Chapter 32 is passable.
Night fell like ink-soaked cotton, pressing heavily over the old city. The safe house Wu Xie had found was an old building from the Republican era, its walls long since faded. Only a dim yellow lamp in the living room shone, casting long shadows of the group.
Zhang Qiling stood by the window, his fingertips pinching the gaps in the blinds—his fingertips were calloused from years of holding knives and handling tombstones, and he was precisely manipulating the slats. As his gaze swept across the alleyway below, the corners of his eyes were as cold as ice. Hei Xiazi leaned back on the sofa, his legs crossed, twirling not an ordinary dagger in his hand, but the black and gold short blade that Zhang Qiling had casually tossed to him last year in the snowy Changbai Mountains when he noticed the scabbard was cracked. The blade reflected the lamplight, shimmering with a faint, cold light.
“Three men at the alley entrance, wearing black jackets, with their hands tucked behind their backs—they’re carrying guns.” Zhang Qiling’s voice was flat, yet more invigorating than the light of a desk lamp. “Two men on the roof of the building across the street, with binoculars—probably observation posts. And a silver-gray van parked at the end of the street, its windows tinted—there are at least two people inside.”
Black Bear paused, the short blade spun around with a "click" and landed steadily in his palm. He looked up at the person by the window, a smile playing on his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes: "Old Qiu is really going all out, daring to hire people from 'Night Owl'—I dealt with these bastards in Myanmar a couple of years ago, and they only care about money, nothing else."
Xie Yuchen came out of the inner room, his tablet screen still lit up. He swiped his finger across it twice: "I've checked. 'Night Owl' recently took on a high-priced job. The target wasn't named, only given us a few characteristics. The employer's information is encrypted, but judging from the transfer channels, it's related to Jude Kao's overseas account."
Wu Xie gripped the backpack strap tightly, his knuckles turning white—this wasn't his first time dealing with desperados, but he'd heard Fatty mention "Night Owl" a few years ago in Southeast Asia; they never left anyone alive. He swallowed hard and looked at Zhang Qiling: "So, shall we... fight them head-on? Or wait for Fatty and the others to come and help?"
"What's the rush?" Black Bear stood up, cracking his knuckles as he stretched his shoulders. He walked over and naturally moved closer to Zhang Qiling, lowering his voice, "Let's see what tricks Old Qiu is up to first—if he really wanted to make a move, he would have blown up this building long ago, instead of sending so many people to surround it."
The words had barely left his lips when a very faint creak came from downstairs, like a wooden plank breaking underfoot. Zhang Qiling's eyes sharpened, and he almost instantly flashed to the door, his hand resting on the black-gold ancient sword at his waist. Hei Xiazi didn't hesitate either; without a sound, he circled around to the other side of the door. The two of them, one guarding the left and the other the right, their shoulders almost touching—this kind of tacit understanding wasn't something that could be developed overnight. Last time in the underwater tomb in the Xisha Islands, they had done the same, back to back, to evade the siege of corpse beetles.
Soft footsteps came from outside the door, followed by the sound of a key being inserted into the lock. Zhang Qiling and Hei Xiazi exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes—this was a C-grade lock that Wu Xie had specially replaced, and no one except the four of them had the key.
The door was gently pushed open a crack, and a dark figure slipped in silently. The instant the person's toes touched the floor, Zhang Qiling pounced like a cheetah, grabbing the man's wrist with his left hand and holding a knife to his neck with his right. Hei Xiazi also stepped forward at the same time, pressing his knee against the man's lower back, blocking all escape routes.
"Don't move." Zhang Qiling's voice was as cold as ice. The blade was pressed against the other's skin; if it went any further, blood would be drawn.
The man suddenly chuckled softly, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Clan Chief Zhang, it's been a long time."
Black Bear raised his hand and turned the desk lamp this way. The light shone on the man's face, revealing a gruesome scar running from his left eyebrow to his jaw. Black Bear narrowed his eyes, a hint of surprise in his voice: "Scarface Li? How are you still alive? Didn't you lose contact with Jude Kao's men in Banna last time?"
Scarface Lee raised his hands, adopting a humble posture: "Blackie has a good memory. I'm not here to fight this time, I'm here to deliver a message."
Zhang Qiling's knife drew closer, the blade already slicing through the skin of the other man's neck, drawing blood: "Speak."
“Mr. Qiu asked me to tell Chief Zhang,” Scarface Li said calmly, “that he is willing to exchange the clues from the third floor of the Zhang Family Ancient Building for the jade pendant in your hand.”
Hei Xiazi chuckled and patted Zhang Qiling's arm—he knew Zhang Qiling's temper; he easily tensed up when it came to the Zhang family. The pat was meant to ease his tension. "Old Qiu's dreaming. Even if he gets the clues to the Zhang family's ancient building, he can't get in. Besides, Brother's jade pendant is a token of the Zhang family; can it be easily exchanged?"
Scarface Li pulled a leather envelope from his pocket and handed it over: "This is Mr. Qiu's 'sincerity.' He said that Chief Zhang will understand after reading it."
Zhang Qiling didn't take it. Hei Xiazi reached out and took it first, pinching the edge of the envelope with his fingertips, feeling it carefully, and then shining it up to the light to confirm that it was free of poison and listening devices before handing it to Zhang Qiling. Zhang Qiling took the envelope, his fingers pausing—he could feel that when Hei Xiazi handed him the envelope, his fingertips unconsciously brushed against his fingertips, carrying a slight warmth, as if reminding him to "be careful."
