Chapter 15: Craving Chicken Feet in My Dream
Not long after dinner, Lu Ye suddenly received a call from Chen Xi.
“Zhang Boquan has put a twenty-million bounty on your head. The third-ranked assassin on the list, Meng Meiren, has taken the job. I know your skills are more than enough, but I thought I’d give you a heads-up anyway.”
“Thanks, sis. I’ll be careful.”
Meng Meiren, huh?
The name sounded like a cold-blooded femme fatale, though he wondered what she actually looked like—did her appearance match her name?
Since the Zhang family was so eager to see him dead, Lu Ye naturally wouldn’t just sit and wait. As night fell and the city of Mingzhu began to sparkle with lights, he drove alone toward the villa district along the Mingzhu River. Passing through a tree-lined avenue, the overgrown leaves blocked out the streetlights on both sides, plunging this stretch into much deeper darkness than the rest.
Swish!
Suddenly, a flash of silver tore through the air, slicing cleanly through the Porsche Panamera’s windshield, aimed directly at the driver’s seat!
Screech!
The Panamera spun 180 degrees and came to a halt. Lu Ye kicked open the car door and leaped out, two fingers of his right hand gripping a razor-sharp throwing knife—the same exquisite blade that had nearly pierced his skull a moment before.
Swish, swish, swish!
Three more throwing knives shot toward him in a V-formation, sealing off all avenues of escape.
Lu Ye stood his ground, lips curling into a faint smile, and with the knife he’d caught, he slashed through the air.
Clang!
A clear, ringing note echoed as the knife flying straight at him was sliced clean in two. The other two grazed past his skin, embedding themselves in the car door behind him up to the hilt.
Lu Ye retaliated, flicking the knife in his hand toward a nearby plane tree.
Thud!
The blade nearly punched clean through the trunk, its tip piercing the bark on the far side—just centimeters from the assailant’s head.
Exposed, the assassin stepped out to face Lu Ye head-on, a Nepalese kukri in each hand.
Seeing the figure, Lu Ye paused. “You’re Meng Meiren?”
The assassin hesitated as well, replying, “That’s right. You knew I was coming for you?”
Lu Ye sighed. “Yeah. But I didn’t expect Meng Meiren to be a man. What a disappointment.”
“Why the hell would a guy call himself Meng Meiren—a name so dainty, so feminine, so suggestive? Got my hopes up for nothing. I was expecting a sexy, cold-blooded lady assassin.”
But Meng Meiren was not only a man, he didn’t possess the slightest hint of femininity. He was well over six feet tall, weighed at least two hundred pounds, and sported a scruffy, weather-beaten beard—a hulking brute of a man with a bear-like build.
Hearing Lu Ye’s nonchalant complaint, Meng Meiren scowled. “Damn it, my boss insisted on that name. You think I wanted it?”
Lu Ye burst out laughing. “Hahaha, your boss has a wicked sense of humor!”
“Screw you, keep laughing and I’ll chop you to pieces!” Meng Meiren snapped in exasperation.
Lu Ye asked, “So if I stop laughing, you’ll let me go?”
Meng Meiren considered it. “I’ll chop you whether you laugh or not.”
Without another word, he lunged at Lu Ye, blades flashing.
Unarmed, Lu Ye had no choice but to dodge and retreat, maneuvering back toward his car. Meng Meiren’s twin blades whirled like a storm, each move flowing seamlessly into the next, leaving no opening for a counterattack.
Suddenly, Lu Ye dashed forward, springing off the Panamera’s hood and using the suspension’s bounce to launch himself into the air. With a graceful backflip, he landed behind Meng Meiren.
The kukris crashed down onto the car’s engine hood, slicing two deep gashes into the metal. For a split second, Meng Meiren’s movements faltered.
Lu Ye seized the moment, sweeping a kick at Meng Meiren’s neck.
Crack!
Meng Meiren staggered sideways, nearly losing his footing. Though he still gripped his blades, his overwhelming offensive rhythm had been shattered.
Lu Ye gave him no chance to recover, closing in for hand-to-hand combat. Fists and feet rained down on Meng Meiren’s massive frame.
Driven onto the defensive, Meng Meiren decided to abandon defense altogether. Taking a flurry of blows, he suddenly crossed his kukris in a scissor formation and slashed at Lu Ye’s throat.
