Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 783: Chapter 27: Just Ordinary People

“You must be Dr. Ferenc.” Song Haoran looked at the old man and asked knowingly.

Dr. Ferenc looked back at Song Haoran with uncertainty. He had seen people with Eastern faces before, but an Eastern face being from this country’s government made him feel very peculiar.

It was a very rare sight.

“You know me?” Dr. Ferenc frowned.

Song Haoran casually said, “Doctor, I’m from the National Security Bureau, and I’ve reviewed the files of significant figures in the country, so I recognized you.”

His brain started working rapidly, quickly weaving a complete justification – complete but not perfect, yet sufficient given the current circumstances.

“We’ve been monitoring these bandits for some time and have been closely observing their movements,” Song Haoran said quickly. “The leader of these bandits is the son of the former ‘Imperial Command’ leader and is a highly dangerous criminal. They’ve taken the entire theater hostage and want to negotiate with the government.”

“‘Imperial Command’!” Dr. Ferenc exclaimed, clearly familiar with the reputation of this gang – in fact, there’s no one in this country unaware of the terror associated with the ‘Imperial Command.’

“How could this be, how could this be… this shouldn’t have happened? This time I…” Dr. Ferenc murmured to himself, his expression of confusion growing even deeper.

“Let’s not talk about that now, Doctor, besides you, is there anyone else hiding?” Song Haoran suddenly asked.

Dr. Ferenc instinctively responded, “Mr. Billy and I were separated in the chaos, but he is accompanied by bodyguards, and I don’t know his current situation.”

“Mr. Billy… which Mr. Billy?” Song Haoran asked.

Dr. Ferenc opened his mouth, “Of course, it’s from the Social Party… Can I really leave here safely?”

Dr. Ferenc immediately changed his tone, looking nervously at Song Haoran. Song Haoran inwardly chuckled; this old man was cautious but slow to react… Social Party, Mr. Billy?

Could it be the party leader?

Song Haoran quickly organized the available intelligence.

Ferenc is a key figure in the national scientific research field, and this Mr. Billy is most likely the leader of an opposition party, the Social Party. How could these two figures simply be attending a concert on a whim together?

Judging by the situation, Mr. Billy didn’t have many people with him… otherwise, a party leader would naturally attract a lot of attention during a trip.

It seems to be a secret journey.

Vaguely, Song Haoran had a strange thought… Could it be that there is a third force in this theater, gathered for some reason, but unfortunately encountered Roger’s hostage-taking?

If that were the case, and considering the original assassination target from our side… Tsk, tsk, what a day.

“Doctor, let me take you somewhere safe first.” Song Haoran decisively grabbed the old man’s arm.

Dr. Ferenc seemed to want to say something but ultimately held back, his brows furrowing deeply, seemingly troubled by something.

But when he passed a VIP lounge, Song Haoran suddenly stopped.

Because he felt something strange.

Roger’s men, in their initial sweep, had opened all the doors to search for anyone hiding. This way, during the second search, any room with a closed door would likely mean someone had been missed.

After all, in a panic, people instinctively look for safety – closing the door to their hiding place is a common behavior.

Song Haoran noticed that this door was closed… and locked.

It should have been one of the rooms already checked by the two bandits he dealt with. Why hadn’t those two noticed this anomaly? Or was it that someone entered this room and closed the door after the two bandits left?

“What is it?” Dr. Ferenc suddenly stopped and asked in confusion.

“There’s someone in there.” Song Haoran made a silencing gesture, then moved Dr. Ferenc to hide behind him, pressing his ear to the door as if listening for something.

“Is it… Roger’s men?” Dr. Ferenc’s face turned white.

Song Haoran shook his head intuitively, “It doesn’t seem like it… Doctor, move back a bit, it might be guests hiding. If so, I have a duty to take them with us.”

It was the duty of rescue personnel to save trapped individuals, so Dr. Ferenc could not argue with that and reluctantly nodded and stepped back… which alleviated much of his suspicion about Song Haoran’s identity as a government agent.

Song Haoran breathed steadily, his hand placed on the door lock. This kind of lock was more decorative but couldn’t withstand much force. With a powerful twist of his wrist, the lock cylinder was broken.

Dr. Ferenc let out a surprised ‘Oh’ at that moment, clearly impressed with Song Haoran’s skills.

With the lock broken, the door could easily be opened. Song Haoran was very cautious, staying to the side of the door as he gently pushed it open, waiting quietly to see what was inside. After a few seconds, when he heard no sound, he slipped into the room.

