"Keep driving."
Wade Qi was a capable man.
Ethan Chen was a man who listened to good advice.
After the car stopped in the parking lot across the street, Wade analyzed the situation. "People who come for fun at this hour are usually regulars with their own groups. Proper business entertainment dinners would still be going on at this time."
"But those men just now... one was clearly the absolute center. The two walking in front maintained a vigilant posture, and the ones behind did the same. It resembles a pattern used by foreign mercenary teams, moving in a triangular formation."
Ethan asked curiously, "Brother Seven, you've dealt with mercenaries before?"
"Had some contact in the past. Those people are dangerous. Hope I never have to deal with them again."
Ethan nodded. Just as he looked back towards the club, a figure caught his eye—the pretty police officer!
But now, the officer was heavily made up. Her open down jacket revealed a rather revealing outfit underneath. She wore black stockings but no shoes, sprinting desperately in their direction.
Chasing behind her were two men—the same two who had just entered the club.
"Mr. Chen, she—"
"I see her." Ethan thought for a few seconds. "Pick her up! I need to verify some things!"
The officer had clearly received professional training; her running speed wasn't slow. But the two pursuers were faster and had exceptional stamina, showing no signs of fatigue after the sustained chase.
Knowing she'd be caught if she kept running straight, the officer veered towards the parking lot with its many obstacles. However, her pursuers were also highly skilled; the obstacles did little to slow them down, and the gap between them closed steadily.
One of the men suddenly accelerated, caught up with the officer, and grabbed her shoulder.
The officer shrugged off her down jacket to escape, but the other man rushed forward and delivered a powerful kick to her abdomen.
The force sent her tumbling to the ground. Just as the two men moved to grab her, a Range Rover screeched around the corner, swerving towards them.
The two men quickly jumped back.
"Get in."
A door swung open. The officer, just scrambling to her feet, saw Ethan inside the car. After a quick glance at her surroundings and a moment's hesitation, she swiftly climbed in.
The car sped away. The two pursuers noted the license plate and immediately made a call.
"They had a pickup! License plate is Silver A..."
Inside the car, the officer watched Ethan warily.
Ethan knew exactly what she was thinking. "We're not with them. Otherwise, why would we pick you up? In that situation back there, you were as good as caught."
The officer remained tense, pressed against the door, one hand on the handle as if ready to jump out at any moment.
Ethan sighed, took off his jacket, and placed it on the middle of the back seat.
"Put this on first. Your arms are turning red from the cold." The officer was only wearing a revealing slip dress.
After draping the jacket over her shoulders, some of the wariness left her eyes. "Thanks."
Ethan shrugged.
The officer studied him for a moment. "You work for The Boss, right? Don't you want to ask me why?"
"Am I insane?" Ethan looked exasperated. "Why would I go looking for trouble? I was just passing by today! Understand? Passing by!"
"You wouldn't have this trouble if you hadn't picked me up."
"Can't be helped then." Ethan shrugged. "I'm a normal person. I can't just stand by and watch a police officer in danger."
The officer pursed her lips. "You can drop me off at the next intersection. I won't bring trouble to you."
"Afraid that's not possible." Wade gave a wry smile from the driver's seat. "Mr. Chen, there are three cars tailing us. They've seen our plate. We need to figure out how to handle this."
Being followed wasn't the main headache for Ethan; they could probably shake them. But the license plate being noted was a serious problem—the car was provided by The Boss.
As for what exactly happened at The Majestic club and whether it involved The Boss, Ethan had no idea.
"Sigh." Rubbing his head, Ethan turned his attention to the officer. Although he meant to discuss the serious matter, his eyes were inadvertently drawn to her legs, especially with the torn stockings adding a disheveled beauty.
He coughed twice to mask his awkwardness. "Well, you see... I helped you just now. Now it's your turn to help me solve a problem."
"No." The officer guessed his intent and shook her head. "My operation is covert. I can't get support from the department; it would alert the target."
"Not asking for your people's support," Ethan said. "It's a different kind of help."
The car continued through the streets. The three cars behind weren't in a hurry, just maintaining their distance. They were either calling for reinforcements to set up a blockade or planning to simply follow until the Range Rover ran out of gas.
Forcing a car off the road or engaging in a violent collision in the city center—nobody would do that. At least not in a busy downtown area.
Ethan wasn't panicking either. His plan needed a little time to develop, and he was also looking for an opportunity to slip away.
They circled the busy downtown area. It was dinner time, and the streets were congested.
Ethan scanned the surroundings, and a figure suddenly caught his eye—a very beautiful woman sitting alone by the window of a Western restaurant.