He opened the envelope; inside wasn't a letter, but a yellowed old photograph. The photograph showed a corner of the Zhang family's ancient building, with the Zhang family's distinctive Qilin (mythical creature) mark carved into the corner. Next to the mark was a crack—a crack Zhang Qiling recognized; it was from twenty years ago when he accidentally made it with a knife while investigating clues at the Zhang family's ancient building. On the back of the photograph were four characters written in calligraphy: "Strange Movement at the Bronze Gate."
Zhang Qiling's fingers trembled slightly—a rare display of his emotions. The Bronze Gate was the Zhang family's responsibility, and the heaviest burden on his heart. Now, with this sudden "abnormal activity," how could he not panic? Hei Xiazi immediately reached out and pressed his hand on Zhang Qiling's shoulder, his fingertips brushing against the old scar on his neck—a scar left from the underwater tomb in the Xisha Islands ten years ago. Back then, Zhang Qiling had been bitten by a corpse beetle while protecting him, leaving the scar. Hei Xiazi knew the origin of the scar better than anyone. "Brother, calm down. Don't completely trust Old Qiu's words."
“This photo is real.” Zhang Qiling’s voice was a little hoarse. “Only I know about the cracks in the corner of the ancient building. How did he get this photo?”
Xie Yuchen frowned as he flipped through the documents on his tablet: "I checked the Zhang family's files. Apart from the notebook that the young man has, the others are either in the ancient building or have been destroyed long ago. It's impossible for Jude Kao to have such private photos... unless someone tipped him off."
Just then, the jade pendant in Zhang Qiling's pocket suddenly emitted a faint green light. He quickly took it out and saw that the Qilin pattern on the jade pendant was slowly brightening, as if it had come to life. Moreover, the direction of the pattern was exactly the same as the mark of the ancient building in the photo.
Black Bear leaned closer, his fingertips only a centimeter from the jade pendant—he dared not touch it, afraid of disrupting its reaction. "It seems this jade pendant is connected to the mark of the ancient building. Old Qiu might want the jade pendant to find the entrance to the bronze gate."
Suddenly, the sounds of fierce fighting and gunshots erupted downstairs. Zhang Qiling rushed to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and saw Scarface Li fighting with several men in black—their clothes were the same as those of the "Night Owl" members at the alley entrance. Scarface Li was clearly outmatched; he took a stab wound to the chest, collapsed to the ground, and quickly fell silent.
"Prepare to move." Zhang Qiling made a quick decision, turning around to grab the backpack on the table. "This place has been exposed, and the 'Night Owl's' men will be coming up soon."
Black Bear grabbed his wrist, preventing him from leaving. "Wait." Black Bear's eyes were bright. "Don't you find it strange? If Scarface Li was really delivering a message for Jude Kao, why was he silenced by 'Night Owl' downstairs? He could have left after delivering the message; there was no need for him to stay here."
Zhang Qiling frowned and stopped what he was doing. Xie Yuchen suddenly spoke up: "Unless... what he really wants to give us isn't in the envelope. He staged this 'being silenced' act to draw our attention to something else."
Wu Xie had a sudden inspiration and clapped his hands: "It's a key! He opened the door with a key just now! We only have four keys, he couldn't possibly have one! There must be something wrong with that key!"
Zhang Qiling immediately walked to the door, squatted down, and carefully examined the keyhole. Hei Xiazi also squatted down, took out a thin wire from his pocket, carefully inserted it into the keyhole, and hooked it—quickly, a microchip, no bigger than a fingernail, was pulled out.
Hei Xiazi handed the chip to Xie Yuchen, who inserted it into the tablet. A coordinate quickly appeared on the screen, indicating an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city, with a line of smaller text below: "Come alone tomorrow at midnight—if you bring anyone else, the clues to the Bronze Gate will be lost forever."
“A typical trap.” Hei Xiazi sneered, reaching out to ruffle Zhang Qiling’s hair—a gesture that seemed natural, as if he had done it countless times. “Old Qiu just wants to lure you away alone so he can snatch the jade pendant.”
Zhang Qiling put away the jade pendant, his eyes resolute: "I'll go."
"Are you crazy?" Wu Xie exclaimed anxiously. "He's obviously setting a trap. It's too dangerous for you to go alone!"
Hei Xiazi pressed down on Wu Xie's shoulder, shook his head, and then turned to Zhang Qiling, his tone serious, devoid of his usual nonchalant attitude: "I'll go with you."
Zhang Qiling looked at him, wanting to say "no need," but Hei Xiazi's eyes were bright, carrying an air of unyielding authority. Hei Xiazi added, his voice low, so only the two of them could hear: "Last time at Changbai Mountain, I didn't go with you. This time, don't even think about getting rid of me again."
Zhang Qiling's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't speak. Instead, he nodded slightly—he knew that Hei Xiazi was a man of his word, and with Hei Xiazi by his side, he did feel more at ease.
Looking at the two of them, Wu Xie suddenly felt like a third wheel, so he coughed twice and said, "Then Xie Yuchen and I will go check the background of that abandoned factory and see if there's an ambush. You two... be careful."
As night deepened, the lamp in the safe house remained lit until dawn. Zhang Qiling sat by the window, stroking the jade pendant in his hand. Hei Xiazi leaned against the chair beside him, holding a map and quietly analyzing tomorrow's route. Occasionally, Zhang Qiling would ask, "Is there a secret passage here?" Hei Xiazi would lean closer, point to a spot on the map, and explain in detail—their shoulders rested together, the lamplight falling on them, creating a small, safe corner in this perilous night.
They both knew that the abandoned factory at midnight tomorrow would inevitably be a fierce battle. But as long as the other was by their side, they were willing to brave even the most dangerous traps.
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