Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 101

Suren's voice was noticeably hoarse, which made my heart ache. I interrupted her, "Suren, when can you come to Hokkaido? I have a lot to discuss with you about the 'Tower of the Dead'... Could you put what you're doing aside for now? I really need your help..."

This was the limit of how much I could ask a girl for help; Su Lun was the first person who made me humble myself and beg for her assistance.

I heard Guan Baoling singing on the tree-lined path. Her voice was charming and beautiful, seemingly a cover of an old song by Cai Qin. Her voice was melodious and captivating. It was truly astonishing that a girl in her early twenties could imitate Cai Qin's deep melancholy so perfectly.

"A man who has achieved great success, to have such a girl by his side, may have truly reached the pinnacle of his life's pursuit... Tycoon... Tycoon..." I kept repeating Ye Hongsheng's name in my mind, feeling both envious and jealous.

“Brother Feng, you’re daydreaming—” Suren said with a hint of annoyance.

"I didn't...I didn't! I just wanted to tell you everything that happened yesterday. Sigh, one more question, could we put aside the archaeological work in Xianyang and focus all our efforts on dealing with things here in Hokkaido? Without you...without you, it's really..."

I gritted my teeth and made up my mind, but after hesitating three times, I still didn't have the courage to admit my "weakness."

Men care about their reputation, which is only natural. Moreover, I value the authentic plaque of "King of Tomb Raiders" Yang Tian even more, and I don't want to tarnish my brother's reputation by showing weakness temporarily.

Guan Baoling's singing gradually grew louder, and what was even more infuriating was that Wang Jiangnan actually harmonized with her in a standard bass voice. The two of them worked together seamlessly and in perfect harmony.

Part 3: Ghostly Villa

— Chapter 7 — Yelan's Disappearance —

“Brother Feng, I will get to Hokkaido as soon as possible, within about a week, no more than ten days. Actually, I can tell what's important and what's not, but I feel that the discovery at the Ruin Pit is related to what happened in Hokkaido—it's a very strange discovery, you'll probably understand after seeing the pictures…”

It wasn't until the call was almost over that I seized the opportunity to ask in a deliberately casual tone, "Are you alright? Take good care of yourself!"

Having Su Lun's voice and Guan Baoling's singing in your ears at the same time is truly an extremely cruel torture.

Suren remained silent for more than ten seconds before chuckling casually and replying softly, "I'm fine, don't worry. I'll take good care of myself while you're away."

I haven't forgotten that she was the last disciple of Master Guan Nan Wu Lang, a top-notch martial arts master. Her marksmanship, martial arts skills, and wisdom were all on par with mine, so of course she could take care of herself.

After ending his call with Su Lun, Xiao Keleng mentioned something that seemed "irrelevant": "Mr. Feng, a major international event has just occurred—North Korea's special envoy to the United Nations held a press conference yesterday, openly stating that the country has the capability to manufacture nuclear weapons and declaring that it will begin conducting 'nuclear explosion' tests in early 2006. This move has caused great shock to countries in East and Northeast Asia."

I laughed: "The international situation is changing rapidly. Does North Korea, such a small country, really want to jump out and stir up trouble?"

North Korea is one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in Asia. If such a small country can conduct its own nuclear test, perhaps in a few years, any tiny country in South Asia will possess its own nuclear weapons. At that time, the Earth will absolutely become a bomb that can be detonated at any moment, extremely dangerous.

"What I want to talk about is not international public opinion, but that 'Crimson Flame' has already deployed a ten-person squad into the Japanese archipelago. According to the Sniper Association's informant, this squad is using a 'divide and conquer, regroup' operational procedure, with its target being Fuuki-ji Temple in Hokkaido."

As Xiao Keleng spoke, she unconsciously touched her short hair, her brows furrowed tightly, showing that she was racking her brains and thinking hard.

"Red Flame" is the nickname for North Korean special forces. Their speed and methods of operation are as swift and unpredictable as fireworks in the night sky, often catching the enemy off guard before they can even figure out their true intentions. This elite unit was trained entirely under the guidance of top-level instructors from the U.S. Navy SEALs and is particularly adept at near-water operations.

