Mr. Li did not imdiately answer their questions, but turned to take a photograph from the table and handed it over. Lan Xue glanced at it and passed it to Luo Zheng. Luo Zheng took a look and saw a man in his forties, sowhat overweight, with short hair, a square face, wearing sunglasses and obscuring his eyes. It was a half-body shot, so his height was unknown. Luo Zheng did not recognize the man from mory, and glanced at Mr. Li.
"He has no na, no information available, probably raised by the Song family from a young age. He drove for Song Tao, and usually kept a very low profile, almost as if he didn't exist. Five years ago, he suddenly left the country and has not been heard from since. Three days ago, our people unexpectedly found him in a Gambling City in Sam Country. He had amassed a huge debt and was thrown out of the hotel. Then he disappeared again. You two need to go to Gambling City as quickly as possible and find him," Mr. Li instructed seriously.
Luo Zheng picked up on two key points from Mr. Li: he drove for Song Tao, and he suddenly left the country five years ago. Drivers are usually trusted personnel. Why did he suddenly leave? There must be a reason. On further thought, Luo Zheng reacted and quickly asked, "Sir, do you an he might know about the incident involving Xue Er's mother's murder?"
Mr. Li looked at Luo Zheng, smiled with satisfaction, and said, "This operation is not an official mission and will not be recorded. It's entirely a personal endeavor, so you won't have any support. Otherwise, people might say I'm using public office for private revenge."
"Understood," Luo Zheng nodded and said, standing up to salute formally, "Please rest assured, Sir, I know what to do. I will definitely find him and get the evidence."
"Very well. This can be seen as an unexpected windfall. He's fallen into such dire straits; it seems he's left the Song family, or they don't know he's still alive. There are probably many stories within this. You two slowly dig into them, without putting too much pressure on yourselves. Treat it like a vacation, and relax," Mr. Li said with a smile.
"Thank you, Sir," Luo Zheng said gratefully, looking at Lan Xue.
Lan Xue nodded knowingly, her face turning stern, and said to Mr. Li, "Grandpa, I will certainly avenge my mother's death, don't worry. For this operation, we need new identities. Our faces are likely on file with intelligence agencies worldwide."
"That's not an issue. Everything has been prepared for you," Mr. Li said, smiling, as he pulled an envelope from his desk drawer and handed it to Lan Xue.
Lan Xue opened it and found ID cards, passports, silicone masks, bank cards, flight tickets and visas. The photos on the docunts were of soone else, and the nas had been changed, too. She couldn't help but smile as she put everything away. Thinking of her mother's tragic death, her gaze sharpened, and she clenched her fist.
After bidding farewell to Mr. Li, the two drove out of the military restricted area, onto the main road. Lan Xue remained silent along the way, lost in her thoughts. Luo Zheng understood her state of mind, and after thinking for a bit, he tried to console her, "I think this person should know what happened back then. For so reason, the Song family had him go abroad to lay low. After five years, he probably thought it was safe to co out and was living it up. Being cooped up for five years, naturally he'd go to such an upscale place, and Gambling City is undoubtedly the best choice. But the settlent money from the Song family perhaps wasn't much, probably lost it all in the casino, which is why he got kicked out of the hotel, indirectly exposing himself. As they say, if you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind."
"I'm fine, don't worry," Lan Xue replied with understanding.
"As long as you're okay. In any case, I'm here with you. No matter how big the difficulty, we will face it together. Don't hold things in," Luo Zheng said seriously.
"Go watch a movie with ," Lan Xue suddenly said.
"Sure, it'd be my pleasure. But, I don't have any money on ," Luo Zheng said awkwardly.
"That's okay, just accompany . What's mine is yours," Lan Xue said softly, seeing Luo Zheng's awkward look. She then laughed and said, "You know, you can tell the relationship status of a couple by looking at who pays. If the man pays, it ans they're in the dating stage. If the woman pays, it ans they're at the marriage stage."
"So, this ans if you pay later, no one will look down on . They might even think we're married, and just be envious," Luo Zheng laughed.
"Hmm, call 'wife' and let hear it," Lan Xue joked with a laugh.
"Greetings, dear wife," Luo Zheng obligingly responded, playing along with Lan Xue's jest.
"Huh?" Lan Xue did not expect Luo Zheng to actually call her that. She was caught off guard, and the title stirred a strange feeling within her—a realization she might beco a married woman, no longer just a carefree young girl. Yet, she did not reject this sensation; rather, she felt a sense of anticipation.
Before long, they arrived at the cinema, bought tickets, and went in. It was a corny third-rate soap opera, which for the two of them who had a military background, was pure tornt. They both almost ignored it, choosing instead to sit quietly. Lan Xue held Luo Zheng's arm, resting her head on his shoulder, blissfully relaxed with her eyes closed.
The two remained silent, deeply experiencing the joy brought about by such intimate contact. Before they knew it, the movie ended, and it was already midnight when they stepped out of the cinema. They ca to a street stall, ordered so barbecue and beer, and sat down to chat while they waited.
Not long after, the boss brought the barbecue over, with twice the usual amount. Luo Zheng looked at the boss in surprise, and the boss said quietly, "This one's on , eat freely. If it's not enough, I'll roast more."
"You're running a small business, how can we let you spend money?" Luo Zheng smiled.
"It's alright. You two don't rember , but I rember you. Last year, so punks ca to collect protection money, and you chased them away," the boss said quickly and quietly.
Luo Zheng paused, quickly piecing it together. He recalled it was after returning from the World Special Forces Contest. When Mr. Li had summoned them, they had co to this food street for a late-night snack. Given the passage of ti, he had almost forgotten if not for the boss's reminder, and he couldn't help but smile. "You've spent enough already, have you had any more trouble with protection money?"
Just as the words left his mouth, five or six people ca over from the side. Luo Zheng saw they were dressed like thugs and couldn't help but laugh. "Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives, interesting. Boss, don't worry, I'll handle this," Luo Zheng said.
"Thank you," the boss stepped aside, saying nothing.
The gangsters quickly beca captivated by Lan Xue's beauty, though their gaze soon fell on Luo Zheng. Just as they were about to start posturing, one of them recognized Luo Zheng and quickly whispered to the leader, whose face turned pale. The leader said hurriedly to the boss, "Boss, their expenses are on . You won't have to pay protection money anymore."
"How can that be right?" Luo Zheng barked coldly.
"Sir, we're under Master Dao's command. Sorry for disturbing your al. We're very apologetic. Please spare us," the leader said quickly.
Realizing they were under Little Dao, who had been of great help recently, a favor was owed, so Luo Zheng's expression softened a bit. He said, "I like to co here for supper. I don't care what you do elsewhere, but from now on, no collecting protection fees here. Tell Little Dao it's best not to earn such money. Now scram."
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