Chapter 1294: Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Seventy-Seven: Painter
Greece, Athens.
Gao Yang and the team had completely left Ukraine, leaving Little Donnie alone in Kiev. Unless a successor was found, Little Donnie would have to stay in Kiev until he could establish a reliable transportation route.
Following the address Yake provided, Gao Yang and Eileen made their way to an old street lined with a house full of history.
Gao Yang brought Eileen along not because she was a woman, but because she spoke the most languages, especially in Europe. Although Eileen wasn’t fluent in Greek, she could manage basic conversation, which made bringing her along the most sensible choice.
Looking up at the house number, Gao Yang murmured softly, “Yes, this is the place.”
Eileen shrugged and said, “A store?”
“That’s right, it’s a store.”
Trapped in an economic crisis, the situation in Greece wasn’t great, and public security had deteriorated significantly. Athens was no exception. As a tourist city, the combined blow of economic downturn and worsening security was practically fatal.
A window, a door, and both covered with tal rolling shutters. The shutters looked quite new, seemingly installed not long ago. In earlier tis, it was uncommon to see rolling shutters or tal bars on Athens shops. But ever since the Greek economy collapsed, selling rolling shutters and tal bars might have been the only business thriving.
Gao Yang raised his hand and knocked on the tal shutter. After waiting for a while without any response, he knocked again, and soon, a woman could be heard shouting sothing from inside.
Eileen whispered, “She’s asking who it is.”
“Tell her we’re here to see soone.”
After Eileen shouted a sentence, the sound of a door being unlocked quickly followed, and then soone inside began rolling up the shutter.
As the shutter lifted, a woman appeared before them. She had dark hair and looked to be in her thirties. Although dressed in casual attire, she was stylishly put together, and the slight traces of age on her face didn’t diminish her beauty or the serene poise she carried.
Seeing Gao Yang and Eileen, the woman inside nodded and softly said in English, “Co in, Yake is upstairs waiting for you.”
Gao Yang took a look around. The shop featured sculptures and walls adorned with oil paintings.
It turned out to be an art gallery rather than a regular store, which surprised Gao Yang. Eileen appeared equally astonished, and she couldn’t help asking, “Is this really an art gallery?”
The woman smiled and said, “Yes, this is an art gallery. There used to be a sign outside, but it was vandalized and removed. It hasn’t been reinstalled since. Allow to introduce myself. My na is Christina Papulia, the owner of this gallery.”
After Gao Yang and Eileen shook hands with Christina one by one, Christina gestured toward a wall lined with the most paintings and said with a smile, “I mainly sell Neoclassical artwork. Both paintings and sculptures, primarily marble ones, all revolve around the Neoclassical style.”
Gao Yang knew nothing about Neoclassicism, so he could only nod repeatedly and say, “Very impressive, I like it.”
Christina chuckled and said softly, “I’m afraid you’ll have to co back for a proper visit next ti. I need to close the shop now; Yake is still waiting for you upstairs.”
Only then did Gao Yang realize Christina hadn’t lowered the shutter earlier in order to let them observe the works inside. Hastily, he said, “Oh, please go ahead and close it.”
Christina lowered the shutter and then smiled at the two, saying, “Follow , please.”
There was a staircase leading to the second floor, and Christina walked ahead, guiding them upstairs.
The first floor housed the art gallery, while the second floor revealed sothing different: the largest room was a painting studio.
The studio was filled with easels for canvases, and one person sat by the window, gazing outside and working the paintbrush over a canvas.
Seeing the painter, Gao Yang understood why Yake hadn’t t them personally—Yake was busy painting.
Without turning around, Yake spoke as he heard the footsteps, “You’re here? Leonard is lying down in the other room. You can go see him directly, or stay here and watch paint.”
Gao Yang couldn’t help blurting out, “Yake, I didn’t know you were a painter!”
Still without turning, Yake replied, “Do I have to tell you about every hobby I have?”
Looking at the half-finished painting, Gao Yang couldn’t help comnting, “You could obviously make a living as an artist. Why would you… never mind, forget I said anything.”
The painting showed Christina seated by the window with a radiant smile, looking blissful and sweet. Yake was currently adding the scene outside the window onto the blank portion of the canvas.
Not knowing how to evaluate a piece of art, Gao Yang’s standard was simply that the more realistic an oil painting looked, the better. Given how similar Yake’s work was to reality, Gao Yang thought Yake’s painting was excellent.
Yake waved dismissively and said, “Go chat with Leonard already. Can’t you see I’m busy here?”
Gao Yang shrugged and turned around. Christina then pointed to a door on the left, smiling as she said, “He’s inside.”
Nodding his thanks to Christina, Gao Yang knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open.
