Xu Chuan took out his phone and dialed a number. “NIKI, I’m at the Central Plaza in Darbeida. Send two people over to clean up.”
“Who knew there were so many lunatics in this world?”
Hanging up the phone, Xu Chuan searched the deceased’s body. There was no wallet, only a few crumpled small bills, which Xu Chuan casually put into his pocket. There was no passport or identification. He picked up the P226 and examined it. There were no signs of modification; it was a very ordinary mass-produced model.
It was then that Xu Chuan noticed the deceased’s tightly clenched left hand. Forcibly prying open the deceased’s fingers, he found a device resembling a car remote key. Xu Chuan picked it up and scrutinized it. “As expected, those who come out in the middle of the night are not good people.” This was not a car key, but a modified wireless detonator.
“The remote control range of this thing isn’t large, which means there should be a big firecracker nearby. I wonder who’s so unlucky.” Such a bomb would not have only one detonation method; even if the remote control failed, there would be other backup methods, such as car ignition, opening the car door, or timed detonation, etc. So, that poor fellow might have to pray for his own good fortune.
Xu Chuan turned the body over and pulled a photo from the back pocket. The photo showed a short-haired Asian woman in her early 30s. “Is this his target? Hmm, why does she look a bit familiar?” Xu Chuan held the photo, deep in thought, searching through his memories. “Who exactly is it?”
Xu Chuan couldn't find this person in his memories, but subconsciously felt that this person might be related to something in his previous life. Xu Chuan wasn't allowed to think for too long before a black van stopped at the alley entrance, its side door open, facing the exit.
Two people got out of the car, wearing dark blue work uniforms and masks that only exposed their eyes. A low voice carried a hint of amusement, “Boss, how many this time?”
“One, three bullets, two to the torso, one through the head. Find the bullet fragments.” He pointed at the bloodstains on the ground and some yellowish-white fragments that looked like tofu. “Clean these things up, or they’ll scare people when it gets light.”
“So, don’t always aim for the head. It’s really troublesome to clean up.”
“Shut up, get to work quickly, or watch out for this month’s bonus.” He tossed the remote control in his hand over.
“OK, OK,” the person took the remote control and examined it in his hand. “It’s clearly the CIA’s method.”
Xu Chuan asked in confusion, “You can tell that?”
“Heh heh, Boss, I’ve been dealing with them for half my life.”
The first person was packaging the body with plastic wrap, truly skilled, with hands crossed over the chest, wrapped like a mummy. Just then, a loud explosion came from across the street.
“I’ll go take a look, you two hurry up, the police should be here soon.” Xu Chuan hid the pistol under his armpit and quickly walked out of the alley, first observing the surroundings to confirm there were no other suspicious individuals, then walking towards the fire in the distance.
In the parking lot, a car was almost completely destroyed in the explosion. Not far away, a woman was slumped on the ground. “She’s really lucky,” Xu Chuan thought. The bomb must have been connected to the car lock; the bomb would activate when the car was unlocked, then detonate after a 10-20 second delay, just as the person sat in the car, and then they’d be gone.
The deceased earlier should have been a backup, partly to prevent accidents and partly to confirm the outcome of the mission target, but he didn't know how this woman had dodged the bomb.
It was still dark, and there weren't many people on the street. Xu Chuan took out his phone and held it to his ear, pretending to call the police. “The method is quite professional, did I meet a colleague?” Just as he was thinking, several people rushed out of the building next door, from the newspaper office Xu Chuan had seen earlier in KFC.
Seeing the middle-aged man leading them, Xu Chuan grinned, “I knew why he looked so familiar, isn’t that Brother Hua?” Xu Chuan didn’t hesitate and turned to leave, because he probably already knew which movie’s plot he had encountered this time.
The sound of police sirens came from a distance, and the cleanup work was nearing its end. A masked man was using a special detergent to clean the bloodstains on the ground. “Alright, hurry up and leave.”
The van started and left the crime scene before the police car arrived. After Xu Chuan reconfirmed that nothing was missed, he walked towards that newspaper office.
