Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 922: Chapter 166: The Thick Fog of Lies and Change

The address has already been searched clearly, but Luo Qiu did not move immediately according to the address on the map.

There are still some things here that need to be dealt with.

The Alfa Romeo was bombed and overturned, crashing into the cliff, causing Song Ying and Gan Hong to be knocked unconscious—fortunately, with Luo Qiu by their side, they were naturally unharmed.

They were placed not far from the spot where the sports car exploded under the cliff.

Luo Qiu found a small car fridge from the wreckage of the sports car and took out a bottle of water from inside. He casually wiped Song Ying and Gan Hong’s faces and sat down to think about things.

He looked at Song Ying and Gan Hong, who had fainted but were leaning against each other… Yet, they still tightly held each other’s hands.

In the instant of falling off the cliff, Song Ying first thought of Gan Hong and used her body to embrace her, while Gan Hong protected Song Ying’s head.

At that moment, neither of them considered that Luo Qiu was also in the car.

Luo Qiu suddenly stood up, smiling slightly, and lightly patted the place where they held hands, then quietly left the place.

He only left a bottle of water, and took away all the communication tools from Song Ying and Gan Hong’s bodies—including a miniature positioning system from Song Ying’s body.

This positioning system is probably unknown to Song Ying herself… It’s likely a protection measure from the Han Residence—after all, those in the Guard Team would think of ways for this car-loving young lady.

“Getting out isn’t difficult,” Luo Qiu smiled, “if everyone works together…”

…

Gan Hong’s physique is naturally much better than Song Ying’s. After all, she emerged from the rigorous training of the village—and as a female who is naturally inferior to males in terms of physical fitness, she still managed to stand out, which speaks volumes about Gan Hong’s excellent physique.

Therefore, she came back to her senses earlier… At this point, the sky was slightly bright, and even in such a place at the bottom of the cliff, one could vaguely see a person’s outline.

Surrounded by a vast expanse of green, Gan Hong glanced around and then gently pushed Song Ying’s shoulder, waking her up as well—after waking up, Song Ying vigorously shook her head and struggled to recall what happened before she fainted.

A group of troublemakers intercepted them on the highway, a bunch summoned by Zhong Luoyue or Boss Zhong, just looking to cause trouble.

But then suddenly, the Alfa Romeo exploded… Song Ying quickly ran through the sequence of events in her mind and was relieved: “It’s a miracle we’re alive… Gan Hong, what’s our situation now?”

Gan Hong frowned and said, “We’re at the bottom of the cliff, having lost all communication tools. The car is completely destroyed; I found just one bottle of water, so it’s the worst situation possible. But even worse is I haven’t found Young Master Qiu.”

“What… What happened to him?” Song Ying’s expression changed slightly at this moment.

Gan Hong shook her head at this time, “There are no signs of Young Master Qiu on the wreckage of the sports car, which is the only good news. But it’s not much good either… Young Master Qiu may have been thrown out of the car when it crashed, landing somewhere.”

Gan Hong looked up at the cliff’s situation, her voice somewhat deep, “If we’re lucky, he might be injured and temporarily unable to move. If unlucky, he could have suffered fatal injuries when thrown out of the sports car…”

“This guy’s life is tough!” Song Ying suddenly said, “That guy’s life is tough, he’ll be fine for sure!”

“Let’s hope so.” Gan Hong paused silently, then stood up, “No matter what, what I need to do now is to find Young Master Qiu… Miss Ying, I’ve examined your body—just some minor scratches that aren’t a big deal. If you stay here, the people from the Han Residence will come to rescue you soon; they’ll know you’re…”

As Gan Hong spoke, she extended her hand to the collar of Song Ying’s clothes. Song Ying found Gan Hong’s actions odd, but before Gan Hong had finished speaking, she halted, “They’ll know me… Know what about me?”

“The positioning system Uncle Wu installed on you is missing,” Gan Hong frowned and withdrew her hand.

“Uncle Wu? When did that happen? Why was I unaware?” Song Ying frowned as well.

