CHAPTER 333: CHAPTER 312: MOTHS TO A FLAME

Three tall men quickly ran toward the gate, trampling over the flowers in the courtyard, advancing toward their destination. Xiao Lin closed his eyes, and this image appeared in his mind. There were messy footprints on the grass, and one set attracted his attention. He had originally planned to give up, but on a whim, he found himself at the villa.

The left footprints were a half-inch deeper than the right, revealing a slight discrepancy with each step taken. One of the three men had an injured right foot, though corrected, subtle differences were still noticeable, difficult for an average person to detect.

Bang! The first man kicked open the door, wood chips scattered everywhere, the door collapsing against interior decorations. Xiao Lin kicked away the debris. The second man entered and started shooting inside, bullet holes left on the wall and scenes of flying paper flashed before his eyes. First to appear were the pet’s corpse; likely the first target of assault.

The loud noise downstairs disturbed Hardley. Holding a gun, he came down from upstairs and fired at the first man, the bullet hitting the wall at the stairwell. The second man attacked Hardley, causing him to fall on the stairs, rolling down to the stairwell, trying to get up. The third man shot him in the back, followed by a flurry of gunfire indoors before leaving.

Xiao Lin supported himself on the stairwell, fingertips tracing the bullet holes in the wall. The entire process took less than ten minutes, and he walked out of the front door. The villa had a large courtyard, cars parked on the grass, tire marks at the edges. He stood there, looking around; ten minutes was enough to produce witnesses.

Xiao Lin returned to his car and drove away from the scene.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Near the border of Jordan approaching Saud Arabia, there’s a valley that’s hard to spot on the map, hidden beneath a mountain. The environment is harsh, the climate fair, rocky cliffs, often ravaged by sandstorms. The place is nearly deserted, even caravans prefer to take a detour rather than pass through this canyon. Some even say it’s haunted, typical bandits wouldn’t consider setting up a hideout here.

Dust rose from the end of the valley, a military vehicle slowly emerged, bumping its way northward. This was the third vehicle, the thick cover concealing its contents from outside view.

"Inside is the first checkpoint, guarded by heavy machine guns. To enter, you have to climb over the hilltop on the other side—it’s extremely dangerous, the rock walls are smooth and hard to climb," Miao Shaoqing marked the position of the first checkpoint on a handmade map with a red pen, drawing an ’X’ next to it to represent where the machine guns are hidden. "After passing the first checkpoint, there’s a curve; here lies the second checkpoint, heavily guarded with two towers." Lastly, Miao Shaoqing pointed to a prominent location, looking at the other two, "Here is the strategic hideout, the legendary Fourth Uncle is here."

From the topographical map, this was indeed an excellent hiding place, like a hollowed-out nest, surrounded by mountains on three sides, one passageway, with towering cliffs on both sides, leaving no place to hide.

Xiao Lin rolled up the map. Forcing through was definitely not an option; our armed strength was less than one-thousandth of theirs. A sneak attack? The price was high, and timing didn’t favor a good landing: "Let’s go! Talk to Moth!"

Moth! A notable figure on Dragon Soul’s wanted list, ruthless, kills without blinking, once a member of special forces, disgruntled with current societal systems after retirement, leading him down the path of crime.

Due to his deep understanding of the police system, he’s managed to escape unharmed after multiple fatal incidents, drifting to the Middle East, becoming an assassin.

Through binoculars, the courtyard and pavilion looked entirely different from reality. A gun was always on the table, even during lovemaking, never far from his reach. Moth trusts no one; for someone living in constant tension, trust is a luxury. Real trust, to them, lies in interests, not themselves.

Interests among people are built on mutual ties but not absolute. You might get devoured by the other party, so such a foundation must be established where you have, and I have more, to secure a place.

Additionally, ruthlessness! If you’re not ruthless, wait to be annexed, for everyone wants your position, not just for money, but more for power. With power comes influence and more money.

Moth likes women, especially Western women!

When he’s once again deeply embedded within a woman, he roars like a beast. He enjoys watching the women beneath him play coy yet welcoming, likes seeing their wild abandon! Even more, enjoys hearing these women scream uninhibitedly. Simply put, the louder they scream, the more excited he becomes.

Hua Qingyi cleaned his ears and scoffed at the banned scene inside. This man is a psychopath; that’s his definition of Moth.

On Dragon Soul’s dossier, Moth appears suave, even a tad handsome, blending into a crowd, seeming like a white-collar worker. In reality, he’s a psychopathic killer.

"Action!"

On command, three men simultaneously stormed toward the pavilion from different angles, leaping, breaking down the door, intruding seamlessly.

Moth seemed to have eyes on his back as he detached from the woman, rolled naked to the side, holding a gun, turned around and fired, the woman screamed on the bed. Moth shot and ended her life, Xiao Lin frowned. Though he also detested such hysterical screams, it wasn’t enough to justify ending a life.

In his moment of hesitation, Moth darted out of the window, glass shards flying everywhere, fragments grazed Xiao Lin’s right cheek, a red line marred his face. He slowly surveyed the room, leaving Hua Qingyi outside.

"Trying to escape?" Anticipating Moth’s leap from the window, Hua Qingyi directly kicked the emerging Moth. The latter’s reflexes were evidently sharp, and he fell into the flower bed nearby, immediately lifting his right hand to pull the trigger. The bullet shot towards Hua Qingyi’s thigh in 0.01 seconds.

As Hua Qingyi once stated, within 0.01 seconds, much can be done. Hua Qingyi acted beyond comprehension; by the time the bullet reached the target Moth aimed to hit, Hua Qingyi was gone. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian（qidian.com）to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)