Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 86

The fire in the fireplace burned brightly, as if only this fire could sustain our tireless efforts.

"I feel like this repetition isn't working very well? Is it possible that strange events only happen during certain special periods of time?" She finally couldn't help but ask, sitting back on the sofa for the thirteenth time, feeling frustrated.

I checked my watch; it was six o'clock in the afternoon, one hour and twenty minutes before Guan Baoling disappeared yesterday.

The strange map lay spread out on my lap. I was quite interested in the odd staircases, as they naturally reminded me of the legend of the "undersea tomb." Near Hokkaido, any staircase leading underground is the first thing that comes to mind.

If the "undersea tomb" really exists, it must have existed for hundreds or thousands of years, not just ten or eight years, which is why this idea has gradually spread.

"Mr. Feng, do you think... the plague might reappear?" Xiao Ke touched her short hair, yawning repeatedly. If she was dressed like a proper lady in the morning, now she looked like a tired child, her exhaustion evident.

I nodded and moved the map aside: "Yes, definitely. He needs money, and I happen to be able to provide it for him."

It was my turn to go to the restroom. The map was casually placed on the coffee table next to me. Perhaps I was a little careless; anyone can be careless when exhausted. Besides, the villa door was tightly closed, and Xiao Keleng's martial arts skills were not weak, so I felt the map would be fine. Therefore, I confidently stretched and went to the restroom.

Standing in front of the sink, I casually turned on the tap and looked at my slightly bluish eye sockets in the mirror.

Recently, I had almost forgotten about the photos of my elder brother that Jia Guye and Xiaoyan had provided. However, last night's conversation about the plague has rekindled my thoughts on this issue.

"If my older brother were standing in this restroom today, what would he do?"

"If it were my eldest brother who encountered this strange incident of Guan Baoling's disappearance, what would he do?"

Since he was determined to become the "King of Tomb Raiders" like his elder brother, he would often subconsciously put himself in his brother's shoes and try to understand him in the context of his surroundings.

"First, I will search for architectural information about Xunfuyuan to see if there are any secret passages or rooms; second, I will launch a large-scale search operation throughout Japan, drawing more explorers into the Hokkaido region to dig deep for the huge reward..."

The mirror was spotless, probably because Xiao Keleng had just wiped it with a tissue.

The restroom remained empty and deserted, devoid of any human presence.

I sighed, turned off the tap, and was about to turn around and leave the bathroom when Xiao Ke's angry shout suddenly rang out in the living room: "Stop! How dare you!" Immediately afterward, the sound of fists and feet flying and the clanging of weapons filled the air.

I touched the ground with my toes, spun around, and dashed to the living room.

A gaunt man, completely clad in black night clothes, was fighting Xiao Keleng. He was parrying Xiao Keleng's attacks with only his right hand, while his left hand held the parchment map tightly. His large, cold eyes swept over me, who had suddenly appeared, before he abruptly flipped backward and ran towards the stairs.

The small knife in my palm shot out with a hiss, and with a thud, it embedded itself in the railing two meters in front of him.

The old masters of the martial arts world always say: A good man doesn't fight with a woman.

Judging from the way the night walker jumped, she was a young girl, and a slender one at that, with an alluring figure that revealed her curves.

With a swift movement, she drew the samurai sword from her back and, with a light tap of her feet on the stairs, shot backward toward me, displaying exceptional agility and skill.

"Hey, friend, give me the number before you fire—" Xiao Ke shouted, his body leaping and sliding sideways past the coffee table. In an instant, he had the shotgun in his hand, completing a series of actions—loading, bolting, and aiming—in a tenth of a second, before stopping in a kneeling firing position next to the sofa back.

I've said it before, Xiao Keleng is quite skilled and knows how to take advantage of the situation in the first instance.

No matter how fast a samurai sword is, it can never beat the speed of a bullet.

The night walker twisted his body, landing like a snake, his blade flashing as he slashed towards my knee. This movement, however, used me as a shield, allowing him to avoid Xiao Keleng's gun.

What impressed me most about her were her eyes, as cold and aloof as an icy spring, seemingly untouched by worldly concerns.

With just one move, I grabbed her wrist holding the knife, and with a quick twist and pull, I successfully disarmed her, taking the three-foot-long samurai sword with its long handle and short blade in my hand. This was the extremely skillful technique of "disarming an opponent with bare hands."

Before I could even feel smug, six strange whistling sounds of hidden weapons piercing the air suddenly rang out. Xiao Keleng quickly rolled to the side of the sofa, and the six seven-star darts, gleaming coldly, were neatly embedded in the back of another sofa behind her.