---
At Green Valley Energy headquarters, Deng Mei, who hadn't rested all night, rubbed her forehead. The pot of coffee on the table was already empty. As the Chinese representative, she had been in the desert of the Lauder region of Aden for nearly half a year.
However, the situation in Aden had recently taken a sharp turn for the worse. Although the Government Army of Aden still seemed to control most of the areas, news from home requested preparations for personnel evacuation.
“President Deng, your call,” the secretary knocked and entered, handing Deng Mei’s private phone.
Deng Mei looked at the still ringing phone. It was an unknown number, and not many people knew this number. “Hello, this is Deng Mei, who is this?”
A young voice said, “President Deng, I hope I’m not disturbing your work.”
Listening to the familiar voice, Deng Mei smiled slightly, “You little rascal, you finally remembered to call your aunt?”
“You’re such a busy person, how would I dare to disturb you?”
“Alright, I have a meeting soon, just tell me what’s up.” Deng Mei smiled and made a five-minute gesture to her secretary outside the door.
In a hotel in Casablanca, Xu Chuan was on the phone while looking through the intelligence about Aden that had just arrived.
“Okay, I just found out that your family of three are all in Aden. Are you that idle? China can’t hold you anymore, is that it? You run wherever there’s trouble?” Xu Chuan barraged her with questions.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Your aunt and I have work. Xuan Xuan is here because he’s on vacation recently, so we brought him over for a few days.” Deng Mei didn’t get angry at Xu Chuan’s attitude; instead, a warmth rose in her heart.
“Sigh, you two irresponsible ones, bringing Xuan Xuan over too,” Xu Chuan paced around the room in frustration. “I’m telling you, pack your bags quickly. Flights haven’t been grounded today, so leave immediately, right now.”
Deng Mei felt a headache coming on and said helplessly, “I know it’s about to break out here. I’ve already received the evacuation notice, but I need to arrange for the evacuation of the employees before I can leave. Xuan Xuan and his Baba are in Aden, so they should still be safe.”
“Heh, your awareness is quite high. Should I praise you?”
“Xu Chuan, you should understand, some things must be done. If I ran off first, not to mention whether the company would penalize me, even your grandfather would kick me out of the house.”
Xu Chuan listened to the words coming through, closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and didn't dwell on the topic, continuing, “Alright, then you be careful yourself for now. If possible, evacuate to Aden as soon as possible. Oh, by the way, does Green Valley Energy have a guy named William Boson? Has he been holed up at Green Valley recently?”
“Yes, he’s considered the representative of our partner, and he has indeed been at the company without leaving recently.” Deng Mei said in confusion, “Is something wrong?”
Xu Chuan thought for a moment and didn't continue, “Nothing, that’s all for now. Be careful these next few days. You go back to your work.”
Putting down the phone, Xu Chuan felt a wave of irritation. He couldn't very well tell Deng Mei that according to the plot, she would be kidnapped in a few days and almost lose her life.
Xu Chuan had lived in this world for over a decade and found that it was filled with plots from various movies, TV series, novels, and even games. Xu Chuan had already met a policeman who looked like Jackie Chan, and an agent like Maggie Q. The good news was that Thanos and Batman in this world only existed in comics and movies, Superman didn't fly around everywhere, familiar horror movies mostly still existed although with different actors, and the world didn't have a Cthulhu tendency. The bad news was that a British man named John Price was still serving in the SAS, there was an extremist named Khaled Alasad in the Middle East, and there was also a Chechnya man named Imran Zakayev in Russia. Although his influence was not as exaggerated as in the game, where he could directly confront the Russian government, it still made Xu Chuan worry for a period that World War would break out one day when he woke up.
Moreover, based on experience, the real situation sometimes differed greatly from the plot. This wasn't a movie; a stray bullet could cost her life, and he couldn't possibly rely on a few Marines to save her. And most importantly, Alasad and Zakayev were also involved behind the chaos in Aden. He now suspected that the game’s plot had already begun.
“Damn, this is troublesome,” Xu Chuan picked up his phone, found a number, and dialed it.