Tao Ju almost wanted to slam his forehead into the steering wheel, but he couldn't. Still, maintaining a relatively relaxed, natural expression was difficult.
Just as he was wallowing in frustration and conflict, Wang Peilie in the back seat sniffed.
"The smell of gunpowder and blood is this strong?"
"Uh?"
It took Tao Ju a second to realize: right, last night he had not only been aboard the Steel Jade, but had also gone through an intense gunfight at Orange Palace, followed by a gas explosion. He had even been shot. For someone as heavily modified as him, as long as such light weapons did not hit anything vital, they only counted as flesh wounds. Later, when he got to Zuo Tai's place, his injuries had been bandaged, but he had neither the mood nor the conditions to bathe and change clothes. Naturally, the smell of gunpowder and blood had lingered on him and spread to the car.
Wang Peilie was a Professional. He had been too far away earlier, but now that they were in the car, there was no way to hide it from him.
Tang Li clicked his tongue. "Coward Eight, you guys did something big and didn't even wash the car? You invited us in here—you're not trying to frame us, are you?"
"How could that be!"
Tao Ju was about to explain when his back suddenly went cold. Tang Li had reached forward and poked through a hole in his tattered military uniform. "Just joking. Still, looks like last night had some extra entertainment."
Tang Li's finger carried no small amount of force, and it hit Tao Ju right on the wound. Tao Ju grimaced in pain, then forced it into a bitter smile. "Something did happen."
Discussing last night's experience with Tang Li, and