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墨書 Inktalez
When I reached the hotel lobby, I took a moment to glance at the flower shop. It looked ordinary, with no hint of hidden danger, and there were a few customers buying flowers. Of course, I didn't see Fatty anywhere.
The sunlight warmed my skin, and I suddenly cherished this feeling more than ever. A thought that had never crossed my mind before surged up: perhaps starting a family wasn't such a bad idea. If I could survive this, should I express something to Xiao Ting? As these strange thoughts flooded in, my fear began to fade, and my steps felt lighter.
Crossing the street, I entered the hotel across from me. The lobby was small; two Southeast Asians sat chatting on a circular sofa while a bored receptionist stared out at the road.
I approached her and said, "I'm looking for Jackal."
The receptionist paused for a moment but quickly smiled. "How can I assist you, sir?"
I repeated my request. She maintained her sweet smile and asked, "May I ask which room Mr. Jackal is in?"
Perhaps she was unaware of the situation. We had anticipated this kind of response; at this point in our plan, I should have asked to see her superior since someone higher up in the hotel would surely know who Jackal was. Just then, a young man walked past me, and I recognized him immediately. He frequently appeared under my surveillance; Fatty and I had classified such individuals as A-level targets—core members of this gang.
I raised my voice slightly and said, "I am Zhang Jianqiang; I need to see Jackal."
Sure enough, the young man stopped. Turning around with a smile, he said, "Mr. Zhang? Please follow me."
I nodded and noticed that the receptionist's face turned pale as if she feared this young man. He gestured for me to follow him as he led me around the front desk and down a corridor into the hotel courtyard. Along the way, I observed carefully; it reassured me that there were no doors along the route—at least I wouldn't be blocked if I needed to escape.
As soon as we entered the courtyard, the young man's smile vanished. He walked ahead while pulling out his phone and started talking rapidly. After a moment, he hung up and glanced back at me. Not long after, his phone rang again; he spoke in rapid-fire words once more. After hanging up again, he wore a cryptic smile and said, "So you are Mr. Zhang Jianqiang."
His mood seemed unpredictable; looking at his smiling face gave me no sense of security. Numbly, I nodded in response. He didn’t say anything further as we continued walking down the tree-lined path. Towering Camphor Trees lined both sides of the road; this was the same path Fatty had warned me to avoid when escaping—the tree canopies nearly met overhead, significantly obstructing a sniper's line of sight. I suppressed the urge to glance back at Da Zhang’s position and followed closely behind the young man as we moved forward.
At that moment, a girl dressed in light clothing seemed to be exercising, bouncing over from the front and greeting a young man as she passed by. Taking the opportunity, the young man reached out and touched her, causing her to giggle and run off. I pretended to take a good look at the beautiful girl, glancing back at the hotel where I was staying. I could only see the rough outline of the six-story building through the gaps in the leaves. I immediately agreed with Fatty's judgment; there was no way Da Zhang would support me if I ran down this path.
The courtyard wasn't large, and we quickly reached the front of the building at the end of it. I deliberately took a closer look at the Flower Bed in front of the building; it was filled with roses, and I imagined what it would be like to be surrounded by roses. Turning my gaze toward the Swimming Pool, I noticed several women in light clothing nearby. Estimating the distance from the Swimming Pool to the building, it was about ten meters. The girls by the Swimming Pool waved enthusiastically when they saw me looking their way. I swallowed hard; I had no mind for admiring beauties—I was intimidated by that ten-meter distance. It seemed that in an emergency, my only option would be to jump into the Flower Bed.
The young man led me up to the third floor and knocked on a door, which opened to reveal two people inside. A tall, muscular man sat behind an imposing desk, while a taller young man lounged on a sofa. The man behind the desk was Wu Qitai, someone I recognized.
Once I entered the room, neither of the two spoke; their gazes were cold as they looked at me. I felt that their next words might very well be to drag me out and execute me, so I had no choice but to break the ice with a stiff resolve. "I am Zhang Jianqiang; I'm here to find Jackal."
Wu Qitai's face darkened as he replied, "I am Jackal. What do you want?"
Of course, I couldn't expose him; instead, I went along with his words: "Zhang Jianqiang sent me."
This line had been carefully crafted by Fatty and me after much deliberation. It established my identity while obscuring my purpose for coming here, and most importantly, it could lead them to ask questions. We knew too little about Xiao Guolin's dealings with them and could only extract information through ambiguous dialogue.
Wu Qitai's expression shifted to one that was half-smile, half-sneer, as if he found interest in my awkward phrasing about Zhang Jianqiang sending me to find Jackal. He walked around the desk and approached me suddenly, extending a hand toward me. "Your identification."
I was taken aback; Fatty and I had considered various possibilities but never imagined he would ask for identification—why wasn't he following conventional rules? Do gangsters check IDs!?
Suppressing my surprise and confusion, I pulled out my ID card and placed it in his palm. Then I noticed Wu Qitai's dark face flush with color—not excitement but more like he was holding back anger.
What had I done wrong?
Suddenly, Wu Qitai's hand clenched around my ID card, distorting it in his grip. Since he wasn't very tall, he had to tilt his head slightly upward to look at me; however, the fury in his eyes completely overshadowed any advantage his height might have given him. I felt as though I was about to be consumed by his rage.
He didn't want an ID card. I immediately understood that he wanted something that represented my identity. I almost slapped myself for being so foolish. Calm down, I silently told myself. I had to solve this problem entirely on my own, relying on no one else in this unexpected situation, and I needed to resolve it in the shortest time possible. Otherwise, both parties might lose their composure. Whether it was Fatty or Wu Qitai, as long as either of them couldn't hold onto their nerves, this matter would spiral into an uncontrollable state.
Regardless of what he wanted, this incident itself proved one thing: Xiao Guolin had long made arrangements. Whether it was me or someone else, there was definitely someone in his plan who would come here. For this reason, Xiao Guolin had prepared something that represented this person's identity. This item must have been agreed upon with Jackal's group, meaning that regardless of who I was, the only thing that could prove my identity was this mutually recognized token.
This matter seemed to align perfectly with Fatty's thoughts and speculations.
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