The moment the man finished speaking, Ji Linlin lost her nerve.
She shrank in place, not daring to move.
Huo Jiulin turned sideways and quickly surveyed the private room.
His gaze paused for two seconds on the cabinet in the corner.
Then he pulled Ji Linlin behind it.
Her face had gone deathly pale with fear. Hugging her knees, she crouched in the corner and trembled.
Huo Jiulin took out his gun and was about to turn and head outside.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of—
the low-cut outfit Ji Linlin was wearing, which barely covered her.
His eyes shifted. He set the gun on the cabinet.
Taking off his suit jacket, he bent down and draped it over Ji Linlin.
“Stay here. Don’t come out.”
Ji Linlin nodded tensely.
Huo Jiulin picked up his gun and headed for the door.
“Bang—!”
The door was suddenly kicked open.
Five or six armed goons stormed in.
At the same time—
Gunfire erupted through the private room like a thunderstorm, shrill as the death knell of doomsday.
Huo Jiulin twisted aside, leapt up with incredible speed, and landed behind the sofa.
A bullet flew past so close it nearly grazed his eyelashes.
A rush of scorching air roared beside his face.
The bullet struck the sofa, sending its stuffing flying through the air.
Using the sofa as cover, Huo Jiulin raised his gun and fired at the goons.
“Bang—!”
“Bang—!”
“Bang—!”
A relentless barrage of gunfire filled the room.
The goons who were hit fell one after another.
Blood erupted like lava from a volcano, splattering their companions’ faces and clothes.
The glass coffee table shattered under the hail of bullets, shards flying in every direction.
After a fierce exchange of fire,
Huo Jiulin had killed four of the goons on the spot. The remaining two still had their guns in hand, cautiously edging farther into the room.
Huo Jiulin crouched behind the back of the sofa, holding his breath as he listened for movement in front of it.
Just then, one of the goons noticed the cabinet in the corner.
A strand of black hair showed beside it.
With his gun raised, the goon slowly made his way toward the cabinet.
Seeing that the person behind it was about to be exposed, Huo Jiulin’s gaze darted to a fire extinguisher nearby.
Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
“Bang—!”
The bullet struck the fire extinguisher, making it explode.
White powder swallowed the room in an instant.
Blinded, the two goons were seized by fear. Like headless flies, they fired wildly in every direction.
“Bang, bang, bang—!”
Deafening gunshots whizzed past Ji Linlin’s ears.
Bullets hit the metal cabinet with a shrill, scraping sound.
“Ah—!”
Clutching her head, Ji Linlin screamed on reflex.
Huo Jiulin sprang to his feet.
His tall figure appeared and disappeared in the smoke, radiating a suffocating sense of menace.
He raised his gun, aimed at the two goons’ heads, and pulled the trigger again.
“Bang—!”
“Bang—!”
Two crisp shots rang out.
The bullets streaked like death-dealing meteors, passing cleanly through the goons’ foreheads.
Their pupils dilated. The madness in their eyes froze into the terror of death.
Then they toppled stiffly to the ground.
The enemies inside the private room were dealt with, but gunfire continued outside.
Huo Jiulin turned and quickly left the room.
In the corridor, Qiaoke was still fighting the remaining goons.
“Bang—!”
Only after the last goon was killed did Qiaoke let out a deep breath.
“Their boss is dead. Why are these idiots still fighting so hard?”
“Do they think he’s going to crawl out of his grave and pay their wages?”
He paused, then seemed to think of something and scoffed.
“Well, I suppose he could. In funeral money.”
Huo Jiulin strode past the bodies strewn across the floor and briskly entered the Supreme Private Room.
Qiaoke followed him in.
Huo Jiulin stopped in front of Shinai and glanced sideways at Qiaoke.
The meaning in his eyes was unmistakable.
Qiaoke frowned slightly. “You’ve got to be kidding. You want me to do this too?”
“Who else?” Huo Jiulin raised an eyebrow, unhurried. “Me?”
Qiaoke sighed. “Fine, fine! I know you’re a germaphobe. I’ll do it.”
He went over to Shinai, crouched down, and frisked him thoroughly from head to toe.
Then he wiped the blood on his hands over Shinai’s clothes again and again, looking disgusted.
“Nothing on him.”
He stood up and kicked Shinai with his gleaming leather shoe.
Then, remembering something, he turned to Huo Jiulin and asked,
“Lin.”
“Was that little girl one of Shinai’s people?”
“Could the thing be on her?”
Huo Jiulin considered it briefly, then answered at once.
“She wasn’t working for Shinai.”
“The thing probably isn’t with her.”
Qiaoke was at a loss.
“Then where could Shinai have hidden it?”
“Bangkok’s huge. How are we supposed to find it?”
Huo Jiulin didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and walked out of the Supreme Private Room, heading for the Elysium Private Room.
“Lin, where are you going?”
Qiaoke glanced at the bodies in the corridor and hurried after him. “We need to get out of here.”
Huo Jiulin entered the Elysium Private Room and went straight to the cabinet in the corner.
But the space behind it was empty.
He quickly scanned the entire room. There was no one there.
Where was she?
He turned and called, “Qiaoke.”
Qiaoke nodded. “Yeah?”
Huo Jiulin asked, “Did you see her leave just now?”
“Her?” Qiaoke paused for a second before realizing who he meant. “No.”
Huo Jiulin stepped out of the room and looked around the corridor.
Qiaoke followed him again.
“Lin, we really have to leave. Otherwise, this is going to get messy.”
*
Huo Jiulin and Qiaoke jumped out of the window behind the Supreme Private Room.
Laisong and Hailun were already waiting below in the car.
As soon as they landed, Huo Jiulin and Qiaoke opened the doors and got in.
Inside the car,
Laisong drove while Hailun handed Huo Jiulin a packet of wet wipes.
“Sir.”
Huo Jiulin took them and slowly wiped the grime from his hands.
Qiaoke took a couple of wipes too and cleaned his hands. Half joking, he said,
“You know, I risk my life alongside you every day.”
“Running all over the world.”
“I have to fend off your admirers and frisk people for you…”
“When we get back to Rome, shouldn’t I get a promotion?”
Huo Jiulin tossed away the wipes and glanced at him.
“You’re already Kaweila’s acting leader.”
“Want me to give you my position as head of the family?”
Qiaoke waved his hands. “No, no, no. I wouldn’t dare take the head of the family’s position.”
“Then what position do you want?” Huo Jiulin asked. “Want Tia’s?”
Qiaoke immediately refused. “Tia’s position? That’s even less suitable for me.”
“Forget it, forget it. I’ll stick to being acting leader.”
Only after the back seat fell quiet did Hailun turn to Qiaoke and ask, puzzled,
“Deputy Commander, what emergency happened in the private room just now?”
“Why did you suddenly cancel Plan A? I’d even prepared the bomb.”