Chapter 234 Secret Meeting at the Teahouse
The next afternoon, Bai Shu was in his suite looking through the information on various figures in Hong Kong sent by Dong Cunshan when there was a knock on the door.
It was January.
“Miss, the manager of Saixi Lake Hotel has come in person. He is in the lobby downstairs and said he has a letter that he must deliver to you personally.”
Bai Shu put down the documents, a slight smile playing on his lips, and casually ordered, "Let him come up."
A moment later, the hotel manager, who was over fifty years old and a prominent figure in Hong Kong's catering industry, stood respectfully at the suite door, holding an envelope in his hands, his forehead covered in fine sweat.
"Miss Bai." He didn't even dare to lift his head.
Bai Zhu didn't speak. Yi Yue stepped forward, took the envelope, and closed the door.
There was no letter paper in the envelope, only a folded napkin with a line of small, elegant characters written on it in a fountain pen.
"Tomorrow at noon, Lu Yu Tea House, third floor, private room."
Bai Zhu held the paper strip above the ashtray, struck a match, and watched it turn to ashes.
What's meant to come will come.
The next day, Bai Shu changed out of her smart suit and put on an elegant off-white cheongsam with delicate clusters of dark-patterned crabapple blossoms embroidered on the collar and cuffs.
Her long hair was loosely tied back, secured with a simple jade hairpin, giving her a gentle and graceful air reminiscent of the water towns of Jiangnan, which seemed out of place in the bustling modernity of Hong Kong.
Luk Yu Tea House is located on an old street and is one of the most famous old establishments on Hong Kong Island.
The teahouse was bustling with activity, the air filled with the rich aroma of Pu'er tea and the sweet scent of pastries. Waiters carried tea trays among the crowded tables and chairs, calling out their wares loudly, creating a lively, bustling atmosphere.
The appearance of Atractylodes macrocephala brought a moment of silence to the noisy scene.
Qin Zheng, dressed in an ordinary jacket, walked beside Bai Shu. His imposing figure and cold, hard aura blocked out any ill-intentioned glances. Yi Yue followed behind like an inconspicuous secretary.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Bai Shu stopped and said to Qin Zheng, "You and Yi Yue wait outside."
"Miss, it's not safe." Qin Zheng frowned.
"Don't worry." Bai Shu's tone was calm. "This is Hong Kong Island, not a battlefield. Sometimes, one person's goal is smaller than three people's."
Alone, she slowly climbed the wooden stairs to the third floor.
Qin Zheng watched her figure disappear around the corner, then turned and went downstairs. He walked to a slightly worn Toyota on the street corner opposite the teahouse, opened the door, and got in, his gaze fixed on the entrance to the teahouse and the window on the third floor. As for January, she had already disappeared into the crowd.
The third floor was much quieter than the downstairs, with only a few tables occupied by customers.
The innermost private room had a bamboo curtain half-drawn.
Bai Shu walked over and gently knocked on the door frame.
A hoarse, weary voice came from inside: "Please come in."
Bai Zhu lifted the bamboo curtain and went inside.
In the private room, a white doctor in his fifties, wearing a white coat, had been waiting for some time. He had thinning blond hair, deep-set eyes, and bloodshot blue eyes. He exuded a weariness and dejection, as if he had been drained by long-term mental stress.
He is Benjamin.
Upon seeing Bai Zhu, a complex mix of emotions flashed in Benjamin's cloudy eyes.
He didn't get up, but looked her up and down, and spoke in broken Chinese, his first words carrying a resigned sarcasm: "You are as bold as your mother, and as...naive."
Bai Shu sat down opposite him, picked up the teapot, poured two cups of tea, and pushed one of them towards him.
“Naive people don’t live to see this day.” Her voice was soft, but it made Benjamin stiffen.
Benjamin gave a wry smile, picked up his teacup, and drank it all in one gulp, as if drinking alcohol to bolster his courage.
“I admit, I owe Bai Xiuzhu a life. Twenty years ago, if it weren’t for her, my family would have died in cholera long ago. So, I’m here today.” He slammed his teacup down.
"But I'm only coming this once. After I say this, I'll leave, and from now on we'll be even."
“Okay.” Bai Shu nodded.