I tried my best to clear my head, and stood up with effort, thinking of going downstairs to wash my face.

On the surface, the nuclear explosion and the eastward advance of North Korean special forces seem to be unrelated things. Moreover, I am not interested in matters of national politics; those are sophisticated toys that politicians cobble together and fight over, and they have nothing to do with me.

"Mr. Feng, I don't care about politics, but I just want to remind you that globally, it's not just a couple of people who care about the whereabouts of 'Sun God'. Conservatively speaking, at least ten or more forces are preparing to get involved and have dispatched their absolute elite forces to Hokkaido, eyeing it covetously. We may not want to cause trouble, but others don't see it that way. If we stand in their way, we will inevitably be eliminated without hesitation—Is my meaning clear enough?"

Of course I understand, but things don't seem so bad. Besides, this is Japanese territory. If a small-scale world war breaks out, the Japanese police will naturally come out to suppress and resolve it. Why should we worry about it?

I didn't comment on Xiao Keleng's foresight, and slowly descended the stairs, stretching as I went. This state of fatigue wasn't good; I hoped to take a nap before lunch to replenish my energy.

Guan Baoling and Wang Jiangnan, like two butterflies fluttering side by side, naturally entered my field of vision. She stood on the steps, her hands tucked into her sleeves, graceful and elegant. I remembered that she had called her driver to come pick her up, but so far, the driver hadn't come, and she seemed determined to continue living in Xunfuyuan.

I quickly washed my hands and came out. I heard a car horn outside, and then two young people carrying loads of bright red roses walked through the manor gate.

Xiao Keleng stood in front of the stairs, frowning and sighing, "My God! Thirteenth Brother is completely... completely in love..."

Undoubtedly, these flowers were sent by Wang Jiangnan to please Guan Baoling. Young girls love only two things: roses and diamonds, and for Wang Jiangnan, neither of these would be a problem.

With so many flowers, it must have been in accordance with the auspicious meaning of 333 stems, and the entire living room was filled within minutes. Wang Jiangnan certainly knew how to choose a location; he practically treated Xunfu Garden as his own personal stage.

The living room was filled with the sweet scent of roses, still carrying the morning dew, almost intoxicating. I bet every girl in the world has the exact same expression when she receives flowers from a man. Guan Baoling gracefully rose, her face instantly blossoming into an incredibly sweet and radiant smile. As her long eyelashes fluttered beautifully, I couldn't help but feel an urge to punch Wang Jiangnan and knock all his teeth out.

"Am I also becoming a little unable to extricate myself?" I lowered my head and walked upstairs, my gaze unintentionally meeting Xiao Keleng's.

“Mr. Feng, look, with the roses as decoration, the villa has suddenly become so vibrant, hasn’t it?” She said with a slightly teasing smile, her hands in her pockets.

"Yes, it's full of life, but I hope some people don't turn their joy into sorrow!" I just said it casually, not from the heart, but Xiao Keleng's hands instantly gripped the pistol in his pocket, and his whole body tensed up, like a nimble cat hunting in the night.

Crisis was lurking everywhere, and she was on high alert, especially after she told me about the "Crimson Flame" unit's actions; she had been deeply worried ever since.

“Xiao Xiao, don’t be nervous. I believe Su Lun will fly to Hokkaido soon to meet us—” I believed Su Lun ten times more than I believed Xiao Ke Leng, but this seemingly innocuous remark clearly stung her: “Oh? Mr. Feng doesn’t trust my ability to handle situations? No wonder. Sister Su Lun is a top disciple of Master Guan Nan Wu Lang. Once she enters the martial arts world, everyone has to give her face. I’m just an unknown nobody, only good for being someone else’s pawn and stepping stone…”

She brushed past me and walked towards the gate, unconsciously raising her head as if she were deeply hurt.

I stamped my foot with a wry smile. Guan Baoling's long eyelashes were making me flustered, and I spoke without thinking. This time, I had clearly embarrassed Xiao Keleng.

