Deadly Danger

The new moon on the first day of the lunar month gave off no light; heaven and earth alike were swallowed by darkness.

A hazy black shadow suddenly appeared atop the high walls of the sprawling estate. Without pausing, it nimbly crossed the barbed wire and vaulted over the three-meter wall. When it landed, there was only the soft scrape of shoe soles against dirt and gravel, not the heavy thud of someone falling from such a height. Its lightness skill was miraculous, as though it had overcome gravity itself.

Wang Yan leaned against the wall and looked around before slipping away at speed. He ran to a safe house, changed his appearance and put on makeup, then secretly made his way to Fuxing Pawnshop on Foch Road.

This time, he did not knock right away. Instead, he spent a long while circling the area, observing the situation nearby. There was no way to know whether Lu Boda had already been exposed. And it was not only the Japanese—any competent decision-maker, upon discovering that someone was suspicious but unwilling to alert them, would generally set up surveillance immediately. In fact, more often than not, they would tail a suspicious person for several days to determine the scope of their activities, then arrest them directly to prevent complications and stop them from getting away.

Fortunately, everything around the pawnshop appeared normal. Lu Boda had not been exposed yet. Only then did Wang Yan head to the back door and knock as usual: two short, two long, two short.

Before long, Liu Qiulan came jogging out to open the door. Without wasting words, she quickly let Wang Yan in, then remained by the entrance as usual, listening for movement.

When Wang Yan entered the study, he saw Lu Boda rubbing his eyes.