“Sacred Heart Clinic is just a front.” Benjamin spoke very quickly.
"It's just a high-end medical center and a backup blood bank; you'll never find the real core laboratory."
Where is it?
“Thirty nautical miles east of Hong Kong Island, there is a private island that the Huo family bought and renamed ‘Nightingale Island.’ That’s the real den of evil.” Benjamin’s body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"The laboratory is codenamed 'Moon Goddess's Box' and is heavily guarded by the Huo family's own security team. It has a three-layer defense system on land, sea, and air. There is an anti-submarine net underwater and radar on the island. Not even a fly can get in."
Bai Shu's heart sank suddenly.
Where is Lu Jingyue?
“She’s in the ‘Moon Goddess’s Box’.” A hint of pity flashed in Benjamin’s eyes. “That German genetic madman, Schmidt, is doing the final genetic tweaks on her. They… they want to turn her into a perfect ‘weapon.’ Once the tweaks are complete, they’ll immediately transfer her to the ‘Eagle’s Nest’ headquarters.”
"Time." Bai Shu's voice was icy cold.
"At most... one week."
One week!
Bai Zhu's fingernails were deeply embedded in her palm.
Benjamin seemed to have made up his mind. He took something wrapped in oil paper from his pocket and quickly stuffed it into Bai Shu's hand.
"This is a copy of the internal security rotation schedule for Nightingale Island that I secretly made using my authority as dean, along with a simple structural diagram that I drew from memory," he warned, his face pale.
"But I advise you not to go! The island is covered with the most advanced infrared alarms and pressure sensors available at the time. Forcing your way in would be suicide! Your mother wouldn't listen to advice back then..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a loud crash came from downstairs as a table was kicked over, followed by a flurry of footsteps and shouts of alarm.
A chilling atmosphere quickly spread up from the stairwell.
From the miniature communicator on Bai Shu's wrist, Qin Zheng's urgent and deep voice came through: "Target spotted! Anderson has brought his men up! At least ten of them, and they're all armed!"
Benjamin's face turned deathly pale in an instant. He stared at Bai Shu in horror, his lips trembling, "He...how could they...I'm being followed! It's over, we're all finished!"
He suddenly stood up, intending to jump out of the window.
A hand suddenly grabbed his wrist with lightning speed, its strength astonishing.
Bai Shu had already stood beside him at some point. There was no trace of panic on her face, and her clear, cold peach blossom eyes even carried a hint of calculating coldness.
"Dean, what's the panic?"
She pulled Benjamin, whose legs were already weak, to the window and pointed with her chin to the street corner across the street.
"Look there."
Downstairs, a man in a sharp suit and gold-rimmed glasses was leading a group of burly men in black into the teahouse. He was none other than Anderson, Huo Qishan's deputy, codenamed "Butler".
Anderson seemed to notice the gaze from upstairs and looked up.
When he saw Bai Shu and Benjamin at the window, a cruel sneer appeared on his face.
But the next second, Bai Shu raised his hand and slowly pointed to the other side of the street.
Across the street corner, a black Hongqi sedan with a special mainland license plate was parked quietly. Beside the car door, a tall, aloof man leaned against the vehicle. He wasn't looking at the teahouse; instead, he was slowly wiping a uniquely shaped military dagger with a white cloth.
Seemingly sensing Anderson's gaze, the man looked up.
Those were eyes no matter what.
Unfathomable, devoid of any emotion, yet imbued with a tangible killing intent born from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The moment Anderson saw the man, his sinister smile froze, and his pupils contracted sharply. Though he was in Hong Kong, he knew the identities of some important figures on the mainland like the back of his hand.
Lu Jingyan!
How could he be here?! And in such a brazen way, appearing here so openly!
This is not a coincidence, it is a warning! It is a blatant demonstration!
Anderson's face went from red to white, then from white to green—a truly spectacular sight. His bodyguards, sensing the shift in their boss's aura, were all somewhat bewildered.
Upstairs in the private room, Benjamin also saw Lu Jingyan's figure and the Hongqi car that represented his special status. He was shocked and his mouth dropped open, almost unable to believe his eyes.
Bai Shu withdrew her hand, leaned close to Benjamin's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Don't be afraid, this is my trump card."
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