Gan Hong had no choice but to say, “Naturally, this was kept from you. Otherwise, with your temperament, how would you obediently wear a tracking device?”

Song Ying suddenly fell silent, then asked abruptly: “Does Luo Qiu have one on him too?”

Gan Hong shook her head, “Young Master Qiu’s set of positioning systems is still in the customization phase, so they haven’t been installed yet… So now I’ve completely lost contact with Young Master Qiu, which is the most troublesome… We can’t determine his current state immediately.”

“Maybe… Maybe he was rescued by someone?” Song Ying was struck by the thought.

Gan Hong frowned.

Song Ying quickly added, “Don’t you find it strange? When we fell off the cliff, we were clearly inside the car. But when we landed here, we were outside, and not injured… How did we get out ourselves? And how did we avoid the car burning?”

Gan Hong thought for a while, but ultimately shook her head.

Song Ying was biting her nails, “Luo Qiu is missing, but we’re still here, and it’s obvious someone saved us… If so, chances are that the person who saved us is Luo Qiu. In this wilderness, besides us, who else could there be? Apart from Luo Qiu, who else could it be?”

“Then why isn’t Young Master Qiu here?” Gan Hong frowned.

“Maybe he went to scout the surroundings, seeing we hadn’t woken up?” Song Ying quickly spun various possibilities: “Maybe he went for help, or just to find food, or a source of water… Aren’t we down to just one bottle of water?”

“Hopefully.” Gan Hong couldn’t come up with more explanations, so she subconsciously accepted Song Ying’s reasoning, “Hopefully, no more difficulties will arise…”

However, at that moment, the bottom of the cliff suddenly began to turn misty.

Mists from the mountain stream gradually spread from far away!

The surrounding fog grew thicker, covering the entire wilderness at the bottom of the cliff with a whitish layer in no time.

“It’s troubling… If this continues, even a rescue helicopter wouldn’t find us!” Song Ying immediately realized that the appearance of this dense fog was undoubtedly a further blow to them!

The removal of Song Ying’s positioning system meant the Song Family would have to exert quite some effort to find her—especially while visibility was clear.

“The fog arrived too fast and too dense; it might not dissipate quickly,” Gan Hong shook her head, “But after all, there’re tracks on the highway that can be traced. As long as we don’t leave this area, the rescuers will naturally start searching from the scene… Staying here is clearly the correct choice.”

Song Ying made a bitter smile, “While you say that is true… I hope no dangerous creatures appear in this thick fog. In such a ghostly place, there must be no shortage of beasts and venomous snakes, and we can’t see…”

Gan Hong said calmly, “Though this place is remote, it doesn’t mean those beasts or venomous snakes will come back. They too need to survive; staying in such a barren place offers no benefit.”

But just then, some peculiar noises suddenly came from the dense fog… like the call of some beast.

Song Ying jumped up at once, smiling bitterly, “Isn’t this too prophetic… Whatever I say just happens?”

“Perhaps Young Master Qiu has returned.” Gan Hong was unsure, then leaned down, putting her ear to the ground, “No… These aren’t footstep sounds of a person walking!”

Howl—!!!

“It’s… It’s the sound of wolves howling!!”

Accompanied by Song Ying’s alarm, several blurry shadows suddenly surged through the dense fog… As these shadows approached, their forms and sounds finally made the two certain of one thing!

They were being targeted by a pack of wild wolves!

But in this place, where did the wolves come from… and why did seven or eight wolves appear all of a sudden?

“It seems that staying put is not an option…” Gan Hong decisively grabbed Song Ying’s shoulder, “We don’t have weapons to deal with these beasts. We’ll have to hide first… This way, follow me!”

Song Ying felt herself being dragged along, but didn’t say anything, quickly adjusting her pace… At this moment, it seemed Gan Hong was no longer concerned with finding Luo Qiu.

For some reason, Song Ying’s heart suddenly warmed.

The wolf pack was now charging behind them, while they hurriedly dove into the dense fog, hoping to use it to confuse the wolves’ vision.

