Chapter 1795: Chapter 1028: Mr. Qingshui (2)
"With such loyal and capable generals, how can we worry about not accomplishing great things? From now on, Mr. Heize, you will be my left and right arm, our hearts open to each other, and my sincerity to you is unwavering," Qingshui Cangjie generously promised, as he desperately needed Heize Lin’s cooperation tonight.
While Qingshui Cangjie and Heize Lin were deep in brotherly camaraderie, in the hotel lobby, Yang Xiao and several others were playing cards. They were playing a niche folk card game, taught to them by Yang Xiao, commonly known as ’Drawing the King’.
This game is usually played by three people. Since Jiu Shan Shayue was too lazy to interact with them, Yang Xiao played with Sato Shouta and Nishimura Yuna instead.
"You lost, you lost!" Nishimura Yuna joyfully tore off a piece of paper, dipped it in a bit of saliva, and stuck it onto Yang Xiao’s face.
Oh, you ask why stick it on the face and not the forehead? Because the forehead was already covered.
Yang Xiao and the others played more than ten rounds, with nearly ten pieces of paper stuck to his face. At this moment, he was a bit too invested in the game, his eyes turning red.
Sato Shouta sensed the off atmosphere, softly suggesting they should stop playing, but Yang Xiao slammed the table, startling Nishimura Yuna. He commanded that no one was allowed to leave the table; they must keep playing, and anyone who quits while winning would be a coward.
So they played another dozen or so rounds, and Yang Xiao’s face soon ran out of space.
Jiu Shan Shayue watched from the sidelines, amused. She realized that Yang Xiao had no talent for card games. His love for playing was genuine, but he was utterly unskilled.
Yet she was puzzled because intelligence indicated that Yang Xiao was a game master, unmatched within the Rongcheng Patrol Division, on par with another young expert there, Qu Muzhi. They often arranged matches to exchange skills, equals in a game.
Yang Xiao was mentored by Director Nalan Shuo, proficient in games like Go and Chess.
But...but looking at Yang Xiao now, he didn’t seem to be pretending. He was on the verge of tears from losing.
Finally, with some cooperation and winks from Sato Shouta and Nishimura Yuna, Yang Xiao managed to win a few rounds back, restoring a bit of his dignity.
The harmonious atmosphere ended with the sound of screeching brakes. Yang Xiao and the others quickly removed the papers from their faces, Sato Shouta tidied up the cards, and Nishimura Yuna swiftly cleaned the table and sofa.
Soon, Qingshui Cangjie and Heize Lin walked in one after another, with mud on their pants and shoes, clearly having just come from the mountains.
But Yang Xiao’s attention was caught by the tennis bag Heize Lin carried on his back. It was bulging, and from its size and shape, it was obviously not a tennis racket, most likely a gun.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve found a way out of this place. As long as you cooperate tonight, we’ll all be able to go home soon," Qingshui Cangjie announced with a smile, preparing to offer peace before force, unable to hide the smug look on his face.
"Miss Xicun, bring out the prepared food. Mr. Qingshui and the others must be hungry by now," Jiu Shan Shayue instructed.
Hearing this, Nishimura Yuna nodded repeatedly and went to retrieve the heated food from the electric stove from the service counter but was stopped by Heize Lin.
"No need, we brought our own food, just a bite will do," Heize Lin replied with a grin, revealing an expression that showed he saw through them long ago.
"Then have some water," Sato Shouta offered, taking two bottles of mineral water from a box at his feet.
Unexpectedly, Heize Lin raised his hand and slapped the bottles away, mercilessly sneering, "You don’t understand human language? We don’t need it. You’re so eager to offer food and water, did you poison them or something? Huh?!"
"Mr. Heize, there’s no need to speak so harshly!" Yang Xiao stepped in.
"Hah!" Heize Lin pretended to put down the tennis bag, revealing a dark gun barrel—it was the shotgun they borrowed from Scarface’s henchmen, with only two guns in total.
Unfortunately, they had few bullets. Each gun had only one shell, as Scarface was also wary of them.
But it didn’t matter; they hadn’t intended to clash with Scarface. With these two guns, they could control the scene, suppress Yang Xiao and Jiu Shan Shayue, and seize control of the group.
Seeing the guns displayed, no one at the scene dared to utter any grievances, and Heize Lin coldly chuckled, only putting the gun away at Qingshui Cangjie’s request.
With the situation firmly in control, Qingshui Cangjie played peacemaker, pretending to scold, "Mr. Heize, what are you doing? We’re all teammates, survived through life and death together. Put the gun away; it’s not meant for our own people!"
Even Sato Shouta found these words hypocritical. If not for them, who else would the guns be used against? The Ghost?
"Since that’s the case, we’ll leave it to you, Mr. Qingshui. If there’s nothing else, we’ll go back to rest," Jiu Shan Shayue acted as if to leave.
"Stop!" Heize Lin’s tone turned cold.
"Miss Xin Yuan, I suggest we all not separate tonight. After tonight, we’ll be going home, and I truly will miss you all. We can gather, chat, and not let our meeting be in vain. What do you think?" Qingshui Cangjie asked with a smile.
Though it seemed like a request, it was actually a threat. The old-timer and Heize Lin were putting on a show, with one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop.
"Miss Xin Yuan, since Mr. Qingshui has such good intentions, let’s not reject his hospitality," Yang Xiao persuaded.
And so, the remaining six stayed in the hotel lobby, chatting idly. The atmosphere was completely different from before Qingshui Cangjie and Heize Lin returned.
Though Qingshui Cangjie appeared relaxed, he was actually keeping a close watch on each of them, especially Yang Xiao and Jiu Shan Shayue, who were high-level combatants.
Heize Lin kept the tennis bag nearby, maintaining a distance so that he could draw the gun immediately if anyone made a wrong move.
These two were extremely cautious, eating and drinking only the provisions they’d brought back themselves, not even taking a sip of the water from Yang Xiao and the others.
Time passed second by second. During the card games this afternoon, Nishimura Yuna had drunk a lot of water and was now desperate, getting up to go to the bathroom.
"You can’t go," Heize Lin stood up from a distance, "Resolve it here."
"Here?" Nishimura Yuna, though afraid, couldn’t accept this treatment, "Are you joking?"
"Miss Xicun, please bear with it. These are extraordinary times. If you get separated from us, it will be dangerous. Think about how Mitsuo Takeda died," Qingshui Cangjie spoke as if to comfort her, but it was a veiled threat.
Unable to argue, Nishimura Yuna resignedly took a cup noodle container and ran to the counter’s back, one of the few places with some cover. Heize Lin originally wanted to accompany her but was stopped by Jiu Shan Shayue, who stood up.
"What do you want to do?" Heize Lin was always wary of Jiu Shan Shayue.
Seeing that a conflict was about to erupt, Qingshui Cangjie scolded and called Heize Lin back. Since he couldn’t dispose of Jiu Shan Shayue and Yang Xiao, he didn’t want to escalate tensions, preferring to leave room for retreat later.
Thus, time ticked by. As Sato Shouta, leaning sleepily on the sofa, fell into a near-slumber, suddenly, a sudden noise startled him awake.
It was the sound of running, fast and urgent, on tiptoe. As he woke up, he shuddered.
At that moment, everyone felt tense, and Heize Lin even drew his gun.
"No one move, no talking!" Qingshui Cangjie barked, maintaining control of the situation.
The footsteps came from another direction, and everyone looked towards the sound. It was blocked by a wall, but everyone knew that behind it was the security room.
The child ghost... was here!
