Chapter 159: The Boss Who Wanted to See an Old Friend

Chapter 159: The Boss Who Wants to Meet an Old Friend

"Bang!"

Propelled by the sheer force of the RPG, the rear of the armored vehicle lifted sharply into the air, its front end scraping against the pavement and sending up bursts of sparks.

Accompanied by another loud thud, the tail of the car slammed back down onto the ground. Instantly, the four wheels—now stripped of their rubber tires—spun furiously, driving the armored vehicle forward.

Inside the cabin, Li Hongshen and the others righted themselves. Fortunately, they had all fastened their seatbelts before setting off, which spared them from any injuries.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'm fine too."

"I'm fine as well, but the car isn't. The Mercedes is leaking fuel. We probably have less than a minute of driving time left.

Get ready. We are executing Plan B."

"Understood."

Rem watched as the needle indicating the fuel level on the dashboard plummeted rapidly. At the same time, he floored the accelerator, steering the vehicle toward an intersection before abruptly pulling the handbrake.

After a series of violent drifts, the armored vehicle swung sideways, collided with the curb, and tumbled a-turn-and-a-half across the sidewalk before coming to a halt on its side, completely blocking the mouth of the alley.

***

"Report, Team C has successfully forced the target vehicle to a stop."

"What are you waiting for? Surround them immediately and don't let the targets get away."

"Copy that."

A squad of men emerged swiftly from a building adjacent to the alley, advancing rapidly on the disabled vehicle with assault rifles raised.

As the team closed in on the overturned armored vehicle in a semi-circle, the car shifted and settled further with a sudden creak, causing the surrounding operatives to instinctively step back a couple of paces.

Seeing no movement or response from inside the vehicle, the squad crept closer once more. Following a series of hand gestures from their captain, one operative stepped forward to peer through the wreckage.

"Damn, report, there's no one inside the car."

"Dammit! They slipped through our fingers again! Surveillance team, use the target vehicle as the center point and comb the surrounding blocks. Find them at all costs. Move, move, move, move!"

"Boom~~"

Right as the roar echoed through the comms earpieces, the displays of two surveillance monitors suddenly turned to static.

"What's going on? Team C, respond. Team C, report."

"Report, that armored vehicle just exploded. The two surrounding surveillance feeds are down. Only the sniper team from Team C remains; everyone else has been wiped out.

Repeating, only the members of the sniper team remain from Team C. All others have perished."

"Bang!"

Inside the room, the elderly man swept his cane across the table in a rage, sending a water glass crashing against the wall.

"How many teams do we have left?"

"Only Teams D and E are currently on standby. However, they are stationed quite far from the target area, and they still need to hold critical checkpoints."

"What about the mercenaries? Didn't you say countless hitmen accepted the contracts? What are they doing?"

"We cannot track the movements of every independent killer from our end. However, through the surveillance network, we've spotted three teams of hitmen operating in the vicinity, though their targets remain unconfirmed."

"Dammit, motherfucker!"

The chubby, well-dressed white man standing beside the gloomy old man adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. Glancing at the enraged elder, he quietly backed out of the room.

Returning to his own quarters, he opened a prepared black leather suitcase filled with a variety of passports and neat bundles of foreign currency.

He picked up a single green passport and a stack of crisp banknotes, then snapped the case shut.

Yet, after lingering by the desk for a moment, he reopened the case, reached into his jacket to pull out a pistol, and placed it inside.

When he finally stepped out of his room, his appearance had fundamentally changed. His slicked-back hair was now a thinning, slightly tousled mop; the gold-rimmed glasses had been replaced by thick-framed black spectacles; and his immaculate suit had been swapped for a baggy plaid shirt.

Slinging a bulky laptop backpack over his shoulder, he strode into the surveillance room.

"Something's come up in Rome that requires my attention. I'm heading out."

Glancing at his subordinate, whose appearance had drastically transformed, the old man let out a cold snort. Remaining silent, he simply fixed the man with a dark, piercing stare.

Without another word, the man turned and left. Emerging from the building, he walked straight into a bank.

After presenting his credentials, he was escorted by a client manager into a private safe-deposit room. He placed his laptop bag inside a locker before hailing a cab directly to the airport.

Meanwhile, a laptop hidden within the backpack suddenly booted up on its own. After lines of green code flashed rapidly across the screen, the computer shut itself down entirely.

***

"Looks like we've shaken them off."

Rem glanced back, eyeing the thick plume of black smoke visible even across several city blocks, and muttered under his breath.

Li Hongshen, however, remained unphased. His eyes swept across the passing crowds as they walked three blocks away from the wreckage of the armored vehicle.

They were currently strolling through a distinct alleyway lined with glass display windows. Behind some of the panes stood solitary steel poles, illuminated by the glow of pulsing red neon lights.

Many of the shops along this street were closed, with only a handful open for business, giving off an air of casual unprofessionalism.

The four of them walked down the damp street, observing the bustling pedestrians. Li Hongshen marveled at the unique subculture of the Western world, taking in the open and uninhibited local customs.

As the boss, however, she appeared thoroughly accustomed to the fierce trials of the battlefield and the liberal local culture, showing not the slightest reaction to the alluring displays behind the glass.

Rem led the vanguard, guiding the group through a maze of twists and turns in the alleyway with absolute familiarity—the unmistakable mark of a veteran who knew the terrain inside out.

The boss walked in the center of the formation, holding a phone fitted with a large display screen, while Li Hongshen and Chiquita brought up the rear.

"Hey guys, we're not heading straight to headquarters anymore. I think I need to go see an old friend."

Hearing these words, Rem slowed his pace.

"Boss, are you sure about this?"

"Relax. That old friend of mine misses me dearly and sent me quite a few generous gifts. If I don't go pay him a visit now, I might not get another chance.

I have his coordinates, so there shouldn't be any mistake. Humor me and indulge this slightly unreasonable request."

Rem shrugged.

"You're the boss. Your call."

"As you wish."

"Mm."

"Then let's get moving. If we're late, we might miss him."

With that, Koko Hekmatyar handed her phone back to Rem. A look of surprise crossed Rem's face as he stared at the screen, his mouth parting slightly in disbelief.

"Yep, exactly what you're thinking. Let's go, they're waiting for us."

Guided by Rem, the group quickly navigated through a series of narrow alleys before stopping to knock on a green wooden door.

An elderly man with a hunched back opened the door, peering out at them with mismatched eyes, his head tilted sideways.

Rem pulled four gold coins from his coat and handed them to the old man. After running his fingers over them to verify their authenticity, the old man stepped aside.

Rem entered first, and guided by another elderly person, Li Hongshen and the others descended into the basement. Passing through an underground archway, they stepped into a subterranean corridor.

After winding their way through the damp corridor for over twenty minutes, they arrived before a heavy iron door. Following a rhythmic sequence of knocks, the door unlocked from the outside, and the old guide ushered them out of the subterranean passage.

Emerging from the corridor, they crossed through an elderly woman's bedroom and stepped outside. Directly ahead of them stood a red-brick building, all of its windows tightly veiled by curtains.

"We've arrived."