Night Raid, Provocation

One month later.

A rainy night.

Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed, providing the only illumination for the villa located on the outskirts of town.

People lay scattered across the lawn outside the villa, most of their limbs twisted at grotesque angles.

Some lay motionless on the ground, while more, enduring unbearable pain, tightly shut their eyes and pursed their lips. Their jaw muscles bulged, their bodies trembled slightly, and the tears that welled in their eyes were instantly washed away by the rain.

Passing through the lawn, the villa's main door stood ajar, a deep footprint imprinted on the solid wood.

The scene inside was no different from the outside.

People lay on the ground, stretching from the entrance all the way to the living room and up the stairs.

Suddenly, a thud echoed, and a figure tumbled down from the second floor, landing directly on top of someone.

The person beneath, who had been motionless, now pushed the newcomer aside with both hands. As he looked closer, he saw the person who had fallen was unconscious. Startled, he quickly closed his eyes.

Silence returned upstairs.

The thunder intensified, and the rain grew heavier, drumming against the windows.

Bedroom.

With a snap, the lights flickered on, dispelling the darkness.

In the room, a person, barefoot and clad in a bathrobe, was curled up by the bed. Wet hair clung to his head, still bearing traces of foam. He appeared to be in his thirties, with fair skin and a high nose bridge.

Hong Fei stood at the doorway, dressed in a simple black outfit devoid of any logos or decorations. He wore a brightly colored Great Sage mask, which, at first glance, looked almost cute. He stood as straight as a spear, his knuckles bearing traces of blood. Behind the mask, his deep brown eyes glinted with swirling red light.

The moment Hong Fei took a step, the person by the bed's eyes widened, pupils contracting. He scrambled backward on all fours, shouting, "Don't kill me! I'll give you whatever you want! I have money, cash, gold, and my goods are all in the warehouse. I'll give it all to you!"

With a thud, his head hit the wall, and he winced in pain. However, he couldn't even cry out, his pleas for mercy continuing.

"I really have money! I have hundreds of thousands of dollars at home, and over ten pounds of gold!"

Seeing that Hong Fei remained unmoved, he became more desperate. He stood up, turned, and tossed the pillows and bedding from the bed aside. Then, with nimble hands, he lifted the mattress.

Immediately, a dazzling display of golden bars and stacks of green banknotes came into view.

He pointed at the valuables with both fingers, "See? I didn't lie. It's all yours! If it's not enough, I have more. I can go get it. How much do you want? I'll give you as much as you want!"

Hong Fei stopped, his gaze falling upon the gold.

While the total value of these items wasn't as much as the Afghanistan operation, the rows of gold, spread out and shimmering under the light, were indeed eye-catching.

Just then, the man in the bathrobe plunged his right hand into a lush green plant by the bedside. In an instant, a pistol appeared in his hand.

A grim, yet triumphant, smile spread across his face. The dark muzzle of the gun pointed at Hong Fei, his index finger resting on the trigger.

Hong Fei snapped back to attention and turned, facing the gun. The deep red glow in his dark brown eyes intensified.

The moment his eyes turned deep red, the sounds of thunder and rain in his ears vanished.

In a black and white vision, the opponent's trigger pull appeared incredibly slow. He even had the leisure to observe the smug smile and triumphant look on the man's face.

A spark erupted from the black pistol, and a golden bullet spun through the air, tearing through the space before him, followed by a faint ripple of displaced air.

Hong Fei pivoted his foot and leaned to the side.

He watched as the bullet grazed his cheek, the intense kinetic energy tearing a small crack in the mask.

Seizing the moment before the opponent could pull the trigger again, Hong Fei pushed off the ground repeatedly, his speed suddenly increasing. A blur of afterimages streaked through the room, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of the man.

Fingers together, he struck the man's throat with a palm chop, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.

The palm chop crushed the Adam's apple, trachea, and esophagus, moving forward. From the side, the advancing palm chop was almost touching the man's cervical spine.