Hopefully… Song Ying worried silently.

…

…

At the café by the street.

“Sir, your coffee.”

Luo Qiu smiled slightly and placed a small denomination bill on the server’s tray.

Ordinary people often tip a little; in fact, there’s no need to give much because those who received tips already feel happy… This must be a female student working part-time.

She left with a kind smile, mentioning before leaving that refills are available.

Luo Qiu picked up the coffee… The taste was merely average, but it seemed the café had quite a few customers. Apparently, his taste had become quite picky since being spoiled by You Ye.

Luo Qiu took a small sip and began playing with his cellphone—like any typical young man, he sat at a street café out of boredom, playing with his phone—either to pass the time or because he was waiting for someone.

No one paid attention to him.

But he was observing someone in a corner of the café… A man in his forties or fifties reading a newspaper, occasionally lighting a cigarette, resembling a bored middle-aged man wasting time.

This must be the person meant to meet with the gunman, but clearly not the true mastermind behind hiring the killer.

Very cautious… Luo Qiu’s perspective slightly changed at this moment.

He could see the handgun hidden under the coat of this middle-aged man, and even his shoes… blades were hidden in the soles, and a small steel ball was in his coat pocket.

This ball seemed to retract into a long steel wire—items like this could only be classified as murder weapons.

Hiring one killer to assassinate Song Ying, then hiring another to kill the first… Perhaps a third killer was secretly lurking, targeting the second.

Thus, breaking the trail piece by piece.

Luo Qiu yawned, realizing it would take some more time to catch the real behind-the-scenes perpetrator—he wasn’t worried about the time, and if he were, he could simply cheat.

The club had the world’s most comprehensive intelligence… But Luo Qiu planned to give Song Ying and Gan Hong some alone time, so he stayed here, playing this barely entertaining stalker game.

The reason could be that his emotions had resurfaced considerably, prompting Luo Qiu to engage in dull and inefficient activities… People often waste time on unnecessary matters.

Even knowing it’s a waste, they still do it… like a natural instinct.

At this time, the man in the corner checked his wristwatch for the third time—an hour had passed since his scheduled meeting with the gunman.

He then made a phone call and left shortly after settling the bill.

Luo Qiu had no intention of following him but instead activated the navigation on his phone—a tiny red dot appeared on the map.

This red dot represented the middle-aged man.

Unbeknownst to him, he was marked by Luo Qiu—not with high-tech positioning systems, but with methods beyond the technological side, equally convenient.

The red dot moved slowly, then sped up as if boarding a car or similar vehicle.

“Sir, would you like a refill?”

The same female server as before asked, perhaps due to the tip, with a charming smile.

“No, thank you.” Luo Qiu shook his head, “Please convey my compliments to the master; the coffee art was beautifully done.”

The female server nodded, feeling an unexpected desire to linger beside the young man, despite his Eastern features… She wished to stay a bit longer, feeling internally peaceful, as if all worries vanished.

“Would you like some snacks? A sandwich or cookies?”

Luo Qiu waved his hand softly, “I should be going now; I’ll visit again if given the opportunity.”

Praise and promise are tools to bridge people… accompanied by a smile.

As Luo Qiu was sent off by the server’s gaze, he felt like his old self again—before becoming the club owner, he frequently pondered how to interact with others.

The irony was that he understood each step and method but always lacked the execution capability.

“Actually… I’ve changed somewhat, myself.” Luo Qiu muttered, glancing at the distant street entrance, “Unnoticed and gradually…”

He suddenly halted because at that street entrance, he noticed a black car had stopped.

The people stepping out of the car were Song Da and Mr. Blind.

The archway above the street entrance reads… Zhonghua Street.

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PS1: Thanks to the big shot “Autumn of Qiu Tian” for being the adorable host, thanks to the big shot “Tangxitianyin” for being the sect master, bowing to them with diligence in writing (I mean diligently bowing my head to type).

PS2: So… the status of extra updates is (0/3), starting tomorrow =.=