woman unhappy, but Tang Zhilu just said sorry in a cold voice.

Du Yanze smiled awkwardly and tried to smooth things over for him. "Ah, sorry. I've been dealing with the ingredients for a whole day. Maybe the sweetness is too strong."

Du Yanze apologized with a smile. His pink hair and fair and delicate face made Tang Zhilu keenly feel an inexplicable restlessness, and it was even more difficult to restrain the aura that surrounded him from the moment he approached.

Fortunately, Du Yanze immediately distanced himself from him, turned around and walked into the baking room not far away. There was only a glass wall separating it from the outside world, which immediately took away all the smells that made Tang Zhilu unbearable.

But he felt that the knuckles where he touched suddenly felt like burning. Tang Zhilu did not touch the glass of water, but pushed his glasses slightly and stood up to leave.

But Du Yanze pushed open the glass door and walked out quickly, handing him a white business card with a smile.

"Are you leaving? Here's my business card. The store will open next Wednesday, and I look forward to your official visit."

Tang Zhilu took the business card, but didn't put it in his pocket. He just nodded slightly and left with the umbrella. However, Du Yanze noticed that he used too much force with his fingers and left a mark on the business card.

Du Yanze turned around and picked up the cup of hot water left on the table, drinking it slowly, looking at his tall back, with undisguised joy in his eyes.

He tilted his head and looked through the glass window. Tang Zhilu was lowering his head and wiping his fingers with paper. Then he picked up the business card he had just handed him with the paper and threw it directly into the trash can not far away.

Du Yanze admired the man's calm and indifferent expression under the street light, and recalled his cold and almost beast-like eyes just now.

"You dislike me so much?"