Chapter 1318
Hope
Night slowly descends upon Kyoto, and the city lights begin to twinkle.
After having dinner at a stylish restaurant, Luo Fei and Jiang Qinqin returned to the presidential suite on the top floor of the Langham Hyatt Hotel.
As soon as he entered, Luo Fei's gaze was drawn to the infinity pool outside the terrace, its surface glowing with a deep blue light in the night. After a busy day, he felt a bit sticky and longed for a swim.
"I'm going for a swim."
Luo Fei said something to Jiang Qinqin, then went straight back to his room and quickly changed into a pair of swimming trunks.
He walked to the poolside, did a few simple warm-up exercises, and then, with a standard entry motion, gracefully leaped into the pool. The cool, clear water instantly enveloped his entire body, dispelling the lingering heat of late summer and the fatigue of the day.
He swam back and forth in the wide pool several times, his movements fluid and powerful.
Jiang Qinqin did not go into the water. She changed into a comfortable set of home clothes, took a glass of water, and sat down on a lounge chair by the pool.
Her gaze involuntarily followed the agile figure in the water.
Water droplets rolled down his well-defined back muscles and arms, outlining his explosive silhouette under the pool lights.
As Jiang Qinqin watched, she felt her cheeks burning and her heart inexplicably racing.
She quickly picked up her water glass and took a sip to cover up her embarrassment.
Luo Fei swam for about twenty minutes before reluctantly getting out of the pool, picking up a towel that had been prepared nearby to dry his hair and body.
"Aren't you going to swim for a while?"
He casually asked Jiang Qinqin.
"I...I can swim, but I'm a little tired today."
Jiang Qinqin looked away and answered softly.
"Okay, get some rest."
Luo Fei nodded, wrapped his upper body in a bath towel, and went back to his room to shower.
Jiang Qinqin also returned to the master bedroom's bathroom to wash up. The warm water washed over her body, but she was somewhat absent-minded.
This was the first time she had lived under the same roof as a stranger she barely knew. Although she knew it was for safety, she still felt a little uneasy.
The night was deep and quiet, and the suite was peaceful.
Jiang Qinqin lay on the soft bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. A jumble of thoughts flashed through her mind—her father's tragic death, the assassination attempt during the day, the mysterious and powerful man beside her…
She got up quietly, barefoot, and tiptoed to the door like a kitten. She pressed her ear against the door and listened intently to the sounds outside.
The living room was silent, except for the extremely faint but regular snoring coming from the direction of Luo Fei's room.
He actually fell asleep? And he's sleeping so soundly?
Jiang Qinqin was stunned for a moment, and a strange, inexplicable emotion welled up in her heart. She felt a little relaxed, but also a little... inexplicably resentful.
She made a silent face at the door and muttered something to herself in a voice only she could hear.
"Truly... worse than an animal..."
"Pah! What am I thinking!" Jiang Qinqin was startled by the word that popped into her head, and the heat that had just subsided on her face rose again.
She quickly shook her head, trying to shake off those chaotic thoughts, climbed back into bed, and forced herself to close her eyes.
……
The next day, they both slept until they naturally woke up.
Sunlight streamed into the living room through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, bringing brightness to the room.
Luo Fei did not reveal anything about the Divine Bow Bureau or the superhumans to Jiang Qinqin; he simply used the luxurious hotel suite as a temporary office.
He contacted the "Night Watch" of the Divine Bow Bureau, requesting that they send detailed information about the battle against the American superhumans, along with all related analysis reports, to his dedicated device with the highest level of encryption.
He needs to gain a deeper understanding of that history, as well as the characteristics and weaknesses of superhuman combat, in order to prepare for the challenges he may face next.
Jiang Qinqin, on the other hand, received the oil painting materials delivered by the hotel staff on time.
Canvases, brushes, paints of all colors... everything is available. Although it's not a top brand, the quality is quite good.
On the spacious terrace, facing the distant, towering city skyline and the shimmering swimming pool nearby, she set up her easel.
She mixes colors, dips her brush in paint, and then begins to make her first stroke on the pristine white canvas. Painting allows her to calm down and temporarily forget the disturbances of the outside world and the anxieties within.
……
Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, in an old street and alleyway in Baojia Town, Jinniu District, Chengdu.