“Mr. Wang, roses are beautiful, but how can they compare to Japan’s most famous cherry blossoms? I hope that next year when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Hokkaido, we can still have the opportunity to enjoy the flowers and wine together…” Guan Baoling said in a sweet voice, bending down in front of a cluster of roses to take a deep breath, and then let out a long sigh of satisfaction.

I continued upstairs, wanting only to cover my ears and blindfold myself to keep those remaining images and scenes outside my body.

The laptop was still on, and Suren's pictures hadn't been sent yet.

The fragrance of roses seeped invisibly into the second floor, as if no matter where I hid, I couldn't escape the scene of Wang Jiangnan's declaration of love to Guan Baoling. I got up and went into the study, slamming the door shut with a "bang." The world became quiet, and my respiratory system finally received a temporary respite.

The room had a faint, old-fashioned scent of books that quickly calmed my mind.

"What was my brother looking for? Did he find it in the end?" As I wandered along the aisle between the bookshelves, I couldn't help but look up at the two intersecting beams. The beams wouldn't tell me anything, but I believed that since a compass had once hung there, there must have been some subtle traces left, even if it was just a nail hole or a perforation...

I bent my knees and sprang up, using my hands to catch the weight on the side bookshelf shelf. I jumped more than two meters high, and my body gently touched the top of the bookshelf directly below the beam, my hair almost touching the ceiling.

The crossbeam is made of fine, ancient wood, sourced from a whole cedar tree over a hundred years old. Without the dense coating of lacquer, it would surely exude a refreshing, natural wood fragrance.

I ran my fingernail lightly across the paint film, estimating that it had been applied about a year ago; it no longer smelled or looked like fresh paint. After carefully examining each plane and elevation at the intersection of the beams, I was still disappointed. It seemed that the craftsmen had thinly planed the beams before painting, a common technique for restoring old beams, thus erasing any previous traces.

"Such a large compass is extremely rare—it's a pity that Scalpel died too young and too suddenly... He didn't leave any words behind..."

I landed dejectedly, then thought about how the scalpel had searched the study several times without finding anything, and besides, I had only been there for a few days.

Time ticked by, and lunchtime drew ever closer. I hoped that when I left the study, I would see Wang Jiangnan confidently bringing Yelan up to see me. At that moment, I was extremely conflicted. I wanted to see Yelan and find out how to wake Tengjia—yet I didn't want Wang Jiangnan to succeed and display his chivalrous charm in front of Guan Baoling.

My fingers slowly traced across the bookshelf, trying to find a book to pass the time, since I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully this morning anyway.

My heart leaped when my fingers landed on the spine of a Russian book, because it was one of the few Russian books I had ever read—the 1969 edition of *The Centuries*.

Since receiving my elder brother's diary, I have read all the translations of *Les Prophecies* published worldwide, especially the sections "The King of Terror 1999" and "The Great Seven," which I can recite fluently in any language. There are two Russian versions of *Les Prophecies*: one before the collapse of the Soviet Union and one after, both compiled, printed, and distributed by the Russian State Publishing House.

What I'm holding now is the old edition of *Les Prophecies*. Of course, I believe the content of the two editions is definitely the same—my excitement stems from the sudden realization that "since my brother's notebook contains those two passages, it's clear he's conducted complex and in-depth research on *Les Prophecies*. To find him, we must first follow his thought process before his disappearance; that will surely reveal what he was thinking and what he intended to do..."

I excitedly kicked the bookshelf hard: "Finally... I've found the main thread to solve the problem in this vast sea of books... The key to cleaning out the study is to find all the materials related to 'The Centuries'..."

He quickly browsed the bookshelves and found about twenty-five different translations of *Les Prophecies*, as well as more than two hundred and twenty collections of interpretations of *Les Prophecies* by scientists, theologians, paranormal researchers, and even famous psychics from around the world. Next, he should have Xiao Keleng find some reliable people to remove all these books from the shelves, move them to the living room outside, and search them line by line to see what they might find.

Of course, this "reliable person" does not include Wang Jiangnan's men. I don't want him to happen to find something and show off to Guan Baoling.