"Brother Seven, speed up, put some distance between us, but don't lose them completely. Then circle back to the front of that Western restaurant. I need a minute or two."
Wade nodded, swerved into the oncoming lane, and slammed the accelerator. The engine roared as the car surged forward.
Oncoming vehicles swerved and honked, drivers yelling out their windows. The three pursuing cars also veered into the opposite lane, causing chaos on the street.
Wade sharply turned the wheel, ducked into a narrow alley, made several quick turns, checked the rearview mirror, and pulled up in front of the Western restaurant.
"Go!"
Ethan swiftly opened the door, pulled the officer out with him.
"Walk fast, but don't run. Don't draw attention." Ethan put his arm around the officer's waist and walked into the restaurant like any normal couple.
Upon reaching the second floor, Ethan saw it was comprised of private rooms. In an instant, he assessed the layout, identified a room facing the right direction, and pushed open the door.
Mulan was sitting at the table. Hearing the door open, she thought her expected guest had arrived and began to rise to greet them. Then she saw Ethan standing in the doorway with a beautiful woman in his arms.
Mulan froze for a moment, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. "Ethan, what a coincidence meeting you here."
"Not a coincidence at all. I came specifically to find you."
"Find me?" Mulan was puzzled. She instinctively glanced at the woman Ethan was holding, who looked familiar. After a moment's thought, it hit her—wasn't this the police officer she saw at the station yesterday?
"You really need to help me out here." Without waiting for Mulan's reply, Ethan guided the officer under the table and then sat down opposite Mulan.
The long tablecloth of the dining table obscured the view beneath. The private room's lighting was romantically dim. Unless someone got on the floor or lifted the cloth, there was no way to see the person hiding there.
Once seated, Ethan looked out the window towards the street below.
The sound of screeching tires echoed as two cars jerked to irregular stops in front of the restaurant. Doors flew open, and eight figures emerged, scanning their surroundings aggressively.
Mulan saw this too. "Looking for you?"
"Yeah." Ethan nodded.
"Eat something." Mulan pushed some appetizers towards Ethan. "The plates can't be too clean."
"Thanks."
Simultaneously, another car blocked the Range Rover. Several men got out and approached the driver's side.
Wade sat in the driver's seat, watching four men approach. One of them yanked the door open and stared at Wade.
"Where is he?"
"Where's who? Who the hell are you?" Wade put on a performance of confused indignation.
"Cut the crap!" The man reached for Wade's collar.
Wade countered, seizing the man's wrist, twisting it sharply, and then kicked him flying back.
The other three immediately closed in.
Wade stepped out of the car, projecting the anger of someone unjustly provoked.
Just then, several more cars sped over and screeched to a halt.
A voluptuous woman got out, followed by over a dozen enforcers.
"Autumn, we caught up with the car. It's this guy."
The enforcers parted, and Autumn immediately recognized the man standing before her.
"Seven?"
She naturally knew Ethan's driver.
"Autumn, these are your people?" Wade scanned the group. "What's the meaning of this? Picking a fight for no reason? Think I'm an easy target?"
One enforcer started to speak, but Autumn stopped him. She stepped forward with a smile. "Seven, what are you talking about? It's all a misunderstanding. Seven, are you here..."
Wade maintained his sour expression. "Do I need to report to you?"
"Of course not." Autumn waved her hands dismissively. "I just thought if you're here, Brother Yi must be around too. Wondered if I should say hello."
"Forget it." Wade shook his head. "Mr. Chen is having a meal with someone."
"How can we just forget it? Running into each other is fate, isn't it?" Autumn's eyes scanned the area.
Just then, another enforcer leaned in and whispered in Autumn's ear.
After listening, Autumn glanced towards the Western restaurant. The previously bright windows now had their curtains drawn. She smiled at Wade. "Seven, my men don't know any better. Don't hold it against them. Come on, all of you! Greet Brother Seven! Apologize!"
The man Wade had kicked walked over. "Brother Seven, my apologies."
Wade snorted coldly.
"Seven, I'll let you get back to your business then." Autumn said, then turned and walked towards the Western restaurant, quietly instructing her subordinates, "Keep an eye on him!"
After giving the order, Autumn strode into the restaurant, beckoned a server, and asked, "Did a man and a woman just come in?"
"Ma'am, most of our guests are couples."
Autumn rephrased. "The man was very young. The woman was older, quite beautiful."
"Yes." The server remembered now. "They went upstairs."
Autumn led her people straight to the second floor. She had just reached the top of the stairs when she ran into Ethan coming out of a private room.