A man who looked to be in his forties, slightly overweight, wearing faded work clothes, and with a somewhat disillusioned and weary look on his face, was walking slowly with his hands behind his back and his head down.
His name is Zeng Liguo, and those who know him call him "Old Zeng".
No one knew that this seemingly ordinary middle-aged man once possessed a secret that would shock countless people—he could become invisible.
Unfortunately, his superpower has significant limitations.
Each invisibility effect can only last for a maximum of two minutes, and after one use, there is a "cool-down" period of up to one hour before it can be used again.
In a battle where every second counts and changes rapidly, this has very limited effect, and may even cause the death of teammates by "dropping the ball" at a crucial moment.
His special ability also brought him endless trouble.
In 1994, when he was still in junior high school, he couldn't suppress his restless curiosity after school one day. He used his invisibility ability to sneak into the girls' bathhouse, wanting to peep at his female classmates taking a bath...
As a result, his invisibility time expired, and he suddenly became visible to everyone, getting caught red-handed.
This incident caused quite a stir, and as a result, he was discovered and taken away by the newly established Divine Bow Bureau. After some investigation and "ideological education," he was recruited into the initial Celestial Secrets Group for training.
However, it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature.
Even after joining the Heavenly Secrets Group, Lao Zeng couldn't shake his bad habits. Several times during important missions, his lecherousness caused delays or even led to his exposure, whether by spying on the female relatives of the target or stalking pretty female passersby. He was given three major demerits in total.
In the most serious incident, he actually used his invisibility ability to sneak into the women's restroom of a government agency, intending to spy on a rather attractive female employee. However, he was exposed again when his invisibility expired and was reported by the woman.
This time, the Divine Bow Bureau could no longer tolerate it.
He was ruthlessly expelled from the Tianji Group and given a stern warning, banned from using superpowers for life. If discovered, he would be severely punished for endangering public safety!
After being kicked out of the Heavenly Secrets Group, Lao Zeng, due to his low education level and lack of decent skills, could only return to his hometown and rely on his uncle, who ran a small processing plant, working for him. Later, through an introduction, he married a woman and had children.
He was unwilling to work for others his whole life and tried to start his own business several times. He ran a small shop, worked in transportation, and traded fruit, but he failed each time for various reasons and lost a lot of money.
Ultimately, disheartened and resigned to his fate, he returned to his uncle's factory as a forklift driver, earning a fixed salary of five thousand yuan a month. His wife was a formidable woman who controlled the family finances, giving him only a few hundred yuan a month for spending money. His son was in his second year of high school, and expenses were considerable. Old Zeng lived a very frugal life, seeing no hope for the future.
But deep down, he still harbored a sliver of unrealistic fantasy, always feeling that he shouldn't be so mediocre and hoping that one day he could turn his life around.
Therefore, he was particularly keen on fortune telling, hoping to hear some "prophecies" about his good fortune coming from fortune tellers.
Recently, a new fortune teller came to town. He is said to be very accurate and has a good reputation.
That morning, Old Zeng, carrying his secret stash of six hundred yuan—money he had painstakingly saved after a recent slight raise, hidden from his domineering wife—went to the fortune-telling stall located in the corner of the old street.
He completely forgot about the Divine Archery Bureau notification from Kyoto yesterday, which he had dismissed as a scam call and hung up on immediately.
"Sir, please tell my fortune!"
Old Zeng sat on a small stool and hurriedly pushed the six hundred yuan over.
The fortune teller looked to be in his fifties, dressed in a simple long gown and wearing round sunglasses, giving him an air of profound mystery.
He took the money, twirled it between his fingers, asked for Old Zeng's birth date and time, and then calculated for a long time, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.
Finally, he shook his head, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty.
"Brother, forgive my bluntness, but your fate... is not destined for wealth."
Even if you manage to make some money occasionally, you won't be able to keep it. Something will happen, and it will always disappear. As for making a fortune… you'll probably have to wait until you're ninety-eight years old, maybe then you'll receive a windfall.
Ninety-eight years old?!
Old Zeng got anxious as soon as he heard this, and raised his voice.
"Will I even live that long? What you're saying is pointless!"
The fortune teller ignored his complaints and carefully checked his birth date and time again—the seventh day of the eighth lunar month in 1979, at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).
