Xie Yunchuan's Agitation
Southeast Asia, a villa deep in the mountains on the border.
The rain stopped, but the sky didn't clear up. Lead-gray clouds hung low over the mountains and forests, like a thick wad of cotton soaked in dirty water, filtering the midday light into a sickly, drowsy, pale white.
All the lights in the villa had to be on, but the light from the crystal chandeliers and wall lamps, instead of dispelling the gloom, seemed somewhat out of place and powerless against the backdrop of the dim daylight outside the windows, like a magnificent coffin that had sunk to the bottom of the sea and was shining in vain.
The villa was quiet, but not in a pleasant way; rather, it was a tense silence, as if it might snap at any moment. The air was thick with the smell of damp wood and mold, which expensive incense tried to mask but stubbornly lingered, mixed with the slightly greasy aroma of lunch wafting from the kitchen, making one feel suffocated.
In his study on the second floor, Xie Yunchuan paced back and forth like a caged beast trapped in an exquisite cage. He wore a dark silk robe, his hair was somewhat disheveled, his eyes were sunken with dark circles, and his lips were chapped and peeling due to dehydration. He held an empty whiskey glass in his hand, his knuckles white from the pressure.
On the desk, the screen of the encrypted device used for connecting to the dark web was dark. Scattered around it were several printed, worthless screenshots of online news, as well as a few messy, hand-drawn sketches he had made from memory, speculating about K's work habits and possible hiding places. The ashtray next to him was piled high with cigar butts.
More than forty-eight hours have passed since the commission was posted on the dark web. Apart from Locke, the leader of the mercenary group who called himself "Blood Spear," replying once to ask for more information and express "initial interest," there has been no further response. His several inquiries and reminders have all gone unanswered. The so-called "clues" he provided also seem to have failed to arouse any further enthusiasm from the other party.
This waiting, this uncertainty, this feeling of powerlessness, like punching cotton, was driving him crazy. He felt like someone throwing a stone into a bottomless pool, only to hear a hollow echo, followed by his increasingly heavy breathing and the unfathomable silence of the pool, which seemed to mock him.
"Useless... a bunch of useless trash!" He abruptly stopped and slammed the empty wine glass in his hand onto the thick carpet. The glass didn't shatter; it just rolled a few times with a dull thud before coming to rest beside the desk. This silent landing fueled his rage even more than if it had broken. He needed destruction, he needed to hear the sound of shattering, he needed something to prove that he still "existed," that he could still "control."
He took several deep breaths, his chest heaving, trying to suppress the violent rage that threatened to burst from his throat. No, he couldn't afford to lose his composure first. He needed confirmation, he needed to put pressure on them, he needed to know exactly what those paid hyenas were dawdling about!
He flung open the heavy wooden door to the study and roared in a hoarse voice at the empty corridor, "A Wei! A Cheng! Get up here!"
The sound echoed in the empty villa, carrying a neurotic shrillness. A few seconds later, hurried footsteps came from the stairs. Two young men in black tight-fitting T-shirts, muscular and tense, rushed up and stopped in front of him, bowing slightly. These were his only remaining, somewhat trustworthy bodyguards, A Wei and A Cheng, who used to be his henchmen in other parts of Southeast Asia. They were fortunately not present when the incident occurred in Northern Myanmar, and he had urgently summoned them here.
Both men wore solemn expressions, their eyes filled with unease. The oppressive atmosphere in the villa, coupled with the boss's increasingly irritable mood over the past few days, made them feel like they were sitting on pins and needles.
"Boss," A Wei spoke first, his voice a little dry.
"Still no news from the dark web?" Xie Yunchuan asked abruptly before they could even stand still, his eyes fixed on them as if he were about to spit fire.
A Wei and A Cheng a glance. A Wei forced a smile and replied, "Not yet... We refresh the communication channel every half hour, but there's no new reply. The platform status shows the commission is still pending, but... we can't see the access records."
"What about other channels?!" Xie Yunchuan took a step closer, his spittle almost splattering onto A Wei's face. "I told you to find a way, through your old connections, to inquire about that ' Blood Spear ' mercenary group, to inquire about any team that might have taken on a similar job! What have you found out?! Huh?!"
A cold sweat beaded on A Cheng's forehead as he whispered, "Boss, we... we contacted a few friends who used to run goods in Africa and the Middle East. They've heard of the name ' Blood Spear,' but they all said they haven't heard of any big moves from them lately. It seems... it seems they've suddenly quieted down. As for the other... other teams, they either can't be contacted, or when they heard we were looking for 'technical experts' and dealing with targets who 'might have connections,' they all backed out..."
"Useless! All of you are useless!" Xie Yunchuan suddenly raised his hand and slapped A Cheng across the face! The force was so great that A Cheng's head tilted to the side, and a clear finger mark instantly appeared on his cheek. A Cheng staggered, not daring to utter a sound, but simply lowered his head even further.
A Wei's body trembled, and he subconsciously clenched his fists, but then forced himself to relax them.