Suddenly, the man's eyeballs bulged, his mouth fell open, and a thin line of crimson blood spurted out. His long tongue lolled out from his lips.

Hong Fei withdrew his hand, letting the body slide down the wall like a sack of wet mud.

BOOM!

A violent flash of lightning momentarily turned the world as bright as day, followed by a deep rumble of thunder from the clouds.

A short while later, Hong Fei descended the stairs, carrying a heavy cloth bag. The pattern on the bag's exterior bore a striking resemblance to the bedsheet in the bedroom.

He strode out without hesitation. The people lying on the ground, occasionally having their fingers or other body parts stepped on, instinctively tried to cry out but immediately stifled the sound, their faces turning red.

Even after the dark figure disappeared into the forest far beyond the villa, they dared not move.

The manor.

A black motorcycle sped through the rainy night, its speed undiminished on the winding mountain roads.

Hearing the engine, Number One hurried to open the gate. Seconds later, the motorcycle zipped past.

It crossed the straight road and finally came to a halt at the main house entrance with a stylish drift. The churning water from the rear wheel was flung high, drenching Frank.

Frank couldn't dodge it in time and raised his hand to shield his eyes, but the spray found its way to his cheeks.

"Are you crazy? Riding that fast, you'll kill yourself!"

The motorcycle sputtered to a halt. Hong Fei, dragging the heavy cloth bag behind him, walked into the house.

Inside, wet footprints trailed across the gleaming floor. He tossed the bag into an empty space, removed his helmet with both hands, and then pointed at the bag, laughing, "Open it and see. A pleasant surprise."

Frank, however, refused to step forward, only saying, "You didn't tie up another person and bring them back, did you?"

"Haha, how could that be? Judging by the shape, it's not. Don't worry, go take a look."

Only then did Frank move. After untying the bag, the loose, damp banknotes on top immediately made him frown.

As Hong Fei untied his damp outer jacket, he said, "Dig into it. There are more surprises underneath."

Frank did as he was told and soon caught a glimpse of the gold in the middle.

Compared to the banknotes, this golden object was clearly more pleasing to the eye.

Before long, the banknotes and gold were divided into two portions. Frank stood up and said, "I thought you were just going to kill someone."

Hong Fei agreed, "Of course, that was the main objective. I already said it was an unexpected bonus."

"Is he dead?"

"Too many questions." Hong Fei stepped forward, picked up a gold bar, and weighed it. "Sleeping with this much gold under your bed, doesn't it feel uncomfortable?"

Frank shook his head. "I bet his bank account has more funds. I really thought you would bring him back."

"Hmph, just some second-generation gangster. Not worth bringing back. I've already left some clues related to The Hand. The rest is up to you."

He had killed the son of a Russian Mafia boss, who was also his designated successor.

The purpose was to intentionally provoke a conflict between The Hand and the Mafia.

Frank: "He just arrived this evening. You killed him now, aren't you afraid of disrupting the plan?"

"Plans are rigid. According to the information, he's not as brutal as most mobsters, but he's always been smart. Whether it was school, politics, or running the syndicate, he excelled. For such an intelligent mobster, he should be eliminated early. As for whether his father believes The Hand did it, that's beyond our control. For plans, you do your best and leave the rest to fate."

"You believe in fate?"

"No, I only believe man can conquer fate!"

Standing up, Hong Fei asked again, "By the way, how's Bullseye?"

Mentioning Bullseye, Frank's expression immediately became strange. "I'm not sure. He seems close to going crazy. How much longer are you going to keep him locked up?"

Hong Fei dropped the gold bar and stood up, thinking for a moment. "A month. That should be about enough. I'll send him away tomorrow."

Thanks to "Autumn Wind Sweeps Away Clouds" for 500 points, "The World Kisses Me With Pain" for 5000 points, and "JYOIKAI" for 5000 points!