At Chief Nanami's insistence, the two put their canes back in their cases.
Jiang Xueming was only allowed to bring one bottle of air-conditioning refrigerant, and Bu Liuxing could bring no more than two boxes of egg tarts. Without the chief's permission, they weren't allowed to go out on their own.
They had no choice but to obey. All the ammunition was in Chief Nanami's hands, and if they didn't listen, she wouldn't give them any bullets.
They followed Chief Nanami to Apartment 505 on the fifth floor, keeping absolutely silent the whole way.
Only after Chief Nanami knocked on the apartment door did she turn to Jiang Xueming and say in Chinese, "You work now. Begin."
As Xue Ming stepped inside, he looked around. The woman who opened the door was about thirty years old, white, with orange-red hair and an ordinary, casual outfit for staying at home.
The woman spoke Chinese, and had a northern accent.
"Where are you two from?"
Jiang Xueming casually replied, "The station."
Bu Liuxing immediately chimed in. Hearing Chinese made him feel right at home, and he acted as if they were already old friends. "BOSS set us up with a job, so here we are!"
The woman headed toward the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "Ah. Come on in and sit wherever you like. We're out of tea, but I can boil some water. Why don't you play with my baby for a while?"
"Sure, then—" Jiang Xueming had just started to respond politely.
Chief Nanami tossed two thermoses through the doorway. They landed in the two passengers' hands.
She silently mouthed the words—
"Don't. Drink. The water. Here."
Only then did Jiang Xueming remember that their investigation included the water tower in District B15. There was probably something wrong with the