Chapter 385
Lin Mengyao had dinner at Arthur’s house with her heart in her throat. Although she chewed the tender lamb chops, she didn’t taste anything. It wasn’t until she moved to the guest room prepared at Arthur’s house that she finally felt relieved.
“This dinner was really thrilling. I’ve never been so exhausted eating a meal since I was a child,” Lin Mengyao said coyly, rubbing her face against Xu Ke’s waist.
Xu Ke hugged Lin Mengyao’s shoulders with one hand while slowly combing through her long hair with the other, making her feel so comfortable that she closed her eyes like a kitten being petted by its owner.
“I somewhat regret bringing you here. I noticed you couldn’t even eat properly just now,” Xu Ke said, gently massaging the acupoints on Lin Mengyao’s head.
“What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you. Once you’re done eating, I’ll take you away from here. What do you think?” Xu Ke suggested, looking down at Lin Mengyao’s eyes.
“Can we really do that?” Lin Mengyao’s eyes brightened for a moment, but then dimmed again. “But you saw when we came in, so many people are guarding this mansion, and they have guns. It’s not easy for you to leave, let alone take me with you,” Lin Mengyao said in a whisper, clutching Xu Ke’s clothes like a thief.
“So when do we start? I feel very uncomfortable staying here. It’s better than that old place; at least there weren’t any perverts there,” Lin Mengyao said with a slight frown and a cute expression, making Xu Ke smile.
“If you want to leave, we can do it tonight,” Xu Ke said gently, “Just follow me, and I’ll take you out. Once we’re outside, we’ll stop a car and leave the city to someplace a bit farther for fun. But this means all our previous plans would be for nothing, and we’d need to make a new one.”
“It doesn’t matter. We can go anywhere,” Lin Mengyao said somewhat excitedly.
The two of them sat on the bed, Lin Mengyao leaning against Xu Ke’s chest, speaking in whispers as they waited for midnight. Midnight is the time when people’s willpower is weakest, the perfect time to escape under the cover of night. If they were cautious, their chances of successfully escaping the mansion would greatly increase.
As the time approached midnight, Lin Mengyao’s voice speaking to Xu Ke grew softer. Her hand gently hooked on Xu Ke’s clothes, ear against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, she whispered, “Xu Ke, I’m a little nervous. I wasn’t even this nervous during school exams. My hands and feet are weak.”
“Relax, as long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to you,” Xu Ke said, smiling as he held Lin Mengyao’s small hand, calmly watching the seconds tick by, his heartbeat never wavering.
With only five minutes left until midnight, a sound came from the doorknob. Lin Mengyao’s hand, which had been loosely holding Xu Ke’s clothes, immediately tightened, and her breathing became heavier.
“Shh!” Xu Ke placed his index finger against his lips to signal Lin Mengyao.
Lin Mengyao released her grip on Xu Ke’s clothes.
Xu Ke got off the bed, grabbed the fruit knife from the fruit plate, and slowly approached the door, ready to react the moment the person opening the door showed any ill intent, prepared to deal a fatal blow.
Under their watchful eyes, the door opened to a small crack, then widened until a tall figure appeared. Before the person could breathe a sigh of relief, a cold, sharp object was pressed against his neck, next to the carotid artery, able to cut it open at any moment, ensuring his death within seconds.
“Don’t move. Raise your hands and don’t try any tricks in front of me. The knife in my hand won’t blink,” Xu Ke whispered in the man’s ear.
The coldness in Xu Ke’s tone left goosebumps on the man’s neck.
“I mean no harm,” the man said hoarsely.
“It’s not up to you to say whether you mean harm or not. I’ll judge that. What are you doing in our room at this hour? Don’t tell me you walked into the wrong room,” Xu Ke replied, a hint of sarcasm and danger in his voice.
“I’m here to talk about cooperation. You probably don’t know yet, but you’ve been targeted by people from the East District. The words you said at the nightclub have spread, and now everyone there wants to get rid of you quickly. The only reason you’re still okay is that your images haven’t surfaced. But once someone investigates thoroughly, you won’t be able to hide for long,” the man said, swallowing hard at the cold blade’s touch.
“The folks in the West District will just watch the show; they won’t save you. You should realize this since the boss brought you here and they haven’t made any moves. If you want to save your life, you’ll have to rely on yourself. But now that I’m here, you have another option. In China, there’s an old saying about a clever rabbit with three burrows, right? I don’t think you’d mind having an extra escape route,” the man said tentatively, trying to move his neck away from the knife, only to feel a cut on his skin, pain and coldness lingering.
“I told you, don’t move,” Xu Ke warned.
“I know my situation without you analyzing it. But you’ve said so many important things without explaining anything. How am I supposed to trust you and work with you?” Xu Ke asked, his voice cold.
“My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Olden Hood from the US Interpol unit, ordered to infiltrate and investigate the crime evidence of the bosses in the East and West Districts. However, the progress is not very smooth. I haven’t been able to enter the core area of the East District, let alone the West District, so I need your help. The city residents also need it,” Hood said with a solemn expression.
“Why do you think I can do what you couldn’t? Moreover, what benefit is it for me? It would only put my life in danger. Why would I risk my life for people I don’t even know? More importantly, how do I know you’re telling the truth?” Xu Ke threw questions at Hood one after another, not giving him any time to breathe.