CHAPTER 301: CHAPTER 289 TIMED BOMB

"He went to the Middle East at the same time you left Yanjing, following orders from above, and he has been missing ever since."

"The Middle East?"

"Yes! Before the boss departed, he left a verbal message for me to hand this over to you personally." A disc and a thick envelope, sealed with a wax stamp exclusive to Dragon Soul, were handed over as he continued, "The boss instructed that this matter must wait for his return. The general is not to take action on his own."

"Got it!" The items in his hands were heavy, but not as heavy as his heart.

The people Night Eagle brought were just like him, Xiao Lin amusingly watched them disappear right in front of him, like ghostly apparitions—or rather, phantoms. Perhaps those who deal with intelligence are always this elusive. Lying on a bed scattered with petals, the fragrance was strong, detracting from the romantic atmosphere. Xiao Lin’s mind was racing; the Middle East wasn’t a domain Dragon Soul was involved with. If there were large-scale operations, surely Lao Long would have notified him, but he hadn’t received any orders so far. What was happening over there that required Night Eagle’s deployment?

Fiddling with the documents in his hand, Xiao Lin closed his eyes to ponder. The mutation of the HTC4 virus hadn’t truly ended. Although the news reported that the outbreak had been controlled, he knew it was just a facade. As mentioned in that email, the virus had no cure, the only possibility left was that no one else would get infected, and those already infected were on a path to death.

The phone chimed a pleasant ringtone; it was a message from Xia Xue, asking whether he planned to accept the invitation from Xun Xiangxiang. Since when did they get so close? After replying with a few words, Xiao Lin took a shower and walked out of this labyrinth.

As he got out of the car, from afar, he saw his little white QQ, surrounded by a bunch of women with Xia Xue at the center. Walking closer, he heard a young punk ranting aloud.

"Here again? Can’t we find another spot?" Xiao Lin knocked a bump on Xun Xiangxiang’s head, then planted a kiss on Xia Xue’s face, causing an uproar among the others.

"Haven’t seen me all day; did you miss me?" Xiao Lin asked with a gentle smile.

"The Military Doctor is getting more and more dishonest," a soft, effeminate voice sounded from beside him. The slender face was unforgettable because it was so feminine.

"Xiang Fei!"

"Yes, and me and Moon too." Jimo hugged Moon’s waist and winked at Xiao Lin, "In the Military Doctor’s eyes right now, there’s only one person, the military wife. We can’t catch his eye at all."

"Alright, this place is about to become a vinegar jar; aren’t we leaving?"

"We didn’t get to have fun last time, so this time we must enjoy ourselves fully."

A group of people flowed towards the Dragon and Tiger Heaven and Earth Entertainment City, with Xiao Lin smiling and watching everyone around him. A sharp glint briefly flashed in the corner of his eye.

"What’s the matter?" Xia Xue noticed the subtle change in Xiao Lin and turned her head to look at him.

"Nothing, just give me the car keys and I’ll park the car." Looking at her lovely little face, Xiao Lin couldn’t resist pecking it lightly again, "I’ll be up soon; send me the room number."

He watched as the group entered the elevator, unconsciously moving his neck. It seemed a lot had happened during his absence from Yanjing. After parking the QQ in the underground garage, he simply sat inside the car without getting out. Shadows appeared in the rearview mirror but quickly disappeared. Xiao Lin let out a cold chuckle, opened the car door slowly, and stepped out.

In rhythm with his leather shoes on the cement ground, Xiao Lin rarely smoked, but it didn’t mean he didn’t know how. Occasionally lighting a cigarette would still elicit surprise from women. He lit a cigarette, walked past a parking space, and at an almost invisible speed, flipped the man hiding behind a pillar to the ground. The burning cigarette butt cruelly stabbed into the opponent’s eye, causing a guttural scream.

"With this little skill, you think you can learn to ambush someone?" Xiao Lin stated coldly.

"Come on out!" Xiao Lin said loftily as he stood up.

Seeing their companion subdued, a few others emerged from the shadows, holding machetes as they approached Xiao Lin slowly, not daring to advance for real.

"Are you Xiao Lin?" The one who seemed to be their leader asked.

"Yes!"

"Then it’s you, no doubt."

The opponents were undoubtedly weak; this was certain, but they were tenacious. This realization gave Xiao Lin a bad premonition; the killing intent he sensed on the road earlier wasn’t something these guys could have caused. They were at most petty gang members, posing no threat. Such persistent harassment was clearly just to buy time.

"Let go!" Giving a final elbow strike to the one stubbornly hanging in there, the person collapsed to the ground with a whimper.

"Go back and tell your master not to fight other people’s battles." After saying this, Xiao Lin knocked the person out with a kick and directly rushed towards the express elevator.

Leaving the bodyguards behind, Chopin deliberately concealed his sharpness, blending into the crowd. Shortly upon returning to the country, he received an invitation from Xiangxiang, and he was looking forward to meeting everyone. While adjusting his attire in the elevator’s mirror, he accidentally brushed against the serious-looking person next to him.

"Sorry!" Chopin said with a smile.

The latter simply glanced at him without saying a word, continuing his silence. The cold gaze made Chopin feel very uncomfortable; this vibe was something he was very familiar with.

Ding! The elevator stopped at the fourth floor. Chopin walked out, looked back at the person once more, and walked into Box 407, where howling was already echoing.

"Chopin!" Xun Xiangxiang jumped off the sofa and pounced in front of Chopin, "Our superstar is here. Let him sing us a song from the new album! What do you guys say?"

No one objected; cheers erupted, and screams followed.

"No problem!" Taking off his coat and hanging it on the rack, Chopin took the microphone and effortlessly sang a song from his new album. As an international superstar, he had the ability to stand on such a stage. When Xiao Lin returned to the suite door, his heart eased halfway; maybe he was overthinking. Just as he was about to open the door, a hand landed on his shoulder. Instinctively, Xiao Lin stepped forward with his right leg.

"General, it’s me!" A waiter passing by cast a nostalgic look at the two men standing very close, smiling as they left.

"Keep it quiet, follow me please."

Gently releasing the door handle, Xiao Lin closed the door. The people inside remained completely unaware. They entered the safety passage, heading towards the fifth floor.

"Look!" Xiao Lang pointed to a rather hidden area where a ticking sound was coming from, commenting, "There are several such small devices."

"Have you identified the type of bomb?" Xiao Lin’s expression became serious. From the ticking sound, it seemed to be a timed device, but the power of this bomb remained unknown. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian.com to cast your vote of recommendation or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)