The map in the night traveler's hand disappeared. With a wave of his arms, two sharp, cracking sounds rang out, and golden fingernails simultaneously sprang from his ten fingers. Each fingernail was two inches long, like ten extremely sharp nail-piercing cones.

Xiao Keleng cried out urgently, "It's a 'golden finger'! Mr. Feng, be careful!"

Before Xiao Keleng could even call out the Night Walker's name, I reacted by swinging my katana nearly thirty times, deftly deflecting the opponent's counterattack. I had already taken four steps back, my back pressed firmly against the cold wall.

"Golden Finger" is the head of the punishment hall in the "Night Angels" group. She is in charge of the gang's "hunting and punishment" work and is a legendary figure in the underworld who kills without blinking an eye. However, there was not enough evidence to prove that she was a girl.

After this round of close combat, although she forced me back, she was unable to open the passage and enter the restroom smoothly.

It seems she is very familiar with the villa's layout and knows that the back window is the most convenient escape route.

With two sharp "rip" sounds, a cross-shaped opening suddenly appeared in the black shirt covering Golden Finger's chest, revealing a snow-white sweater underneath—the contrast between black and white was striking. Then, the map she had hastily stuffed into her chest slowly floated down, landing precisely between us, about five steps apart.

My goal is the map. Although I don't know its true value, I'm convinced of the saying "a thief's eye can melt gold." Anything that catches the eye of the "Angels of the Night" group of master thieves, even if it looks insignificant on the outside, must have enormous potential value inside.

"You want this map?" I sneered, speaking in broken Korean. In this round of confrontation, I was the one who suffered a complete defeat, but the one who truly lost was Golden Finger. After all, I was unharmed, while her clothes had been torn; if those two cuts had gone any deeper, they would have definitely disemboweled her.

Xiao Ke stood up with a cold smile, holding the hunting rifle horizontally as he walked over.

I turned to her and gave her a wry smile: "Why aren't you shooting? Are you watching a martial arts show?" Given her proficiency with a gun, her shooting skills must be pretty good; there's no way she wouldn't have waited so long to find the right moment to pull the trigger.

"I just think it's a real shame that the 'Angel of the Night' expert from the Punishment Hall died so inexplicably. Besides, it would be a laughing stock in the martial arts world if word got out that she was fighting two against one. I know she's no match for Mr. Feng, so why add anything unnecessary?"

Xiao Keleng spoke eloquently, walked straight behind Golden Finger, and gently pressed the muzzle of the gun against her back.

At this point, the situation should be under control by Xiao Keleng and me working together.

There is only one person in all of Asia who uses this unique weapon, and that person is Golden Finger.

"Don't be too smug, you two—Mr. Feng and Ms. Xiao, right? Obstructing our gang's operations is just courting death. Why stand up for a traitor in the gang?" Golden Finger spoke fluent Chinese. With a snap of his fingers, all the golden nails retracted, turning into ten beautiful, plump fingers of a young girl.

She was a head shorter and thinner than Xiao Keleng, but the martial arts skills she displayed when she first made her move were already very impressive.

I presented the katana with both hands, smiling apologetically: "We have absolutely no interest in the affairs of the 'Black Angels' gang, and we don't even know who this 'traitor' you're talking about is. Please forgive us if we have offended you in any way."

Golden Finger caught the knife, tossed it casually, and slid it diagonally into the scabbard on his back, completely ignoring the gun in Xiao Keleng's hand.

Xiao Ke sighed: "What? Are you two old acquaintances? Fighting one minute and making up the next, this isn't child's play. I thought someone was going to die today! If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to get the gun..." She put away the hunting rifle, and the stiff and indifferent atmosphere immediately eased.

I don't know Golden Finger, I just don't want to offend the number one gang in South Korea.

We're currently in Japan, and we're already under immense pressure from our previous falling out with Watanabe Jo, who has ties to the Yakuza. Going against "The Angel of the Night" would be tantamount to playing with our lives. Furthermore, I know that the Golden Finger didn't unleash its full power just now; otherwise, it would have already killed Xiao Keleng before I stormed into the living room.

"It's so cold outside, would you like a cup of coffee?" I offered, smiling sincerely.

Xiao Keleng obediently walked to the chest of drawers at the bottom of the stairs and plugged in the electric kettle to boil water. Her thoughtfulness always made me feel comfortable and gratified, and I didn't have to worry about any other details.

My attitude was completely unexpected by Golden Finger. He pointed to the map in my hand and asked, "Mr. Feng, may I borrow this map to take a look?"

