Chapter 74: A Dangerous Character!

After making a circuit around the commercial city, Chenfeng and Shanshan ended up carrying more than ten bags between them—half filled with Chenfeng’s new clothes, the other half with Lin Shanshan’s. This time, Chenfeng had truly splurged; Lin Shanshan had a knack for picking out only the priciest items, both for herself and for him. Fortunately, Chenfeng had exchanged some gold coins for cash ahead of time, or else he would have been unable to afford today’s spree.

As they exited the commercial city’s parking lot, Chenfeng noticed a heavy police presence nearby. Even some plainclothes soldiers were patrolling the area. The closer they drew to the convention center, the more police there seemed to be. Clearly, something significant was about to happen today.

Yu Qingyun?

“Shanshan, isn’t that your cousin?” Chenfeng spotted Yu Qingyun in full military uniform, patrolling the convention center with a group of soldiers. The deployment of ability-users from the military was a sign that something major was afoot. In his past life, Chenfeng had been captured by the organization around this time—he should have still been in training then.

“That’s him, but it looks like Qingyun has his hands full,” Lin Shanshan replied, following Chenfeng’s gaze until she saw Yu Qingyun herself. Normally she would have gone over to say hello, but given the circumstances, she decided not to disturb him.

Qinglong?

Chenfeng had intended to steer clear of trouble, knowing that something was bound to erupt today. Yet as he drove away, he caught sight of a familiar face. Pulling his car to the side, he observed a tall young man standing by the roadside—known by the alias Qinglong, one of the bombers from the Acid Rain Organization.

Unlike the Cobra Organization, Acid Rain was not a group of assassins, but rather a vast and mysterious network for making money through all manner of illicit activities. Its operations were even more secretive than Cobra’s; no one knew who the top brass were. Yet, wherever dangerous business was afoot, Acid Rain was almost always involved.

What made Acid Rain truly fearsome was their four “Bombers.” Each bomber had a miniature nuclear bomb implanted within their body, capable of self-detonation. If their hearts stopped, the bomb would go off automatically. These weren’t ordinary explosives; a single detonation could level a small town and irradiate an entire city.

The four bombers were known by the monikers Qinglong, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. The towering youth Chenfeng spotted was none other than the fabled Qinglong. Even ability-user assassins hesitated to confront such men; they could neither be killed nor provoked, lest everyone perish together.

A miniature nuclear bomb—if it exploded, the best outcome would be widespread radiation; the worst, instant annihilation. The only way to avoid disaster would be to flee the city at once. Most people lived in fear of these walking threats, but Chenfeng was their natural counter. He had undergone specialized training to deal with them in the past. With his metal manipulation ability, he could disable the bomb inside their bodies, but only from very close range, and with absolute precision—one misstep could trigger a catastrophe.

Dealing with Qinglong would be no challenge for Chenfeng, even if his powers had not fully recovered. But doing so would expose his identity, prompting investigations from countless organizations for any number of reasons.

“Shanshan, do you have your cousin’s number? I need to talk to him,” Chenfeng asked. If Yu Qingyun took action, Chenfeng believed the situation could be managed. If they could lure Qinglong to an isolated place, he could act without risk.

“Why do you need my cousin? He’s busy right now!” Lin Shanshan protested, though she still began searching for the number. After a brief exchange, she handed the phone to Chenfeng.

Taking the call, Chenfeng said, “Yu Qingyun? I’ve spotted a suspected dangerous individual. Have your men verify his identity. He’s on West Road near the convention center parking lot—jeans, white shirt, grey cap.”

“Who are you? How do you know my cousin?” Yu Qingyun was not easily convinced. If Lin Shanshan hadn’t called, he wouldn’t have answered at all.

“I’m your cousin’s boyfriend, Duan Chenfeng. We’ve met in-game. I can help you with this operation, but I hope you won’t mention anything about me to anyone,” Chenfeng replied. He knew it would be hard for Yu Qingyun to trust him, especially since this mission involved high-ranking foreign officials and there could be no slip-ups. But precisely because of that, Yu Qingyun had to take him seriously.

Yu Qingyun wasn’t one to bear grudges, especially not now; he wouldn’t target Chenfeng over any past game animosity. “Why should I trust you? I have no reason to believe someone whose background I don’t know.”

“You have no choice but to trust me. The dangerous individual I just told you about is Qinglong. I imagine you’ve heard of him. Even your military’s ability-users would find it nearly impossible to confront him,” Chenfeng said. If Qinglong wanted to wreak havoc or assassinate these officials, he only had to detonate the bomb within himself. But no one would do that unless absolutely necessary—who would willingly die? The creation of bombers by the Acid Rain Organization was extremely difficult, requiring not only special physical attributes but also risky and complex procedures; any mistake could cause a nuclear explosion.

Previously, Black Tortoise had already self-detonated during a mission, so Acid Rain was down to three bombers. No sum of money could buy these bombers, so even if a mission failed, they would never choose to self-destruct. Even if captured, the police and military had no choice but to release them; otherwise, a disaster was inevitable.

Qinglong?