However, he only found a few men sitting on the sofa with their heads down, silent, presumably unconscious.

At that moment, Song Haoran’s keen instincts sensed something coming at him from behind… Was someone hiding behind the door at the moment he opened it?

Just a small trick, he had anticipated it.

Song Haoran quickly spun around, his left leg swinging out swiftly. He had trained in various combat techniques, and this spinning kick was a combination of Muay Thai and Taekwondo’s striking techniques.

This move was aimed at the enemy’s head, intending to knock them out easily. Yet, Song Haoran stopped just before making contact.

He saw the person who had been about to ambush him with a raised arm, frozen in a punching posture, and a face full of shock, seemingly frightened by Song Haoran’s fierce counter.

Behind this person stood a beautiful woman in a black evening gown, her face pale, hands clenched tightly, visibly nervous.

Song Haoran slowly lowered his leg, surprised, “It’s you?”

The pair hiding in the room, planning to ambush him, turned out to be the young couple he had randomly encountered on the street earlier.

Luo Qiu and You Ye.

“Mr. Song, it’s you.” Luo Qiu seemed equally surprised and sighed with relief, still shaken, “I thought you were one of those damned terrorists.”

“Perhaps I am a terrorist.” Song Haoran winked, playfully looking at the fellow countryman for whom he felt a genuine fondness, and chuckled, “And the kind that kills without blinking.”

Luo Qiu was momentarily taken aback, then smiled wryly, “In that case, the situation would be even worse.”

“Ha ha ha ha! Just kidding.”

For some reason, looking at this young man in his awkward situation, Song Haoran felt a growing sense of affection, and he patted the young man’s shoulder, “I wouldn’t harm a friend… by the way, why are you hiding here?”

Luo Qiu glanced at You Ye, then quickly said, “We came here to attend the concert. But when the hostage situation occurred, amidst the chaos, we quietly hid ourselves.”

Song Haoran suddenly asked, “Did you just enter this room and lock the door?”

Luo Qiu was surprised, “How did you know?”

Song Haoran smiled, “Because I have eyes in the back of my head… But let’s not dwell on that, what’s the deal with these people? Why are they unconscious?”

He pointed at the several men passed out on the sofa.

Song Haoran’s keen gaze recognized immediately that among them, only one appeared well-cared-for, while the others seemed to be bodyguards. But with Dr. Ferenc present, who did not call out ‘Billy’s’ name, it was clear this person was not Ferenc’s companion.

Could it be Luo Qiu and You Ye’s doing?

Song Haoran immediately dismissed such an idea.

From the way Luo Qiu hid behind the door and attacked him, it was purely the behavior of an ordinary person. If he hadn’t stopped, Luo Qiu might have already been knocked out by a kick to the head.

As for You Ye… this woman seemed as frail as if she had no bones, with not a hint of muscle on her body, looking entirely like the daughter of an aristocrat, naturally incapable of such skills.

Otherwise, wearing such an evening gown and trying to move freely wasn’t an easy feat, not even his subordinate Lluvia could manage that… and when he asked Luo Qiu if he’d just come in and locked the door, his reaction was as expected.

At this moment, the only thing Song Haoran was curious about was the identity of Luo Qiu and You Ye.

The concert tickets were very hard to come by outside… Didn’t this kid say he was going to study in Britain soon? Perhaps from a wealthy family or the offspring of an official, there must be some identity connection.

Since they were here on vacation, it wasn’t strange for them to come and listen to a concert. It’s just that this pair of talents and beauties encountered such a dangerous situation, likely shattering their original romantic night plans.

By the way, it seems Luo Qiu mentioned that his father is a policeman… so he must be an officer in the police system, right?

Luo Qiu shook his head at this time, “I don’t know either. When I came in, they were already like this. I thought of waking them up, but before I could, I heard some noises outside, so I hid. Then Mr. Song, you appeared.”

“What are you talking about?” Dr. Ferenc interjected at this time.

Because Luo Qiu and Song Haoran were conversing in Chinese, Dr. Ferenc couldn’t understand a word of it, and his original suspicion of Song Haoran resurfaced instantly.

“Doctor, don’t be nervous,” Song Haoran waved his hand and said, “These two are from wealthy families in China, they are my friends, and we just happened to meet here.”

“Is that so?” Dr. Ferenc was noncommittal.

Song Haoran didn’t care at all but walked directly to the few unconscious men, observing their situation… they didn’t seem to be knocked out, and even if they were, who would be so bored to neatly arrange them on the sofa?