The process of turning an enemy into a friend was too swift; she probably hadn't fully adjusted yet. Her large eyes blinked incessantly, scanning my face repeatedly, without even removing her face mask. However, the only part of her body exposed outside her black covering—her ears—revealed fair and delicate skin, adorned with a pair of exquisitely crafted black crystal earrings that sparkled under the light. From this, it was clear she was someone very adept at grooming herself; even when dressed in the dark to "do her job," she would skillfully use black earrings to achieve a harmonious color scheme throughout her outfit.

I smiled and gestured to her, "No problem, please come over here on the sofa. There's paper and pen; I could easily draw a copy for you."

Before I understood the meaning of the map, I was happy to borrow it from her without any hesitation, pretending to be completely unguarded.

She hesitated noticeably for a moment, then glided forward lightly and gracefully sat down on the sofa.

Xiao Keleng was very efficient; within three minutes, she had brought over a silver-plated tray with matching silver-plated coffee utensils, and the enticing aroma of authentic Brazilian coffee wafted from the cups.

Under our polite greetings, Golden Finger finally felt embarrassed to remain fully on guard any longer. He removed his mask and black hood, gently twisted his neck, and his long hair cascaded down smoothly, like a black waterfall suddenly leaping off a cliff, prompting Xiao Keleng to let out an "Oh" filled with jealousy and envy.

Long-haired girls are more attractive to men; this is an absolute law of attraction in relationships between men and women on Earth.

Xiao Keleng couldn't help but raise her hand to touch her short hair, then turned around in annoyance and walked towards the restroom again.

Her temperament and personality leaned too much towards androgynous, lively and active, never wanting to be idle for a moment, so her current short hair was the most suitable match. Of course, she knew this, but seeing Golden Finger transform from a cold and gloomy black-clad assassin into a charming young woman with long flowing hair, it was inevitable that a girl's innate jealousy and competitive spirit would surface.

The silver-plated coffee set shimmered with a captivating, dreamlike luster under the light, prompting a sigh from me: "A peaceful and comfortable life is something everyone longs for. Like right now, sitting comfortably in front of the fireplace, holding a cup of fragrant coffee, completely absorbed, even drowsy—the only downside is that comfort can make one forget about ambition, as time passes by day by day..."

I crave a moment of peace amidst the intense tension of my adventurous life, but I will never yearn for it, much less indulge in it.

While I was staring blankly at the firelight in the fireplace, Golden Finger had already carefully examined the strange map (let's call it a map for now, even though the images were extremely crude), and was looking up at the chandelier above his head, his lips moving silently.

Her face was perfectly shaped, a classic Asian beauty with a delicate, elegant face. Her features were particularly striking, especially her high, straight nose and moist, bright red lips, making her look as radiant and captivating as a top female model in a Korean television commercial. If it weren't for the recent life-or-death battle, I would have seriously doubted how such a petite girl could possibly lead the "Black Angel's" punishment hall.

“Mr. Feng, thank you for your generosity.” She spoke again, her Chinese pronunciation clear and melodious.

I shrugged nonchalantly, waved my hand, and pointed even more generously to the notebook on the coffee table: "Miss Jin, you don't need to memorize it. You can just draw a copy and take it with you. It's no problem."

The excessive generosity suddenly aroused Golden Finger's suspicion, who sneered warily, "When did you Chinese become so generous? What's in this coffee?"

I laughed, raised my cup, and drank it all in one gulp. All the coffee came from the same pot; there was no difference. She was really overthinking it.

"Miss Jin, what does this picture mean? Why would it provoke you to take action? Could it be a treasure map left by someone from the past—" I hoped to get some information out of her, because this "sky drawing" that looked like a child's scribble was meaningless to me.

Golden Finger picked up the cup, took a light sniff, and frowned, probably trying to identify the coffee's components by its aroma. Her two black crystal earrings shone even brighter, accentuating her unparalleled elegance.

Suddenly inspired, I pointed at her and burst into laughter.

Because I remembered the origin of the earrings—the story goes back to 1997, when Hong Kong was handed over to China from Britain. At that time, Governor Chris Patten had a Vietnamese mistress who was fascinated by black crystal. So, Patten asked someone to find a piece of extremely pure black crystal from a deep crystal mine in South Africa, which was then transported to Manchester, England, and given to a master craftsman who made crystal jewelry for the British royal family. It took four months to cut and polish a pair of diamond-shaped earrings, which were named "Lonely Eyes".

The total cost of these earrings was approximately £150,000. Chris Patten's original intention was for his young lover to wear them to the solemn handover ceremony, to forever commemorate that unique and historic moment. Unfortunately, the earrings were stolen en route from the airport to the Governor's House shortly after arriving in Hong Kong on a British Airways plane, and have not been heard from since.