Number Thirteen lay on the bed, his face lighting up with excitent when he saw Gao Yang and Eileen enter. Urgently, he said, “You’re finally here! Close the door, quick!”
Eileen shut the door behind them, while Gao Yang approached the bed with a grin and said, “Hey buddy, how are you doing?”
Number Thirteen wore an expression of utter frustration, exclaiming loudly, “Terrible! Really, I feel terrible!”
Gao Yang chuckled, “Well, you’re injured, so feeling bad is kind of expected.”
Number Thirteen burst out, “No! It’s being stuck here that’s making feel terrible! God, get out of here, please get out!”
Eileen laughed and said, “It’s not so bad here. Don’t you think it’s full of artistic ambiance?”
Number Thirteen was absolutely livid, saying, “Bah! Artistic ambiance? Hellish artistic ambiance! They’ve been using as a model! Lying here without moving while they paint , well, I can tolerate that. But I can’t bear the nauseating behavior of those two before ! And their conversations—are you deaf? Didn’t you hear how disgustingly cheesy their sweet talk sounds? Day after day, having these two people say their mushy lines while painting right in front of , and then criticizing —this part’s too skinny, that part’s overly muscular, overall incompatible with human aesthetic standards! Tell , could you handle this?”
Gao Yang and Eileen exchanged awkward glances. Then Gao Yang shrugged and smiled at Number Thirteen, saying, “Artists, you know… Anyway, how did Yake get you out?”
Number Thirteen let out an exasperated sigh and said, “Don’t know. After I called you, I blacked out. When I woke up, I was already in Abu Dhabi. Yake is impressive, I admit that. If it had been soone else saving , I’d be dead. But damn it! Next ti, I wouldn’t let him save even if it kills . You hear , bastard?”
Yake called out loudly from outside, “Shut up, you ungrateful wretch! I can hear you perfectly well.”
Gao Yang spread his hands helplessly and then smiled at Number Thirteen, saying, “I’ve never seen you this worked up before, buddy. Well, you’re free now. So, uh, how’s your recovery coming along?”
Number Thirteen sighed heavily and said, “Not bad. I’m recovering nicely. I can get out of bed now, and slowly move around a bit for short periods. But if I want a full recovery, that’ll take at least another half month.”
Gao Yang lowered his voice and gestured toward the closed door, asking, “Does she know everything?”
Number Thirteen shook his head, replying quietly, “No, that silly woman’s completely engrossed in her romance. After eting , she might have guessed sothing but refuses to confront reality. She’s been actively avoiding any chance to learn about Yake’s identity. Hah, the typical love-addled fool!”
Gao Yang sat down by Number Thirteen’s bedside and spoke softly, “Your sister—how is she? Do you think she’s still alive?”
Number Thirteen shook his head, replying firmly but with evident despair, “I don’t know. I can’t say. And I refuse to make any guesses without evidence.”
Gao Yang nodded slightly and then whispered, “What’s your opinion of Yake as a person?”
Number Thirteen fell silent for a long ti before responding in a low voice, “A shaless, deviant bastard. But he’s reliable and exceptionally skilled. If you’re looking to recruit him as your intelligence officer, I can’t think of anyone more suitable.”
Having understood Gao Yang’s intent with just one question, Number Thirteen directly offered his assessnt.
However, after delivering his evaluation, Number Thirteen’s face turned grim as he added, “But, that guy’s in love now. If you intend to have him work for you permanently or take on so position within Satan’s team, I think you’ll be disappointed. Besides, you paid him a hefty sum to rescue , so he doesn’t even have the motive of needing money anymore.”
Having weighed every angle, Number Thirteen left Gao Yang with little to ask further. Gao Yang had indeed planned to recruit Yake, but it seed like the odds of success were slim to none.
Gao Yang shrugged and said, “Forget Yake for now. Let’s talk about you. Before I say anything, let warn you not to get too worked up, and absolutely no sudden moves, okay?”
Number Thirteen took a deep breath and said, “I’m ready. Go ahead.”
Gao Yang drew a deep breath himself and said seriously, “I found Suharitan. I know where he is. And I’ll be seeing him very soon.”
Though Number Thirteen’s face was filled with intense emotion, he didn’t move at all and maintained a steady calm. As a trained assassin, his skill at self-control was undeniably exceptional.
“Where? When will you see him?”
“Austria. St. Anton Ski Resort. He should still be there right now, but wherever he moves, I’ll find him.”
Number Thirteen took another deep breath and said, “Good. Find a way—I’ll go with you to see him.”
Gao Yang didn’t respond imdiately. He only thought about how Number Thirteen’s temperant as a professional killer was defined by calmness, unyielding composure, even bordering on detachnt. For Yake to have pushed him so far out of his usual control—what a feat that must have been. (To be continued. If you like this story, please visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian for reading.)
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