Clang!
A pitch-black dagger slid from Lu Ye’s sleeve, parrying the twin blades.
At the moment steel met steel, both of Meng Meiren’s kukris—so sharp they could cut iron like mud—snapped into four pieces, while Lu Ye’s dark dagger remained completely unscathed.
For a brief moment, Meng Meiren stared at the broken blades in his hands, stunned.
Hesitation leads to defeat. Lu Ye pressed the attack, driving the dagger toward Meng Meiren’s heart.
Suddenly, Meng Meiren blurted out, “Is there an end to the world’s edges?”
“In dreams, I crave chicken feet!” Lu Ye replied.
It was the secret code of the Apostles in Disguise—impossible to fake.
Startled, Lu Ye halted the dagger just at Meng Meiren’s chest. An inch further and Meng Meiren might have died on the spot.
“Are you one of us?”
“One of us.”
What a close call!
At the brink of death, Meng Meiren had recognized Lu Ye’s custom dagger—a unique weapon of the Apostles in Disguise. He drew an identical black dagger from his own belt.
Lu Ye frowned. “But I’ve never seen your file. Were you sent out as an undercover agent before?”
Meng Meiren nodded. “Yeah. You?”
“I’m the new captain of the Apostles in Disguise.”
Meng Meiren let out a long breath. “Ten years… I thought the group had disbanded.”
“Who was your handler?”
“Cheng Qimeng. We always had one-way contact. After the chief went missing, I lost all touch with the organization. Ever heard of her, Captain Lu?”
Lu Ye took a deep breath. “Of course. She’s my mother.”
At this, shock flashed in Meng Meiren’s eyes, before he slowly regained composure. “Well, damn, you’re the chief’s son? I almost killed you—what a sin!”
Lu Ye laughed and cursed. “Get out of here, you were the one nearly killed by me.”
He was a bit embarrassed to realize it was his own mother who’d given Meng Meiren that infamous name.
Over a decade ago, Meng Meiren had been part of the Apostles in Disguise. Before embarking on a highly classified undercover mission, then-captain Cheng Qimeng—Lu Ye’s mother—erased all of Meng Meiren’s internal records, maintaining only one-way contact. She had planned to restore his status upon completion of the mission, but fate intervened: Cheng Qimeng disappeared before Meng Meiren’s task was finished, and the organization lost all trace of him.
Meng Meiren had been forced to remain in deep cover, his identity a secret, until his unexpected reunion with Lu Ye tonight.
“This isn’t the place to talk. I’ll give you an address—go meet the vice-captain and tell her everything in detail.”
“Her name is Chen Xi, my mother’s adopted daughter. Show some respect.”
Meng Meiren nodded. “Got it.”
Lu Ye still had unfinished business with the Zhang family. After telling Meng Meiren where the yacht was located, he restarted the Panamera and continued toward the riverside villas.
…
“Dad, any news from Meng Meiren? Nothing’s gone wrong, has it?”
“What could go wrong? The third-ranked assassin in the world—Meng Meiren has never failed. By now, that Lu boy is probably dead and buried!”
“Heh, I’ll go open a bottle of whisky. Let’s celebrate properly.”
Zhang Yunjie stood, heading for the wine cellar to fetch a bottle of Royal Salute to toast the removal of the thorn in their side. But just then, a cold snort sounded.
“Indeed, you should celebrate—after all, your good days are about to end.”
Bang!
The front door of the Zhang villa’s living room was kicked open, and Lu Ye strode in alone.
A flash of malice flickered in Zhang Boquan’s eyes. “Lu Ye!”
“Master Zhang, at last we meet,” Lu Ye said with a faint smile.
Zhang Boquan sneered. “You made it here alive—looks like Meng Meiren really failed this time. I’m impressed.”
Lu Ye replied, “I used to think you were a clever man, but now I see you’re nothing more than a dog on a leash for the Hongying Society.”
“What Hongying Society? I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Zhang Boquan and Zhang Yunjie exchanged glances, silently resolving to deny everything.
Lu Ye tossed a file onto the table and smiled. “Here’s all the evidence of your dealings with the Hongying Society. Zhang Yunjie, did you really think I was joking before?”