I stopped in my tracks and sighed deeply, "Have I also been bewitched by Guan Baoling's beauty? Why do I associate every little thing with her?" Just as "a good doctor cannot cure himself," although I pride myself on being an expert in interpreting thoughts, I was unable to analyze whether my feelings for Guan Baoling were "love" or "dislike."

When my watch pointed to 11 a.m., I left the study, but there was neither a picture of Su Lun nor any good news from Wang Jiangnan. Downstairs was quiet, the air still filled with the scent of roses.

After I went down the stairs, I realized that everyone was outside the door.

Wang Jiangnan paced back and forth, a phone in each hand, making a loud "thump-thump-thump" sound. He had long since lost the refined and composed demeanor of a chivalrous hero. Perhaps he was never a hero at all, and it was all just an act in front of Guan Baoling—seeing him like this, I felt a sudden sense of relief and satisfaction.

Five meters away from him, the "Three Heroes of Fire" stood side by side with furrowed brows, their playful smiles gone.

"How could this happen? How could this happen..." Wang Jiangnan roared, raising his hands high, like a gorilla that was furious and shouting because it couldn't get a banana.

Xiao Keleng, who had been sitting with Guan Baoling in the pavilion, quickly returned to the living room with a serious expression: "Mr. Feng, the men sent to welcome Yelan have suddenly disappeared—"

She glanced at her watch, then gave the exact figures: "They've been missing for twenty minutes. The initial report said they'd successfully picked up Yelan from the airport and were heading north along the highway, expected to return to the villa around 11:30. But things changed. Thirteen has sent men out again to meet them, but… but the chances are slim, because both the four experts' personal phones and car satellite phones are unreachable. Unless they're all dead at the same time, at least…"

Her hands went back into her pockets, gripping the gun handle tightly.

No one likes unexpected events, but life is full of surprises—I patted her on the shoulder, signaling her to relax as much as possible: "Don't be nervous, Xiao Xiao, it's just an accident, Mr. Wang will handle it."

I admit I was a little smug, but mostly I was annoyed: "Yelan is so important, why go through the Brilliant Gun Society? If I had gone to Tokyo myself to redeem Yelan, wouldn't everything have been fine? I could have even spoken to him on the spot and learned the secret to reviving Fujika..."

It's too late to say anything now. The one who should be frustrated and angry is me, not Wang Jiangnan, the outsider.

The phone rang, and Wang Jiangnan held both phones to his ears simultaneously. After listening for only a few sentences, he suddenly roared, "What? No news, no car accident, no disappearance record—nothing at all? Where did they go? Tell me where they are, where they are..."

His mood had deteriorated to the extreme. Suddenly, he waved his hand, and both phones slammed onto the steps with a loud bang, shattering into countless tiny plastic parts.

Xiao Ke frowned, giving an uneasy, bitter smile: "That's how Thirteenth Brother is, look at his hands..."

Even without her prompting, I saw Wang Jiangnan's hand. He took off his white suit and gloves, slamming them heavily onto the steps—his left hand gleamed coldly in the sunlight; it was a stainless steel prosthetic hand. The prosthetic hand was perfectly crafted and flexible, attached to his left wrist, and when gloved, it was completely undetectable from the outside.

In an instant, I was both stunned and amused, and my expression must have been extremely strange, which made Xiao Keleng sigh seven or eight times in a row: "Thirteenth Brother has a violent temper, is fierce and combative by nature, and lost that hand when he was fighting with the Yamaguchi-gumi for territory."

I desperately tried to breathe deeply, swallowing the strange laugh that was about to escape my throat. Laughing at a disabled person is an extremely inhumane act, but I doubted that even if Wang Jiangnan bought up all the roses in the entire Dutch market for ten years, he still might not be able to win the beauty's heart.

The gloom of the past two days vanished instantly, and I felt the sunlight outside the door suddenly become much brighter and more cheerful. But the thought of Yelan's disappearance still weighed heavily on my heart: "How could this be? Could it be that Yelan's phone calls were tapped..."

I was still somewhat skeptical of his "big secret," let alone other uninformed martial arts experts. At least in my value judgment, it was impossible for an unknown nobody from Egypt to possess a "big secret" worth twenty million.

