Chapter Thirty-Nine: Armed for Battle

The fact that the leader assigned Yuan Xiaoying to tail that adulterous couple was clearly an abuse of authority for personal gain; it had already gone far beyond Yuan Xiaoying’s job description...

“Could it be that the leader deliberately lured Yuan Xiaoying here to make it easier for people from Huangchao to make their move?”

Liu Jingye didn’t rule out any possibilities, but by the time he came to his senses, Yuan Xiaoying had already gotten into the police car that had just arrived. She waved at him and called out, “You go back first, I’ll come find you later. I’m off to see that bastard Huang Xing—how dare he retaliate and assault a police officer? Old and new grudges will be settled together this time.”

“Huh? Hey, you—” Liu Jingye sensed something was amiss and wanted to stop Yuan Xiaoying from acting rashly, but the police car had already driven off.

He sighed. This woman was truly fierce. Still, now that they had the green-haired man’s testimony confirming that Huangchao was behind it, Yuan Xiaoying probably wouldn’t be foolish enough to confront them alone. If she brought a whole squad of officers, there shouldn’t be any danger.

Liu Jingye turned to leave, but hadn’t gone far when he suddenly noticed a manhole cover moving ahead of him. Curious, he walked over and saw the lid being lifted from below. A man poked his head out, furtively glancing around.

“Hey, what are you—a Ninja Turtle?” Liu Jingye joked.

The man was startled and quickly climbed out. Liu Jingye recognized him as one of the punks who had tried to escape earlier—so he’d hidden in the sewer.

The punk recognized Liu Jingye as well and immediately snarled, “Get lost! Mind your own business or I’ll mess you up…”

He hadn’t finished his threat before Liu Jingye delivered a solid kick, landing squarely on his abdomen and sending him tumbling right back into the manhole. The fall was hard—his head was split and bleeding.

With a cold sneer, Liu Jingye said, “If you don’t want me to make things worse for you, be honest—why were you looking for Yuan Xiaoying?”

He picked up a brick from the roadside and brandished it toward the man in the pit.

The punk, his face covered in blood, saw that Liu Jingye was even more ruthless than their own kind and started to tremble.

“Please, don’t hit me, big brother! I’ll talk… Our boss, Scorpion, sent us here to find Yuan Xiaoying. Preferably to take her away, but if that didn’t work, at least to force her to reveal the location of the formula.”

“What formula?” Liu Jingye had a vague suspicion.

The punk wiped blood from his brow. “Big brother, I really don’t know what formula.”

“Alright, thank you.” Liu Jingye thanked him politely, then kicked the manhole cover back over, trapping him inside.

“So it really is about that drug-making process,” Liu Jingye thought. “Looks like they’ve caught on and believe Yuan Xiaoying did the switch. The profits from the drugs are huge, and the costs significant—Huangchao can’t afford to lose everything. That’s why they’d risk attacking the police to get to her.”

Suddenly, Liu Jingye’s expression changed. “Damn—if they get desperate and Yuan Xiaoying confronts them, won’t she be walking right into their trap?”

He quickly dialed Yuan Xiaoying’s number, only to find her phone was turned off.

“Looks like I’m getting deeper and deeper into the murky waters of Huangchao,” Liu Jingye said with a wry smile.

Years of living on the edge had given Liu Jingye a keen sense for danger, and the power that Huangchao had revealed so far had already exceeded his expectations.

A lion uses all its strength even to catch a rabbit—so Liu Jingye would never underestimate an opponent, especially not a local crime syndicate. He needed to make some necessary preparations.

He made his way to an old, run-down neighborhood inhabited mostly by elderly people. The stairwell was dark and cluttered with boxes and old coal briquettes.

Liu Jingye knocked on the iron security door of a first-floor apartment. A soft, coquettish woman’s voice soon answered from inside: “Who is it?”

“It’s me!” Liu Jingye replied.

“And who are you?” the voice inquired.

Liu Jingye scratched his head awkwardly, lips fumbling as if there was something difficult to say. Finally, he gritted his teeth and recited: “A thief in the black grass, going solo with two hammers in hand.”

The woman instantly responded with excitement: “There’s a ghost in the mountain valley, wild-haired and grinning! Wow, Xiao Liu, is that you?”

With that, the door swung open. A woman with disheveled hair appeared—she really did look a bit like a ghost. She brushed her hair aside to reveal a lovely, oval face, delicate brows like willow leaves, bright almond-shaped eyes, though there was a trace of melancholy in her expression.

She was a beautiful woman around thirty, wearing a long home dress that could not hide her voluptuous figure—petite yet alluring.

With a hint of grievance in her voice, she said, “You rascal, what took you so long to come see me? Have you forgotten about me?”

Her sweet, cloying tone sent goosebumps down Liu Jingye’s spine. Seeing she was about to throw herself at him, he forced a smile. “Forget you? Never. You’re exactly my type—especially with those curves. Clothes on, you look slender; take them off, and you’re all softness.”

