Page 45

The main hall was large, with two tables inside, surrounded by people shouting as they played cards. A few others lay directly on the floor without anything beneath them, snoring loudly, completely undisturbed. A count revealed seventeen people in all, and the vanguard team had thirty-three members in total, which meant sixteen others were in other rooms. After checking each face and confirming that Zheng Kun was not among them, Zhang Yi exchanged hand signals with Nan Shao for a few seconds. Then he crouched slightly and interlaced his fingers to make a foothold, keeping an eye on the scene through the window as he helped Nan Shao climb onto the second-floor balcony. Once Nan Shao confirmed that it was safe up there for the moment, Zhang Yi caught his outstretched hand, pushed lightly off the first-floor windowsill with his toes, and climbed up just as silently.

The entire house had only two large balconies, one in the middle of the second floor and one on the third, and Zheng Kun's room was on the second floor-the only room with its light on besides the main hall. The moment Zhang Yi climbed up, Nan Shao pulled him aside, letting the curtain conceal them both.

The door from the room to the balcony stood open, and the curtain was only half drawn, so they could see everything inside clearly.

Zheng Kun was in the room, awake, sitting shirtless in loose shorts on a reclining chair and talking to one of his men. On the other side, a woman with voluminous curls and a long dress lounged on a sofa, flipping through a magazine. Her expression was utterly indifferent, as though she cared nothing about anything around her.

"There's a child too?" Zheng Kun seemed somewhat surprised.

"Yes. Someone saw him with their own eyes the day they moved into the bridge building. He looks about three or four," his subordinate confirmed. At that point, his craving for a cigarette struck, and he turned his face aside to cough twice. Zhang Yi and Nan Shao immediately recognized him as the man who had been tattling to Zheng Kun in the vehicle, and they grew wary of what he was saying.

"Doesn't the fatty have a broken leg? Can they cure him? Or are they keeping a pig to slaughter for meat when they run out of food?" Zheng Kun reached down and scratched his crotch through his shorts as he asked casually.

If Zhang Yi and Nan Shao still failed to realize that these men were talking about them, they would have been stupider than pigs. They edged a little farther aside, concentrating and holding their breath, not daring to miss a single word.

"The fatty's on good terms with that man named Zhang. They say Zhang used to be in the criminal investigation division, but he's got a crippled leg now."

"A cripple's not much use." Zheng Kun waved dismissively. "But anyone who dares go against me, Zheng Kun, had better be ready to die. Tomorrow, take two men and stay behind. Once they leave, go break the fatty's and that little brat's arms and legs, then dump them in the slums. This time, let's see who still has the guts to save them. As for the other three..."

Zhang Yi could no longer take in what followed. If Nan Shao had not hurriedly wrapped his arms tightly around him from behind and covered his mouth, he probably would have lost control of his fury and charged inside. As far as Zhang Yi was concerned, they could insult him however they pleased, but if they dared target Yangyang, he would make them suffer even if it cost him his life.

"Don't be rash, Brother Yi. We won't let him live until tomorrow. Yangyang's still waiting at home. Yangyang's waiting for you to come back..." Afraid that Zhang Yi would make a loud noise, alerting not only the people inside but also those in the other rooms, Nan Shao quickly leaned close to his ear and soothed him in the faintest whisper. Only after he repeated several times that Yangyang was waiting for him to come back did the taut body in his arms, brimming with tremendous strength, slowly relax.

Nan Shao's heart settled. In truth, never mind Zhang Yi-even he had felt utterly furious at those words and wanted to tear the people inside into pieces. At the same time, he was secretly thankful that they had come tonight instead of putting it off for another two days.

"What? Feeling sorry for that damned fatty?" Zheng Kun's voice reached them again. Only then did they realize that his subordinate had left at some point, leaving only Zheng Kun and the woman in the room. Those words were clearly directed at her.

"How many times have I told you? I was the one who approached Brother Chen! I approached Brother Chen! What does it have to do with him? Why do you have to leave him no way out?" The woman flung the magazine onto the floor and spoke with a cold expression. She was strikingly beautiful, and the layer of frost on her face now gave her a different sort of charm. There was no need to guess: she was Bai Mei, whom Meat Tower Chen had mentioned.

"Throwing a tantrum at me?" A dangerous look appeared on Zheng Kun's face. He abruptly rose from the reclining chair, crossed the room in two or three strides, and seized the woman's long hair. "I'm going to make sure everyone knows that if they dare touch my woman, I'll make them beg me to kill them," he sneered. "You only took a fancy to that damned fatty because he's a speed mutant, didn't you? I'll break both his legs and see how he uses that speed mutation then. I'll make him live like a maggot that anyone can step on..."

"Pervert!" Bai Mei cursed in disgust.

"That's right, I'm a pervert. Isn't that what you like about me?" Zheng Kun gave a low chuckle, then suddenly yanked her hair back, forcing her face upward before lowering his head and savagely biting at her lips.

Zhang Yi had calmed down by then. He was just about to consult Nan Shao about whether they should seize the chance to strike when he realized that Nan Shao was still holding him. Two grown men of nearly the same height embracing like this were not only unbearably hot but also strange in a way he could not describe. He shifted uncomfortably and bent his elbow to nudge the chest behind him, signaling for Nan Shao to let go. But at that very moment, something slid along the cleft of his buttocks and finally pressed against the junction of his lower back and buttocks. As a man who already had a son, how could he fail to recognize that hard, hot sensation?

The atmosphere instantly grew a little odd. Zhang Yi did not read much into it, merely thinking that Nan Shao was, after all, a virile young man who probably had not touched a woman in a long time. It was perfectly normal for the scene inside to arouse him. Still, having another man's thing pressing against him was embarrassing no matter how he looked at it. Nan Shao was clearly uncomfortable too. He was just about to release his arms and step back a little when Bai Mei actually broke free of Zheng Kun's savage kiss, pointed at the balcony, and said, "Oh! There's someone out there."

Both men and Zheng Kun started at the same time. Zheng Kun let go of Bai Mei, pulled a handgun from beneath the pillow, and headed toward the balcony. Neither of them could imagine how Bai Mei had discovered them, but they could not confront Zheng Kun yet, nor could they afford the slightest hesitation. Nan Shao stepped onto the balcony railing with one foot, and Zhang Yi boosted his other foot, helping him climb silently up to the third floor. Then Nan Shao hooked himself onto the third-floor railing, leaned down, caught Zhang Yi's hands in both of his, and pulled him up. At the same time, Zheng Kun reached the second-floor balcony doorway.