Golden Finger put down his cup, met my smiling face, and coughed lightly with indifference: "Mr. Feng seems to enjoy laughing to himself? But I don't see what is so funny to you right now!"

I stopped smiling and gently tapped my finger on the cup, making a pleasant, tinkling sound.

The "Angels of the Night" thieves are used to running rampant in East Asia, treating neighboring Japan as their maritime backyard. Their confidence and arrogance are understandable. Besides, two-thirds of the world's precious jewelry inevitably goes through a cycle of "private collections stolen, thieves reselling to the wealthy, stolen again, and resold again." So, wearing earrings on gold finger earlobes is hardly surprising.

The fire in the fireplace was reduced to a few flickering embers. Another hour had passed, and not only had Guan Baoling not been found, but the unexpected twist of "Golden Finger" had also appeared in the house, leaving me utterly exasperated.

What exactly did the Golden Finger glean from this map?

I suspect that the masters of "Black Angels" are lingering around Hokkaido with some kind of scheme in mind, meaning that there must be something of interest to them hidden in this wooden bowl-shaped boat.

“Miss Jin, you’ve looked at the map. Do you have any advice?” I tried to keep smiling, but when my gaze fell on her face, I couldn’t help but compare her to Guan Baoling. Both were long-haired girls with delicate and beautiful features, but their temperaments were completely different.

Guan Baoling struck me as incredibly delicate, needing a man to protect and cherish her at all times—the thought of her ambiguous relationship with the tycoon suddenly stirred a strange, inexplicable jealousy within me. The tycoon was nearing fifty; how could he possibly be worthy of the vibrant, young Guan Baoling in her early twenties? Besides money, what could he possibly offer Guan Baoling, now afflicted by a malevolent curse of black magic?

A surge of jealousy, like "sour grapes," overwhelmed me, causing me to cough violently and my thoughts to become chaotic.

Golden Finger cleared his throat and sneered arrogantly, "I wouldn't presume to ask for your guidance. But since you've been so polite in borrowing the map, I can tell you that it depicts the route to the 'Underwater Tomb' thousands of years ago. However, I'm sorry, this is a top secret of the gang and cannot be leaked."

I could easily concoct thousands of words from such a vague statement.

The legends surrounding the "Underwater Tomb" in the martial arts world could fill an entire encyclopedia of mythology; you can't just randomly pick a piece of parchment and call it a map of the tomb, can you? As for the "Black Angels'" supposed top-secret gang information, that's utterly ridiculous. For these elusive thieves, Xunfuyuan Villa is an absolutely undefended city; they can come and go as they please at any time.

I picked up the parchment and pondered, feeling somewhat frustrated that the Golden Finger had gleaned so much information from the map while I couldn't discern anything. Especially since the other party adopted an arrogant and mysterious demeanor, completely disregarding my well-intentioned hospitality, it left me feeling utterly annoyed.

“I should go now, but—” Golden Finger rolled her big, watery eyes, and things suddenly took a turn for the better, because she then said something that was quite disastrous: “Mr. Feng, if you could tell me where the map came from, I think we could make a deal…”

She concealed it well, completely masking her intentions beneath a cold and arrogant facade, but this statement undoubtedly proved that the parchment and its origin were truly the key issues. And both of these matters were within the grasp of Xiao Keleng and me.

"Haha, a deal? What deal?" I took a step back, slowly folded the parchment, and put it into my pocket.

Only Xiao Keleng, the Anzi sisters, and I know that the bronze sword worn by the statue on the second floor can be drawn. As for obtaining the map, only Xiao Keleng and I know the answer. This is a secret that Golden Finger could never guess.

At this moment, I felt that Xiao Keleng hadn't appeared in the living room for a long time, and I couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"You can choose between money or jewelry, but you have to tell me the source of the map, how about that?" Golden Finger tentatively asked.

I laughed, because during my conversation with the golden finger, the scales of victory had finally begun to tip in my favor. So I shook my head vigorously: "No, that secret is extremely important to me, and I'm afraid I can't easily reveal it to your faction. Please leave—"

Xiao Keleng had been in the restroom for more than twenty minutes. By the time I realized the situation was bad, it was already too late.

Pushing open the bathroom door, I was greeted only by an empty room. Just like Guan Baoling's disappearance, Xiao Keleng had also disappeared.

I leaned against the doorframe, my heart pounding, my mood plummeting: "What's going on? Another mysterious disappearance? This room has become the entrance to a mysterious world, swallowing people up one after another... What on earth is happening?"