“You’ve been paying close attention, haven’t you?” The woman giggled flirtatiously.

She stepped aside to let him in. The apartment was a mess, not much better than Yuan Xiaoying’s pigsty, except the bras and panties scattered on the floor were several sizes larger than Yuan Xiaoying’s.

“So, kid, what brings you to see Sister Yan today?” she asked. “Are you here to let me repay my debt? I have nothing to offer but myself.”

Faced with the sultry woman’s enthusiasm, Liu Jingye broke out in a cold sweat. He was never good at handling relationships with women, especially when they took the initiative—he became even more passive.

Her name was Li Yan, and Liu Jingye had met her on a jungle battlefield. At the time, she was alone, trying to make her way back to China from Vietnam, fleeing from major Golden Triangle drug lords. Liu Jingye, on a mission in the jungle, encountered her. To him, whether drug lord or enemy soldier, they were all adversaries.

So he ruthlessly gunned down all the enemies, saving Li Yan from the jaws of death and escorting her back across the border.

During the journey, Liu Jingye learned that this seductive woman was actually a munitions expert, a true weapons genius. She’d been abducted during an academic exchange and forced by Golden Triangle militants to build and modify weapons for them.

Of course, she’d been unwilling, and seized the chance to escape, only to be rescued by Liu Jingye—her savior.

But as far as Liu Jingye was concerned, instead of focusing on repaying him, she seemed more intent on seducing him, which made things awkward.

By coincidence, after Li Yan was rescued, she stayed in Liu Jingye’s unit, using her expertise to upgrade their equipment—so much so that even the commanding officers valued and respected her greatly.

Li Yan genuinely wanted to serve her country, but when she learned Liu Jingye was returning home, she insisted on accompanying him, almost as if with the intention of repaying him with herself. This truly startled Liu Jingye, and to his surprise, she turned out to be from his hometown as well.

Liu Jingye had been back for over half a year, always pretending to be oblivious and not daring to visit. Now that he’d finally come, Li Yan was as bold and forward as ever, leaving him at a loss.

“Sis, I’m here because I need something from my old partner. I have some urgent matters to handle. When it’s all settled, I’ll come back and catch up with you,” Liu Jingye decided to be straightforward.

Li Yan paused. “What do you want with it in a peaceful, prosperous city like this? You’re not planning another hero-to-the-rescue act, are you?”

Her words hit the mark, leaving Liu Jingye a little embarrassed. Suddenly, her expression became even more woeful. “I see, you really are off to save another damsel in distress. So why do you play dumb every time I throw myself at you!?”

“Come on, don’t make a scene. I really do have urgent business, and it might involve one of my comrades,” Liu Jingye said seriously. He wasn’t lying—this matter probably involved Li Yue and, combined with Wei Xiaorou and Yuan Xiaoying, he couldn’t just stand by.

“Alright, follow me.” Seeing his earnestness, Li Yan didn’t dare delay. She led him into the bedroom.

Stepping inside, Liu Jingye was stunned. This was no ordinary apartment—it was practically an armory.

The walls were lined with all kinds of guns and weaponry. The room looked more like a mini munitions factory: lathes, drills, a full array of tools, and hundreds of bullets scattered across the workbench, all shapes and sizes, dazzling to behold.

“Your commander recently asked me to design and modify some weapons for amphibious landings, so I’ve been working overtime. Haven’t even had time to ask you out—are you mad at me?” Li Yan said with a touch of resentment.

“No, of course not,” Liu Jingye replied, wiping cold sweat from his brow. “Business comes first, naturally.”

Watching Li Yan bend over to search beneath the gun rack, Liu Jingye found it hard not to look. He wondered to himself, now that Li Yan was developing weapons for amphibious assaults, was the situation in the southern seas growing tense again? Pity he could no longer take part.

“Here you go—your old partner,” Li Yan said, standing up with a massive black handgun—the legendary Desert Eagle.

Liu Jingye took the gun, caressing it with the affection one might show a lover.

The pistol was enormous, heavy as Thor’s hammer, jet-black and lustrous, radiating lethal intent.

Seeing how reluctant he was to let it go, Li Yan remarked, “I don’t know exactly how long you’ve had this gun, but I can tell it’s fired at least ten thousand rounds—the rifling in the barrel is almost completely worn smooth. Normally, bullets would go wild at that point, but when you saved me last time, you still hit the target dead on. How?”

Liu Jingye smiled. “Because it’s my old partner. I know it inside out.”

Li Yan was startled, then understood. With such intimate knowledge of his weapon’s character, even with worn rifling and unpredictable bullets, he could make precise adjustments before firing—skill honed by countless rounds, the mark of a true sharpshooter.

“I’ve restored the barrel and even upgraded it a bit. Try it—you’ll find it a brand-new experience,” Li Yan said cheerfully.

“Thank you,” Liu Jingye replied, tucking the gun into his chest. After half a year, reuniting with his old partner made him feel fearless again, as if he’d returned to his invincible days.