He pulled out a business card from one of the men’s pockets and glanced at it, “This guy should be part of the exchange group, the boss of a liquor company, Hua Xi?”

Upon hearing this name, Dr. Ferenc’s expression clearly showed a trace of abnormality, which Song Haoran caught well.

Song Haoran didn’t make a fuss but frowned and said helplessly, “They’re unconscious, can’t wake up temporarily. Taking them with us to evacuate isn’t feasible… we can only leave first and I’ll think of a plan later.”

“What… what if the criminals find them?” Dr. Ferenc blurted out.

Song Haoran asked curiously, “Doctor, you seem to know these people? You look quite nervous?”

“Oh… it’s a matter of life and death,” Dr. Ferenc replied quickly.

Song Haoran shook his head, “I can only prioritize those who can move normally… this is not a place to stay. If Roger finds out his men haven’t reported back in time, he might discover the situation here, we need to leave immediately!”

“Alright, alright then.” Dr. Ferenc hesitated and nodded.

At this moment, Song Haoran looked at Luo Qiu and You Ye, then gave Luo Qiu’s arm a hearty pat, laughing cheerfully, “How is it, have you felt the charm of this country?”

Luo Qiu ‘smiled wryly,’ “I have.”

“Have you trained before?” Song Haoran suddenly asked.

Luo Qiu nodded and casually said, “When I was little, my father taught me some self-defense skills, but I didn’t practice much as I grew up.”

Song Haoran nodded, “No time to delay, take your little girlfriend and follow me. This is your moment to show your manliness…”

As he said, he suddenly got close to Luo Qiu’s ear and whispered, “Also, your last chance to win her heart!”

“…Let’s leave here first, shall we?” Luo Qiu suggested.

Why would it be like this… it’s like Ren Ziling has possessed him.

Boss Luo shook his head secretly and then looked at the Maid. You Ye naturally coordinated swiftly, allowing the boss to hold her hand, and followed behind Song Haoran.

Master, you seem to be having a lot of fun.

The maid smiled softly.

…

The group, led by Song Haoran, left quickly, but not long after, a situation occurred. They encountered another pair of men and women at the corner of the corridor and almost began fighting.

“Army…”

“A Qiang! Xiao Li! It’s me!” Song Haoran shouted suddenly!

A Qiang?

Xiao Li??

Oni and Lluvia looked at each other, having no idea what script this strategist was playing, but having followed Song Haoran for some time, they quickly cooperated.

“These two are my colleagues,” Song Haoran explained to the surprised Doctor, Luo Qiu, and You Ye, “We’ll lead you out.”

Dr. Ferenc didn’t say anything, only furrowing his brows deeper.

Boss Luo was surprised to see the woman called ‘Xiao Li’… That fiery red evening gown was actually the same style he prepared for You Ye.

Oni, now disguised as A Qiang, stayed at the rear, while Lluvia, disguised as Xiao Li, led the way with Song Haoran.

Song Haoran asked in a low voice, “How did you get up here?”

Lluvia replied quickly, “There’s a lunatic upstairs who shoots at the crowd occasionally, causing panic. However, he accidentally shot someone dead a moment ago, causing the hostages to lose control. Oni and I took advantage of the chaos to quietly escape from the backstage. We came up here to see if there was a way out.”

“Well done, now I don’t have to go through the trouble of getting you guys out,” Song Haoran said with some surprise.

“By the way, strategist, who are these three?” Lluvia asked curiously.

Song Haoran said, “That old man is a scientist, something we don’t know seems to be happening tonight. As for the others… they’re just ordinary people we picked up. That young guy gives me a sense of familiarity, couldn’t quite let go.”

How willful… don’t they know it’s very dangerous now?

Lluvia rolled her eyes at Song Haoran indignantly—but maybe that’s the charm of the strategist.

Oni had been listening to Song Haoran and Lluvia’s conversation through the earpiece. Having heard enough, he glanced at Luo Qiu instinctively.

After a few glances, he nodded. This weakling, with no strength in his legs, was probably one of those playboys from Hua Country.

And the kind that specializes in women.

“Pretty boy weakling.”

Oni whistled, but just as he finished, he screamed in pain, startling everyone ahead.

“O… A Qiang, what happened?” Song Haoran was shocked.

Oni, in visible pain, lifted his foot, and after a moment, cursed, “Boss, why is there a nail here?”

Oni gritted his teeth, and with a hard pull, removed the nail from the bottom of his foot, which was two knuckles long…