Those who haven't experienced the ordeal in the Egyptian desert can't understand how important Tenga's awakening was. Wang Jiangnan felt he'd lost face, but he suffered no other losses, while the regret I felt at that moment was indescribable—

After this incident, my trust in the Sharpshooter Association's ability to handle matters has dropped to almost zero.

"Mr. Feng, don't be anxious. I believe Brother Thirteen will give an explanation." Xiao Keleng was an outsider, so she was able to remain calm throughout.

The bright sunshine outside shone on the overwhelmed Wang Jiangnan, filling me with a mixture of pleasure and frustration. The highway from Sapporo to Xunfuyuan was so long, with so many intersections; truly investigating the cause of Yelan's disappearance was no simple matter, otherwise Wang Jiangnan wouldn't have been so furious.

I turned to go upstairs, shaking my head helplessly at Xiao Ke: "Xiao, the Sharpshooter Society isn't omnipotent, is it? I'll contact Su Lun again and see if she can send a few capable experts over—"

The scalpel's old subordinates include nearly a hundred martial arts masters scattered across various countries around the world. It is believed that as long as Suren gives the order, these people will surely respond to the call.

Xiao Ke frowned and smiled bitterly: "It was just an accident!"

She wanted to explain, but the walkie-talkie on the Fire Elephant Trio's waist suddenly crackled to life: "Attention! Attention! A silver sports car has appeared, heading straight for Xunfuyuan Villa..."

This was a warning issued by the observation post that Wang Jiangnan had arranged at the highest point of the villa. They were monitoring the situation outside the door non-stop with military binoculars at 80x magnification.

Then, everyone heard the unbridled roar of the sports car's generator and exhaust pipe. A brand-new Toyota two-seater sports car suddenly appeared at the end of the road outside the gate, traveling at at least 200 kilometers per hour. Within about fifteen seconds, it rushed into the villa gate without slowing down at all, heading straight for the steps.

The members of the Sharpshooter Society rushed out from all corners, but before they could even get their footing, the car screeched to a halt with a "screech," its front wheels making a graceful right turn before coming to a stop about fifteen steps from the steps.

I stood on the third step of the stairs, where my line of sight was perfectly positioned to look down at the sports car.

This is Toyota's latest model from 2005, featuring a silver body with silver chrome trim. Inside, it houses a professional racing engine with power that leaves all ordinary cars in the dust. Just looking at the four imposing chrome exhaust pipes at the rear, you can imagine the exhilarating feeling of flooring the accelerator.

With a "snap," the car door swung open, and before anyone appeared, a powerful, murderous aura surged and rushed towards me. I was in the living room, at least 25 meters away from the car, but as soon as the murderous aura hit me, I immediately felt a chill run down my spine, as if a knife was cutting my face.

"Such a heavy killing intent—" I muttered to myself, instinctively gripping the stairs beside me. There were members of the Sharpshooter Society outside; they could at least hold them off for a while.

Xiao Keleng was momentarily bewildered: "What murderous aura? What?"

Some things can only be perceived by extremely sensitive people; for example, I can even smell a faint scent of blood carried on the wind.

A snow-white foot with red-painted toenails slowly emerged from the carriage, wearing wooden clogs. The foot was small, with delicate flesh and bones—a typical girl's foot. In this cold weather, it wasn't even wearing a pair of common white cotton socks. Next, a corner of a snow-white robe was revealed, and the driver's body swayed in the wind, now fully visible to everyone. The driver held a fiery red box in both hands, with an exquisite bow tied with a jet-black ribbon.

Wang Jiangnan's prosthetic hand suddenly made a "click" sound, the sound of a bullet being chambered.

I can imagine that such an exquisitely crafted prosthetic hand couldn't have been made just for aesthetic purposes; it must have been a strangely shaped miniature submachine gun.

Four young men emerged from the bushes and charged forward. They were the ones who best understood Wang Jiangnan's signals, but they were also the ones who died the fastest. With a flash of light, four streams of blood spurted from the necks of the four men simultaneously, instantly staining the withered grass along the tree-lined path crimson. Their bodies flew backward, not even having time to let out a scream.