"What am I keeping you for?! Huh?!" Xie Yunchuan's voice was distorted with excitement and anger, shrieking through the corridor, "You can't even handle such a small matter! You can't even find or urge a bunch of hyenas who kill for money! What use are you to me?! What use are you?!"
He paced back and forth in front of A Wei and A Cheng like a mad beast, waving his arms and making the sleeves of his bathrobe whistle.
"Do you know how agonizing it has been for me?! Every minute, every second!" He stopped abruptly, his face almost touching A Wei's, his eyes bloodshot and his voice low, yet filled with a chilling obsession and fanaticism. "I can't sleep! Every time I close my eyes, I see him! I see K's deadpan face! I see him sitting there, looking at me like I'm trash! Watching him destroy everything I have!"
He took two steps back, ran his hands into his hair, and pulled hard, as if trying to rip those crazy thoughts out of his mind.
"I think about him all the time! I wonder where he is, what he's doing, whether he's laughing, whether he thinks I'm nothing but a fart, someone he can trample on at will!!" His voice suddenly rose again, a hoarse roar tinged with sobs, "I want him to kneel before me! I want to hear him beg for mercy! I want to see that damned calm in his eyes shatter completely! I want him to taste what it's like to lose everything, to run for his life like a dog!"
After the frenzied outburst, there was a brief, suffocating silence. Only Xie Yunchuan's heavy, bellows-like breathing echoed in the corridor. A Wei and A Cheng stood frozen, barely daring to breathe, their faces filled with fear. They had followed Xie Yunchuan for quite some time, seen his gloom and ruthlessness, but they had never seen him so out of control, so... frantic. This state of being completely consumed by hatred, almost losing his mind, was more frightening to them than any outburst of rage.
Xie Yunchuan slowly lowered his hand, his chest still heaving violently, but the madness in his eyes subsided slightly, replaced by a deeper, more venomous coldness. He slowly swept his gaze over the two trembling subordinates before him, his voice returning to its hoarse tone, but each word seemed to be chilled to the bone:
"You can't find him, and you can't urge those mercenaries on... Is it because you simply didn't care? Or... do you think I, Xie Yunchuan, am finished, useless, so you've started to outwardly comply but inwardly defy me, even..."
Before he finished speaking, the suspicion and murderous intent in his words sent a chill down A Wei and A Cheng's spines.
"No! Boss, we absolutely wouldn't dare!" A Wei hurriedly explained, his voice trembling. "We're utterly loyal to you! It's just... it's just that the other side is too cunning, too well hidden. Those mercenaries might... might also be assessing the risks, so..."
"Assess the risks?" Xie Yunchuan sneered, interrupting him. "They're taking my money! I want them to find people, to kill people! Not to 'assess'! It seems the bounty I gave them wasn't enough to make them forget the word 'risk'?"
He walked to the window, abruptly pulled back the curtains, and looked out at the lifeless mountains and forests shrouded in leaden clouds. His Back View exuded a sense of isolation and ruthlessness.
"Keep pushing. Use every means to contact that ' Blood Spear ' and tell them the bounty can be increased! As long as they bring back what I want! Also," he turned around, his gaze sweeping menacingly over the two men, "Keep a close watch on the area around the villa. Don't miss any movement! I suspect... K might already know I'm still alive, and might even..."
He hadn't finished speaking, but the intense premonition of being "targeted" sent a chill down his spine. He suddenly felt that this villa, which he had carefully chosen and which seemed safe, was now like a giant target, exposed to unknown threats. Were the people around him really reliable? Was communication on the dark web truly secure? Could the "Blood Spear" mercenary group itself be a trap?
Once the seed of suspicion is planted, it grows wildly. He looked at A Wei and A Cheng and felt that their eyes seemed to be shifting, and their loyalty seemed so questionable.
"What are you all standing there for?!" he suddenly shouted. "Get out of here! Go do what you're supposed to do! No one is allowed to leave the villa grounds without my orders! If I find you're incompetent again..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the unspoken meaning was more terrifying than any explicit threat.
As if granted a pardon, A Wei and A Cheng bowed and fled downstairs as if escaping. In the empty corridor, only Xie Yunchuan remained, along with the ever-growing, venomous fire in his heart that threatened to consume him as well.
He walked back to his study, closed the door, leaned against the cold door panel, and slowly slid down onto the carpet. The expensive velvet carpet was soft, but he couldn't feel any warmth from it.
He clutched his head, his body trembling slightly. Not from the cold, but from a chill that seeped into his bones, a chill mixed with fear, hatred, resentment, and despair.
K... where are you?
Why haven't you come yet? Or... have you already come, somewhere I can't see, like a patient spider, waiting for me to completely collapse in this web of fear I've woven myself?
Outside the window, the mountains and forests were silent, and leaden clouds hung low.
Inside the villa, the lights were a stark white, and a sense of unease permeated the atmosphere.
Before the storm arrives, the last, suffocating tranquility is being torn apart bit by bit by the growing suspicion and fear in the villa owner's heart.