Crimson Instinct

*Xin Lei*, ---

We came out of the camp, where we met Sergeant Qian.

He saluted at Bai Li. "I am glad that the negotiation went well with the General. I wasn't really expecting him to compromise."

Bai Li shrugged. "We are not completely out of the loop yet, but it's a great start."

Sergeant Qian handed my phone back.

Ah, finally, my phone!

"Where will you be heading to, Major?"

"First, we have a little work at Andingzhen, and then we are off to Langfang and that too quickly. Somebody is already heading towards the danger. We have to save him before it's too late."

"Please don't hesitate to call me if you need any help."

Bai Li nodded. He felt his way in the air and reached his shoulder. He patted it and smiled.

We saluted and left the premises.

The officers had done the courtesy of bringing Uncle Rong's car here.

When we sat back in the car, I typed. "Bai Li. If they trap their victims here in Andingzhen, then they would surely have a base somewhere here."

Bai Li said, "It is possible that Chu Jie could have been taken there first."

I typed. "How will we find it?"

We both thought for about a minute when Bai Li smiled. "We don't need to. Remember, Gen Gen?"

It struck me. They would send some men after us again to silence us. But then there was a significant flaw.

I typed. "Bai Li, they want to kill us on sight. Why would they take us to their base, especially after they know what happened with Gen Gen?"

"Well, we have to make them take us. We have to make a sort of leverage here. We just have to reach their base anyhow."

I thought about it and got an idea.

I smiled and typed. "I think I know what to lie about."

---

Dongcheng.

Rong Zhengsheng met face to face with Rodey.

"What are you talking about?"

Rodey sneered. "It was difficult, indeed. You really made me use my brain cells to find you."

"I don't understand what you are saying."

"I am not speaking any foreign language here."

Rong Zhengsheng paused for a beat. "You have got the wrong guy."

Rodey raised his right brow. "Oh, rest assured, you are the right guy. I mean not exactly, but you are the means to find the right guy. If I cannot find Xin Nianzu, then I have to find someone who can take me to him."

"Who is Xin Nianzu?"

Rodey smirked. He slowly took out his gun. But Rong Zhengsheng was unperturbed of the threat.

Rodey raised his arm and aimed his gun at him. "Are you taking me to him or not?"

Rong Zhengsheng said nothing.

But then, Rodey suddenly turned his arm towards the sky and fired a shot without batting an eye. A woman's shrill came from a distance.

"Ahhh!! He has a gun!"

Rong Zhengsheng jerked his head towards the scream and saw a woman trembling in place. The grocery bag fell from her hands, and she was looking at them in horror with her hands covering her mouth.

Rong Zhengsheng wanted to tell her to keep going, but Rodey didn't let him. "No. Just stay and answer my question, or should I shoot a bullet through her?"

Rodey was calm. His expression told Rong Zhengsheng that he had threatened like this many times before.

The light crowd that was spread across the area started gathering around the woman, hearing her scream.

The crowd saw the two men in a face-off and had the same reaction as that of the woman.

"G-Gun! Run away!"

There was chaos all around. Nobody had guts to call the police.

Rong Zhengsheng gritted his teeth. "Fine! I will take you to him!"

Rodey sneered. "That is a good choice you made. Now get going."

Without any choice left, Rong Zhengsheng started walking ahead with Rodey following behind him.

The crowd didn't move an inch as they left the area.

The same woman asked fearfully. "W-what should we do?"

"Call the police?"

Another man vehemently protested. "Are you crazy? That man holding the gun looked like a loan shark! It must be that the other man didn't pay his debt."

"Yes, yes! He must want his money back, so he was threatening him. Let's not get into it."

"No kidding or his gang might target us!"

Reaching a consensus, they quickly scurried away from the scene.

*Xin Lei*, ---

It was three in the afternoon, and I was driving along the road to a place in Andingzhen, where there was a black market. Bai Li said that with his experience in the Army, he was sure that something would definitely happen.

We talked to Lin Zihao on the way, and with his contacts, he gave us the location of that black market.

Our presence would stir the people there, and they will quickly gossip about us two strangers entering their area in their network.

It will soon reach the ears of our enemy, which is exactly what we wanted.

We didn't get the time to talk about Chu Jie because Lin Zihao had to leave for an urgent task.

I hoped that we reach Chu Jie in time.

As I kept driving, a woman suddenly jumped in front of the car.

What!?

I quickly pressed the brakes hard. The car jerked forward with a sudden stop. One second late, and I would have hit her!

Damn, it was a close call! What was she thinking!?

Bai Li asked alert, "What happened?"

"Arf! Arf!"

I quickly typed. "A woman just jumped out of nowhere in front of the car."

"Wait. Let me get down first."

Bai Li and Cocoa went out.

"Cocoa. Find."

Cocoa immediately started sniffing around our car and then a little distance farther away, but still close.

Cocoa came back and obediently sat.

Bai Li nodded. "Come out. There is nobody else here. Let's check on her."

The place was relatively deserted.

I stepped out and rushed to the woman's side. Cocoa guided Bai Li, walking in the front. The woman was lying on her side, her back to me.

Was she hurt somewhere? Did she want to jump to suicide?

As a doctor, I couldn't waste time. If she needed medical help, then I had to be quick.

I didn't see any injuries on the side visible to me. I bent and shook her shoulder to know if she was still conscious.

But then the woman suddenly turned, grabbed my hand, and aimed a shiny object at my neck.

It was a knife.