Yu Qingyun’s eyes widened. He immediately told Xi Tianpeng to follow up; their people were already stationed in the area. In less than twenty seconds, Xi Tianpeng confirmed Chenfeng’s information.

“Don’t ask who I am—I don’t even know myself! All I can tell you is that, seeing Qinglong, some memories came back to me,” Chenfeng said. He realized he could use amnesia as an excuse; his background was clean, and no matter how much they investigated, nothing incriminating would surface. Besides, he was helping Yu Qingyun this time—there was no reason for trouble.

Killing Qinglong would be simple; Yu Qingyun could easily do so. But no one dared—if he detonated, not only would they die, the entire convention center would be obliterated. “I won’t say anything about you. Now, tell me—do you have a way to deal with Qinglong? There’s a miniature nuclear bomb inside him. We can’t kill him!”

“With your ability, you should be able to get him to leave, right? You don’t want to die, and neither does he. I doubt he’d sacrifice himself for a mission,” Chenfeng replied. Qinglong was likely here only to assist; as a bomber, he could help or escape as he wished—no one dared touch him. He could even make minor demands.

Chenfeng ended the call, memorized Yu Qingyun’s number, and drove Lin Shanshan home. The area near the convention center was unsafe; after dropping her off at her complex, he returned to a nearby mall. He couldn’t act outdoors without being seen; indoors was his only option.

If Chenfeng’s guess was right, Qinglong would flee into a nearby building if he needed to escape. The mall, crowded with people, was the perfect place. Chenfeng was there just in case; he was worried some clueless police officer might suddenly open fire on Qinglong, which would be disastrous.

No sooner had Chenfeng returned to the mall than he heard gunshots. The crowd panicked and fled. Chenfeng hid behind a display rack, watching the scene unfold. After about two minutes, the gunfire ceased, leaving only a cacophony of noise.

Alfie?

Peering through the shelves, Chenfeng spotted Alfie, the Cobra Organization’s ability-user assassin. His abilities were hypnosis and illusion, making him one of the organization’s four top killers. Chenfeng had no idea why the situation had escalated like this. Wasn’t Yu Qingyun supposed to drive Qinglong away? How had Alfie ended up here too?

Clearly, this was a major incident. Otherwise, even Alfie wouldn’t have surfaced. If this attack failed, there would surely be more trouble—at the very least, a retaliatory strike.

“I am the mayor of Sanjiang City! What is it you want?” The mayor was being held hostage, something Chenfeng had not anticipated.

“Useless fool!” Qinglong spat, pressing his gun to the mayor’s head. “Tell all police and soldiers to withdraw, or I’ll show you what a nuclear bomb can do!”

Chenfeng was beginning to piece things together. Since the military knew Qinglong was present, they wouldn’t simply let him run rampant. The conference would have to be suspended, but they would want to make these dangerous organizations pay. Most likely, the police and soldiers surrounded the area, cornering Qinglong and triggering their desperate response.

Given the style of China’s military ability-users, they would never sit and wait to die—they would try to infiltrate, no matter the risk. But anyone who tried would perish, and with Qinglong present, no one dared use heavy weapons. If the bomb exploded, everyone would die.

Chenfeng hadn’t expected that a simple outing would embroil him in such chaos. He felt no obligation to save the world; he just didn’t want anyone to provoke Qinglong into detonating, or he himself would be doomed. He knew Alfie’s combat style—he was confident he could take Alfie down here. But there was no need. The death of a dual-ability assassin would provoke the organization into a thorough investigation, and if they found him, it would spell trouble.

“Qinglong, how did they find you?” Alfie was incredulous. Qinglong had been in disguise, yet was still recognized. Even Alfie would have had a hard time picking him out, and Qinglong had never set foot in China—how had he been identified so quickly? If not for Qinglong being exposed, things wouldn’t have gone so badly.

“I have no idea. Someone inside just said the military found me!” Qinglong was baffled. He had come to observe, as usual, and never failed before—yet this time, he was exposed. He prided himself on his acting skills, appearing just like any ordinary citizen. Yet, even so, he had been found out. “Could there be a traitor?”

The operation had been perfectly planned, but it was ruined simply because he was identified before they could act. Qinglong was convinced there was a mole; otherwise, he couldn’t have been recognized. If he weren’t so uniquely valuable, he’d have been killed by a sniper already.

“That’s unlikely. I think the military’s ability-users arrived,” Alfie replied, just as confused by the sudden turn of events. He didn’t believe there was a traitor—unless he doubted his own powers, since he had hypnotized and questioned everyone about their pasts. The Cobra Organization couldn’t have a mole.

Could it be? What did Yu Qingyun and his men do?

Chenfeng hadn’t realized that his recognition of Qinglong would disrupt the Cobra Organization’s plans. With their mission thwarted, Qinglong would likely leave, and Chenfeng felt less concerned. As he was about to slip away, he saw a tall, professional-looking woman enter.

Do you have a death wish? Without thinking, Chenfeng rushed to grab her and cover her mouth as she was about to shout. This woman must be out of her mind—outside were assassins from the Cobra Organization, and if she charged out, she would be killed instantly!