Suddenly, the fortune teller's fingers, which were twirling, stopped abruptly. His eyes behind his sunglasses seemed to widen instantly, and all the color drained from his face!
He seemed to have encountered something extremely terrifying, and his body trembled slightly.
"No...this...this is impossible..."
He muttered to himself, his voice filled with terror.
Under Lao Zeng's questioning gaze, the fortune teller hurriedly stuffed the six hundred yuan back into his hand, his tone urgent and flustered, as if he were driving away some ominous thing.
"Take this money back!"
I'm not doing this divination! I'm not doing it!
"Huh? What's wrong with you...?"
Old Zeng was baffled.
The fortune teller didn't give him a chance to speak, and suddenly stood up with an agility beyond his years.
With a "whoosh," the stall's roller shutter door was quickly pulled down, shutting Old Zeng and his six hundred yuan, along with his unanswered question, out the door.
"That's it for today! We're closing up shop!"
A fortune teller's trembling voice came from inside the door, and then there was no more sound.
Old Zeng grumbled as he stuffed the six hundred yuan of his secret stash back into his pocket, feeling a lump of cotton stuck in his throat—both frustrated and resentful. What nonsense about not living past the day, or only getting windfall at ninety-eight!
He spat angrily on the ground and decided to find some fun to drive away his bad luck.
With a cheap cigarette dangling from his lips and wearing a pair of worn-out slippers with soles almost falling off, he strolled slowly toward the famous red-light district across the old street, a place known for its many prostitutes and brothels.
To save a few steps, he turned into an even quieter old alley with hardly any pedestrians and walls covered with the word "demolish" written on them.
"pat...pat..."
The slippers slapped against the wet, slippery cobblestones, their clear echoes reverberating in the deserted alley.
Just as he rounded a corner piled with clutter, Old Zeng abruptly stopped in his tracks.
In the middle of the alley, a person stood with their back to the light.
The man was dressed in all black, with a full black mask covering his face, revealing only his eyes.
Those eyes, cold and sharp, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey, were filled with undisguised killing intent, fixed intently on him.
Old Zeng's heart skipped a beat, and a chill instantly shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
He had been a member of the Heavenly Secrets Group and had experienced life and death, so he was all too familiar with this kind of killing intent!
"Who...who are you?"
Old Zeng's voice trembled slightly, and his hand instinctively reached for his waist, only to find empty work clothes.
The man in black did not answer his question, but spoke in a cold tone as if he were confirming the identity of his prey, his voice sounding somewhat muffled through his mask.
"Zeng Liguo?"
That good-for-nothing who got kicked out of the Heavenly Secrets Group for not being able to control his lust?
These words were like a sharp knife, piercing the deepest, most unbearable scar in Lao Zeng's heart!
His expression changed drastically. A strong sense of crisis made him activate his superpower almost without hesitation!
His body, like an ink droplet merging into the air, rapidly became transparent in less than half a second, and was about to completely disappear from the black-clad man's sight!
However, the man in black seemed to have expected this, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a cloth bag the size of a child's fist from somewhere and flung it sharply in the direction where Old Zeng had disappeared!
"puff--"
A fine, shimmering golden powder instantly spread out, like a golden mist, enveloping the area.
"what!"
A short, startled scream rang out.
Old Zeng, who was about to completely disappear, was covered in golden powder. His outline flickered violently a few times like a television image with a poor signal, and then was completely and clearly exposed to the air again!
His invisibility technique has been broken!
Old Zeng's face was filled with horror and disbelief. He looked at the gold dust that he couldn't shake off, and then at the black-clad assassin who was approaching step by step. The shadow of death completely enveloped him.
"no, do not want……"
He retreated in despair, his back pressed against the cold, damp wall, with nowhere else to go.
Without another word, the man in black flashed a cold light in his hand, and a short knife more than a foot long whistled deadly as it pierced straight for Old Zeng's heart!
……
Presidential Suite, Hyatt Regency Kyoto.
Luo Fei was sitting in front of the computer in his study, carefully studying the encrypted data from the Divine Bow Bureau regarding the ancient war of superhumans, trying to find some clues or inspiration about the "black figure with the pompadour hairstyle." (End of Chapter)